Conditional minimization of drive test measurements

Abstract

A first network node in a communications network that includes a second network node can perform conditional minimization of drive test ("MDT") measurements The first network node can receive (510) a MDT configuration from the second network node. The MDT configuration can be associated with a triggering condition. Responsive to the triggering condition being met, the first network node can obtain (580) a result of a MDT measurement.

Description

CONDITIONAL MINIMIZATION OF DRIVE TEST MEASUREMENTSTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure is related to wireless communication systems and more particularly to conditional minimization of drive test (“MDT”) measurements.BACKGROUND

[0002] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of current 5thgeneration radio access network (“NG- RAN”) architecture. The NG-RAN architecture can be further described as follows. The NG- RAN includes a set of 5thgeneration (“5G”) base stations (referred to herein as gNBs) connected to the 5thgeneration core network (“5GC”) through the next generation (“NG”) interface. A gNB can support frequency division duplex (“FDD”) mode, time division duplex (“TDD”) mode or dual mode operation. gNBs can be interconnected through the Xn-C interface. A gNB can include a gNB-central unit (“CU”) and gNB-distributed units (“DUs”). A gNB-CU and a gNB- DU are connected via a Fl logical interface. One gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU. For resiliency, a gNB-DU may be connected to multiple gNB-CU by appropriate implementation. NG, Xn-C, and Fl are logical interfaces. The NG-RAN is layered into a Radio Network Layer (“RNL”) and a Transport Network Layer (“TNL”). The NG-RAN architecture (e.g., the NG-RAN logical nodes and interfaces between them) is defined as part of the RNL. For each NG-RAN interface (e.g., NG, Xn-C, and Fl) the related TNL protocol and the functionality are specified. The TNL provides services for user plane transport and signaling transport.

[0003] For NG-RAN, the NG and Xn-C interfaces for a gNB consisting of a gNB-CU and gNB-DUs, terminate in the gNB-CU. For EN-DC, the Sl-U and X2-C interfaces for a gNB including a gNB-CU and gNB-DUs, terminate in the gNB-CU. The gNB-CU and connected gNB-DUs are only visible to other gNBs and the 5GC as a gNB.

[0004] A gNB may also be connected to a long term evolution (“LTE”) base station (referred to herein as an eNB) via an X2 interface. Another architectural option is that where an LTE eNB connected to the Evolved Packet Core network is connected over the X2 interface with a so called nr-gNB. The latter is a gNB not connected directly to a core network (“CN”) and connected via X2 to an eNB for the sole purpose of performing dual connectivity.

[0005] The architecture in FIG. 1 can be expanded by splitting the gNB-CU into two entities. One gNB-CU-user plane (“UP”), which serves the user plane and hosts the packet data convergence protocol (“PDCP”) and one gNB-CU-control plane (“CP”), which serves the control plane and hosts the PDCP and radio resource control (“RRC”) protocol. A gNB-DUhosts the radio link control (“RLC”) / media access control (“MAC”) / physical layer (“PHY”) protocols.

[0006] Other standardization groups, such as the open radio access network (“ORAN”), have further extended the architecture above and have for example split the gNB-DU into two further nodes connected by a fronthaul interface. The lower node of the split gNB-DU can include the PHY protocol and the radio frequency (“RF”) parts, the upper node of the split gNB- DU can host the RLC and MAC. In ORAN the upper node is called O-DU, while the lower node is called O-RU.

[0007] An NG-RAN can also include a set of ng-eNBs, an ng-eNB can include an ng-eNB- CU and one or more ng-eNB-DU(s). An ng-eNB-CU and an ng-eNB-DU can be connected via a W1 interface. While this disclosure may refer generally to gNBs, the general principles may apply to other radio access technologies, for example, the principles may apply to a ng-eNB and W1 interface.

[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an architecture for separation of gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP. A gNB may consist of a gNB-CU-CP, multiple gNB-CU-UPs and multiple gNB- DUs. The gNB-CU-CP is connected to the gNB-DU through the Fl-C interface. The gNB-CU- UP is connected to the gNB-DU through the Fl-U interface. The gNB-CU-UP is connected to the gNB-CU-CP through the El interface. One gNB-DU is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP. One gNB-CU-UP is connected to only one gNB-CU-CP. One gNB-DU can be connected to multiple gNB-CU-UPs under the control of the same gNB-CU-CP. One gNB-CU-UP can be connected to multiple DUs under the control of the same gNB-CU-CP.

[0009] In dual connectivity a UE capable of multiple transmission / receptions, may be connected to more than one RAN node. The RAN nodes may be of the same RAT (both master node and secondary node in NR or LTE respectively) or different RATs, for example one master LTE node and one secondary NR node. Appendix A describes the principles of multi-radio dual connectivity.SUMMARY

[0010] According to some embodiments, a method of operating a first network node, in a communications network that includes a second network node is provided. The method includes receiving a minimization of drive test, MDT, configuration from a second network node. The MDT configuration is associated with a triggering condition. The method further includes, responsive to the triggering condition being met, obtaining a MDT measurement.

[0011] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes at least one of: a per slice load on a cell; a per slice available capacity; a per slice service levelagreement, SLA, requirements fulfilment; a per slice, per service SLA requirements fulfilment; and a per slice, per service quality of service, QoS, metric.

[0012] In additional or alternative embodiments, the method further includes determining that the triggering condition has been met. Obtaining the MDT measurement includes responsive to determining that the triggering condition is met, obtaining the result of the MDT measurement from a user equipment, UE.

[0013] In additional or alternative embodiments, obtaining the result of the MDT measurement includes: responsive to determining that the triggering condition has been met, selecting a user equipment, UE, based on the MDT configuration; and receiving a MDT measurement report from the UE, the MDT measurement report including the result of the MDT measurement.

[0014] In additional or alternative embodiments, obtaining the result of the MDT measurement further includes transmitting MDT measurement configurations to the UE.

[0015] In additional or alternative embodiments, the method further includes selecting a user equipment, UE, based on the MDT configuration. The method further includes transmitting conditional MDT measurement configurations to the UE, the conditional MDT measurement configurations including an indication of the triggering condition. Obtaining the result of the MDT measurement includes, responsive to the triggering condition being met, receiving a MDT measurement report from the UE.

[0016] In additional or alternative embodiments, the method further includes responsive to determining that the triggering condition has been met, transmitting an indication to a third network node that the triggering condition has been met.

[0017] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition is a first triggering condition. The MDT configuration is associated with a second triggering condition. Obtaining the result of the MDT measurement includes initiating a MDT measurement collection procedure. The method further includes determining that the second triggering condition has been met. The method further includes, responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, stopping the MDT measurement collection procedure.

[0018] In additional or alternative embodiments, the method further includes, responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, transmitting an indication to a third network node that the second triggering condition has been met.

[0019] In additional or alternative embodiments, the first network node includes at least one of: a distributed unit, DU; a central unit control plane, CU-CP; and a central unit user plane, CU- UP. The second network node includes at least one of: an operations and management, 0AM; a distributed unit, DU; a central unit control plane, CU-CP; and a central unit user plane, CU-UP.

