Solution for UL congestion indication

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed that relate network-provided congestion, or rate control, indication in a cellular communications network. In one embodiment, a method performed by a network node in a cellular communications network comprises determining that the network node desires rate control on at least one of an uplink (UL) and a downlink (DL) and, in response thereto, transmitting an indicator to a user equipment (UE). The method further comprises communicating in at least one of the UL and DL with the UE based on an action taken by the UE related to rate control in the at least one of the UL and the DL in response to the indicator. In this manner, the network is enabled to proactively inform the UE(s) to reduce UL and / or DL transmission rate, e.g., to prevent network congestion.

Description

SOLUTION FOR UL CONGESTION INDICATIONRELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 677,581, filed July 31, 2024, and Singapore Provisional Patent Application No. 10202402705X, filed September 2, 2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a cellular communications system and, more specifically, to congestion indication and rate adaptation in a cellular communications system.BACKGROUND

[0003] Rate adaptation can be employed by extended Reality (XR) applications to adapt the traffic generation to potential congestion in the network. For example, the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Release (Rel)-18 XR Study Item (3GPP Technical Report (TR) 38.835, “Study on XR enhancements for NR”, April 2023) mentions that the video frame generation rate can vary between 15 and 120 frames per second (fps).

[0004] There are different methods through which the client and server nodes of the XR application can find out about congestion in the network to adapt the rate. The following methods are presented below: (1) Transport Layer congestion control with congestion indication in the Internet Protocol (IP) header, (2) discarding packets in the Radio Access Network (RAN) based on implementation, (3) a generic RAN-native solution to signal uplink (UL) congestion to User Equipments (UEs), and (4) Recommended Bit Rate Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).1 Transport Layer Congestion Control with Congestion Indication in the IP Header

[0005] A generic approach to rate control and congestion indication on a transport-level (i.e., Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) / User Datagram Protocol (UDP) / Real Time Protocol (RTP)) is based on the Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) marking of the IP header. In any of the hops between the sender entity and receiver entity, any of the nodes can set the ECN bits to indicate to the next hop that a particular node is congested. When the receiver entity sees the ECN bits set, it can initiate the transport-level signaling to the sender entity to reduce its rate of transmission.

[0006] In implementation, for downlink (DL) transmission, the ECN marking at the RAN is based on “tail-marking,” meaning the packet at the end of the transmit queue (the “tail”) is marked with the ECN bits.2 Discarding Packets in the RAN based on Implementation

[0007] A solution for rate adaptation based on implementation is to discard (i.e., drop) packets at the RAN and, when the receiver entity sees missing packets, it will then, using transport layer protocols, trigger the sender entity to reduce its rate.3 Generic RAN-Native Solution to Signal UL Congestion to UEs

[0008] In the context of the Rel-19 XR Work Item, a generic RAN-native solution is being discussed. Discussions so far have been to address the UL rate control mechanism (for e.g., reduction in FPS) from a RAN perspective. The idea is that there is a RAN-native solution to identify and signal the UL RAN congestion to UEs to reduce their transmission rates i.e., apply UL rate control.3.1 Previous RAN2 Discussions

[0009] In RAN#120 (see R2-2213226, “Reply LS to SA2 on XR”, 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #120, Toulouse, France, 14th Nov. - 18th Nov. 2022.), the following was the collective understanding of all companies, and it was agreed that the following text is sent to SA2 in a Liaison Statement (LS) response:— It is feasible for RAN to estimate the congestion information per- QoS flow and per-DRB in downlink and uplink directions.— It is feasible for RAN to estimate the congestion information per- QoS flow and per-DRB in uplink without UE impacts.3.2 RAN Plenary Discussions

[0010] In the last plenary RAN#104 meeting, the following was endorsed:According to the discussion in RAN#104, we aim to replace the current note with the WID in the RAN#105 (see below the note), with the objective to address uplink rate control from RAN, which is complementary to upper layer solutions (e.g., L4S).”. For the RAN#105 we should aim to have also agreement on the which layer the gNb would provide the information in the downlink directionThe RAN2 in August is expected to make conclusions on the other aspects as per current WID, such that we are able to have scope fitting to the time available for XR work going forward after RAN# 105.NOTE from the current WID: “Whether / to what extent network exposure / RAN awareness / e.g., RAN involved rate control, possibly additional info for DL scheduling, parallel with SA2 work, shall be covered in this WI is TBD. “4 Recommended Bit Rate MAC CE

[0011] The recommended bit rate procedure is used to provide the MAC entity with information about the bit rate which the New Radio (NR) base station (gNB) recommends. The bit rate is the recommended bit rate of the physical layer. Averaging window of default value 2000 milliseconds (ms) will apply as specified in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 26.114. Further information can be found in the following excerpts from 3GPP TS 38.321 V18.2.0.***** START EXCERPTS FROM 3GPP TS 38.321 *****5.18.10 Recommended Bit RateThe recommended bit rate procedure is used to provide the MAC entity with information about the bit rate which the gNB recommends. The bit rate is the recommended bit rate of the physical layer. Averaging window of default value 2000 ms will apply as specified in TS 26.114

[0013] .The gNB may transmit the Recommended bit rate MAC CE to the MAC entity to indicate the recommended bit rate for the UE for a specific logical channel and a specific direction (either uplink or downlink). Upon reception of a Recommended bit rate MAC CE the MAC entity shall:- indicate to upper layers the recommended bit rate for the indicated logical channel and direction.The MAC entity may request the gNB to indicate the recommended bit rate for a specific logical channel and a specific direction. If the MAC entity is requested by upper layers to query the gNB for the recommended bit rate for a logical channel and for a direction (i.e. for uplink or downlink), the MAC entity shall:1> if a Recommended bit rate query for this logical channel and this direction has not been triggered:2> trigger a Recommended bit rate query for this logical channel, direction, and desired bit rate.If the MAC entity has UL resources allocated for new transmission the MAC entity shall:1> for each Recommended bit rate query that the Recommended Bit Rate procedure determines has been triggered and not cancelled:2> if bitRateQueryProhibitTimer for the logical channel and the direction of this Recommended bit rate query is configured, and it is not running; and2> if the MAC entity has UL resources allocated for new transmission and the allocated UL resources can accommodate a Recommended bit rate MAC CE plus its subheader as a result of LCP as defined in clause 5.4.3.1:3> instruct the Multiplexing and Assembly procedure to generate the Recommended bit rate MAC CE for the logical channel and the direction of this Recommended bit rate query;3> start the bitRateQueryProhibitTimer for the logical channel and the direction of this Recommended bit rate query;3> cancel this Recommended bit rate query.***** NEXT EXCERPT FROM 3GPP TS 38.321 *****6.1 .3.20 Recommended bit rate MAC CEThe Recommended bit rate MAC CE is identified by a MAC subheader with LCID as specified in Tables 6.2.1-1 and 6.2.1-2 for bit rate recommendation message from the gNB to the UE and bit rate recommendation query message from the UE to the gNB, respectively. It has a fixed size and consists of two octets defined as follows (Figure 6.1.3.20-1):- LCID: This field indicates the identity of the logical channel for which the recommended bit rate or the recommended bit rate query is applicable. The length of the field is 6 bits;- Uplink / Downlink (UL / DL): This field indicates whether the recommended bit rate or the recommended bit rate query applies to uplink or downlink. The length of the field is 1 bit. The UL / DL field set to 0 indicates downlink. The UL / DL field set to 1 indicates uplink;- Bit Rate: This field indicates an index to Table 6.1.3.20-1. The length of the field is 6 bits. For bit rate recommendation the value indicates the recommended bit rate. For bit rate recommendation query the value indicates the desired bit rate;- X: Bit rate multiplier. For UEs supporting recommended bit rate multiplier, when bitRateMultiplier is configured for the logical channel indicated by LCID field, X field set to 1 indicates the actual value of bit rate is the value corresponding to the index indicated by the Bit Rate field multiplied by bitRateMultiplier as specified in TS 38.331 [5].- R: reserved bit, set to 0.[REPRODUCED HEREIN AS FIGURE 6]Figure 6.1.3.20-1 : Recommended bit rate MAC CETable 6.1.3.20-1 : Values (kbit / s) for Bit Rate field[REPRODUCED HEREIN AS FIGURE 7]*****ENDEXCERPTS FROM 3GPP TS 38.321 *****5 3GPP Rel-18 Agreements on XR Features

[0012] SA2 in 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 23.700-60 (“Study on XR (Extended Reality) and media services (Release 18)”) identified that Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sets could be assigned with a PDU Set Importance indicator. This parameter can be used to identify the importance of a PDU Set within a Quality of Service (QoS) flow. RAN may use it for PDU Set level packet discarding in presence of congestion.

[0013] 3GPP TR 23.700-60 defines a PDU Set as follows:A PDU Set is composed of one or more PDUs carrying the pay load of one unit of information generated at the application level (e.g., a frame or video slice for XRM Services, as used in TR 26.926

[0027] ). In some implementations all PDUs in a PDU Set are needed by the application layer to use the corresponding unit of information. In other implementations, the application layer can still recover parts all or of the information unit, when some PDUs are missing.

