SESSION STATUS INDICATIONS FOR QoE AND RVQoE MEASUREMENTS IN DUAL CONNECTIVITY

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein in which QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for a User Equipment, UE, session are signaled between network nodes involved in dual connectivity for the UE. A method is performed by a first network node serving the UE in dual connectivity. The UE is configured, via a Quality of Experience, QoE, and / or Radio Access Network Visible QoE, RVQoE (i.e., QoE / RVQoE) configuration, to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements and report QoE / RVQoE measurement results and QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for a session to a second network node serving the UE in dual connectivity. The first network node receives, from the second network node, QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session. The first network node performs (114) one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE measurement session status indications.

Description

SESSION STATUS INDICATIONS FOR QoE AND RVQoE MEASUREMENTS IN DUAL CONNECTIVITY Technical Field

[0001] the present disclosure relates to session status indications for QoE and RVQoE measurements in dual connectivity. Background Overview of the QoE framework Regular QoE (also known as “encapsulated QoE”)

[0002] Quality of Experience (QoE) measurements, also referred to as “application layer measurements”, have been specified for LTE and UMTS and are being specified for NR in 3GPP release 17. The purpose of the application layer measurements is to measure the end user experience when using certain applications. Currently QoE measurements for streaming services and for MTSI (Mobility Telephony Service for IMS) services are supported. For NR, it is likely that at least VR is added to the list of services for which QoE measurements are specified and supported.

[0003] The solutions in LTE and UMTS are similar with the overall principles as follows. Quality of Experience Measurement Collection (QMC) enables configuration of application layer measurements in the UE and transmission of QoE measurement result files (commonly referred to as QoE reports) to the network by means of RRC signaling. An application layer measurement configuration (also called QoE measurement configuration or QoE configuration) that the RAN receives from the OAM system, or the CN is encapsulated in a transparent container, which is forwarded to a UE in a downlink RRC message. An application layer measurement report (also called QoE report) that the UE Access Stratum (UE AS) or UE RRC layer receives from the UE's higher layer (application layer) is encapsulated in a transparent container and sent to network in an uplink RRC message. The RAN then forwards the QoE report to a Measurement Collector Entity (MCE).

[0004] In 3GPP release 17 a new study item for “Study on NR QoE management and optimizations for diverse services” for NR has been approved and concluded. The specification work for 3GPP release 17 is still ongoing. The purpose of the study item is to study solutions for QoE measurements in NR. QoE management in NR will not just collect the quality of experience parameters of streaming services but also consider the typical performance requirements of diverse services (e.g., AR / VR and URLLC, of which at least VR seems to be covered in 3GPP release 17). Based on requirements of services, the NR study also included more adaptive QoE management schemes that enable network optimization to satisfy user experience for diverse services.

[0005] The configuration data related to QoE measurements (in standard specifications typically referred to as application layer measurements) consists of a service type indication, an indication of an area in which the measurements are to be performed (denoted area scope), an IP address of the entity the collected measurement results (i.e. the QoE reports) should be sent to (often referred to as a MCE, spelled out as Measurement Collector Entity or Measurement Collection Entity, but the entity may sometimes also be referred to as a Trace Collection Entity) and a set of instructions of which type of measurements that should be performed and details of how these measurements are to be performed. These instructions are intended for the application layer in the UE and are placed in a “container” which the network entities handling it, e.g., forwarding it to the UE, as well as the UE Access Stratum, cannot interpret and do not try to read. The currently specified service types are MTSI and streaming service (DASH), and in 3GPP release 17, at least service type VR will be added. An area scope is defined in terms of cells or network related areas. In UMTS, an area scope is defined as either a list of cells, a list of routing areas or a list of tracking areas. In LTE, an area scope is defined as either a list of cells or a list of tracking areas. In NR, an area scope will be defined as either a list of cells or a list of tracking areas.

[0006] QoE, and in particular QoE configuration, comes in two flavors: management- based (m-based) QoE configuration and signaling-based (s-based) QoE configuration. In both cases the QoE configuration originates in the OAM system or some otheradministrational entity, e.g., dealing with customer satisfaction. All these entities are in this document referred to as the OAM system (where the OAM system also contains further entities). With management-based QoE (m-based QoE), the OAM system is typically interested in general QoE statistics from a certain area (which is configured as an area scope). The m-based QoE configuration is sent directly from the OAM system to the RAN nodes controlling cells that are within the area scope. Each RAN node then selects UEs that are within the area scope (and fulfills any other relevant condition, such as supporting the concerned application / service type) and sends the m-based QoE configuration to these UEs.

[0007] With s-based QoE, the OAM system is interested in collecting QoE measurement results from a specific UE, e.g., because the user of the UE has filed a complaint. The OAM system sends the s-based QoE configuration to the HSS (in EPS / LTE) or UDM (in 5GS / NR), which forwards the QoE configuration to the UE’s current core network node (CN), e.g., an MME in EPS / LTE or an AMF in 5G / NR. The CN then forwards the s-based QoE configuration to the RAN node that serves the concerned UE, and the RAN forwards it to the UE.

[0008] Forwarded to the UE are the service type indication and the container with the measurement instructions. The UE is not aware of whether a received QoE configuration is m-based or s-based. In legacy systems, the QoE framework is integrated with the Trace functionality and a Trace ID is associated with each QoE configuration. In NR, the QoE functionality will be logically separated from the Trace functionality, but it will still partly reuse the Trace signaling mechanisms. In NR and LTE, a globally unique QoE reference (formed of mcc+MNC+QMC ID, where the QMC ID is a string of 24 bits) will be associated with each QoE configuration. The QoE reference is included in the container with measurement instructions and sent to the RAN (i.e., the gNB in NR). For the communication between the gNB and the UE, the QoE reference is replaced by a shorter identifier denoted as measConfigAppLayerId, which is locally unique within a UE (i.e., there is a one-to-one mapping between a measConfigAppLayerId and a QoE reference for each QoE configuration provided to a UE. The measConfigAppLayerId is stored in the UEAccess Stratum and forwarded in an AT Command (which is the type of instructions used in the communication between the UE’s modem part and the UE’s application layer) together with the service type indication and the container with the measurement instructions.

[0009] Reports with collected QoE measurement results (i.e., QoE reports) are sent from the UE application layer to the UE Access Stratum, which forwards them to the RAN, which forwards them to the MCE. These QoE measurement results are placed in a “Container”, which is uninterpretable for the UE Access Stratum and the RAN. QoE reporting can be configured to be periodic or only sent at the end of an application session. Furthermore, the RAN can instruct the UE to pause QoE reporting, e.g., in case the cell / gNB is in a state of overload.

[0010] The RAN is not aware of when an application session with an associated QoE measurement session is ongoing, and the UE Access Stratum is also not automatically aware of this. To alleviate this session start / stop indications can be introduced, which will be sent from the application layer in the UE to the UE AS and from the UE AS to the RAN. A session stop indication may be implicit in the form of a QoE report sent when the application session and the associated QoE measurement session are concluded.

[0011] The RAN may decide to release a QoE configuration in a UE at any time, as an implementation-based decision. Typically, it is done when the UE has moved outside an area configured for the QoE measurements, commonly referred to as the area scope.

[0012] One opportunity provided by legacy solutions is also to be able to keep the QoE measurement for the whole session, even during a handover situation. It is also discussed to let the UE continue with the QoE measurements on an ongoing application session until the application session ends, even if the UE in the meantime moves out of the configured area scope. RAN visible QoE (RVQoE) measurements

[0013] QoE measurements and their results are intended for analysis in the O&M system (or in other entities that neither belong to the core network nor belong to the RAN)and subsequent possible non-real-time optimizations. The QoE reports are forwarded transparently by the RAN to a configured receiver, e.g., an MCE. However, the RAN could also benefit from receiving measurement results of metrics measured or collected at the application layer, e.g. as a complement to the more radio related measurements, i.e. the RRM measurements (e.g. RSRP, RSRQ, SINR…). For instance, the RAN could use such measurement results for real-time or semi-real-time adaptations or optimizations of the treatment of an ongoing application session, e.g. in terms of scheduling priorities.

[0014] For this reason, in 3GPP release 17, 3GPP introduced so-called RAN Visible QoE, which comprises periodic reporting of measured application layer metrics in a format that the RAN can understand. These metrics, denoted as RVQoE metrics, are in release 17 limited to QoE metrics, in particular the Buffer Level QoE metric for DASH (specified in 3GPP TS 26.247 version 17.4.1, which in turn references annex D.4.5 in ISO / IEC 23009- 1, and represented in 3GPP TS 38.331 version 18.0.0 (i.e. the RRC specification) as the AppLayerBufferLevel-r17 field) and the Playout Delay for Media Start-up QoE metric for DASH (specified in 3GPP TS 26.247 version 17.4.1 and represented in 3GPP TS 38.331 version 18.0.0 (i.e. the RRC specification) as the playoutDelayForMediaStartup-r17 field). In addition to these two RVQoE metrics, a MeasurementReportAppLayer message may contain a PDU session ID list (in the form of the pdu-SessionIdList-r17 field) as part of the reported RVQ information (i.e. in the RAN-VisibleMeasurements-r17 IE).

[0015] The configuration for QoE and / or RVQoE measurement and reporting (also referred to as a QoE / RVQoE configuration) is currently performed via an RRC reconfiguration message containing the AppLayerMeasConfig IE, whose ASN.1 definition is shown below. The configuration of legacy QoE metrics is done via the measConfigAppLayerContainer IE, which specifies the configuration to the application- layer in the UE as an octet string (a compressed XML file). RVQoE parameters are specified as part of the RAN-VisibleParameters IE. The following ASN.1 code of the AppLayerMeasConfig IE is copied from Section 6.3.4 of 3GPP TS 38.331 version 18.0.0. -- ASN1START -- TAG-APPLAYERMEASCONFIG-STARTAppLayerMeasConfig-r17 ::= SEQUENCE { measConfigAppLayerToAddModList-r17 SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxNrofAppLayerMeas-r17)) OF MeasConfigAppLayer-r17 OPTIONAL, -- -[[ Rrc-SegAllowedSRB5-r18 ENUMERATED {enabled} OPTIONAL, -- Need R idleInactiveReportAllowed-r18 ENUMERATED {enabled} OPTIONAL, -- Need R ]] } MeasConfigAppLayer-r17 ::= SEQUENCE { measConfigAppLayerId-r17 MeasConfigAppLayerId-r17, measConfigAppLayerContainer-r17 OCTET STRING (SIZE (1..8000)) OPTIONAL, -- Need N serviceType-r17 ENUMERATED {streaming, mtsi, vr, spare5, spare4, spare3, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, -- Need M pauseReporting-r17 BOOLEANappLayerMeasPriority-r18 INTEGER (1..16) OPTIONAL, -- Need M appLayerIdleInactiveConfig-r18 AppLayerIdleInactiveConfig-r18 OPTIONAL -- Need M ]] } RAN-VisibleParameters-r17 ::= SEQUENCE { ran-VisiblePeriodicity-r17 ENUMERATED {ms120, ms240, ms480, ms640, ms1024} OPTIONAL, -- Need S numberOfBufferLevelEntries-r17 INTEGER--]] } -- TAG-APPLAYERMEASCONFIG-STOP -- ASN1STOP

[0016] There currently exist certain challenge(s). In the current solution, for a User Equipment (UE) in dual connectivity, the responsibility to configure and release a certain QoE / RVQoE configuration is of one node only (the QoE / RVQoE configuring network node, also known as the QoE / RVQoE configuration owner), which may be either the Master Node (MN) or the Secondary Node (SN). However, a UE can be configured to send to the other network node (i.e. the non-configuring QoE / RVQoE network node) the QoE / RVQoE reports collected and an indication of the session status based on the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

[0017] The described situation can lead to situations where the QoE / RVQoE configuration owner has no information on whether there is an ongoing session for the UE. The configuration owner can release the QoE / RVQoE configuration at any time, and if this happens when an application session is ongoing or paused and QoE / RVQoE measurements are being collected, the ongoing QoE / RVQoE measurements will be lost (and would also violate a requirement / recommendation from 3GPP working group SA4 that reported QoE measurements should cover an entire session, i.e., not be interrupted while a session is ongoing).