[0020] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes at least one of: a cell load; an energy saving action at a source of a neighbor node; a quality of service, QoS, metric; a radio access network, RAN, delay measurement; a user equipment, UE, performance metric; and a UE radio resource management, RRM, measurement.

[0021] According to other embodiments, a method of operating a communication device, in a communications network that includes a network node, is provided. The method includes receiving conditional MDT measurement configurations from the network node. The conditional MDT measurement configurations includes a triggering condition. The method further includes determining that the triggering condition is met. The method further includes, responsive to determining that the triggering condition has met, determining a MDT measurement. The method further includes generating a MDT measurement report including the MDT measurement. The method further includes transmitting the MDT measurement report to the network node.

[0022] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes at least one of: a UE performance metric; and a UE radio resource management, RRM, measurement.

[0023] In additional or alternative embodiments, the result of the MDT measurement is a result of a first MDT measurement. The method further includes, prior to determining that the triggering condition is met, performing a second MDT measurement. Generating the MDT measurement report includes generating the MDT measurement reporting including the result of the first MDT measurement and a result of result of the second MDT measurement.

[0024] In additional or alternative embodiments, the method further includes, responsive to determining that the triggering condition has been met, transmitting an indication to a third network node that the triggering condition has been met.

[0025] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition is a first triggering condition. The conditional MDT measurement configurations further includes a second triggering condition. Performing the MDT measurement includes initiating a MDT measurement collection procedure. The method further includes determining that the second triggering condition has been met. The method further includes, responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, stopping the MDT measurement collection procedure.

[0026] In additional or alternative embodiments, the method further includes, responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, transmitting an indication to a third network node that the second triggering condition has been met.

[0027] In additional or alternative embodiments, the network node includes at least one of: a distributed unit, DU; a central unit control plane, CU-CP; and a central unit user plane, CU- UP.

[0028] According to other embodiments, a network node, a computer program, computer program product, non-transitory computer readable medium, host, or system is provided to perform one of the above methods.

[0029] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. Some embodiments make it possible to collect MDT measurements only when certain cell / node / UE-level parameters already visible to the RAN are satisfied, thereby significantly reducing the volume of data to be collected when specific cell / node / UE conditions have to be identified in the MDT measurement results.

[0030] In additional or alternative embodiments the collection is more accurate / precise. In some examples, these advantages are in the context of slicing when there is a need to perform slice-specific measurements upon certain slice-specific triggers which indicate SLA violation

[0031] In additional or alternative embodiments, additional characterizing information can be signaled together with the measurement reports such that the 0AM or another entity handling the data can filter out or identify relevant informationBRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. In the drawings:

[0033] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a 5G architecture;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a gNB architecture with split gNB-CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP;

[0035] FIGS. 3-4 are signal flow diagrams illustrating an example of a conditional MDT process in accordance with some embodiments;

[0036] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example of operations performed by a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0037] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of operations performed by a communication device in accordance with some embodiments;

[0038] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0039] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0040] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a network node in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art, in which examples of embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present / used in another embodiment.

[0042] MDT is being standardized for new radio (“NR”) starting in Rel-16 to reduce the amount of drive tests performed manually. It is a user equipment (“UE”) (also referred to herein as communication device) assisted framework where network measurements are collected by UEs in a RRC IDLE state, a RRC INACTIVE state or a RRC CONNECTED state, in order to aid the network in gathering valuable information

[0043] In general, there are two types of MDT measurement logging: Logged MDT for UEs in RRC IDLE / RRC INACTIVE state and Immediate MDT for UEs in RRC CONNECTED state.

[0044] Immediate MDT is standardized so that the management systems can collect the KPIs associated to a UE in the connected state. For Immediate MDT, RAN measurements and UE measurements can be configured. The configuration for UE measurements is based on the existing RRC measurement procedures for configuration and reporting with some extensions for location information. No extensions related to time stamp are expected for Immediate MDT i.e. time stamp is expected to be provided by eNB / RNC / gNB. If area scope is included in the MDT configuration provided to the RAN, the UE is configured with respective measurement when the UE is connected to a cell that is part of the configured area scope.

[0045] For Immediate MDT, the UE provides detailed location information (e.g. GNSS location information) if available. The UE also provides available neighbour cell measurement information that may be used to determine the UE location (RF fingerprint). Identity of the serving cell when the measurement was taken is always assumed known in E-UTRAN, UTRAN or NR respectively.

[0046] The location information which comes with UE radio measurements for MDT can be correlated with other MDT measurements, e.g. RAN measurements. For MDT measurements where UE location information is provided separately, it is assumed that the correlation of location information and MDT measurements should be done in the TCE based on time-stamps.

[0047] Both logged and immediate MDT can further be divided into subcategories based on the UE selection mechanism; namely, signalling based (immediate / logged) MDT and management based (immediate / logged) MDT.

[0048] In management-based MDT, the 0AM sends MDT configurations to the individual RAN nodes and each node selects UEs using the given conditions to start the measurement collection. In management-based immediate MDT, it is always the network that evaluates all selection conditions for activating the MDT measurements and deactivating the MDT measurements (this evaluation is done continuously during the selected call session). The network activates and deactivates the MDT measurements toward the UE accordingly via RRC.

[0049] In Management based MDT, the MDT data is collected from UEs in a specified area. The area is defined as a list of cells or as a list of tracking / routing / location areas. The management based MDT is an enhancement of the management based trace functionality. Management based MDT can be either a logged MDT or Immediate MDT.

[0050] In Signalling based MDT, the MDT data is collected from one specific UE. The UE that is participating in the MDT data collection is specified as international mobile equipment identity software version (“IMEI(SV)”) or as international mobile subscriber identity (“IMSI”). The signalling based MDT is an enhancement of the signalling based subscriber and equipment trace. A signalling based MDT can be either a logged MDT or Immediate MDT.

[0051] There are two cases that RAN should initiate a MDT measurements collection task. One is that the MDT task is initiated without targeting a specific UE by the cell traffic trace (e.g., management based trace function from 0AM). The other is that the MDT task is initiated towards a specific UE by the signaling trace activation messages from CN nodes (e.g., the Initial Context Setup message, the Trace Start message or the Handover request message in an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access network (“E-UTRAN”), NR, or the core network (“CN”) Invoke Trace message in UTRAN).

[0052] For signaling based MDT, the CN shall not initiate MDT towards a particular user unless it is allowed.

[0053] For management based MDT, the CN indicates to the RAN whether MDT is allowed to be configured by the RAN for this user considering (e.g., user consent and roaming status), by providing management based MDT allowed information. For E-UTRAN / UTRAN, the MDT allowed information includes the Management Based MDT Allowed indication and optionally the Management Based MDT public land mobile network (“PLMN”) List. For NR, the MDT allowed information only includes the Management Based MDT PLMN List. The management based MDT allowed information propagates during inter-PLMN handover or inter-PLMN UEcontext retrieval if the Management Based MDT PLMN List is available and includes the target PLMN.

[0054] A UE is configured with an MDT PLMN List only if user consent is valid for the registered PLMN (“RPLMN”).

