Methods and apparatuses for dualsteer devices with a single UE using session and registration management

Abstract

Procedures, methods, architectures, apparatuses, systems, devices, and computer program products are provided for session registration management for DualSteer devices with single user equipment. Methods implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) involve initiating first and second DualSteer services while in a single user equipment DualSteer (SUEED) mode. It is determined that the first DualSteer service requires a first protocol data unit (PDU) session over a first access network, and the second DualSteer service requires a second PDU session over a second access network. The first and second PDU sessions are established with the first and second access networks, respectively. Conflicts between services over the first access network and the second access network are resolved.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR DUALSTEER DEVICES WITH A SINGLE UE USING SESSION AND REGISTRATION MANAGEMENTCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 574,740, filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 4, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure is generally directed to the fields of communications, software and encoding, including, for example, to methods, architectures, apparatuses, systems related to session management and registration management for DualSteer devices having single user equipment (UE).BACKGROUND

[0003] The evolution of cellular networks has driven the integration of diverse access technologies, exemplified by introduction of Access Traffic Steering, Switching and Splitting (ATSSS) and Dual Connectivity. While these advancements facilitate traffic distribution and parallel service delivery across networks, they also expose subtle complexities in dynamic resource management.SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for managing DualSteer functionality within single User Equipment (UE) devices. Specifically, solutions are proposed to address operational challenges arising from DualSteer implementation. For example, a procedure is provided for the UE to dynamically select its operational mode, distinguishing between normal, Single UE Dual Steer Device, and Dual UE Dual Steer Device configurations.

[0005] In certain representative embodiments, methods and systems are provided for session and registration management for Dual Steer devices with a single UE. The methods and systems may include a device initiating a first Dual Steer service while in a single user equipment Dual Steer (SUEED) mode and determining that the first Dual Steer service requires a first protocol data unit (PDU) session over a first access network. The device establishes the first PDU session with the first access network. The device initiates a second DualSteer service and determines that the second Dual Steer service requires a second PDU session over a second access network. The device establishes the second PDU session with the second access network, and resolves conflicts between services over the first access network and the second access network.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] A more detailed understanding may be had from the detailed description below, given by way of example in conjunction with drawings appended hereto. Figures in such drawings, like the detailed description, are examples. As such, the Figures (FIGs.) and the detailed description are not to be considered limiting, and other equally effective examples are possible and likely. Furthermore, like reference numerals ("ref.") in the FIGs. indicate like elements, and wherein:

[0007] FIG. 1 A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system;

[0008] FIG. IB is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1 A;

[0009] 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;

[0010] FIG. ID 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. 1 A;

[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates how exemplary downlink (DL) Service Data Flows (SDFs) may travel over a network and may be transmitted over a data radio bearer, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a problem when a service of a DualSteer device is switched, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates an example architecture of a single UE Dual Steer device (SUEDD) , in accordance with some embodiments;

[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of steps for establishing communication using a DualSteer mode of operation for a SUEDD, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0015] FIGs. 6A-6B illustrate exemplary call flows for a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) having no existing protocol data unit (PDU) sessions over any access network and determining use of an access network, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0016] FIGs. 7A-7B illustrate exemplary call flows for a WTRU having existing services on PDU sessions that are using one or another access network and determining one of the access networks from among the one or the other access network, in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates a method for session management and registration for DualSteer devices having a single UE, in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments and / or examples disclosed herein. However, it will be understood that such embodiments and examples may be practiced without some or all of the specific details set forth herein. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and circuits have not been described in detail, so as not to obscure the following description. Further, embodiments and examples not specifically described herein may be practiced in lieu of, or in combination with, the embodiments and other examples described, disclosed or otherwise provided explicitly, implicitly and / or inherently (collectively "provided") herein. Although various embodiments are described and / or claimed herein in which an apparatus, system, device, etc. and / or any element thereof carries out an operation, process, algorithm, function, etc. and / or any portion thereof, it is to be understood that any embodiments described and / or claimed herein assume that any apparatus, system, device, etc. and / or any element thereof is configured to carry out any operation, process, algorithm, function, etc. and / or any portion thereof.

[0019] Example Communications System

[0020] The methods, apparatuses and systems provided herein are well-suited for communications involving both wired and wireless networks. An overview of various types of wireless devices and infrastructure is provided with respect to FIGs. 1A-1D, where various elements of the network may utilize, perform, be arranged in accordance with and / or be adapted and / or configured for the methods, apparatuses and systems provided herein.

[0021] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), singlecarrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail (ZT) unique-word (UW) discreet Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block- filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0022] 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 / 113, a core network (CN) 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 (or be) 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.

[0023] 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, e.g., to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or the networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be any of a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B (NB), an eNode-B (eNB), a Home Node-B (HNB), a Home eNode-B (HeNB), a gNode-B (gNB), a NR Node-B (NR NB), a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0024] 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 an 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 or any sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0025] 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).

[0026] 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 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 Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0027] 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).

[0028] 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).

[0029] 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).

[0030] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 IX, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), InterimStandard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0031] 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 an 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 an 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 any of a small cell, picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1 A, 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.

[0032] 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. 1 A, 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, which may be utilizing an NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing any of a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or Wi-Fi radio technology.

[0033] 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 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 / 114 or a different RAT.

[0034] 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.

[0035] FIG. IB is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. IB, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / mi crophone 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 elements / 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.

[0036] 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. IB 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, e.g., in an electronic package or chip.

[0037] 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 an 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 an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive bothRF 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.

[0038] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. IB as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. For example, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in an 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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), readonly 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).

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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 receivedfrom 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.

[0043] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other elements / peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules / units that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the elements / peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (e.g., 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 elements / 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.

[0044] 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 uplink (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 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 uplink (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0045] 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, and 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0046] 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 an embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, forexample, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0047] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 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 uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL), and the like. As shown in FIG. 1C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0048] 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 each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any one of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0049] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c in the RAN 104 via an SI 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.

[0050] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the SI 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.

[0051] 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.

[0052] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0053] Although the WTRU is described in FIGs. 1A-1D 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.

[0054] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0055] 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 into 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 802.1 le DLS or an 802.1 Iz 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.

[0056] When using the 802.1 lac 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.

[0057] 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 nonadj acent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0058] Very high throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combiningcontiguous 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 a medium access control (MAC) layer, entity, etc.

[0059] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11af and 802.1 lah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.1 laf and 802.1 lah relative to those used in802.1 In, and 802.1 lac. 802.1 laf supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV white space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.1 lah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment,802.1 lah 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).

[0060] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as802.1 In, 802.1 lac, 802.1 laf, and 802.1 lah, 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 802.1 lah, 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.

[0061] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.1 lah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0062] FIG. ID 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.

[0063] 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 an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 180b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. 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).

[0064] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, 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., including a varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0065] 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-standaloneconfiguration 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.

[0066] 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 functions (UPFs) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards access and mobility management functions (AMFs) 182a, 182b, and the like. As shown in FIG. ID, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0067] The CN 115 shown in FIG. ID may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one session management function (SMF) 183 a, 183b, and at least one 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.

[0068] 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 protocol data unit (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, e.g., 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 / 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.

[0069] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an Nl 1 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, providing downlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0070] 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, e.g., 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 multihomed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0071] 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 an 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.

[0072] In view of FIGs. 1 A-1D, and the corresponding description of FIGs. 1 A-1D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to any of WTRUs 102a-d, base stations 114a- b, eNode-Bs 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNBs 180a-c, AMFs 182a-b, UPFs 184a- b, SMFs 183a-b, DNs 185a-b, and / or any other element(s) / device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation elements / 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.

