Methods, apparatus and computer-readable media for facilitating the transmission of media streams between a UE and a service provider

Abstract

A method performed by a User Equipment (UE) (900) is disclosed. The method is for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between the UE and a service provider via a transport connection. The method comprises sending (302), to a core network node (1000), assistance information indicating a type of media included in the first media stream.

Description

METHODS, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIA FOR FACILITATING THE TRANSMISSION OF MEDIA STREAMS BETWEEN A UE AND A SERVICEPROVIDERTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to communication networks, and particularly to methods, apparatus and computer-readable media for facilitating the transmission of media streams between a User Equipment (UE) and a service provider.BACKGROUND

[0002] Figure 1 illustrates 5G reference architecture of policy and charging control framework, as defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0003] The relevant architectural aspects for the present disclosure are:- Application Function (AF), further explained below.- Network Exposure Function (NEF), further explained below.- Policy Control Function (PCF), further explained below.- Session Management Function (SMF), further explained below.- User Plane Function (UPF), further explained below.

[0004] AF

[0005] The AF interacts with the 3 GPP Core Network, and specifically in the context of the present disclosure, allows external parties to use the Exposure Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) offered by network operators.

[0006] NEF

[0007] The NEF supports different functionality and specifically in the context of the present disclosure, NEF supports different Exposure APIs.

[0008] PCF

[0009] The PCF supports a unified policy framework to govern the network behavior. Specifically, the PCF provides Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rules to the Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF), i.e. the SMF / UPF that enforces policy and charging decisions according to provisioned PCC rules.

[0010] SMF

[0011] The SMF supports different functionalities, e.g. SMF receives PCC rules from the PCF and configures the UPF accordingly.

[0012] UPF

[0013] The UPF supports handling of user plane traffic, including packet inspection, packet routing and forwarding, traffic usage reporting, Quality of Service (QoS) handling.

[0014] 3GPP Release 19 Study on Extended Reality and Media (XRM) Ph2

[0015] A 3 GPP technical report (TR) entitled “Study on architecture enhancement for Extended Reality and Media service (XRM); Phase 2” (TR 23.700-70 v0.3.0 (Feb 2024) available at https: / / portal.3gpp.org / desktopmodules / Specifications / SpecificationDetails.aspx?specificationId=421 1 as of 12 February 2025) (“TR 23.700-70”) studies key issues, solutions and conclusions for support of advanced media services, e.g. High Data Rate Low Latency (HDRLL) services, Augmented Reality (AR) / Virtual Reality (VR) / eXtended Reality (XR) services. Specifically, Key Issue #4 “Traffic detection and QoS flow mapping for multiplexed data flow” covers the following:

[0016] XR and interactive media services are likely to send data traffic of different media components and with different QoS requirements. Several media streams could be multiplexed on the same end-to- end transport layer connection.

[0017] For example, in XR service, several media streams could be multiplexed on a single Internet Protocol (IP) 5 -tuple with Transport protocol like Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) QUIC protocol, using different QUIC connections or different QUIC streams.

[0018] In another example, video and audio Real time Transport Protocol (RTP) streams or different layers of media streams with different QoS requirements are multiplexed into a single transport layer connection with same IP 5 -tuple.

[0019] Current 5G system (5GS) QoS Framework does not fit well to support differentiated QoS for the multiplexed traffic flows when they share the same IP 5 tuple.

[0020] This key issue proposes study traffic detection and QoS Flow mapping in 5GS for different media streams multiplexed within a single end-to-end transport connection.- How to identify multiplexed traffic flows with different QoS requirements within a single transport connection.- How to do QoS Flow mapping for traffic flows with different QoS requirements.- Whether and what information needs to be provided from AF for traffic detection.- Whether and how AF provides QoS requirements of different traffic flows to the 5GS.

[0021] QUIC

[0022] QUIC is a UDP based stream-multiplexed and secure transport protocol with integrity protected header and encrypted payload. Unlike the traditional transport protocol stack with Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which resides in the operating system kernel, QUIC can easily be implemented in user space, i.e. in the application layer. Therefore, this improves flexibility in terms of transport protocol evolution with implementation of new features, congestion control, deploy ability and adoption.

[0023] QUIC is standardized in the IETF. QUIC is likely to become the main transport protocol in the Internet’s user plane. It is expected that most applications running today over HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) / HTTP Secure (HTTPS) shall migrate to QUIC, driven by latency improvements and stronger security. Notably, compared to HTTPS, encryption in QUIC covers both the transport protocolheaders as well as the payload, as opposed to Transport Layer Security (TLS) over TCP, e.g. HTTPS, which protects only the payload.

[0024] QUIC Load Balancing in Content Delivery Networks (CDN )

[0025] QUIC was designed with CDN and other deployments where one desires multiple serving instances behind a single address of a front-end load balancer in mind. The primary function that enables this is QUIC’s connection identifier (ID) (CID) field. This field also enables QUIC’s connection migration feature, which means that the source IP and port number in the client to server direction is not the primary way to identify a connection. Instead the load balancer uses the destination CID field to map to a particular serving instance for this connection. Several possible methods exist for ensuring that the load balancer knows which CID to map to which server in the client to server direction.

[0026] M. Duke., et al., “QUIC-LB: Generating Routable QUIC Connection IDs”, draft-ietf-quic- load-balancers-19, workgroup: QUIC, 5 February 2024 (available at https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / html / draft-ietf-quic-load-balancers as of 12 February 2025) (“M. Duke., et al.”) defines methods that avoid per connection signaling between load balancer and server instance. The load balancer defines a profile that consists of a secret key and some configuration parameters defining fields in the unencrypted CID. The field sizes define how many servers can be supported and how many connections per server. When a server needs to generate a new CID value it fills in the used profile, its server ID, and the server specific connection ID, then it encrypts the CID field with the profile key and use the encryption output as the publicly visible CID value.

[0027] When a client wants to open a new QUIC connection with the service served by the load balancer, it may use a long header QUIC packet and a random destination CID. The long header and non-routable CID results in the packet being dispatched to a serving instance using a method suitable for new connection attempts often hashing based on the 5-tuple. If the connection attempt is responded to, the server instance uses one of its generated CIDs per the above as its source CID. Thus, for future QUIC packets the client sends, it uses the encrypted server instance generated CID value. When that reaches the front-end it decrypts it and determine the server ID, forwards the packet to the destination address of the server instance identified. And the server instance can verify that it reached the right server instance and identify the connection.

[0028] These practices have several implications. Initial connection establishment using different client port number often result in different serving instances. Server instances IP addresses are not visible outside of the load balancer, nor may it know the full 5 -tuple as that is rewritten by the load balancer when it forwards packets.

[0029] Multipath QUIC

[0030] The IETF is specifying an extension to the QUIC protocol that enables the concurrent use of multiple parallel network paths (UDP 4-tuples) in a single QUIC connection. A multipath enable QUIC connection uses multiple CIDs, one or more per path. Each path having its own 5 -tuple address and portvalues. The scheduling of data transmission on the paths are not normatively defined and can be adopted to the applications needs and the paths’ properties to meet transport goals.

[0031] Proxy

[0032] Conceptionally, a proxy is an intermediary program acting as both server and client, creating or simply relaying requests on behalf of other entities. Requests are serviced internally or by passing them on, with possible translation, to other servers. There are several types of proxies, where we focus on the following:- A "transparent proxy" is a proxy that does not modify the request or response beyond what is required for proxy authentication and identification.- A "non-transparent proxy" is a proxy that modifies the request or response to provide some added service to the user agent, such as group annotation services, media type transformation, protocol reduction, or anonymity filtering.- A "reverse proxy" basically is a proxy that pretends to be the actual server (as far as any client or client proxy is concerned), but it passes on the request to the actual server that is usually sitting behind another layer of firewalls.- A “Performance Enhancement Proxy (PEP)” is used to improve the performance of protocols on network paths where native performance suffers due to characteristics of a link or subnetwork on the path.