[0014] 3GPP has agreed on having a “PDU Set Importance” (PSI) indicator which indicates a certain importance level for the said PDU Set. The importance level of the PDU Sets indicates how useful the PDU Set is for the application. The assumption is that low importance PDU Sets can be down prioritized, or even discarded, in favor of more reliable delivery of higher importance PDU Sets.

[0015] In the Rel-18 XR Work Item (WI), new solutions for UL PSI based discarding was introduced. The solution introduced is completely dependent on the UE performing the identification of the PSI levels of the PDU Sets and determining what is a low or high importance PDU Set, and then applying the behavior configured by the network on each of the PDU Sets depending on their identified importance. No information about the PDU Sets is delivered to the network.

[0016] The PSI based discarding is activated by a MAC CE indication from the network. The activation / deactivation is per Data Radio Bearer (DRB). The following is an excerpt from 3GPP TS 38.321 which describes the PSI activation MAC CE:***** START EXCERPT FROM 3GPP TS 38.321 *****6.1 .3.73 PSI-Based SDU Discard Activation / Deactivation MAC CEThe PSI-Based SDU Discard Activation / Deactivation MAC CE is identified by MAC subheader with an one-octet eLCID as specified in Table 6.2.1-lb.It has a fixed size and consists of one octet defined as follows (Figure 6.1.3.73-1):- Du This field indicates the activation / deactivation status of the PSI-based SDU discard of DRB i, where i is the ascending order of the DRB ID among the DRBs configured with discardTimerForLowImportance and with RLC entity(ies) associated with this MAC entity. The Di field set to 1 indicates that the PSI-based SDU discard shall be activated for DRB i. The Di field set to 0 indicates that the PSI-based SDU discard shall be deactivated for DRB i.[REPRODUCED HEREIN AS FIGURE 8]Figure 6.1.3.73-1 : PSI-Based SDU Discard Activation / Deactivation MAC CE*****ENDEXCERPT FROM 3GPP TS 38.321 *****SUMMARY

[0017] Systems and methods are disclosed that relate network-provided congestion, or rate control, indication in a cellular communications network. In one embodiment, a method performed by a network node in a cellular communications network comprises determining that the network node desires rate control on at least one of an uplink (UL) and a downlink (DL) and, in response thereto, transmitting an indicator to a user equipment (UE). The method furthercomprises communicating in at least one of the UL and DL with the UE based on an action taken by the UE related to rate control in the at least one of the UL and the DL in response to the indicator. In this manner, the network is enabled to proactively inform the UE(s) to reduce UL and / or DL transmission rate, e.g., to prevent network congestion.

[0018] In one embodiment, the indicator comprises a congestion component and a direction component, the direction component indicating the congestion is on the UL and / or the DL.

[0019] In one embodiment, the indicator comprises a first bit indicative of UL congestion and a second bit indicative of DL congestion.

[0020] In one embodiment, the indicator is transmitted to the UE in a Radio Link Control (RLC) message, in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) message, or in a Medium Access Control (MAC) message.

[0021] In one embodiment, the indicator is placed in a prioritized position for transmission. In one embodiment, the prioritized position for transmission comprises a front of a queue of packets queued for transmission to the UE.

[0022] In one embodiment, the method further comprises selecting one or more UEs, comprising the UE, to which to transmit the indicator based on information received from the one or more UEs about rate adaptability. In one embodiment, selecting the one or more UEs to which to transmit the indicator comprises selecting one or more UEs for which the received information indicates that those UEs support rate adaptability.

[0023] In one embodiment, the indicator indicates one or more Quality of Service (QoS) flows, one or more application flows or application classes, or one or more data radio bearers for which uplink rate control is to be performed.

[0024] In one embodiment, the indicator is a multi-bit indicator that indicates a specific data rate for each of one or more indicated QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, or one or more associated data radio bearers. In one embodiment, for each of the one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, or one or more data radio bearers indicated by the indicator, the indicated specific data rate is one of a set of supported data rates previously indicated by the UE.

[0025] In one embodiment, the indicator comprises an indication of a recommended bit rate, the indication of the recommended bit rate being an index to a recommended bit rate table.

[0026] In one embodiment, the indicator indicates rate adaptation for one or more indicated QoS flows or a set of QoS flows. In one embodiment, the one or more QoS flows or the set of QoS flows is indicated by the network node to the UE prior to transmitting the indicator.

[0027] In one embodiment, the indicator comprises information that indicates a congestion level.

[0028] In one embodiment, the indicator comprises information that indicates a specific congestion level for each of one or more indicated QoS flows.

[0029] Corresponding embodiments of a network node are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a network node for a cellular communications network is adapted to determine that the network node desires rate control on at least one of an UL and a DL and, in response thereto, transmit an indicator to a UE. The network node is further adapted to communicate in at least one of the UL and DL with the UE based on an action taken by the UE related to rate control in the at least one of the UL and the DL in response to the indicator.

[0030] In one embodiment, a network node for a cellular communications network comprises processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to determine that the network node desires rate control on at least one of an UL and a DL and, in response thereto, transmit an indicator to a UE. The processing circuitry is further configured to cause the network node to communicate in at least one of the UL and DL with the UE based on an action taken by the UE related to rate control in the at least one of the UL and the DL in response to the indicator.

[0031] Embodiments of a method performed by a UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a UE operable in a cellular telecommunications network comprises receiving an indicator from a network node, the indicator indicating that the network node desires rate control in at least one of an UL and DL and, in response thereto, performing an action related to rate control on the at least one of the UL and DL. The method further comprises communicating with the network node based on the action.

[0032] In one embodiment, the indicator comprises a congestion component and a direction component, the direction component indicating the congestion is on the UL and / or the DL.

[0033] In one embodiment, the indicator comprises a first bit indicative of UL congestion and a second bit indicative of DL congestion.

[0034] In one embodiment, the indicator is received by the UE in a Radio Link Control, RLC, message, in a PDCP message or in a MAC message.

[0035] In one embodiment, the indicator is placed in a prioritized position for transmission to the UE.

[0036] In one embodiment, communicating with the network node based on the action comprises adjusting communication with the network node.

[0037] In one embodiment, communicating with the network node based on the action comprises dropping video from a transmission including both audio and video.

[0038] In one embodiment, the indicator indicates one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows or application classes, or one or more data radio bearers for which uplink rate control is to be performed.

[0039] In one embodiment, the indicator is a multi-bit indicator that indicates a specific data rate for each of one or more indicated QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, or one or more associated data radio bearers. In one embodiment, for each of the one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, or one or more data radio bearers indicated by the indicator, the indicated specific data rate is one of a set of supported data rates previously indicated by the UE.

[0040] In one embodiment, the indicator comprises an indication of a recommended bit rate, the indication of the recommended bit rate being an index to a recommended bit rate table.

[0041] In one embodiment, the indicator indicates rate adaptation for one or more indicated QoS flows or a set of QoS flows. In one embodiment, the one or more QoS flows or the set of QoS flows is indicated by the network node to the UE prior to transmitting the indicator.

[0042] In one embodiment, the indicator comprises information that indicates a congestion level.

[0043] In one embodiment, the indicator comprises information that indicates a specific congestion level for each of one or more indicated Quality of Service, QoS, flows.

[0044] Corresponding embodiments of a UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a UE for operation in a cellular communications network is adapted to receive an indicator from a network node, the indicator indicating that the network node desires rate control in at least one of an UL and a DL, and, in response to the indicator, perform an action related to rate control on the at least one of the UL and DL. The UE is further adapted to communicate with the network node based on the action.

[0045] In one embodiment, a UE for operation in a cellular communications network comprises a communication interface comprising a transmitter and a receiver, and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the UE to receive an indicator from a network node, the indicator indicating that the network node desires rate control in at least one of an UL and a DL, and, in response to the indicator, perform an action related to rate control on the at least one of the UL and DL. The processing circuitry is further configured to cause the UE to communicate with the network node based on the action.

[0046] In another embodiment, a method performed by a UE comprises transmitting, to a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, information about uplink rate adaptability of one or moreQoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more Data Radio Bearers (DRBs).

[0047] In one embodiment, the information about uplink rate adaptability is provided at a QoS flow or DRB level.

[0048] In one embodiment, the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises information that identifies one or more QoS flows, one or more DRBs, one or more application flows, and / or one or more application classes, that are rate adaptable.

[0049] In one embodiment, the method further comprises determining one or more application flows and / or one or more application classes are rate adaptable. In one embodiment, the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises information that indicates at least a subset of determined application flows and / or application classes are rate adaptable. In one embodiment, the at least a subset of determined application flows and / or application classes that are indicated as being rate adaptable consist of only those determined application flows and / or application classes having a data rate greater than a predefined or configured data rate threshold and / or a latency requirement that is more stringent than a predefined or configured latency requirement threshold.

[0050] In one embodiment, the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and for a QoS flow, information that indicates whether the QoS flow is rate adaptable.

