System and method for paging a target user equipment in a network based on member user equipments

Abstract

The disclosure provides a method (500) and a system (108) for paging a target UE (UE-1) in a network (106). The method (500) includes identifying the member UEs associated with the target UE (UE-1). The method (500) further includes utilizing AI / ML algorithms to determine a bond strength score between the member UEs and the target UE (UE-1). When the AMF (402) needs to page the target UE (UE-1), it first attempts to do so using the last known cell location. If this paging fails, the AMF (402) fetches a list of member UEs from the NWDAF or NEF (406) based on relevant time frame. The AMF (402) then pages the target UE (UE-1) in the cell locations of these member UEs, prioritizing based on the bond strength score and the likelihood of co-location with the target UE (UE-1).

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PAGING A TARGET USER EQUIPMENT IN A NETWORK BASED ON MEMBER USER EQUIPMENTSRESERVATION OF RIGHTS

[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material, which is subject to intellectual property rights such as, but are not limited to, copyright, design, trademark, Integrated Circuit (IC) layout design, and / or trade dress protection, belonging to JIO PLATFORMS LIMITED or its affiliates (hereinafter referred as owner). The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the owner.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to telecommunication networks. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a method and a system for paging a target user equipment (UE) in a telecommunication network based on associated member UEs.DEFINITION

[0003] As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used to indicate otherwise.

[0004] The term ‘paging’ used hereinafter in the specification refers to a process of sending a signal to a target UE to establish a connection or to locate its presence in the network.

[0005] The term ‘cell location’ used hereinafter in the specification refers to a specific geographic area covered by a cellular network cell where the target UE is located.

[0006] The term ‘target User Equipment (UE)’ used hereinafter in the specification refers to a specific UE (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, etc.) that the network is attempting to page and locate.

[0007] The term ‘member UEs’ used hereinafter in the specification refers to other UEs that are associated with the target UE. The member UEs are considered ‘members’ because the member UEs share some relationship or connection with the target UE.

[0008] The term 'bond strength' used hereinafter in the specification refers to a measure of how frequently and consistently the target UE and a particular member UE are found together in the same locations during similar time frames.

[0009] The term 'bond strength score' used hereinafter in the specification refers to a percentage value obtained by converting the bond strength into a percentage value.

[0010] The term ‘AMF’ used hereinafter in the specification refers to an Access and Mobility Management Function, a core network function in 5G networks responsible for handling connection and mobility management tasks.

[0011] The term ‘NWDAF / NEF’ used hereinafter in the specification refers to a Network Data Analytics Function and a Network Exposure Function, respectively. The NWDAF provides network analytics to optimize the network functions, while the NEF exposes network capabilities to the external applications and the network functions.BACKGROUND

[0012] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section be used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of prior art.

[0013] In telecommunication networks, efficient paging of a target user equipment (UE) is crucial for maintaining connectivity and ensuring timely delivery of services. Conventionally, when the target UE needs to be paged, the network begins by paging the last known cell tower. If the target UE does not respond, the paging extends to a Tracking Area Code (TAC) level and subsequently to a larger area. This approach is inefficient and energy-consuming. Further, the existing systems, such as a time-series-based paging location prediction models, predict the UE's location based on its historical data. However, these prediction models do not consider the possibility that the UE may be moving with a known person.

[0014] Further, the existing paging systems utilize time-series-based location prediction models to predict the location of the target UE. These time- series-based prediction models may analyze movement patterns of the target UE to forecast its likely location at any given time. However, the existing systems predict the target UE location based on its historical data and do not consider for dynamic changes in the movement patterns of the target UE.

[0015] There is, therefore, a need for a system and a method that overcomes the limitations of the prior art.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment, a method for paging a user equipment (UE) in a telecommunication network is described. The method comprises pagingthe UE, by a processing module, based on cell information of the UE. The processing engine determines that the paging is unsuccessful, and identifies a plurality of member UEs associated with the UE based on a plurality of predefined parameters. The processing module determines a bond strength score between each of the identified member UE and the UE at one or more time frames. The processing module creates a member UE list for each of the one or more time frames based on one or more identified member UEs at the time frame and the bond strength score. The method further includes extracting, by the processing module, cell information of at least one UE present in the member UE list, and reinitiating, by the processing module, paging to the UE based on the cell information of the at least one UE present in the member UE list.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method includes identifying, by the processing module, the plurality of member UEs associated with the UE based on the plurality of predefined parameters. In some embodiments, the plurality of predefined parameters comprises one or more of a Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, and a UE separation distance. This step is preceded by determining, by the processing module, whether the member UE lists are present for the UE in a database and upon determining that the member UE lists are not present for the UE, identifying, by the processing module, the plurality of member UEs associated with the UE based on the plurality of predefined parameters using a member UE selection technique. As an example, “memberUESelection” is a mechanism to predict those UEs which are generally found to be roaming with target UE’s owner. These relations are representation of UE owner’s relation with memberUEs owners.

[0018] The UE selection technique involves grouping of UEs together based on various filtering criteria like QoS, RAT Types of PDU, data volume transfer time, UE location, UE historical location, UE direction of moving, UE separation distance and similar service experience. The application function provides ID of target UE with some of these filtering criteria to NEE The NEFinteracts with NWDAF to fetch a list of UE that fit under filtering criteria. The list of UEs is provided to AF.

[0019] In some embodiments, upon determining that the member UE lists are present for the UE, the processing module accesses the member UE lists based on the one or more time frames.

[0020] In some embodiments, determining a bond strength score between each identified member UE and the UE at the one or more time frames comprises for each time frame of the one or more time frames, performing accessing, by the processing module, a plurality of data points for a predefined period of time from a database for analysing a connection between each identified member UE and the UE. The plurality of data points comprise a tower location, a signal strength, and one or more radio access network (RAN) parameters. The method further includes creating, by the processing module, a time-wise cluster for the UE based on an analysis of the plurality of data points. The plurality of time-wise clusters are created for each time frame. The processing module assigns the bond strength to each identified member UE for each time frame based on consistent presence of the member UE in the plurality of time-wise clusters created for the time frame.

[0021] In some embodiments, the bond strength score to each member UE of the plurality of member UEs for each time frame is assigned based on a bond strength determined for the member UE at the time frame. The processing module converts the bond strength obtained for each member UE at each time frame into a percentage value and assigns, the percentage value obtained corresponding to the bond strength of each member UE at each time frame as the bond strength score to the member UE at the time frame.