[0055] A MDT PLMN List can be a list of PLMNs where MDT is allowed for a user. It is a subset of the EPLMN list and RPLMN at the time when MDT is initiated. A management based MDT PLMN List can be a MDT PLMN List applicable to management based MDT. A signaling based MDT PLMN List can be a MDT PLMN List applicable to signaling based MDT.

[0056] There currently exist certain challenges. Management-based immediate MDT measurements in 5G today are triggered at a RAN node upon receiving an MDT activation signal from the Management System, followed by UE selection based on criteria specified in the received configuration and decided at RAN level. A UE that has been selected for m-based immediate MDT, is configured by the RAN with measurements matching the MDT measurements in the immediate MDT configuration received by the RAN and it may subsequently report MDT measurement results to the gNB based on the received configuration. The criteria governing UE selection take into account the area scope for MDT, which is either cell based, TA based, TAI based, PNI NPN based, SNPN cell based, or Network Slice based (under discussion in Rel.19) in addition to other RAN-based internal criteria.

[0057] However, a gNB that has previously received an MDT configuration from the 0AM collects MDT measurements from the UEs (by selecting existing UEs, or by configuring new UEs with measurements after they arrive) and transfers the measurement results to the TCE irrespective of the existing conditions in the gNB or irrespective of the conditions affecting the UEs, i.e., there are no criteria for selection of UEs to perform MDT measurements based on the existing conditions in the gNB or based on conditions affecting the UEs.

[0058] As a consequence of the above deficit, the TCE or other entities analyzing the data has to correlate it with other information when specific measurements corresponding certain conditions in the network have to be identified, e.g., measurements performed when the cell / node had a certain load, when resources for a network slice are over utilized. Additionally, when sending the results of the MDT measurements collection to the TCE, it is not possible to filter out measurements collected upon the occurrence of specific events, e.g. events affecting how a UE is served. This results in a data ingestion problem where the entity receiving the results of the MDT measurements collection needs to carry out considerable post processing work on the received data, to select the data of interest. Sometimes, such filtering is not evenpossible as the events for which MDT metrics are needed are not highlighted in the MDT trace files signaled form the RAN to the TCE.

[0059] Various embodiments herein address some of these challenges. Given the concept of Conditional MDT, where conditions associated with parameters visible to the cell / node (both UE associated, and non-UE associated) are specified as part of the MDT configuration signaled from the Management System to the RAN either via signaling based or management based MDT.

[0060] Namely, selection of UEs for the configuration of MDT measurements would not be based, as of today, only on factors such as the area scope for MDT or user consent for MDT, but it would also be subject to whether specific conditions at UE and / or network level, are fulfilled.

[0061] The parameters on which the conditions for UE selection and MDT measurements configuration may be specified may be: Cell load, Per Slice load on a cell, Per Slice available capacity, Per Slice SLA requirements fulfilment, Per Slice, per service SLA requirements fulfilment, UE radio resource management (“RRM”) measurements, UE RVQoE reports, UE legacy QoE reports, Energy Saving actions at source of neighbor nodes, Per UE performance metrics, Per UE QoS parameters or metrics, Per Slice, per service QoS parameters or metrics, and / or RAN delay measurements.

[0062] When the conditional thresholds on one or more of the metrics above are satisfied, the RAN selects UEs and configures them with MDT measurements based on other criteria in the MDT measurement configuration, such as area scope and user consent, followed by collection and signaling of the measurement results from the UE to the TCE by the RAN node.

[0063] For conditional management-based immediate MDT, conditions associated with the parameters above (either UE associated or non-UE associated) can be used for deactivation of MDT towards the UE.

[0064] For a RAN node in split deployment, different variants for handling of conditional management-based immediate MDT are possible. In one variant, it is always the gNB-CU that is responsible to determine whether a pending conditional management-based immediate MDT can start or not and in other variants the indication may come from a different node, e.g., gNB-DU, or the gNB-CU-UP or even a third node either directly or after receiving an indication from another node and determining if a conditional MDT can start.

[0065] In one possible alternative, instead of the 0AM signaling conditions to be checked by the RAN for activating a pending MDT measurement configuration, the 0AM signals to the RAN one or more conditions used for the reporting. For example, a network operator is interested to know when at least one of Condition A (e.g., a certain SLA requirement is fulfilled) or Condition B (e.g., UE throughput is below a threshold) is fulfilled. When activating amanagement-based MDT, Condition A and B are sent as part of the configuration to the RAN. When the RAN configures a certain UE to perform MDT measurements, the UE (in a possible option) is not informed of either condition A or B and continues to perform MDT measurements as per legacy solution. When the UE sends an MDT report to the RAN, the RAN checks whether at least one of Condition A or B is fulfilled and if so, sends the MDT report to the TCE together with indication(s) indicating whether condition A and / or condition B were fulfilled.

[0066] In another variant, for certain triggering metrics, e.g., UE RRM measurements, RVQoE, that may be monitored by the UE, the gNB may signal the conditional MDT measurement to the UE, which then monitors if the trigger condition is satisfied. Depending on the trigger and the specified MDT measurements, the UE may either perform the MDT measurement and not report the measurements to the gNB, or not perform the MDT measurements and not report (while monitoring the trigger fulfilment). Regardless of the above, the UE will initiate reporting of the MDT measurements to the gNB when the trigger constraints are fulfilled.

[0067] For AIML capable networks the conditions described in this invention may be defined based on the predicted values for the parameters or metrics above.

[0068] FIGS. 3-4 illustrate examples of a conditional MDT process. The process can be applied to signaling-based and management-based MDT, as well as to logged and immediate MDT.

[0069] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an immediate management based MDT in which the trigger condition monitoring is performed at the gNB.

[0070] FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which of a conditional MDT process in which the trigger condition monitoring is performed at the UE.

[0071] In some embodiments, conditional MDT measurement activation may be signaled as part of the MDT configuration. For signaling based MDT this is signaled from the 0AM to the RAN via the AMF. For management based MDT this is signaled from the 0AM to the RAN.

[0072] As part of the MDT configuration, the conditions may be expressed as thresholds on specific parameters, in addition to other IES contained in a regular MDT configuration.Example triggering conditions are described below.

[0073] In some embodiments, the triggering condition includes conditions on Cell / SSB load. In some examples, the triggering condition may be met if Cell / SSB PRB utilization is above / below a given threshold for a given period of time and for specific cells / SSB areas. In additional or alternative examples, the triggering condition may be met if the Composite Available Capacity is above or below a given threshold for a given period of time and for specific cells.

[0074] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes conditions on Slice load. In some examples, the triggering condition may be met if per slice PRB utilization is above / below a certain threshold for a given period of time and for specific cells. As a further option, the thresholds can be assigned per service type, e.g. for GBR, non- GBR or for all the services in the cell. In additional or alternative examples, the triggering condition may be met if the Slice available capacity is above or below a given threshold for a given period of time and for specific cells. In additional or alternative examples, the triggering condition may be met if the Number of UEs accessing a network slice is above / below a certain threshold. In additional or alternative examples, the triggering condition may be met if the Number of UEs accessing a service (e.g. defined by a 5QI) for a network slice is above / below a certain threshold. In additional or alternative examples, the triggering condition may be met if the RACH resource utilization for a slice is above / below a certain threshold.