[0051] In one embodiment, the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for an application flow or an application class, information that indicates whether the application flow or application class is rate adaptable.

[0052] In one embodiment, the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a rate adaptable QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB, a set of data rates that are supported or required for the rate adaptable QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB.

[0053] In one embodiment, the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a rate adaptable application flow or application class, a set of refresh rates supported by the application flow or application class. In one embodiment, the information about uplink rate adaptability further comprises for at least one of the set of refresh rates supported by the application flow or application class, a set of data rates supported or required by the application flow or application class.

[0054] In one embodiment, the method further comprises receiving, from the network node, an indication to activate uplink rate adaptation. In another embodiment, the method furthercomprises receiving, from the network node, an indication to activate uplink rate adaptation for one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs. In one embodiment, the received indication is an implicit indication. In another embodiment, the received indication is an explicit indication. In one embodiment, the explicit indication indicates one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs for which uplink rate adaptation is to be activated. In one embodiment, the explicit indication further indicates a specific data rate per QoS flow, application flow, application class, or DRB. In another embodiment, the received indication is a single-bit indication.

[0055] In one embodiment, the method further comprises, in response to the indication, selecting one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs for which uplink rate adaptation is to be activated.

[0056] In one embodiment, the UE is configured with PSI discarding, and the received indication is a PSI discarding activation indication.

[0057] In one embodiment, the method further comprises operating in accordance with the received indication.

[0058] In one embodiment, the method further comprises transmitting, to the network node, UE capability information comprises an indication that the UE supports uplink rate adaptation capability indication per QoS flow, application flow, application class, and / or DRB.

[0059] Corresponding embodiments of a UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a UE is adapted to transmit, to a RAN node, information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs.

[0060] In one embodiment, a UE comprises a communication interface comprising a transmitter and a receiver, and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the UE to transmit, to a RAN node, information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs.

[0061] In another embodiment, a method performed by a network node for a cellular communications network comprises receiving, from a UE, information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs.

[0062] Corresponding embodiments of a network node are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a network node for a cellular communications network is adapted to receive, from aUE, information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs.

[0063] In another embodiment, a network node for a cellular communications network comprises processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to receive, from a UE, information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0064] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0065] Figure 1A illustrates the operation of a User Equipment (UE) and a network node, in accordance with first embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0066] Figure IB illustrates the operation of a UE and a network node, in accordance with second embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0067] Figure 2 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments.

[0068] Figure 3 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments.

[0069] Figure 4 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments.

[0070] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.

[0071] Figure 6 is a reproduction of Figure 6.1.3.20-1 (“Recommended bit rate MAC CE”) of 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 38.321 V18.2.0.

[0072] Figure 7 is a reproduction of Table 6.1.3.20-1 (“Values (kbits / s) for Bit Rate field”) of 3GPP TS 38.321.

[0073] Figure 8 is a reproduction of Figure 6.1.3.73-1 (“PSI-Based SDU Discard Activation / Deactivation MAC CE”) of 3GPP TS 38.321.DETAIEED DESCRIPTION

[0074] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0075] 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.

[0076] There currently exist certain challenge(s). The rate adaptation approach based on the Transport Layer and Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) marking has the issue (as pointed out in RP-241540, Discussion on Rel-19 XR WID, RAN#104, Shanghai, China, June 17th - 20th, 2024) that not all the nodes in the Internet Protocol (IP) path support the ECN bits marking. Even if a single node along the path between the sender the receiver entity does not support the ECN bits marking, this information is lost and is not received at the receiver entity, exacerbating the congestion in a particular link. In addition, the ECN marking approach to reduce the rate also has a longer Round-Trip Time (RTT) as there could be multiple hops between the sender and receiver entity.

[0077] The rate adaptation approach of discarding packets in the Radio Access Network (RAN) based on implementation has the issue that dropping / discarding packets affects the Quality of Experience (QoE) and this usually happens after the fact i.e., after congestion has occurred, as opposed to the other approaches where the congestion detection is more proactive.

[0078] Regarding the generic RAN-native solution to identify and signal the uplink (UL) RAN congestion to User Equipment’s (UEs), it was deemed feasible for the RAN to estimate congestion information on a per-Quality of Service (QoS) flow and per-Data Radio Bearer (DRB) level. However, the details of how to standardize this solution are missing (i.e., what to signal to the UE, in which format, and in which protocol).

[0079] The legacy Recommended Bit Rate Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), which is an example of a RAN-native solution, has the issues that it does not support per QoS-flow bit rates (just per DRB) and the supported bit rates are not granular enough for extended Reality (XR) traffic (see RP-241505, “Discussion on Rel-19 XR WID”, ZTE Corporation, Sanechips).

[0080] Additionally, when the network is experiencing load, it would in some cases be beneficial that a remedy is achieved quickly. This means that the UE should be notified as soon as possible. However, in conditions of high congestion, it is likely that the RAN has data which is already buffered for transmission. If the network were to send an indication to the UE, the network would have to place it in the queue for transmission which would be sent after the buffered data, at the so-called “tail” of the buffer.

[0081] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Systems and methods are disclosed herein that provide enhancements to theRAN-native solution to signal UL congestion to the UE. Although the RAN can detect the congestion on a particular level of granularity, the RAN is not aware of which of the connected UEs has adaptable QoS flows i.e., can perform UL rate control.

[0082] Systems and methods are disclosed herein in which a UE indicates a rate adaptability of a particular application flow, class, QoS flow, or associated DRB in an UL signaling to the RAN.

[0083] Different approaches of congestion indication from the RAN to the UE with and without considering the adaptability information of the corresponding QoS flow are disclosed herein.

[0084] A unified solution to indicate either or both UL and downlink (DL) congestion is provided herein. A network node in the RAN generates a congestion indication and places this congestion indication at the head of the queue, instead of at the tail, so as to send the indication as soon as possible, without having to wait for most or all of the buffered data to be transmitted. In some embodiments, this may be implemented via Radio Link Control (RLC) layer messaging.

[0085] Embodiments of the present disclosure enable signaling rate adaptability information from a UE to the RAN. The RAN then considers the adaptability information (received from the UE) of the QoS flow to perform congestion indication. A unified solution at the RLC layer is provided to indicate either or both UL and DL congestion.

[0086] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). Embodiments of the present disclosure may enable the network to proactively inform the UEs to reduce their transmission rate to prevent congestion at the RAN. Further, with information about the adaptability of the QoS flow, the congestion indication can be signaled to the correct UEs or at least to those UEs which can reduce their rate to prevent congestion at the RAN. Certain embodiments enable head-marking of ECN bits for DL and / or UL congestion indication.

[0087] The teachings of certain embodiments may improve the data rate, latency, and / or power consumption of the UE and / or RAN.

[0088] As used herein, the terms QoS flow, application flow, application class also refer to the QoS flow identity, application flow identity, and application class identity, respectively. These terms are used interchangeably i.e., using one does not exclude the other.

[0089] In one embodiment, a UE determines that an application flow or application class is rate adaptable (i.e., a rate control mechanism can be applied to it), which is carried on one or more QoS flows and one or more DRBs. Further, one or more application flows (or application classes)are mapped to one or more QoS flows. Furthermore, one or more QoS flows map to one or more DRBs.

[0090] In another embodiment, having performed the determination that the application flow or application class is rate adaptable, the UE includes some identification of rate adaptability on one or more QoS flows and / or one or more associated DRBs level in an UL signaling to the RAN (i.e., to a RAN network node such as, e.g., a gNB).

[0091] In another embodiment, the UE identifies the one or more QoS flows to which the one or more application flows or application classes are mapped and includes the identification information for any one or more of the following:• identified QoS flow(s),• associated DRBs to those QoS flow(s), application flow(s), and / or application class(es),• application flow(s) or application class(es) which can be provided per QoS flow.

[0092] In another aspect, the UE indicates rate adaptability in the UL signaling for only those application flows, application classes, QoS flow(s), and / or associated DRB(s) which have a large data rate (e.g., a data rate over a predefined or configured data rate threshold) and strict latency requirements (e.g., a latency less than a predefined or configured latency threshold).

[0093] In another aspect, the UE also indicates whether it can perform UL rate adaptation independent of the application flow, application class, QoS flow, and / or associated DRB.

[0094] The following is an example of the ASN1 signaling to include the adaptability information in the UE Assistance Information (UAI):_ 11)

[0095] Another ASN1 example for rate adaptability is as follows:qosFlowrateAdaptability-rxx SEQUENCE (size (1 . . . maxQoSf lows) of applicationFlowList applicationFlowList SEQUENCE (size (1 . . n) of applicationFlow

[0096] In the above example, for each Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session and for each QoS flow traffic information, the UE can indicate whether the rate of the corresponding QoS flow is adaptable. Essentially, the UE would indicate that at least one of the application flow(s) / class(es) mapped to this QoS flow is rate adaptable. Similarly, in some embodiments, the UE also indicates whether the rate for the said application flow and / or application class is adaptable.