[0033] MASQUE

[0034] IETF has a Working Group called MASQUE, aimed to develop mechanism(s) that allow configuring and concurrently running multiple proxied stream- and datagram -based flows inside an HTTPS connection. These mechanism(s) are collectively called MASQUE. The group will specify HTTP and / or HTTP / 3 extensions to enable this functionality. Several Requests For Comments (RFCs) have already been produced (see IETF RFC 9297: HTTP Datagrams and the Capsule Protocol available at https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / rfc9297 / as of 12 February 2025, IETF RFC 9298: Proxying UDP in HTTP available at https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / rfc9298 / as of 12 February 2025, and IETF RFC 9484: Proxying IP in HTTP available at https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / html / rfc9484 as of 12 February 2025).

[0035] Through MASQUE:- Application creates a secure connection to an on-path network proxy.- Establish secure End-to-End (E2E) connection to the server(s) via the proxy.- Application data is secured E2E and protected from unauthorized used in the network.- Content provider and Mobile Network Operator has a secure channel to exchange information about application and policy real-time.

[0036] The application client explicitly opens QUIC tunnel connection to proxy and request forwarding and uses HTTP CONNECT-like protocol and a custom protocol to request or negotiateforwarding, authentication, and configuration.

[0037] QUIC proxy provides secure forwarding and performance enhancement services, e.g. congestion control support (mobile / satellite), access policy enforcement, load balancing / mobility, multi-hop chaining / onion routing. QUIC proxy may optionally also open a tunnel to server (if supported by server).

[0038] By using the above mechanisms, the client and / or server (usually the client) explicitly contacts a proxy (e.g. a QUIC Proxy) in order to expose information between the Content Provider (Application Client and / or Server) and the Mobile Network Operator (e.g. QUIC Proxy at UPF).

[0039] Figure 2 illustrates a Client / Server and Proxy interaction. Figure 2 shows an inner connection which carries (encrypted) application traffic between client and server (not visible to the proxy), while the outer connection can be used to expose information between the Content Provider (Application Client and / or Server) and the Mobile Network Operator (e.g. QUIC Proxy at UPF).SUMMARY

[0040] There currently exist certain challenge(s). The following problems are identified:As per Key Issue #4 of TR 23.700-70: o XR and interactive media services are likely to send data traffic of different media components and with different QoS requirements. Several media streams could be multiplexed on the same end-to-end transport layer connection. o Current 5GS QoS Framework does not fit well to support differentiated QoS for the multiplexed traffic flows when they share the same IP 5 tuple.

[0041] Since it is desirable to separate traffic flows with different characteristics over multiple IP 5- tuples. One way to achieve this is for the application to separate the different application streams (e.g., audio and video) over separate transport connections. However, this is not applicable for all types of applications and content delivery infrastructure. The different connections might end up on separate server or process instances due to load balancing.

[0042] To get around the issue with load-balancing while still separating the streams over multiple 5- tuples the application can use the Multipath extension to QUIC. In this way the client uses connection Ids that are provided by the server that should guarantee that the traffic is routed to the correct server instance.

[0043] The problem that remains is how the network associates the different 5-tuples with intended QoS. Out-of-band solutions such as Packet Flow Descriptor (PFD) management can in theory solve the problem but lead to heavy and complicated signaling.

[0044] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Embodiments of the present disclosure address Key Issue #4 of TR 23.700-70 for the case of XR service delivery over the transport protocol IETF QUIC. The present disclosure describes how one application can set up a QUIC transport connection for the user service session, and multiplexin this transport connection different media streams with different needs. The present disclosure proposes a form of multiplexing that overcomes the load balancer issue and at the same time allows to use different 5-tuples for each of the streams in the single connection. The streams can then be served according to their specific needs without impacting the 5GS QoS framework.

[0045] In embodiments of the present disclosure:The multiplexed traffic flows with different QoS requirements within a single transport connection are identified still using 5-tuples.The system is enhanced so that the AF requirements do not need to be provided for specific 5- tuple. The QoS requirements are provided e.g. for the traffic type, which is identified with UE provided in-band assistance.

[0046] In summary, the present disclosure proposes a mechanism which allows Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to support differentiated QoS for XRM multiplexed media traffic.

[0047] In a first aspect of the disclosure, a method is performed by a UE for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between the UE and a service provider via a transport connection. The method comprises sending, to a core network node, assistance information indicating a type of media included in the first media stream.

[0048] In a second aspect of the disclosure, a method is performed by a core network node for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between a UE and a service provider via a transport connection. The method comprises determining a type of media included in the first media stream. The determination is based on a connection identifier identifying a transport connection path associated with the first media stream and / or assistance information provided by the UE. The assistance information indicates the type of media included in the first media stream.

[0049] In a third aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a UE comprising processing circuitry and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the UE to send, to a core network node, assistance information indicating a type of media included in a first media stream. The first media stream is transmitted between the UE and a service provider via a transport connection.

[0050] In a fourth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a core network node comprising processing circuitry and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the core network node to determine, a type of media included in a first media stream. The first media stream is transmitted between a UE and a service provider via a transport connection. The determination is based on a connection identifier identifying a transport connection path associated with the first media stream and / or assistance information provided by the UE. The assistance information indicates the type of media included in the first media stream.

[0051] In a fifth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a communication system comprising at least one of: a UE according to any embodiment of the third aspect and a core network node accordingto any embodiment of the fourth aspect.

[0052] In a sixth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing code which, when executed by processing circuitry of a UE, causes the UE to perform a method according to any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0053] In a seventh aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium storing code which, when executed by processing circuitry of a core network node, causes the core network node to perform a method according to any embodiment of the second aspect.

[0054] It is an object of the invention to allow network operators to support differentiated QoS for the XRM multiplexed media traffic.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0055] For a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how it may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0056] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating 5G reference architecture of the policy and charging control framework;

[0057] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a Client / Server and Proxy interaction;

[0058] Figure 3 shows a method performed by a wireless device according to embodiments of the disclosure;

[0059] Figure 4 shows a method performed by a core network entity according to embodiments of the disclosure;

[0060] Figure 5 shows a method performed by a core network entity according to embodiments of the disclosure;

[0061] Figure 6 is a signaling diagram illustrating Multipath (MP) QUIC (MP-QUIC) for stream multiplexing in the same QUIC transport connection according to embodiments of the disclosure;

[0062] Figure 7 is a signaling diagram illustrating embodiments of the disclosure;

[0063] Figure 8 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0064] Figure 9 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0065] Figure 10 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0066] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a host in accordance with various aspects described herein;

[0067] Figure 12 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized;

[0068] Figure 13 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0069] Figure 14 shows a network node in accordance with further embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] 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. Additional information may also be found in the document(s) provided in the Appendix.

[0071] XR and interactive media services are likely to send data traffic of different media components and with different QoS requirements. Applications send the several media streams multiplexed in a single transport connection e.g. to guarantee that when traffic is traversing load balancers the traffic of a user service session is all steered to be served by the same server instance(s).

[0072] The term “media stream” is used herein to refer to the application data flows belonging to the one user service session of, maybe, different media type (e.g. audio, video, data) and different QoS needs.

[0073] Figure 3 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 3 may be performed by a UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE 812 or UE 900 as described later with reference to Figures 8 and 9 respectively). The method is for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between the UE and a service provider (e.g., an AF) via a transport connection (e.g., a multipath QUIC transport connection). The first media stream may be one of a plurality of media streams, and the transport connection may be configured to support the plurality of media streams via multiplexing. For example, the plurality of media streams may support a single user service session (e.g., a streaming session).

[0074] The first media stream may comprise an application data flow belonging to a user service session. The first media stream may have a QoS requirement based on a type of media (e.g., audio, video, data, etc) included in the first media stream. In some embodiments, a path used for the first media stream may be chosen based on the QoS requirement of the first media stream.

[0075] The method begins at step 302 with sending (e.g., in band) assistance information to a core network node (e.g., a user plane core network entity, such as a UPF or a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway User plane (PGW-U), or a core network session management entity, such as an SMF or PDN Gateway Control plane (PGW-C)). This step may be performed according to embodiments of the CONNECT UDP method discussed below.