[0018] Another type of problem arises in relation to the desire or need to align (or correlate) QoE / RVQoE measurements and Minimization of Drive Testing (MDT) measurements in dual connectivity. The network node that configures QoE / RVQoE measurements may want to correlate those with MDT measurements and use session status information to stop (or start) the correlation, e.g., to stop or start the MDT measurements running in parallel with QoE measurements. A network node, e.g., a New Radio (NR) base station (i.e., a gNodeB, gNB), is assumed to handle this by configuring the UE with MDT measurements to be aligned / correlated with the QoE / RVQoE measurements when the network node receives a session start indication from the UE, and optionally release the MDT configuration in the UE when the network node receives a corresponding sessionstop indication from the UE. However, when the QoE / RVQoE configuring network node is not aware of the session status, this is not possible.

[0019] Another limitation is present if a network node wishes to provide special treatment to a UE based on the knowledge of whether a certain session has started, or is ongoing, or has ended for the UE, but the QoE / RVQoE configuring network node has no visibility of the session status. Summary

[0020] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Systems and methods are disclosed in which session status indications for a UE are exchanged between network nodes involved in dual connectivity operation for the UE. The network node owning a QoE / RVQoE configuration receives, from the other network node, session status indications, e.g., information concerning whether a QoE / RVQoE measurement session is stopped or still ongoing, and the network node owning the QoE / RVQoE configuration can use the received session status indications to wait in releasing the corresponding QoE / RVQoE configuration so that already collected QoE / RVQoE measurements are not lost. The network node owning a QoE / RVQoE configuration can also use the received session status indications to determine operations (e.g., start / stop) executed for collecting radio measurements (e.g., MDT) to be aligned / correlated with QoE / RVQoE measurements.

[0021] An aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a User Equipment. UE, in dual connectivity. The method comprising any one or more of: ^ receiving (204), from a first network node that serves the UE for dual connectivity, a Quality of Experience, QoE, and / or Radio Access Network Visible QoE, RVQoE, (i.e., QoE / RVQoE) configuration that configures the UE to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements for a session of an application; ^ receiving (206), from the first network node, first information that configures the UE to report QoE / RVQoE measurement results to a second network node serving the UE in dual connectivity; and^ receiving (208), from the first network node, second information that configures the UE perform one of: a) send QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session to the first network node and the second network node; b) send the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session only to the second network node; and c) send the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session to the second network node and to indicate to the second network node that the second network node is to forward the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the first network node.

[0022] Some embodiments further include: performing QoE / RVQoE measurements, in accordance with the QoE / RVQoE configuration, to obtain the QoE / RVQoE measurement results; reporting the QoE / RVQoE measurement results in accordance with the first information; and sending QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session in accordance with the second information.

[0023] In some embodiments, the first information is received either as part of the QoE / RVQoE configuration or separate from the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

[0024] In some embodiments, the second information is received either as part of the QoE / RVQoE configuration or separate from the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

[0025] In some embodiments, the first information comprises an indication of at least one Signaling Radio Bearer, SRB, to be used for reporting the QoE / RVQoE measurements.

[0026] In some embodiments, the second information comprises an indication of at least one SRB to be used for sending the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications.

[0027] In some embodiments, a common indication of at least one SRB comprises both the first information and the second information.

[0028] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a first network node serving a User Equipment, UE, in dual connectivity. The UE is configured, via a Quality of Experience, QoE, and / or Radio Access Network Visible QoE, RVQoE (i.e., QoE / RVQoE) configuration, to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements and report QoE / RVQoE measurement results and QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for a session of an application to a second network node serving the UE in dual connectivity. The method includes: ^ receiving, from the second network node, QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session; and ^ performing one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE measurement session status indications.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first network node owns the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

[0030] In some embodiments, the method further includes: sending the QoE / RVQoE configuration to the UE; and sending (106), to the UE, information that configures the UE to report the QoE / RVQoE measurement results and QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the second network node.

[0031] In some embodiments, the first network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the second network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

[0032] In some embodiments, receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications from the second network node comprises receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications via any one or more of: ^ an RRC transfer procedure; ^ an SN initiated SN modification procedure; ^ an MN initiated SN modification procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node change procedure; ^ an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure;^ an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; ^ an SN addition procedure.

[0033] In some embodiments, the second network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the first network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

[0034] In some embodiments, receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications from the second network node comprises receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications via any one or more of: ^ an MN indicated SN modification procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node reconfiguration procedure; ^ an SN initiated SN modification procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node change procedure; ^ an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; ^ an RRC transfer procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node addition preparation procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node reconfiguration complete procedure.

[0035] In some embodiments, performing the one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications comprises any one or more of: ^ determining when to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration; and ^ determining operations (e.g., start / stop) executed for collecting radio measurements (e.g., MDT measurements) to be aligned or correlated with the QoE / RVQoE measurements;

[0036] In some embodiments, each of the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications is any one of the following:^ an indication of QoE measurement session status, indicating that the QoE measurement session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; ^ an indication of QoE measurement session status, indicating that an associated application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; ^ an indication of RVQoE measurement session status, indicating that the RVQoE measurement session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; ^ an indication of RVQoE measurement session status, indicating that an associated application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; or ^ an indication of application session status, indicating that the application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended.

[0037] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a second network node serving a User Equipment, UE, in dual connectivity the method includes: ^ receiving, from the UE, Quality of Experience, QoE, and / or Radio Access Network Visible QoE, RVQoE (i.e., QoE / RVQoE) measurements for a session of an application and QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session; and ^ sending, to a first network node serving the UE in dual connectivity, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session.

[0038] In some embodiments, the first network node owns the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

[0039] In some embodiments, the first network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the second network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

[0040] In some embodiments, sending the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the first network node comprises sending the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications via any one or more of: ^ an RRC transfer procedure; ^ an SN initiated SN modification procedure; ^ an MN initiated SN modification procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node change procedure; ^ an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; ^ an SN addition procedure.

[0041] In some embodiments, the second network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the first network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

[0042] In some embodiments, sending the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the first network node comprises sending the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications via any one or more of: ^ an MN indicated SN modification procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node reconfiguration procedure; ^ an SN initiated SN modification procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node change procedure; ^ an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure;^ an RRC transfer procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node addition preparation procedure; ^ an S-NG-RAN node reconfiguration complete procedure.

[0043] In some embodiments, each of the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications is any one of the following: ^ an indication of QoE measurement session status, indicating that the QoE measurement session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; ^ an indication of QoE measurement session status, indicating that an associated application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; ^ an indication of RVQoE measurement session status, indicating that the RVQoE measurement session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; ^ an indication of RVQoE measurement session status , indicating that an associated application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; or ^ an indication of application session status, indicating that the application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended.

[0044] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a first network node serving a User Equipment, UE, in dual connectivity. The method includes:^ sending (204) a Quality of Experience, QoE, and / or Radio Access Network, RAN, Visible QoE, RVQoE (i.e., QoE / RVQoE) configuration to the UE that configures the UE to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements for a session; ^ sending (206), to the UE, first information that configures the UE to report QoE / RVQoE measurement results to a second network node serving the UE in dual connectivity; and ^ sending (208), to the UE, second information that configures to the UE perform any one of: a) reporting QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session to the first network node and the second network node; b) reporting the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session only to the second network node; and c) reporting the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session to the second network node and to indicate to the second network node that the second network node is to forward the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the first network node.

[0045] In some embodiments, the first network node owns the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the second network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

[0047] In some embodiments, the second network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the first network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

[0048] Embodiments of a base station, communication system, and a method in a communication system are also disclosed.

[0049] Embodiments of the present disclosure enhance the signaling between two network nodes involved in dual connectivity operation for a UE to exchange indication ofsession status, to support the network node that owns a certain QoE configuration (or a RVQoE configuration) in decisions concerning the release of the QoE / RVQoE configuration and the alignment of QoE / RVQoE measurements with radio related measurements.

[0050] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). One advantage of the proposed solution is that, when operating in dual connectivity, the network node (MN or SN) can determine when it is more appropriate to release a certain QoE / RVQoE configuration, avoiding that already collected measurements are lost. Another advantage of the solution is to enable alignment / correlation of QoE / RVQoE measurements and MDT measurements when operating in dual connectivity, in a way that the alignment / correlation is pursued only when useful QoE / RVQoE measurements are collected. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0051] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain principles of the disclosure.

[0052] Figure 1 is a flow chart illustrating principal steps in a method according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0053] Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating principal steps in a method according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0054] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a communication network according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0055] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating a UE according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0056] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a network node according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0057] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment according to embodiments of the present disclosure; Detailed Description

[0058] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0059] At least some of the following abbreviations and terms may be used in this disclosure. ^ 2D Two Dimensional ^ 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project ^ 5G Fifth Generation ^ AAS Antenna Array System ^ AoA Angle of Arrival ^ AoD Angle of Departure ^ ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit ^ BF Beamforming ^ BLER Block Error Rate ^ BW Beamwidth ^ CPU Central Processing Unit ^ CSI Channel State Information ^ dB Decibel ^ DCI Downlink Control Information ^ DFT Discrete Fourier Transform ^ DSP Digital Signal Processor ^ eNB Enhanced or Evolved Node B^ FIR Finite Impulse Response ^ FPGA Field Programmable Gate Array ^ gNB New Radio Base Station ^ ICC Information Carrying Capacity ^ IIR Infinite Impulse Response ^ LTE Long Term Evolution ^ MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output ^ MME Mobility Management Entity ^ MMSE Minimum Mean Square Error ^ MTC Machine Type Communication ^ NR New Radio ^ OTT Over-the-Top ^ PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel ^ PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel ^ PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel ^ P-GW Packet Data Network Gateway ^ RAM Random Access Memory ^ ROM Read Only Memory ^ RRC Radio Resource Control ^ RRH Remote Radio Head ^ SCEF Service Capability Exposure Function ^ SINR Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio ^ SRB Signaling Radio Bearer ^ TBS Transmission Block Size ^ UE User Equipment ^ ULA Uniform Linear Array ^ URA Uniform Rectangular ArrayNotes

[0060] Radio Node: As used herein, a “radio node” is either a radio access node or a wireless device.

[0061] Radio Access Node: As used herein, a “radio access node” or “radio network node” is any node in a radio access network of a cellular communications network that operates to wirelessly transmit and / or receive signals. Some examples of a radio access node include, but are not limited to, a base station (e.g., a New Radio (NR) base station (gNB) in a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Fifth Generation (5G) NR network or an enhanced or evolved Node B (eNB) in a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), a high-power or macro base station, a low-power base station (e.g., a micro base station, a pico base station, a home eNB, or the like), and a relay node.

[0062] Core Network Node: As used herein, a “core network node” is any type of node in a core network. Some examples of a core network node include, e.g., a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF), or the like.

[0063] Wireless Device: As used herein, a “wireless device” is any type of device that has access to (i.e., is served by) a cellular communications network by wirelessly transmitting (and / or receiving) signals to (and / or from) a radio access node. Some examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, a User Equipment (UE) device in a 3GPP network and a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device.

[0064] Network Node: As used herein, a “network node” is any node that is either part of the radio access network or the core network of a cellular communications network / system. Examples of a network node include, but are not limited to: a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, a gNodeB (gNB), an evolved NodeB (eNB), an en-gNB, a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a gNB-Central Unit (CU), a gNB-CU-Control Plane (CP), a gNB-CU-User Plane (UP), an eNB-CU, an eNB-CU-CP, an eNB-CU-UP, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB)-node, an IAB-donor Distributed Unit (DU), an IAB-donor- CU, an IAB-DU, an IAB-Mobile Termination (MT), an Open RAN (O)-CU, an O-CU-CP,an O-CU-UP, an O-DU, an O-Radio Unit (RU), an O-eNB, a Non-Real Time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC), a Real-Time RAN Intelligent Controller (RT-RIC), an Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) node, a Core Network node / function, a Cloud-based network function, a Cloud-based centralized training node.