[0097] In another embodiment, the UE indicates any one or more of the following in the UL signaling:• A set of specific data rates that are supported or required, for each adaptable application flow, application class, QoS flow, and / or associated DRB(s);• Set of refresh rates (for e.g., fps) supported by the application flow and / or application class;• Additionally, the UE may indicate for each refresh rate supported or required by the application, a set of data rates required the application flow and / or application class.

[0098] The following is an example of the ASN 1 signaling to include the supported data rates in the UE Assistance Information (UAI), for each adaptable QoS flow:> 11

[0099] In another aspect, the UE can indicate the rate adaptability, supported data rates, refresh rates, or a combination thereof in the UL signaling.

[0100] In another embodiment, whether the UE can perform the indication of UL rate adaptability for a particular QoS flow, application flow, or application class, or associated DRB is a new UE capability.

[0101] In another embodiment, the UE can receive from the RAN (e.g., from a RAN network node, such as a gNB) either an implicit indication or explicit indication of which QoS flows, application flows, application classes, and / or associated DRBs are to be adapted.

[0102] In an implicit indication, the RAN can semi-statically configure which of the QoS or application flow, class, and / or associated DRB should perform UL rate control if subsequently indicated to do so by RAN. This could be considering the UL rate adaptability signaling from the UE. RAN can signal this information in, e.g., a downlink (DL) Radio Resource Control (RRC)message including the QoS Flow Identifier (QFI) or any other identifier relating to the QFI, e.g., Logical Channel Identities (LCIDs) / Logical Channel Groups (LCGs), or the application flows and / or classes which should be affected. Next, when the UE subsequently receives an implicit indication from RAN in some form of a single-bit indication, the UE performs UL rate control on the specific QoS flows or application flows, classes, and / or associated DRBs which were previously configured by RAN.

[0103] In an explicit indication for which of the flows should be adapted at the current instance (i.e., in a dynamic fashion), the UE receives in some form a multi-bit indication where the RAN can explicitly include which of the QoS flows, application flows or application classes, associated DRBs need to perform UL rate control. The multi-bit indication can include, for example, the QoS flow ID (QFI) or any other identifier relating to the QFI such as LCG / LCID / DRB ID. Upon reception of the multi-bit indication, the UE performs rate adaptation of the traffic in the indicated QoS flows / application flows / application classes.

[0104] In another aspect, a UE receives a multi-bit indication where the RAN includes the QoS or application flows, classes, and / or associated DRB(s) on which to perform UL rate control at the current instance and, additionally, a specific data rate per QoS or application flow / class / associated DRB. This specific data rate can be one of the values (or a value that is close to one of those values) previously indicated by the UE as supported. Subsequently, the UE adapts the (average) rate of the indicated adaptable QoS or application flow / class to be, on average, equal to or at most the rate indicated by RAN.

[0105] In one aspect, upon reception of a single-bit indication from the RAN, it is up to the UE to select which of the adaptable QoS flows, application flows, or application classes or associated DRBs should be asked to perform UL rate control. As a non-limiting example, the single bit can be received in a MAC subheader of in downlink MAC Service Data Unit (SDU) / MAC CE / RLC / Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) SDU header / RLC / PDCP Control PDU. The bit is set whenever the RAN network node (e.g., gNB) detects uplink congestion. In another example, the uplink grant DO (downlink control information) can be also used to indicate the single bit that is set whenever the uplink congestion is detected. This example single bit indication (i.e., signaling example) is also applicable to the implicit indication.

[0106] In yet another embodiment, if a UE is configured with PDU Set Importance (PSI) discarding, the PSI discarding activation indication can be used for triggering of rate adaption. The UE can be configured to use the activation as an indication to apply rate adaption on the signaled DRBs in the PSI discarding activation MAC CE. This could be done together with activation PSI discarding, i.e. UE both applies shorter discard timers for low importance PDU Sets and down ratethe application traffic on the traffic flows mapped to the DRB, or as a first step before applying early discarding of low importance frames.

[0107] In a second option, the UE could be configured with some threshold, e.g. bits in the UE buffer, to determine when the rate adaption is not enough and the PSI discarding needs to also be applied. When receiving the activation indication, it may be up to UE to determine if there is a possibility for rate adaption of the UL traffic mapped to the DRBs or if the PSI discarding need to be applied directly. UE may also deem it not possible to do any rate adaptation and only apply PSI discarding. Similar mechanism could be applied to the deactivation of PSI discarding for a DRB. UE could first stop PSI discarding but wait with increasing the data rate. A threshold could also be used in this case to verify that increasing the rate is not increasing the buffer sizes too much.

[0108] Unified Indication

[0109] In another embodiment, the RAN can indicate the congestion indication which may comprise an indication for UL and / or an indication for DL congestion.

[0110] When the RAN transmits an indicator to the UE that there is UL congestion, the UE responds by taking an action to attempt reduce the UL congestion, such as pushing, forwarding, or retransmitting the indication or a corresponding indication to the transport layer protocol for, e.g., transport control protocol (TCP) to trigger its congestion control mechanism, i.e., reduce its window size or pushing, forwarding, or retransmitting the indication or a corresponding indication to the application layer for it to reduce its rate of transmission or go down in frame rate or video / audio quality.

[0111] When the RAN transmits an indicator to the UE that there is DL congestion, the UE responds by taking an action to attempt reduce the DL congestion, such as by initiating the transport layer protocol based congestion control mechanisms. And when the RAN indicates both UL and DL are congested, the UE responds by taking actions to reduce both UL and DL congestion. In some instances, an action taken to reduce UL congestion may also, by its normal operation, reduce DL congestion. For example, a service may be turned off by the UE to reduce UL congestion and by turning that service off, the UE may also take an action reduce DL congestion. As a more specific example, if XR traffic with video and audio is being provided to and / or from the UE, the traffic may be adapted, such as by stopping the video or changing the video and or audio to lower resolution.

[0112] In a first signalling option, the UL and DL indications can be implemented with two bits, one indicating whether there is UL or DL congestion and the other indicating whether there is congestion. For example, when using two bits there are four possibilities i.e., ‘00,’ ‘01,’ ‘11’ and ‘10’ in which case, ‘01’ and ‘11’ can be used for the indication. The first bit represents adirection bit indicating whether congestion is UL or DL (e.g., either ‘0’ for UL or ‘1’ for DL), while the second bit represents the congestion bit (e.g., ‘0’ indicating no congestion and ‘1’ indicating congestion). If there is no congestion, the bits can be set to ‘00’. In a second signalling option, a first bit indicates if there is DL congestion (e.g., ‘0’ for no DL congestion and ‘1 ’ for DL congestion) and a second bit indicates if there is UL congestion (e.g., ‘0’ for no UL congestion and ‘1’ for UL congestion). In such a signalling scheme, ‘00’ indicates no congestion and ‘11 ’ indication congestion in the DL and the UL.

[0113] The indication may be sent by the network node in an RLC message. For example, a new RLC control PDU can be used to perform this indication. In another aspect, existing reserve bits of the RLC header in the data PDU can also be used to perform congestion indication. Another approach is that the indication is sent in a PDCP message. Another approach is to send it to the UE in a MAC message.

[0114] When sending the indication, the RAN can prioritize the congestion indication by placing it in the front or near the front of the queue over packets already queued, thereby enabling the UE to receive this information faster and thereby be enabled to take action to address congestion sooner.

[0115] In another aspect, the RAN can decide whether to perform the RLC layer indication for UL / DL congestion or set the ECN bits for Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable throughput (L4S). In one example, upon detecting UL congestion, the RAN can indicate to the UE using the RLC- layer indication (either RLC control PDU or RLC header data PDU) or set the ECN bits in the IP header of the packets in the direction of the server and rely on transport layer protocol. In another example, the RAN can set both the ECN bits and perform the RLC layer indication. The decision to mark the ECN bits or perform the RLC layer indication can be based on the corresponding UEs capability for supporting such an RLC layer indication.

[0116] Now, a number of RAN aspects will be described. In one embodiment, the RAN (e.g., a RAN network node, a gNB of the RAN) uses the information about rate adaptability received from the UE to assist in UE selection to indicate congestion (e.g., indication to activate rate adaptability). The congestion level can be based on a current buffer size, the statistics of past cell / link performance (latency, bit rates), or the change of performance / network status such as increasing / decreasing speed of buffer size or cell / link-level performance.

[0117] In another aspect, RAN indicates UL congestion only to those UE(s) which signaled rate adaptability.

[0118] In another aspect, RAN indicates UL congestion to any of the UE(s) who did or did not indicate the ability for UL rate adaptability.

[0119] In another embodiment, RAN performs either a (or including a) single-bit indication or multi-bit indication for UL congestion (e.g., sends this indication to the UE). The multi-bit indication can include the QFI or any identifier relating to the QFI / LCG / LCID.

[0120] In another aspect, a multi-bit indication is sent, and the multi-bit indication includes a specific data rate for each indicated QoS flow (or QFI, or any identifier relating to the QoS flow). The specific data rate is selected by RAN from the set of supported data rates previously signaled by the UE or can be a value close to one of the values from the set of supported data rates signaled by the UE.