[0075] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes conditions on per Slice SLA requirements fulfilment. In some examples, assuming that key performance indicators (KPs) are identified to characterize a per slice SLA, the condition is triggered if the measurements for one or more given KPI are above / below a given threshold in a given cell and for a given amount of time. In an variant of this condition, the triggering happens if the measurements for one or more given KPI and for a specific service (e.g. identified by a 5QI) of a specific slice are above / below a given threshold in a given cell and for a given amount of time. The latter condition can be applied to all services active in a cell for a specific slice, or for a specific service of a network slice used by a UE. Namely, in the latter case, the condition is triggered is KPIs for the service used by a UE go above / below a threshold.As an example, a UE may be using a service denoted by a given 5QI, and associated to a specific network slice. A condition could be that this service's throughput is below 1Mbps. If this condition is fulfilled, the UE is selected for MDT and it is configured with MDT measurements.

[0076] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes conditions on UE RRM measurements. In some examples, the triggering condition may be met if RSRP / RSRQ / SINR measurements on one or more specific cell is above / below a given threshold for a given amount of time. In additional or alternative examples, these conditions can applied to the serving cell or on one or more neighbour cell. Additionally, this condition may be configured as a combination of conditions for both the serving cell and neighbouring cells, e.g. RSRP of serving cell is below a given threshold and RSRP and RSRP of neighbouring cell is above a given threshold. In additional or alternative examples, fulfillment of this condition can be monitored by the RAN or by the UE. In the case that the RAN monitors the fulfilment of thetrigger, the RAN has other means of obtaining the metrics on which the conditional trigger is configured, e.g., UE RSRP reports. When the conditions are satisfied, the RAN then configures the MDT measurements on the UE. If it is the UE that is performing the monitoring of trigger fulfilment, the UE has already been configured with the conditional MDT measurements and when the UE measures that the conditions are satisfied, then the measurements are logged and reported.

[0077] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes conditions on UE RVQoE reports. In some examples, the triggering condition may be met if RVQoE reports for a specific service (identified e.g. by a specific 5QI) indicate that one or more QoE parameters are above / below a given threshold for a specific amount of time (e.g., startup delay is above a given threshold or buffer value is below a given threshold). These conditions could be applied on a per service basis, i.e. for all services of the same type, e.g. all services identified by the same 5QI, or on a per service per UE basis. Fulfillment of this condition can be monitored by the RAN or by the UE. In the case that the RAN monitors the fulfilment of the trigger, the RAN has other means of obtaining the metrics on which the conditional trigger is configured, e.g., RVQoE reports. When the conditions are satisfied, the RAN then configures the MDT measurements on the UE. If it is the UE that is performing the monitoring of trigger fulfilment, the UE has already been configured with the conditional MDT measurements and when the UE measures that the conditions are satisfied, then the measurements are logged and reported.

[0078] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes conditions on Legacy QoE. In some examples, the triggering condition is met when a session start for a given service (e.g. identified by a 5QI) is indicated to the RAN. The condition could be per service (namely if session start for at least one instance for the service is monitored, MDT UE selection occurs) or per service and per UE, namely the condition has to occur for a specific UE. In additional or alternative examples, fulfillment of this condition can be monitored by the RAN or by the UE. In the case that the RAN monitors the fulfilment of the trigger, the RAN has other means of obtaining the metrics on which the conditional trigger is configured, e.g., UE RSRP reports. When the conditions are satisfied, the RAN then configures the MDT measurements on the UE. If it is the UE that is performing the monitoring of trigger fulfilment, the UE has already been configured with the conditional MDT measurements and when the UE measures that the conditions are satisfied, then the measurements are logged and reported.

[0079] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes conditions on Energy Saving actions at source of neighbor nodes. In some examples, the triggering condition is met if a cell (serving the UE or neighboring the serving cell) isdeactivated. This condition can include the cell identifiers for the cells that need to be deactivated in order to trigger the condition. In additional or alternative examples, the triggering condition is met if the Energy cost and / or energy consumption and / or energy efficiency above / below a given threshold for a given amount of time in a specific cell.

[0080] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes conditions on UE performance metrics. In some examples, the triggering condition is met if UE throughput / delay / packet loss for one or more UEs in a cell is above / below a given threshold. In one embodiment, this condition can be a cumulative condition for all the services used by the UE. The metrics measured can for example be averaged across all the services used by the UE in order to determine if they are above / below the threshold. In another embodiment the condition can be per UE and per service, where services can be identified by e.g. the 5QI.

[0081] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes condition on total RAN delay measurement is over / below a certain threshold. This embodiment can be collected on a per cell and / or per UE level.

[0082] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes condition on UE QoS KPIs. In some examples, the triggering condition is met if the measurements for one or more given KPI and for a specific service (e.g. identified by a 5QI) are above / below a given threshold in a given cell and for a given amount of time.

[0083] In additional or alternative embodiments, the triggering condition includes a condition on per slice, per service QoS KPIs. In some examples, the triggering condition is met if the measurements for one or more given KPI and for a specific service (e.g. identified by a 5QI and an s-NSSAI) of a specific slice are above / below a given threshold in a given cell and for a given amount of time.

[0084] For AIML capable networks the abovementioned conditions may be defined based on the predicted values for the parameters or metrics above. For example such conditions may be expressed as follows: “activate / deactivate an MDT measurement when the value of the parameter or metric P is predicted to reach the threshold T in the next M minutes”. In one related embodiment the activation / deactivation of MDT measurements may be triggered based on the predicted validity of a condition. For example, “Activate / deactivate the MDT measurements if the condition C is predicted to become valid in the next time window T and is predicted to remain valid for the time window W”

[0085] In some embodiments, when a conditional MDT configuration is signalled to the RAN, the conditions for such configuration may also be complemented with parameters that regulate when a condition should be considered fulfilled. Example of such parameters could be:• Time to trigger: namely an amount of time during which the one or more condition included in the MDT configuration should remain fulfilled, in order to trigger the UE selection process and MDT activation corresponding to the MDT configuration received• Time to deactivate: namely an amount of time during which the one or more condition included in the MDT configuration should remain unfulfilled, in order to deactivate the MDT configuration, if possible• Hysteresis: namely a parameter associated to each condition and of the dimension of the metric defining the condition, that can be added or subtracted from the condition threshold to determine the final metric threshold value above / below which the condition is considered fulfilled / not fulfilled (depending on time to trigger and / or time to deactivate, if present).

[0086] Likewise, condition where the trigger conditions are exited, i.e., stop triggering any further UEs from being configured with the corresponding MDT measurements may either be explicitly specified per triggering condition, or explicitly specified cumulatively for all triggering conditions, e.g., when the trigger metric is x% above or below the specified threshold, or implicitly by the condition not being satisfied anymore, or an explicit indication asking to remove the conditional MDT configuration.

[0087] Conditional activation of pending MDT measurements in split architecture is described below.

