Hosting network cell selection

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and instrumentalities associated with localized services. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may receive, from a first network node, validity information associated with a service, wherein the validity information may indicate one or more valid areas for accessing the service. The WTRU may determine, based at least on the validity information and information about a wireless communication cell, whether the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell and, based at least on a determination that the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell, the WTRU may perform a measurement associated with the wireless communication cell and transmit a message to a second network node, wherein the message may indicate a result of the measurement.

Description

HOSTING NETWORK CELL SELECTIONCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 569,966, filed March 26, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Mobile communications using wireless communication continue to evolve. A fifth generation of mobile communication radio access technology (RAT) may be referred to as 5G new radio (NR). A previous (legacy) generation of mobile communication RAT may be, for example, fourth generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE).SUMMARY

[0003] Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and instrumentalities associated with localized services. In embodiments of the disclosure, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may be configured to receive, from a first network node, validity information associated with a service, wherein the validity information may indicate one or more valid areas for accessing the service. The WTRU may determine, based at least on the validity information and information about a wireless communication cell, whether the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell and, based at least on a determination that the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell, the WTRU may perform a measurement associated with the wireless communication cell and transmit a message to a second network node, wherein the message may indicate a result of the measurement.

[0004] In examples, the measurement may be associated with a cell selection or reselection. In examples, the validity information may further indicate one or more valid time periods for accessing the service, wherein the WTRU may be configured to determine whether the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell further based on the one or more valid time periods.

[0005] In examples, the validity information may include one or more tracking area identifiers or cell identifiers that indicate the one or more valid areas for accessing the service. In examples, the information about the wireless communication cell used by the WTRU to determine whether the WTRU can access theservice via the wireless communication cell may include a tracking area identifier or a cell identifier of the wireless communication cell.

[0006] In examples, the WTRU being configured to receive the validity information associated with the service may comprise the WTRU being configured to verify the correctness of the validity information against a list of pre-configured networks or cells. For instance, the WTRU may determine that the validity information is incorrect if the validity information indicates a network or a cell that is not on the list of preconfigured networks or cells.

[0007] In examples, the first network node described herein may include an access and mobility function (AMF) of a wireless communication network (e.g., a public or non-public communication network), and the second network node described herein may include a base station of the wireless communication network. In examples, the WTRU may indicate the validity information described herein to a base station associated with the wireless communication network.

[0008] In examples, the wireless communication cell may be a neighboring cell of a present serving cell of the WTRU, and the WTRU may receive the validity information via a message associated with steering- of roaming. In examples, in response to determining that the WTRU cannot access the service via the wireless communication cell, the WTRU may be configured to skip measuring the wireless communication cell.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0010] 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.

[0011] FIG. 1 C 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. 1 A according to an embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 2 shows an example procedure for the reception and verification of location validity information, which may be part of the steering of roaming SNPN selection information for localized services (SOR-SNPN-SI-LS).

[0014] FIG. 3 shows an example procedure for a WTRU to handle location validity information, which may be provided as part of SOR-SNPN-SI-LS.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

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

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a ON 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or a “STA”, may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0017] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the I nternet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will beappreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0018] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, 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, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e. , one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

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

[0020] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 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 115 / 116 / 117 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 UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

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

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

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

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

[0025] The base station 114b in FIG. 1 A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0026] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, 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 / 115 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 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, whichmay be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0027] The CN 106 / 115 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 / 113 or a different RAT.

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

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

[0030] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, 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.

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

[0032] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 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.

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

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

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

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

[0037] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a 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, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0038] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (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 WRTU 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 downlink (e.g., for reception)).

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

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

[0041] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

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

[0043] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0050] When using the 802.11 ac 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 via signaling. 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 in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

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

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

[0053] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11af and 802.11 ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11 af and 802.11 ah relative to those used in 802.11 n, and 802.11 ac. 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, such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0054] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11 n, 802.11 ac, 802.11 af, 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 802.11 ah, 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, the entire available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the frequency bands remains idle and may be available.

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

[0056] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0057] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

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

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

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

[0061] The CN 115 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 each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0062] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 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 PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of 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 machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0063] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 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, providingdownlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernetbased, and the like.

[0064] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 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 downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0065] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 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 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 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 Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

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

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

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

[0069] Reference to a timer herein may refer to a time, a time period, a tracking of time, a tracking of a period of time, a combination thereof, and / or the like. Reference to a timer expiration herein may refer to determining that the time has occurred or that the period of time has expired.

