Extending mpquic protocol support in atsss

Abstract

Devices, methods, and systems for extending MPQUIC protocol support in ATSSS. Some implementations provide devices, methods, and systems implemented in a WTRU. Establishment of an application flow is triggered. A MA PDU session request is sent. A MA PDU session response is received. A MASQUE transport method and parameters are determined. An MPQUIC connection is selected. A CONNECT request corresponding to the selected MASQUE transport method and including the selected MASQUE transport parameters is sent. Establishment of a second leg of the mA PDU session over another access network is triggered. Which access to send a PDU over is determined, based on the steering mode. The PDU is sent over the selected access via the MASQUE transport connection. Some implementations provide devices, methods, and systems implemented in a SMF. A MA PDU session request is received from a WTRU. A policy rule including MASQUE transport configuration IEs is received.

Description

EXTENDING MPQUIC PROTOCOL SUPPORT IN ATSSSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 553,990 filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on February 15, 2024, the entire content of which being incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth below in its entirety and for all applicable purposes.BACKGROUND

[0002] The Multiplexed Application Substrate over QUIC Encryption (MASQUE) protocol enables configuring and running multiple proxied flows in an HTTP connection, e.g., using HTTP / 3 over QUIC. A multiaccess protocol data unit (MA PDU) Session is a PDU session whose traffic can be sent over 3GPP access, or over non-3GPP access, or over both accesses.SUMMARY

[0003] Some implementations provide devices, methods, and systems for extending MPQUIC protocol support in ATSSS. Some implementations provide devices, methods, and systems implemented in a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU). Establishment of an application flow is triggered. A MA PDU session request is sent. A MA PDU session response is received. A MASQUE transport method and parameters are determined. An MPQUIC connection is selected. A CONNECT request corresponding to the selected MASQUE transport method and including the selected MASQUE transport parameters is sent. Establishment of a second leg of the MA PDU session over another access network is triggered Which access to send a PDU over is determined, based on the steering mode. The PDU is sent over the selected access via the MASQUE transport connection. Some implementations provide devices, methods, and systems implemented in a SMF A MA PDU session request is received from a WTRU. A policy rule including MASQUE transport configuration information elements (lEs) is received. It is determined whether to use a MPQUIC steering functionality. A MASQUE transport configuration is determined based on the MASQUE transport configuration lEs. A message is sent to a UPF indicating a multi-access rule, and including MASQUE transport configuration lEs A MA PDU session response is sent to the WTRU, including MASQUE transport configuration lEs.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] 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:

[0005] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0006] 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;

[0007] 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;

[0008] FIG. 1D 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;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example multi-access PDU session (MA PDU session);

[0010] FIGS 3A, 3B, and 3C are a message sequence chart illustrating an exemplary procedure for the provisioning, establishment, and operation of an MA PDU session using the MPQUIC steering functionality using MASQUE transport methods among TCP, UDP, Ethernet and / or IP;

[0011] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating example actions by a WTRU; and

[0012] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating example actions by a SMFDETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] The following acronyms and abbreviations are used herein:5GS 5G SystemAF Application FunctionAP Application ProviderAPI Application Programing InterfaceAS Application ServerATSSS Access T raffic Steering, Switching, SplittingDN Data NetworkDNN Data Network NameFQDN Fully Qualified Domain NameGTP-U Generic Tunneling Protocol User PlaneHTTP Hypertext T ransfer ProtocolID IdentifierIE Information ElementIP Internet Protocol (IPv4: IP version 4, IPv6: IP version 6)MAR Multi-Access RuleMASQUE Multiplexed Application Substrate over QUIC EncryptionMPQUIC Multipath QUICMNO Mobile Network OperatorMOQ Media over QUICN4 Interface defined by 3GPP between SMF and UPFPCC Policy and Charging ControlPDU Protocol Data UnitPMF Performance Management FunctionPSA UPF PDU Session Anchor UPFQoE Quality of ExperienceQoS Quality of ServiceQUIC The QUIC protocol (not an acronym)RAN Radio Access NetworkRTT Round Trip TimeSDF Service Data FlowSMF Session Management FunctionUDP User Datagram ProtocolUE User EquipmentUPF User Plane FunctionURSP UE Route Selection PolicyXR Extended Reality

[0014] The terms Application Server (AS) and Application Function (AF) may be used interchangeably herein. An AS may in some cases be and / or include an Edge Application Server.

[0015] The term Information Element (IE) is used herein to represent one or more parameters. An IE may include one or more other lEs.

[0016] 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), single-carrier 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.

[0017] 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 itwill 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.

[0018] 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, 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.

[0019] 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 anembodiment, 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.

[0020] 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).

[0021] 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).

[0022] 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).

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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).

[0025] 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.

[0026] 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). Inan 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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. 1 A 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.

[0030] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1B, 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 willbe appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0031] 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. 1 B 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] 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).

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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

[0038] 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 vibration device, 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.

[0039] 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)).

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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. 1 C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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 gateway during 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

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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. Inaddition, 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0050] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point for the BSS and one or more stations (ST As) 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. T raffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. T raffic 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

[0051] 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.

[0052] 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.

[0053] 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 twostreams. 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).

[0054] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11 af and 802.11 ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11 af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11n, and 802.11ac. 802.11 af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11 ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11 ah 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).

[0055] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802 11 n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11 ah, 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 of 802.11ah, 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.

[0056] 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 802.11ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0057] FIG. 1 D 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.

[0058] 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).

[0059] 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).

[0060] 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, WTRUs 102a, 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.

[0061] 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. 1D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0062] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1 D 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.

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] 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.

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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.

[0069] 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.