[0073] 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 orderto 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] Overview

[0076] Session and Mobility Management

[0077] A WTRU 102 may provide management information (e.g., both its Session Management (SM) and Mobility Management (MM) capability) to the core network (e.g., CN 106 / 115). For example, the WTRU 102 may send its MM Core Network Capability information to the Access and Mobility management Function (AMF) during the Initial Registration procedure and Mobility Registration Update procedure (e.g., within a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message). The WTRU 102 may similarly include its 5GSM Core Network Capability in PDU Session Establishment and / or Modification Requests. These latter messages may include the WTRU 102’s Access Traffic Steering, Switching and Splitting (ATSSS) capabilities. In some embodiments, the WTRU 102 may be required to perform registration to the network if it wants access to services requiring registration.

[0078] In certain representative embodiments, to perform registration to a network, the WTRU 102 may be configured to perform one or more of the following steps: (1) Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) selection or Standalone Non-Public Network (SNPN) selection, (2) Cell selection / reselection, or (3) Registration. PLMN selection or SNPN selection may be a procedure by which the WTRU 102 selects a mobile network. This network may be a public network or a non-public network. The WTRU 102 may follow one or more rules to determine how to select from the available networks at a given location, and to determine when to look for higher priority networks. Cell selection / reselection may be a procedure by which the WTRU 102 “camps” on acell. Registration may be a procedure that informs the network about the WTRU 102 presence and provides some coarse location information.

[0079] Splitting Traffic Across Two Access Legs

[0080] In some representative embodiments, WTRUs 102 may support Carrier Aggregation (CA). Carrier aggregation may be provided over a single access (for example, New Radio (NR) or Long Term Evolution (LTE)) but allows the WTRUs 102 to receive over two or more cells. The cells may each be on a different frequency carrier. The use of two cells may be managed (e.g., entirely) in the Radio Access Networks (RAN).

[0081] In some representative embodiments, WTRUs 102 may also support Dual Connectivity (DC). DC may allow a WTRU 102 to receive and / or transmit over two accesses (e.g., 3GPP accesses or 3GPP access legs). The accesses may be NR (gNB) or LTE (eNB). In some cases (e.g., initial deployments of 5G), one leg may be over LTE and a second leg may be over NR. In other cases (e.g., current deployments of DC) the two legs may be over NR. In these other cases, the two legs may be on different bands (e.g., FR1 and FR2). When employing DC, a UE may access the Radio Frequency (RF) front end to support both accesses. In dual connectivity, one leg may be the master leg (and, e.g., part of a Master Cell Group (MCG)), and the other leg may be the secondary leg (and, e.g., part of a Secondary Cell Group (SCG)).

[0082] In some representative embodiments, WTRUs 102 may also support communication over satellite links (e.g., 3GPP release 17). This allows a WTRU 102 to receive and / or transmit over transparent satellite and / or repeater links (e.g., with satellite and / or repeater in different orbits: GEO, MEO, LEO, HAPS). WTRUs 102 may require the RF front end to communicate over the transparent satellite / repeater.

[0083] In some representative embodiments, WTRUs 102 may support various combinations of dual connectivity and carrier aggregation. A WTRU 102 may have dual connectivity over two access legs (e.g., 3GPP access legs), and each of these legs can use carrier aggregation. The set of cells on one access leg may be referred to as a cell group. The WTRU 102 may also have dual connectivity with one leg or both legs over transparent satellite and / or repeater links. For example, one or more of the following scenarios may be supported: (1) Legl : NR and Leg2: GEO satellite, (2) Legl : NR and Leg2: LEO / MEO satellite, and (3) Legl : GEO and Leg2: LEO / MEO satellite.

[0084] In some representative embodiments, WTRUs 102 with DC may allow operation over two access legs (e.g., 3GPP access legs). DC may have some limitations. In DC, a WTRU 102 may be configured with how a data radio bearer (DRB) is mapped over the two access legs. For example, the WTRU 102 may be configured with one or more of the following bearers: (1) MCG bearer: traffic from data bearer goes over master leg, (2) SCG bearer: traffic from data bearer goesover the secondary leg, and (3) Split bearer: traffic from data bearer is split between a first (e.g., master) leg and a second (e.g., secondary) leg. In the split bearer, all processing above Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may be in the first leg and all processing below Packet Data Convergence Layer (PDCP) layer may be in the first leg or in second leg.

[0085] FIG. 2 illustrates how exemplary downlink (DL) Service Data Flows (SDFs) may travel over a (e.g., 5G) network and may be transmitted over a data radio bearer. As shown in FIG. 2, at the ingress point (e.g., User Plane Function (UPF)), SDFs may be mapped to QoS Flows 201. Traffic over these QoS flows may arrive at the RAN nodes, where it may be mapped to DRBs 203, and transmitted over the radio interface. The SDF may be mapped to a single QoS flow and a QoS flow may be mapped to a single DRB (e.g., 3GPP Release 17). A DRB may be sent over a single leg, or it may be split across multiple (e.g., two) legs. As a result, different SDFs may rely on DC, and may be transmitted over different accesses (e.g., 3GPP accesses), but a single SDF in a DRB may not be split and / or switched and / or steered and / or duplicated over two different accesses.

[0086] In some embodiments, the choice of access leg is made by the PDCP layer and may be mostly based on the estimated data volume (e.g., how much data the WTRU 102 transmits). This measure may reflect all traffic in the DRB. In this scenario, there is no mechanism to control the choice of access leg at the granularity of an SDF and there may not be a mechanism to use a different metric to make this choice.

[0087] In certain representative embodiments, traffic steering and / or switching between two access networks (e.g., 3 GPP two access networks) connected to the same or different mobile networks is allowed. The access networks may be the same RAT, different RATs, terrestrial NR plus NR, NR plus E-UTRA, a mix of terrestrial and non-terrestrial NR, as well as dual nonterrestrial NR access. Similarly, the mobile networks may be the same home PLMN (HPLMN), the same visited PLMN (VPLMN), different PLMNs, or PLMN + Public Network Integrated-Non- Public Network (PNI-NPN). In some embodiments, a subscriber of a Dual Steer Device has two subscriptions and / or SUPIs, sharing one subscription profile from the same operator.

[0088] In certain representative embodiments, the DualSteer steering and switching functionality can be performed with Dual Steer Devices. Two types of Dual Steer devices are as follows:(1) DualSteer Device type 1 : A single UE that supports non-simultaneous data transmission over two networks. Such device type does not support simultaneous data transmission over two networks. Hereinafter, this device type will also be referred to as a Single UE DualSteer Device (SUEDD); and(2) Dual Steer Device type 2: Two separate UEs that support simultaneous data transmission over the two networks. Hereinafter, this device type will also be referred to as a Dual UE Dual Steer Device (DUEDD).

[0089] In certain representative embodiments, for any service, at any given time, the Dual Steer Device may transmit all traffic of that service using only a single access network (e.g., a single 3GPP access network).

[0090] MUSIM Operation

[0091] In certain representative embodiments, a WTRU 102 may have multiple universal subscriber identity modules (MUSIMs) that are in operation at the same time, where each USIM allows the UE to obtain service from a different mobile network. One use case for MUSIM devices is for professionals who have a business number and a separate personal number. Instead of carrying two phones, these professionals could use a single phone with two USIM cards.

[0092] In certain representative embodiments, the terminal behavior with respect to the simultaneous handling of multiple USIMs may depend on the WTRU 102 capabilities (e.g., WTRU with single Rx and single Tx versus WTRU with dual Rx and single Tx versus WTRU with dual Rx and dual Tx), wherein dual Rx allows a MUSIM WTRU to simultaneously receive traffic from two networks, single Rx allows a MUSIM WTRU to receive traffic from one network at one time, and single Tx allows a MUSIM WTRU to transmit traffic to one network at one time. In certain representative embodiments, two USIMs run independently of each other. Each USIM may require that the WTRU have a dedicated Non-Access Stratum and Access Stratum protocol stacks. However, depending on the capabilities of the WTRU, some coordination may be performed to allow the WTRU to obtain service to both mobile networks. In certain representative embodiments, this coordination may not rely on mobile network interactions. In such a case, the WTRU may act like a mediator between the two mobile networks. Herein, we refer to subscriptions to two network operators through a MUSIM device as a “dual subscription” and we refer to each distinct subscription to a network operator, not involving a MUSIM device, as a “single subscription.”