[0076] The assistance information indicates, implicitly or explicitly, the type of media included in the first media stream. In some embodiments, the first media stream may be sent over one or more paths of the transport connection, and the assistance information may indicate which of the one or more paths is used.

[0077] In some embodiments, at step 304, the UE may receive the first media stream from the service provider. The first media stream may meet the QoS requirement.

[0078] Further detail regarding steps 302 and 304 may be found in the discussion below with respectto Figures 6 and 7, and particularly the processing and communications steps performed by the UE in those Figures.

[0079] Figure 4 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 4 may be performed by a user plane core network entity (e.g. a UPF or a PGW-U). The method is for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between a UE and a service provider (e.g., an AF) via a transport connection (e.g., a multipath QUIC transport connection). The first media stream may be one of a plurality of media streams, and the transport connection may be configured to support the plurality of media streams via multiplexing. For example, the plurality of media streams may support a single user service session (e.g., a streaming session).

[0080] The first media stream may comprise an application data flow belonging to a user service session. The first media stream may have a QoS requirement based on a type of media included in the first media stream.

[0081] In some embodiments, the method may begin at step 402 with detecting, on the transport connection, the first media stream.

[0082] At step 404, the user plane core network entity determines a type of media (e.g., audio, video, data, etc.) included in the first media stream. The determination is based on a connection identifier identifying a transport connection path associated with the first media stream (e.g., a 5-tuple or a QUIC connection identifier) and / or assistance information provided by the UE. The assistance information may indicate, implicitly or explicitly, the type of media included in the first media stream. In some embodiments, the first media stream may be sent over one or more paths of the transport connection, and the assistance information may indicate which of the one or more paths is used.

[0083] For example, step 404 may comprise: receiving, from the UE, the assistance information in- band. This step may be performed according to embodiments of the CONNECT UDP method discussed below.

[0084] Additionally or alternatively, step 404 may comprise: detecting, on the transport connection, the connection identifier identifying a transport connection path associated with the first media stream (e.g., a 5-tuple or QUIC connection identifier).

[0085] In some embodiments, the method of figure 4 may further comprise, responsive to determining the type of media included in the first media stream, indicating, to a core network session management entity (e.g., an SMG or PGW-C), the type of media included in the first media stream. For example, the indication may comprise the connection identifier and / or the assistance information. This step may be performed according to embodiments relating to the CONNECT UDP methods discussed below.

[0086] In some embodiments, the method of figure 4 may further comprise receiving, from a core network session management entity (e.g., an SMF or PGW-C), a mapping (based on the type of media included in the first media stream) between the first media stream and a QoS flow. The mapping may be received responsive to the user plane core network entity indicating, to the core network sessionmanagement entity, the type of media included in the first media stream.

[0087] Further detail regarding the method 4 may be found in the discussion below with respect to Figures 6 and 7, and particularly the processing and communication steps performed by the UPF in those Figures.

[0088] Figure 5 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 5 may be performed by a core network session management entity (e.g., an SMF or a PGW-C). The method is for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between a UE and a service provider (e.g., an AF) via a transport connection (e.g., a multipath QUIC transport connection). The first media stream may be one of a plurality of media streams, and the transport connection may be configured to support the plurality of media streams via multiplexing. For example, the plurality of media streams may support a single user service session (e.g., a streaming session).

[0089] The first media stream may comprise an application data flow belonging to a user service session. The first media stream may have a QoS requirement based on a type of media included in the first media stream.

[0090] In some embodiments, the method may begin at step 502 with receiving, from a user plane core network entity (e.g., a UPF or PGW-U), a message including an indication of the type of media (e.g., audio, video, data, etc.) included in the first media stream. The indication may be received according to embodiments relating to the CONNECT UDP methods discussed below.

[0091] The indication included in the message is based on a connection identifier identifying a transport connection path associated with the first media stream (e.g., a 5-tuple or QUIC connection identifier) and / or assistance information provided by the UE to the user plane core network entity. The assistance information may indicate, implicitly or explicitly, the type of media included in the first media stream. In some embodiments, the first media stream is sent over one or more paths of the transport connection, and the assistance information indicates which of the one or more paths is used.

[0092] In some embodiments, the method may comprise receiving, from the service provider, information relating to a QoS of a session (e.g., included in an AFsessionwithQoS request). The information may include: an indication of one or more media types (e.g., audio, video, data, etc.); and QoS requirements corresponding to the one or more media types.

[0093] At step 504, the core network session management entity determines the type of media included in the first media stream. Step 504 is based on the connection identifier associated with the first media stream and / or the assistance information provided by the UE.

[0094] In some embodiments, at step 506, the core network session management entity may determine, based on the indication received from the user plane core network entity and the information received from the service provider, a QoS requirement of the first media stream.

[0095] Based on the QoS requirement of the first media stream, the core network session management entity may establish a QoS flow and provide, to the user plane core network entity, a mapping betweenthe first media stream and the QoS flow.

[0096] Embodiments of the present disclosure also include step 404 and / or step 504 being performed by any suitable core network node.

[0097] Further detail regarding the method 5 may be found in the discussion below with respect to Figure 7, and particularly the processing and communication steps performed by the SMF in that Figure.

[0098] Embodiments of the present disclosure build on the fact that, as shown below, when the XR service traffic is transmitted over a QUIC transport connection, the different media streams which are multiplexed and may have different QoS needs, can still be transmitted using different 5-tuples and steered by load balancers to same server instance(s) using MP-QUIC (see Yanmei Liu., et al., “Multipath Extensions for QUIC”, draft-ietf-quic-multipath-06, QUIC Working Group, 2023-10-23 available at https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / draft-ietf-quic-multipath / 06 / as of 12 February 2025 (“Yanmei Liu., et al.”)).

[0099] In embodiments of the present disclosure, multiple media streams in the single QUIC transport connection may be multiplexed using a IETF MP-QUIC (see Yanmei Liu., et al.) transport connection as shown in Figure 6. Therefore, the streams can share a transport connection but have different 5- tuples.

[0100] Figure 6 illustrates a MP-QUIC for stream multiplexing in the same QUIC transport connection.

[0101] In the procedure shown in Figure 6, once the transport connection (in this solution, a QUIC connection) is established as enabled for multipath, the client can start using this connection for a media stream. Additional paths are set for new media streams, when needed. For that, the client takes the CIDs provided by the server at QUIC connection establishment and assigns them to new paths (i.e. to a different QUIC 4-tuple e.g. same IPs and different ports). A new connection Id on a new path is interpreted by the server as a multipath request and not as a path migration request and these paths can be used simultaneously for the different media streams.

[0102] On the server side, the QUIC Load Balancers steer traffic based on QUIC destination CIDs and They can steer the traffic of the several 5-tuples in the MP-QUIC transport connection to same server instance(s) based e.g. on IETF QUIC Load Balancers (LB) (QUIC -LB) (see M. Duke., et al.).

[0103] In the UE and UPF, the mapping of data flows to QoS flows can be based on 5-tuples (e.g., via the methods discussed in relation to figures 4 and 5). The AF can request QoS according to the needs of each media stream using AFSessionwithQoS API including the 5-tuple as the traffic descriptor.

[0104] NOTE: In the client, the selection of 5-tuples (e.g. ports) does not follow a pattern or algorithm on media stream type (e.g. audio, video) but some other criteria. It may not be possible to reduce the AF-5G Core (5GC) interactions e.g. using port ranges in AF requests.

[0105] Summarizing, via the above discussed embodiments (e.g. via methods discussed in relation to figures 4 and 5) an MP-QUIC can be used to multiplex streams into one QUIC transport connectionand, without any system enhancement, 5GS can identify the multiplexed media streams (which may have different QoS requirements) within a single QUIC transport connection based on 5-tuples. The data flows can then be mapped to QoS flows based on QoS requirements that are provided by AF per media stream (i.e. per 5-tuple).

[0106] Via the above discussed embodiments, the mapping of traffic into QoS flows does not need to be enhanced. The challenge is more on exposure and programming of the QoS rules corresponding to each 5-tuple in the UE and the UPF in an efficient way.