[0065] Cell: As used herein, a “cell” is a combination of radio resources (such as, for example, antenna port allocation, time and frequency) that a wireless device may use to exchange radio signals with a radio access node, which may be referred to as a host node or a serving node of the cell. However, it is important to note that beams may be used instead of cells, particularly with respect to 5G NR. As such, it should be appreciated that the techniques described herein are equally applicable to both cells and beams.

[0066] As used herein, the term “QoE / RVQoE” should be understood to mean “QoE and / or RVQoE”. Thus, for example, the term “QoE / RVQoE configuration” shall be understood to refer to a configuration for either one or both of QoE and RVQoE measurement and reporting.

[0067] As used herein, the term “QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication” may encompass any one or more of “session start / stop indication”; “session pause / resume indication” or “session paused / resumed indication”.

[0068] As used herein, the application layer in the UE is also referred to as the “UE application layer” or simply the “application layer”. As used herein, all references to the application layer are with respect to the application layer of the UE.

[0069] A QoE / RVQoE configuration includes various configuration parameters (such as an instruction on whether the UE should send QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications) as well as a QMC configuration file containing a configuration of QoE / RVQoE measurements to be performed and reported (e.g. indicating QoE / RVQoE metrics to be collected and reported).

[0070] As used herein, the terms “QoE / RVQoE configuration”, “QoE / RVQoE parameters”, “QoE / RVQoE configuration information”, “UE application layer measurement configuration”, “application measurement configuration”, “QoE / RVQoEmeasurement configuration”, “QoE / RVQoE measurement and reporting configuration”, “UE application layer measurement and reporting configuration” and “QMC configuration” may be used interchangeably. The network, the UE Access Stratum (AS) and the UE application layer may store various parts of the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

[0071] As used herein, the “QMC configuration file” refers to that part of the QoE configuration consisting of an XML file or container that includes instructions of QoE metrics to be collected and reported.

[0072] As used herein, the term “QoE / RVQoE information” broadly refers to any type of QoE / RVQoE related information. This information may comprise part or all of a QoE / RVQoE measurement configuration or a QoE / RVQoE measurement report, or the type of information that may be included in a QoE / RVQoE measurement report.

[0073] As used herein, an “application” is an entity performing the QoE / RVQoE measurements and other actions related to a QoE / RVQoE configuration, such as receiving QoE / RVQoE information from the UE AS, and / or sending QoE / RVQoE information to the UE AS. The application resides on the UE application layer in the UE, and hence it is also correct to say that the UE application layer performs these actions. In the present description, the performer of these various actions may be referred to synonymously as the application or the UE application layer.

[0074] As used herein, the term “service” may be used as a short notation for “service type”, therefore “service” and “service type” can be seen as interchangeable unless explicitly stated otherwise or unless the context clearly implies another interpretation.

[0075] The techniques disclosed herein apply to both signaling- and management- based QoE / RVQoE measurements, but may also optionally be restricted to apply to either one of them alone.

[0076] The functionality in a UE which 3GPP has named Access Stratum is herein referred to in various ways, including “Access Stratum”, “AS”, “UE Access Stratum”, “UE AS”, “Access Stratum layer”, “AS layer”, “UE Access Stratum layer”, “UE AS layer” or “radio layer”.

[0077] As used herein, the terms “LTE” and “LTE node” imply that a network node that serves the UE is serving the UE by using the LTE radio access technology on the air interface (Uu).

[0078] As used herein, the terms “NR” and “NR node” imply that a network node that serves the UE is serving the UE by using the NR radio access technology on the air interface (Uu).

[0079] As used herein, the terms information element (IE) and field are used more or less interchangeably. Also the term parameter may sometimes be used to denote the same concept.

[0080] When writing message names of a communication protocol, two equivalent principles are used in this document. The writing principle “<protocol name> <message name> message”, for example “XnAP HANDOVER REQUEST message”, and the writing principle “<message name> <protocol name> message”, for example “HANDOVER REQUEST XnAP message” are equivalent, both referring to a message (i.e., “<message name>”) of a communication protocol (i.e., “<protocol name>”), e.g., the HANDOVER REQUEST message of the communication protocol XnAP. The same writing format equivalence applies to other communication protocols, such as NGAP and F1AP.

[0081] Parameters / IEs / fields used in ASN.1 code as well as in procedural text in the 3GPP Radio Resource Control (RRC) specification for 5G / NR, i.e.3GPP TS 38.331 version 18.0.0, are often named with a suffix indicating the number of the release of the 3GPP standard the parameter / IE / field was introduced in (e.g. the suffix “-r17” for a parameter / IE / field introduced in release 17 of the 3GPP standard). Parameters / IEs / fields following this naming convention are typically referred to both with and without the suffix, where the name including the suffix is used in the ASN.1 code (and thus defines the formal name from the ASN.1 compiler’s perspective), while the name without the suffix is used in running text, e.g. in field descriptions and procedural text. Relevant examples in the context of this document include the parameters / IEs / fields AppLayerMeasConfig-r17 / AppLayerMeasConfig and MeasConfigAppLayer-r17 / MeasConfigAppLayer. In this document, both name variants may occur for various parameters / IEs / fields.

[0082] Strictly speaking, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications introduced in the RRC protocol in release 17 of the 3GPP standard (in the form of the appLayerSessionStatus-r17 field, the use of which is configured by means of the transmissionOfSessionStartStop-r17 field) do not refer to the application session per se, but rather to the QoE / RVQoE measurement session associated with the application session. However, if / when the terms “session data” or “session data flow” are mentioned, they refer to the data or data flow of the application session with which the QoE / RVQoE measurement session is associated.

[0083] The terms “QoE report” or “QoE measurement report”, when sent from a UE to a gNB, may primarily refer to the content of a measReportAppLayerContainer IE in a MeasurementReportAppLayer RRC message. However, sometimes the terms may refer to: ^ a MeasurementReportAppLayer RRC message, ^ a MeasReportAppLayer IE in a MeasurementReportAppLayer RRC message, or ^ the content of a MeasReportAppLayer IE, excluding the ran- VisibleMeasurements IE, in a MeasurementReportAppLayer RRC message.

[0084] The terms “RVQoE report” or “RVQoE measurement report”, when sent from a UE to a gNB, refers to the content of a RAN-VisibleMeasurements IE in a MeasurementReportAppLayer RRC message.

[0085] Unless stated otherwise, session pause / resume events may refer to pausing and resuming of an application session and / or pausing and resuming of a QoE / RVQoE measurement session.

[0086] The embodiments described herein are primarily discussed in terms of NR, but the techniques described can also be applied to UMTS, LTE and NR as well as future RATs such as 6G.

[0087] Note that according to the current RRC standard specification, i.e., 3GPP TS 38.331 version 18.0.0, QoE measurement session status indications are sent on the same SRB to the same RAN node as QoE reports.

[0088] As used herein, the terms Secondary Node (SN) and Secondary Next Generation RAN (S-NG-RAN) node and S-NG-RAN NODE are regarded as equivalent. Similarly, the terms Master Node (MN) and Master Next Generation RAN (M-NG-RAN) node and M-NG-RAN NODE are regarded as equivalent.

[0089] All examples presented herein are non-limiting.

[0090] Note that references in this disclosure to various technical standards (such as 38.331 version 18.0.0 for example) should be understood to refer to the specific version(s) of such standard(s) that is(were) current at the time the present application was filed, and may also refer to applicable counterparts and successors of such versions.

[0091] The description herein focuses on a 3GPP cellular communications system and, as such, 3GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3GPP terminology is oftentimes used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to a 3GPP system.

[0092] Systems and methods are disclosed herein that address the problems described above by signaling QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication for a UE between network nodes involved in dual connectivity for the UE. QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication

[0093] QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication can contain one or more of the following: ^ an indication of QoE session status (or QoE measurement session status) associated with a certain QoE configuration, indicating that the QoE session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended. ^ an indication of QoE session status (or QoE measurement session status) associated with a certain QoE configuration, indicating that the applicationsession (with which the QoE session is associated) has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended. ^ an indication of RVQoE session status (or RVQoE measurement session status) associated with a certain RVQoE configuration, indicating that the RVQoE session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended. ^ an indication of RVQoE session status (or RVQoE measurement session status) associated with a certain RVQoE configuration, indicating that the application session (with which the RVQoE session is associated) has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended. ^ an indication of application session status associated with a certain QoE configuration, indicating that the application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended. ^ an indication of application session status associated with a certain RVQoE configuration, indicating that the application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended.

[0094] In some embodiments, a network node may receive a QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication for a UE directly from the UE. This piece of information can be sent from the UE as part of (or together with) a QoE / RVQoE report, or as a UE application layer indication sent independently of a QoE / RVQoE report. In any of these examples, one option is that the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication is sent from the UE to the network node in a MeasurementReportAppLayer RRC message.

[0095] In some embodiments, a MN may receive a QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication for a UE from a SN, in a scenario in which the SN receives a QoE / RVQoE report from the UE, and the SN may subsequently forward the QoE / RVQoEreport (or information extracted from it) to the MN. Similarly, the SN may receive a QoE measurement session status indication for a UE from a MN, in a scenario in which the MN receives a QoE / RVQoE report from the UE, and the MN may subsequently forward the QoE / RVQoE report (or information extracted from it) to the SN.

[0096] Alternatively, a network node may receive a QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication by inspecting the user plane packets from the UE, e.g. checking the IP header parameters and / or transport layer protocol (e.g. TCP or UDP) header parameters, and match those to corresponding header parameters known to be used by certain applications. Furthermore, if the network node has configured the UE (or has been informed by another network node that the other network node has configured the UE) with QoE / RVQoE measurement configuration for the service type the concerned application (i.e. the application that started the session) belongs to, then the network node can conclude that the UE also will have started a QoE / RVQoE measurement session associated with the started application session. Session status for releasing QoE / RVQoE measurements Scenario 1: SN owns the QoE / RVQoE configuration

[0097] There are cases where QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication is needed by the SN, to support the decision to release QoE / RVQoE measurements, but the SN does not receive QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication from the UE, nor from the MN, e.g. because the UE is configured to send QoE / RVQoE reports, and thus also QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications, on SRB4 to the MN. To support the SN in the decision whether / when to release QoE / RVQoE configuration without losing ongoing QoE / RVQoE measurements, the signaling is enhanced as described below. Optionally, the SN requests to the MN to obtain QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication before this piece of information is transferred (e.g., the SN subscribes to QoE measurement session status indications, either periodically or during occurrence of specific events in relation to the QoE / RVQoE measurement session, or the request is a request for a one-time indication, e.g. a snapshot of the current session status (e.g. “ongoing” or “not ongoing” or “suspended” or “started” or “ended” or “stopped”)).

[0098] A first SN-related case is the following. The SN has configured the UE for QoE / RVQoE measurement and reporting. Then, the SN has the mandate to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration. We assume that the UE is configured to send QoE / RVQoE reports on SRB4 to the MN. Since according to the current RRC standard specification, i.e. 3GPP TS 38.331 version 18.0.0, QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications are sent on the same SRB to the same node as QoE / RVQoE reports, the UE sends the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the MN. The MN determines that UE has originally been configured by the SN, and the MN sends QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) to the SN, e.g. forwarding the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) received from the UE to the SN. Non-limiting examples of how the sending can occur are: ^ as part of an MN initiated SN Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST XnAP message. ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node Reconfiguration Completion procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE XnAP message. ^ as part of an SN initiated SN Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE. ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Change procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE CHANGE CONFIRM XnAP message. ^ as part of an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release procedure, e.g., in S-NODE RELEASE REQUEST XnAP message. ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE RELEASE CONFIRM XnAP message. ^ as part of an RRC Transfer procedure, e.g., in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message, e.g. in an RRC Container IE, from M-NG-RAN NODE to S-NG- RAN NODE. In this option, the session status may be transferred as part of a MeasurementReportAppLayer message which is included in the RRC Container IE and which the MN has received from the UE.