[0022] In some embodiments, a system for paging a user equipment (UE) in a telecommunication network is described. The system comprises a memory storing instructions, one or more communication interfaces and one or more hardware processors coupled to the memory via the one or more communication interfaces. The system further comprises a processing module configured to pagethe UE based on cell information of the UE, identify a plurality of member UEs associated with the UE based on a plurality of predefined parameters. Upon determining that the paging is unsuccessful, the processing module determines a bond strength score between each identified member UE and the UE at one or more time frames. The processing module is configured to create a member UE list for each time frame based on the plurality of identified member UEs at the time frame and the bond strength score. The processing module is configured to extract cell information of at least one UE present in the member UE list and reinitiate the paging to the UE based on the cell information of the at least one UE present in the member UE list.

[0023] In some embodiments, before identifying the plurality of member UEs associated with the UE based on the plurality of predefined parameters using a member UE selection technique, the processing module is configured to determine whether the member UE lists are present for the UE in a database and upon determining that the member UE lists are not present for the UE, identify the plurality of member UEs associated with the UE based on the plurality of predefined parameters using the member UE selection technique.

[0024] In some embodiments, the processing module is further configured to access the member UE list based on the one or more time frames.

[0025] In some embodiments, for determining the bond strength score between each identified member UE and the UE at the one or more time frames, the processing module is configured to perform access a plurality of data points for a predefined period of time from a database for analysing a connection between each identified member UE and the UE for each time frame of the one or more time frames. The plurality of data points comprises a tower location, a signal strength, a CE level and one or more RAN parameters. The processing module further creates a time-wise cluster for the UE based on an analysis of the plurality of data points, The plurality of time-wise clusters are created for each time frame and the bond strength score is assigned to each identified member UE for each time frame basedon consistent presence of the member UE in the plurality of time-wise clusters created for the time frame.

[0026] In some embodiments, for assigning the bond strength score to each member UE of the plurality of member UEs for each time frame based on a bond strength determined for the member UE at the time frame, the processing module is configured to convert the bond strength obtained for each member UE at each time frame into a percentage value and assign the percentage value obtained corresponding to the bond strength of each member UE at each time frame as the bond strength score to the member UE at the time frame.

[0027] In some embodiments, the plurality of predefined parameters comprises one or more of a Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, and a UE separation distance.

[0028] In some embodiments, a user equipment is communicatively coupled to a system. The coupling comprises steps of receiving a connection request, sending an acknowledgment of the connection request to the system and transmitting data from the user equipment to the system. The system is configured for paging the user equipment in a telecommunication network.

[0029] In some embodiments, a method for determining a bond strength score associated with a user equipment (UE) is described. The method comprises identifying, by a processing module, a plurality of member UEs associated with the UE based on a plurality of predefined parameters. The plurality of predefined parameters comprises one or more of a Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, and a UE separation distance. The processing module determines a bond strength between the plurality of member UEs and the UE based on a frequency and a duration of colocation of the plurality of member UEs with the UE. The processing module converts the bond strength obtained for each member UE at each time frame into apercentage value and assigning, by the processing module, the converted percentage value obtained corresponding to the bond strength of each member UE as the bond strength score to the member UE at the time frame.

[0030] In some embodiments, the present disclosure discloses a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method for paging a user equipment (UE) in a telecommunication network. The method comprises paging the UE, by a processing module, based on cell information of the UE. The processing engine determines that the paging is unsuccessful, and identifies a plurality of member UEs associated with the UE based on a plurality of predefined parameters. The processing module determines a bond strength score between each of the identified member UE and the UE at one or more time frames. The processing module creates a member UE list for each of the one or more time frames based on one or more identified member UEs at the time frame and the bond strength score. The method further includes extracting, by the processing module, cell information of at least one UE present in the member UE list, and reinitiating, by the processing module, paging to the UE based on the cell information of the at least one UE present in the member UE list.OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

[0031] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method and a system for paging a target UE in a network based on location of the member UEs linked to the target UE, thereby optimizing the paging procedure to save cost and power.

[0032] Another object of the present disclosure is to select one or more member UEs associated with the target UE by grouping multiple UEs together based on parameters, such as Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), data volume transfer time, UE location,UE historical location, UE direction of movement, UE separation distance, and similar service experience.

[0033] Another object of the present disclosure is to utilize Artificial Intelligence (Al) or Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to determine bond strength between the member UEs and the target UE.

[0034] Another object of the present disclosure is to allow the AMF to page in the cell locations of the member UEs associated with the target UE based on the bond strength.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Some drawings may indicate the components using block diagrams and may not represent the internal circuitry of each component. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of such drawings includes the disclosure of electrical components, electronic components or circuitry commonly used to implement such components.

[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture for implementing a system for paging a target UE in a network based on member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system configured for paging the target UE in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary scenario for paging the target UE in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 3B illustrates another exemplary scenario for paging the target UE in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0040] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary architecture of a process for paging the target UE in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0041] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary flow chart illustrating a method of for paging the target UE in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0042] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary flow chart illustrating a method of for determining the bond strength score for paging the target UE in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0043] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram illustrating a method of for paging the target UE in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure

[0044] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computer system in which or with which the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0045] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the disclosure.LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS100 - Network architecture102 - User102-1, 102-2, ..., 102-N - One or more Users104 - User Equipment (UE)104-1, 104-2, . . ., 104 -N - One or more User Equipments106 - Network108 - System202 - Processor204 - Memory206 -Interface(s)208 - Processing engine210 - Database300A, 300B- Exemplary scenarios302A, 302B-Member UEs at home304A, 304B- Member UEs while travelling to office306 A- Member UEs when reached to office 306B-Member UEs when reached to park 400 - Architecture402 - Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)404 - Fifth Generation (5G) core network406 - Network Exposure Function (NEF)408 - Office410 - Park416, 418, 420, 422, 424- Paging500- Flowchart600- Flowchart700- Flow Diagram702- NG-RAN704- NWDAF800 - Computing system810 - External Storage Device820 - Bus830 - Main Memory840 - Read Only Memory850 - Mass Storage Device860 - Communication Port870 - ProcessorDETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not address any of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above. Some of the problems discussed above might not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein. Example embodiments of the present disclosure are described below, as illustrated in various drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings.

[0047] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth.

[0048] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-knowncircuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0049] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not included in a figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function.

[0050] The word “exemplary” and / or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and / or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive like the term “comprising” as an open transition word without precluding any additional or other elements.

[0051] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “an instance” or “one instance” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0052] The terminology used herein is to describe particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It should be noted that the terms “mobile device”, “user equipment”, “user device”, “communication device”, “device” and similar terms are used interchangeably for the purpose of describing the invention. These terms are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or imply any specific functionality or limitations on the described embodiments. The use of these terms is solely for convenience and clarity of description. The invention is not limited to any particular type of device or equipment, and it should be understood that other equivalent terms or variations thereof may be used interchangeably without departing from the scope of the invention as defined herein.