[0107] It is possible to extend the embodiments of the present disclosure described above to reduce the interactions between AF and 5GS and the 5GS internal signaling. In these embodiments, the QoS requirements can be provided by AF to 5GC per media stream type or data flow type (e.g. audio, video) because the UE can provide in-band assistance information for 5GC to identify the flow type of the data flows. Once the flow type is identified, the 5GC can determine the AF QoS requirements that apply.

[0108] In embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE provides information to assist to identify the traffic type of the data flow (e.g., via step 302 of figure 3). It is provided in-band to a MP -QUIC enabled proxy service in UPF (UPF PS). UE sets up a MP -QUIC connection with the UPF PS, and it uses the CONNECT UDP method to request the UPF PS to proxy a data flow, providing the flow type of the data flow to proxy.

[0109] The UE gets from 5GC QoS rules that refer to the 5-tuples visible to the UE low layers. Those are, when using the UPF PS, the 5-tuples of the UE-UPF PS connection. So, when an XR service needs to send a new media stream, the new media stream is sent on a new E2E path (as described in above in relation to Figure 6), and for the new E2E path, UE also sets a new path in the connection between UE and UPF PS. The 5-tuple of the new path to UPF PS can now be used in QoS rules to map the E2E data flow to the applicable QoS flow. The CONNECT UDP method that requests the UPF PS to proxy the new E2E data flow and provides its flow type is sent on the new path to UPF PS.

[0110] There are several alternatives for how the Flow Type can be provided by the UE using CONNECT UDP:

[0111] - Implicitly: using the CONNECT UDP parameters (e.g. authority) as instructed by the 5GS UPF PS configuration.

[0112] - Explicitly: using a 3GPP defined extension (or an IETF defined extension if possible).

[0113] When the CONNECT UDP request is received, UPF PS, it prepares the proxy extracts the information and then either,

[0114] - UPF adds the flow type to the traffic detection report to SMF for the data flow. SMF has data flow and flow type and QoS requirements for the flow types received from PCF, it can establish the QoS flow (if needed) and install QoS rules for the 5-tuple in UE and UPF. Or,

[0115] - Packet Detection Rule (PDR) Packet Detection Information (PDI) (PDR(PDI)) is enhanced to include the UE assistance information provided to UPF, so the flow types is considered forthe matching. This implies QoS flows have already been established, and possible only if Uplink (UL) and Downlink (DL) for the flow type have same QoS requirements and reflective QoS can be used.

[0116] This Proxy service is provided according to Tommy Pauly., et al., “QUIC-Aware Proxying Using HTTP”, draft-pauly-masque-quic-proxy-06, MASQUE, 2023-09-11 (available at https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / draft-pauly-masque-quic-proxy / as of 12 February 2025) (“Tommy Pauly., et al.”), therefore the short header QUIC messages are neither subject to double encryption (i.e. no encryption layer is added between UE and UPF PS) nor decrypted by the UPF PS.

[0117] Detailed procedure

[0118] In embodiments of the present disclosure, MP -QUIC may be used by the application to multiplex flows (or streams) in a XR service transport connection which may have different QoS needs (as discussed above). The AF QoS requirements are per application flow type (instead of per application data flow) and UE provides in-band assistance information for flow type identification in UPF (.e.g., as discussed in relation to figure 3).

[0119] The procedure is described in Figure 7, where the term “tag” is used to refer to the information provided by the AF that needs to match the assistance information provided by the UE in-band to determine which QoS requirements apply. This tag can be the Flow Type as described above but other forms of flow tagging are possible. Where tag is used in the figure for completeness, in the procedure description below Flow Type is used.

[0120] Figure 7 shows a sequence diagram showing details of embodiments according to the present disclosure. Example steps are detailed below:

[0121] Before the XR application starts sending data:

[0122] a. AF sends an AFsessionwithQoS request for the application traffic (as in Traffic Descriptor (TD)) including the flow type (e.g. audio, video). This step may correspond to the core network session management entity of figure 5 receiving, from a service provider, information relating to a QoS of a session. As a result, policies and rules are distributed to SMF and UPF, including request to UPF to report to SMF detection of application traffic including assistance information provided to UPF PS (so that UPF can report the detection of the flow type to SMF and SMF can install the rules for the mapping of flows to QoS flows as needed). The Traffic Descriptor (TD) may be an application Id or Dst IP (AS1).

[0123] b. The 5GS configures the UE to provide in-band assistance for flow type identification.

[0124] An XR application in UE starts activity:

[0125] 1. The QUIC client in the UE, based on the 5GS configuration received by UE and XR application TX request, sets up a QUIC connection with the MP-QUIC Proxy service in UPF (UPF PS). The client is provided with CIDs.

[0126] 2. The QUIC client sends a CONNECT UDP to UPF PS. This request is according to Tommy Pauly., et al., with path set to FQDN or host, and port, as in the transport connection to XR AS.The request includes the flow type (e.g. audio). This step may correspond to step 302 of figure 3. When received, UPF PS prepares the Proxy Service accordingly.

[0127] 3. UPF notifies SMF the detection of application traffic including the assistance information provided in-band to the UPF PS (i.e. the flow type). This step may correspond to steps 402, 404, and / or 406 of figure 4.

[0128] 4. SMF determines the QoS requirements that apply to the detected flow based on information received by Policy information and UPF reported information and, it establishes the QoS flow if needed (in this example, QoSl) and provides rules that map the detected data Flow to that QoS Flow. This step may correspond to steps 502, 504, and / or 506 of figure 5.

[0129] 5. The traffic starts between UE and AS1 on the E2E path. The E2E interactions described in Figure 6 happen over the UPF Proxy service (UPF PS) according to Tommy Pauly., et al. The UL / DL traffic is mapped to corresponding QoS Flow.

[0130] When XR application needs to start a new media stream (video in this example):

[0131] 6. The UE selects a new path to UPF PS and sets the path.

[0132] 7. The UE sends the CONNECT UDP on that new path to UPF PS to request proxy for the new E2E data flow (with path set to Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) or host, and port, as in the E2E path in the transport connection to XR AS), including the flow type information corresponding to the data flow. This step may correspond to step 302 of figure 3. When received, UPF PS prepares the Proxy Service accordingly.

[0133] 8. The traffic matches a UPF detection rule including reporting rule. UPF reports the data flow (5-tuple) including the flow type. This step may correspond to step 402, 404, and / or 406 of figure 4.

[0134] 9. SMF determines the QoS requirements that apply to the detected flow based on information received by Policy information and UPF reported information (which may correspond to step 506 of figure 5) and, it establishes the QoS flow if needed (in this example, QoS2) and provides rules that map the detected data Flow to that QoS Flow (which may correspond to the core network session management entity of figure 5 establishing a QoS flow and providing the mapping to the user plane core network entity).

[0135] 10. The new media stream related traffic starts between UE and AS1 on the new E2E path. This step may correspond to step 304 of figure 3. The E2E interactions described in Figure 6 happen over the UPF Proxy service according to Tommy Pauly., et al. The UL / DL traffic is mapped to corresponding QoS Flow.

[0136] NOTE: Steps 3&4 and 8&9 can be skipped if the assistance information provided by UE to UPF PS (i.e. the flow type) (e.g., as part of step 302 of figure 3) is part of the PDR(PDI) and when reflective QoS can be used (same requirements apply for UL and DL).

[0137] Finally, the embodiments discussed above can be applied without requiring MP-QUIC.

[0138] Figure 8 shows an example of a communication system 800 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0139] 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 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node 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 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.

[0140] 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 Al, Fl, Wl, El, 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 O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. 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.

[0141] 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 materialconductors. 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.

[0142] 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.

[0143] 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 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 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), Policy Control Function (PCF) and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0144] 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 services. Examples of such applications include the provision of live and / or pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services, for example, 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.

[0145] As a whole, the communication system 800 of Figure 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 limitedto: 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.

[0146] In some examples, the telecommunication network 802 is a cellular network that implements 3 GPP 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.

[0147] 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).

[0148] In the example illustrated in Figure 8, 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, a content source and analytics node, 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 anotherexample, the hub 814 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0149] 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, 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.