[0070] Some implementations include MPQUIC and / or MASQUE. In some implementations, the Multiplexed Application Substrate over QUIC Encryption (MASQUE) protocol facilitates and / or enables configuring and / or transmitting (e.g., tunneling) multiple proxied flows in an HTTP connection; e g., using HTTP / 3 over QUIC. In some implementations MASQUE services include the “CONNECT-UDP” service (e.g., as described in IETF, RFC 9298, “Proxying UDP in HTTP” https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / html / rfc9298, incorporated herein as if fully set forth) e.g , enabling and / or facilitating transport of UDP traffic between a client and a proxy, or between 2 proxies, “CONNECT-IP (e.g., as described in IETF, RFC 9484, “Proxying IP in HTTP", https: / / datatracker.ietf org / doc / html / rfc9484, incorporated herein as if fully set forth), e.g., enabling and / or facilitating transport of IP traffic, and “CONNECT-ETHERNET” (e.g., as described in IETF, “Proxying Ethernet in HTTP”, https: / / datatracker.ietf.org / doc / html / draft-ietf-masque-connect-ethernet-01, incorporated herein as if fully set forth) e.g., enabling and / or facilitating transport of Ethernet traffic, “CONNECT”, e.g., enabling and / or facilitating transport of WebSocket traffic. In some implementations, for TCP traffic, “CONNECT” and / or a method derived from CONNECT (e.g., a potential new CONNECT-TCP method) may be used, referred to herein as “CONNECT-TCP”.

[0071] The term MASQUE transport method is used herein to designate a transport method (e.g., a protocol) provided by an extended CONNECT such as CONNECT-UDP, CONNECT-IP, CONNECT- ETHERNET, CONNECT-TCP The value of the protocol field in a CONNECT request may correspond to theMASQUE transport method. Equivalent terms for MASQUE transport method include “CONNECT protocol” and “Steering Functionality Protocol”. The term CONNECT-X is used herein to designate a CONNECT message corresponding to any MASQUE transport method.

[0072] In some implementations, to initiate a MASQUE service, a client sends an HTTP CONNECT request to a proxy, e.g., an HTTP request including a method field set to “CONNECT,” a protocol field set to the actual MASQUE transport method used, such as “connect-udp,” “connect-ethernet” or “connect-ip.” In some implementations, the proxy sends an HTTP response to indicate that the service request is accepted or rejected. In some implementations, the MASQUE service includes forwarding the application payload transported over the MASQUE connection, towards an endpoint (e.g., UDP server, or endpoint over an Ethernet link or IP network). In some implementations, the application payload is transported in the MASQUE connection over HTTP datagrams or over an HTTP stream. In some implementations, a MASQUE proxied connection can operate over a multipath (e.g., MPQUIC) connection. For example, in some implementations, the application payload transported in a MASQUE connection can be sent and received over different access networks by MPQUIC connection endpoints.

[0073] Some implementations include ATSSS. In some implementations, WTRUs are capable of both 3GPP access and non-3GPP access. In some implementations, such capability provides flexibility to the network operators in determining which access to use for a Service Data Flow (SDF). In some implementations, SDF is or includes a data flow (e.g., as identified in 3GPP 5G standards by specific characteristics, such as a 5 tuple composed of a transport protocol, source and destination IP addresses and ports) that is subject to specific quality of service and policy control rules. The terms SDF and data flow are used interchangeably herein.

[0074] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an architecture 200 which includes entities and interfaces associated with an example multi-access PDU session (MA PDU session) 250. Architecture 200 includes WTRU 202, UPF 204, AMF 206, SMF 208, PCF 210, and DN 212. In some implementations, WTRU 202 communicates with AMF 206 over a 3GPP N1 interface, as shown. In some implementations, WTRU 202 communicates via MA PDU session 250 over 3GPP access 214 and / or non-3GPP access 216, e.g., as further discussed herein. In some implementations, 3GPP access 214 and non-3GPP access 216 are in communication with AMF 206 over a 3GPP N2 interface, as shown In some implementations, 3GPP access 214 and non-3GPP access 216 are in communication with UPF 204 over a 3GPP N3 interface, as shown. In some implementations, SMF 208 and UPF 204 are in communication over an N4 interface, as shown. In some implementations, UPF 204 is in communication with DN 212 over a 3GPP N6 interface, as shown. In some implementations, AMF 206 is in communication with SMF 208 over a 3GPP N11 interface, as shown. In some implementations, SMF 208 is in communication with PCF 210 over a 3GPP N7 interface, as shown.

[0075] In some implementations, MA PDU Session 202 facilitates and / or allows uplink and / or downlink traffic of a service data flow with WTRU 202 to be steered, switched, and / or split between accesses.

[0076] For example, in some implementations, MA PDU Session 250 is or includes a PDU session whose traffic can be sent over 3GPP access 214, over non-3GPP access 216, or over both 3GPP and non-3GPP accesses 214, 216. The MA PDU Session 250 is shown in the context of a WTRU 202 with simultaneous 3GPP and non-3GPP accesses 214, 216.

[0077] In some implementations, this and similar architectures facilitate and / or allow: traffic steering (e.g., where an access network is selected for a new data flow and transfers the traffic of this data flow over the selected access network); traffic switching (e.g., where an ongoing data flow can be moved from one access network to another access network in a way that maintains the continuity of the data flow); and / or traffic splitting (e g., where the traffic of a data flow can be split across multiple access networks.) In some implementations, some PDUs of the data flow are transmitted via one access (e.g , 3GPP access 214) and other PDUs of the same data flow are transmitted via another access (e.g., non-3GPP access 216).