[0093] In view of the foregoing, ATSSS functionality allows a WTRU to split and / or steer and / or switch and / or duplicate traffic of a Service Data Flow over two networks (e.g., both 3GPP access and non3GPP access). Dual Connectivity may allow a WTRU to have a first SDF over one access (e.g., a 3GPP access) and a second SDF flow over a second access (e.g., a 3GPP access), but this may not allow splitting and / or steering and / or switching and / or duplication traffic of one of these SDFs. The accesses supported for Dual Connectivity may be terrestrial and non-terrestrial, and these accesses may be over PLMNs and SNPNs.

[0094] Flexibility to allow steering and / or switching of traffic of an SDF over two accesses (e.g., including non-terrestrial 3GPP and SNPN) is provided. Registration Management and Session Management procedures do not support a SUEDD that has the requirement that for any service, at any given time, the DualSteer Device shall transmit all traffic of that service using only a single access network. Because the services of a DualSteer device can be independently steered and switched, an issue may occur when the switching and steering rules point services to different access networks.

[0095] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a problem when a service of a DualSteer device is switched. At time T1 301, the DualSteer device has three DualSteer services active (e.g., SI, S2, S3), and all these services are either steered or switched to RAN node 1. At time T2 303, the DualSteer layer in the device determines that service SI is to be switched to RAN node 2, and that the device is to establish a new PDU session for this service. However, in this example, services S2 and S3 should stay in RAN Node 1. The DualSteer device is configured for control and / or operation in such scenarios.

[0096] Terminology

[0097] In the following description, the term “PLMN” is used to refer to a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), or a Non-Public Network (NPN), or more generally any network infrastructure that manages one or more access nodes and UEs. The access nodes provide connectivity to the devices through some wireless or wired mechanism.

[0098] As used herein, the term “HPLMN” is used to refer to a home mobile network for a WTRU. The HPLMN maintains the subscription information for the WTRU. In a home routed mobility scenario, the user plane traffic is transferred from the VPLMN to the HPLMN.

[0099] As used herein, the term “VPLMN” is used to refer to a visited mobile network for a WTRU. When roaming, a device obtains service from a VPLMN. In a local breakout mobility scenario, user plane traffic is transferred to the data network from the VPLMN.

[0100] The description herein may assume that service traffic is either steered to an access network or switched between two access networks (e.g., in line with 3GPP Release 19). It should be understood that the mechanisms described may also apply to service traffic that is split between two access networks or duplicated between two access networks.

[0101] As used herein, the term “Normal mode” is used to refer to a mode of operation, where a device uses only one access network. The device has only one wireless protocol stack instantiated and all traffic over the wireless network goes through this protocol stack.

[0102] As used herein, the term “DualSteer mode” is used to refer to a mode of operation, where a device uses both access networks. The device has two wireless protocol stacks instantiated and traffic is steered to one access network or switched between two access networks. The DualSteer mode may be run over single UE (SUEDD) or over two UEs (DUEDD). There may be a penalty to using the DualSteer mode (e.g., in terms of processing, memory usage, and / or power consumption).

[0103] As used herein, the term “Wireless Protocol stack” is used to refer to the control plane and user plane protocol stacks used by the wireless network. For example, for NR, this includes the NAS and radio resource control (RRC) control plane layers, and the SDAP, PDCP user plane layers, as well as the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers.

[0104] As used herein, the term “device may be preconfigured” is used to refer to behavior or rules that are known to the device and are followed by the device. For example, a device may follow some behavior to be compliant to a standard (e.g., 3 GPP).

[0105] As used herein, the term “transfer PDU session to an access network” is used to refer to the procedure to transfer a PDU Session from one access network to another access network. This may be achieved by a handover-like mechanism. Alternatively, this may be accomplished by releasing the PDU session over the first access network and establishing the PDU session over the second access network.

[0106] As used herein, the MAR handling is used to denote the functionality in the device to handle steering, switching, splitting, and duplicating of UL traffic. The MAR handling functionality is also present in the UPF to handle steering, switching, splitting, and duplicating of DL traffic.

[0107] It will be understood that the terms “Dual Steer device” and “Dual Steer WTRU” are used interchangeably herein, and include SUEDD and DUEDD device types. Additionally, the terms “DualSteer device” and “DualSteer WTRU” are also referred to herein more generally as a “WTRU.”

[0108] In accordance with certain representative embodiments, the following solutions are disclosed to handle DualSteer WTRUs 102 (e.g., SUEDDs and DUEDDs): (1) procedure for the WTRU 102 to select a mode of operation (e.g., normal, Single UE DualSteer Device, or Dual UE DualSteer Device); (2) procedure to determine when to register to the second access network; (3) procedure, if the WTRU 102 already has a PDU session on a first access network, to establish a PDU session for a new service that is steered to a second access network; and / or (4) procedure, if the WTRU 102 already has multiple services using a first access network, to deal with aninconsistent access network issue that may occur when a new service is steered to a second access network, and / or an existing service is switched to a second access network. One or more of the proposed solutions may allow, for example, a WTRU 102 with a single UE and multiple services, to steer new services to an access network and to switch a service from one access network to another access network, and to resolve inconsistent access network issues.

[0109] In accordance with certain representative embodiments, a Dual Steer WTRU 102 receives a first set of rules, a second set of rules, and a third set of rules. The first set of rules may be used by the WTRU 102 to determine whether to use one of a normal mode, SUEDD mode, or a DUEDD mode. The second set of rules may be used by the WTRU 102 to determine whether to register over both access networks. The third set of rules may be used by the WTRU 102 to select the type of DualSteer PDU session. The WTRU 102 may determine, based on the first set of rules, to operate in a SUEDD mode and may determine, based on the second set of rules, to register over two access networks. The WTRU 102 may initiate (e.g., start) a first DualSteer service and determine, based on the third set of rules, that the first Dual Steer service uses (e.g., requires) a first protocol data unity (PDU) session over a first access network of the two access networks. The WTRU 102 may establish the first PDU session with the first access network. The WTRU 102 may initiate (e.g., start) a second DualSteer service and determine, based on the third set of rules, that the second Dual Steer service uses (e.g., requires) a second PDU session over a second access network of the two access networks. The WTRU 102 may establish the second PDU session with the second access network. The WTRU 102 may resolve conflicts between services over the first access network and the second access network, as described in more detail below.

[0110] In accordance with certain representative embodiments, the WTRU 102 may resolve a conflict by selecting the access network which has the higher priority data and releasing and / or pausing and / or suspending the PDU session on the other access network. The WTRU 102 may notify an application on the device about an unavailability of the PDU session of the lower priority access network. In accordance with certain representative embodiments, the WTRU 102 may resolve a conflict by transmitting the two PDU sessions based on a schedule (e.g., where the device alternates between the first access network and second access network). In one example, the WTRU receives information about how to resolve conflicts over at least one of the first PDU session or the second PDU session.

[0111] DualSteer Device Architecture and Overall Operation

[0112] As described above, a Dual Steer WTRU 102 may be one of the following two types:(1) DualSteer Device type 1 : A single UE that supports non-simultaneous data transmission over two networks. Such device type does not support simultaneous datatransmission over two networks. This device type will also be referred to as a Single UE Dual Steer Device (SUEDD); and(2) Dual Steer Device type 2: Two separate UEs that support simultaneous data transmission over the two networks. This device type will also be referred to as a Dual UE Dual Steer Device (DUEDD).