[0070] As described herein, cell selection and re-selection may be enhanced with respect to a hosting network to ensure seamless idle and / or connected mode mobility with minimal (e.g., no) disruptions. A WTRU, upon reception of hosting network selection information (e.g., steering of roaming SNPN selection information for localized services (SOR-SNPN-SI-LS)) via an SoR transparent container, may verify if the location validity information provided by the network or a 3rd party operator of a localized service is correct. The WTRU may discard misconfiguration or may report misconfiguration back to the operator of the localized service (e.g., a mobile network operator (MNO) or a 3rd party service operator). The NAS layer of the WTRU may pass the location validity information to the access stratum layer of the WTRU to ensure that the access stratum layer is aware of the valid list of TACs / NR Cells that provide access to the localized service and to ensure that cell selection and / or reselection is limited to the valid list of TACs / Cells. The WTRU may provide the location validity information (e.g., list of valid TACs / Cells) to a RAN node. This may ensure that the RAN node is aware of the ongoing localized service and does not hand over the WTRU’s session to a location that does not support the ongoing localized service. The WTRU may limit the generation or provisioning of measurement reports to the cells that are part of the location validity information, which may ensure cell selection, reselection, and / or handover does not move the WTRU to a location that may disrupt the ongoing localized service.

[0071] The following abbreviations are used herein:AF Application FunctionEHPLMN Equivalent Home PLMN eHN equivalent Hosting NetworksFPLMN Forbidden PLMN eSNPN equivalent SNPNsGUI Graphical User InterfaceHPLMN Home Public Land Mobile NetworkIE Information ElementMS Mobile StationNG Next GenerationNS Network SlicingNSSAI Network Slice Selection Assistance InformationNSSAA Network Slice-Specific Authentication and AuthorizationNWDAF Network Data Analytics FunctionOPLMN Operator Controlled PLMN (Selector List)PALS Providing Access to Localized ServicesPLMN Public Land Mobile NetworkPNI-NPN Public Network Integrated NPNRA Registration AreaRFSP RAT / Frequency Selection PriorityRPLMN Registered Public Land Mobile NetworkS-NSSAI Single NSSAISIM Subscriber Identity ModuleSoR-SNPN-SI-LS SoR SNPN Selection Information for Localized ServicesTA Tracking AreaTAI TA IdentityUE User EquipmentUICC Universal Integrated Circuit CardUSIM UICC with SIMVPLMN Visited Public Land Mobile Network

[0072] Localized services in a non-public network (NPN) may be provided. These localized services may include services that are provided by the NPN in an area (e.g., only that area), at a certain time (e.g., during one or more specific time periods), or both.

[0073] Localized services in a standalone NPN (SNPN) may be provided. These localized services may include services that are provided by the SNPN in an area (e.g., only that area), at a certain time (e.g., during one or more specific time periods), or both.

[0074] Steering of roaming SNPN selection information for localized services in an SNPN (SOR-SNPN- SI-LS) may be provided, for example, for SNPN selection. The SOR-SNPN-SI-LS may be used by a mobile station (MS) or WTRU to support access to an SNPN that may provide access to localized services. The SOR-SNPN-SI-LS may comprise a credential holder-controlled prioritized list of preferred SNPNs for accessing the localized services via the SNPNs. An entry (e.g., each entry) in the credential holder- controlled prioritized list may comprise one or more of an SNPN identity, validity information that may comprise time validity information and / or location validity information, or location assistance information.

[0075] The SOR-SNPN-SI-LS may comprise a credential holder-controlled prioritized list of preferred group IDs for network selection (GINs) for accessing localized services via one or more SNPNs. An entry (e.g., each entry) in the credential holder-controlled prioritized list may comprise a group ID for network selection (GIN), validity information (e.g., time validity information and / or location validity information), and / or location assistance information.

[0076] The terms WTRU and MS may be used interchangeably herein.

[0077] A WTRU may perform a number of actions associated with the handling of location validity information. The WTRU may (e.g., at 2 of FIG. 2) receive the location validity information (e.g., for a localized service). The location validity information may include a list of cell identifiers, tracking area identifiers, or tracking area codes (TACs) that may indicate one or more valid areas for accessing the localized service. The location validity information may be received in an SoR container (e.g., a message associated with SoR).