[0053] As used herein, an “electronic device”, or “portable electronic device”, or “user device” or “communication device” or “user equipment” or “device” refers to any electrical, electronic, electromechanical, and computing device. The user device is capable of receiving and / or transmitting one or parameters, performing function / s, communicating with other user devices, and transmitting data to the other user devices. The user equipment may have a processor, a display, a memory, a battery, and an input-means such as a hard keypad and / or a soft keypad. The user equipment may be capable of operating on any radio access technology including but not limited to IP-enabled communication, Zig Bee, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Near Field Communication, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi,Wi-Fi direct, etc. For instance, the user equipment may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, smartphone, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, laptop, a general -purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, mainframe computer, or any other device as may be obvious to a person skilled in the art for implementation of the features of the present disclosure.

[0054] Further, the user device may also comprise a “processor” or “processing unit” includes processing unit, wherein processor refers to any logic circuitry for processing instructions. The processor may be a general -purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits, Field Programmable Gate Array circuits, any other type of integrated circuits, etc. The processor may perform signal coding data processing, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the working of the system according to the present disclosure. More specifically, the processor is a hardware processor.

[0055] Embodiments herein relate to a system and a method for paging a target UE in a network based on associated member UEs. In particular, the method includes the steps of identifying the member UEs associated with the target UE by selecting the member UEs based on various parameters, such as Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), data volume transfer time, UE location, UE historical location, UE direction of movement, UE separation distance, and similar service experience. The member UEs selection is a mechanism to predict those UEs which are generally found to be roaming with an owner of the target UE. These parameters are representation of the target UE owner relationship with the member UEs owners. An Application Function (AF) provides Identity (ID) of the target UE with some of these parameters to the NEF. The NEF interacts with the NWDAF to fetch a list of UEs that fit under these parameters. The method further includes utilizing AI / ML algorithms such as supervised, unsupervised, classification, deep learning etc. to determine a bondstrength between the member UEs and the target UE. When the AMF needs to page the target UE, it first attempts to do so using the last known cell location. If this paging fails, the AMF fetches a list of member UEs from the NWDAF or the NEF based on relevant time frame. The AMF then pages the target UE in the cell locations of these member UEs, prioritizing based on the bond strength and the likelihood of co-location with the target UE. The method optimizes the paging procedure, reducing unnecessary paging messages, and conserving network resources and power.

[0056] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0057] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network architecture (100) for implementing a system (108) for paging a target UE in a network based on member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the network architecture (100) may include one or more user equipments (UEs) (104-1, 104-2. . . 104-N) associated with one or more users (102- 1, 102-2... 102-N) in an environment. In some embodiments, the UE (104-1) may be a target UE and the UEs (104-2... 104-N) may be member UEs linked to the target UE (104) which needs to be paged. A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that one or more users (102-1, 102-2. .. 102-N) may be individually referred to as the user (102) and collectively referred to as the users (102). Similarly, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that one or more UEs (104-1, 104-2... 104-N) may be individually referred to as the UE (104) and collectively referred to as the UEs (104). Although three UEs (104) are depicted in FIG. 1, however, any number of the UEs (104) may be included without departing from the scope of the ongoing description.

[0058] In an embodiment, the UE (104) may include smart devices operating in a smart environment, for example, an Internet of Things (loT) system. In such an embodiment, the UE (104) may include, but is not limited to, smart phones, smart watches, smart sensors (e.g., mechanical, thermal, electrical,magnetic, etc.), networked appliances, networked peripheral devices, networked lighting system, communication devices, networked vehicle accessories, networked vehicular devices, smart accessories, tablets, smart television (TV), computers, smart security system, smart home system, other devices for monitoring or interacting with or for the users (102) and / or entities, or any combination thereof. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the UE (104) may include, but is not limited to, intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connected devices, that can integrate seamlessly with each other and / or with a central server or a cloudcomputing system or any other device that is network-connected.

[0059] In an embodiment, the UE (104) may include, but is not limited to, a handheld wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smart phone, a phablet device, and so on), a wearable computer device(e.g., a head-mounted display computer device, a head-mounted camera device, a wristwatch computer device, and so on), a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or another type of portable computer, a media playing device, a portable gaming system, and / or any other type of computer device with wireless communication capabilities, and the like. In an embodiment, the user equipment (104) may include, but is not limited to, any electrical, electronic, electromechanical, or an equipment, or a combination of one or more of the above devices such as virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, laptop, a general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, mainframe computer, or any other computing device, wherein the UE (104) may include one or more in-built or externally coupled accessories including, but not limited to, a visual aid device such as a camera, an audio aid, a microphone, a keyboard, and input devices for receiving input from the user (102) or the entity such as touch pad, touch enabled screen, electronic pen, and the like. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the UE (104) may not be restricted to the mentioned devices and various other devices may be used.

[0060] In FIG. 1, the user equipment (104) may communicate with the system (108) through a network (106). In order to establish communication,initially, the network (106) is configured to receive a connection request from the user equipment (104). In response to receiving the connection request, the network (106) is configured to send an acknowledgment of the connection request to the user equipment (104). Further, a plurality of signals is transmitted in response to the connection request. Based on the connection request, paging of the target UE is performed in the telecommunication network (i.e., the network 106). In an embodiment, the network (106) includes at least one of the 4G network, the 5G network, the 6G network, or the like.

[0061] The network (106) may enable the UE (104) to communicate with other devices in the network architecture (100) and / or with the system (108). The network (106) may include a wireless card or some other transceiver connection to facilitate this communication. In another embodiment, the network (106) may be implemented as, or include any of a variety of different communication technologies such as a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless network, a mobile network, a Virtual Private Network (VPN), the Internet, the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cable network, a cellular network, a satellite network, a fiber optic network, or some combination thereof. In another embodiment, the network 106 includes, by way of example but not limitation, at least a portion of one or more networks having one or more nodes that transmit, receive, forward, generate, buffer, store, route, switch, process, or a combination thereof, etc. one or more messages, packets, signals, waves, voltage or current levels, some combination thereof, or so forth.

[0062] Although FIG. 1 shows exemplary components of the network architecture (100), in other embodiments, the network architecture (100) may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional functional components than depicted in FIG. 1. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the network architecture (100) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other components of the network architecture (100).

[0063] FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram (200) of the system (108), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is explained in conjunction with FIG. 1. In particular, the system (108) is implemented for paging the target UE in the network (106) based on associated member UEs.\

[0064] The system (108) includes one or more processor(s) (202). The one or more processor(s) (202) may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, edge or fog microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and / or any devices that process data based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, one or more processor(s) (202) may be configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (204) of the plug and play integration system (108). The memory (204) may be configured to store one or more computer-readable instructions or routines in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which may be fetched and executed to page the target UE in the network (106) based on the associated member UEs. The memory (204) may include any non- transitory storage device including, for example, volatile memory such as Random- Access Memory (RAM), or non-volatile memory such as Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), flash memory, and the like.

