Methods and apparatus for implementing energy savings aware service feature enablement

Abstract

A policy control function (PCF) entity is configured to receive a first message that comprises quality of service (QoS) parameters for an application function (AF) session and energy savings profile information. The PCF is configured to send a second message that is a request for energy consumption data. The PCF is configured to receive a third message that comprises the requested energy consumption data. The PCF is configured to determine energy savings policy information for the AF session based on the energy consumption data and energy savings profile. The PCF is configured to send a fourth message that comprises the energy savings policy information regarding adjusted or deactivated features for energy savings for the AF session and to send a fifth message, to update a session management function (SMF), that comprises the energy savings policy information regarding adjusted or deactivated features for energy savings for the AF session.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR IMPLEMENTING ENERGY SAVINGS AWARE SERVICE FEATURE ENABLEMENTCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 553,991 , filed February 15, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND

[0002] Energy efficiency and savings in wireless networks such as 5G networks is important. Currently there is a need to provide a means to perform energy related policy control and enforcement taking into account energy consuming aspects of different features that may be used a part of a network service.SUMMARY

[0003] A method for use by a policy control function (PCF), for setting up an application function (AF) session with energy savings, comprises receiving a first message that comprises quality of service (QoS) parameters for an AF session and energy savings profile information. The method further comprises sending a second message that is a request for energy consumption data. The method further comprises receiving a third message that comprises the requested energy consumption data. The method further comprises determining energy savings policy information for the AF session based on the energy consumption data and energy savings profile. The method further comprises sending a fourth message that comprises the energy savings policy information regarding adjusted or deactivated features for energy savings for the AF session. The method further comprises sending a fifth message, to update a session management function (SMF), that comprises the energy savings policy information regarding adjusted or deactivated features for energy savings for the AF session. The energy savings profile information comprises at least one of: an indication of a desired energy savings or energy consumption; at least one feature subject to energy savings control; or an indication of other network energy savings allowed. The at least one feature comprises at least one of: a user plane (UP) security policy, reflective QoS, access traffic steering, switching, splitting (ATSSS), or an always-on protocol data unit (PDU) session. Each of the at least one feature is associated with a priority. The first message is a request to reserve resources for the AF session. The first message comprises feature prioritization information associated with the AF session. The first message is received from a network exposure function (NEF). The second message is sent to an energy efficiency control function (EECF), an network data analytics function (NWDAF), or an energy information function (EIF). The second message comprises an application identification, the QoS parameters, and at least one feature subject to energy savings control. The fourth message further comprises projected energy savings information.

[0004] A policy control function (PCF) entity, configured to set up an application function (AF) session with energy savings, comprises a receiver, a processor, and a transmitter. The receiver is configured to receive afirst message that comprises quality of service (QoS) parameters for an AF session and energy savings profile information. The transmitter is configured to send a second message that is a request for energy consumption data. The receiver is further configured to receive a third message that comprises the requested energy consumption data. The processor is configured to determine energy savings policy information for the AF session based on the energy consumption data and energy savings profile. The transmitter is further configured to send a fourth message that comprises the energy savings policy information regarding adjusted or deactivated features for energy savings for the AF session. The transmitter is further configured to send a fifth message, to update a session management function (SMF), that comprises the energy savings policy information regarding adjusted or deactivated features for energy savings for the AF session. The energy savings profile information comprises at least one of: an indication of a desired energy savings or energy consumption; at least one feature subject to energy savings control; or an indication of other network energy savings allowed. The at least one feature comprises at least one of: a user plane (UP) security policy, reflective QoS, access traffic steering, switching, splitting (ATSSS), or an always-on protocol data unit (PDU) session. Each of the at least one feature is associated with a priority. The first message is a request to reserve resources for the AF session. The first message comprises feature prioritization information associated with the AF session. The first message is received from a network exposure function (NEF). The second message is sent to an energy efficiency control function (EECF), an network data analytics function (NWDAF), or an energy information function (EIF). The second message comprises an application identification, the QoS parameters, and at least one feature subject to energy savings control. The fourth message further comprises projected energy savings information.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals in the figures indicate like elements, and wherein:

[0006] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0007] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0008] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0009] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment;

[0010] FIG. 2 shows an example process for setting up an application function (AF) session with required energy savings;

[0011] FIG. 3 shows an example procedure for setting up an AF session with energy savings for use by a policy control function (PCF);

[0012] FIG. 4 show an example procedure for an AF session with energy savings for use by an network exposure function (NEF);

[0013] FIG. 5 show an example procedure for an AF session with energy savings for use by a session management function (SM)F; and

[0014] FIG. 6 show an example procedure for an AF session with energy savings for use by a function such as a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) or an Energy Efficiency Control Function (EECF).DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), singlecarrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word discrete Fourier transform Spread OFDM (ZT-UW-DFT-S- OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (ON) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a station (STA), may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0017] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a NodeB, an eNode B (eNB), a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a next generation NodeB, such as a gNode B (gNB), a new radio (NR) NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0018] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, and the like. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0019] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0020] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed Uplink (UL) Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0021] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0022] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access , which may establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0023] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., an eNB and a gNB).

[0024] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0025] The base station 114b in FIG. 1A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106.

[0026] The RAN 104 may be in communication with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 and / or the CN 106 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0027] The CN 106 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

[0028] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellularbased radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0029] FIG. 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0030] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0031] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0032] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0033] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11 , for example.

[0034] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0035] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li- ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0036] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0037] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibrationdevice, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors. The sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, a humidity sensor and the like.

[0038] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the DL (e.g., for reception)).

[0039] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0040] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0041] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 10, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0042] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) 166. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0043] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gatewayduring an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0044] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0045] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0046] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0047] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1A-1 D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0048] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0049] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to- peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0050] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0051] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0052] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two noncontiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0053] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11 af and 802.11ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11n, and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine- Type Communications (MTC), such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0054] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11 n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of802.11ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to the AP, all available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the available frequency bands remains idle.

[0055] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0056] FIG. 1D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0057] The RAN 104 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0058] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing a varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0059] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non- standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0060] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, DC, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0061] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0062] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for MTC access, and the like. The AMF 182a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0063] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 106 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 106 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing DL data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0064] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering DL packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0065] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local DN 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0066] In view of FIGs. 1A-1 D, and the corresponding description of FIGs. 1A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0067] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0068] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0069] An Application Function (AF) session may be configured with energy savings parameters. A Policy Control Function (PCF) may set up or update an AF session with energy saving parameters from an AF (e.g., using Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS API). The PCF may receive a request message (e.g., Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request) from an AF / NEF (Network Exposure Function) including communication service parameters (e.g., QoS) and energy saving parameters for the session (e.g., including a requested energy savings profile comprising any of: an energy savings preference indication; or a list of features of the communication service that may be adjusted for energy savings).

[0070] The energy saving preference indication may indicate a desired level of energy consumption / saving (e.g., as a threshold in Watt / h), or a service delivery energy saving mode (e.g., maximum saving or “eco mode”, optimal or “balanced”, moderate or “maximize performance”). The list of features (e.g., UP security policy) that may be adjusted or deactivated / activated by the network based on desired energy consumption savings level.

[0071] The PCF may send to a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) a request to retrieve energy consumption analytics by providing, for example, an application identification, QoS parameters and a list of (optional) features part of the service. The PCF may receive energy consumption data from the NWDAF including per feature relative contribution to the energy consumption associated with the service. The PCF may determine a policy for the session using the energy consumption data and a requested session energy savings profile. For example, the PCF may select features to adjust or deactivate for session energy consumption to match the desired energy consumption / saving level.

[0072] The PCF may send a message (e.g., Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create response) informing the AF / NEF whether the request is granted and may include information on the adjusted or de / activated features and projected energy savings for the session. The PCF may update the SMF by sending a message to the SMF with the corresponding policy indicating the feature(s) that are adjusted or de / activated (e.g., indicates UP integrity protection “NOT NEEDED”, QoS reflection is OFF or new QoS reflection timer value).