[0099] As one option, in any of the above messages, the session status may be included in a UE application layer Measurement Configuration Information IE in a QMC Configuration Information IE. As another option, in any of the above messages, the session status may be included in a QMC Coordination Request IE. As yet another option, in any of the above messages, the session status may be included in a new IE, e.g. an IE specified for this purpose.

[0100] Another option is that the session status is transferred in an inter-node RRC message, e.g. a newly specified inter-node RRC message, in which case this inter-node RRC message could e.g. be included in an RRC Context IE, e.g. in any of the above- mentioned messages, or possibly in a Target NG-RAN node To Source NG-RAN node Transparent Container IE. Yet another option is that the inter-node RRC message including the session status information is included in an RRC Container IE, e.g. in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message (or in any of the other above-mentioned messages).

[0101] By receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the SN is enabled to perform one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication. For example, the SN may wait until a session is completed before releasing the corresponding QoE / RVQoE configuration (i.e., without losing QoE / RVQoE measurements).

[0102] A second SN-related case is when a source SN has configured the UE for QoE / RVQoE measurement and reporting, the UE is configured to send QoE / RVQoE reports (and thus also QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications) to the MN, and an MN initiated SN Change or an SN initiated SN Change occurs. During the process of SN change, i.e., in the XnAP signaling for executing the SN change, the target SN is notified about whether and how the session status notification delivery is configured / agreed between the source SN and the MN. Once the target SN becomes part of the dual connectivity operation for the UE, it has the mandate to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration. The MN may send QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication to the target SN in one of the following ways:^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node Addition Preparation procedure to prepare the addition of the target SN, e.g., in an S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST XnAP message. ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node Reconfiguration Completion procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE XnAP message. ^ as part of an RRC Transfer procedure, e.g., in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message, e.g. in an RRC Container IE, from M-NG-RAN NODE to S-NG- RAN NODE. In this option, the session status may be transferred as part of a MeasurementReportAppLayer message which is included in the RRC Container IE and which the MN has received from the UE. The RRC Transfer procedure may occur after the SN change has been completed.

[0103] As one option, in any of the above messages, the session status may be included in a UE application layer Measurement Configuration Information IE in a QMC Configuration Information IE. As another option, in any of the above messages, the session status may be included in a QMC Coordination Request IE. As yet another option, in any of the above messages, the session status may be included in a new IE, e.g. an IE specified for this purpose.

[0104] Another option is that the session status is transferred in an inter-node RRC message, e.g. a newly specified inter-node RRC message, in which case this inter-node RRC message could e.g. be included in an RRC Context IE, e.g. in any of the above- mentioned messages, or possibly in a Target NG-RAN node To Source NG-RAN node Transparent Container IE. Yet another option is that the inter-node RRC message including the session status information is included in an RRC Container IE, e.g. in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message (or in any of the other above-mentioned messages).

[0105] A third SN-related case is when a source SN has configured the UE for QoE / RVQoE measurement and reporting, the UE is configured to send QoE / RVQoE reports (and thus also QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the MN, and there is an MN handover with SN Change. Also in this case, the target SN has the mandate to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration, and as previously mentioned, it is beneficial toensure that the target SN can release the QoE / RVQoE configuration when no session is ongoing, but may avoid releasing the QoE / RVQoE configuration while a session is ongoing. In this case, one way to achieve this is to let the target SN acquire the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication in the following way: first the source MN sends the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication in the Handover Preparation procedure used to prepare the mobility towards the target MN (e.g., in a HANDOVER REQUEST XnAP message) and then the target MN sends the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication to the target SN in an S-NG-RAN node Addition Preparation procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST XnAP message. In the Handover Preparation procedure, the source MN notifies the target MN about whether and how the session status notification delivery is configured / agreed between the old MN and the source SN.

[0106] In one embodiment, an MN receives from another network node (e.g., from an OAM node, or from a CN node, or from an SN, or another MN) as part of a QoE / RVQoE configuration information (e.g., within a UE application layer Measurement Configuration Information IE), an indication / request, indicating / requesting the MN to send QoE measurement session status indications. Scenario 2: MN owns the QoE / RVQoE configuration

[0107] Similar to what is described above, the legacy signaling between the MN and the SN may be extended to enable transfer of QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications between the nodes. Example additions to the legacy signaling between SN and MN are described below. Optionally, the MN may request to the SN to obtain QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication before this piece of information is transferred (e.g., the SN may subscribes to QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications, either periodically or during occurrence of specific events in relation to the QoE / RVQoE measurement session. Alternatively, the request may be a request for a one- time indication, e.g. a snapshot of the current session status (e.g. ongoing or not ongoing, or started or ended)).

[0108] A first MN-related embodiment is where the MN has configured the UE for QoE / RVQoE measurement and reporting, and the UE is configured to send QoE / RVQoE reports (and thus also session status information) to the SN. The MN has the mandate to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration. The SN determines that UE has originally been configured by the MN, and the SN may send QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) to the MN in one of the following ways: ^ as part of an RRC Transfer procedure, e.g., in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message from S-NG-RAN NODE to M-NG-RAN NODE. In this option, the session status may be transferred as part of a MeasurementReportAppLayer message which is included in the RRC Container IE and which the S-NG- RAN NODE has received from the UE. ^ as part of an SN initiated SN Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUIRED XnAP message. ^ as part of an MN initiated SN Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE XnAP message. ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Change, e.g., in an S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED XnAP message. ^ as part of an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE RELEASE REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE XnAP message ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release procedure, e.g., in a S-NODE RELEASE REQUIRED XnAP message.

[0109] As one option, in any of the above messages, the session status may be included in a UE application layer Measurement Configuration Information IE in a QMC Configuration Information IE. As another option, in any of the above messages, the session status may be included in a QMC Coordination Request IE. As yet another option, in any of the above messages, the session status may be included in a new IE, e.g. an IE specified for this purpose.

[0110] Another option is that the session status is transferred in an inter-node RRC message, e.g. a newly specified inter-node RRC message, in which case this inter-node RRC message could e.g. be included in an RRC Context IE, e.g. in any of the above- mentioned messages, or possibly in a Target NG-RAN node To Source NG-RAN node Transparent Container IE. Yet another option is that the inter-node RRC message including the session status information is included in an RRC Container IE, e.g. in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message (or in any of the other above-mentioned messages).

[0111] By receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the MN is enabled to perform an operational task such as waiting until a session is completed before releasing the corresponding QoE / RVQoE configuration (i.e., without losing QoE / RVQoE measurements).

[0112] A second MN-related case is when a source MN has configured the UE for QoE / RVQoE, the UE is configured to send QoE / RVQoE reports (and thus also QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications) to the SN, and an inter-MN handover without SN Change occurs. During the process of inter-MN handover without SN Change, i.e., in the XnAP signalling for executing the handover, the target MN is notified about whether and how the session status notification delivery is configured / agreed between the SN and the source MN. Once the target MN becomes part of the dual connectivity operation for the UE, it has the mandate to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration. The SN may send the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) to the target MN in one of the following ways: ^ in the following steps: a) first, the source MN acquires the QoE measurement session status indication from the SN as part of an MN initiated SN Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE XnAP message. b) second, the source MN sends the QoE measurement session status indication to the target MN as part of a Handover Preparation procedureto prepare the addition of the target MN (e.g., in a HANDOVER REQUEST XnAP message), c) third (optional) an indication from source MN to target MN of whether the session status notification delivery is configured / agreed between the SN and the source MN. or ^ in the following steps: a) first the source MN informs the target MN that the UE is configured to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements. This can be part of a Handover Preparation procedure to prepare the addition of the target MN, e.g., in a HANDOVER REQUEST XnAP message. b) second the target MN requests the SN to provide QoE measurement session status indication for the UE. This can be part of the SN Addition procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST XnAP message. c) third, the SN sends to the target MN the QoE measurement session status indication. This can be part of the SN Addition procedure, e.g., in an S- NODE ADDITION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE XnAP message. d) fourth (optional) the indication from SN to target MN of whether the session status notification delivery is configured / agreed between the SN and the source MN can be sent in the first or in the third step above.

[0113] As one option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a UE application layer Measurement Configuration Information IE in a QMC Configuration Information IE. As another option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a QMC Coordination Request IE. As yet another option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication,the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a new IE, e.g. an IE specified for this purpose.

[0114] Another option is that the session status is transferred in an inter-node RRC message, e.g. a newly specified inter-node RRC message, in which case this inter-node RRC message could e.g. be included in an RRC Context IE, e.g. in any of the above- mentioned messages, or possibly in a Target NG-RAN node To Source NG-RAN node Transparent Container IE. Yet another option is that the inter-node RRC message including the session status information is included in an RRC Container IE, e.g. in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message (or in any of the other above-mentioned messages).

[0115] A third MN-related case is when a source MN has configured the UE for QoE / RVQoE measurement and reporting, the UE is configured to send QoE / RVQoE reports (and QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications) to the SN, and an inter- MN handover with SN Change occurs. This case is similar to the second MN-related case. The source SN may send QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication to the target MN in one of the following ways: ^ in the following steps: a) first the target MN requests the source SN to provide QoE measurement session status indication for the UE. This can be part of the MN Initiated Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST XnAP message. b) second, the source SN sends to the source MN the QoE measurement session status indication. This can be part of the MN Initiated Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE XnAP message. c) third the source MN informs the target MN that the UE is configured to perform QoE / RVQoE, and that the QoE / RVQoE configuration was issued by the MN and optionally the source MN also sends to the target MN an indication of whether the session status notification delivery isconfigured / agreed between the source SN and the source MN. This can be part of a Handover Preparation procedure to prepare the addition of the target MN, e.g., in a HANDOVER REQUEST XnAP message.

[0116] As one option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a UE application layer Measurement Configuration Information IE in a QMC Configuration Information IE. As another option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a QMC Coordination Request IE. As yet another option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a new IE, e.g. an IE specified for this purpose.

[0117] Another option is that the session status is transferred in an inter-node RRC message, e.g. a newly specified inter-node RRC message, in which case this inter-node RRC message could e.g. be included in an RRC Context IE, e.g. in any of the above- mentioned messages, or possibly in a Target NG-RAN node To Source NG-RAN node Transparent Container IE. Yet another option is that the inter-node RRC message including the session status information is included in an RRC Container IE, e.g. in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message (or in any of the other above-mentioned messages).

[0118] In one embodiment, an SN receives from another network node (e.g., from an OAM node, or from a CN node, or from an MN, or another SN) as part of a QoE / RVQoE configuration information (e.g., within a UE application layer Measurement Configuration Information IE), an indication / request, indicating / requesting the SN to send QoE measurement session status indications.Session status for alignment of QoE / RVQoE measurements and radio measurements SN triggered alignment

[0119] The scenario is that the SN has configured the UE for QoE / RVQoE measurement and reporting, and the UE is configured to send QoE / RVQoE reports (and thus QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications) to the MN. The SN is interested to align / correlate QoE / RVQoE measurements and radio measurements (e.g., MDT measurements). In a non-limiting example, the SN may want to determine whether to start or stop the correlation based on QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) (e.g., start the alignment / correlation when the session status indicates “session started”, or “session ongoing”, or “session resumed”, and stop the alignment / correlation when the session status indicates “session ended”, “session stopped”, “session paused” or “session not ongoing”).

[0120] The legacy signaling is enhanced to enable the MN to send QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) to the SN. The sending of QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) from MN to SN can occur: ^ as part of an RRC Transfer procedure, e.g., in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message from M-NG-RAN NODE to S-NG-RAN NODE. In this option, the session status may be transferred as part of a MeasurementReportAppLayer message which is included in the RRC Container IE and which the M-NG- RAN NODE has received from the UE. ^ as part of an MN initiated SN Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST XnAP message. ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node Reconfiguration Completion procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE RECONFIGURATION COMPLETE XnAP message. ^ as part of an SN initiated SN Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE. ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Change procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE CHANGE CONFIRM XnAP message.^ as part of an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release procedure, e.g., in S-NODE RELEASE REQUEST XnAP message. ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE RELEASE CONFIRM XnAP message.