[0065] In an embodiment, the system (108) may include an interface(s) (206). The interface(s) (206) may include a variety of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices, referred to as VO devices, storage devices, and the like. The interface(s) (206) may facilitate communication of the system (108). The interface(s) (206) may also provide a communication pathway for one or more components of the system (108). Examples of such components include, but are not limited to, a processing engine / module (208) and a database (210). In the entre disclosure, the processing engine (208) and the processing module (208) have been used interchangeably.

[0066] The processing engine (208) may be implemented as a combination of hardware and programming (for example, programmable instructions) toimplement one or more functionalities of the processing engine (208). In examples described herein, such combinations of hardware and programming may be implemented in several different ways. For example, the programming for the processing engine (208) may be processor-executable instructions stored on a non- transitory machine-readable storage medium and the hardware for the processing engine (208) may include a processing resource (for example, one or more processors), to execute such instructions. In the present examples, the machine- readable storage medium may store instructions that, when executed by the processing resource, implement the processing engine (208). In such examples, the system (108) may include the machine-readable storage medium storing the instructions and the processing resource to execute the instructions, or the machine- readable storage medium may be separate but accessible to the system (108) and the processing resource. In other examples, the processing engine (208) may be implemented by an electronic circuitry in the 5G core network. The processing engine (208) is implemented and the functionality is executed in Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Network Data Analytics Function (NDWAF) and Network Exposure Function (NEF).

[0067] In order to page the target UE in the network (106), the processing engine (208) may initially determine a last known cell location of the target UE. If the target UE does not respond to the paging attempt in the last known cell location, the processing engine (208) proceeds to identify and select the member UEs associated with the target UE. The selection of member UEs is based on various parameters such as a QoS, RAT types of a PDU, a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, a UE separation distance, and similar service experience.

[0068] The processing engine (208) may then utilize AI / ML algorithms to analyze the interactions and co-locations of the target UE and the member UEs over a time frame. By doing so, the processing engine (208) may determine the bond strength between the target UE and each member UE. In an aspect, the bond strength is a measure of how frequently and consistently the target UE and aparticular member UE are found together in the same locations during similar time frames. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the bond strength may be categorized into levels such as ‘strong’, ‘moderate’, and ‘weak’, providing a qualitative measure of the relationship between the target UE and the member UEs. For example, the bond strength may be converted into a numerical value or a percentage as bond strength score. In an embodiment, a high bond strength score value (e.g., 0.8 or 80%) indicates that the target UE and a member UE are often co-located, whereas a low bond strength value (e.g., 0.2 or 20%) indicates infrequent co-location.

[0069] Based on the determined bond strength, the processing engine (208) may assign scores to each member UE. Higher bond strength scores indicate a higher likelihood that the target UE may be found in proximity to the corresponding member UE. For instance, a member UE that frequently travels with the target UE during specific times of the day (e.g., commuting to work) may have a higher bond strength score compared to other member UEs.

[0070] The processing engine (208) retrieves the list of member UEs along with the corresponding bond strength scores and the associated cell locations from the database (210). This list is then used to direct the paging process. The processing engine (208) may re-initiate paging attempts in the cell locations of the member UEs associated with the target UE with the highest bond strength scores first, and then gradually moving to locations of the member UEs with lower scores if needed. In case, the target UE is not located using the first list of member UEs, the processing engine (208) may apply an additional intelligent (association-based) logic to find a second list of member UEs to be checked with and so on till all the lists are checked. In an aspect, the processing engine may repeat the same process after a predefined interval of time such as 5 seconds. In another aspect, when the paging gets unsuccessful for a predefined number of attempts, the processing engine (208) falls back to use conventional approaches where the paging is sent over a large area. This is further explained in conjunction with FIG. 3 - FIG. 5.

[0071] Although FIG. 2 shows an exemplary block diagram (200) of the system (108), in other embodiments, the system (108) may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional functional components than depicted in FIG. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the system (108) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other components of the system (108).

[0072] FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary scenario for paging the target UE in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3A is explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0073] The exemplary scenario may include a target UE (e.g., UE-1) (104) and associated member UEs (e.g., UE-2, UE-3. . .UE-12) (302 A, 304 A, 306 A). The target UE-1 (104) may be associated with a user-1. Additionally, each of the member UEs (UE-2, UE-3...UE-12) (302A, 304A, 306A) may be associated with one or more member users (user-2, user-3... user- 12). Each of the UEs may be assigned with a unique ID. For example, the UE-1 (104) may be assigned with a unique ID ‘UEID-l ’, the UE-2 may be assigned with a unique ID ‘UEID-2’, the UE-3 may be assigned with a unique ID ‘UEID-3’, and so on.

[0074] The present FIG. 3 A depicts the scenario where an owner (e.g., user-1) of the target UE (e.g., UE-1) (104) travels to an office with a driver (e.g., user- 5) having a member UE (e.g., UE-5) and a colleague having a member UE (e.g., UE-6) (304A). In this scenario, instead of following daily route, the user-1 of the target UE-1 may move via a new route to the office.

[0075] In time frame Tl, the member UEs at home (302 A) includes family member UEs (e.g., UE-2, UE-3, and UE-4) for the target UE-1. In time frame T2, the member UEs while travelling to office (304 A) may include a driver member UE (e.g., UE-5) and a colleague UE (e.g., UE-6) for the target UE-1. In time frame T3, the member UEs in office (306 A) may include a plurality of colleagues member UEs (e.g., UE-6, UE-7, UE-8, UE-9, UE-10, UE-11, and UE-12) for the target UE- 1.

[0076] In time frame T2, when the AMF tries to page the target UE (UE-1) (104) and if the initial paging attempt at the last known cell (i.e. corresponding to UE-1 home) of the target UE (104) fails, the AMF fetches a list of member UEs that are likely to be in proximity to the target UE based on historical and real-time location data. During time frame T2, the relevant member UEs are UE-5 and UE- 6, (304 A) who are traveling with the target UE-1.