[0073] Energy efficiency and saving system aspects are considered with key issues related to potential enhancements to network exposure and policy / subscription framework including: network energy related information exposure including key issue related to aspects of the type of information collected and exposed and granularity (e.g., per slice, WTRU, etc.); and energy efficiency and saving as service criteria, which includes key issue related to aspects related to subscription and policy control (e.g., energy related policy provisioning and enforcement, policy granularity).

[0074] The following are examples of 5G features that may be applied to PDU session(s) to enhance the performance, reliability or security of the communication service provided by the network: User Plane (UP) security, reflective QoS, Access Traffic Steering, Switching, Splitting (ATSSS), and Always on PDU Session.

[0075] With respect to User Plane (UP) security policy for UP traffic over a Uu interface, an SMF, based on subscription information and network policy, may determine the UP security (e.g., integrity / confidentiality) policy and may inform a next generation (NG)-RAN node whether UP security is activated on a per PDU sessionduring PDU session establishment. A WTRU may be informed of the security policy / configuration during PDU session establishment by the NG-RAN node using a security activation indication during RRC signaling.

[0076] With respect to reflective QoS, a WTRU may be able to map uplink traffic to QoS flows by using QoS rules derived locally by the WTRU based on the received downlink traffic (i.e., without QoS rules from the SMF). The WTRU may indicate its support for reflective QoS during the PDU session establishment which may apply during the lifetime of the PDU session or revoked using a PDU session modification procedure. Reflective QoS may be applied on a per-packet basis whereby the SMF may instruct the UPF to apply a Reflective QoS Indication (RQI) for every DL packet associated with a Service Data Flow (SDF). The RQI together with a Reflective QoS Timer (RQ Timer) provided to the WTRU by the SMF (or using a default value), may enable the control of whether and when reflective QoS is performed.

[0077] With respect to Access Traffic Steering, Switching, Splitting (ATSSS), this feature may allow a WTRU to combine 3GPP and non-3GPP access for example to enable traffic offloading from an access to another or bandwidth aggregation using both accesses. For that purpose a multi-access (MA) PDU session may be used enabling the steering, switching or splitting of (UL / DL) traffic. Traffic over an MA PDU session may be sent over either accesses or both accesses.

[0078] With respect to an always-on PDU session, the User Plane resources for such PDU session may be activated during an (e.g., every) WTRU state transition from CM-IDLE mode to CM-CONNECTED. Usage of an always-on PDU sessions requires the following handling:. The WTRU may request the activation of User Plane resources for the PDU session even if the WTRU does not have uplink data to send or if the WTRU triggers a service request only for signaling or for a paging response. The UP connection for this type of PDU session should not be deactivated by an SMF even in the presence of inactivity.

[0079] Currently 5GS may apply features for a service using network policies that do not consider energy efficiency as a service criteria.

[0080] In an example, UP integrity protection provides additional security compared to LTE / 4G but with a non negligible cost in terms of extra processing overhead at the WTRUs and RAN nodes. The higher the transmitted data rates, the higher the processing power required and therefore the higher the energy consumption for both the WTRU and the network.

[0081] In another example, reflective QoS requires that a UPF performs packet inspection and for the WTRU to maintain the RQ Timer to determine how long it needs to reflect the DL QoS characteristics for the PDU session in the uplink flow until the RQ Timer expires. This feature may therefore have an impact on energy consumption on both the WTRU and network because of this extra processing which may increase as a function of the RQ Timer duration.

[0082] For ATSSS, the usage of simultaneous traffic over both 3GPP and non-3GPP access adds more energy consumption than usage of a single PDU session. When using MA PDU the energy consumption may vary depending on the access being prioritized. For example, the traffic sent over NG-RAN may be higher (e.g.,from a cell border) than if transmitted using a non-3GPP access. How the traffic is prioritized and offloaded between the different access may therefore also have an influence on the energy consumption of the WTRU and network.