[0150] Figure 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 camera, 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 (3 GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0151] 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).

[0152] 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 / orany other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 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.

[0153] 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, 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). The processing circuitry 902 may be operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other UE 900 components, such as the memory 910, UE 900 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to cause the UE 902 to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 3 [CHECK CORRECT],

[0154] 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.

[0155] 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 powersuitable for the respective components of the UE 900 to which power is supplied.

[0156] 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 read-only 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, 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.

[0157] 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.

[0158] 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.

[0159] In some embodiments, 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 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.

[0160] 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).

[0161] 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 controls a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0162] 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 devices which are or which are 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 on the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 900 shown in Figure 9.

[0163] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or otherdevice 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 3 GPP 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.

[0164] 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.

[0165] Figure 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) andNRNodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O- DU, O-CU).

[0166] 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).

[0167] 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-ccll / 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 / orMinimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0168] The network node 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002, a memory 1004, a communication interface 1006, and a power source 1008, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. The network node 1000 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 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.

[0169] 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, network node 1000 functionality.

[0170] 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.

[0171] 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.

[0172] 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.

[0173] 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, 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).

[0174] 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 thenetwork node 1000 through an interface or port.

[0175] 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.

[0176] 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.

[0177] Embodiments of the network node 1000 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 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.

[0178] Figure 14 shows a network node 1400 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. The network node 1400 may be operable as a core network node, a core network function or, more generally, a core network entity, such as the core network node 808 described above with respect to Figure 8). Examples of network nodes in this context include core network entities such as 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 Deconcealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy(SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Policy Control Function (PCF) and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0179] The network node 1400 includes processing circuitry 1402, a memory 1404, a communication interface 1406, and a power source 1408, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. The network node 1400 may be composed of multiple physically separate components, which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1400 comprises multiple separate components, one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes.

[0180] The processing circuitry 1402 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 1400 components, such as the memory 1404, network node 1400 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 1402 may be configured to cause the network node to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 4 or Figure 5, and / or the signalling and processing steps of the UPF or SMF in Figures 3 and / or 4.

[0181] The memory 1404 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 1402. The memory 1404 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 1402 and utilized by the network node 1400. The memory 1404 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1402 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1406. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1402 and memory 1404 is integrated.

[0182] The communication interface 1406 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE.

[0183] The power source 1408 provides power to the various components of network node 1400 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1408 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1400 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1400 may be connectable to anexternal 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 1408. As a further example, the power source 1408 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.

[0184] Embodiments of the network node 1400 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 14 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 1400 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1400 and to allow output of information from the network node 1400. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1400.

[0185] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a host 1100, which may be an embodiment of the host 816 of Figure 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.

[0186] 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 Figures 9 and 10, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1100.

[0187] 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 HTTPLive Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0188] Figure 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 as 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.

[0189] 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.

[0190] 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.

[0191] 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.

[0192] In the context of NFV, a VM 1208 may be a software implementation of a physical machinethat 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 is 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.

[0193] 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.

[0194] Figure 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 Figure 8 and / or UE 900 of Figure 9), network node (such as network node 810a of Figure 8 and / or network node lOOO of Figure 10), and host (such as host 816 of Figure 8 and / or host HOO ofFigure 11) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 13.

[0195] 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.

[0196] 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 Figure 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.

[0197] 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 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 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.

[0198] 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.

[0199] 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.

[0200] 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 interface 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 receivesuser 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.

[0201] 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 ensure that QoS requirements of media streams are met, and thereby provide benefits such as improved network efficiency (via resource conservation) and improved user experience.

[0202] 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 aUEforuse 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.

[0203] 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 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 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.

[0204] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprisecomputing 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.

[0205] 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.

[0206] The following appendices provide additional information on the disclosure.APPENDICES3GPP SA WG2 Meeting #161 S2-240xxxxPlace, date, 2024Source: EricssonTitle: Kl#4: Stream multiplexing in a QUIC connection with different 5- tuplesDocument for: ApprovalAgenda Item: 19.3Work Item / Release: FS_XRM Ph2 / Rel-19Abstract of the contribution: This paper proposes a solution for Kl#4.DiscussionDescriptionKey Issue #4 addresses Traffic detection and QoS flow mapping for multiplexed data flows. Motivation for this key issue is that XR and interactive media services are likely to send data traffic of different media components and with different QoS requirements and then several media streams could be multiplexed on the same end-to-end transport layer connection. Why do not applications just send each stream over a different transport connection? One main reason behind streams multiplexing is that the traffic of the user service session needs to be steered to the same server instance (s) by the load balancers.This solution addresses key issue #4 for the case of XR service delivery is using QUIC as transport protocol, that can be RTP over QUIC, media over QUIC or any other XRM application protocol carried over QUIC. This Solution describes how one application can set up a QUIC transport connection for the user service session, and multiplex in this transport connection different media streams with different needs. This solution proposes a form of multiplexing that overcomes the load balancer issue and at the same time allows to use different 5-tuples for each of the streams in the single connection. The streams can then be served according to their specific needs without impacting the 5GS QoS framework.In this solution:- The multiplexed traffic flows with different QoS requirements within a single transport connection are identified still using 5-tuples.- The system is enhanced so that the AF requirements do not need to be provided for specific 5- tuple. The QoS requirements are provided e.g. for the traffic type, which is identified with UE provided in-band assistance.ProposalA solution is proposed for KI#4 for incorporation in the XRM Ph2 TR23.700-70*** Start of changes ***2 ReferencesThe following documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of the present document.- References are either specific (identified by date of publication, edition number, version number, etc.) or non-specific.- For a specific reference, subsequent revisions do not apply.- For a non-specific reference, the latest version applies. In the case of a reference to a 3GPP document (including a GSM document), a non-specific reference implicitly refers to the latest version of that document in the same Release as the present document.[1] 3GPP TR 21.905: "Vocabulary for 3GPP Specifications".[2] 3GPP TS 23.501: "System Architecture for the 5G System (5GS); Stage 2".[3] 3GPP TS 23.502: "Procedures for the 5G System; Stage 2".[4] 3GPP TS 23.503: "Policies and Charging control framework for the 5G System; Stage 2".[5] IETF RFC 3711: "The Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP)", March 2004.[6] IETF RFC 6904: "Encryption of Header Extensions in the Secure Real-time Transport Protocol (SRTP)".[7] IETF RFC 9335: "Completely Encrypting RTP Header Extensions and Contributing Sources".[8] IETF draft-ietf-avtcore-rtp-over-quic: "RTP over QUIC (RoQ)".[9] IETF draft-ietf-moq-transport: "Media over QUIC Transport".

[0010] IETF experimental draft-ietf-avtext-framemarking: "Frame Marking RTP Header Extension".

[0011] IETF RFC 9000: "QUIC: A UDP-Based Multiplexed and Secure Transport".

[0012] TR 26.926 vl8.1.0: "Traffic Models and Quality Evaluation Methods for Media and XR Services in 5G Systems".

[0013] TR 26.925 vl8.1.0: "Typical traffic characteristics of media services on 3GPP networks".

[0014] IETF RFC 9330: "Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable Throughput (L4S) Internet Service: Architecture.

[0015] IETF RFC 9331 : "The Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) Protocol for Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable Throughput (L4S)".

[0016] IETF draft-ietf-tsvwg-ecn-encap-guidelines-22: "Guidelines for Adding Congestion Notification to Protocols that Encapsulate IP".

[0017] 3GPP TS 23.316: "Wireless and wireline convergence access support for the 5G System (5GS)".

[0018] CableLabs DOCSIS MULPI: "Data-Over-Cable Service Interface Specifications DOCSIS 3.1, MAC and Upper Layer Protocols Interface Specification".

[0019] IETF RFC 9332: " Dual-Queue Coupled Active Queue Management (AQM) for Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable Throughput (L4S)".

[0020] 3GPP TS 26.522: "5G Real-time Media Transport Protocol Configurations".

[0021] IETF draft-ietf-tsvwg-udp-options: "Transport options for UDP".

[0022] IETF RFC 6363: "Forward Error Correction (FEC) Framework".