[0077] The AMF communicates with the NWDAF or the NEF, at time frame T2 ± 1 to obtain the list of member UEs (UE-5 and UE-6) (304A), which includes the associated UE IDs (e.g., UEID-5, and UEID-6), along with their last known cell sites. Specifically, the AMF provides ID of target UE with some filtering criteria such as like QoS, RAT Types of PDU, data volume transfer time, UE location, UE historical location, UE direction of moving, UE separation distance and similar service experience to NEF. In response to communication from the AMF, the NEF communicates with NWDAF to fetch a list of UE that fit under filtering criteria. The list of UEs is provided to AMF via NEF. In an aspect, the NWDAF employs AI / ML algorithms to determine the bond strength between the target UE (UE-1) (104) and the member UEs (UE-5 and UE-6) (304 A). Bond strength is determined based on the frequency and duration of co-location of these member UEs (UE-5 and UE-6) (304 A). Since the UE-5 and the UE-6 frequently accompany the target UE (UE-1) (104) during the commute to the office, these member UEs have a high bond strength. In some embodiments, the AMF may fetch the list of the member UEs for time T2 ± 1 from the NWDAF / NEF and then check last known cell locations for member UEs with the high bond strength scores. Additionally, in some embodiments, the AMF may also consider the member UEs with zero bond strength scores if these zero bond scores are relevant for the paging process.

[0078] Once the AMF receives the cell location information of the UE-5 and the UE-6 from the NWDAF or the NEF, the AMF initiates paging signals in the cells where these member UEs are located. The paging signals include instructions for the member UEs to assist in locating the target UE (UE-1) (104).This paging approach determines movement patterns of the UE-5 and UE-6 (304A) with the target (UE 104), increasing the likelihood of successfully locating the target UE (104).

[0079] By using the cell locations of the UE-5 and the UE-6 (304A), the present disclosure reduces the paging area, thus optimizing the paging process. Further, the present disclosure minimizes the network resources required for paging and reduces the power consumption of the UEs involved. If the target UE responds to the paging signals from any of the cells where the UE-5 or the UE-6 are present, the paging process is successful, and the connection with the target UE is established.

[0080] FIG. 3B illustrates another exemplary scenario for paging the target UE (104) in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3B is explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 2, and 3A. FIG. 3B depicts another scenario, where the target UE (UE-1) (104) has moved to a different location, such as a park, instead of following its routine route to the office as shown in time frame T4.

[0081] The exemplary scenario in FIG. 3B includes a target UE (e.g., UE- 1) (104) and associated member UEs (e.g., UE-2, UE-3...UE-16) (302B, 304B, 306B). The target UE-1 (104) is associated with a user-1, while the member UEs (UE-2, UE-3...UE-16) (302B, 304B, 306B) are associated with one or more member users (user-2, user-3. . .user-16) (302B, 304B, 306B). Each UE is assigned a unique ID. For instance, UE-1 is assigned the unique ID ‘UEID-T, UE-2 is ‘UEID-2’, UE-3 is ‘UEID-3’, and so on (not shown in Fig. 3B).

[0082] In time frame Tl, the member UEs at home (302B) include family member UEs (e.g., UE-2, UE-3, and UE-4) for the target UE-1 (104). The users of these member UEs may be close family members who are present at home, establishing a known location for the target UE during this time frame.

[0083] In time frame T2, while traveling to the office (304B), the member UEs include the driver member UE (e.g., UE-5), and the colleague UE (e.g., UE-6) for the target UE-1 (104). The users of these member UEs are traveling together in a vehicle, creating a moving network of the UEs that share the same route to the destination.

[0084] In time frame T4, the target UE (UE-1) (104) along with the memberUE (UE-6) reaches at the park instead of the office. In the park, apart from the member UE (UE-6), the target UE (UE-1) also interact with other member UEs (e.g., UE-14, UE-15, and UE-16) (306B). The member UEs (UE-14, UE-15, and UE-16) may be other colleagues, friends, family members, or any other person that reaches to the park independently.

[0085] In an embodiment, when the AMF tries to page the target UE (UE- 1) (104) and if the target UE is not reachable, the AMF fetches a list of associated member UEs from the NWDAF or the NEF for time frame T4 ± 1.

[0086] The AMF receives the list of member UEs, which includes UE-6, UE-7, UE-8, UE-9, UE-10, UE-11, and UE-12 with associated IDs (e.g., UEID-6, UEID-7, UEID-8, UEID-9, UEID- 10, UEID-l l , and UEID-12), along with their last known cell sites. The member UEs may be received as per the bond strength between the target UE and each member UEs or the bond strength may be mentioned in a file format decodable by the AMF. As an example, the file format may be JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format, Extensible Markup Language (XML) format, Comma-Separated Values (CSV) format or any other format decodable by the AMF.

[0087] The AMF may prioritize the paging of the target UE (104) in the cell sites of these member UEs based on their bond strength. Since UEs with IDs UEID-7, UEID-8, UEID-9, UEID-10, UEID-11, and UEID-12 are in the same cell site, the AMF may page the target UE (UE-1) (104) in that cell site only once, usually when the target UE is in the office.

[0088] In case when the target UE (UE-1) (104) is at the park as compared to usual location in time frame T4 with the colleague member UE-6, the AMF pages in the cell location of the member UE-6 with UEID-6.

[0089] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary architecture (400) of a process for paging the target UE in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 4 is explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 2, 3 A, and 3B. The exemplary architecture (400) includes an AMF (402), a 5G core network (404), a NEF (406), an office (408), and a park (410).

[0090] As depicted in FIG. 4, at step 412, the AMF (402) receives a trigger to page the target UE with ID UEID-1 from the 5G core network (404). At step 414, the AMF (402) initially tries to page the target UE in its last known cell but fails. Consequently, at step 416, the AMF fetches a list of member UEs related to the target UEID-1 from the NEF (406). The list includes historical data of UEs arranged as per the bond strength with the target UE.

[0091] At step 418, the NEF (406) responds with the list of member UEs, including the associated IDs along with last known locations, arranged as per the bond strength. For example, the response may include {“UEID-7” : “Loc2”, “UEID-8” : “Loc2”, “UEID-6” : “Loci”, “UEID-9” : “Loc2” ... }.

[0092] At step 420, the AMF (402) proceeds to page the target UEID-1 in cell locations of the member UEs received based on the bond strength priority. The bond strength priority is dynamically set by the NWDAF based on the bond strength scores. The bond strength priority is directly proportional to the band strength score. The NWDAF employs AI / ML algorithms to determine the bond strength scores between the target UE (UE-1) (104) and the member UEs. The bond strength score is determined based on the frequency and duration of co-location of the member UEs and the target UE-1 (104). As an examples if the UE-5 frequently accompany the target UE (UE-1) (104) during the commute to the office than the UE-6, then the UE-5 has high bond strength score than the UE-6. Therefore, the bond strengthpriority for the UE-5 is more than the UE-6. The AMF will prioritize to page at the location associated with the UE-5 than UE-6.