[0113] FIG. 4 illustrates an example architecture of a SUEDD (DualSteer Device type 1). As shown, the WTRU 102 device has two universal integrated circuit cards (UICCs). Each UICC may have a USIM that handles one of the device’s subscriptions. Each UICC may interface with a single Mobile Termination (MT). The MT may be responsible for providing one or more functionalities, such as radio transmission / reception, baseband signal processing, access to UICC, wireless protocol stack (e.g., for control plane (CP) and user plane (UP)), or the like. In a SUEDD, the MT may instantiate up to two wireless protocol stacks. Each wireless protocol stack may interface with a single UICC. In addition, the device may also have a Terminal Equipment (TE). The TE may host logic connected to the MT, and that offers services to the user. The TE may not contain any functions specific to the wireless network. In between the TE and the MT is an Intermediate Later (IL), which may have, among other things, logic related to one or more of:(1) higher layer protocol stacks (such as UDP and / or TCP and / or IP);(2) multi-access steering decisions to select between one or more multiple accesses in the MTs (examples include ATSSS and DualSteer, and this logic will be referred to hereinafter as a Multi-Access Rule (MAR) handling);(3) route selection decisions, so that the device may determine how to transmit a specific service running in the TE (an example may be a user equipment route selection policy (URSP) and this logic will be referred to hereinafter as a URSP handling); and(4) Inter-wireless protocol stack communication, which may allow one wireless protocol stack to communicate and exchange information with the other wireless protocol stack (e.g., this may allow the NAS of one wireless protocol stack to tell the NAS of the other wireless protocol stack to start a PDU session). This logic will be referred to hereinafter as an Inter-wireless protocol stack (IWPS) handling.

[0114] Although shown as a separate block in FIG. 4, the functionality of the IL may be split between the TE and MT.

[0115] In a WTRU 102 device, the MT, IL, and TE may be enclosed in the same physical entity. However, the MT and TE functions may be performed by distinct processors. An application processor may serve as a TE, while a baseband processor may serve as a MT, and communication between both may take place over a bus using ATtention (AT) commands.

[0116] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow chart of steps for establishing communication using a DualSteer mode of operation for a SUEDD. The DualSteer mode allows a WTRU 102 to control how to steer and / or switch a specific service data flow (SDF) between two (e.g., 3GPP) access networks (referred to as AN1 and AN2).

[0117] In a first step 501, a WTRU 102 makes a mode selection (Normal Mode vs. SUEDD mode vs. DUEDD mode). The WTRU 102 may make the mode selection based on a first set of rules (e.g., set by a network and / or preconfigured). In certain representative embodiments, the set of rules may be a prioritized list.

[0118] In a second step 503, if SUEDD is selected, the WTRU 102 may determine to register to one access network or over both access networks. The WTRU 102 may make the mode selection based on a second set of rules (e.g., set by a network and / or preconfigured). In certain representative embodiments, the set of rules may be a prioritized list.

[0119] In a third step 505, when a new service is started, the WTRU 102 may establish a new PDU session and / or modify an existing PDU session.

[0120] In a fourth step 507 (e.g., once the PDU session is established), the WTRU 102 may steer and / or switch services according to the Multi-Access Rules (MAR). This step may result in an inconsistent access network issue. Solutions for resolving the inconsistent access network issue are described in detail further below.

[0121] Mode Selection: Normal Mode vs. SUEDD Mode vs. DUEDD Mode

[0122] In certain representative embodiments, a DualSteer device supports both DualSteer device types (e.g., Single UE and Dual UE). For example, the device is configured to select a mode for use.

[0123] In certain representative embodiments, a device, e.g., a WTRU 102, with dual UEs (UE1 and UE2), may support both DualSteer device types (e.g., SUEDD and DUEDD). For example, a Dual UE device may de-activate and / or shut-down its second UE (UE2). In order to use DualSteer, this device may use UE1 and behave like a SUEDD. As another example, a dual UE device may have its second UE (UE2) reserved for some specific applications, and / or reserved for non DualSteer applications. The WTRU 102 may use UE1 and behave like a SUEDD, for example.

[0124] In addition, for example, a WTRU 102 may be configured to determine whether to use normal mode or Dual Steer mode. For example, a WTRU 102 may access a single access network for its services. In such a case, the WTRU 102 may determine to use a normal mode.

[0125] In order to choose the mode, the WTRU 102 may be configured by the network and / or pre-configured with rules and / or policies to help it determine the mode.

[0126] The rules and / or policies allow the WTRU 102 to choose between the modes. The rules may be provided as a prioritized list. The WTRU 102 may select and follow the rule with the highest priority. Typical rules for mode selection may be based on one or more criteria.

[0127] The criteria may include (1) power of the WTRU 102. For example, if device power is below a threshold, the WTRU 102 selects normal mode. This allows the WTRU 102 to use only a single access network to save power.

[0128] The criteria may include (2) conditions of access network 2. For example, if the load over access network 2 and / or the delay over access network 2 are above a threshold, then the WTRU 102 may select normal mode. The WTRU 102 may use the IWPS handling to obtain the access network load and / or delay information.

[0129] The criteria may include (3) specific services and / or service types. For example, if none of the services and / or service types access DualSteer functionality, the WTRU 102 may select normal mode. As another example, if all the services and / or service types are using and / or accessing the same access network, the WTRU 102 may select normal mode. As another example, if one or more of the services and / or service types are using and / or accessing DualSteer, the WTRU 102 may select SUEDD mode or DUEDD mode.

[0130] The criteria may include (4) serving network of UE2. For example, if the second UE (UE2) is over a (e.g., non-preferred) network for DualSteer connectivity, then WTRU 102 may select SUEDD mode and only use UE1. Serving PLMN of UE2 may be a non-preferred operator. The non-preferred operator may not have a proper business relationship with the serving PLMN of UE1. The WTRU 102 may be provided with a list of preferred operators for DualSteer mode. The WTRU 102 may use the IWPS handling to obtain the serving PLMN information.

[0131] The criteria may include (5) access network of UE2. For example, if second UE (UE2) is using a non-preferred access network for Dual Steer connectivity, then the WTRU 102 may select SUEDD mode and only use UE1. For example, UE2 may be using LTE. WTRU 102 may be configured to use only satellite access for UE2. The WTRU 102 may be provided with a list of preferred RATs for DualSteer mode. The WTRU 102 may use the IWPS handling to obtain the access network information from the UEs.

[0132] The criteria may include (6) conditions of access network used by UE2. For example, if the load over this access network and / or the delay over this access network are above a threshold, then the WTRU 102 may select SUEDD mode and only useUEl. The WTRU 102 may use the IWPS handling to obtain the access network load and / or delay information.

[0133] The criteria may include (7) existing UE2 PDU sessions. For example, if the WTRU 102 is already using UE2 for other PDU sessions, WTRU 102 may select DUEDD mode. The WTRU 102 may use the IWPS handling to obtain PDU session information.

[0134] The criteria may include one or more criteria similar to one or more of criteria (1) to (7).

[0135] In certain representative embodiments, the selection of mode may be performed in the IL, for example, as part of the URSP handling. For example, the WTRU 102 may be pre-configured and / or provided the URSP rules by the network.

[0136] In certain representative embodiments, the mode selection may be performed periodically, and / or it may be event driven. For example, a first event that may trigger mode selection may be the start of a new service and / or service type. A second event that may trigger mode selection may be an indication from a UE, e.g., related to some change in condition. Example changes in condition may be load over access network, delay over access network, change in serving PLMN, change in access network, or the like.