[0083] Usage of always-on PDU session with frequent WTRU state transitions, paging or service request may incur wasteful activation of User Plane resources, if the WTRU has no pending uplink data to be sent. The associated signaling and processing overhead may add a non negligible impact on the network energy consumption.

[0084] Currently the 5GS does not provide mechanisms or procedures to determine or control the energy consumption for a service in relation to the specific feature(s) that it uses (e.g., UP security, QoS Reflection, ATSSS, always-on PDU session). The capability to adapt how or whether the features attached to a given service are used based on energy consumption factors is desirable for operators to offer a flexible and modular approach for energy efficiency and saving as a service criteria.

[0085] The 5GS needs to provide means to perform energy related policy control and enforcement considering energy consuming aspects of the features (e.g., energy intensive) that may be used as part of a network service.

[0086] Procedures are described herein where an AF reserves network resources for a PDU session with energy savings criteria via a PCF. The energy saving criteria applies control at the level of a feature (e.g., UP security, Reflective QoS) that the service may use. The individual feature control allows the network to determine acceptable trade-offs between the service performance / reliability / security and the service energy consumption in accordance with the application requirements and to apply policy control accordingly.

[0087] Figure 2 shows an example of a procedure for setting up an AF session with required energy savings. A PCF may receive from an AF (e.g., directly or via a NEF) a request to setup or create a session with QoS requirements and energy savings requirements (or energy savings preferences or assistance information) indicating an energy consumption level and features that may be subjected to energy savings adjustment and control in a session / service energy savings profile. The PCF may use the service of function, for example, an NWDAF or EECF or Energy Information Function (EIF), to collect energy consumption data. The PCF may interact with a dedicated Energy Efficiency Control Function (EECF) for that purpose. The PCF may use the collected or received energy consumption data and the energy savings profile to determine a policy for the session that complies with the AF energy savings requirements. The PCF may inform the SMF of the session policy including energy savings adjustments or deactivation parameters. The SMF may apply the policy for the service delivery considering the AF energy savings criteria.

[0088] The AF may invoke a Nnef_MultiMemberAFSessionWithQoS request to reserve resources for multiple WTRUs. In that scenario the AF may provide a common energy saving profile for multiple WTRUs. The energy saving profile may indicate total energy savings or energy savings per WTRU.

[0089] Regarding FIG. 2, an AF 201 may send a request message 210 (e.g., Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request) to reserve resources for an AF session with energy savings criteria. The request message may be sent to a NEF 202. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the request message may be sent directly to a PCF 203 from the AF, for example if the AF is a trusted entity. The request message may include QoS parameters (e.g., a QoS parameters set reference or individual parameters such as priority, maximum bitrate, delay). The request message may include energy saving profile information, including an energy savings level and features subject to energy savings control. Examples of energy saving profile information may include for example an indication of a desired level of energy savings or consumption, a list of features subject to energy control and / or an indication of other network energy savings allowed, which are discussed in detail below.

[0090] The NEF 202 may check or determine an authorization for the AF request 215 and may apply policies to verify that feature based energy savings control may be authorized for the AF and the features allowed to be under energy savings control for the AF. If the authorization is rejected or not granted, the NEF may reject the request. The NEF may send a reject message to the AF with a cause code indicating the reason for rejection (e.g., with an indication that the AF is not authorized to set up a session with the requested energy savings criteria, and / or indication whether one or more of the requested energy saving control parameters are allowed for the session). Otherwise the rest of the procedure may continue.

[0091] The NEF 202 may send a message 220 (e.g., Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request) to forward the received parameters to the PCF 203.

[0092] The PCF 203 may send, to the EECF / NWDAF / EIF 204, a request message to retrieve energy consumption analytics information 225 (e.g., Nnwdaf_EnergyConsumptionAnalytics request). The request message may include, for example, an application identification, QoS parameters and list of (optional) features that are part of the service. Aspects of energy consumption data determination are described throughout the present application.