[0093] At step 422, in case the target UE and the associated member UEs are located at the office (408) and if paging for the target UEID-1 fails. The AMF (402) attempts to page the target UEID-1 in the last cell locations of the member UEs with high bond strength, starting with those in the same cell, such as UEID-7, UEID-8, UEID-9, UEID-10, UEID-11, and UEID-12. Since these UEs are in the same cell, the AMF pages the target UE in that cell only once.

[0094] At step 424, in case the target UE and the associated member UEs are located at the park (410), the AMF (402) pages the target UEID-1 in the last known cell location of another member UE, such as UE-6 with UEID-6, which may be located at the park (410). At this stage, the target UEID-1 is successfully paged in the cell location of UEID-6.

[0095] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method 500 for paging the target UE in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 5 is explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1-4.

[0096] At step 502, the processing engine (208) determines a last known cell location of the target UE (104) and pages the target UE (104) in the network (106). In an embodiment, the processing engine (208) is included in the AMF (402).

[0097] At step 504, if the target UE (104) does not respond to the paging attempt in the last known cell location i.e , upon determining that the paging is unsuccessful, the processing engine (208) proceeds to identify a plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) associated with the target UE (104) based on a plurality of predefined parameters. The cell location information includes gNB (base station) with which the UE is / was connected, Cell Global Identifier, Tracking Area Identity, cell type such as micro, macro, frequency / band information, Physical Cell ID etc.

[0098] . The member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) are identified based on various parameters such as a QoS, RAT types of a PDU, a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, a UE separation distance, and similar service experience.

[0099] At step 506, the processing engine (208) may determine a bond strength score between the target UE (104) and each member UE (302A, 304A, 306A) using AI / ML algorithms. In an aspect, the bond strength score is derived from the bond strength which is a measure of how frequently and consistently the target UE (104) and a particular member UE (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) are found together in the same locations during similar time frames. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the bond strength may be categorized into levels such as ‘strong’, ‘moderate’, and ‘weak’, providing a qualitative measure of the relationship between the target UE (104) and the member UEs (302A, 304A, 306A). The bond strength may be converted into numerical value or a percentage. In an embodiment, a high bond strength value (e.g., 0.8 or 80%) indicates that the target UE (104) and a member UE are often co-located, whereas a low bond strength value (e.g., 0.2 or 20%) indicates infrequent co-location. Higher bond strength scores indicate a higher likelihood that the target UE may be found in proximity to the corresponding member UE. For instance, a member UE that frequently travels with the target UE during specific times of the day (e.g., commuting to work) may have a higher bond strength score compared to other member UEs.

[0100] At step 508, the processing module (208) creates, a member UE list for each of the one or more time frames based on one or more identified member UEs at the time frame and the bond strength score

[0101] At step 510, the processing module (208) retrieves the list of member UEs along with the corresponding bond strength scores and the associated cell locations from the database (210). This list is then used to direct the paging process.

[0102] At step 512, the processing module (208) may re-initiate paging attempts based on the cell locations of the member UEs associated with the targetUE with the highest bond strength scores first, and then gradually moving to locations of the member UEs with lower scores if needed.

[0103] FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method 600 for determining the bond strength score between the target UE in the network and each of the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 6 is explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1-5.

[0104] At step 602, the processing module (208) identifies a plurality of member UEs (302A, 304 A, 306A) associated with the UE (104) based on a plurality of predefined parameters. The plurality of predefined parameters includes one or more of a Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, and a UE separation distance.

[0105] At step 604, the processing module (208) determines a bond strength between the plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) and the UE (104) based on a frequency and a duration of co-location of the plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304A, 306A) with the UE (104). In some embodiments, the bond strength may be categorized into levels such as ‘strong’, ‘moderate’, and ‘weak’, providing a qualitative measure of the relationship between the target UE and the member UEs.

[0106] At step 604, the processing module (208) converts the bond strength obtained for each member UE at each time frame into a percentage value. For example, the bond strength score may be expressed as a numerical value or a percentage. In an embodiment, a high bond strength score (e.g., 0.8 or 80%) indicates that the target UE (104) and a member UE are often co-located, whereas a low bond strength value (e.g., 0.2 or 20%) indicates infrequent co-location.

[0107] At step 606, the processing module (208) assigns the converted percentage value obtained corresponding to the bond strength of each member UE as the bond strength score to the member UE at the time frame.

[0108] In some embodiments, a user equipment (104) is communicatively coupled to a system (108). The coupling comprises steps of receiving a connection request, sending an acknowledgment of the connection request to the system (108) and transmitting data from the user equipment (104) to the system (108). The system (108) is configured for paging the user equipment in a telecommunication network as mentioned above.

[0109] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram of a method 700 for paging the target UE (104) in the network based on the member UEs, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 7 is explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1-6. In this exemplary embodiment, the FIG 7 is described with respect to network functions such as AMF (402), NEF(406), and NWDAF(704). The functionality of these network functions can be incorporated in other 5G network functions.

[0110] At step 706, the AMF (402) gets a downlink data notification (DDN) request to page a target UE (104) in idle state from a 5G network function (5GNF) (404).

[0111] The AMF (402) subscribes to receive the Member UE selection assistance (MUSA), with custom filter parameters to get a list of member UE as per bond strength with target UE (104) and time frame. The AMF (402) sends an HTTP POST request message to the NEF (406) targeting the "Member UE Selection Assistance Subscriptions" collection resource, with the request message body including the MemUeSelectAssistSubsc data structure at step 708. This data structure includes a plurality of parameters such as Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, a UE separation distance and other parameters within the scope of the present disclosure. Some of the other parameters include afld (the identifier of the AMF, tgtUelds (the list of identifier(s) of the UE(s) for which Member UE Selection AssistanceReporting is requested), ueHisLocFilters (the UE historical location filtering criteria for Member UE selection) and other parameters for the filtering criteria.

[0112] The NEF (406) shall then check whether the AMF (402) is authorized to perform this operation or not. If the AMF (402) is authorized and based on the Member UE filtering criteria(s) provided by the AMF (402), the NEF (406) interacts with the corresponding different 5GC NFs (404) via the services offered by the 5GC NFs. Upon reception of a successful response from the 5GC NF(404), the NEF (406) shall respond to the AMF (402) with a "201 Created" status code including a "Location" header field that shall contain the URI of the created resource, (list of member UEs) i.e."{apiRoot} / 3gppmusa / <apiVersion> / {afld} / subscriptions / {subscriptionId}", and the response body containing a representation of the created "Individual Member UE Selection Assistance Subscription" resource within the MemUeSelectAssistSubsc data structure. In an aspect, the NEF (406) obtains the list of member UEs on basis of bond strength during the given time window through NWDAF (704) or any other 5GC node capable of calculating bond strength with ML algorithms at step 710. NEF (406) will interact with AMF (402) directly or via UDM-AMF to obtain the member UE's last known location. The NEF (406) will return the list of member UEs along with their last known location to AMF (402) at step 712.