[0121] As one option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a UE application layer Measurement Configuration Information IE in a QMC Configuration Information IE. As another option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a QMC Coordination Request IE. As yet another option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a new IE, e.g. an IE specified for this purpose.

[0122] Another option is that the session status may be transferred in an inter-node RRC message, e.g. a newly specified inter-node RRC message, in which case this inter- node RRC message could e.g. be included in an RRC Context IE, e.g. in any of the above- mentioned messages, or possibly in a Target NG-RAN node To Source NG-RAN node Transparent Container IE. Yet another option is that the inter-node RRC message including the session status information is included in an RRC Container IE, e.g. in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message (or in any of the other above-mentioned messages).

[0123] By receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the SN is enabled to perform an operational task based on the received QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, such as, for example, to start / resume (or stop / pause) the alignment / correlation between QoE / RVQoE measurements and MDT measurements when a session is started (or to not start / resume alignment / correlation between QoE / RVQoE measurements and MDT measurements when a session is ongoing). When the alignment / correlation involves MDT measurements performed by the UE, starting and / or pausing such alignment / correlation may e.g. be realized by sending the concerned MDTmeasurement configuration to the UE. Stopping and / or pausing such alignment / correlation may e.g. be realized by releasing the concerned MDT measurement configuration in the UE. When the alignment / correlation involves MDT measurements performed by a network entity, e.g. a network node, starting and / or pausing such alignment / correlation may e.g. be realized by sending the concerned MDT measurement configuration to the network entity / node, configuring the MDT measurement configuration in the network entity / node or activating the MDT measurement configuration in the network entity / node. Stopping and / or pausing such alignment / correlation may e.g. be realized by releasing the concerned MDT measurement configuration in the network entity / node or deactivating the MDT measurement configuration in the network entity / node.

[0124] If the SN is deployed as multiple logical functions (e.g., in NR, one gNB-CU- CP, one or more gNB-Dus, one or more gNB-CU-Ups), the logical function of the SN receiving the session status information can use it to send a request / notification (e.g., a trigger) to another logical function of the same SN, to start / stop / pause / resume MDT measurements at the other logical function, e.g., for the purpose of alignment / correlation of radio measurements and QoE / RVQoE measurements.

[0125] The SN, upon receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication from the MN, can send to the MN a request / notification (e.g., a trigger) to start / stop / pause / resume MDT measurements at the MN, e.g., for the purpose of alignment / correlation of radio measurements and QoE / RVQoE measurements.

[0126] The SN, upon receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication from the UE, can perform one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, such as sending to the MN a request / notification (e.g., a trigger) to start / stop / pause / resume MDT measurements at the MN, e.g., for the purpose of alignment / correlation of radio measurements and QoE / RVQoE measurements. This method may be used e.g. when the MN or the SN has determined that the MN carries (or carried) the data flow(s) of the concerned application session, but the SN receives the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) from the UE.MN triggered alignment

[0127] A scenario is that the MN has configured the UE for QoE / RVQoE, and the UE is configured to send QoE / RVQoE reports (and thus also QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications) to the SN. The MN is the QoE / RVQoE owner and thus has the mandate to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration. The MN is interested to align / correlate QoE / RVQoE measurements and MDT measurements. In a non-limiting example, the MN may want to determine whether to start or stop the correlation based on QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, (e.g., start the correlation when session status indicates “session started”, or “session ongoing”, or “session resumed”, and stop the correlation when session status indicates “session ended”, or “session paused”).

[0128] The conventional signaling may be enhanced to enable the SN to send QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the MN. The sending of session status from SN to MN can occur: ^ as part of an RRC Transfer procedure, e.g., in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message from S-NG-RAN NODE to M-NG-RAN NODE. In this option, the session status may be transferred as part of a MeasurementReportAppLayer message which is included in the RRC Container IE and which the S-NG- RAN NODE has received from the UE. ^ as part of an SN initiated SN Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUIRED XnAP message. ^ as part of an MN initiated SN Modification procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE XnAP message. ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Change, e.g., in an S-NODE CHANGE REQUIRED XnAP message. ^ as part of an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release procedure, e.g., in an S-NODE RELEASE REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE XnAP message. ^ as part of an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node Release procedure, e.g., in a S-NODE RELEASE REQUIRED XnAP message.

[0129] As one option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a UE application layer Measurement Configuration Information IE in a QMC Configuration Information IE. As another option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a QMC Coordination Request IE. As yet another option, in any of the above messages described as including the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be included in a new IE, e.g. an IE specified for this purpose.

[0130] Another option is that the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication may be transferred in an inter-node RRC message, e.g. a newly specified inter-node RRC message, in which case this inter-node RRC message could e.g. be included in an RRC Context IE, e.g. in any of the above-mentioned messages, or possibly in a Target NG-RAN node To Source NG-RAN node Transparent Container IE. Yet another option is that the inter-node RRC message including the session status information is included in an RRC Container IE, e.g. in an RRC TRANSFER XnAP message (or in any of the other above- mentioned messages).

[0131] By receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, the MN is enabled to perform one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, such as to start / resume (or stop / pause) the alignment / correlation between QoE / RVQoE measurements and MDT measurements when a session is started (or to not start / resume alignment / correlation between QoE / RVQoE measurements and MDT measurements when a session is ongoing). When the alignment / correlation involves MDT measurements performed by the UE, starting and / or pausing such alignment / correlation may e.g. be realized by sending the concerned MDT measurement configuration to the UE. Stopping and / or pausing such alignment / correlation may e.g. be realized by releasing the concerned MDT measurement configuration in the UE. When the alignment / correlation involves MDT measurements performed by a networkentity, e.g. a network node, starting and / or pausing such alignment / correlation may e.g. be realized by sending the concerned MDT measurement configuration to the network entity / node, configuring the MDT measurement configuration in the network entity / node or activating the MDT measurement configuration in the network entity / node. Stopping and / or pausing such alignment / correlation may e.g. be realized by releasing the concerned MDT measurement configuration in the network entity / node or deactivating the MDT measurement configuration in the network entity / node.

[0132] If the MN is deployed as multiple logical functions (e.g., in NR, one gNB-CU- CP, one or more gNB-DUs, one or more gNB-CU-UPs), the logical function of the MN receiving the session status information can use it to send a notification (e.g., a trigger) to another logical function of the same MN, to start / stop / pause / resume MDT measurements, e.g., for the purpose of alignment / correlation of radio measurements and QoE / RVQoE measurements.

[0133] The MN, upon receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication from the SN, can send to the SN a request / notification (e.g., a trigger) to start / stop / pause / resume MDT measurements at the SN, e.g., for the purpose of alignment / correlation of radio measurements and QoE / RVQoE measurements.

[0134] The MN, upon receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication from the UE, is enabled to perform one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication, such as send to the SN a request / notification (e.g., a trigger) to start / stop / pause / resume MDT measurements at the SN, e.g., for the purpose of alignment / correlation of radio measurements and QoE / RVQoE measurements. This method may be used e.g. when the MN or the SN has determined that the SN carries (or carried) the data flow(s) of the concerned application session, but the MN receives the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) from the UE.Example Realization / implementation of the proposed solution using multiple entities / modulesand variations described herein may be realized / implemented in the form of multiple interacting entities / modules in a network node, where each entity / module may include hardware (e.g. electronic hardware) and / or software to perform one or more functions. As one example, there may be three entities / modules one entity / module for receiving information, one entity / module for analyzing / processing the information and one entity / module for sending the information, where the information e.g. may be session status information. Optionally, two or more of the entities / modules may be integrated into a single entity / module. UE-based solutions

[0136] As an alternative to the previously described embodiments ensuring that QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) is(are) delivered to a node that needs it (or may benefit from receiving it), UE-based solutions may also be used. The example embodiment is described below using the generalized case where one of the nodes involved in dual connectivity has configured the UE for QoE / RVQoE, and the UE is configured to send QoE / RVQoE reports to the other node involved in dual connectivity. The first node (or its successor in the MN or SN role) is the QoE / RVQoE configuration owner and thus has the mandate to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

[0137] In this situation, the first node, as part of the configuration sent to the UE to configure QoE / RVQoE reporting to the other node, may also configure the UE with different actions and an associated priority to each action which determines which (one) of the different actions may be executed: ^ The UE is configured to report the session status to the first node and the node receiving the QoE / RVQoE reports, i.e., other node, as long as the UE is already configured with the necessary bearers for the transmission on the MN and the SN legs. ^ The UE is configured to report the session status only to the other node (or its successor in the MN or SN role) and the behavior determining the forwardingof QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the first node (or its successor in the MN or SN role) is up to the implementation of the receiving node. ^ The UE is configured to indicate to the other node (or its successor in the MN or SN role), either via a separate indication or an indication together with the report that it shall be forwarded to the first node. This could specifically indicate session status related messages or other messages that may be of interest.

[0138] The indication from the UE to the other node may either be sent once per QoE / RVQoE measurement session or be sent together with each message that shall be forwarded to the first node. The second type of indication is particularly useful to the node initially receiving the reports (the other node) as it may not necessarily have to parse every report from the UE and determine if it shall be forwarded to the first node.

[0139] The other node upon reception of a message with an indication to forward it to the first node may do so together with, or included in, any of the extended messages described above.

[0140] In related embodiments, the UE can be configured to send the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication(s) on a certain SRB (e.g. SRB4 or SRB5 or both SRB4 and SRB5) which also implies that the UE is configured to send the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indication to a certain network node, or network nodes, since SRB4 can only be associated with the MN (or the only gNB in single connectivity mode) while SRB5 can only be associated with the SN).

[0141] In the current 3GPP standard specifications, in particular 3GPP TS 38.331 version 18.0.0 (the RRC specification), means are specified for a network node to configure the UE to send QoE reports on SRB4 or SRB5, and also (independently) means for a network node to configure the UE to send RVQoE reports on SRB4 or SRB5. With the current standard specifications, the UE sends QoE measurement session status indications on the same SRB as the RVQoE reports.

[0142] These mechanisms could be extended with a similar means by which a network node can configure the UE to send QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications on a certain SRB, e.g. SRB4 or SRB5. Optionally, this additional configuration means could include the possibility to configure the UE to send QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications on both SRB4 and SRB5.

[0143] In version 18.0.0 of 3GPP TS 38.331, the above-mentioned configuration means for configuring the UE to send QoE reports on a certain SRB and to send RVQoE reports on a certain SRB are specified as ENUMERATED ASN.1 type parameters:

[0144] reportingSRB-r18 ENUMERATED {srb4, srb5, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, and ran-VisibleReportingSRB-r18 ENUMERATED {srb4, srb5, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL.