[0121] In another embodiment, the network node (e.g., gNB) also refers to a recommended bit rate table that is configurable either based on the supported data rates signaled by UE or based on the statistics of previous buffer status reports. The configuration of the bit rate table can be based on certain parameters such as the max, min, step size of value that the network node signals to a UE, e.g., via RRC signaling. For example, a new linear table is constructed with an interval of the step size between the min and the max value of recommended bit rate. Once the table is constructed, the recommended bit rate indication refers to an index within the configured table. In another way, instead of signaling configuration parameters of a new table, the network node (e.g., gNB) can additionally signal the table index together with an index to the recommended bit rate value and the table index indicates a selection of one of predetermined tables. Before the network node (e.g., gNB) indicates the table index, it is also possible for a UE to indicate the index of a preferred recommended bit rate table considering its supported data rates.

[0122] In another embodiment, in response to receiving the rate adaptability information from the UE, the network node can signal to the UE the specific QoS flows or set of QoS flows which need to be adapted when subsequently a UL congestion indication is sent.

[0123] In another embodiment, based on whether the UE supports signaling of UL rate adaptability, the network can select the UEs accordingly and decide whether to perform an explicit or implicit indication for those UEs.

[0124] In another embodiment, the network node can also signal an index to a different congestion level other than recommended bit rate. This indication is still per QoS flow (QFI / LCID / LCG / DRB). One example is the congestion indication refers to a different level of the cell utilization / expected or measured latency / total buffer size contributed by a specific QoS flow / LCID / LCG / DRB type from all users in the same cell.

[0125] In another embodiment, the indication related to the congestion can be either per cell or configured cell group which can include all primary / secondary cells so that the UE can apply rate adaptation accordingly.

[0126] Figure 1 A illustrates the operation of a UE 100 and a network node 102, in accordance with at least some of the embodiments described above. Optional steps are represented by dashed lines. Note that not all of the details described above are repeated here with respect to Figure 1A; however, it is to be understood that the details of the various embodiments and aspects described above are equally applicable to the corresponding steps of Figure 1A. As illustrated, the UE 100 optionally sends, to the network node 102, UE capability information that includes an indication that the UE 100 has the capability to indicate UL rate adaptation per QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB (step 104). The UE 100 optionally determines that one or more application flows and / or one or more application classes are rate adaptable (step 106).

[0127] The UE 100 sends, to the network node 102 (e.g., via UL signaling), information about rate adaptability for one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, or one or more associated DRBs (step 108). In one embodiment, the information in step 106 is sent for at least a subset of the application flows and / or application classes (or their associated QoS flows and / or DRBs) determined in step 104. As described above, the information about rate adaptability for one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, or one or more associated DRBs sent by the UE 100 to the network node 102 in step 106 may be in accordance with any of the related embodiments described above. For example, this information may include information that indicates rate adaptability on a QoS(s) and / or associated DRB(s) at a QoS flow or DRB level. In another embodiment, this information includes information that identifies one or more QoS flows associated to the one or more application flows and / or application classes determined to be rate adaptable in step 106, where this information may include QoS flow identifiers of the one or more QoS flows, DRB identifiers of the one or more DRBs associated to those QoS flows, application flows, and / or application classes, and / or information that identifies the application flows and / or application classes which can be provided per QoS flow.

[0128] In one embodiment, in step 106, the UE 100 provides the information about rate adaptability only for those application flows, application classes, QoS flows, and / or associated DRBs which have a large data rate and strict latency requirements.

[0129] For example, the information sent in step 106 may include, for each PDU session and for each QoS flow (e.g., for each PDU session and for each QoS flow associated to the application flow(s) and / or application class(es) determined in step 106 or some subset thereof), information that indicates whether the rate of the QoS flow is adaptable. In another example, for each application flow or application class determined in step 106 (or any subset thereof), the informationincludes information that indicates whether the rate for the application flow or application class is adaptable.

[0130] In one embodiment, the information sent from the UE 100 to the network node 102 in step 108 includes any one or more of the following:• a set of specific data rates that are supported or required, for each rate adaptable application flow, application class, QoS flow, and / or associated DRB;• a set of refresh rates supported by each application flow or application class o For each refresh rate supported, the UE may indicate a set of data rates required by the application flow or application class.

[0131] In one embodiment, the information sent from the UE 100 to the network node 102 in step 108 includes information that indicates the rate adaptability, supported data rates, refresh rates, or any combination of two or more thereof, in UL signaling, on a per QoS flow, application flow, application class, or DRB level.

[0132] At the network node 102, the network node 102 selects one or more UEs for which to activate rate adaptation (step 110). This selection is based on the information about rate adaptability received from the UE 100 in step 108 and possibly based on such received from one or more other UEs. The network node 102 sends, to the UE 100, an implicit or explicit indication to activate rate adaptation (step 112). Details regarding an implication indication as well as details regarding an explicit indication (e.g., a single bit or multi-bit indication) are provided above and those details are equally applicable here.

[0133] The UE 100 then operates in accordance with the received indication (step 114). In some embodiments, received indication indicates the QoS flow(s), application flow(s), application class(es), and / or DRB(s) for which rate adaptation is activated, and the UE 100 operates to activate rate adaptation for the indicated QoS flow(s), application flow(s), application class(es), and / or DRB(s). In other embodiments, the received indication is such that the UE 100 selects the QoS flow(s), application flow(s), application class(es), and / or DRB(s) for which to activate rate adaptation. Further details are described above and are equally applicable here.

[0134] Figure IB illustrates the operation of a UE 100 and a network node 102, in accordance with at least some of the embodiments described above. Optional steps are represented by dashed lines. Note that not all of the details described above are repeated here with respect to Figure IB; however, it is to be understood that the details of the various embodiments and aspects described above are equally applicable to the corresponding operations of Figure IB. At operation 150, the network node 102 determines a congestion status, e.g., whether there is congestion at the network node 102 on at least one of the DL and the UL. In other words, the network node 102 determineswhether rate adaptation is desired on at least one of the DL and the UL. In some embodiments, the network node 102 may determine whether there is congestion as measured above a threshold and / or the direction or directions of the congestion. At operation 152, the network node 102 transmits an indicator to the UE 100 that there is congestion. As described herein, the indicator may include two components respectively indicative of whether or not there is congestion and which direction or directions are experiencing the congestion. A congestion indicator or congestion indicator component may indicate a binary (congestion condition or non-congestion condition) status characterizing the congestion status. In some embodiments, the congestion indicator further indicates a degree of congestion or congestion status, such as a “low” congestion status, a “medium” congestion status, or a “high” congestion status. At operation 154, the UE 100 responds by taking an action to attempt address, reduce, or otherwise mitigate the congestion. The UE 100 may first determine whether an action is to be taken at all. For example, if the indicator from network node 102 indicates there is not congestion to be addressed by the UE 100, the UE may take no action. The UE may also determine from the indicator to address congestion only on the UL, only on the DL, or on both the UL and DL.

[0135] Thus, the UE 100 may determine to perform operation 156, 158, or 160 based on the indicator. At operation 156, the UE performs or takes an action to mitigate congestion on the UL. At operation 158, the UE 110 performs or takes an action to mitigate congestion on the DL. At operation 160, the UE performs or takes an action to mitigate congestion on both the UL and DL. Thus may be performed by the UE by performing multiple actions, with at least one action addressing UL congestion and at least one action addressing the DL congestion. After the UE takes action to address the congestion at operation 154, the UE 100 receives (and the network 102 transmits) data to the UE 100 based on the action. At operation 164, the UE 100 transmits data to the network node 102 based on the action undertaken by the UE 100. For example, the UE 100 stops transmitting certain types of data (such as video data) while continuing to transmit other data or the UE 100 delays the transmission of data. In these ways, the network node 102 and the UE 100 communicate in at least one of the UL and DL with the user equipment based on an action taken by the UE 100 in response to the indicator.

[0136] Figure 2 shows an example of a communication system 200 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 200 includes a telecommunication network 202 that includes an access network 204, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 206, which includes one or more core network nodes 208. The access network 204 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 210A and 210B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 210), or any other similar Third GenerationPartnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP Access Points (APs). Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is 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 network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 202 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 202 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 202, including one or more network nodes 210 and / or core network nodes 208.

[0137] 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 control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control 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. Moreover, an ORAN access 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 or comparable technologies. The network nodes 210 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 212A, 212B, 212C, and 212D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 212) to the core network 206 over one or more wireless connections.

[0138] 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 200 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 / orsignals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 200 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0139] The UEs 212 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 210 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 210 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 212 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 202 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 202.

[0140] In the depicted example, the core network 206 connects the network nodes 210 to one or more hosts, such as host 216. 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 206 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 208) 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 208. 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 (SIDE), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0141] The host 216 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 204 and / or the telecommunication network 202, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 216 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include 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.

[0142] As a whole, the communication system 200 of Figure 2 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 200 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards thatinclude, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., Sixth Generation (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.