[0137] In certain representative embodiments, upon a mode change, the WTRU 102 may perform actions. For example, in a first action, a WTRU 102 (e.g., DUEDD) may shut down a UE and / or move a UE in a power saving mode (e.g., IDLE mode), if the UE is not needed for transmission of service traffic. In a second action, the WTRU 102 may power up a UE and / or move a UE out of power saving mode (e.g., CONNECTED mode) if a UE is needed for transmission of service traffic. In a third action, a WTRU 102 (e.g., SUEDD) may delete a wireless protocol stack and / or move a wireless protocol stack to a power saving mode (e.g., IDLE mode), if the wireless protocol stack is not needed for transmission of service traffic. In a fourth action, a WTRU 102 (e.g., SUEDD) may instantiate a wireless protocol stack and / or move a wireless protocol stack out of a power saving mode (e.g., CONNECTED mode), if the wireless protocol stack is needed for transmission of service traffic.

[0138] Registration Management

[0139] In certain representative embodiments, a WTRU 102 (e.g., SUEDD) is configured to register over the second access network. For example, when a WTRU 102 selects a SUEDD mode, the WTRU 102 may steer service traffic to an access network, and / or it may switch service traffic between the two access networks. The WTRU 102 may, in some implementations, always be registered to a first access network. However, to use both access networks, the WTRU 102 may be configured to register over the second access network.

[0140] In order to choose when to register over the second access net mode, the WTRU 102 may be configured by the network and / or pre-configured with rules and / or policies to help it determine when to register, for example.

[0141] The rules and / or policies may allow the WTRU 102 to determine when to register over the second access network. The rules may be provided as a prioritized list. The WTRU 102 may, in some implementations, select and follow the rule with the highest priority. Typical rules for determining when to register over the second access network may be based on one or more of conditions. The conditions may include (1) upon selection of SUEDD mode. The conditions may include (2) if the second access network is on a different serving PLMN from the first access network. The conditions may include (3) upon the start of a service and / or service type requiring SUEDD mode. The conditions may include (4) upon establishment of a PDU session over the second access network. For example the WTRU 102 may determine to steer some service traffic over the second access network and / or switch some service traffic to the second access network. The conditions may include (5) upon request from the network. For example, the network may detect a WTRU 102 having Dual Steer capabilities, and it may signal the WTRU 102 through the already registered first access network, for the WTRU 102 to register over the second access network. The network may use this for load balancing, for example. The conditions may include (6) upon a set of conditions. For example, the set of conditions may include one or more of load and / or delay over the first access network, load and / or delay over the second access network, signal quality over the first access network, signal quality over the second access network, and / or the like.

[0142] In certain representative embodiments, the WTRU 102 may determine to register over the second access network. The WTRU 102 may register over secondary access network and keep registration on a hold and / or standby state. In this state the WTRU 102 may have no connectivity over the second access network (e.g., WTRU 102 cannot send and / or receive traffic, WTRU 102 cannot be paged, or the like). Alternatively, the WTRU 102 may have limited connectivity over the second access network (e.g., WTRU 102 can be paged, or the like).

[0143] In certain representative embodiments, the WTRU 102 determines to switch a service to the second access network and / or to steer a service to the second access network. The WTRU 102 may transition the registration to an active state. In such a state, the WTRU 102 may have connectivity over the second access network. Similarly, for example, a WTRU 102 may transition a registration to hold and / or standby state. For example, the transition may occur if all PDU sessions over the access network are released, if the WTRU 102 still has a service requiring DualSteer, and / or if all services are steered and / or switched to the other access network.

[0144] In certain representative embodiments, for a SUEDD, one access network may be the primary access network, over which all traffic may be steered and / or switched, while the other access network may be the non-primary access network (e.g., which has no traffic). For example,at registering of the second access network, the WTRU 102 may consider the first access network as the primary access network, and the second access network as the non-primary access network. As a result of steering and switching, the roles of the two access networks may change. For example, if all services move to the non-primary access network, the WTRU 102 may consider this access network as the primary access network and the other access network as the non-primary access network.

[0145] Establishing New PDU Session and / or Modifying Existing PDU session

[0146] In certain representative embodiments, once a service requiring Dual Steer mode starts, the SUEDD is configured to establish a PDU session for this service. For example, the WTRU 102 may be configured to establish a PDU session for a new service that requires DualSteer switching and / or steering. The different cases considered are impacted by the access network over which the WTRU 102 determines to send the session management signaling to establish a new PDU session and / or modify an existing PDU session.

[0147] FIGs. 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B provide call flows of a procedure. The procedure may include one or more of the steps below. FIG. 6 A illustrates examples of Steps 0 and 1, and examples of Case A, including Steps Al and A2. FIG. 6A illustrates examples of Case B, including Steps Bl, B2, B3, B4, and B5. FIG. 7A illustrates examples of Steps 0 and 1, and examples of Case C, including Steps Cl and C2. FIG. 7B illustrates examples of Case D, including Steps DI, D2, D3, and D4.

[0148] Step 0 (FIG. 6A): the WTRU 102 may be registered over access network 1.

[0149] Step 1 : the WTRU 102 may start a new service. The URSP rules may indicate that the WTRU 102 should use SUEDD mode. In addition, the URSP rules may further be used to allow the WTRU 102 to determine the type of PDU session to use for the service. For example, the rule may indicate to use one or more sessions. The one or more sessions may include (1) single access PDU session. The one or more sessions may include (2) multi-access PDU session (for example, relying on ATSSS). The one or more sessions may include (3) DualSteer PDU session. The one or more sessions may include (4) Dual Steer Steering PDU session. The rule may further provide an indication on the access network to use to establish a new PDU session and / or modify an existing PDU session. Alternatively, the rule may allow the WTRU 102 to determine the initial access network to use. The one or more sessions may include (4) Dual Steer Switching PDU session. The rule may further provide an indication on the access network to use as a default and / or initial access network to use to establish a new PDU session and / or modify an existing PDU session. Alternatively, the rule may allow the WTRU 102 to determine the initial access network to use.

[0150] Case A: WTRU 102 has No Existing PDU Sessions over Any Access Network and Determines to Use Access Network 1

[0151] Step Al : the WTRU 102 may determine to use access network 1. For example, this may be based on the information from the URSP rules (e.g., based on steering and / or initial switching), and / or if the decision is left to the WTRU 102, it may be based on the fact that the WTRU 102 is registered over access network 1.

[0152] Step A2: the WTRU 102 may establish a DualSteer PDU session over access network 1. The network may provide MARs for this service. The MARs may be stored in the IL.

[0153] Case B: WTRU 102 has No Existing PDU Sessions over Any Access Network and Determines to Use Access Network 2

[0154] Step Bl (FIG. 6B): the WTRU 102 may determine to use access network 2. For example, this may be based on the information from the URSP rules (e.g., based on steering and / or initial switching), and / or if the decision is left to the WTRU 102, it may be based on an indication from the IL.

[0155] Step B2: the WTRU 102 may de-register over access network 1 and / or place the registration over access network 1 on a Hold / Standby state. In a Hold / Standby state, the WTRU 102 may follow reduced mobility management procedures. For example, it may not perform periodic registration updates over access network 1, it may stop monitoring for change in registration area, and / or the like. The WTRU 102 may determine between de-registering and / or transitioning to Hold / Standby based on the service type, service, and / or other condition at the WTRU 102.

[0156] Step B3: the WTRU 102 may inform AMF1 that the registration should be put in a Hold / Standby state. The WTRU 102 may additionally provide an indication of how long the registration should be maintained in this state.

[0157] Step B4: the AMF1 may be configured to keep the registration context for the WTRU 102; not to expect registration updates (e.g., periodic and / or mobility related) from this WTRU 102; not to page the WTRU 102 over this access network, and / or the like.

[0158] Step B5: If necessary, the WTRU 102 may register over access network 2. The WTRU 102 may establish a DualSteer PDU session over access network 2. The network may provide MARs for this service. The MARs may be stored in the IL. The network may also provide N4 rules to the UPF.