[0023] IETF RFC 6364: "Session Description Protocol Elements for the Forward Error Correction (FEC) Framework".

[0024] IETF RFC 6681: "Raptor Forward Error Correction (FEC) Schemes for FECFRAME".

[0025] IETF RFC 6682: "RTP Payload Format for Raptor Forward Error Correction (FEC) ".

[0026] IETF RFC 6695: "Methods to Convey Forward Error Correction (FEC) Framework Configuration Information".

[0027] IETF RFC 6816: "Simple Low-Density Parity Check (LDPC) Staircase Forward Error Correction (FEC) Scheme for FECFRAME".

[0028] IETF RFC 6865: "Simple Reed-Solomon Forward Error Correction (FEC) Scheme for FECFRAME".

[0029] IETF RFC 8680: "Forward Error Correction (FEC) Framework Extension to Sliding Window Codes".

[0030] IETF RFC 8681: "Sliding Window Random Linear Code (RLC) Forward Erasure Correction (FEC) Schemes for FECFRAME".

[0031] 3GPP TS 38.300: "NR; NR and NG-RAN Overall description; Stage-2".

[0032] IETF RFC 8627: "RTP Payload Format for Flexible Forward Error Correction (FEC)".[v] > IETF draft-ietf-auic-multipath-06: “Multipath Extension for OUIC”[w] > IETF draft-ietf-quic-load-balancers-19“QUIC-LB: Generating RoutableOUIC Connection IDs”.[x] > IETF RFC 9298, “Proxing UDP in HTTP”.Iv] IETF draft-ietf-masque-quic-proxy-00 “OUIC -Aware Proxying Using HTTP”.Editor's note: References [8], [9] and

[0010] cannot be formally referenced until published as RFC.*** End change ****** Next Change ***6 Solutions6.0 Mapping of Solutions to Key IssuesTable 6.0-1 : Mapping of Solutions to Key Issues*** End change ****** Next change (all new text) ***6.X Solution #X: MP-QUIC for stream multiplexing with UE in-band assistance for traffic differentiation6.X.1 Key Issue mappingThis solution is related to KI#4.6.X.2 BackgroundXR and interactive media services are likely to send data traffic of different media components and with different QoS requirements. Applications send the several media streams multiplexed in a singletransport connection e.g. to guarantee that when traffic is traversing load balancers the traffic of a user service session is all steered to be served by the same server instance(s).XR service delivery can use QUIC as transport protocol (RTP over QUIC, media over QUIC or any other XRM application protocol carried over QUIC). When the XR service traffic is transmitted over a QUIC transport connection