[0143] In some examples, the telecommunication network 202 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 202 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 202. For example, the telecommunication network 202 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 Internet of Things (loT) services to yet further UEs.

[0144] In some examples, the UEs 212 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 204 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 204. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e. being configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0145] In the example, a hub 214 communicates with the access network 204 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 212C and / or 212D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 210B). In some examples, the hub 214 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 214 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 206 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 214 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 210, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 214. As another example, the hub 214 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE dataand, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 214 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 214 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 214 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 214 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0146] The hub 214 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 21 OB. The hub 214 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 214 and UEs (e.g., UE 212C and / or 212D), and between the hub 214 and the core network 206. In other examples, the hub 214 is connected to the core network 206 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 214 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 204 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 210 while still connected via the hub 214 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 214 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 210B. In other embodiments, the hub 214 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and the network node 210B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0147] Figure 3 shows a UE 300 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 Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless camera, 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, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3GPP, including a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0148] A UE may support Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-RangeCommunication (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).

[0149] The UE 300 includes processing circuitry 302 that is operatively coupled via a bus 304 to an input / output interface 306, a power source 308, memory 310, a communication interface 312, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 3. 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.

[0150] The processing circuitry 302 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 310. The processing circuitry 302 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 302 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0151] In the example, the input / output interface 306 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 300. 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, a mouse, 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. Anoutput 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.

[0152] In some embodiments, the power source 308 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 308 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 308 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 300 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 308. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 308 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 300 to which power is supplied.

[0153] The memory 310 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 310 includes one or more application programs 314, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 316. The memory 310 may store, for use by the UE 300, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0154] The memory 310 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 RAM (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a tamper resistant module in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a Universal SIM (USIM) and / or Internet Protocol Multimedia Services Identity Module (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 a ‘SIM card.’ The memory 310 may allow the UE 300 to access instructions, application programs, and the 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 310, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0155] The processing circuitry 302 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 312. The communication interface 312 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 322. The communication interface 312 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 318 and / or a receiver 320 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 318 and receiver 320 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 322) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0156] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 312 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, NFC, 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 according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Quick User Datagram Protocol Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0157] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 312, 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).

[0158] 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 surfacesor 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.

[0159] A UE, when in the form of an 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 television, 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 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 300 shown in Figure 3.

[0160] 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, an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0161] 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 may adjust 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.

[0162] Figure 4 shows a network node 400 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, APs (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR Node Bs (gNBs)), and O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0163] 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, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node), and / or Remote Radio Units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such RRUs 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).

[0164] 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 BS 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).

[0165] The network node 400 includes processing circuitry 402, memory 404, a communication interface 406, and a power source 408. The network node 400 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an 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 400 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 a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 400 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 404 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 410 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 400 may also include multiple sets of thevarious illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 400, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (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 the network node 400.

[0166] The processing circuitry 402 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, 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 400 components, such as the memory 404, to provide network node 400 functionality.

[0167] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 402 includes a System on a Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 402 includes one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 412 and baseband processing circuitry 414. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 412 and the baseband processing circuitry 414 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 the RF transceiver circuitry 412 and the baseband processing circuitry 414 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0168] The memory 404 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, RAM, 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 402. The memory 404 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 402 and utilized by the network node 400. The memory 404 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 402 and / or any data received via the communication interface 406. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 402 and the memory 404 are integrated.

[0169] The communication interface 406 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 406 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 416 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 406 alsoincludes radio front-end circuitry 418 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 410. The radio front-end circuitry 418 comprises filters 420 and amplifiers 422. The radio front-end circuitry 418 may be connected to the antenna 410 and the processing circuitry 402. The radio front-end circuitry 418 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 410 and the processing circuitry 402. The radio front-end circuitry 418 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 418 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 420 and / or the amplifiers 422. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 410. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 410 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 418. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 402. In other embodiments, the communication interface 406 may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0170] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 400 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 418; instead, the processing circuitry 402 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 410. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 412 is part of the communication interface 406. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 406 includes the one or more ports or terminals 416, the radio front-end circuitry 418, and the RF transceiver circuitry 412 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 406 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 414, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0171] The antenna 410 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 410 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 418 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 410 is separate from the network node 400 and connectable to the network node 400 through an interface or port.

[0172] The antenna 410, the communication interface 406, and / or the processing circuitry 402 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 400. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 410, the communication interface 406, and / or the processing circuitry 402 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node 400. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0173] The power source 408 provides power to the various components of the network node 400 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 408 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 400 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 400 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid or an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 408. As a further example, the power source 408 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.

[0174] Embodiments of the network node 400 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 4 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 400 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 400 and to allow output of information from the network node 400. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 400. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 108 of FIG. 2, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry 418 and the RF transceiver circuitry 412 may be omitted.

[0175] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more Virtual Machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtualization environments 500 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, a UE, a core network node, or a host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 500 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloudenvironment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, a UE, a core network node, or a host.

[0176] Applications 502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 500 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0177] Hardware 504 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, an input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 506 (also referred to as hypervisors or Virtual Machine Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 508A and 508B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 508), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 508.

[0178] The VMs 508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 508, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as Network Function Virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and customer premise equipment.

[0179] In the context of NFV, a VM 508 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 508, and that part of the hardware 504 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 508 on top of the hardware 504 and corresponds to the application 502.

[0180] The hardware 504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 504 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., such as in a data31 center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 502. In some embodiments, the hardware 504 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0181] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) 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, a communication 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.

[0182] 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 particularembodiments, 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.

[0183] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

[0184] Some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are as follows:Group A Embodiments

[0185] Embodiment 1: A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, (100), the method comprising: transmitting (108), to a Radio Access Network, RAN, node (102), information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more Data Radio Bearers, DRBs.

[0186] Embodiment 2: The method of embodiment 1, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability is provided at a QoS flow or DRB level.

[0187] Embodiment 3: The method of embodiment 1, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises information that identifies one or more QoS flows, one or more DRBs, one or more application flows, and / or one or more application classes, that are rate adaptable.

[0188] Embodiment 4: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 3, further comprising determining (106) one or more application flows and / or one or more application classes are rate adaptable.

[0189] Embodiment 5: The method of embodiment 4, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises information that indicates at least a subset of determined application flows and / or application classes are rate adaptable.

[0190] Embodiment 6: The method of embodiment 5, wherein the at least a subset of determined application flows and / or application classes that are indicated as being rate adaptable consist of only those determined application flows and / or application classes having a data rate greater than a predefined or configured data rate threshold and / or a latency requirement that is more stringent than a predefined or configured latency requirement threshold.

[0191] Embodiment 7 : The method of embodiment 1 , wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a Protocol Data Unit, PDU, session and for a QoS flow (e.g., on the PDU session), information that indicates whether the QoS flow is rate adaptable.

[0192] Embodiment 8: The method of embodiment 1, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for an application flow or an application class, information that indicates whether the application flow or application class is rate adaptable.

[0193] Embodiment 9: The method of embodiment 1, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a rate adaptable QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB, a set of data rates that are supported or required for the rate adaptable QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB.

[0194] Embodiment 10: The method of embodiment 1, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a rate adaptable application flow or application class, a set of refresh rates supported by the application flow or application class.

[0195] Embodiment 11 : The method of embodiment 10, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability further comprises for at least one of the set of refresh rates supported by the application flow or application class, a set of data rates supported or required by the application flow or application class.

[0196] Embodiment 12: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 11, further comprising receiving (112), from the network node, an indication to activate uplink rate adaptation.

[0197] Embodiment 13: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 11, further comprising receiving (112), from the network node, an indication to activate uplink rate adaptation for one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs.

[0198] Embodiment 14: The method of embodiment 12 or 13, wherein the received indication is an implicit indication.

[0199] Embodiment 15: The method of embodiment 12 or 13, wherein the received indication is an explicit indication.

[0200] Embodiment 16: The method of embodiment 15, wherein the explicit indication indicates one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs for which uplink rate adaptation is to be activated.

[0201] Embodiment 17: The method of embodiment 16, wherein the explicit indication further indicates a specific data rate per QoS flow, application flow, application class, or DRB.

[0202] Embodiment 18: The method of embodiment 12 or 13, wherein the received indication is a single-bit indication.

[0203] Embodiment 19: The method of any of embodiments 12, 13, or 18, further comprising, in response to the indication, selecting one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, oneor more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs for which uplink rate adaptation is to be activated.

[0204] Embodiment 20: The method of embodiment 12 or 13, wherein the UE is configured with PSI discarding, and the received indication is a PSI discarding activation indication (e.g., a PSI discarding activation MAC CE).

[0205] Embodiment 21: The method of any of embodiments 12 to 20, further comprising operating (114) in accordance with the received indication.

[0206] Embodiment 22: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 21, further comprising transmitting (104), to the network node (102), UE capability information comprises an indication that the UE (100) supports uplink rate adaptation capability indication per QoS flow, application flow, application class, and / or DRB.Group B Embodiments

[0207] Embodiment 23: A method performed by a network node (e.g., network node (102)), the method comprising: receiving (108), from a User Equipment, UE, (100), information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more Data Radio Bearers, DRBs.