[0078] The WTRU may (e.g., at 6 of FIG. 3) provide the location validity information to a RAN node (e.g., a base station) via an RRC layer message. As the location validity information may be provided to the WTRU in an SoR container, this information may be transparent (e.g., unknown) to one or more network nodes (e.g., an AMF, a gNB, etc.), which may pass on the information without checking its content.

[0079] The WTRU NAS layer may (e.g., at 7 of FIG. 3) provide the location validity information (e.g., a list of valid TACs or cell IDs identifying cells such as NR cells) to the WTRU access stratum (AS) layer. The WTRU AS layer may ensure that cell selection or re-selection is restricted to the valid TACs or NR cells. Limiting cell selection and / or re-selection to a valid location may ensure the seamless continuity of ongoing localized services.

[0080] Since the WTRU AS layer may have the location validity information, the WTRU AS layer (e.g., at 8 of FIG. 3) may, while generating measurement reports (e.g., to indicate PCI-Physical Cell ID and / or signal strength) for a cell (e.g., such as a neighboring cell of the WTRU’s present serving cell), ensure that such a cell belongs to the valid TACs / NR cell list. The WTRU may decide not to report measurements (e.g.,may skip measurements) for cells that do not belong to the TACs / NR cell list (e.g., as indicated by the location validity information) to ensure seamless continuity of ongoing localized services.

[0081] The WTRU may perform a number of actions to handle incorrect location validity information. The WTRU (e.g., at 2 of FIG. 2) may verify the correctness of the location validity information per entry of the SNPN selection list(s) that may be included in the location validity information. As described herein, these lists may be provided as part of an SOR-SNPN-SI-LS and may contain location validity information that indicates valid geographical locations, valid tracking area codes, and / or valid cells (e.g., NR cells) for a localized service. Verifying the correctness of the location validity information may include detecting an invalid configuration in the location validity information. For example, the WTRU may detect an invalid configuration when an NR cell list contains cells that belong to the tracking areas that are not part of the valid tracking area code list provided in the location validity information (e.g., the location validity information includes contradicting information between valid NR cells and valid TACs). As another example, the WTRU may detect an invalid configuration when there are encoding issues with the location validity information elements, such as invalid encoding of TACs / Cell IDs, etc. As yet another example, the WTRU may detect an invalid configuration when the WTRU receives an indication that the location validity information is present, but the encoding does not contain a list of TACs or cells (e.g., NR cells). An invalid configuration for the location validity information may be an example of a misconfiguration for the location validity information. An example of a valid configuration for the location validity information may include non-contradicting location validity information, for example, either a list of valid TACs or a list of valid NR cell IDs.

[0082] In an example, if a misconfiguration is detected by the WTRU (e.g., at 3 of FIG. 2), the WTRU may inform the network (e.g., an AMF) via NAS control plane signaling, such as, for example, a UL NAS Transport message comprising a payload container IE set to SoR transparent container, and / or a WTRU status / acknowledgment. The WTRU may include a defined bit, such as, for example, an SOR-SNPN-SI- LS-Misconfiguration bit, and set it to true to let the network (e.g., the AMF) know about the misconfiguration of SNPN selection information for localized services. The network (e.g., AMF), on reception of the UL NAS Transport message with the SOR-SNPN-SI-LS-Misconfiguration bit set to true, may pass the information to a third-party operator that may be providing the localized services via the network (e.g., via an NEF).

[0083] In an example, if a misconfiguration is detected by the WTRU (e.g., at 4 of FIG. 2), the WTRU may decide not to use the location validity information for selecting an SNPN to access localized services (e.g., the WTRU may or may not inform the network about the decision).

[0084] A network device, such as an AMF, may perform a number of actions for handling location validity information. For example, the AMF may receive a registration request (e.g., at 3 of FIG. 3), which may include the identity of a localized service.

[0085] The AMF may determine the identity of a localized service (e.g., at 4 of FIG. 3), including, for example, a set of cells, tracking areas, and / or RAT / Frequency Selection Priority (RFSP) indices that may be related to the locations where the localized service may be available. The AMF may obtain (e.g., receive) the set of cells or tracking areas from a UDM / UDR in response to the AMF sending the identity of the localized service to the UDM / UDR. The AMF may obtain (e.g., receive) the RFSP indices from a PCF in response to the AMF sending the identity of the localized service to the PCF. The AMF may send the set of cells, tracking areas, or RFSP indices to a RAN node (e.g., at 4 of FIG. 3) so that the RAN node may configure the WTRU to prioritize cells where the localized service may be supported.