[0093] The PCF 203 may receive a message 230 (e.g., Nnwdaf_EnergyConsumptionAnalytics response) comprising energy consumption data information from the EECF / NWDAF / EIF 204. The message may include information regarding per feature relative contribution to the energy consumption associated with the service / session.

[0094] The PCF 203 may determine an energy savings policy 235 and charging control (PCC) rules and other policy configuration information (e.g., UP security policy, redundant PDU Session) for the session using the energy consumption data and requested session energy savings profile to achieve the desired energy savings level. Accordingly, the PCF may determine the features for which PCC rules and other policy configuration information that need to be established or updated for the adjustment / disablement of the features. The PCF may obtain energy optimization recommendation(s) from the EECF / NWDAF / EIF by providing the energy level and other weighting factors associated with the features. Examples of feature based energysavings policy control and enforcement are described throughout the present application and may include, for example, UP security policy, ATSSS, and reflective QoS.

[0095] The PCF 203 may send a response message 240 to indicate whether the request is granted. The PCF may send the response message 240 (e.g., Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create response) to the NEF and the NEF may send the response message 245 (e.g., Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create response) to the AF. The PCF may send the response message to the AF. The PCF may send the response message to both the NEF and the AF. The response message may include information regarding the adjusted or de / activated features and projected energy savings for the session (e.g., a list of features adjusted and / or deactivated for energy savings).

[0096] The PCF 203 may send an update message 250 (e.g., NpcfJS MPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request) to the SMF 205 with the corresponding policy indicating rules for the feature adjustment / deactivation for energy savings. The SMF may apply the policy with energy savings rules to the PDU session 255. The SMF may send a message 260 (e.g., Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response) to the PCF to indicate success or failure.

[0097] The PCF 203 may send a notification message 265 (e.g., Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Notify) to the NEF and / or AF to indicate whether the establishment of the transmission resources with corresponding energy savings succeeded or failed. The PCF may send the notification message 265 to the NEF and the NEF may forward the notification message 270 (e.g., Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify) to the AF. The PCF may send the notification message to the AF. The PCF may send the notification message to both the NEF and AF.

[0098] In an example, an energy profile for a service / session may include an indication of a desired level of energy savings or consumption. The indication may expressed as, for example: a threshold value in Watt / h or Joule; a service delivery energy saving mode (e.g., maximum saving or “eco mode”, optimal or “balanced”, moderate or “maximize performance”); and / or a percentage of savings compared to a nominal energy consumption for a similar service / session with equivalent QoS and features activated.

[0099] In another example an energy profile for a service / session may include, for example: a list of features subject to energy control that may include but are not limited to, for example: UP security policy; reflective QoS; ATSSS; and / or always-on PDU session.

[0100] Each feature may be assigned a priority value or a weight by the AF. The priority value may indicate that a certain feature is more important or has more priority for the AF than another feature. This priority value may be used by the 5GS, if, for example, two features contribute similarly to the energy consumption. In this case, the PCF may use the priority values to determine which feature to deactivate or adjust in priority (e.g., deactivate / adjust the feature with lower priority in favor of the higher priority feature). For example, an application may favor better UP security above ATSSS capabilities.

[0101] Certain features may be marked or indicated as not subject to energy control. For example, a special priority value may be assigned to indicate that the feature is to be fully used (e.g., full UP security policy required for a sensitive application, always-on for voice applications).

[0102] In another example an energy profile for a service / session may include, for example, an indication of other network energy savings allowed. As some features may not be visible externally to the network, this indication of other network energy savings allowed informs the network that it may optimize energy savings based on other features not explicitly listed above (e.g., for which AF is not aware of or not essential for proper service delivery). The PCF may determine, based on internal policies, to determine the internal features to optimize for energy savings. Whether to apply energy savings control based on internal features may depend on the need to meet the desired level of energy savings or comply with the service delivery mode (e.g., if desired savings cannot be achieved based on the AF provided features).