[0088] For a RAN node (e.g., a gNB) deployed in split architecture, one option is that one the logical entity / function of the RAN node (e.g., the gNB-CU) is the entity responsible to activate MDT measurements once triggering condition(s) received from 0AM is(are) fulfilled. Depending on which logical entity / function in the RAN node detects the fulfillment of condition(s) - e.g., in a gNB, the gNB-CU, or one of the gNB-DU(s) of the gNB, or one of gNB- CU-UP(s) of the gNB - different sub-scenarios are possible. Considering a gNB, such as:- gNB-CU detects that condition(s) is(are) fulfilled, and sends MDT measurements activation towards the UE and / or to gNB-DU and / or gNB-CU-UP- gNB-CU receives an indication from gNB-DU that condition(s) is(are) fulfilled, and sends MDT measurements activation towards the UE and / or to gNB-DU and / or gNB- CU-UP- gNB-CU receives an indication from gNB-CU-UP that condition(s) is(are) fulfilled, and sends MDT measurements activation towards the UE and / or to gNB-DU and / or gNB- CU-UP Another option is the gNB-DU detects whether condition(s) is(are) fulfilled and starts measurements.

[0089] Another option is the gNB-CU-UP detects whether condition(s) is(are) fulfilled and starts measurements.

[0090] In an alternative variant, since management-based MDT is sent to individual RAN nodes from the 0AM; in case of conditional MDT, if a RAN node does not have enough information to evaluate the conditions, it can subscribe to another network node to fetch the information. For example, the CU may subscribe to the DU, by means of a periodic reporting procedure such as the Data Collection Reporting, regarding a metric that has been specified as a conditional MDT trigger. When the load is above a certain threshold as specified by the CU, DU sends an indication to the CU and CU can decide if it wants to start MDT session.

[0091] Another option is the gNB-DU subscribes to gNB-CU to receive information on whether parts or all of the condition(s) is(are) fulfilled, upon reception of indication from the gNB-CU, gNB-DU decides whether to start the measurements.

[0092] Another option is the gNB-CU-UP subscribes to gNB-CU whether parts or all of the condition(s) is(are) fulfilled, upon reception of indication from the gNB-CU, gNB-CU-UP decides whether to start the measurements.

[0093] In some embodiments, the 0AM signals to a RAN node one or more conditions to be indicated by the RAN node or by the UE together with or as part of the reporting of MDT measurements (as assistance information for the 0AM, or “assistance information for MDT”). With this approach, the amount of data collected with MDT is not reduced, but the 0AM will receive MDT reports that can be characterized based on one or more conditions of interests for the operator. The advantage is that while it keeps the option of providing a comprehensive view of the network, it allows to focus troubleshooting efforts in certain areas, based on assistance information sent together with or within MDT reports, which indicate the specific conditions under which MDT measurements were collected.

[0094] In additional or alternative embodiments, the conditions used to characterize MDT reports are signaled by the 0AM to the RAN when the MDT configuration is sent, and the RAN can forward them (at least in part) to the UE. The RAN and / or the UE are responsible to check whether / when one or more of OAM-specified conditions are fulfilled. When at least one condition is fulfilled, the RAN and / or the UE derives an assistance information, which is signaled to the 0AM, either together with or as part of MDT reports. The assistance information will help the 0AM to characterize the MDT report.

[0095] For example, a network operator is interested to know the geographical area (cells, or TAs), where at least one of two conditions, Condition A (e.g., a certain SLA requirement is not fulfilled) or Condition B (e.g., a guaranteed bit rate) is not fulfilled. When activating a management based MDT, Condition A and B are sent as part of the configuration to the RAN.When the RAN configures UEs to perform MDT measurements, the UEs (in a possible option) are not informed of either condition A or B and perform MDT measurements according to legacy solution. When the UEs send an MDT report to the RAN, the RAN checks whether at least one of Condition A or B was fulfilled for the time period during which the measurements comprised in the MDT report were collected. If that is the case, the RAN includes in the MDT report an indication, indicating that for measurements included in the MDT report in context, one (or both) of condition A and condition B was(were) fulfilled.

[0096] In one option, conditions specified by 0AM, and reported as assistance information for MDT, are of a different type / nature compared to the MDT measurement to which they refer to. For example, the 0AM requests collection of MDT measurements for packet delay, while the condition indicates a threshold for the UE velocity / speed. When the 0AM receives both the MDT measurements and the assistance information, it is possible to derive a thematic map showing the distribution of packet delay as a function of the UE velocity.

[0097] In another embodiment, the RAN node sends to the 0AM, as assistance information for MDT, indications indicating a degree / score by which a certain condition specified by 0AM was satisfied (or by which a certain condition was not satisfied).

[0098] In another embodiment, the RAN node sends to the 0AM, as assistance information for MDT, indications indicating that a certain radio network resource was used instead of another (e.g., cell A was used instead of cell B), in order to satisfy a condition specified by 0 AM.

[0099] Operations of a network node 900 (implemented using the structure of Figure 9) will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 5 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts. For example, modules may be stored in memory 904 of Figure 9, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective network node processing circuitry 902, network node 900 performs respective operations of the flow chart.

[0100] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of operations performed by a first network node in a communications network that includes a second network node. The first network node can include at least one of: a distributed unit (“DU”); a central unit control plane (“CU-CP”); and a central unit user plane (“CU-UP”). The second network node can include at least one of: an operations and management (“0AM”); a distributed unit (“DU”); a central unit control plane (“CU-CP”); and a central unit user plane (“CU-UP”).

[0101] At block 510, processing circuitry 902 receives, via communication interface 906, a minimization of drive test, MDT, configuration from another network node. In some examples, the MDT configuration is received from a distributed unit (“DU”), central unit control plane(“CU-CP”), central unit user plane (“CU-UP”), or operations and management (“OAM”). The MDT configuration can include a first triggering condition.

[0102] At block 520, processing circuitry 902 transmits, via communication interface 906, a request to a network node to monitor the first triggering condition.

[0103] At block 530, processing circuitry 902 determines that the first triggering condition is met. In some embodiments, the first triggering condition includes at least one of: a per slice load on a cell; a per slice available capacity; a per slice service level agreement (“ SLA”) requirements fulfilment; a per slice, per service SLA requirements fulfilment; and a per slice, per service quality of service (“QoS”) metric.In additional or alternative embodiments, the first triggering condition includes at least one of: a cell load; energy saving actions at a source of a neighbor node; quality of service (“QoS”) metrics; a radio access network (“RAN”) delay measurement; UE performance metrics; and UE radio resource management (“RRM”) measurements.

[0104] At block 540, processing circuitry 902 selects a UE based on the MDT configuration.

[0105] At block 550, processing circuitry 902 transmits, via communication interface 906, conditional MDT measurement configurations to the UE. In some embodiments, the conditional MDT measurement configurations includes an indication of the triggering condition,

[0106] At block 560, processing circuitry 902 transmits, via communication interface 906, an indication that the triggering condition has been met.

[0107] At block 565, processing circuitry 902 determines that a second triggering condition has been met. In some embodiments, the second triggering condition includes at least one of: a per slice load on a cell; a per slice available capacity; a per slice service level agreement (“SLA”) requirements fulfilment; a per slice, per service SLA requirements fulfilment; and a per slice, per service quality of service (“ QoS”) metric.