[0159] Case C: WTRU 102 has Existing Services on PDU Sessions that are Using Access Network 1 and, e.g., the WTRU 102 Determines to Use Access Network 1

[0160] The WTRU 102 may already have services and / or PDU sessions established over access network 1.

[0161] Step Cl (FIG. 7A): the WTRU 102 may determines to use access network 1. For example, this may be based on the information from the URSP rules (e.g., based on steering and / or initial switching), and / or if the decision is left to the WTRU 102, it may be based on the fact that the WTRU 102 is registered over access network 1.

[0162] Step C2: the WTRU 102 may establish a new PDU session and / or modify an existing PDU session to include the service. The network may provide MARs for this service. The MARs may be stored in the IL. The network may also provide N4 rules to the UPF.

[0163] Case D: WTRU 102 has Existing Services on PDU Sessions that are Using Access Network 1 and, e.g., the WTRU 102 Determines to Use Access Network 2

[0164] The WTRU 102 may already have services and / or PDU sessions established over access network 1.

[0165] Step DI (FIG. 7B): the WTRU 102 may determine to use access network 2. For example, this may be based on the information from the URSP rules (e.g., based on steering and / or initial switching), and / or if the decision is left to the WTRU 102, it may be based on an indication from the IL.

[0166] Step D2: the WTRU 102 may determine if and how it will establish the PDU session over access network 2. As the WTRU 102 may not transmit simultaneously on both access networks, the WTRU 102 may perform one or more functions. The functions may include (1) transfer all the existing PDU sessions from access network 1 to access network 2. The functions may include (2) decline to establish the PDU session an access network 2. For example, the WTRU 102 may notify the network that a service cannot be sent. The functions may include (3) decline to establish the PDU session on access network 2. For example, the WTRU 102 may notify the application that the service cannot be sent on any PDU session. The application may then notify the user, e.g., via a graphical user interface, about the issue related to the service. The functions may include (4) delay the establishment of the PDU session on access network 2. For example, the WTRU 102 may wait until the WTRU 102 may establish a PDU session over access network 2 and / or a timer expires. The WTRU 102 may periodically check when the PDU session over access network 2 may be established. Alternatively, the IWPS may provide a service that notifies the WTRU 102 that a PDU session may be established over an access network. The WTRU 102 may notify the application that the service will be delayed. The maximum timer value may be pre-configured and / or configured. Upon expiry of the timer, the WTRU 102 may decline to establish the PDU session on access network 2 and notify the application. The functions may include (5) delay theestablishment of the PDU session an access network 2. For example, the WTRU 102 may reattempt to establish the PDU session access network 2 after a K sec. The WTRU 102 may notify the network. In addition it may also provide the time it will re-attempt (e.g., in K sec). The functions may include (6) override the URSP rule and send the service over access network 1, over a new and / or modified PDU session.

[0167] In the call flow, PDU session 1 on access network 1 may be transferred to access network 2.

[0168] Step D3 : the WTRU 102 may transfer PDU Session 1 to access network 2. Details are not shown in the FIGs.

[0169] Step D4: once the WTRU 102 is able to establish the PDU session over access leg 2, if necessary, the WTRU 102 may register over access network 2. The WTRU 102 may establish a new PDU session over access network 2 and / or modify one of the transferred PDU sessions from step D2. The network may provide MARs for this service. The MARs may be stored in the IL. The network may also provide N4 rules to the UPF.

[0170] DualSteer Switching and / or Steering

[0171] In certain representative embodiments, a WTRU 102 may have multiple services running and may have selected DualSteer mode. For example, a SUEDD may be using a single access network (e.g., access network 1). For example, functions are provided when the MAR of a service requires the WTRU 102 to switch traffic and / or steer traffic of that service over the other access network (e.g., access network 2).

[0172] In certain representative embodiments, a SUEDD may have multiple ongoing services, and because of the MARs, the WTRU 102 may have services that require transmission over different access networks. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as an inconsistent access network issue. For example, the WTRU 102 may have three ongoing services (e.g., SI, S2, S3). The WTRU 102 may be using access network 1. Conditions on the access network 1 change, and as a result, the MARs for service S3 may require that traffic from service S3 be switched to access network 2. In this case, the WTRU 102 may be configured with some logic to know how to proceed.

[0173] In certain representative embodiments, PDU sessions are provided to include guidance on how to function when the WTRU 102 has an inconsistent access network issue. For example, possible types of guidance are described below. The network may include the guidance through an indication when establishing and / or modifying the PDU session.

[0174] In certain representative embodiments, the network may indicate whether a PDU session is "transfer-capable" to address an inconsistent access network issue. For example, a PDU session that is "transfer-capable" may be moved from one access network to another if not optional.

[0175] In certain representative embodiments, the network may indicate whether a PDU session is "not transfer-capable" to address an inconsistent access network issue. For example, a PDU session that is "not transfer-capable" may not be moved from one access network to another during an inconsistent access network issue.

[0176] In certain representative embodiments, the network may indicate whether a PDU session is "pause-capable" to address an inconsistent access network issue. For example, a PDU session that is "pause-capable" may not be transferred to another access network to resolve the inconsistent access network issue - rather the PDU session is paused. In some examples, no traffic may be sent for a paused PDU session.

[0177] In certain representative embodiments, the network may indicate whether a PDU session is "time-share capable" to address an inconsistent access network issue. For example, a PDU session that is "time-share capable" is not transferred to another access network to resolve the inconsistent access network issue - rather the PDU sessions over access network 1 and the PDU sessions over access network 2 may be time shared.

[0178] In certain representative embodiments, the MAR is configured to consider an impact of switching a service to another access network for SUEDDs. For example, the MAR may already take into consideration: the loss over each access network, the delay over each access network, the availability of the access networks, the priority of each access network, the load on each access network. In addition, the MAR may also consider one or more additional types of information.

[0179] The information may include inter-service metrics. For example, the MAR handling may include the priority of each service. The priority of the service may be provided by the application and / or may be provided by the network in the MARs.

[0180] The information may include access network type. For example, the MAR handling may include whether the other access network is of type: LTE, NR, terrestrial, or non-terrestrial.

[0181] The information may include PLMN type. For example, the MAR handling may include whether the other access network is on a HPLMN, equivalent HPLMN, VPLMN, VPLMN and if home-routed is possible for the other PDU sessions that are to be moved to the other access network.

[0182] In certain representative embodiments, the WTRU 102 may take the existing and additional metrics into account when deciding whether to switch and / or how to steer a service. In one option, the MAR handling may be a 2-step mechanism. In a first step the MAR handling uses the existing MAR mechanisms (e.g., based on delay, loss, and the like). If the first step suggests that the service should be switched and / or steered to a different access network (e.g., access network 2), the WTRU 102 performs a second step. In one example of the second step, the MARhandling examines the priority of the service. It may determine to confirm the result of step 1 if the priority of the service is above a threshold, and / or if the priority of the service is larger than the priority of any of the other services using the current access network (e.g., access network 1). As another alternative, the priority of the service may be compared to a weighted average of the priority of all the other services using the current access network (e.g., access network 1). As another alternative, the priority of the service may be compared to a weighted sum of the priority of all the other services using the current access network (e.g., access network 1). The weight for each service may be provided by the application and / or it may be provided to the WTRU 102 in the MARs. If the second step confirms the switch and / or steer decision of the first step, the WTRU 102 then begins the process of establishing the PDU session over the other access network (e.g., access network 2). This may require the transfer of some or all of the PDU sessions that are on the current access network. Various options are shown below. Some of these options may be used in combination.

[0183] In a first option, the WTRU 102 may have other PDU sessions using access network 1. Of these, Set 1 may be "transfer-capable" and Set 2 may be "not transfer capable". The WTRU 102 may transfer all PDU sessions in Set 1 (e.g., that are "transfer-capable"). The remaining PDU sessions (e.g., in Set 2) may be released and / or suspended. At the end of the suspend duration, the transferred PDU session may be returned back to access network 1.