[0086] A Non-Public Network (NPN) may be provided. An NPN may be a system (e.g., 5GS) deployed for non-public use. An NPN may be a standalone NPN (SNPN), such as one operated by an NPN operator and not relying on network functions provided by a PLMN. An NPN may be a Public Network Integrated NPN (PNI-NPN), such as, for example, a non-public network deployed with the support of a PLMN.

[0087] An NPN may be intended for the use of a private entity, such as an enterprise or a factory. An SNPN may be identified by a combination of PLMN ID and Network Identifier (NID), where the PLMN ID may be, for example, a reserved PLMN ID for private networks (e.g., with Mobile Country Code=999).

[0088] The architecture of an SNPN (e.g., 5G SNPN) may be based on the architecture of other wireless communication systems, such as a 5G system. For example, one or more NG-RANs of the SNPN may be configured to broadcast a combination of PLMN IDs and NIDs. A WTRU operating in an SNPN access mode may read the broadcast system information for available combinations of PLMN IDs and NIDs, and may select an SNPN for which the WTRU has a subscription and / or credentials.

[0089] A Public Network Integrated Non-Public Network (PNI-NPN) may be provided. The PNI-NPN may be a Non-Public Network made available using PLMN infrastructure / resources, such as, for example, a PLMN network slice. A group of PLMN users who are allowed to access a certain PNI-NPN may be referred to as a Closed Access Group (CAG), and the CAG may be identified by a CAG identifier. CAG users may access (e.g., only access) a PNI-NPN from a cell that supports CAG access, which may be referred to as a CAG cell. A CAG cell may broadcast a list of CAG identifiers that it supports. A CAG WTRU may be configured by the network with a list of CAGs that the WTRU may access (e.g., via an Allowed CAG List). When a CAG WTRU detects a CAG cell, it may select and / or access the CAG cell if at least one of the broadcasted CAG identifiers matches a CAG identifier of the WTRU’s Allowed CAG List.

[0090] Networks (e.g., 5G networks) that provide access to localized services may be referred to as PALS networks. In some circumstances, a cellular network may be deployed to provide services to local users within a certain area. For example, a temporary non-public cellular network may be set up to provide a streaming video service to the audience at a live concert or a football match. As another example, in places like airports, shopping malls, and school campuses, where a large crowd may gather, cellular networks may be deployed to provide localized services, such as commercial ads in the shopping malls. The services provided by these networks (e.g., which may be small) have at least two characteristics: the services are localized, e.g., they are related to the activities / events in a certain spot or area and may be associated with users within that area; the users may access the services in an on-demand or temporary fashion rather than regularly.

[0091] System enhancements, such as 5G system enhancements, may provide localized services and enable users to access a hosting network via which the services may be provided. In the description provided herein, localized services may also be referred to as PALS service, and a network that provides PALS services may be referred to as a PALS network, a PALS hosting network, or a hosting network.

[0092] A hosting network for a WTRU and / or a localized service may be a Standalone Non-Public Network (SNPN), a Public Network Integrated Non-Public Network (PNI-NPN), or a PLMN. A local service provider may be an operator of the hosting network or a third-party service provider.

[0093] Selection of a hosting network may be performed, for example, by a WTRU, and the selection process may include the WTRU performing a radio scan to check the availability of SNPNs that provide access to localized services at the WTRU’s current location and trying to register with the selected SNPN (e.g., a hosting network) based on one or more rules.

[0094] A WTRU may (e.g., at switch on or following recovery from lack of coverage) select the SNPN / hosting network that the WTRU last registered to (e.g., if it’s available) using an NG-RAN access technology and may perform a registration procedure with the SNPN / hosting network. If the SNPN / hosting network that the WTRU last registered to is not available, the WTRU may scan one or more RF channels in NR bands, according to its capabilities, to find one or more available SNPNs / hosting networks. On a carrier (e.g., channel), the WTRU may search for a strong cell (e.g., the strongest cell) and read its system information (e.g., to find out which SNPNs / hosting networks the cell belongs to). If there is no last- registered SNPN / hosting network, or if registration is not possible due to the SNPN / hosting network being unavailable, or if a registration fails, the WTRU may follow one or more procedures described herein, depending on its SNPN selection mode (e.g., automatic vs. manual mode of selection).