[0011] , the different media streams which are multiplexed and may have different QoS needs, can still be transmitted using different 5-tuples and steered by load balancers to same server instance(s). The multiple media streams in the single QUIC transport connection are multiplexed using a IETF MP-QUIC [v] transport connection and the streams share transport connection but have different 5-tuples.This is shown in procedure in Figure 6, which illustrates MP-QUIC for stream multiplexing in the same QUIC transport connection. Once the transport connection (in this solution, a QUIC connection) is established as enabled for multipath, the client can start using this connection for a media stream. It will set additional paths for new media streams when needed. For that, the client takes the Connection IDs (CIDs) provided by the server at QUIC connection establishment and it assigns these CIDs to new paths (i.e. to a different QUIC 4-tuple e.g. same IPs and different UE ports). A new connection Id on a new path in a multipath enabled QUIC connection is interpreted by the server as a multipath request and not as a path migration request and these paths can be used simultaneously for the different media streams.On the server side, the QUIC Load Balancers steer traffic based on QUIC destination CIDs but they can still steer the traffic of the several 5-tuples in the MP-QUIC transport connection to same server instance(s) if, e.g. IETF QUIC -LB [w] is used.When XR service uses MP-QUIC as described for media stream multiplexing, the mapping of data flows to QoS flows in 5GS can be based on 5-tuples like in the baseline. The AF can request QoS according to the needs of each media stream using AFSessionwithQoS API including the 5-tuple as the traffic descriptor.NOTE: in the client, the selection of 5-tuples (e.g. ports) does not follow a pattern or algorithm on media stream type (e.g. audio, video) but some other criteria. It is not possible to reduce the AF- 5GC interactions, e.g. using port ranges in AF requests.As a conclusion, there is no need to enhance the 5GS mapping of traffic into QoS flows to support that media streams with different QoS requirements can be multiplexed in a single transport connection. If needed, applications should use MP-QUIC to multiplex streams into one QUIC transport connection as described above.The challenge is more on exposure and programming of the QoS rules corresponding to each 5-tuple in the UE and the UPF in an efficient way. The solution described in next clauses solves this issue.6.X.3 DescriptionIt is possible to enhance the system to reduce the interactions between AF and 5GS and the 5GS internal signalling if the QoS requirements can be provided by AF to 5GC per media stream type or data flow type (e.g. audio, video). In this solution, the UE provides information to assist to identify the traffic type of the data flow. It is provided in-band to a MP-QUIC enabled proxy in UPF. UE sets up a MP-QUIC connection with the proxy in UPF, and it uses the CONNECT UDP method to request the proxy in UPF to proxy a data flow, providing the flow type of the data flow to proxy. Once the flow type is identified, the 5GC can determine the AF QoS requirements that apply.For traffic steering into QoS flows, the UE gets from 5GC QoS rules that refer to the 5-tuples visible to the UE low layers. Those are, when using the proxy in UPF, the 5-tuples of the connection between UE and proxy. So, when an XR service needs to send a new media stream and the new media stream is sent on a new E2E path (as described in 6.x.2 (figure 6)), for the new E2E path, UE also sets a new path in the QUIC connection to the proxy in UPF. The 5 -tuple of the new path to the proxy in UPFcan now be used in QoS rules to map the E2E data flow to the applicable QoS flow. The CONNECT UDP method that requests the proxy in UPF to proxy the new E2E data flow (and including the flow type of the data flow) is sent by UE on the new path of the QUIC connection to the proxy in UPF.There are several alternatives for how the Flow Type can be provided by the UE using CONNECT UDP, including:- Implicitly: using the CONNECT UDP parameters (e.g. authority) as instructed to UE by the 5GS provided configuration for UE in-band assistance.- Explicitly: using a 3GPP defined extension (or an IETF defined extension if possible).When the CONNECT UDP request is received, the proxy in UPF extracts the information, prepares for proxying and then, depending on rules sent by SMF either,UPF includes the flow type in a data flow traffic detection report to SMF, so SMF can establish the QoS flow (if needed) and install QoS rules for the reported 5 -tuple in UE and UPF. Or,- The QoS flows have already been established (for scenarios where UL and DL share QoS requirements and reflective QoS can be used), and UPF considers the flow type of the data flow during PDR matching procedure (i.e. PDR(PDI) matching conditions include Flow Type).In this solution, the proxy in UPF performs according to [y], therefore the short header QUIC messages are neither subject to double encryption (i.e. no encryption layer is added between UE and the proxy) nor decrypted by the proxy.See 6.X.4 for the procedure for the solution described above.6.X.4 ProceduresIn this solution, MP -QUIC is used by the application to multiplex flows (or streams) in a XR service transport connection which may have different QoS needs (as described in 6.X.2). The AF QoS requirements are per application flow type (instead of per application data flow) and UE provides in- band assistance information for flow type identification to 5GC as described in 6.X.3The procedure is described in Figure 7, which illustrates UE in-band assistance for Flow Type detection using CONNECT UDP, where the term “tag” is used to refer to the information provided by the AF that needs to match the assistance information provided by the UE in-band to determine which QoS requirements apply. This tag can be the Flow Type as described in 6.x.3 but other forms of flow tagging are possible. Whereas tag is used in the figure for completeness, in the procedure description below tag is used for the Flow Type.Before the XR application starts sending data: a. AF sends an AFsessionwithQoS request for the application (identified e.g. using App Id or AS1 Dst IP). AF provides QoS requirements for the flow type (e.g. audio, video). As a result, policies and rules are distributed to SMF and UPF. In this example, the rules to UPF request UPF reports to SMF detection of the application traffic data flows including UE in-band assistance information provided to proxy in UPF. b. The 5GS configures the UE to provide in-band assistance information for flow type identification.Editor ’s Note: it is FFS whether this information is provided as new UE policies or as SM policies (e.g. in ePCO or in RA)An XR application in UE starts activity:1. The QUIC client in the UE, based on the 5GS configuration information received and the XR application Transmission request, sets up a QUIC connection with the MP-QUIC proxy in UPF. The QUIC client receives from the proxy in UPF the connection CIDs.2. The QUIC client sends a CONNECT UDP to the proxy in UPF. This request is according to [x], with the path field set to the FQDN or host, and the port, as in the E2E transport connection to the XR AS1. The request includes the flow type (e.g. audio). When received, the proxy in UPF prepares the proxying as requested.3. In UPF, the traffic matches a PDR for the PDU Session associated to a reporting rule. UPF reports the data flow (5-tuple) to SMF including the UE assistance information (i.e. the flow type).4. SMF determines the QoS requirements that apply to the detected data flow. SMF considers the policies for the session and the data flow report by UPF including the flow type. SMF establishes the QoS flow if needed (in this example, QoSl) and provides rules to UE and UPF that map the detected data Flow to that QoS Flow.5. The traffic starts between UE and AS1 on the E2E path. The E2E interactions described in 6 are proxied by UPF according to [y] . The UL / DL traffic is mapped to the corresponding QoS Flow.When XR application needs to start a new media stream (video in this example):6. The UE selects a new path to the proxy in UPF and sets the path.7. The UE sends the CONNECT UDP on that new path to the proxy in UPF to request to proxy the new E2E data flow to XR AS1 (with path set to FQDN or host, and port, as in the E2E path to XR AS1). UE includes the flow type information corresponding to the data flow. When received, the proxy in UPF prepares the proxying as requested.8. In UPF, the traffic matches a PDR for the PDU Session associated to a reporting rule. UPF reports the data flow (5-tuple) to SMF, including the UE assistance information (i.e. the flow type).9. SMF determines the QoS requirements that apply to the detected data flow. SMF considers the policies for the session and the data flow report by UPF including the flow type. SMF establishes the QoS flow if needed (in this example, QoS2) and provides rules to UE and UPF that map the detected data Flow to that QoS Flow.10. The new media stream related traffic starts between UE and AS1 on the new E2E path. The E2E interactions described in Figure 6 are proxied by UPF according to [y]. The UL / DL traffic is mapped to corresponding QoS Flow.NOTE: Steps 3&4 and 8&9 can be skip if the QoS flows have already been established (for scenarios where UL and DL share QoS requirements and reflective QoS can be used), and UPF considers the flow type of the data flow during PDR matching procedure (i.e. PDR(PDI) matching conditions include Flow Type) instead of reporting.6.X.4 Impacts on services, entities and interfacesApplications should use MP-QUIC to multiplex flows with different QoS needs in one single transport connection as described in 6.X.2Impacts to support that per Flow Type QoS requirements are provided by AF:AF / NEF / PCF: consume / offer APIs enhanced to allow to request / serve QoS requirements conditioned to the data flow Flow TypeSMF: supports PCC rules that include the Flow Type in the Traffic Descriptor and it can instructs UPF accordingly. Two options when the Flow Type is included in the PCC Rule: can be either included in the PDR(PDI) or UPF or requested in URRs, so UPF reports data Flow and Flow Type when detected using enhanced N4 reportsUPF: can act as proxy according to [x] and [y]. The proxy in UPF can extract information from the proxy control messages from the UE and can use this information in PDR matching and as part of rule enforcement (e.g. traffic detection reports to SMF)UE: can use the 5GC proxy based on 5GS provided configuration as described in 6.x.3 to provide the Flow Type.The solution can be defined specific to Flow type of more generic for a Tag, since tags that need to be aligned are provided, on one side by AF, on behalf of the Application Server, and on the other side by UE, on behalf of the Application Client.Editor ’s Note: it is FFS impacts related to 5GS configuring the UE to provide in-band assistance for flow type identification.*** END of changes ***The following groups of numbered statements set out embodiments of the disclosure:Group A Statements1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between the UE and a service provider via a transport connection, the method comprising: sending, to a core network node, assistance information indicating a type of media included in the first media stream.2. The method of statement 1, wherein the assistance information includes: an implicit indication of the type of media included in the first media stream; or an explicit indication of the type of media included in the first media stream.3. The method of statement 1 or 2, wherein the first media stream is one of a plurality of media streams, and wherein the transport connection is configured to support the plurality of media streams via multiplexing.4. The method of any of statements 1-3, wherein the transport connection is a QUIC transport connection.5. The method of any of statements 1-4, wherein the first media stream is sent over one or more paths of the transport connection, and the assistance information indicates which of the one or more paths is used.6. The method of any of statements 1-5, wherein the first media stream comprises an application data flow belonging to a user service session.7. The method of any of statements 1-6, wherein the type of media included in the first media stream is any one of the following: audio, video, and data.8. The method of any of statements 1-7, wherein the assistance information is sent from the UE in-band.9. The method of any of statements 1-8, wherein the service provider is an Application Function, AF.10. The method of any of statements 1-9, wherein the core network node is a user plane core network entity or a core network session management entity.11. The method of statement 10, wherein the user plane core network entity is a User Plane Function, UPF, or a Packet Data Network, PDN, Gateway User plane, PGW-U.12. The method of statement 10, wherein the core network session management entity is a Session Management Function, SMF, or a PDN Gateway Control plane, PGW-C.13. The method of any of statements 1-12, wherein the first media stream has a Quality of Service, QoS, requirement based on the type of media included in the first media stream.14. The method of statement 13, wherein a path used for the first media stream is chosen based on the QoS requirement.15. The method of statement 13 or 14, the method further comprising: receiving, from the service provider, the first media stream, wherein the first media stream meets the QoS requirement.16. The method of any of the previous statements, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.Group C Statements17. A method performed by a core network node for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between a UE and a service provider via a transport connection, the method comprising: determining a type of media included in the first media stream; wherein the determination is based on a connection identifier identifying a transport connection path associated with the first media stream and / or assistance information provided by the UE, wherein the assistance information indicates the type of media included in the first media stream.The method of statement 17, wherein the assistance information includes: an implicit indication of the type of media included in the first media stream; or an explicit indication of the type of media included in the first media stream. The method of statement 17 or 18, wherein the first media stream is one of a plurality of media streams, and wherein the transport connection is configured to support the plurality of media streams via multiplexing. The method of any of statements 17-19, wherein the transport connection is a multipath QUIC transport connection. The method of any of statements 17-20, wherein the first media stream has a Quality of Service, QoS, requirement based on the type of media included in the first media stream. The method of any of statements 17-21, wherein the connection identifier comprises a 5-tuple or a QUIC connection identifier. The method of any of statements 17-22, wherein the first media stream comprises an application data flow belonging to a user service session. The method of any of statements 17-23, wherein the type of media included in the first media stream is any one of the following: audio, video, and data. The method of any of statements 17-24, wherein the service provider is an Application Function, AF. The method of any of statements 17-25, wherein the core network node is a user plane core network entity. The method of statement 26, wherein the user plane core network entity is a User Plane Function, UPF, or a Packet Data Network, PDN, Gateway User plane, PGW-U. The method of statement 26 or 27, the method further comprising: detecting, on the transport connection, the first media stream.The method of any of statements 26-28, wherein determining the type of media included in the first media stream comprises: receiving, from the UE, the assistance information in-band. The method of any of statements 26-29, wherein determining the type of media included in the first media stream comprises: detecting, on the transport connection, the connection identifier associated with the first media stream. The method of any of statements 26-30, the method further comprising: responsive to determining the type of media included in the first media stream, indicating, to a core network session management entity, the type of media included in the first media stream. The method of statement 31, wherein the indication comprises the connection identifier associated with the first media stream and / or the assistance information. The method of any of statements 26-32, the method further comprising: receiving, from a core network session management entity, a mapping between the first media stream and a QoS flow, wherein the mapping is based on the type of media included in the first media stream. The method of any of statements 17-25, wherein the core network node is a core network session management entity. The method of statement 34, wherein the core network session management entity is a Session Management Function, SMF, or a PDN Gateway Control plane, PGW-C. The method of statement 34 or 35, wherein determining the type of media included in the first media stream comprises: receiving, from a user plane core network entity, a message including an indication of the type of media included in the first media stream, wherein the indication included in the message is based on a connection identifier associated with the first media stream and / or assistance information provided by the UE to the user plane core network entity.37. The method of any of statements 34-36, the method comprising: receiving, from the service provider, information relating to a QoS of a session, wherein the information includes: an indication of one or more media types; and QoS requirements corresponding to the one or more media types.38. The method of statement 37, wherein the information is included in an AFsessionwithQoS request.39. The method of statement 37 or 38 when dependent upon statement 36, the method further comprising: determining, based on the indication received from the user plane core network entity and the information received from the service provider, a QoS requirement of the first media stream.40. The method of statement 39, the method further comprising: establishing, based on the QoS requirement of the first media stream, a QoS flow; and providing, to the user plane core network entity, a mapping between the first media stream and the QoS flow.41. The method of any of statements 17-40, wherein the first media stream is sent over one or more paths of the transport connection, and the assistance information indicates which of the one or more paths is used.Group D Statements42. A user equipment for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between a UE and a service provider via a transport connection, comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A statements; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.43. A core network node for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between a UE and a service provider via a transport connection, the network node comprising:processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of any of the Group C statements; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.44. A user equipment (UE) for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between a UE and a service provider via a transport connection, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A statements; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.45. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group A statements to receive the user data from the host.46. The host of the previous statement, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.47. The host of the previous 2 statements, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.48. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A statements to receive the user data from the host.49. The method of the previous statement, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the host application.50. The method of the previous statement, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.51. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A statements to transmit the user data to the host.52. The host of the previous statement, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.53. The host of the previous 2 statements, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, theclient application being associated with the host application.54. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A statements to transmit the user data to the host.55. The method of the previous statement, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.56. The method of the previous 2 statements, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, (900) for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between the UE and a service provider via a transport connection, the method comprising: sending (302), to a core network node (1000), assistance information indicating a type of media included in the first media stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the assistance information includes: an implicit indication of the type of media included in the first media stream; or an explicit indication of the type of media included in the first media stream.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first media stream is one of a plurality of media streams, and wherein the transport connection is configured to support the plurality of media streams via multiplexing.