[0078] In some implementations, traffic steering functionality (e.g , residing in and / or implemented by an ATSSS-capable WTRU, such as WTRU 202 and / or in a UPF, such as UPF 204) can steer, switch, and / or split the MA PDU session traffic across multiple accesses (such as 3GPP access 214 and non-3GPP access 216). In some implementations, the traffic steering functionality is implemented as hardware and / or software configured to steer traffic. Some implementations include one or more of three steering functionalities. In some implementations, two high-layer steering functionalities, which may operate above the IP layer, include the MPTCP steering functionality (which in some implementations is applicable to TCP traffic) and the MPQUIC steering functionality (which in some implementations is applicable to UDP traffic). In some implementations, a low-layer steering functionality, which operates below the IP layer, includes the ATSSS Low-Layer functionality (ATSSS-LL) (which in some implementations is applicable to Ethernet and / or IP traffic).

[0079] In some implementations, a steering mode determines how the traffic of a service data flow should be distributed across accesses. In some implementations, only one steering mode can be used for an SDF. Example steering modes may include one or more of an active-standby steering mode, smallest-delay steering mode, load-balancing steering mode, priority-based steering mode, and / or redundant steering mode, or any other suitable steering mode.

[0080] For example, in some implementations, an active-standby steering mode steers traffic on one access (e.g., which may be referred to as an active access) if this access is available, and steers the traffic to the other access (e.g., which may be referred to as a standby access) if the active access becomes unavailable.

[0081] In some implementations, a smallest-delay steering mode steers traffic to an access that has (e.g., is determined to have) the smallest (or smaller) Round-Trip Time (RTT). In some implementations, the WTRU and / or UPF (e.g., WTRU 202 and / or UPF 204) measure the RTT between them in order to determine which access has the lowest RTT. In some implementations, a smallest-delay steering mode is only applicable to a non-Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) SDF.

[0082] In some implementations, a load-balancing steering mode splits traffic across more than one (e.g., both) accesses, such as 3GPP access 214 and non-3GPP access 216. In some implementations, the traffic is split according to a percentage (e.g., a configurable percentage). In some implementations, the WTRU (e.g., WTRU 202) determines (e.g., autonomously) the percentages for traffic splitting In some implementations, the WTRU makes this determination responsive to and / or based on an autonomous load-balance indicator provided by the network. In some implementations, a load-balancing steering mode is only applicable to non- GBR SDFs.

[0083] In some implementations, a priority-based steering mode steers all traffic matching a PCC rule to the high priority access (e.g., as defined in 3GPP standards) In some implementations, the priority-based steering mode steers all traffic matching the PCC rule to the high priority access until the high priority access is determined to be congested (e.g , there is not enough capacity on the link for the amount of traffic, e.g., such that nodes such as the RAN node for DL, or WTRU for UL, may have to queue and / or drop some PDUs). In some implementations, the traffic is sent to the low priority access and / or split between the low and high priority accesses. In some implementations, a priority-based steering mode is only applicable to non-GBR SDF.

[0084] In some implementations, a redundant steering mode (RSM) facilitates and / or allows a WTRU (e.g., WTRU 202) and / or UPF (e.g., UPF 204) to duplicate traffic over multiple (e.g., both) access “legs” (e.g., 3GPP access 214 and non-3GPP access 216) of a MA PDU session (e g., MA PDU session 250). In this context, a leg refers to a portion of the traffic that is transmitted over a specific access.

[0085] In some implementations, a configuration (e.g., an additional configuration) may be provided by the network (e.g., SMF) to modify the steering mode behavior on the WTRU and / or UPF (e.g., WTRU 202 and / or UPF 204). For example, in some implementations a WTRU-assistance indicator facilitates and / or enables the WTRU to decide how to distribute UL traffic in some cases (e.g., when in low battery mode). In some implementations a threshold value (RTT or packet loss rate) facilitates and / or enables the WTRU and / or UPF to reduce usage on an access if a threshold value is reached on this access In some implementations, e.g., for MPQUIC steering functionality, a configuration information element facilitates and / or enables transport of a stream or datagram without reordering, and / or a datagram with reordering.

[0086] In some implementations, a performance management function (PMF) protocol is implemented between the WTRU and UPF (e.g., WTRU 202 and / or UPF 204) to take the measurements upon which to base the switching mode decisions (e.g., RTT, access availability report, packet loss rate, etc.)

[0087] In some implementations, selection of a steering functionality and / or steering mode for a SDF in a MA PDU session is performed by an SMF (e g., SMF 208), e.g., based on MA PDU session control information present in a PCC rule. In some implementations, MA PDU session control information includes and / or indicates a steering mode and / or functionality. In some implementations, MA PDU session control information includes and / or indicates a steering mode and / or functionality, and may also include and / or indicate additional configuration parameters, e.g., as described herein.

[0088] In current systems ATSSS is supported using MPQUIC steering functionalities, only for UDP flows (using CONNECT-UDP). Current 5G systems do not support using MPQUIC steering functionality with other MASQUE transport methods for TCP flows (e.g., using CONNECT-TCP), Ethernet (e.g., using CONNECT- ETHERNET) or IP flows (e.g., using CONNECT-IP).

[0089] In current systems, the MASQUE transport method is not available to the WTRU or UPF when using the existing ATSSS MPQUIC steering functionality, and when the UPF and WTRU are configured to use the MPQUIC steering functionality.

[0090] In some implementations, a WTRU could attempt to guess, based on the protocol of the application flow, which tunneling mode to use. However, in some implementations, such approaches may be limited. For example, such approaches may lack flexibility. For example, in some such solutions a TCP flow would always be transported over CONNECT-TCP, while it may be suitable to use one of CONNECT-IP, CONNECT- ETHERNET or CONNECT-TCP depending on the case Also, some such solutions may rely on the MPQUIC proxy on the UPF to always support all MASQUE transport methods, even when they are not used, which can be wasteful in network resources and less secure. For example, it may be preferable in some cases to allow a WTRU to use only CONNECT-IP over a given MA PDU session, e.g , to limit the network resource usage (e.g., memory) on the UPF by limiting the protocols supported by the MPQUIC proxy for this MA PDU session. In another example, a request made to access a UDP server using CONNECT-UDP could end up being used to access a whole network using CONNECT-IP, leading to a security issue. Further, some such solutions may lack mechanisms to configure the MASQUE transport methods. For example, the MNO / AP may need to further control additional parameters that apply to various MASQUE transport methods, including header compression configuration, FEC and security configuration.