[0095] As described herein, the WTRU may initially select a network that provides access to localized services. As explained above, the localized service may be available at specific times (e.g., time periods)and / or in specific locations (e.g., tracking areas or cells). Existing procedures do not provide a means for the WTRU to maintain access to the localized services (e.g., when there is an active session accessing the localized services). System enhancements, such as 5G System enhancements, may be provided to ensure the continuity of the service and ensure that cell selection and reselection (e.g., for idle and / or connected mode mobility) do not move the WTRU into a service area / location that does not support the ongoing localized services or that disrupts the ongoing localized services.

[0096] As described herein, system enhancements, such as 5G system enhancements, may be made to the cell selection and / or re-selection aspects of a hosting network to ensure seamless idle and connected mode mobility with no disruptions. The WTRU, upon reception of hosting network selection information (e.g., via SOR-SNPN-SI-LS and / or an SoR transparent container), may verify if location validity information provided by the network or a third party operator is correct. The WTRU may discard a misconfiguration or may report the misconfiguration back to the operator of a localized service (e.g., which may be an MNO or a third party service operator). The NAS layer of the WTRU may pass the location validity information to the access stratum layer to ensure that the access stratum layer is aware of a valid list of TACs / NR Cells providing access to the localized service and / or to ensure that cell selection and reselection is limited to the valid list of TACs / Cells. The WTRU may provide the location validity information (e.g., list of valid TACs / Cells) to an RAN node, for example, to ensure that the RAN node is aware of an ongoing localized service and does not hand over the WTRU’s session to a location that does not support the ongoing localized service. The WTRU may be enhanced to limit the generation and / or provision of measurement reports to the cells that are part of the location validity information, again ensuring that cell reselection and / or handover does not move the WTRU to a location that disrupts the ongoing localized service.

[0097] The reception and verification of location validity information may be provided. FIG. 2 shows an example procedure for the reception and verification of location validity information, which may be part of SNPN selection information for localized services (e.g., received via SOR-SNPN-SI-LS).

[0098] At 0 of FIG. 2, the WTRU may be successfully registered with a network (e.g., 5G network). Both the WTRU and the network may support Steering of Roaming SNPN selection information for localized services in SNPN (SOR-SNPN-SI-LS).

[0099] At 1 of FIG. 2, the network (e.g., 5G network) may provide the SOR-SNPN-SI-LS to the WTRU via NAS control plane signaling. For example, a DL NAS Transport message may be sent to the WTRU, and the DL NAS Transport message may include a payload container containing the SOR-SNPN-SI-LS. The WTRU may replace an existing SOR-SNPN-SI-LS (e.g., the SOR-SNPN-SI-LS of a selected entry of a list of subscriber data, or the SOR-SNPN-SI-LS associated with a selected PLMN subscription) with the received SOR-SNPN-SI-LS. One or more lists (e.g., “credentials holder controlled prioritized list ofpreferred SNPNs for access for localized services in SNPN” and / or "credentials holder controlled prioritized list of preferred GINs for access for localized services in SNPN") may be provided as part of the SOR- SNPN-SI-LS.

[0100] At 2 of FIG. 2, the WTRU may verify the correctness of the location validity information (e.g., per entry of the SNPN selection lists), which may be provided as part of the SOR-SNPN-SI-LS. These lists may include location validity information, such as geographical locations, a list of valid tracking area codes (TACs), and / or a list of valid NR Cells, that may be used to access a localized service. Verifying the correctness of the location validity information may include detecting an invalid configuration in the location validity information. The WTRU may detect an invalid configuration when, for example, an NR Cell list in the location validity information includes cells that belong to tracking areas that are not part of a valid tracking area code list provided by the location validity information (e.g., there is contradicting location information between the NR Cells and valid TACs indicated by the location validity information). The WTRU may detect an invalid configuration when, for example, there are encoding issues with one or more location validity information elements, such as, for example, invalid encoding of TACs / Cell IDs, etc. When referred to herein, encoding issues may include issues encountered by a decoding device (e.g., a WTRU) when the decoding device tries to decode received information (e.g., the decoding does not yield unique information or results, the decoded information overlaps or is inconsistent with other information, etc.). The WTRU may detect an invalid configuration when, for example, the WTRU receives an indicator that location validity information may be present, but the relevant encoded information does not include a list of TACs or NR Cells. An invalid configuration may be an example of a misconfiguration. An example of a valid configuration for the location validity information may be a configuration that includes non-contradicting elements (e.g., either a list of valid TACs or a list of valid NR Cell IDs).