[0103] For energy consumption data considerations, the NWDAF (or EECF or EIF) may implement a trained model whose input may include the QoS parameters, desired energy level, one or more features and their relative priority that may contribute to the energy consumption. The output may include the recommended feature to optimize in priority, and / or the predicted achievable energy consumption level. The NWDAF may use the relative priority of the features to determine which features needs to be optimized / disabled in priority to achieve an optimal energy saving score.

[0104] The NWDAF may provide different alternative energy consumption outputs for the PCF to select from, to determine based on a PCF configuration.

[0105] Session policy control with energy savings considerations may be performed. The PCF may select features to adjust or deactivate for session energy consumption to match the desired energy consumption / saving level.

[0106] Examples of features adjustments include: UP security policy, ATSSS, and reflective QoS.

[0107] With respect to UP Security policy, the corresponding policy configuration adapted for energy savings requirements may indicate to disable part or all security for a PDU Session. For example, the AF may rely on application layer E2E security and therefore may wish to avoid double encryption processing for User Plane traffic over the air, which may save power both on WTRU and NR-RAN node.

[0108] With respect to ATSSS, the corresponding policy configuration adapted for energy savings requirements may not allow upgrade of a PDU Session to a MA PDU (e.g., for bandwidth aggregation) to prevent excess use of resources / energy. In another example, the policy may allow for offload of traffic from 3GPP access to non-3GPP access.

[0109] With respect to reflective QoS, the PCF may decide to set the RQ Timer based on the desired energy consumption target. For example, the PCF may provide a policy with a larger RQ Timer set for the PDU Session which may result in energy savings because the UPF would need to perform packet inspection less frequently.

[0110] As energy consumption may fluctuate, after the PCF sends a Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create to the AF / NEF, the PCF may send a subscription request to the EECF. The subscription request may include, for example, a data network name (DNN), a single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI), PDUSession ID, a data network access identifier (DNAI) and energy threshold. The subscription request may indicate that the PCF desires a notification when the energy consumption that is associated with the PDU session crosses the energy threshold. Later, when the PCF receives the notification from the EECF and the notification indicates that the energy consumption that is associated with the PDU session crossed the energy threshold, the PCF may notify the AF / NEF about the energy crossing event and / or that a different combination of features have been adjusted and / or activated and / or deactivated.

[0111] FIG. 3 shows an example procedure 300 for setting up an AF session with energy savings for use by a PCF. The PCF may receive, from an AF (e.g., directly or via a NEF), a request message 310 to setup or create (e.g., reserve resources for) an AF session with QoS requirements and energy savings criteria or requirements. The request message may be a Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request. The request message may include QoS parameters. The request message may include energy saving profile information, including an energy savings level and features subject to energy savings control. Examples of energy saving profile information may include for example an indication of a desired level of energy savings or consumption, a list of one or more features subject to energy control and / or an indication of other network energy savings allowed, which are discussed in detail above.

[0112] The PCF may send a request message 320 for energy consumption data (e.g., analytics) information 225 (e.g., Nnwdaf_EnergyConsumptionAnalytics request). The request message may be sent to a function, for example, an EECF, NWDAF, or EIF. The request message may include, for example, an application identification, QoS parameters and (optional) the features (e.g., a list of features) that are part of the service. Aspects of energy consumption data determination are described throughout the present application. The request message may comprise the QoS parameters and / or the list of features subject to energy control.

[0113] The PCF may receive a message 330 (e.g., Nnwdaf_EnergyConsumptionAnalytics response) comprising energy consumption data information from the EECF / NWDAF / EIF. The message may include information regarding per feature relative contribution to the energy consumption associated with the service / session.

[0114] The PCF may determine an energy savings policy 340 and charging control (PCC) rules and other policy configuration information (e.g., UP security policy, redundant PDU Session) for the session using the energy consumption data information and session energy savings profile to achieve the desired energy savings level. The PCF may determine the features for which PCC rules and other policy configuration information that need to be established or updated for the adjustment / disablement of the features. The PCF may obtain energy optimization recommendation(s) from the EECF / NWDAF / EIF by providing the energy level and other weighting factors associated with the features. Examples of feature based energy savings policy control and enforcement are described throughout the present application and may include, for example, UP security policy, ATSSS, and reflective QoS.