[0091] Accordingly, some implementations facilitate and / or enable the network operator and / or application provider to control the usage of the MPQUIC steering functionality for TCP, UDP, Ethernet and IP flows. Some such implementations may have the advantage of increasing efficiency, and / or may provide for policy control, may provide for fine-grained control over MASQUE, and / or may provide security. For example, in terms of efficiency, in some implementations, multiple flows using TCP, Ethernet, UDP and IP MASQUE transport methods may be transported over the same MPQUIC connection, e.g., if they are transported over the same QoS flow and the same PDU session Regarding policy control, in some implementations the MNO and / or AP may be able to configure, for a given flow, which MASQUE transport method (e.g., among TCP, IP, Ethernet and UDP) should be used over an MPQUIC-based MA PDU session. In some implementations, the MNO and / or AP may also or instead allow the WTRU (e.g., WTRU 202) to decide the MASQUE transport method to use, e.g., within a set of MASQUE transport methods Regarding fine-grained control over MASQUE, for example, some of MASQUE transport methods may use parameters that improve service aspects such as security, reliability, and network efficiency. Some implementations support controlling these parameters. Regarding security, in some implementations, the MASQUE transport method and / or any related parametersmay be provided to the WTRU, and may also be provided to the UPF, e g., to enable enforcement of the allowed MASQUE transport method and / or related parameters.

[0092] In some implementations, MASQUE transport configuration lEs are defined for policy control of the MASQUE transport methods of a MA PDU session using the MPQUIC steering functionality. In some implementations, the MASQUE transport configuration lEs include one or more of: a Steering Functionality Protocol (SFP) IE, Allowed Steering Functionality Protocols (ASFP) IE, UE-controlled indication IE, and / orSFP parameters lEs.

[0093] In some implementations, a Steering Functionality Protocol (SFP) IE may indicate (e.g., may have a value indicating) UDP, TCP, Ethernet, IP. In some implementations, if the steering functionality of the MA PDU session control information is “MPQUIC,” the SFP IE instructs the WTRU (e.g., WTRU 202) and network to use a specific MASQUE transport method (e.g., CONNECT-UDP, CONNECT-ETHERNET, CONNECT-IP, etc.)

[0094] In some implementations, an Allowed Steering Functionality Protocols (ASFP) IE may indicate, or include an indication that any MASQUE transport method is allowed (e.g., may be, indicate, or include a “wildcard”), or may indicate or include a list of values among UDP, TCP, Ethernet, IP, indicating a set of allowed MASQUE transport methods. In some implementations, if the steering functionality of the MA PDU session control information is “MPQUIC", and if SFP is not provided (e.g., a SFP IE is not received), the ASFP IE indicates that the WTRU is allowed to select, based on a MASQUE transport method selection algorithm, which MASQUE transport method to use for an application flow on this PDU session, within the allowed set. The terms “provided” and “set” (and “not provided” and “not set”, respectively), are used equivalently in this context herein, to indicate that a specific MASQUE transport configuration IE is provided, or present, in a message.

[0095] In some implementations, a WTRU-controlled indication IE (which may also be referred to as a “UE- controlled” indication IE) indicates whether the WTRU is allowed to determine the MASQUE transport method for a flow on this PDU session. In some implementations, the indication may be a true or false value (e.g., binary 0 or 1 , or any other suitable true / false indication) In some systems, the WTRU-controlled indication IE may be implemented as a special value (e.g., “WTRU-controlled”) of the SFP IE.

[0096] In some implementations, SFP parameter lEs indicate MASQUE transport method parameters. For example, in some implementations, for MPQUIC steering functionality (e.g. if the steering functionality is indicated as “MPQUIC”), an SFP parameter is applicable to one or more MASQUE transport methods, e.g., as specified in the description of the SFP parameter herein. In some implementations, if an SFP parameter is applicable, the WTRU and / or UPF (e.g., WTRU 202 and / or UPF 304) may use the SFP parameter to configure the MASQUE transport method. In some implementations, an SFP parameter IE may indicate a range and / or set of values that are allowed (or disallowed) to be used. In such cases, in some implementations, the WTRU may select (e.g , based on a MASQUE transport method selection algorithm) which value to use for the corresponding MASQUE transport method parameter, within the allowed range and / or set.

[0097] In some implementations, SFP parameters include parameters applicable to the IP MASQUE transport method and / or parameters applicable to any MASQUE transport method. In some implementations, parameters applicable to the IP MASQUE transport method may include a target parameter and / or an IP protocol number. In some implementations a target parameter, (e.g., a hostname or an IP prefix) restricts the IP hosts with which the WTRU (e.g., WTRU 202) is allowed to communicate. In some implementations, such parameter may be specified by the WTRU, e.g., in a CONNECT-IP request In some implementations, such parameter may also be used by the UPF (e.g., UPF 204) to enforce the IP host restriction for the flow and may reject the CONNECT-IP request if the proper target is not specified.

[0098] In some implementations an IP protocol number (e.g., "ipproto” parameter, which may have a value such as “6" to indicate TCP), restricts the protocols that may be carried by the IP packets sent over this connection. In some implementations, such parameter may be specified by the WTRU (e.g., WTRU 202) in a CONNECT-IP request. In some implementations, such parameter may also be employed by the UPF (e.g., UPF 204) to enforce the protocol restriction for the flow, and may reject a CONNECT-IP request if the proper protocol number is not specified.

[0099] In some implementations, parameters applicable to any MASQUE transport method may include per-SFP restrictions or preferences, identification of an FEC scheme and associated parameters, and / or header compression mechanisms and profiles (and / or any other suitable parameters).