[0101] At 3 of FIG. 2, if a misconfiguration is detected by the WTRU, the WTRU may inform the network (e.g., the AMF) about the misconfiguration via NAS control plane signaling. For example, the WTRU may send an UL NAS Transport message with a payload container IE set to SOR transparent container and / or a WTRU status / acknowledgment. The WTRU may include a newly defined bit, for example, SOR-SNPN-SI- LS-Misconfiguration, in the message and set it to true to let the network (e.g., the AMF) know about the misconfiguration of the SNPN selection information for localized services. The network (e.g., the AMF), on reception of the UL NAS Transport message with the SOR-SNPN-SI-LS-Misconfiguration bit set to true, may pass the information to a 3rd party operator that may be providing the localized services (e.g., via the NEF).

[0102] At 4 of FIG. 2, the WTRU may, upon detection of a misconfiguration of the location validity information (e.g., as part of the SOR-SNPN-SI-LS), choose not to use the location validity information toselect an SNPN for accessing the localized services (e.g., the WTRU may do so without informing the network).

[0103] Handling of the location validity information may be provided. FIG. 2 may show an example procedure for how a WTRU may receive and verify the validity of the location validity information. FIG. 3 may show an example procedure for how the WTRU may handle the location validity information (e.g., which may be provided as part of an SOR-SNPN-SI-LS).

[0104] At 1 of FIG. 3, the WTRU may receive a trigger from an application layer, a user input via a GUI, an AT command, and / or the like to access localized services.

[0105] At 2 of FIG. 3, if the WTRU supports access to an SNPN providing access to localized services, the localized services may be enabled, and the WTRU may have previously received SNPN selection information for the localized services (e.g., via an SOR-SNPN-SI-LS). The WTRU may trigger SNPN selection to ensure that the WTRU is able to find a cell that meets the validity criteria associated with accessing the localized services (e.g., with respect to time and / or location conditions per the provided SOR-SNPN-SI-LS). The WTRU may camp on the cell that meets the validity criteria (e.g., with respect to time and / or location conditions specified in the SOR-SNPN-SI-LS).

[0106] At 3 of FIG. 3, the WTRU may send a registration request message to the network (e.g., an SNPN), indicating that the localized services are enabled by the WTRU and that the WTRU wants to register to access the localized services.

[0107] At 4 of FIG. 3, an AMF of the SNPN, which may be providing localized services, may use the registration request from the WTRU as a trigger to gather information about location validity information (list of valid TACs / NR Cells) associated with the localized services and pass this information to a RAN node to assist in seamless localized service continuity for the WTRU (e.g., for handover and cell reselection in a connected mode, cell selection in an idle mode, etc.). The AMF may not have the location validity information, as the localized services may be provided by a third-party operator. In that case, the AMF may fetch the location validity information from a UDM / UDR (e.g., the information may have been stored in the UDM / UDR by an SoR-AF). The AMF may send a query to the UDM / UDR, and the query may include the identity of a localized service that was provided in the registration request message. The UDM / UDR may reply to the AMF with a message that includes the location validity information associated with the localized service. The AMF may send the location validity information to the RAN node so that the RAN node may adjust the WTRU’s cell selection / reselection priorities to favor cells where the localized service may be available. The RAN node may send the adjusted priorities to the WTRU in an RRC message.

[0108] In an example, the AMF may send a query to a PCF, and the query may include the identity of a localized service that was provided in the registration request message. The PCF may reply to the AMFwith a message that includes the location validity information (or an RFSP Index that may be based on the localized service identity or location validity information). The AMF may send the location validity information (or the RFSP Index) to the RAN node so that the RAN node may adjust the WTRU’s cell selection / reselection priorities to favor cells where the localized service may be available. The RAN node may send the adjusted priorities to the WTRU in an RRC message.

[0109] In an example, the AMF may send the localized service identifier to the RAN node, and if the RAN node has been pre-configured with the identities of the cells where the localized service is available, the RAN node may use the localized service identifier to determine how to configure the WTRU’s cell selection / reselection priorities.

[0110] The AMF may send the location validity information to the WTRU (e.g., in an SoR container). The AMF may obtain the location validity information from other network nodes or functions (e.g., from a UDM or from an SoR-AF) and send it to the RAN node (e.g., as the contents of the SoR container sent to the WTRU by the AMF may be transparent to the AMF and may not be available to the AMF to share with the RAN node).