[0184] In a second option, the WTRU 102 may have other PDU sessions using access network 1. Of these Set 1 may be high priority PDU sessions and Set 2 may be lower priority PDU sessions. The priority of the PDU sessions may be based on the priority of the services carried in the PDU session. Alternatively, the priority may be provided by the network during PDU session establishment and / or PDU session modification. The WTRU 102 may transfer PDU sessions based on the priority of the PDU sessions. In one example, the WTRU 102 may transfer all PDU sessions in Set 1 (e.g., that are high priority). The remaining PDU sessions (e.g., in Set 2) may either be released and / or suspended. At the end of the suspend duration, the transferred PDU session may be returned back to access network 1.

[0185] In a third option, the WTRU 102 may have other PDU sessions using access network 1. The WTRU 102 may transfer the PDU session, but only for a finite duration (e.g., K sec). The WTRU 102 may transfer the PDU session and may suspend the other PDU sessions using access network 1. At the end of the suspend duration, the transferred PDU session may be returned back to access network 1.

[0186] In a fourth option, the WTRU 102 PDU sessions are "time-share" capable. The network may provide a schedule to the WTRUs 102 to indicate when each access network may be used.The WTRU 102 and network may guarantee that only traffic from PDU sessions on access network1 will be active when provided schedule indicates that access network 1 may be used. Similarly, the WTRU 102 and network may guarantee that only traffic from PDU sessions on access network2 may be active when provided schedule indicates that access network 2 may be used. The WTRU 102 may inform the application that the services are using a schedule. The application may use this information to make application layer adjustments. For example, adjustments may be made to codecs. The application may additionally provide the schedule of services to the user, for example, via a graphical user interface.

[0187] In one or more options above, for the PDU sessions on access network 1 that are released and / or suspended, the WTRU 102 may inform the application that PDU sessions, carrying one or more services, have been released and / or suspended. In the latter case, the WTRU 102 may also provide an indication of how long (e.g., duration) the PDU session carrying the service is suspended. The application may use this information to make application layer adjustments for the service. For example, adjustments may be made to codecs. The application may additionally provide an indication to the user, for example, via a graphical user interface. Example indications may include: "Service M has been suspended", "Service M has been released," "Service M has been suspended as Service N, of higher priority, needed to be switched," or the like. In these cases, the graphical user interface may prompt the user to determine what the WTRU 102 should do. For example, the user may use the graphical user interface to select "Proceed with the transfer," "Reject the transfer," or the like. If the transfer is rejected, the WTRU 102 may stop the switch of the service to the other access network and / or the WTRU 102 may not start steering the service over the other access network.

[0188] FIG. 8 illustrates a method 800 for session management and registration management for DualSteer devices having single user equipment (UE) according to one or more embodiments. The method 800 may be performed by a WTRU such as any of the WTRUs 102 of FIGS. 1A-1D, the WTRU 102 of FIG. 4, the device of FIG. 6 A, or the device of FIG. 7 A. The method 800 may include initiating 805, a first DualSteer service while in a single user equipment DualSteer (SUEED) mode and determining that the first Dual Steer service requires a first protocol data unit (PDU) session over a first access network. In some embodiments, the initiating 805 corresponds to step Al of FIG. 6A or step Cl of FIG. 7 A. The method 800 may include establishing 810, the first PDU session with the first access network. The method 800 may include initiating 815 a second DualSteer service and determining that the second DualSteer service requires a second PDU session over a second access network. In some embodiments, the initiating 815 corresponds to step Bl of FIG. 6B or step DI of FIG. 7B. The method 800 may include establishing 820 thesecond PDU session with the second access network. The method 800 may further include resolving 825 conflicts between services over the first access network and the second access network.

[0189] In some embodiments, resolving conflicts may comprise selecting a lower priority access network of the first access network and the second access network on which is carried lower priority data relative to data of another of the first access network and the second access network and pausing the PDU session over the lower priority access network.

[0190] In some embodiments, resolving conflicts may comprise selecting a lower priority access network of the first access network and the second access network on which is carried lower priority data relative to data of another of the first access network and the second access network and releasing the PDU session over the lower priority access network.

[0191] In some embodiments, resolving conflicts may comprise notifying an application on the device about an unavailability of the PDU session of the lower priority access network.

[0192] In some embodiments, resolving conflicts may comprise operating the first PDU session and the second PDU session based on a schedule such that communications over the first access network alternate with communications over the second access network

[0193] In some embodiments, the method 800 may further comprise receiving information, from a wireless network, about how to resolve the conflicts.

[0194] In some embodiments, receiving the information about how to resolve the conflicts may comprise receiving the information over at least one of the first PDU session or the second PDU session.

[0195] In some embodiments, the method 800 may further comprise determining to operate in the SUEDD mode based on a first set of rules and determining to register over the first access network, the second access network based on a second set of rules, determining that the first Dual Steer service requires the first PDU session over the first access network based on a third set of rules; and determining that the second Dual Steer service requires the second PDU session over the second access network based on the third set of rules.

[0196] In some embodiments, the method 800 may further comprise receiving the first set of rules, the second set of rules, and the third set of rules.

[0197] In some embodiments, the first set of rules may comprise at least one of a threshold associated with a power of the device, a condition associated with an access network, or a service type.

[0198] Although features and elements are provided above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in anycombination with the other features and elements. The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations may be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly provided as such. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular methods or systems.

[0199] The foregoing embodiments are discussed, for simplicity, with regard to the terminology and structure of wireless communication capable devices, (e.g., radio wave emitters and receivers). However, the embodiments discussed are not limited to these systems but may be applied to other systems that use other forms of electromagnetic waves or non-electromagnetic waves such as acoustic waves.

[0200] It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the term "video" or the term "imagery" may mean any of a snapshot, single image and / or multiple images displayed over a time basis. As another example, when referred to herein, the terms "user equipment" and its abbreviation "UE", the term "remote" and / or the terms "head mounted display" or its abbreviation "HMD" may mean or include (i) a wireless transmit and / or receive unit (WTRU); (ii) any of a number of embodiments of a WTRU; (iii) a wireless-capable and / or wired-capable (e.g., tetherable) device configured with, inter alia, some or all structures and functionality of a WTRU; (iii) a wireless-capable and / or wired-capable device configured with less than all structures and functionality of a WTRU; or (iv) the like. Details of an example WTRU, which may be representative of any WTRU recited herein, are provided herein with respect to FIGs. 1 A-1D. As another example, various disclosed embodiments herein supra and infra are described as utilizing a head mounted display. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a device other than the head mounted display may be utilized and some or all of the disclosure and various disclosed embodiments can be modified accordingly without undue experimentation. Examples of such other device may include a drone or other device configured to stream information for providing the adapted reality experience.

[0201] In addition, the methods provided 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, magneto-optical 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.

[0202] Variations of the method, apparatus and system provided above are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. In view of the wide variety of embodiments that can be applied, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are examples only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the following claims. For instance, the embodiments provided herein include handheld devices, which may include or be utilized with any appropriate voltage source, such as a battery and the like, providing any appropriate voltage.

[0203] Moreover, in the embodiments provided above, processing platforms, computing systems, controllers, and other devices that include processors are noted. These devices may include at least one Central Processing Unit ("CPU") and memory. In accordance with the practices of persons skilled in the art of computer programming, reference to acts and symbolic representations of operations or instructions may be performed by the various CPUs and memories. Such acts and operations or instructions may be referred to as being "executed," "computer executed" or "CPU executed."

[0204] One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the acts and symbolically represented operations or instructions include the manipulation of electrical signals by the CPU. An electrical system represents data bits that can cause a resulting transformation or reduction of the electrical signals and the maintenance of data bits at memory locations in a memory system to thereby reconfigure or otherwise alter the CPU's operation, as well as other processing of signals. The memory locations where data bits are maintained are physical locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties corresponding to or representative of the data bits. It should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned platforms or CPUs and that other platforms and CPUs may support the provided methods.