[0108] In additional or alternative embodiments, the second triggering condition includes at least one of: a cell load; energy saving actions at a source of a neighbor node; quality of service (“QoS”) metric; and a radio access network (“RAN”) delay measurement.

[0109] At block 570, processing circuitry 902 stops a MDT measurement collection procedure.

[0110] At block 575, processing circuitry 902 transmits, via communication interface 906, an indication that the second triggering condition has been met.

[0111] At block 580, processing circuitry 902 obtains a result of a MDT measurement. In some embodiments, obtaining the result of the MDT measurement includes, responsive todetermining that the triggering condition is met, obtaining the result of the MDT measurement from a UE.

[0112] In additional or alternative embodiments, obtaining the result of the MDT measurement includes: responsive to determining that the triggering condition has been met, selecting a UE based on the MDT configuration; and receiving a MDT measurement report from the UE, the MDT measurement report including the result of the MDT measurement. In some examples, obtaining the result of the MDT measurement further includes transmitting MDT measurement configurations to the UE.

[0113] In additional or alternative embodiments, obtaining the result of the MDT measurement includes, responsive to the triggering condition being met, receiving a MDT measurement report from the UE.

[0114] At block 590, processing circuitry 902 stores the result of the MDT measurement to a MDT record.

[0115] Various operations from the flow chart of FIG. 5 may be optional with respect to some embodiments of network nodes and related methods.

[0116] Operations of a UE 800 (implemented using the structure of Figure 8) will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 6 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts. For example, modules may be stored in memory 810 of Figure 8, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective UE processing circuitry 802, UE 800 performs respective operations of the flow chart.

[0117] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of operations performed by a UE.

[0118] At block 610, processing circuitry 802 receives, via communication interface 812, conditional MDT measurement configurations from a network node. In some examples, the conditional MDT measurement configurations is received from a distributed unit (“DU”), central unit control plane (“CU-CP”), central unit user plane (“CU-UP”), or operations and management (“0AM”). The conditional MDT measurement configurations can include a first triggering condition.

[0119] In some embodiments, the network node includes at least one of: a distributed unit (“DU”); a central unit control plane (“CU-CP”); and a central unit user plane (“CU-UP”).

[0120] At block 620, processing circuitry 802 performs a MDT measurement.

[0121] At block 630, processing circuitry 802 transmits, via communication interface 812, a request to monitor the first triggering condition.

[0122] At block 640, processing circuitry 802 determines that the first triggering condition is met. In some embodiments, the first triggering condition includes at least one of: a UE performance metric; and a UE radio resource management (“RRM”) measurement.

[0123] At block 650, processing circuitry 802 transmits, via communication interface 812, an indication that the first triggering condition is met. In some examples, the UE notifies other UEs or a network node.

[0124] At block 660, processing circuitry 802 measures another MDT measurement in response to the first triggering condition being met.

[0125] At block 665, processing circuitry 802 determines that a second triggering condition has been met. In some embodiments, the second triggering condition includes at least one of: a quality of experience (“QoE”) report; and a performance metric. In additional or alternative embodiments, the second triggering condition includes at least one of: a UE performance metric; and a UE radio resource management (“RRM”) measurement.

[0126] At block 670, processing circuitry 802 stops a MDT measurement collection procedure.

[0127] At block 675, processing circuitry 802 transmits, via communication interface 812, an indication that the second triggering condition has been met.

[0128] At block 680, processing circuitry 802 generates a MDT measurement report.

[0129] At block 690, processing circuitry 802 transmits, via communication interface 812, the MDT measurement report.

[0130] Various operations from the flow chart of FIG. 6 may be optional with respect to some embodiments of UEs and related methods.

[0131] Example Embodiments are described below.

[0132] Embodiment 1. A method of operating a first network node in a communications network that includes a second network node, the method comprising: receiving (510) a minimization of drive test, MDT, configuration from the second network node, the MDT configuration being associated with a triggering condition; and responsive to the triggering condition being met, obtaining (580) a MDT measurement.

[0133] Embodiment 2. The method of Embodiment 1, further comprising: determining (530) that the triggering condition has been met, wherein obtaining the measurement comprises responsive to determining that the triggering condition is met, obtaining the MDT measurement from a communication device.

[0134] Embodiment 3. The method of Embodiment 2, wherein determining that the triggering condition has been met comprises receiving an indication from a third network node that the triggering condition has been met.

[0135] Embodiment 4. The method of Embodiment 3, further comprising: transmitting (520) a request to the third network node to monitor the triggering condition.

[0136] Embodiment 5. The method of any of Embodiments 2-4, wherein obtaining the MDT measurement comprises: responsive to determining that the triggering condition has been met, selecting a communication device based on the MDT configuration; transmitting MDT measurement configurations to the communication device and receiving a MDT measurement report from the communication device, the MDT measurement report including the MDT measurement.

[0137] Embodiment 6. The method of Embodiment 1, further comprising: selecting (540) a communication device based on the MDT configuration; and transmitting (550) conditional MDT measurement configurations to the communication device, the conditional MDT measurement configurations including an indication of the triggering condition, wherein obtaining the MDT measurement comprises, responsive to the triggering condition being met, receiving a MDT measurement report from the communication device.

[0138] Embodiment 7. The method of any of Embodiments 1-6, further comprising: storing (590) the MDT measurement to a MDT record.

[0139] Embodiment 8. The method of any of Embodiments 1-7, further comprising responsive (560) to determining that the triggering condition has been met, transmitting an indication to a third network node that the triggering condition has been met.

[0140] Embodiment 9. The method of any of Embodiments 1-8, wherein the triggering condition is a first triggering condition, wherein the MDT configuration is associated with a second triggering condition, and wherein obtaining the MDT measurement comprises initiating a MDT measurement collection procedure, the method further comprising: determining (565) that the second triggering condition has been met; and responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, stopping (570) the MDT measurement collection procedure.

[0141] Embodiment 10. The method of Embodiment 9, further comprising: responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, transmitting (575) an indication to a third network node that the second triggering condition has been met.

[0142] Embodiment 11. The method of any of Embodiments 1-10, wherein the first network node comprises at least one of:a distributed unit, DU; a central unit control plane, CU-CP; and a central unit user plane, CU-UP, and wherein the second network node comprises at least one of: an operations and management, OAM; a distributed unit, DU; a central unit control plane, CU-CP; and a central unit user plane, CU-UP.

[0143] Embodiment 12. The method of any of Embodiments 1-11, wherein the triggering condition comprises at least one of: a cell load; a per slice load on a cell; a per slice available capacity; a per slice service level agreement, SLA, requirements fulfilment; a per slice, per service SLA requirements fulfilment; radio resource management, RRM, measurements; quality of experience, QoE, reports; energy saving actions at a source of a neighbor node; performance metrics; quality of service, QoS, metrics; per slice, per service QoS metrics; radio access network, RAN, delay measurements; andRAN visible QoE, RVQoE, reports.

[0144] Embodiment 13. A method of operating a communication device in a communications network that includes a network node, the method comprising: receiving (610) conditional MDT measurement configurations from the network node, the conditional MDT measurement configurations including a triggering condition; determining (640) that the triggering condition is met; responsive to determining that the triggering condition has met, determining (660) a MDT measurement; generating (680) a MDT measurement report including the MDT measurement; and transmitting (690) the MDT measurement report to the network node.