4. The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the transport connection is a QUIC transport connection.

5. The method of any of claims 1-4, wherein the first media stream is sent over one or more paths of the transport connection, and the assistance information indicates which of the one or more paths is used.

6. The method of any of claims 1-5, wherein the first media stream comprises an application data flow belonging to a user service session.

7. The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein the type of media included in the first media stream is any one of the following: audio, video, and data.

8. The method of any of claims 1-7, wherein the assistance information is sent from the UE in- band.

9. The method of any of claims 1-8, wherein the service provider is an Application Function, AF.

10. The method of any of claims 1-9, wherein the core network node is a user plane core network entity or a core network session management entity.

11. The method of any of claims 1-10, wherein the first media stream has a Quality of Service, QoS, requirement based on the type of media included in the first media stream.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a path used for the first media stream is chosen based on the QoS requirement.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, the method further comprising: receiving (304), from the service provider, the first media stream, wherein the first media stream meets the QoS requirement.

14. A method performed by a core network node (1000) for facilitating transmission of a first media stream between a user equipment, UE, (900) and a service provider via a transport connection, the method comprising: determining (404, 504) a type of media included in the first media stream; wherein the determination is based on a connection identifier identifying a transport connection path associated with the first media stream and / or assistance information provided by the UE, wherein the assistance information indicates the type of media included in the first media stream.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the assistance information includes: an implicit indication of the type of media included in the first media stream; or an explicit indication of the type of media included in the first media stream.

16. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the first media stream is one of a plurality of media streams, and wherein the transport connection is configured to support the plurality of media streams via multiplexing.

17. The method of any of claims 14-16, wherein the transport connection is a multipath QUIC transport connection.

18. The method of any of claims 14-17, wherein the first media stream has a Quality of Service, QoS, requirement based on the type of media included in the first media stream.

19. The method of any of claims 14-18, wherein the connection identifier comprises a 5-tuple or a QUIC connection identifier.

20. The method of any of claims 14-19, wherein the first media stream comprises an application data flow belonging to a user service session.

21. The method of any of claims 14-20, wherein the type of media included in the first media stream is any one of the following: audio, video, and data.

22. The method of any of claims 14-21, wherein the service provider is an Application Function, AF.

23. The method of any of claims 14-22, wherein the core network node is a user plane core network entity.

24. The method of claim 23, the method further comprising: detecting (402), on the transport connection, the first media stream.

25. The method of any of claims 23-24, wherein determining the type of media included in the first media stream comprises: receiving, from the UE, the assistance information in-band.

26. The method of any of claims 23-25, wherein determining the type of media included in the first media stream comprises: detecting, on the transport connection, the connection identifier associated with the first media stream.

27. The method of any of claims 23-26, the method further comprising: responsive to determining the type of media included in the first media stream, indicating (406), to a core network session management entity, the type of media included in the first media stream.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the indication comprises the connection identifier associated with the first media stream and / or the assistance information.

29. The method of any of claims 23-28, the method further comprising: receiving, from a core network session management entity, a mapping between the first media stream and a QoS flow, wherein the mapping is based on the type of media included in the first media stream.

30. The method of any of claims 14-22, wherein the core network node is a core network session management entity.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein determining the type of media included in the first media stream comprises: receiving (502), from a user plane core network entity, a message including an indication of the type of media included in the first media stream, wherein the indication included in the message is based on a connection identifier associated with the first media stream and / or assistance information provided by the UE to the user plane core network entity.

32. The method of any of claims 30-31, the method comprising: receiving, from the service provider, information relating to a QoS of a session, wherein the information includes: an indication of one or more media types; and QoS requirements corresponding to the one or more media types.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the information is included in an AFsessionwithQoS request.

34. The method of claim 32 or 33 when dependent upon claim 31, the method further comprising: determining (506), based on the indication received from the user plane core network entity and the information received from the service provider, a QoS requirement of the first media stream.

35. The method of claim 34, the method further comprising: establishing, based on the QoS requirement of the first media stream, a QoS flow; and providing, to the user plane core network entity, a mapping between the first media stream and the QoS flow.

36. The method of any of claims 14-35, wherein the first media stream is sent over one or more paths of the transport connection, and the assistance information indicates which of the one ormore paths is used.

37. A user equipment, UE, (900) comprising processing circuitry (902) configured to cause the UE (900) to: send, to a core network node (1000), assistance information indicating a type of media included in a first media stream, wherein the first media stream is transmitted between the user equipment and a service provider via a transport connection, and power supply circuitry (908) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry (902).

38. The UE (900) of claim 37, wherein the processing circuitry (902) is further configured to cause the UE (900) to perform the method according to any of claims 2- 13.

39. A core network node (1000) comprising processing circuitry (1002) configured to cause the core network node (1000) to: determine (404, 504), a type of media included in a first media stream, wherein the first media stream is transmitted between a user equipment (900) and a service provider via a transport connection; wherein the determination is based on a connection identifier identifying a transport connection path associated with the first media stream and / or assistance information provided by the user equipment, wherein the assistance information indicates the type of media included in the first media stream, and power supply circuitry (1008) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry (1002).

40. The core network node (1000) of claim 39, wherein the processing circuitry (1002) is further configured to cause the core network node (1000) to perform the method according to any of claims 15-36.

41. A communication system comprising at least one of: the UE of any of claims 37 and 38; and the core network node of any of claims 39 and 40.

42. A computer-readable storage medium storing code which, when executed by processing circuitry (902) of a user equipment (900), causes the user equipment (900) to perform a method according to any of claims 1-13.

43. A computer-readable storage medium storing code which, when executed by processing circuitry (1002) of a core network node (1000), causes the core network node (1000) to performa method according to any of claims 14-36.

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