[0208] Embodiment 24: The method of embodiment 23, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability is provided at a QoS flow or DRB level.

[0209] Embodiment 25: The method of embodiment 23, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises information that identifies one or more QoS flows, one or more DRBs, one or more application flows, and / or one or more application classes, that are rate adaptable.

[0210] Embodiment 26: The method of embodiment 23, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a Protocol Data Unit, PDU, session and for a QoS flow (e.g., on the PDU session), information that indicates whether the QoS flow is rate adaptable.

[0211] Embodiment 27: The method of embodiment 23, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for an application flow or an application class, information that indicates whether the application flow or application class is rate adaptable.

[0212] Embodiment 28: The method of embodiment 23, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a rate adaptable QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB, a set of data rates that are supported or required for the rate adaptable QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB.

[0213] Embodiment 29: The method of embodiment 23, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a rate adaptable application flow or application class, a set of refresh rates supported by the application flow or application class.

[0214] Embodiment 30: The method of embodiment 29, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability further comprises for at least one of the set of refresh rates supported by the application flow or application class, a set of data rates supported or required by the application flow or application class.

[0215] Embodiment 31: The method of any of embodiments 23 to 30, further comprising selecting (110) one or more UEs for which to activate uplink rate adaptation, based on the information about uplink rate adaptability received from the UE (100).

[0216] Embodiment 32: The method of any of embodiments 23 to 31, further comprising transmitting (112), to the UE (100), an indication to activate uplink rate adaptation.

[0217] Embodiment 33: The method of any of embodiments 23 to 31, further comprising transmitting (112), to the UE (100), an indication to activate uplink rate adaptation for one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs.

[0218] Embodiment 34: The method of embodiment 32 or 33, wherein the transmitted indication is an implicit indication.

[0219] Embodiment 35: The method of embodiment 32 or 33, wherein the transmitted indication is an explicit indication.

[0220] Embodiment 36: The method of embodiment 35, wherein the explicit indication indicates one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs for which uplink rate adaptation is to be activated.

[0221] Embodiment 37: The method of embodiment 36, wherein the explicit indication further indicates a specific data rate per QoS flow, application flow, application class, or DRB.

[0222] Embodiment 38: The method of embodiment 32 or 33, wherein the transmitted indication is a single-bit indication.

[0223] Embodiment 39: The method of embodiment 32 or 33, wherein the UE is configured with PSI discarding, and the transmitted indication is a PSI discarding activation indication (e.g., a PSI discarding activation MAC CE).

[0224] Embodiment 40: The method of any of embodiments 23 to 39, further comprising receiving (104), from the UE (100), UE capability information comprises an indication that the UE (100) supports uplink rate adaptation capability indication per QoS flow, application flow, application class, and / or DRB.Group C Embodiments

[0225] Embodiment 41: A user equipment comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0226] Embodiment 42: A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0227] Embodiment 43: A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.Group D Embodiments

[0228] Embodiment 44: A method performed by an network node in a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising: determining that the network node is experiencing congestion on at least one of the uplink (UL) and the downlink (DL); transmitting an indicator to a user equipment that the network node is experiencing congestion on at least one of the uplink (UL) and the downlink (DL); and communicating in at least one of the UL and DL with the user equipment based on an action taken by the UE in response to the indicator.

[0229] Embodiment 45: The method of embodiment 44, wherein the indicator comprises a congestion component and a direction component, the direction component indicating the congestion is on the UL and / or the DL.

[0230] Embodiment 46: The method of embodiment 44, wherein the indicator comprises a first bit indicative of UL congestion and a second bit indicative of DL congestion.

[0231] Embodiment 47: The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the indicator is transmitted to the UE in an RLC message, in a PDCP message, or in a MAC message.

[0232] Embodiment 48: The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the indicator is placed in a prioritized position for transmission.

[0233] Embodiment 49: The method of embodiment 48, wherein the prioritized position for transmission comprises the front of a queue of packets queued for transmission to the UE.Group E Embodiments

[0234] Embodiment 50: A method performed by a user equipment operable in a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising: receiving a congestion indicator from the network node, the congestion indicator indicative of congestion experienced by the network node in at least one of the uplink (UL) or downlink (DL); in response to the congestion indicator, determining an action to perform to mitigate the congestion experienced by the network node; and communicating with the network node based on the action.

[0235] Embodiment 51: The method of embodiment 50, comprising performing the action to mitigation at least one of UL and DL congestion.

[0236] Embodiment 52: The method of embodiment 50, wherein the indicator comprises a congestion component and a direction component, the direction component indicating the congestion is on the UL and / or the DL.

[0237] Embodiment 53: The method of embodiment 50, wherein the indicator comprises a first bit indicative of UL congestion and a second bit indicative of DL congestion.

[0238] Embodiment 54: The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the indicator is received by the UE in an RLC message, in a PDCP message, or in a MAC message.

[0239] Embodiment 55: The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the indicator is placed in a prioritized position for transmission to the UE.

[0240] Embodiment 56: The method of any of the preceding embodiments, wherein communicating with the network node based on the action comprises adjusting communication with the network node.

[0241] Embodiment 57 : The method of claim 50, wherein communicating with the network node based on the action comprises dropping video from a transmission including both audio and video.Group F Embodiments

[0242] Embodiment 58: A user equipment comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group E embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0243] Embodiment 59: A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group D embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0244] Embodiment 60: A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group E embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a network node in a cellular communications network, the method comprising: determining (150) that the network node desires rate control on at least one of an uplink, UL and a downlink, DL; transmitting (152; 112) an indicator to a user equipment, UE, in response to the determining (150); and communicating (162, 164; 114) in at least one of the UL and DL with the UE based on an action taken by the UE related to rate control in the at least one of the UL and the DL in response to the indicator.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises a congestion component and a direction component, the direction component indicating the congestion is on the UL and / or the DL.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises a first bit indicative of UL congestion and a second bit indicative of DL congestion.

4. The method of any claims 1 to 3, wherein the indicator is transmitted to the UE in a Radio Link Control, RLC, message, in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol, PDCP, message, or in a Medium Access Control, MAC, message.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the indicator is placed in a prioritized position for transmission.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the prioritized position for transmission comprises a front of a queue of packets queued for transmission to the UE.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, further comprising selecting (110) one or more UEs, comprising the UE, to which to transmit the indicator based on information received from the one or more UEs about rate adaptability.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein selecting (110) the one or more UEs to which to transmitthe indicator comprises selecting (110) one or more UEs for which the received information indicates that those UEs support rate adaptability.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates one or more Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows or application classes, or one or more data radio bearers for which uplink rate control is to be performed.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises information that indicates one or more Quality of Service, QoS, flows and a specific data rate for each of the one or more indicated QoS flows.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, for each of the one or more indicated QoS flows, the information that indicates specific data rate indicated for the QoS flow is an index to a table of data rates.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicator is a multi-bit indicator that indicates a specific data rate for each of one or more indicated Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, or one or more associated data radio bearers.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, for each of the one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, or one or more data radio bearers indicated by the indicator, the indicated specific data rate is one of a set of supported data rates previously indicated by the UE.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises an indication of a recommended bit rate, the indication of the recommended bit rate being an index to a recommended bit rate table.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicates rate adaptation for one or more indicated Quality of Service, QoS, flows or a set of QoS flows.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more QoS flows or the set of QoS flows is indicated by the network node to the UE prior to transmitting the indicator.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises information that indicates acongestion level.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises information that indicates a specific congestion level for each of one or more indicated Quality of Service, QoS, flows.

19. A network node for a cellular communications network, network node adapted to: determine (150) that the network node desires rate control on at least one of an uplink, UL and a downlink, DL; transmit (152; 112) an indicator to a user equipment, UE, in response to determining that the network node desires rate control on at least one of the UL and the DL; and communicate (162, 164; 114) in at least one of the UL and DL with the UE based on an action taken by the UE related to rate control in the at least one of the UL and the DL in response to the indicator.

20. The network node of claim 19, further adapted to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 18.

21. A network node for a cellular communications network, the network node comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to: determine (150) that the network node desires rate control on at least one of an uplink, UL and a downlink, DL; transmit (152; 112) an indicator to a user equipment, UE, in response to determining that the network node desires rate control on at least one of the UL and the DL; and communicate (162, 164; 114) in at least one of the UL and DL with the UE based on an action taken by the UE related to rate control in the at least one of the UL and the DL in response to the indicator.

22. The network node of claim 21, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the network node to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 18.

23. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, operable in a cellular telecommunications network, the method comprising: receiving (152) an indicator from a network node, the indicator indicating that the network node desires rate control in at least one of an uplink, UL, and a downlink, DL;in response to the indicator, performing (154) an action related to rate control on the at least one of the UL and DL; and communicating (162, 164) with the network node based on the action.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the indicator comprises a congestion component and a direction component, the direction component indicating the congestion is on the UL and / or the DL.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the indicator comprises a first bit indicative of UL congestion and a second bit indicative of DL congestion.