[0145] Embodiment 14. The method of Embodiment 13, wherein the MDT measurement is a first MDT measurement, the method further comprising:prior to determining that the triggering condition is met, determining (620) a second MDT measurement, wherein generating the MDT measurement report comprises generating the MDT measurement reporting including the first MDT measurement and the second MDT measurement.

[0146] Embodiment 15. The method of any of Embodiments 13-14, wherein determining that the triggering condition has been met comprises receiving an indication from a second network node that the triggering condition has been met.

[0147] Embodiment 16. The method of Embodiment 15, further comprising: transmitting (630) a request to the second network node to monitor the triggering condition.

[0148] Embodiment 17. The method of any of Embodiments 13-16, further comprising: responsive to determining that the triggering condition has been met, transmitting (650) an indication to a third network node that the triggering condition has been met.

[0149] Embodiment 18. The method of any of Embodiments 13-17, wherein the triggering condition is a first triggering condition, wherein the conditional MDT measurement configurations further include a second triggering condition, and wherein determining the MDT measurement comprises initiating a MDT measurement collection procedure, the method further comprising: determining (665) that the second triggering condition has been met; and responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, stopping (670) the MDT measurement collection procedure.

[0150] Embodiment 19. The method of Embodiment 18, further comprising: responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, transmitting (675) an indication to a third network node that the second triggering condition has been met.

[0151] Embodiment 20. The method of any of Embodiments 13-19, wherein the network node comprises at least one of: a distributed unit, DU; a central unit control plane, CU-CP; and a central unit user plane, CU-UP.

[0152] Embodiment 21. The method of any of Embodiments 13-20, wherein the triggering condition comprises at least one of: a cell load;a per slice load on a cell; a per slice available capacity; a per slice service level agreement, SLA, requirements fulfilment; a per slice, per service SLA requirements fulfilment; radio resource management, RRM, measurements; quality of experience, QoE, reports; energy saving actions at a source of a neighbor node; performance metrics; quality of service, QoS, metrics; per slice, per service QoS metrics; radio access network, RAN, delay measurements; andRAN visible QoE, RVQoE, reports.

[0153] Embodiment 22. A network node (900) adapted to perform any of the operations of Embodiments 1-12.

[0154] 23. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a network node (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform any of the operations of Embodiments 1-12.

[0155] 24. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium(904) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a network node (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the network node to perform any of the operations of Embodiments 1-12.

[0156] 25. A communication device (800) adapted to perform any of the operations ofEmbodiments 13-21.

[0157] 26. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (802) of a communication device (800), whereby execution of the program code causes the communication device to perform any of the operations of Embodiments 13-21.

[0158] 27. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium(810) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (802) of a communication device (800), whereby execution of the program code causes the communication device to perform any of the operations of Embodiments 13-21.

[0159] FIG. 7 shows an example of a communication system 700 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0160] In the example, the communication system 700 includes a telecommunication network 702 that includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706, which includes one or more core network nodes 708. The access network 704includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 710a and 710b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 710), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the network nodes 710 are not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that the network nodes 710 may include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 702 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 702 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 702, including one or more network nodes 710 and / or core network nodes 708.

[0161] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU- CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time RAN control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time RAN automation application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Intents and content-aware notifications described herein may be communicated from a 3GPP network node or an ORAN network node over 3GPP-defined interfaces (e.g., N2, N3) and / or ORAN Alliance-defined interfaces (e.g., Al, 01). Moreover, an ORAN network node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance. The network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting wireless devices 712a, 712b, 712c, and 712d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections. The network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 712a, 712b, 712c, and 712d (oneor more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections.

[0162] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 700 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 700 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0163] The UEs 712 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 710 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 712 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 702 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 702.

[0164] In the depicted example, the core network 706 connects the network nodes 710 to one or more hosts, such as host 716. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 706 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 708) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 708. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0165] The host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 704 and / or the telecommunication network 702, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 716 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applicationsinclude live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0166] As a whole, the communication system 700 of FIG. 7 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0167] In some examples, the telecommunication network 702 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 702 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 702. For example, the telecommunications network 702 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0168] In some examples, the UEs 712 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 704 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 704. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved- UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0169] In the example, the hub 714 communicates with the access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 710b). In some examples, the hub 714 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described hereinregarding UEs. For example, the hub 714 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 706 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 714 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 710, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 714. As another example, the hub 714 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 714 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 714 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 714 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 714 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0170] The hub 714 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 710b. The hub 714 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 714 and UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d), and between the hub 714 and the core network 706. In other examples, the hub 714 is connected to the core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 714 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 704 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 710 while still connected via the hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 714 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 710b. In other embodiments, the hub 714 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 710b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0171] FIG. 8 shows a UE 800 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0172] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0173] The UE 800 includes processing circuitry 802 that is operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input / output interface 806, a power source 808, a memory 810, a communication interface 812, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIG. 8. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0174] The processing circuitry 802 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 810. The processing circuitry 802 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 802 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0175] In the example, the input / output interface 806 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 800. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, amouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0176] In some embodiments, the power source 808 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 808 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 808 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 800 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 808. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 808 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 800 to which power is supplied.

[0177] The memory 810 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 810 includes one or more application programs 814, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 816. The memory 810 may store, for use by the UE 800, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0178] The memory 810 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 810 may allow the UE 800 to access instructions, application programs andthe like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 810, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0179] The processing circuitry 802 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 812. The communication interface 812 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 822. The communication interface 812 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 818 and / or a receiver 820 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 822) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0180] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0181] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 812, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0182] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0183] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 800 shown in FIG. 8.

[0184] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0185] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE mayadjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0186] FIG. 9 shows a network node 900 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NRNodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes, or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., intelligent controller, O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0187] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0188] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0189] The network node 900 includes a processing circuitry 902, a memory 904, a communication interface 906, and a power source 908. The network node 900 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., aNodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 900 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered asingle separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 900 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 904 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 910 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 900 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 900, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 900.

[0190] The processing circuitry 902 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 900 components, such as the memory 904, to provide network node 900 functionality.

[0191] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and the baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0192] The memory 904 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 902. The memory 904 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 902 and utilized by the network node 900. The memory 904 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 902 and / or any data received via the communication interface 906. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 and memory 904 is integrated.

[0193] The communication interface 906 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 906 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 916 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 906 also includes radio front-end circuitry 918 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 910. Radio front-end circuitry 918 comprises filters 920 and amplifiers 922. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may be connected to an antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 920 and / or amplifiers 922. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 910. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 910 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 918. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 902. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0194] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 900 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 918, instead, the processing circuitry 902 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 910. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 is part of the communication interface 906. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, the radio front-end circuitry 918, and the RF transceiver circuitry 912, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 906 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 914, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0195] The antenna 910 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 910 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 918 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 910 is separate from the network node 900 and connectable to the network node 900 through an interface or port.