[0205] The data bits may also be maintained on a computer readable medium including magnetic disks, optical disks, and any other volatile (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM)) or non-volatile(e.g., Read-Only Memory (ROM)) mass storage system readable by the CPU. The computer readable medium may include cooperating or interconnected computer readable medium, which exist exclusively on the processing system or are distributed among multiple interconnected processing systems that may be local or remote to the processing system. It should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned memories and that other platforms and memories may support the provided methods.

[0206] In an illustrative embodiment, any of the operations, processes, etc. described herein may be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable instructions may be executed by a processor of a mobile unit, a network element, and / or any other computing device.

[0207] There is little distinction left between hardware and software implementations of aspects of systems. The use of hardware or software is generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choice between hardware and software may become significant) a design choice representing cost versus efficiency tradeoffs. There may be various vehicles by which processes and / or systems and / or other technologies described herein may be affected (e.g., hardware, software, and / or firmware), and the preferred vehicle may vary with the context in which the processes and / or systems and / or other technologies are deployed. For example, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and / or firmware vehicle. If flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly software implementation. Alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0208] The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the devices and / or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and / or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples may be implemented, individually and / or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In an embodiment, several portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, may be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or moremicroprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and / or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subj ect matter described herein may be distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing medium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable type medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a CD, a DVD, a digital tape, a computer memory, etc., and a transmission type medium such as a digital and / or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wired communications link, a wireless communication link, etc.).

[0209] Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the art to describe devices and / or processes in the fashion set forth herein, and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such described devices and / or processes into data processing systems. That is, at least a portion of the devices and / or processes described herein may be integrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those having skill in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system may generally include one or more of a system unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatile and non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digital signal processors, computational entities such as operating systems, drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one or more interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and / or control systems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and / or velocity, control motors for moving and / or adjusting components and / or quantities). A typical data processing system may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially available components, such as those typically found in data computing / communication and / or network computing / communication systems.

[0210] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components included within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures may be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality may be achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality may be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated may also be viewed as being "operably connected", or "operably coupled", to each otherto achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated may also be viewed as being "operably couplable" to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and / or physically interacting components and / or wirelessly interactable and / or wirelessly interacting components and / or logically interacting and / or logically interactable components.

[0211] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and / or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and / or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and / or application. The various singular / plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

[0212] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, where only one item is intended, the term "single" or similar language may be used. As an aid to understanding, the following appended claims and / or the descriptions herein may include usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim including such introduced claim recitation to embodiments including only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"). The same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, in general such aconstruction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B." Further, the terms "any of followed by a listing of a plurality of items and / or a plurality of categories of items, as used herein, are intended to include "any of," "any combination of," "any multiple of," and / or "any combination of multiples of the items and / or the categories of items, individually or in conjunction with other items and / or other categories of items. Moreover, as used herein, the term "set" is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Additionally, as used herein, the term "number" is intended to include any number, including zero. And the term "multiple", as used herein, is intended to be synonymous with "a plurality".

[0213] In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

[0214] As will be understood by one skilled in the art, for any and all purposes, such as in terms of providing a written description, all ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible subranges and combinations of subranges thereof. Any listed range can be easily recognized as sufficiently describing and enabling the same range being broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein may be readily broken down into a lower third, middle third and upper third, etc. As will also be understood by one skilled in the art all language such as "up to," "at least," "greater than," "less than," and the like includes the number recited and refers to ranges which can be subsequently broken down into subranges as discussed above. Finally, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1-3 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1-5 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so forth.

[0215] Moreover, the claims should not be read as limited to the provided order or elements unless stated to that effect. In addition, use of the terms "means for" in any claim is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. §112, T] 6 or means-plus-function claim format, and any claim without the terms "means for" is not so intended.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method performed by a device comprising at least one user equipment (UE), the method comprising: initiating a first Dual Steer service while in a single user equipment Dual Steer (SUEED) mode and determining that the first Dual Steer service requires a first protocol data unit (PDU) session over a first access network; establishing the first PDU session with the first access network; initiating a second Dual Steer service and determining that the second Dual Steer service requires a second PDU session over a second access network; establishing the second PDU session with the second access network; and resolving conflicts between services over the first access network and the second access network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving conflicts comprises: selecting a lower priority access network of the first access network and the second access network on which is carried lower priority data relative to data of another of the first access network and the second access network; and pausing the PDU session over the lower priority access network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving conflicts comprises: selecting a lower priority access network of the first access network and the second access network on which is carried lower priority data relative to data of another of the first access network and the second access network; and releasing the PDU session over the lower priority access network.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein resolving conflicts further comprises notifying an application on the device about an unavailability of the PDU session of the lower priority access network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving conflicts comprises operating the first PDU session and the second PDU session based on a schedule such that communications over the first access network alternate with communications over the second access network.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising receiving, from a wireless network, information about how to resolve the conflicts.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the information about how to resolve the conflicts comprises receiving the information over at least one of the first PDU session or the second PDU session.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining to operate in the SUEDD mode based on a first set of rules; determining to register over the first access network and the second access network based on a second set of rules; determining that the first Dual Steer service requires the first PDU session over the first access network based on a third set of rules; and determining that the second DualSteer service requires the second PDU session over the second access network based on the third set of rules.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: receiving the first set of rules, the second set of rules, and the third set of rules.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein the first set of rules comprises at least one of a threshold associated with a power of the device, a condition associated with an access network, or a service type.

11. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising: a processer; and a transceiver, wherein the WTRU is configured to: initiate a first Dual Steer service while in a single user equipment Dual Steer (SUEED) mode and determine that the first Dual Steer service requires a first protocol data unit (PDU) session over a first access network; establish the first PDU session with the first access network; initiate a second Dual Steer service and determine that the second Dual Steer service requires a second PDU session over a second access network; establish the second PDU session with the second access network; andresolve conflicts between services over the first access network and the second access network.

12. The WTRU of claim 11, wherein resolving conflicts comprises: selecting a lower priority access network of the first access network and the second access network on which is carried lower priority data relative to data of another of the first access network and the second access network; and pausing the PDU session over the lower priority access network.

13. The WTRU of claim 11, wherein resolving conflicts comprises: selecting a lower priority access network of the first access network and the second access network on which is carried lower priority data relative to data of another of the first access network and the second access network; and releasing the PDU session over the lower priority access network.

14. The WTRU of claim 12 or 13, wherein resolving conflicts further comprises notifying an application on the WTRU about an unavailability of the PDU session of the lower priority access network.

15. The WTRU of claim 11, wherein resolving conflicts comprises operating the first PDU session and the second PDU session based on a schedule such that communications over the first access network alternate with communications over the second access network.

16. The WTRU of any of claims 11 to 15, wherein the WTRU is further configured to receive information, from a wireless network, about how to resolve the conflicts.

17. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein receiving the information about how to resolve the conflicts comprises receiving the information over at least one of the first PDU session or the second PDU session.

18. The WTRU of claim 11, wherein the WTRU is further configured to: determine to operate in the SUEDD mode based on a first set of rules; and determine to register over the first access network and the second access network based on a second set of rules;determine that the first Dual Steer service requires the first PDU session over the first access network based on a third set of rules; and determine that the second Dual Steer service requires the second PDU session over the second access network based on the third set of rules.

19. The WTRU of claim 18, wherein the WTRU is further configured to receive, from a wireless network, the first set of rules, the second set of rules, and the third set of rules.

20. The WTRU of claim 18 or 19, wherein the first set of rules comprises at least one of a threshold associated with a power of the WTRU, a condition associated with an access network, or a service type.

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