[0111] At 5 of FIG. 3, the AMF may respond to the WTRU with a registration accept message, and the AMF may include the location validity information (e.g., valid list of TACs / NR cells as part of a tracking area identity (TAI) list) in the registration accept message to ensure that the WTRU does not perform WTRU mobility registration updates while the WTRU moves within the valid TACs. It should be noted here that there may not be a problem if the WTRU performs a WTRU mobility registration update while moving within the valid TACs, but refraining from doing so may reduce or minimize the amount of signaling that the WTRU originates.

[0112] In an example, the WTRU may provide the location validity information to the RAN node via an RRC message at 6 of FIG. 3 (e.g., the operations shown at 6 may be performed instead of those at 4). The WTRU may send such information to the RAN node so that the RAN node may adjust the WTRU’s cell selection / reselection priorities to favor cells where the localized service is available. The RAN node may send the adjusted priorities to the WTRU in an RRC message.

[0113] At 7 of FIG. 3, the WTRU may (e.g., via an NAS layer) provide the location validity information, including, for example, a list of valid TACs or NR Cell IDs, to the WTRU’s access stratum (AS) layer. The WTRU AS layer may ensure that cell selection or re-selection is restricted to the TACs or NR cells where the localized service may be available (e.g., the TACs or NR cells may correspond to valid locations for the localized service). Limiting cell selection and re-selection to those valid locations may ensure the seamless continuity of ongoing localized services.

[0114] At 8 of FIG. 3, as the WTRU AS layer may have the location validity information, the WTRU, while performing measurement reporting for a cell (e.g., a neighboring cell), such as, e.g., when determining the PCI-Physical Cell ID or the signal strength of the cell, may ensure that the cell belongs to the valid TACs / NR Cell list, and the WTRU may decide not to perform or report measurements for cells that do not belong to valid TACs / NR cells indicated by the location validity information (e.g., to ensure seamless continuity of the ongoing localized services).

[0115] In examples, the WTRU described herein may comprise a processor configured to perform one or more of the following operations. The WTRU may receive a first message from a first network node. The first message may indicate location validity information for a service. The WTRU may send a second message to a second network node. The second message may indicate the location validity information for the service. The WTRU may determine a valid cell using the location validity information for the service. The WTRU may generate a measurement report associated with the valid cell and may send a third message to the second network node. The third message may indicate the measurement report for the valid cell. In an example, the location validity information may comprise at least one of a list of one or more cell identifiers or a list of one or more tracking area identifiers. In an example, the first message may be received in a steering of roaming (SoR) container. In an example, the second message may be a radio resource control (RRC) message. In an example, the second message may be sent using a steering of roaming (SoR) container. In an example, the WTRU may be configured to determine the valid cell using the location validity information for the service by determining a valid identifier for a cell, wherein the valid identifier may be at least one of a tracking area code or a cell identifier. The cell identified by the valid identifier may be used to perform a cell selection or a cell reselection procedure.

[0116] In examples, the WTRU described herein may comprise a processor configured to perform one or more of the following operations. The WTRU may determine that the received location validation information is invalid based on a standalone non-public network (SNPN) selection list. The WTRU may send a message to a network node to indicate that the location validation information is invalid. The location validation information may comprise at least one of a geographical location, one or more tracking area codes (TACs), or one or more cell identifiers (IDs), and the location validation information may be determined to be invalid in response to detecting an invalid configuration associated with the cell. In an example, the WTRU determining that the location validation information is invalid for the cell may comprise the WTRU determining that the cell belongs to a tracking area that is associated with an invalid tracking area code. In an example, the WTRU determining that the location validation information is invalid for the cell may comprise the WTRU determining that the cell belongs to a tracking area that is not associated with the location validation information. In an example, the message sent by the WTRU to the network nodemay be an uplink (UL) non-access stratum (NAS) transport message. In an example, such a message may comprise at least one of a steering of roaming (SoR) container, a WTRU status indication, or an acknowledgment.

[0117] In examples, a first network node may comprise a processor configured to perform one or more of the following operations. The first network node may receive a registration request, which may indicate an identity of a service. The first network node may determine localized service information using the identity of the service. The first network node may send a message to a second network node, and the message may indicate the localized service information. In an example, the localized service information may comprise at least one of a set of cells, a tracking area, or a radio access technology (RAT) frequency selection priority (RFSP) index. In an example, the first network node determining localized service information using the identity of the service may comprise the first network node receiving a response message from a third network node, which may indicate at least one of a set of cells, a tracking area, or a radio access technology (RAT) frequency selection priority (RFSP) index. In an example, the third network node may provide at least one of a unified data management (UDM) function, a unified data repository (UDR) function, or an access management function (AMF).