[0113] On failure or if the NEF (406) receives an error response from the 5GC NF, the NEF (406) shall take proper error handling actions, and respond to the AMF (402) with an appropriate error status code. If the NEF (406) received within an error response "ProblemDetails" data structure with a "cause" attribute indicating an application error, the NEF (406) shall relay this error response to the AMF (402) with a corresponding application error, when applicable.

[0114] In an aspect, the AMF (402) may directly interact with NWDAF (704) to fetch the member UE list satisfying the custom filter criteria. NWDAF (704) may return the list of member UE and may additionally the last know locationof each member UEs at step 714. If any UE in the member UE list does not contain location information, AMF(402) may interact with any such member UE's AMF(402) via UDM to obtain the member UE's last known location.

[0115] Once the AMF (402) has the list of member UEs, it can use the last known UE location as well as returned member UE location for initiating paging at step 716. A paging procedure is performed between NG RAN and UE at step 718.

[0116] In another embodiment, in order to update an existing Individual Member UE Selection Assistance Subscription, the AMF (402) shall send an HTTP PUT or PATCH request message to the NEF (406) targeting the "Individual Member UE Selection Assistance Subscription" resource, with the request message body including respectively the MemUeSelectAssistSubsc or MemUeSelectAssistSubscPatch data structure. TheMemUeSelectAssistSubscPatch data structure includes parameters but not limited to filtering parameters and identifiers. The NEF (406) shall then check whether the AMF is authorized to perform this operation or not. If the AMF (402) is authorized and based on the Member UE filtering criteria(s) provided by the AMF (402), the NEF (406) shall then interact with the corresponding different 5GC NFs via the services offered by the 5GC NFs. Upon reception of a successful response from the 5GC NF, the NEF (406) shall respond to the AMF (402) with a "200 OK" status code with the MemUeSelectAssistSubsc data structure or "204 No Content" status code. On failure or if the NEF (406) receives an error response from the 5GC NF, the NEF (406) shall take proper error handling actions, and respond to the AMF (402) with an appropriate error status code. If the NEF (406) received within an error response a "ProblemDetails" data structure with a "cause" attribute indicating an application error, the NEF (406) shall relay this error response to the AMF (402) with a corresponding application error, when applicable.

[0117] In one embodiment, in order to request the deletion of an existing Individual Member UE Selection Assistance Subscription, the AMF (402) shall send an HTTP DELETE request message targeting the URI of the concerned"Individual Member UE Selection Assistance Subscription" resource. The NEF (406) shall then check whether the AMF (402) is authorized to perform this operation or not. If the AMF (402) is authorized, the NEF (406) shall then unsubscribe from the different 5GC NFs to stop collecting the UE list. Upon reception of a successful response from the 5GC NF, the NEF (406) shall respond to the AMF (402) with a HTTP "204 No Content" status code. On failure or if the NEF(406) receives an error code from the 5GC AF, the NEF (406) shall take proper error handling actions, and respond to the AMF (402) with an appropriate error status code. If the NEF (406) received within an error response a "ProblemDetails" data structure with a "cause" attribute indicating an application error, the NEF (406) shall relay this error response to the AMF (402) with a corresponding application error, when applicable.

[0118] In another embodiment, in order to send a Member UE Selection Assistance notification, the NEF (406) shall send the HTTP POST request message to the AMF (402) and targeting the notification URI provided during the creation / update of the corresponding subscription, with the request body including the MemUeSeletAssistNotif data structure. The MemUeSeletAssistNotif includes parameters such as a notification ID, a list of member UE, etc. Upon success, the AMF (402) shall send a HTTP "204 No Content" status code. On failure, the AMF (402) shall take proper error handling actions, and respond to the NEF (406) with an appropriate error status code. FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computer system (700) in which or with which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 8, the computer system (700) may include an external storage device (810), a bus (820), a main memory (830), a read only memory (840), a mass storage device (850), a communication port (860), and a processor (870). A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the computer system (700) may include more than one processor (870) and communication ports (860). Processor (870) may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0120] In an embodiment, the communication port (860) may be any of an RS-232 port for use with a modem-based dialup connection, a 10 / 100 Ethernet port, a Gigabit or 10 Gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or future ports. The communication port (860) may be chosen depending on a network, such a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), or any network to which the computer system (500) connects.

[0121] In an embodiment, the main memory (830) may be Random Access Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art. Read-only memory (840) may be any static storage device(s) e.g., but not limited to, a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) chips for storing static information e.g., start-up or Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) instructions for the processor (870).

[0122] In an embodiment, the mass storage (850) may be any current or future mass storage solution, which may be used to store information and / or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., having Universal Serial Bus (USB) and / or Firewire interfaces), one or more optical discs, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) storage, e.g., an array of disks (e.g., SATA arrays).

[0123] In an embodiment, the bus (820) communicatively couples the processor(s) (870) with the other memory, storage, and communication blocks. The bus (820) may be, e.g., a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) / PCI Extended (PCI-X) bus, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Universal Serial Bus (USB) or the like, for connecting expansion cards, drives and other subsystems as well as other buses, such a front side bus (FSB), which connects the processor (870) to the computer system (700).

[0124] Optionally, operator and administrative interfaces, e.g., a display, keyboard, joystick, and a cursor control device, may also be coupled to the bus(820) to support direct operator interaction with the computer system (700). Other operator and administrative interfaces may be provided through network connections connected through the communication port (860). Components described above are meant only to exemplify various possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned exemplary computer system (700) limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0125] In some embodiments, the present disclosure discloses a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method for paging a user equipment (UE) in a telecommunication network. The method comprises paging the UE, by a processing module (208), based on cell information of the UE. The processing module (208) determines that the paging is unsuccessful, and identifies a plurality of member UEs associated with the UE based on a plurality of predefined parameters. The processing module (208) determines a bond strength score between each of the identified member UE and the UE at one or more time frames. The processing module (208) creates a member UE list for each of the one or more time frames based on one or more identified member UEs at the time frame and the bond strength score. The method further includes extracting, by the processing module (208), cell information of at least one UE present in the member UE list, and reinitiating, by the processing module (208), paging to the UE based on the cell information of the at least one UE present in the member UE list.