[0100] In some implementations, per-SFP restrictions or preferences may include application ID, access type, protocol, number of flows, etc. In some implementations, this indicates a restriction of usage, which may be used by SMF (e.g., SMF 208) and / or WTRU (e.g., WTRU 202) to determine a suitable MASQUE transport method and steering mode. For example, in some implementations, a TCP MASQUE transport method may be limited to, or preferred for, untrusted non-3GPP access, a UDP MASQUE transport method may be limited to the QUIC protocol or to the RTP protocol, an IP MASQUE transport method may be restricted for use with a set of applications listed by ID, and / or a UDP MASQUE transport method may be limited to a certain number (e g., 100) flows to limit network resource usage. In some implementations, header compression mechanisms and profiles indicate a Robust Header Compression (ROHC) RTP / UDP / IP profile.

[0101] Some implementations include parameters for “Ethernet” and / or “TCP” MASQUE transport methods. For example, in some implementations, Ethernet protocol numbers may be specified in a CONNECT- ETHERNET request, e.g., to limit the type of traffic that may be transmitted over Ethernet to traffic with the specified protocols.

[0102] In some implementations, MA PDU session control information in a PCC rule may include MASQUE transport configuration lEs. In some implementations, the MNO may configure MASQUE transport configuration lEs in MA PDU session control information. In some implementations, the AP may include MASQUE transport configuration lEs in API messages to the NEF or PCF (e.g., PCF 210). In some implementations, if included in the MA PDU session control information of a PCC rule, the MASQUE transport configuration lEs enable the MNO / AP to control how a MASQUE transport method is selected and configured.

[0103] In some implementations, an ATSSS rule may include MASQUE transport configuration lEs. In some implementations, the SMF (e.g., SMF 208) may configure MASQUE transport configuration lEs in an ATSSS rule, e.g., based on a PCC rule. In some implementations, if included in an ATSSS rule, the MASQUE transport configuration lEs may facilitate and / or enable the network (e.g., SMF) to control how a MASQUE transport method is selected and configured by a WTRU (e.g., WTRU 202).

[0104] In some implementations, the a multi-access rule (MAR) may include MASQUE transport configuration lEs. In some implementations, the SMF (e.g., SMF 208) may configure MASQUE transport configuration lEs in a MAR, e.g., based on a PCC rule. In some implementations, if included in a MAR, the MASQUE transport configuration lEs enable the SMF to control how a MASQUE transport method is selected and / or configured by a UPF (e.g., UPF 204).

[0105] In some implementations, the SMF (e.g., SMF 208) implements an SMF MASQUE transport method selection algorithm. In some implementations, the SMF receives a policy rule (e g., a PCC rule including MASQUE transport configuration lEs) that corresponds to SDFs on the MA PDU session. In some implementations, the SMF may select the MPQUIC steering functionality if the MPQUIC steering functionality is set in the PCC rule. In some implementations, the SMF reads the MA PDU session control information in the PCC rule, e.g., including MASQUE transport control lEs

[0106] In some implementations, if the SFP IE is set and ASFP is not set, the SMF (e.g., SMF 208) selects the SFP IE value as the MASQUE transport method. In some implementations, if the SFP is not set and the ASFP IE is set, the SMF selects the MASQUE transport method as WTRU-controlled, e.g., setting allowed MASQUE transport methods based on the ASFP. In some implementations, if neither SFP nor ASFP is set, the SMF selects the MASQUE transport method as WTRU-controlled (which may also be referred to as “UE- controlled”) where all MASQUE transport methods are allowed.

[0107] In some implementations, if the SFP and ASFP lEs are both set, the SMF (e.g., SMF 208) may decide to either select the SFP IE value as the MASQUE transport method, or select the MASQUE transport method as WTRU-controlled. In some implementations, the SMF may, for example, use WTRU (e.g., WTRU 202) and / or UPF (e.g., UPF 204) capabilities to determine the MASQUE transport method. For example, in some implementations, if the WTRU does not support WTRU-controlled MASQUE transport, SMF may select the SFP. In some implementations, if the UPF supports only a subset of all MASQUE transport methods, the SMF may select the MASQUE transport method as WTRU-controlled, and select an ASFP which contains transport methods that are present in both the ASFP from the PCC rule, and the list of MASQUE transport methods supported by the UPF. For example, if the UPF supports only CONNECT-UDP and CONNECT-TCP and the PCC rule contains CONNECT-UDP, CONNECT-TCP and CONNECT-IP, then the SMF may select an ASFP compose of CONNECT-UDP and CONNECT-TCP. In some implementations, the SMF may be configured by the MNO to prefer either SFP or setting the MASQUE transport method as WTRU-controlled, if both solutions are possible (e.g., if both solutions are equally possible).

[0108] In some implementations, the SMF may use SFP parameters (e g., per-SFP restrictions) to select a steering mode (e.g., if an access is preferred for a type of traffic, the SMF may select active-standby steering mode, with the preferred access as active access). In some implementations, the SMF may use MASQUE transport configuration lEs from the WTRU (e.g., in a PDU session establishment / modification request) to influence the selection of a MASQUE transport method (e.g., re-prioritize ASFP lEs based on preference from the WTRU).

[0109] In some implementations, after the SMF (e.g , SMF 208) selects a MASQUE transport method, the SMF prepares a MAR (for transmission to the UPF) and ATSSS rule (for transmission to the UE) including the selected MASQUE transport method, and any related lEs. For example, if the MASQUE transport method is WTRU-controlled, the related lEs may include ASFP In some implementations, in all cases, the related lEs may include SFP parameters.