26. The method of any of claims 23 to 25, wherein the indicator is received by the UE in a Radio Link Control, RLC, message, in a Packet Data Convergence Protocol, PDCP, message, or in a Medium Access Control, MAC, message.

27. The method of any of claims 23 to 26, wherein the indicator is placed in a prioritized position for transmission to the UE.

28. The method of any of claims 23 to 27, wherein communicating (162, 164) with the network node based on the action comprises adjusting communication with the network node.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein communicating with the network node based on the action comprises dropping video from a transmission including both audio and video.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein the indicator indicates one or more Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows or application classes, or one or more data radio bearers for which uplink rate control is to be performed.

31. The method of claim 23, wherein the indicator is a multi-bit indicator that indicates a specific data rate for each of one or more indicated Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, or one or more associated data radio bearers.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein, for each of the one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, or one or more data radio bearers indicated bythe indicator, the indicated specific data rate is one of a set of supported data rates previously indicated by the UE.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the indicator comprises an indication of a recommended bit rate, the indication of the recommended bit rate being an index to a recommended bit rate table.

34. The method of claim 23, wherein the indicator indicates rate adaptation for one or more indicated Quality of Service, QoS, flows or a set of QoS flows.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the one or more QoS flows or the set of QoS flows is indicated by the network node to the UE prior to transmitting the indicator.

36. The method of claim 23, wherein the indicator comprises information that indicates a congestion level.

37. The method of claim 23, wherein the indicator comprises information that indicates a specific congestion level for each of one or more indicated Quality of Service, QoS, flows.

38. A User Equipment, UE, for operation in a cellular communications network, the UE adapted to: receive (152) an indicator from a network node, the indicator indicating that the network node desires rate control in at least one of an uplink, UL, and a downlink, DL; in response to the indicator, perform (154) an action related to rate control on the at least one of the UL and DL; and communicate (162, 164) with the network node based on the action.

39. The UE of claim 38, further adapted to perform the method of any of claims 24 to 37.

40. A User Equipment, UE, (300) for operation in a cellular communications network, the UE (300) comprising: a communication interface (312) comprising a transmitter (318) and a receiver (320); and processing circuitry (302) associated with the communication interface (312), the processing circuitry (302) configured to cause the UE (300) to: receive (152) an indicator from a network node, the indicator indicating that thenetwork node desires rate control in at least one of an uplink, UL, and a downlink, DL; in response to the indicator, perform (154) an action related to rate control on the at least one of the UL and DL; and communicate (162, 164) with the network node based on the action.

41. The UE of claim 40, wherein the processing circuitry (302) is further configured to cause the UE (300) to perform the method of any of claims 24 to 37.

42. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, (100), the method comprising: transmitting (108), to a Radio Access Network, RAN, node (102), information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more Data Radio Bearers, DRBs.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability is provided at a QoS flow or DRB level.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises information that identifies one or more QoS flows, one or more DRBs, one or more application flows, and / or one or more application classes, that are rate adaptable.

45. The method of any of claims 42 to 44, further comprising determining (106) one or more application flows and / or one or more application classes are rate adaptable.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises information that indicates at least a subset of determined application flows and / or application classes are rate adaptable.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the at least a subset of determined application flows and / or application classes that are indicated as being rate adaptable consist of only those determined application flows and / or application classes having a data rate greater than a predefined or configured data rate threshold and / or a latency requirement that is more stringent than a predefined or configured latency requirement threshold.

48. The method of claim 42, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises,for a Protocol Data Unit, PDU, session and for a QoS flow, information that indicates whether the QoS flow is rate adaptable.

49. The method of claim 42, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for an application flow or an application class, information that indicates whether the application flow or application class is rate adaptable.

50. The method of claim 42, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a rate adaptable QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB, a set of data rates that are supported or required for the rate adaptable QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB.

51. The method of claim 42, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a rate adaptable application flow or application class, a set of refresh rates supported by the application flow or application class.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability further comprises for at least one of the set of refresh rates supported by the application flow or application class, a set of data rates supported or required by the application flow or application class.

53. The method of any of claims 42 to 52, further comprising receiving (112), from the network node, an indication to activate uplink rate adaptation.

54. The method of any of claims 42 to 52, further comprising receiving (112), from the network node, an indication to activate uplink rate adaptation for one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs.

55. The method of claim 53 or 54, wherein the received indication is an implicit indication.

56. The method of claim 53 or 54, wherein the received indication is an explicit indication.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the explicit indication indicates one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs for which uplink rate adaptation is to be activated.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the explicit indication further indicates a specific data rate per QoS flow, application flow, application class, or DRB.

59. The method of claim 53 or 54, wherein the received indication is a single-bit indication.

60. The method of any of claims 53, 54, or 59, further comprising, in response to the indication, selecting one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs for which uplink rate adaptation is to be activated.

61. The method of claim 53 or 54, wherein the UE is configured with PSI discarding, and the received indication is a PSI discarding activation indication.

62. The method of any of claims 53 to 61, further comprising operating (114) in accordance with the received indication.

63. The method of any of claims 42 to 62, further comprising transmitting (104), to the network node (102), UE capability information comprises an indication that the UE (100) supports uplink rate adaptation capability indication per QoS flow, application flow, application class, and / or DRB.

64. A User Equipment, UE, (100) adapted to: transmit (108), to a Radio Access Network, RAN, node (102), information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more Data Radio Bearers, DRBs.

65. The UE (100) of claim 64, further adapted to perform the method of any of claims 43 to 63.

66. A User Equipment, UE, (100; 300) comprising: a communication interface (312) comprising a transmitter (318) and a receiver (320); and processing circuitry (302) associated with the communication interface (312), the processing circuitry (302) configured to cause the UE (100; 300) to transmit (108), to a Radio Access Network, RAN, node (102), information about uplink rate adaptability of one or moreQuality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more Data Radio Bearers, DRBs.

67. The UE (100; 300) of claim 66, wherein the processing circuitry (302) is further configured to cause the UE (100; 300) to perform the method of any of claims 43 to 63.

68. A method performed by a network node for a cellular communications network, the method comprising: receiving (108), from a User Equipment, UE, (100), information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more Data Radio Bearers, DRBs.

69. The method of claim 68, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability is provided at a QoS flow or DRB level.

70. The method of claim 68, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises information that identifies one or more QoS flows, one or more DRBs, one or more application flows, and / or one or more application classes, that are rate adaptable.

71. The method of claim 68, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a Protocol Data Unit, PDU, session and for a QoS flow, information that indicates whether the QoS flow is rate adaptable.

72. The method of claim 68, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for an application flow or an application class, information that indicates whether the application flow or application class is rate adaptable.

73. The method of claim 68, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a rate adaptable QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB, a set of data rates that are supported or required for the rate adaptable QoS flow, application flow, application class, or associated DRB.

74. The method of claim 68, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability comprises, for a rate adaptable application flow or application class, a set of refresh rates supported by theapplication flow or application class.

75. The method of claim 74, wherein the information about uplink rate adaptability further comprises for at least one of the set of refresh rates supported by the application flow or application class, a set of data rates supported or required by the application flow or application class.

76. The method of any of claims 68 to 75, further comprising selecting (110) one or more UEs for which to activate uplink rate adaptation, based on the information about uplink rate adaptability received from the UE (100).

77. The method of any of claims 68 to 76, further comprising transmitting (112), to the UE (100), an indication to activate uplink rate adaptation.

78. The method of any of claims 68 to 76, further comprising transmitting (112), to the UE (100), an indication to activate uplink rate adaptation for one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs.

79. The method of claim 77 or 78, wherein the transmitted indication is an implicit indication.

80. The method of claim 77 or 78, wherein the transmitted indication is an explicit indication.

81. The method of claim 80, wherein the explicit indication indicates one or more QoS flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more DRBs for which uplink rate adaptation is to be activated.

82. The method of claim 81, wherein the explicit indication further indicates a specific data rate per QoS flow, application flow, application class, or DRB.

83. The method of claim 77 or 78, wherein the transmitted indication is a single-bit indication.

84. The method of claim 77 or 78, wherein the UE is configured with PSI discarding, and the transmitted indication is a PSI discarding activation indication.

85. The method of any of claims 68 to 84, further comprising receiving (104), from the UE(100), UE capability information comprises an indication that the UE (100) supports uplink rate adaptation capability indication per QoS flow, application flow, application class, and / or DRB.

86. A network node for a cellular communications network, the network node adapted to: receive (108), from a User Equipment, UE, (100), information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more Data Radio Bearers, DRBs.

87. The network node of claim 86, further adapted to perform the method of any of claims 69 to 85.

88. A network node for a cellular communications network, the network node comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to: receive (108), from a User Equipment, UE, (100), information about uplink rate adaptability of one or more Quality of Service, QoS, flows, one or more application flows, one or more application classes, and / or one or more Data Radio Bearers, DRBs.

89. The network node of claim 88, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the network node to perform the method of any of claims 69 to 85.

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