[0115] The PCF may send a response message 350 to indicate whether the request is granted and including the energy savings policy information. The PCF may send the response message (e.g.,Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create response) to the NEF. The PCF may send the response message to the AF. The PCF may send the response message to both the NEF and the AF. The response message may include information regarding the adjusted or de / activated features and / or projected energy savings for the session (e.g., a list of features adjusted and / or deactivated for energy savings).

[0116] The PCF may send an update message 360 (e.g., Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request) to the SMF with the corresponding policy indicating rules for the feature adjustment / deactivation for energy savings.

[0117] The PCF may receive, from the SMF, a message 370 (e.g., Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response) to indicate success or failure of an applied policy to a PDU session with energy savings adjustment / deactivation.

[0118] The PCF may send a notification message 380 (e.g., Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Notify) to the NEF and / or AF to indicate whether the establishment of the transmission resources with corresponding energy savings succeeded orfailed. The PCF may send the notification message to the NEF and the NEF may forward the notification message 270 (e.g., Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify) to the AF. The PCF may send the notification message to the AF. The PCF may send the notification message to both the NEF and AF.

[0119] FIG. 4 show an example procedure 400 for an AF session with energy savings for use by an NEF.

[0120] The NEF may receive, from an AF, a request message 410 (e.g., Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create request) to setup or create (e.g., reserve resources for) a session with QoS requirements and energy savings criteria or requirements. The request message may include QoS parameters. The request message may include energy saving profile information, including an energy savings level and features subject to energy savings control. Examples of energy saving profile information may include for example an indication of a desired level of energy savings or consumption, a list of features subject to energy control and / or an indication of other network energy savings allowed, which are discussed in detail above.

[0121] The NEF may authorize (e.g., check or determine an authorization for) the AF request 420 and may apply policies to verify that feature based energy savings control may be authorized for the AF and the features allowed to be under energy savings control for the AF. If the authorization is rejected or not granted , the NEF may reject the request. Otherwise the rest of the procedure may continue.

[0122] The NEF may send a message 430 (e.g., Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create request) to forward the received parameters (e.g. QoS requirements and energy savings profile) to the PCF and request the AF session with energy savings requirements.

[0123] The NEF may receive a response message 440 (e.g., Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Create response), from the PCF, indicating a grant or creation of the AF session request. The response message may include energy savings policy information. The response message may include information regarding the adjusted or de / activated features and projected energy savings for the session (e.g., a list of features adjusted and / or deactivated for energy savings).

[0124] The NEF may send a response message 450 (e.g., Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Create response), to the AF, indicating a grant or creation of the AF session request. The response message may include the energy savings policy information. The response message may include information regarding the adjusted or de / activated features and projected energy savings for the session (e.g., a list of features adjusted and / or deactivated for energy savings).

[0125] The NEF may receive a notification message 460 (e.g., Npcf_PolicyAuthorization_Notify), from the PCF, to indicate whether the establishment of the transmission resources with corresponding energy savings succeeded or failed. The NEF may forward the notification message 470 (e.g., Nnef_AFsessionWithQoS_Notify) to the AF.

[0126] FIG. 5 show an example procedure 500 for an AF session with energy savings for use by a SMF. The SMF may receive a message 510 (e.g., Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request) from a PCF with a policy information indicating rules for feature adjustment / deactivation for energy savings. The SMF may apply the policy 520 with energy savings rules to a PDU session. The SMF may send a response message 530 (e.g., Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response), to the PCF, to indicate success orfailure of application of the energy savings policy information.