[0110] In some implementations, the UPF (e.g., UPF 204) implements enforcement of MASQUE transport configuration. In some implementations, the UPF receives a MAR including a selected MASQUE transport method and related MASQUE transport configuration lEs In some implementations, the UPF configures an MPQUIC proxy, including configuring the MASQUE transport CONNECT-X method(s) indicated by the MAR (e g., by the selected SFP or set of possible values from ASFP) and using, when applicable, the SFP parameters from the MAR. In some implementations, the UPF proxy listens to connection requests (e.g., CONNECT-X) from the WTRU and enforces the MASQUE transport configuration. For example, in some implementations, the UPF only accepts supported CONNECT-X methods, and rejects others (e.g., from this WTRU, on this proxy IP address and port). For example, in some implementations, the UPF checks CONNECT- X parameters (e.g., including target, protocol, SFP restrictions) and rejects connection requests that do not comply with these parameters

[0111] In some implementations, the WTRU implements a WTRU MASQUE transport method selection algorithm. In some implementations, the WTRU receives an ATSSS rule that applies to an application flow, including MASQUE transport configuration lEs. An exemplary MASQUE transport method selection algorithm is described as follows.

[0112] In some implementations, if the WTRU-controlled indication IE is false, and the SFP IE is set, and if the SFP IE is compatible with the application protocol, the WTRU selects the SFP as MASQUE transport method for the application flow, and the algorithm is complete and successful. For example, in some implementations, a UDP application flow is compatible with CONNECT-UDP, CONNECT-IP and CONNECT- ETHERNET, but not with CONNECT-TCP. In some implementations, a TCP application flow is compatible with CONNECT-TCP, CONNECT-IP and CONNECT-ETHERNET, but not with CONNECT-UDP. In some implementations, if the SFM is not compatible with the application protocol, the algorithm is complete and unsuccessful. In some implementations, if the WTRU-controlled indication IE is false and the SFP IE is not set, the algorithm is complete and unsuccessful.

[0113] In some implementations, if the WTRU-controlled indication IE is true, the WTRU determines the allowed MASQUE transport methods based on the ASFP IE if present, or otherwise the WTRU determines that ’’any” MASQUE transport methods are allowed. In some implementations, the WTRU determines a list of candidate MASQUE transport methods as follows:

[0114] In some implementations, if the PDU session type is indicated as an Ethernet session type (e.g., has a value of, or indicating, “Ethernet”), the candidate is CONNECT-ETHERNET. In some implementations, if the PDU session type is indicated as an unstructured session type (e.g., has a value of, or indicating “Unstructured”), the algorithm fails (e.g., for unstructured PDU sessions, the network should provide the appropriate MASQUE transport method). In some implementations, if the PDU session type is not indicated as an unstructured session type (e.g., does not have a value of, or indicating “Unstructured”), if the application protocol is TCP, the candidates are CONNECT-TCP, CONNECT-IP; if the application protocol is UDP, the candidates are CONNECT-UDP, CONNECT-IP; and if the application protocol is neither UDP nor TCP but is transported over IP, the candidate is CONNECT-IP

[0115] In some implementations, the WTRU may use SFP parameters (e.g., per-SFP restrictions) to select a MASQUE transport method. For example, in some implementations, if an “IP” MASQUE transport method is only allowed for UDP traffic (e.g., if the an protocol number (which may be referred to as "ipproto”) parameter is set to, or includes, a value corresponding to UDP), and if the application flow is over another protocol, then the WTRU does not include CONNECT-IP in the list of candidates. In some implementations, the WTRU may determine the application flow protocol based on the type of socket opened by the WTRU application. In some implementations, the WTRU may determine the application flow protocol based on configuration or policy (e.g., from a traffic descriptor in a UE Route Selection Policy rule). In some implementations, e.g., additionally, the WTRU may use lEs from the AS to select a MASQUE transport method (e.g., MASQUE transport configuration lEs from the AS). For example, in some implementations, this could be used to re-prioritize candidates based on preferences from the AS

[0116] In some implementations, after candidates are determined, the WTRU selects a candidate In some implementations, the WTRU selects the first candidate that is allowed (e.g., the first candidate if “any” MASQUE transport method is allowed, else the first candidate that is included in ASFP). If a candidate is selected, the algorithm is complete and successful. If no suitable candidate is selected, the algorithm is complete and unsuccessful.

[0117] If the algorithm is unsuccessful, the WTRU fails to select a MASQUE transport method, and may, e.g., release the PDU session, indicate to the WTRU application a failure to establish a connection, and / or fallback to use a non-MA PDU session if allowed by the URSP rules, for the application flow. If the algorithm is successful, the WTRU selects an MPQUIC connection with a UPF proxy, that corresponds with the QoS flow within the MA PDU session, for the application flow. If no such MPQUIC connection exists, the WTRU establishes it The WTRU creates a new stream within the selected MPQUIC connection and sends a CONNECT-X request to the UPF over this stream, where CONNECT-X corresponds to the selected MASQUEtransport method selected by the algorithm. The WTRU and UPF proceed with establishing the MASQUE connection over this MPQUIC stream. The WTRU and UPF transmit the application flow over the MASQUE connection.

[0118] In some implementations, supporting multiple MASQUE transport methods does not require additional MPQUIC connections to be established, therefore limiting the impact on network resources usage. Multiple application flows, corresponding to multiple PCC rules each containing MASQUE transport control lEs, may be transmitted over a same MA PDU session. For each application flow the SMF and UE determine the MASQUE transport method using the algorithms described herein. Thus, multiple MASQUE transport methods (i.e., multiple CONNECT-X methods) can be used over a same MA PDU session, and, if the application flows are transmitted within the same QoS flow (e.g., because they have the same QoS requirements), multiple MASQUE transport methods can be used over a same MPQUIC connection.

[0119] Some implementations include procedures for establishment of a new application flow over a MPQUIC-based MA-PDU session, e.g., using TCP, UDP, Ethernet or IP transport over MASQUE.