[0145] The additional configuration means for configuring the SRB on which to send QoE measurement session status indications could have a similar format, e.g.: sessionStatusReportingSRB-vxy ENUMERATED {srb4, srb5, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, or sessionStatusReportingSRB-vxy ENUMERATED {srb4, srb5, srb4AndSrb5, spare1} OPTIONAL. Technical Specifications Impact

[0146] An example implementation of a solution in 3GPP TS 38.423 version 18.0.0 is shown here, and the new parts are written in bold underlined font and highlighted: 9.2.3.157 UE application layer Measurement Configuration Information This IE defines the information about the QoE Measurement Collection (QMC) configuration. IE / Group Name Presence Range IE type and Semantics Criticality Assigned reference description CriticalityIE / Group Name Presence Range IE type and Semantics Criticality Assigned reference description Criticality QoE Reference M OCTET QoE Reference, – STRING as defined in (SIZE(6)) clause 5.2 of TS 28.405

[0055] . It consists of MCC+MNC+QM C ID, where the MCC and MNC are coming with the QMC activation request from the management system to identify one PLMN containing the management system, and QMC ID is a 3 bytes Octet String. Measurement O INTEGER This IE indicates – Configuration UE (0..15, ...) the identity of application layer ID the UE application layer measurement configuration, and corresponds to information provided in the MeasConfigApp LayerId IE as defined in TS 38.331

[0010] . Service Type M ENUMERATE This IE indicates – D the service type (QMC for of QoE DASH measurements. streaming, QMC for MTSI, QMC for VR, ...) QoE Measurement O ENUMERATE Indicates – Status D whether the QoE (ongoing, ...) measurement has started. Container for UE O OCTET Contains the – application layer STRING signalling based Measurement (SIZE(1..8000) QoE Configuration ) measurement configuration, see Annex L in TS 26.247

[0047] , clause 16.5 in TS 26.114

[0053] and clause 9 inIE / Group Name Presence Range IE type and Semantics Criticality Assigned reference description Criticality TS 26.118

[0054] . CHOICE MDT O Indicates the – Alignment MDT Information measurements with which alignment is required. >S-based MDT – >>NG-RAN Trace M 9.2.3.97 Indicates the – ID signalling-based MDT measurements with which alignment is required. Measurement O Transport The IP address – Collection Entity IP Layer Address of the entity Address 9.2.3.29 receiving the QoE measurement report. CHOICE Area O – Scope of QMC >Cell based – >>Cell ID List for 1.. – QMC <maxno ofCellIDf orQMC> >>>Global NG- M 9.2.2.27 The included – RAN Cell NG-RAN Cell Identity Identity IE can only indicate the NR Cell Identity. >TA based – >>TA List for 1.. – QMC <maxno ofTAfor QMC> >>>TAC M 9.2.2.5 The TAI is – derived using the current serving PLMN. >TAI based – >>TAI List for 1.. – QMC <maxno ofTAfor QMC> >>>PLMN M 9.2.2.4 – Identity >>>TAC M 9.2.2.5 – >PLMN based – >>PLMN List for 1.. – QMC <maxno ofPLMNf orQMC> >>>PLMN M 9.2.2.4 –IE / Group Name Presence Range IE type and Semantics Criticality Assigned reference description Criticality Identity S-NSSAI List O 0..1 – >S-NSSAI Item 1.. – <maxno ofSNSS AIforQM C> >>S-NSSAI M S-NSSAI – 9.2.3.21 Available RAN O 9.2.3.158 Present in case – Visible QoE Metrics of signalling- based QoE. MBS O ENUMERATE This IE indicates YES ignore Communication D for which type of Service Type (multicast, MBS broadcast, …) communication service the QoE measurement configuration pertains to. Assistance O INTEGER This IE indicates YES ignore Information for QoE (1..16, …) the suggested Measurement priority of the UE application layer measurement configuration. Values are ordered in decreasing order of priority, i.e., with 1 as the highest priority and 16 as the lowest priority. QoE and RVQoE O 9.2.3.20 This IE indicates YES ignore Reporting Paths 0 the SRBs currently used for QoE and RVQoE reporting. >>Session Status O ENUMERATE This IE YES ignore Notification D (true, false, indicates Configured …) whether the NG-RAN node is configured to send QoE measurement session status indications. Range bound Explanation maxnoofCellIDforQMC Maximum no. of Cell IDs comprising the QMC scope. Value is 32. maxnoofTAforQMC Maximum no. of TA comprising the QMC scope. Value is 8. maxnoofPLMNforQMC Maximum no. of PLMNs in the PLMN list for QMC scope. Value is 16. maxnoofSNSSAIforQMC Maximum no. of S-NSSAIs comprising the QMC scope. Value is 16.9.2.3.197 QMC Coordination Request This IE contains the information that the S-NG-RAN node needs to provide to the M-NG-RAN node, or the information that the M-NG-RAN node needs to provide to the S-NG-RAN node, for managing configuration and reporting of one or more QoE and / or RAN visible QoE measurements. IE / Group Name Presence Range IE type and Semantics description reference MN to SN QMC 0..1 Coordination Request List >MN to SN QMC 1..<maxnoofUE Coordination Request AppLayerMeas> Item >>QoE Reference M OCTET STRING QoE Reference, as defined (SIZE(6)) in clause 5.2 of TS 28.405

[0055] . It consists of MCC+MNC+QMC ID, where the MCC and MNC are coming with the QMC activation request from the management system to identify one PLMN containing the management system, and QMC ID is a 3 bytes Octet String. >>Measurement O INTEGER Configuration UE (0..15, ...) application layer ID >>Measurement O Transport Layer The IP address of the entity Collection Entity IP Address receiving the QoE Address 9.2.3.29 measurement report. >>QoE Reporting O ENUMERATED This IE indicates the Path Request (srb4, srb5, …) preferred SRB for receiving the QoE reports. >>RAN Visible QoE O ENUMERATED This IE indicates the Reporting Path (srb4, srb5, …) preferred SRB for receiving Request the RAN Visible QoE reports. >>Further RAN Visible O ENUMERATED This IE is used to request QoE Interest Inquiry (true, ...) from the S-NG-RAN node to indicate whether it is interested in receiving further RVQoE reports. >>Further RAN Visible O ENUMERATED This IE indicates the QoE Reporting Path (true, ...) preferred SRB for receiving further RAN Visible QoE reports. >>Current RAN O RAN Visible QoE This IE is to indicate the Visible QoE Configuration current RAN Visible QoE Configuration 9.2.3.201 configuration and inquire about the RAN Visible QoE Configuration preference ofIE / Group Name Presence Range IE type and Semantics description reference the S-NG-RAN node. >>QoE Session O ENUMERATED This IE indicates the Status (started, ended, status of the QoE …) measurement session. SN to MN QMC 0..1 Coordination Request List >SN to MN QMC 1..<maxnoofUE Coordination Request AppLayerMeas> Item >>QoE Reference M OCTET STRING QoE Reference, as defined (SIZE(6)) in clause 5.2 of TS 28.405

[0055] . It consists of MCC+MNC+QMC ID, where the MCC and MNC are coming with the QMC activation request from the management system to identify one PLMN containing the management system, and QMC ID is a 3 bytes Octet String. >>Measurement O Transport Layer The IP address of the entity Collection Entity IP Address receiving the QoE Address 9.2.3.29 measurement report. >>QoE Reporting O ENUMERATED This IE indicates the Path Request (srb4, srb5, ...) preferred SRB for receiving the QoE reports. >>RAN Visible QoE O ENUMERATED This IE indicates the Reporting Path (srb4, srb5, ...) preferred SRB for receiving Request the RAN Visible QoE reports. >>Further RAN Visible O ENUMERATED This IE is used to request QoE Interest Inquiry (true, ...) from the M-NG-RAN node to indicate whether it is interested in receiving further RVQoE reports. >>Further RAN Visible O ENUMERATED This IE is used to request QoE Reporting Path (true, ...) from the M-NG-RAN node Inquiry the preferred SRB for receiving further RAN Visible QoE reports. >>Current RAN O RAN Visible QoE This IE is to indicate the Visible QoE Configuration current RAN Visible QoE Configuration 9.2.3.201 configuration and inquire about the RAN Visible QoE Configuration preference of the M-NG-RAN node. >>Configuration O ENUMERATED This IE indicates that the Release Indication (true, ...) configuration has been released by the SN. >>QoE Session O ENUMERATED This IE indicates the Status (started, ended, status of the QoE …) measurement session.Range bound Explanation maxnoofUEAppLayerMeas Maximum no. of simultaneous QoE measurement configurations at a UE. In this version of the specification, the value is 16. 9.2.3.198 QMC Coordination Response This IE contains the information that the M-NG-RAN node needs to provide to the S-NG-RAN node, or the information that the S-NG-RAN node needs to provide to the S-NG-RAN node in response to the QMC Coordination Request. IE / Group Name Presence Range IE type and Semantics description reference MN to SN QMC 0..1 Coordination Response List >MN to SN QMC 1..<maxnoofU Coordination Response EAppLayerMe Item as> >>QoE Reference M OCTET STRING QoE Reference, as (SIZE(6)) defined in clause 5.2 of TS 28.405

[0055] . It consists of MCC+MNC+QMC ID, where the MCC and MNC are coming with the QMC activation request from the management system to identify one PLMN containing the management system, and QMC ID is a 3 bytes Octet String. >>Measurement O INTEGER Configuration UE (0..15, ...) application layer ID >>QoE Configuration O ENUMERATED Sending Path (mn, sn, …) >>QoE Reporting Path O ENUMERATED Response (accepted, rejected, …) >>RVQoE Reporting O ENUMERATED Path Response (accepted, rejected, …) >>Further RAN Visible O ENUMERATED This IE is to indicate QoE Interest Response (rvqoe reports whether the M-NG-RAN desired, rvqoe node is interested in reports not receiving further RAN desired, ...) Visible QoE reports. >>Further RAN Visible O ENUMERATED This IE is to indicate the QoE Reporting Path (srb4, srb5, ...) preferred path for further RAN Visible QoE reporting. >>Preferred RAN Visible O RAN Visible QoE The RAN Visible QoE QoE Configuration Configuration Configuration preferenceIE / Group Name Presence Range IE type and Semantics description reference 9.2.3.201 of the M-NG-RAN node. >>QoE Session Status O ENUMERATED This IE indicates the (started, ended, …) status of the QoE measurement session. SN to MN QMC 0..1 Coordination Response List >SN to MN QMC 1..<maxnoofU Coordination Response EAppLayerMe Item as> >>QoE Reference M OCTET STRING QoE Reference, as (SIZE(6)) defined in clause 5.2 of TS 28.405

[0055] . It consists of MCC+MNC+QMC ID, where the MCC and MNC are coming with the QMC activation request from the management system to identify one PLMN containing the management system, and QMC ID is a 3 bytes Octet String. >>QoE Reporting Path O ENUMERATED Response (accepted, rejected, …) >>RVQoE Reporting O ENUMERATED Path Response (accepted, rejected, …) >>Further RAN Visible O ENUMERATED This IE is to indicate QoE Interest Response (interested, not- whether the S-NG-RAN interested, ...) node is interested in receiving further RAN Visible QoE reports. >>Further RAN Visible O ENUMERATED This IE is to indicate the QoE Reporting Path (srb4, srb5, ...) preferred path for further RAN Visible QoE reportring. >>Preferred RAN Visible O RAN Visible QoE The RAN Visible QoE QoE Configuration Configuration Configuration preference 9.2.3.201 of the S-NG-RAN node. >>QoE Session Status O ENUMERATED This IE indicates the (started, ended, …) status of the QoE measurement session. Range bound Explanation maxnoofUEAppLayerMeas Maximum no. of simultaneous QoE measurement configurations at a UE. In this version of the specification, the value is 16. 9.2.3.199 SN-related QMC Information at MN This IE contains the information that the M-NG-RAN node has about the QoE configurations at the S-NG- RAN node.IE / Group Name Presence Range IE type and Semantics description reference SN-related QMC 1 Information at MN List >SN-related QMC 1..<maxnoofU Information at MN Item EAppLayerMe as> >>QoE Reference M OCTET STRING QoE Reference, as defined in (SIZE(6)) clause 5.2 of TS 28.405

[0055] . It consists of MCC+MNC+QMC ID, where the MCC and MNC are received with the QMC activation request from the management system to identify one PLMN hosting the management system, and QMC ID is a 3-byte Octet String. >>QoE and RVQoE O 9.2.3.200 This IE indicates the SRB(s) Reporting Paths for receiving the QoE and RAN Visible QoE reports. >>Session Status O ENUMERATED This IE indicates whether the Notification (true, false, …) old MN was configured to Configured send QoE measurement session status indications to the SN. Range bound Explanation maxnoofUEAppLayerMeas Maximum no. of simultaneous QoE measurement configurations at a UE. In this version of the specification, the value is 16.