[0127] FIG. 6 show an example procedure 600 for an AF session with energy savings for use by a function such as a NWDAF / EECF / EIF. The EECF may receive, from a PCF, a request message 610 for energy consumption analytics information (e.g., Nnwdaf_EnergyConsumptionAnalytics request). The request message may include, for example, an application identification, QoS parameters and list of (optional) features that are part of the service. Aspects of energy consumption data determination are described throughout the present application. The EECF may determine the energy consumption analytics information 620. The determination may be based on the parameters from the request message, for example, an application identification, QoS parameters and list of (optional) features that are part of the service. The EECF may send, to the PCF, a message 630 (e.g., Nnwdaf_EnergyConsumptionAnalytics response) comprising energy consumption data information. The message may include information regarding per feature relative contribution to the energy consumption associated with the service / session.

[0128] Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magnetooptical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor inassociation with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is Claimed:

1. A method for use by a policy control function (PCF), for setting up an application function (AF) session with energy savings, the method comprising: receiving a first message, wherein the first message comprises quality of service (QoS) parameters for an AF session and energy savings profile information; sending a second message, wherein the second message is a request for energy consumption data; receiving a third message, wherein the third message comprises the requested energy consumption data; determining energy savings policy information for the AF session based on the energy consumption data and energy savings profile; sending a fourth message, wherein the fourth message comprises the energy savings policy information regarding adjusted or deactivated features for energy savings for the AF session; and sending a fifth message, to update a session management function (SMF), wherein the first message comprises the energy savings policy information regarding adjusted or deactivated features for energy savings for the AF session.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the energy savings profile information comprises at least one of: an indication of a desired energy savings or energy consumption; at least one feature subject to energy savings control; or an indication of other network energy savings allowed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one feature comprises at least one of: a user plane (UP) security policy, reflective QoS, access traffic steering, switching, splitting (ATSSS), or an always-on protocol data unit (PDU) session.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the at least one feature is associated with a priority.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message is a request to reserve resources for the AF session.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message comprises feature prioritization information associated with the AF session.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first message is received from a network exposure function (NEF).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message is sent to an energy efficiency control function (EECF), an network data analytics function (NWDAF), or an energy information function (EIF).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second message comprises an application identification, the QoS parameters, and at least one feature subject to energy savings control.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fourth message further comprises projected energy savings information.

11. A policy control function (PCF) entity, configured to set up an application function (AF) session with energy savings, the PCF entity comprising: a receiver; a processor; and a transmitter, wherein: the receiver is configured to receive a first message, wherein the first message comprises quality of service (QoS) parameters for an AF session and energy savings profile information; the transmitter is configured to send a second message, wherein the second message is a request for energy consumption data; the receiver is further configured to receive a third message, wherein the third message comprises the requested energy consumption data; the processor is configured to determine energy savings policy information for the AF session based on the energy consumption data and energy savings profile; the transmitter is further configured to send a fourth message, wherein the fourth message comprises the energy savings policy information regarding adjusted or deactivated features for energy savings for the AF session; and the transmitter is further configured to send a fifth message, to update a session management function (SMF), wherein the first message comprises the energy savings policy information regarding adjusted or deactivated features for energy savings for the AF session.

12. The PCF entity of claim 11 , wherein the energy savings profile information comprises at least one of: an indication of a desired energy savings or energy consumption; at least one feature subject to energy savings control; or an indication of other network energy savings allowed.

13. The PCF entity of claim 12, wherein the at least one feature comprises at least one of: a user plane (UP) security policy, reflective QoS, access traffic steering, switching, splitting (ATSSS), or an always-on protocol data unit (PDU) session.

14. The PCF entity of claim 12, wherein each of the at least one feature is associated with a priority.

15. The PCF entity of claim 11 , wherein the first message is a request to reserve resources for the AF session.

16. The PCF entity of claim 11 , wherein the first message comprises feature prioritization information associated with the AF session.

17. The PCF entity of claim 11 , wherein the first message is received from a network exposure function (NEF).

18. The PCF entity of claim 11, wherein the second message is sent to an energy efficiency control function (EECF), an network data analytics function (NWDAF), or an energy information function (EIF).

19. The PCF entity of claim 11 , wherein the second message comprises an application identification, the QoS parameters, and at least one feature subject to energy savings control.

20. The PCF entity of claim 11 , wherein the fourth message further comprises projected energy savings information.

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