[0120] FIGS 3A, 3B, and 3C is a message sequence chart illustrating an example procedure 300 for the provisioning, establishment, and operation of an MA PDU session using the MPQUIC steering functionality using MASQUE transport methods among TCP, UDP, Ethernet and / or IP. Procedure 300 is described as taking place among a WTRU 302, RAN 304, CN 306, and DN 308. CN 306 includes SMF 310, UPF 312, PCF and UDM 314, and NEF 316. DN 308 includes AS and AF 318. In some implementations, these entities correspond to some or all of the architecture described with respect to architecture 200 as shown and described with respect to FIG. 2.

[0121] In some implementations, an application provider (e.g., through an AF) and / or the network operator may provide MASQUE transport configuration lEs in policy rules, e.g., via service provisioning 320. For example, an AF 318 may include MASQUE transport configuration lEs in API messages to the NEF 316 or PCF 314 via service provisioning 320, e.g , to configure a policy rule for a given application or flow at 322.

[0122] In some implementations, an application running on WTRU 302 triggers the establishment of an application session at 324. In some implementations, the WTRU selects a URSP rule, and based on the rule determines to establish or update a MA PDU session for the application flow at 324. In some implementations, the WTRU may indicate its capabilities in a PDU session establishment or modification request message 326 (e g., support for one or some of CONNECT-TCP, CONNECT-UDP, CONNECT-IP, CONNECT-ETHERNET, and for the methods and procedures described herein) to SMF 310. In some implementations, the WTRU may provide MASQUE transport configuration lEs in the PDU session establishment / modification request message 326 to indicate preferences (e g., based on WTRU application input).

[0123] In some implementations, after receiving the MA PDU session establishment / modification request message 326, SMF 310 may use some or all the parameters from the message to request policies from PCF 314 (e g., in a Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update request 328) and the PCF 314, based on those parameters, responds with the relevant MASQUE transport configuration lEs (e.g., in policy rule 330).

[0124] In some implementations, SMF 310 determines to use MPQUIC steering functionality and determines the MASQUE transport configuration, using an SMF MASQUE transport method selection algorithm, using the MASQUE transport configuration lEs from the policy rule and / or the PDU session establishment / modification request and / or the WTRU capabilities at 332, e g., as described herein.

[0125] In some implementations, SMF 310 configures UPF 312, e.g., by sending an N4 Session Establishment / Modification Request 334, including the MASQUE transport configuration lEs. In some implementations, the MASQUE transport configuration lEs at are the output of the SMF MASQUE transport method selection algorithm. In some implementations, UPF 312 configures the MPQUIC proxy using the MASQUE transport configuration lEs to enable enforcement at 336, e.g., as described herein. In some implementations, UPF 312 sends a response message (e.g , via the N4 interface) to SMF 310, including the IP address and port of the MPQUIC proxy.

[0126] In some implementations, SMF 310 sends, to WTRU 302, a MA PDU Session Establ ish ment / Modification Accept message 340, including the steering functionality (MPQUIC), steering mode and MASQUE transport configuration lEs, and the IP address and port of the MPQUIC proxy. In some implementations, the MASQUE transport configuration lEs are the output of the SMF MASQUE transport method selection algorithm. In some implementations, WTRU 302 determines the MASQUE transport method to use at 342 based on the MASQUE transport configuration lEs, e.g., using a WTRU MASQUE transport method selection algorithm, e.g., as described herein.

[0127] In some implementations, WTRU 302 selects an MPQUIC connection (e.g., corresponding to the MA PDU session and QoS flow appropriate for the application flow). If such an MPQUIC connection does not exist, WTRU 302 establishes a new MPQUIC connection 344 with UPF 312, e.g., using the IP address and port of the MPQUIC proxy.

[0128] In some implementations, WTRU 302 sends a CONNECT-X request 346 (e.g., an HTTP CONNECT-X request) to UPF 312, the request corresponding to the selected MASQUE transport method and including SFP parameters as specified in the MASQUE transport configuration lEs. UPF 312 enforces the MASQUE transport configuration (e.g., by accepting or rejecting incoming CONNECT-X requests, based on the configuration of UPF 312) as described hereinbefore at 348 and sends a response message 350 (e.g., an HTTP response). At this point of the exemplary procedure, based on CONNECT-X request 346, enforcement 348, and response message 350,, a tunnel session 352 (also called MASQUE transport connection herein) is established between WTRU 302 and UPF 312. An application connection 354 between WTRU 302 and AS 318 can be transported over tunnel session 352.

[0129] In some implementations, WTRU 302 may trigger the establishment of a second leg of the MA PDU session 356, over a second access (e.g., by sending, over a second access, a PDU session establishment request with the same ID as the first PDU session request, which triggers SMF 310 to reserve network resources for a second leg). During this establishment, similarly to the establishment of the first leg (326-340),SMF 310 may re-evaluate the MASQUE transport configuration lEs (e.g., SMF 310 may modify the SFP if an SFP restriction prevents a specific MASQUE transport method to be used on the second access).

[0130] In some implementations, WTRU 302 selects which access over which to send an uplink application PDU at 358, e.g., based on the steering mode. In some implementations, WTRU 302 transmits the uplink application PDU 362 over the selected access, transported over the MASQUE transport connection 360 between WTRU 302 and UPF 312, and transmitted by UPF 312 to AS 318. In some implementations, AS 318 transmits a downlink application PDU 364 towards the WTRU 302, through the UPF 312. UPF 312 selects which access over which to send the downlink application PDU 364, e g., based on the steering mode, at 366. In some implementations, UPF 312 transmits the downlink application PDU 364 over the selected access, transported over the MASQUE transport connection 368 between UPF 312 and WTRU 302.