[0147] An example ASN.1 implementation of an embodiment of the UE based solutions based on 3GPP TS 38.331 version 18.0.0 is shown below, and the new parts are written in bold underlined font: AppLayerMeasConfig information element -- ASN1START -- TAG-APPLAYERMEASCONFIG-START AppLayerMeasConfig-r17 ::= SEQUENCE { measConfigAppLayerToAddModList-r17 SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxNrofAppLayerMeas-r17)) OF MeasConfigAppLayer-r17 OPTIONAL, -- Need N measConfigAppLayerToReleaseList-r17 SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxNrofAppLayerMeas-r17)) OF MeasConfigAppLayerId-r17 OPTIONAL, -- Need N rrc-SegAllowedSRB4-r17 ENUMERATED {enabled} OPTIONAL, -- Need R..., [[ rrc-SegAllowedSRB5-r18 ENUMERATED {enabled} OPTIONAL, -- Need R idleInactiveReportAllowed-r18 ENUMERATED {enabled} OPTIONAL -- Need R ]] } MeasConfigAppLayer-r17 ::= SEQUENCE { measConfigAppLayerId-r17 MeasConfigAppLayerId-r17, measConfigAppLayerContainer-r17 OCTET STRING (SIZE (1..8000)) OPTIONAL, -- Need N serviceType-r17 ENUMERATED {streaming, mtsi, vr, spare5, spare4, spare3, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, -- Need M pauseReporting-r17 BOOLEAN OPTIONAL, -- Need M transmissionOfSessionStartStop-r17 BOOLEAN OPTIONAL, -- Need M ran-VisibleParameters-r17 SetupRelease {RAN- VisibleParameters-r17} OPTIONAL, -- Cond ServiceType ..., [[ reportingSRB-r18 ENUMERATED {srb4, srb5, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL, -- Need M appLayerMeasPriority-r18 INTEGER (1..16) OPTIONAL, -- Need M appLayerIdleInactiveConfig-r18 AppLayerIdleInactiveConfig-r18 OPTIONAL -- Need M ]] } RAN-VisibleParameters-r17 ::= SEQUENCE { ran-VisiblePeriodicity-r17 ENUMERATED {ms120, ms240, ms480, ms640, ms1024} OPTIONAL, -- Need S numberOfBufferLevelEntries-r17 INTEGER (1..8) OPTIONAL, -- Need R reportPlayoutDelayForMediaStartup-r17 BOOLEAN OPTIONAL, -- Need M ..., [[ ran-VisibleReportingSRB-r18 ENUMERATED {srb4, srb5, spare2, spare1} OPTIONAL -- Need M ]], [[ sessionStatusReportingSRB-vxy ENUMERATED {srb4, srb5, spare2,-- ASN1STOPAppLayerMeasConfig field descriptions appLayerMeasPriority The field indicates the priority of the UE application layer measurement configuration, where a higher value indicates lower priority. If the field is not configured, the UE application layer measurement configuration has the lowest priority. idleInactiveReportAllowed The field indicates whether transmission of UE application layer measurement reports collected in RRC_IDLE and / or RRC_INACTIVE is allowed and if transmission of UE application layer measurement configurations applicable to RRC_IDLE and / or RRC_INACTIVE is allowed. If fhe field is not configured, transmission of UE application layer measurement reports and / or configurations for RRC_IDLE / RRC_INACTIVE are not allowed. measConfigAppLayerContainer The field contains configuration of UE application layer measurements, see Annex L (normative) in TS 26.247

[0068] , clause 16.5 in TS 26.114

[0069] and TS 26.118

[0070] . measConfigAppLayerId The field contains the identity of the UE application layer measurements. When UE application layer measurements are configured for an SCG, the measConfigAppLayerId is obtained according to TS 38.423

[0037] , clauses 8.3.1 and 8.3.3. pauseReporting The field indicates whether the transmission of measReportAppLayerContainer is paused or not. Value true indicates the transmission of measReportAppLayerContainer is paused; value false indicates the transmission of measReportAppLayerContainer is not paused. ran-VisibleParameters The field indicates whether RAN visible UE application layer measurements shall be reported or not. ran-VisibleReportingSRB The field indicates the SRB to be used for transmission of RAN visible UE application layer measurement reports. reportingSRB The field indicates the SRB to be used for transmission of encapsulated UE application layer measurement reports. If UE application layer measurement reports are received and the configured SRB is not available, the UE stores the reports until the SRB is available or the QoE configuration is released. rrc-SegAllowedSRB4 This field indicates that RRC segmentation of MeasurementReportAppLayer is enabled on SRB4. It may be present only if the UE supports RRC segmentation of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message. rrc-SegAllowedSRB5 This field indicates that RRC segmentation of MeasurementReportAppLayer is enabled on SRB5. The field is configured for an SCG. It may be present only if the UE supports RRC segmentation of the MeasurementReportAppLayer message. sessionStatusReportingSRB This field indicates the SRB to be used for transmission of QoE measurement session status indications. serviceType Indicates the type of UE application layer measurement. Value streaming indicates Quality of Experience Measurement Collection for streaming services (see TS 26.247

[0068] ), value mtsi indicates Quality of Experience Measurement Collection for MTSI (see TS 26.114

[0069] ) and value vr indicates Quality of Experience Measurement Collection for VR service (see TS 26.118

[0070] ). The network always configures serviceType when UE application layer measurements are initially configured and at fullConfig. transmissionOfSessionStartStop Value true indicates that the UE shall transmit indications when the measurement session in the UE application layer starts and stops. Value false indicates that the UE shall not transmit any QoE measurement session status indications. The UE transmits a session start indication upon configuration of this field set to value true if a session already has started in the UE application layer.

[0148] In the above ASN.1 implementation example, an optional alternative could be to give the sessionStatusReportingSRB-vxy field the ENUMERATED value range {srb4, srb5, srb4AndSrb5, spare1}. Further Description

[0149] Figure 1 illustrates the operation of a first network node 100-1 that serves a UE 102 in dual connectivity, a second network node 100-2 that serves the UE 102 in dual connectivity, and the UE 102, in accordance with some of the embodiments described above. Optional steps are represented by dashed lines / boxes. In some embodiments, the first network node 100-1 is the MN, and the second network node 100-2 is the SN. In some other embodiments, the first network node 100-1 is the SN, and the second network node 100-2 is the MN. However, in either case, in Figure 1 and the following description, the first network node 100-1 is the network node (i.e., MN or SN) that owns the QoE / RVQoE configuration of the UE 102 (e.g., is the network node that is responsible for releasing the QoE / RVQoE configuration). The steps of the procedure of Figure 1 are as follows:

[0150] Step 104 (Optional): As illustrated, the first network node 100-1 sends a QoE / RVQoE configuration to the UE 102 that configures the UE 102 to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements for a session.

[0151] Step 106 (Optional): The first network node 100-2 sends, to the UE 102, information that configures the UE 102 to report the configured QoE / RVQoE measurements to the second network node 100-2 and to send QoE measurement session status indications for the session to the second network node 100-2. This information may be included in the QoE / RVQoE configuration of step 104 or may be completely or partially separate from the QoE / RVQoE configuration of step 104 (e.g., the QoE / RVQoE configuration may indicate that the UE 102 is to report the measurements to the second network node 102, but the indication to send the QoE measurement session status indications to the second network node 102 may be included in the QoE / RVQoE configuration or separate from the QoE / RVQoE configuration).

[0152] Step 108: The UE 102 performs QoE / RVQoE measurements in accordance with the QoE / RVQoE configuration (of step 104 or received from a successor in the role of the first network node 100-1).

[0153] Step 110: The UE 102 reports the QoE / RVQoE measurements and QoE measurement session status indications for the session to the second network node 100-2 (e.g., in accordance with the information received in step 106).

[0154] Step 112: The second network node 100-2 sends, and the first network node 100-1 receives, the QoE measurement session status indications for the session for which the UE 102 is configured to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements.

[0155] Step 114: The first network node 100-1 performs one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE measurement session status indications. For example, as discussed above, the first network node 100-1 may determine when to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration based on the QoE measurement session status indications received from the second network node 100-2. As another example, as discussed above, the first network node 100-1 may determine operations (e.g., start / stop) executed for collecting radio measurements (e.g., MDT measurements) to be aligned or correlated with the QoE / RVQoE measurements, based on the QoE measurement session status indications received from the second network node 100-2.

[0156] Further details regarding each of the steps of Figure 1 can be found above, e.g., in Sections 2.1 to 2.4 and those details are equally applicable here to Figure 1.

[0157] Figure 2 illustrates the operation of a first network node 200-1 that serves a UE 202 in dual connectivity, a second network node 200-2 that serves the UE 202 in dual connectivity, and the UE 202, in accordance with some other embodiments described above (e.g., the embodiments described above in Section 2.5). Optional steps are represented by dashed lines / boxes. In some embodiments, the first network node 200-1 is the MN, and the second network node 200-2 is the SN. In some other embodiments, the first network node 200-1 is the SN, and the second network node 200-2 is the MN. However, in either case, in Figure 2 and the following description, the first network node200-1 is the network node (i.e., MN or SN) that owns the QoE / RVQoE configuration of the UE 202 (e.g., is the network node that is responsible for releasing the QoE / RVQoE configuration). The steps of the procedure of Figure 1 are as follows:

[0158] Step 204: As illustrated, the first network node 200-1 sends a QoE / RVQoE configuration to the UE 202 that configures the UE 202 to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements for a session.

[0159] Step 206: The first network node 200-2 sends, to the UE 202, first information that configures the UE 202 to report the configured QoE / RVQoE measurements to the second network node 200-2. The first information may be included in the QoE / RVQoE configuration of step 204 or may be separate from the QoE / RVQoE configuration of step 204.

[0160] Step 208: The first network node 200-2 sends, to the UE 202, second information that configures the UE 202 to either: ^ report QoE measurement session status indications for the session (i.e., the session for which the UE 202 is configured to perform and report QoE / RVQoE measurements) to the first network node 200-1 and the second network node 200-2; ^ report the QoE measurement session status indications for the session only to the second network node 200-2; or ^ report the QoE measurement session status indications for the session to the second network node 200-2 and to indicate to the second network node 200-2 that the second network node 200-2 is to forward the QoE measurement session status indications to the first network node 200-1.

[0161] The second information may be included in the QoE / RVQoE configuration of step 204 or may be separate from the QoE / RVQoE configuration of step 204. Further details about step 208 or the second information can be found above in Section 2.5.

[0162] Step 210 (Optional): The UE 202 performs QoE / RVQoE measurements in accordance with the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

[0163] Step 212 (Optional): The UE 102 reports the QoE / RVQoE measurements to the second network node 100-2 in accordance with the first information received.

[0164] Step 214 (Optional): The UE 102 sends QoE measurement session status indications for the session in accordance with the second information received in step 208. This may also including sending an indication (as part of the QoE measurement session status indications or separate from the QoE measurement session status indications) that indicates that the second network node 200-2 is to forward the QoE measurement session status indications to the first network node 200-1, if the second information configures the UE 202 to do so.

[0165] Step 216 (Optional): The first network node 200-1 receives the QoE measurement session status indications either from the UE 202 or the second network node 200-2 and performs one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE measurement session status indications. For example, as discussed above, the first network node 200-1 may determine when to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration based on the QoE measurement session status indications received from the second network node 200-2. As another example, as discussed above, the first network node 200-1 may determine operations (e.g., start / stop) executed for collecting radio measurements (e.g., MDT measurements) to be aligned or correlated with the QoE / RVQoE measurements, based on the QoE measurement session status indications received from the second network node 200-2.

[0166] Further details regarding each of the steps of Figure 2 can be found above, and those details are equally applicable here to Figure 2.

[0167] Figure 3 shows an example of a communication system 300 in in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0168] In the example, the communication system 300 includes a telecommunication network 302 that includes an access network 304, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 306, which includes one or more core network nodes 308. The access network 304 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 310A and310B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 310), or any other similar Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP Access Points (APs). 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 302 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 302 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 302, including one or more network nodes 310 and / or core network nodes 308.

[0169] Examples of an ORAN network node include an Open Radio Unit (O-RU), an Open Distributed Unit (O-DU), an Open Central Unit (O-CU), including an O-CU Control Plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU User Plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near- real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1, F1, W1, E1, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O- RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 310 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 312A, 312B,312C, and 312D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 312) to the core network 306 over one or more wireless connections.

[0170] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 300 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 300 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0171] The UEs 312 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 310 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 310 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 312 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 302 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 302.