[0196] The antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 910, the communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0197] The power source 908 provides power to the various components of network node 900 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 908 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 900 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 900 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 908. As a further example, the power source 908 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0198] Embodiments of the network node 900 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIG. 9 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 900 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 900 and to allow output of information from the network node 900. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 900.

[0199] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, acommunication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0200] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

Claims

1. CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a first network node in a communications network that includes a second network node, the method comprising: receiving (510) a minimization of drive test, MDT, configuration from the second network node, the MDT configuration being associated with a triggering condition; and responsive to the triggering condition being met, obtaining (580) a result of a MDT measurement.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the triggering condition comprises at least one of: a per slice load on a cell; a per slice available capacity; a per slice service level agreement, SLA, requirements fulfilment; a per slice, per service SLA requirements fulfilment; and a per slice, per service quality of service, QoS, metric.

3. The method of any of Claims 1-2, further comprising: determining (530) that the triggering condition has been met, wherein obtaining the result of the MDT measurement comprises responsive to determining that the triggering condition is met, obtaining the result of the MDT measurement from a user equipment, UE.

4. The method of any of Claims 1-3, wherein obtaining the result of the MDT measurement comprises: responsive to determining that the triggering condition has been met, selecting a user equipment, UE, based on the MDT configuration; and receiving a MDT measurement report from the UE, the MDT measurement report including the result of the MDT measurement.

5. The method of Claim 4, wherein obtaining the result of the MDT measurement further comprises: transmitting MDT measurement configurations to the UE.

6. The method of any of Claims 1-5, further comprising: selecting (540) a user equipment, UE, based on the MDT configuration; and transmitting (550) conditional MDT measurement configurations to the UE, the conditional MDT measurement configurations including an indication of the triggering condition, wherein obtaining the result of the MDT measurement comprises, responsive to the triggering condition being met, receiving a MDT measurement report from the UE.

7. The method of any of Claims 1-6, further comprising: responsive (560) to determining that the triggering condition has been met, transmitting an indication to a third network node that the triggering condition has been met.

8. The method of any of Claims 1-7, wherein the triggering condition is a first triggering condition, wherein the MDT configuration is associated with a second triggering condition, and wherein obtaining the result of the MDT measurement comprises initiating a MDT measurement collection procedure, the method further comprising: determining (565) that the second triggering condition has been met; and responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, stopping (570) the MDT measurement collection procedure.

9. The method of Claim 8, further comprising: responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, transmitting (575) an indication to a third network node that the second triggering condition has been met.

10. The method of any of Claims 1-10, wherein the first network node comprises at least one of: a distributed unit, DU; a central unit control plane, CU-CP; and a central unit user plane, CU-UP, and wherein the second network node comprises at least one of: an operations and management, 0AM; a distributed unit, DU; a central unit control plane, CU-CP; anda central unit user plane, CU-UP.

11. The method of any of Claims 1-11, wherein the triggering condition comprises at least one of: a cell load; an energy saving action at a source of a neighbor node; a quality of service, QoS, metric; a radio access network, RAN, delay measurement; a user equipment, UE, performance metric; and a UE radio resource management, RRM, measurement.

12. A method of operating a user equipment, UE, in a communications network that includes a network node, the method comprising: receiving (610) conditional MDT measurement configurations from the network node, the conditional MDT measurement configurations including a triggering condition; determining (640) that the triggering condition is met; responsive to determining that the triggering condition has met, performing (660) a MDT measurement; generating (680) a MDT measurement report including a result of the MDT measurement; and transmitting (690) the MDT measurement report to the network node.

13. The method of Claim 12, wherein the triggering condition comprises at least one of: a UE performance metric; and a UE radio resource management, RRM, measurement.

14. The method of any of Claims 12-13, wherein the result of the MDT measurement is a result of a first MDT measurement, the method further comprising: prior to determining that the triggering condition is met, performing (620) a second MDT measurement, wherein generating the MDT measurement report comprises generating the MDT measurement reporting including the result of the first MDT measurement and a result of result of the second MDT measurement.

15. The method of any of Claims 12-14, further comprising: responsive to determining that the triggering condition has been met, transmitting (650) an indication to a third network node that the triggering condition has been met.

16. The method of any of Claims 12-15, wherein the triggering condition is a first triggering condition, wherein the conditional MDT measurement configurations further include a second triggering condition, and wherein performing the MDT measurement comprises initiating a MDT measurement collection procedure, the method further comprising: determining (665) that the second triggering condition has been met; and responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, stopping (670) the MDT measurement collection procedure.

17. The method of Claim 16, further comprising: responsive to determining that the second triggering condition has been met, transmitting (675) an indication to a third network node that the second triggering condition has been met.

18. The method of any of Claims 12-17, wherein the network node comprises at least one of: a distributed unit, DU; a central unit control plane, CU-CP; and a central unit user plane, CU-UP.

19. A first network node (900) adapted to perform operations comprising: receiving (510) a minimization of drive test, MDT, configuration from the second network node, the MDT configuration being associated with a triggering condition; and responsive to the triggering condition being met, obtaining (580) a result of a MDT measurement.

20. The first network node of Claim 19, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-11.

21. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a first network node (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the firstnetwork node to perform operations comprising: receiving (510) a minimization of drive test, MDT, configuration from the second network node, the MDT configuration being associated with a triggering condition; and responsive to the triggering condition being met, obtaining (580) a result of a MDT measurement.

22. The computer program of Claims 21, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-11.

23. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (904) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a first network node (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the first network node to perform operations comprising: receiving (510) a minimization of drive test, MDT, configuration from the second network node, the MDT configuration being associated with a triggering condition; and responsive to the triggering condition being met, obtaining (580) a result of a MDT measurement.

24. The computer program product of Claims 23, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 2-11.

25. A user equipment, UE, (800) adapted to perform operations comprising: receiving (610) conditional MDT measurement configurations from the network node, the conditional MDT measurement configurations including a triggering condition; determining (640) that the triggering condition is met; responsive to determining that the triggering condition has met, performing (660) a MDT measurement; generating (680) a MDT measurement report including a result of the MDT measurement; and transmitting (690) the MDT measurement report to the network node.

26. The UE of Claim 25, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 13- 18.

27. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry(802) of a user equipment, UE, (800), whereby execution of the program code causes the UE to perform operations comprising: receiving (610) conditional MDT measurement configurations from the network node, the conditional MDT measurement configurations including a triggering condition; determining (640) that the triggering condition is met; responsive to determining that the triggering condition has met, performing (660) a MDT measurement; generating (680) a MDT measurement report including a result of the MDT measurement; and transmitting (690) the MDT measurement report to the network node.

28. The computer program of Claim 27, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 13-18.

29. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (810) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (802) of a user equipment, UE, (800), whereby execution of the program code causes the UE to perform operations comprising: receiving (610) conditional MDT measurement configurations from the network node, the conditional MDT measurement configurations including a triggering condition; determining (640) that the triggering condition is met; responsive to determining that the triggering condition has met, performing (660) a MDT measurement; generating (680) a MDT measurement report including a result of the MDT measurement; and transmitting (690) the MDT measurement report to the network node.

30. The computer program of Claim 29, the operations further comprising any of the operations of Claims 13-18.

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