[0131] Alternatively, in some systems, an AP may provide MASQUE transport configuration lEs to WTRU 302, e.g., over the application session, to indicate preferred methods and parameters. For example, in some implementations, (not shown) the AS may indicate to WTRU 302 that CONNECT-UDP is a preferred MASQUE transport method for a media session that WTRU 302 requested from the AS at the application layer. In some implementations, based on this indication from the AS, WTRU 302 may include MASQUE transport configuration lEs in the MA PDU session establishment / modification request 326. In some implementations, after receiving the MA PDU session establishment / modification, SMF 310 may use them in the SMF MASQUE transport method selection algorithm as described hereinbefore.

[0132] Example actions by WTRU 302 and SMF 310 for MPQUIC-based MA-PDU session follow In some implementations, the actions are optimized for a mix of UDP, IP, TCP and / or Ethernet traffic (WTRU, SMF). In some implementations, some or all of the actions follow the procedure, or aspects of the procedure, described above.

[0133] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a process 400 for provisioning, establishment, and operation of an MA PDU session, by a WTRU

[0134] In some implementations, a WTRU application triggers the establishment of an application flow at 402. The WTRU sends a MA PDU session request at 404. The WTRU receives a MA PDU session response at 406, indicating to use the MPQUIC steering functionality and including MASQUE transport configuration lEs. The WTRU determines the MASQUE transport method and parameters to use at 408, e.g., based on the MASQUE transport configuration lEs, and based on the application flow protocol. The WTRU selects an MPQUIC connection at 410 and sends a CONNECT request at 412, corresponding to the selected MASQUE transport method and including the selected MASQUE transport parameters.

[0135] The WTRU triggers the establishment of a second leg of the MA PDU session over another access network at 414. The WTRU determines which access over which to send a PDU at 416, based on the steering mode, and sends the PDU over the selected access at 418, over the MASQUE transport connection

[0136] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a process 500 for provisioning, establishment, and operation of an MA PDU session by a SMF.

[0137] In some implementations, an SMF receives a MA PDU session request at 502. The SMF receives a policy rule including MASQUE transport configuration lEs at 504. The SMF determines to use the MPQUIC steering functionality at 506, and determines the MASQUE transport configuration, based on the MASQUE transport configuration lEs at 508. The SMF sends, to UPF, a message with a Multi-Access Rule including MASQUE transport configuration lEs at 510. The SMF sends, to UE, a MA PDU session response including MASQUE transport configuration lEs 512.

[0138] 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 in association 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 implemented in a session management function (SMF), the method comprising: receiving a multi-access protocol data unit (MA PDU) session request from a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU); receiving a message indicating a policy rule which includes at least one Multiplexed Application Substrate over QUIC Encryption (MASQUE) transport configuration information element (IE); determining a MASQUE transport configuration based on the at least one MASQUE transport configuration IE; sending a message which indicates a multi-access rule, and indicates at least one of the at least one MASQUE transport configuration IE; and responsive to the MA PDU session request, sending, to the WTRU, a MA PDU session response including at least one of the at least one MASQUE transport configuration IE.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the MA PDU session request indicates WTRU capabilities, and determination of the MASQUE transport configuration is based on the WTRU capabilities.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the MA PDU session request indicates WTRU support for a CONNECT-TCP, CONNECT-UDP, CONNECT-IP, and / or CONNECT-ETHERNET transport method4. The method of claim 1, wherein the MA PDU session request indicates WTRU preference for a CONNECT-TCP, CONNECT-UDP, CONNECT-IP, and / or CONNECT-ETHERNET transport method.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a policy rule request, based on the MA PDU session request received from the WTRU.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending a request to a user plane function (UPF), the request to the UPF indicating at least one of the at least one MASQUE transport configuration IE.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving a response from the UPF, the response from the UPF indicating information regarding a MPQUIC proxy.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the MA PDU session response indicates the information regarding the MPQUIC proxy.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the MA PDU session response indicates an IP address and / or port of the MPQUIC proxy.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the MA PDU session response indicates a steering mode.

11. A network device which implements a session management function (SMF), the network device comprising: circuitry configured to receive a multi-access protocol data unit (MA PDU) session request from a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU); circuitry configured to receive a message indicating a policy rule which includes at least one Multiplexed Application Substrate over QUID Encryption (MASQUE) transport configuration information element (IE); circuitry configured to determine a MASQUE transport configuration based on the at least one MASQUE transport configuration IE; circuitry configured to send a message which indicates a multi-access rule, and indicates at least one of the at least one MASQUE transport configuration IE; and circuitry configured to send to the WTRU, responsive to the MA PDU session request, a MA PDU session response including at least one of the at least one MASQUE transport configuration IE.

12. The network device of claim 11, wherein the MA PDU session request indicates WTRU capabilities, and the circuitry configured to determine the MASQUE transport configuration is configured to make the determination based on the WTRU capabilities.

13. The network device of claim 11, wherein the MA PDU session request indicates WTRU support for a CONNECT-TCP, CONNECT-UDP, CONNECT-IP, and / or CONNECT-ETHERNET transport method.

14. The network device of claim 11, wherein the MA PDU session request indicates WTRU preference for a CONNECT-TCP, CONNECT-UDP, CONNECT-IP, and / or CONNECT-ETHERNET transport method.

15. The network device of claim 11, further comprising circuitry configured to send a policy rule request, based on the MA PDU session request received from the WTRU.

16. The network device of claim 11 , further comprising circuitry configured to send a request to a user plane function (UPF), the request to the UPF indicating at least one of the at least one MASQUE transport configuration IE17. The network device of claim 16, further comprising circuitry configured to receive a response from the UPF, the response from the UPF indicating information regarding a MPQUIC proxy.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the MA PDU session response indicates the information regarding the MPQUIC proxy.

19. The network device of claim 17, wherein the MA PDU session response indicates an IP address and / or port of the MPQUIC proxy20. The network device of claim 11 , wherein the MA PDU session response indicates a steering mode.

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