[0172] In the depicted example, the core network 306 connects the network nodes 310 to one or more hosts, such as host 316. 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 306 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 308) 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 308. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC),Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-Concealing Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0173] The host 316 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 304 and / or the telecommunication network 302, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 316 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0174] As a whole, the communication system 300 of Figure 3 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 300 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., Sixth Generation (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.

[0175] In some examples, the telecommunication network 302 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 302 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to differentdevices that are connected to the telecommunication network 302. For example, the telecommunication network 302 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 Internet of Things (IoT) services to yet further UEs.

[0176] In some examples, the UEs 312 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 304 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 304. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi- Radio Access Technology (RAT) or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e. being configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E- UTRAN) NR - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0177] In the example, a hub 314 communicates with the access network 304 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 312C and / or 312D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 310B). In some examples, the hub 314 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 314 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 306 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 314 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 310, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 314. As another example, the hub 314 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 314 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 314 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 314 then provides to the UE either directly, afterperforming local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 314 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy IoT devices.

[0178] The hub 314 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 310B. The hub 314 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 314 and UEs (e.g., UE 312C and / or 312D), and between the hub 314 and the core network 306. In other examples, the hub 314 is connected to the core network 306 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 314 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 304 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 310 while still connected via the hub 314 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 314 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 310B. In other embodiments, the hub 314 may be a non-dedicated hub – that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and the network node 310B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0179] Figure 4 shows a UE 400 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 Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable wireless device 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 3GPP, including a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0180] 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).

[0181] The UE 400 includes processing circuitry 402 that is operatively coupled via a bus 404 to an input / output interface 406, a power source 408, memory 410, a communication interface 412, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 4. 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.

[0182] The processing circuitry 402 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 410. The processing circuitry 402 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 402 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0183] In the example, the input / output interface 406 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or outputdevices. 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 400. 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.

[0184] In some embodiments, the power source 408 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 408 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 408 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 400 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 408. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 408 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 400 to which power is supplied.

[0185] The memory 410 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 410 includes one or more application programs 414, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 416. The memory 410 may store, for use by the UE 400, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0186] The memory 410 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 RAM (SDRAM), external micro- DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a tamper resistant module in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a Universal SIM (USIM) and / or Internet Protocol Multimedia Services Identity Module (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 a ‘SIM card.’ The memory 410 may allow the UE 400 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 410, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0187] The processing circuitry 402 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 412. The communication interface 412 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 422. The communication interface 412 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 418 and / or a receiver 420 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 418 and receiver 420 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 422) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0188] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 412 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, NFC, 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 according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Quick User Datagram Protocol Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0189] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 412, 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).

[0190] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0191] A UE, when in the form of an IoT 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 ofsuch an IoT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a television, 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 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 IoT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the IoT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 400 shown in Figure 4.

[0192] As yet another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship, an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0193] 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 UEmight comprise the sensor and the actuator and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0194] Figure 5 shows a network node 500 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, APs (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR Node Bs (gNBs)), and O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0195] 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 RRUs 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).

[0196] 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 BS Controllers (BSCs), Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, Multi- Cell / Multicast Coordination Entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0197] The network node 500 includes processing circuitry 502, memory 504, a communication interface 506, and a power source 508. The network node 500 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an 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 500 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 500 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 504 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 510 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 500 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 500, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (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 the network node 500.

[0198] The processing circuitry 502 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, 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 500 components, such as the memory 504, to provide network node 500 functionality.

[0199] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 502 includes a System on a Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 502 includes one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 512 and baseband processing circuitry 514. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 512 and the baseband processing circuitry 514 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 the RF transceiver circuitry 512 and thebaseband processing circuitry 514 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0200] The memory 504 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, RAM, 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 502. The memory 504 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 502 and utilized by the network node 500. The memory 504 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 502 and / or any data received via the communication interface 506. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 502 and the memory 504 are integrated.

[0201] The communication interface 506 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 506 comprises port(s) / wireless device(s) 516 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 506 also includes radio front-end circuitry 518 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 510. The radio front-end circuitry 518 comprises filters 520 and amplifiers 522. The radio front-end circuitry 518 may be connected to the antenna 510 and the processing circuitry 502. The radio front-end circuitry 518 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 510 and the processing circuitry 502. The radio front-end circuitry 518 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 518 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 520and / or the amplifiers 522. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 510. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 510 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 518. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 502. In other embodiments, the communication interface 506 may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0202] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 500 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 518; instead, the processing circuitry 502 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 510. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 512 is part of the communication interface 506. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 506 includes the one or more ports or wireless devices 516, the radio front-end circuitry 518, and the RF transceiver circuitry 512 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 506 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 514, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0203] The antenna 510 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 510 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 518 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 510 is separate from the network node 500 and connectable to the network node 500 through an interface or port.

[0204] The antenna 510, the communication interface 506, and / or the processing circuitry 502 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 500. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 510, the communication interface 506, and / or the processing circuitry 502 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node 500. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0205] The power source 508 provides power to the various components of the network node 500 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 508 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 500 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 500 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid or an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 508. As a further example, the power source 508 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.

[0206] Embodiments of the network node 500 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 5 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 500 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 500 and to allow output of information from the network node 500. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 500.

[0207] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 600 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 600 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a networknode, 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 600 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.

[0208] Applications 602 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 600 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0209] Hardware 604 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 606 (also referred to as hypervisors or VM Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 608A and 608B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 608), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 606 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 608.

[0210] The VMs 608 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 606. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 602 may be implemented on one or more of the VMs 608, 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.

[0211] In the context of NFV, a VM 608 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 608, and that part of the hardware 604 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs 608, 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 608 on top of the hardware 604 and corresponds to the application 602.

[0212] The hardware 604 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 604 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 604 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 610, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 602. In some embodiments, the hardware 604 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 RAN or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 712 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0213] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtainedinformation 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.

[0214] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored 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 hardwired 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.

[0215] While processes in the figures may show a particular order of operations performed by certain embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that such order is representative, and that alternative embodiments may perform the operations in a different order, combine certain operations, overlap certain operations, etc.

[0216] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

Claims

Claims What is claimed is:

1. A method performed by a User Equipment. UE, in dual connectivity, the method comprising any one or more of the following: receiving (204), from a first network node that serves the UE for dual connectivity, a Quality of Experience, QoE, and / or Radio Access Network Visible QoE, RVQoE, QoE / RVQoE, configuration that configures the UE to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements for a session of an application; receiving (206), from the first network node, first information that configures the UE to report QoE / RVQoE measurement results to a second network node serving the UE in dual connectivity; and receiving (208), from the first network node, second information that configures the UE to perform one of: send QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session to the first network node and the second network node; send the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session only to the second network node; and send the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session to the second network node and to indicate to the second network node that the second network node is to forward the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the first network node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:performing (210) QoE / RVQoE measurements, in accordance with the QoE / RVQoE configuration, to obtain the QoE / RVQoE measurement results; reporting (212) the QoE / RVQoE measurement results in accordance with the first information; and sending (214) QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session in accordance with the second information.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first information is received either as part of the QoE / RVQoE configuration or separate from the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the second information is received either as part of the QoE / RVQoE configuration or separate from the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first information comprises an indication of at least one Signaling Radio Bearer, SRB, to be used for reporting the QoE / RVQoE measurements.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second information comprises an indication of at least one SRB to be used for sending Ithe QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a common indication of at least one SRB comprises both the first information and the second information.

8. A method performed by a first network node serving a User Equipment, UE, in dual connectivity, the UE being configured, via a Quality of Experience, QoE, and / or Radio Access Network Visible QoE, RVQoE (i.e., QoE / RVQoE) configuration, to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements and report QoE / RVQoE measurement results and / or QoE / RVQoE measurement session statusindications for a session of an application to a second network node serving the UE in dual connectivity, the method comprising: receiving (112), from the second network node, QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session; and performing (114) one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE measurement session status indications.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first network node owns the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: sending (104) the QoE / RVQoE configuration to the UE; sending (106), to the UE, information that configures the UE to report the QoE / RVQoE measurement results and QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the second network node.

11. The method of any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the first network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the second network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications from the second network node comprises receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications via any one or more of: an RRC transfer procedure; an SN initiated SN modification procedure; an MN initiated SN modification procedure; an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node change procedure; an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure;an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; an SN addition procedure.

13. The method of any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the second network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the first network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

14. The method of embodiment 13, wherein receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications from the second network node comprises receiving the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications via any one or more of: an MN initiated SN modification procedure; an S-NG-RAN node reconfiguration procedure; an SN initiated SN modification procedure; an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node change procedure; an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; an RRC transfer procedure; an S-NG-RAN node addition preparation procedure; an S-NG-RAN node reconfiguration complete procedure.

15. The method of any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein performing the one or more operational tasks based on the received QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications comprises any one or more of: determining when to release the QoE / RVQoE configuration; and determining operations executed for collecting radio measurements to be aligned or correlated with the QoE / RVQoE measurements;16. The method of any one of claims 8 to 15, wherein each of the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications is any one of the following: an indication of QoE measurement session status, indicating that the QoE measurement session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; an indication of QoE measurement session status, indicating that an associated application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; an indication of RVQoE measurement session status, indicating that the RVQoE measurement session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; an indication of RVQoE measurement session status, indicating that an associated application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; or an indication of application session status, indicating that the application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended.

17. A first network node comprising: processing circuitry; and a memory storing non-transitory machine-readable instructions that, when executed on the processing circuitry, cause the first network node to perform the method of any of claims 8 to 16.

18. A method performed by a second network node serving a User Equipment, UE, in dual connectivity, the method comprising: receiving (110), from the UE, Quality of Experience, QoE, and / or Radio Access Network Visible QoE, RVQoE, QoE / RVQoE, measurements for a session of an application and QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session; and sending (112), to a first network node serving the UE in dual connectivity, the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first network node owns the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein the first network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the second network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein sending the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the first network node comprises sending the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications via any one or more of: an RRC transfer procedure; an SN initiated SN modification procedure; an MN initiated SN modification procedure; an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node change procedure; an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; an SN addition procedure.

22. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein the second network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the first network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein sending the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the first network node comprises sending the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications via any one or more of: an MN initiated SN modification procedure; an S-NG-RAN node reconfiguration procedure; an SN initiated SN modification procedure; an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node change procedure; an M-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; an S-NG-RAN node initiated S-NG-RAN node release procedure; an RRC transfer procedure; an S-NG-RAN node addition preparation procedure; an S-NG-RAN node reconfiguration complete procedure.

24. The method of any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein each of the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications is any one of the following: an indication of QoE measurement session status, indicating that the QoE measurement session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; an indication of QoE measurement session status, indicating that an associated application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended;an indication of RVQoE measurement session status, indicating that the RVQoE measurement session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; an indication of RVQoE measurement session status, indicating that an associated application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended; or an indication of application session status, indicating that the application session has not started, or has started, or is ongoing, or has ended, or is paused, or is resumed, or is not ongoing, or has stopped, or is suspended.

25. A second network node comprising: processing circuitry; and a memory storing non-transitory machine-readable instructions that, when executed on the processing circuitry, cause the first network node to perform the method of any of claims 18 to 24.

26. A method performed by a first network node serving a User Equipment, UE, in dual connectivity, the method comprising: sending (204) a Quality of Experience, QoE, or Radio Access Network, RAN, Visible QoE, RVQoE, QoE / RVQoE, configuration to the UE that configures the UE to perform QoE / RVQoE measurements for a session of an application; sending (206), to the UE, first information that configures the UE to report QoE / RVQoE measurement results to a second network node serving the UE in dual connectivity; andsending (208), to the UE, second information that configures to the UE perform any one of: reporting QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session to the first network node and the second network node; reporting the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session only to the second network node; and reporting the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications for the session to the second network node and to indicate to the second network node that the second network node is to forward the QoE / RVQoE measurement session status indications to the first network node.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first network node owns the QoE / RVQoE configuration.

28. The method of claim 26 or 27, wherein the first network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the second network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

29. The method of claim 26 or 27, wherein the second network node is a Master Node, MN, for dual connectivity of the UE, and the first network node is a Secondary Node, SN, for dual connectivity of the UE.

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