[0118] Although the features and elements described above are described in particular combinations, each feature or element may be used alone without the other features and elements of the preferred embodiments, or in various combinations with or without other features and elements.

[0119] The processor then utilizes the location validity information for the service to determine a valid cell. Post this determination, the processor generates a measurement report that is associated with the valid cell. The final task of the processor may be to send a third message to the second network node. This third message is designed to indicate the measurement report for the valid cell. Although the implementations described herein may consider 3GPP specific protocols, it is understood that the implementations described herein are not restricted to this scenario and may be applicable to other wireless systems. For example, although the solutions described herein consider LTE, LTE-A, New Radio (NR), or 5G specific protocols, it is understood that the solutions described herein are not restricted to this scenario and are applicable to other wireless systems as well.

[0120] The processes described above may be implemented in a computer program, software, and / or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer and / or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, electronic signals (transmitted over wired and / or wireless connections) and / or 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, butnot limited to, internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and / or optical media such as compact disc (CD)-ROM disks, and / or digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, terminal, base station, RNC, and / or any host computer.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is Claimed:

1. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the WTRU comprising: a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, from a first network node, validity information associated with a service, wherein the validity information indicates one or more valid areas for accessing the service; determine, based at least on the validity information and information about a wireless communication cell, whether the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell; and based at least on a determination that the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell: perform a measurement associated with the wireless communication cell; and transmit a message to a second network node, wherein the message indicates a result of the measurement.

2. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the measurement is associated with a cell selection or reselection.

3. The WTRU of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the validity information further indicates one or more valid time periods for accessing the service and wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell further based on the one or more valid time periods.

4. The WTRU of any of claims 1-3, wherein the validity information includes one or more tracking area identifiers or cell identifiers that indicate the one or more valid areas for accessing the service.

5. The WTRU of any of claims 1-4, wherein the information about the wireless communication cell used by the WTRU to determine whether the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell includes a tracking area identifier or a cell identifier of the wireless communication cell.

6. The WTRU of any of claims 1-5, wherein the processor being configured to receive the validity information associated with the service comprises the processor being configured to verify correctness of the validity information against a list of pre-configured networks or cells.

7. The WTRU of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the validity information is incorrect if the validity information indicates a network or a cell that is not on the list of pre-configured networks or cells.

8. The WTRU of any of claims 1-7, wherein the first network node includes an access and mobility function of a wireless communication network, and wherein the second network node includes a base station of the wireless communication network.

9. The WTRU of claim 8, wherein the wireless communication network is a non-public network.

10. The WTRU of any of claims 1 -9, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the validity information associated with the service to the second network node.11 . The WTRU of any of claims 1-10, wherein the wireless communication cell is a neighboring cell of a present serving cell of the WTRU.

12. The WTRU of any of claims 1-11 , wherein the processor is configured to receive the validity information via a message associated with steering-of roaming.

13. The WTRU of any of claims 1-12, wherein, in response to determining that the WTRU cannot access the service via the wireless communication cell, the processor is configured to skip measuring the wireless communication cell.

14. A method implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: receiving, from a first network node, validity information associated with a service, wherein the validity information indicates one or more valid areas for accessing the service; determining, based at least on the validity information and information about a wireless communication cell, whether the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell; and in response to determining that the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell: performing a measurement associated with the wireless communication cell; and transmitting a message to a second network node, wherein the message indicates a result of the measurement.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the measurement is associated with a cell selection or reselection.

16. The method of claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the validity information further indicates one or more valid time periods for accessing the service, and wherein the determination of whether the WTRU can access the service via the wireless communication cell is made further based on the one or more valid time periods.

17. The method of any of claims 14-16, wherein the validity information includes one or more tracking area identifiers or cell identifiers that indicate the one or more valid areas for accessing the service.

18. The method of any of claims 14-17, wherein receiving the validity information associated with the service comprises verifying correctness of the validity information against a list of pre-configured networks or cells.

19. The method of any of claims 14-18, further comprising sending the validity information associated with the service to the second network node.

20. The method of any of claims 14-19, wherein the wireless communication cell is a neighboring cell of a present serving cell of the WTRU.

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