[0126] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is determined by the claims that follow. The present disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments, versions, or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present disclosure when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

[0127] The method and system of the present disclosure may be implemented in a number of ways. For example, the methods and systems of the present disclosure may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. The above-described order for the steps of the method is for illustration only, and the steps of the method of the present disclosure are not limited to the order specifically described above unless specifically stated otherwise. Further, in some embodiments, the present disclosure may also be embodied as programs recorded in a recording medium, the programs including machine-readable instructions for implementing the methods according to the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure also covers a recording medium storing a program for executing the method according to the present disclosure.

[0128] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be implemented merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

[0129] In an embodiment, a method (500) for paging a user equipment (UE) (104) in a telecommunication network is described. The method comprises paging the UE (104), by a processing module (208), based on cell information of the UE (104), upon determining that the paging is unsuccessful, identifying, by the processing module (208), a plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) associated with the UE (104) based on a plurality of predefined parameters, determining, by the processing module (208), a bond strength score between each of the identified member UE and the UE(104) at one or more time frames, creating, by the processing module (208), a member UE list for each of the one or more time frames based on one or more identified member UEs at the time frame and the bondstrength score, extracting, by the processing module (208), cell information of at least one UE present in the member UE list, and reinitiating, by the processing module, (208) paging to the UE (104) based on the cell information of the at least one UE present in the member UE list.

[0130] In an embodiment, a system (108) for paging a user equipment (UE) (104) in a telecommunication network is described. The system (108) comprises a memory (204) storing instructions, one or more communication interfaces (206), one or more hardware processors (202) coupled to the memory (204) via the one or more communication interfaces (206), and a processing module (208). The processing module (208) is configured to page the UE (104) based on cell information of the UE (104), identify a plurality of member UEs (302A, 304A, 306 A) associated with the UE (104) based on a plurality of predefined parameters upon determining that the paging is unsuccessful, determine a bond strength score between each identified member UE (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) and the UE (104) at one or more time frames, create a member UE list for each time frame based on the plurality of identified member UEs at the time frame and the bond strength score, extract cell information of at least one UE present in the member UE list, and reinitiate the paging to the UE (104) based on the cell information of the at least one UE present in the member UE list.

[0131] In an embodiment, a user equipment (104) communicatively coupled to a system (108) is described. The coupling comprises steps of receiving a connection request, sending an acknowledgment of the connection request to the system (108), and transmitting data from the user equipment (104) to the system (108). The system (108) is configured for paging the user equipment (104) in a telecommunication network.

[0132] In an embodiment, a method (600) for determining a bond strength score associated with a user equipment (UE) is described. The method comprises identifying, by a processing module (208), a plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306A) associated with the UE (104) based on a plurality of predefined parameters.The plurality of predefined parameters comprises one or more of a Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, and a UE separation distance. The method further comprises determining, by the processing module (208), a bond strength between the plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) and the UE (104) based on a frequency and a duration of co-location of the plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) with the UE (104), converting, by the processing module (208), the bond strength obtained for each member UE at each time frame into a percentage value, and assigning, by the processing module (208), the converted percentage value obtained corresponding to the bond strength of each member UE as the bond strength score to the member UE at the time frame.

[0133] In an embodiment, a computer program product comprising a non- transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method for paging a user equipment (UE) (104) in a telecommunication network is described. The method comprises paging the UE (104), by a processing module (208), based on cell information of the UE (104), upon determining that the paging is unsuccessful, identifying, by the processing module (208), a plurality of member UEs (302A, 304A, 306A) associated with the UE (104) based on a plurality of predefined parameters, determining, by the processing module (208), a bond strength score between each of the identified member UE and the UE (104) at one or more time frames, creating, by the processing module (208), a member UE list for each of the one or more time frames based on one or more identified member UEs at the time frame and the bond strength score, extracting, by the processing module (208), cell information of at least one UE present in the member UE list, and reinitiating, by the processing module, (208) paging to the UE (104) based on the cell information of the at least one UE present in the member UE list. The present disclosure offers significant technical advancements in for paging a target user equipment (UE) in a telecommunication network based on associated member UEs.. These advancements overcome the limitations of existing solutions by optimizing paging procedure in order to save cost and power. The disclosure involves linkage between UE and its members to give more insights of UE trends and behaviour. The present disclosure utilizes the bond strength between the target UE and the associated member UEs to enhance paging efficiency, thereby prioritizing paging attempts and reducing the overall time and resources required to locate the target UE. The present disclosure minimizes the network load by minimizing unnecessary paging signals across the network and targeting cells where the target UE is most likely to be located based on location of the member UEs.ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE

[0134] The present disclosure provides a method and a system for paging the target UE in the telecommunication network (e.g., a 5G core network) based on the associated member UEs.

[0135] The present disclosure enhances paging efficiency by utilizing the bond strength between the target UE and the associated member UEs, thereby prioritizing paging attempts and reducing the overall time and resources required to locate the target UE.

[0136] The present disclosure reduces the network load by minimizing unnecessary paging signals across the network, targeting cells where the target UE is most likely to be located based on location of the member UEs.

[0137] The present disclosure conserves energy by reducing the number of paging attempts, thereby saving battery life for both the target UE and the network infrastructure, contributing to more sustainable network operations.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method (500) for paging a user equipment (UE) (104) in a telecommunication network, the method comprising: paging the UE (104), by a processing module (208), based on cell information of the UE (104); upon determining that the paging is unsuccessful, identifying, by the processing module (208), a plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) associated with the UE (104) based on a plurality of predefined parameters; determining, by the processing module (208), a bond strength score between each of the identified member UE and the UE(104) at one or more time frames; creating, by the processing module (208), a member UE list for each of the one or more time frames based on one or more identified member UEs at the time frame and the bond strength score; extracting, by the processing module (208), cell information of at least one UE present in the member UE list; and reinitiating, by the processing module, (208) paging to the UE (104) based on the cell information of the at least one UE present in the member UE list.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of identifying, by the processing module (208), the plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) associated with the UE (104) based on the plurality of predefined parameters is preceded by: determining, by the processing module (208), whether the member UE lists are present for the UE (104) in a database (210); and upon determining that the member UE lists are not present for the UE (104), identifying, by the processing module (208), the plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) associated with the UE based on the plurality of predefined parameters using a member UE selection technique.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprises: upon determining that the member UE lists are present for the UE (104), accessing, by the processing module (208), the member UE lists based on the one or more time frames.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining bond strength score between each identified member UE and the UE (104) at the one or more time frames comprises: for each time frame of the one or more time frames, performing: accessing, by the processing module (208), a plurality of data points for a predefined period of time from a database (210) for analysing a connection between each identified member UE and the UE (104), wherein the plurality of data points comprises a tower location, a signal strength, and one or more radio access network (RAN) parameters; and creating, by the processing module (208), a time-wise cluster for the UE (104) based on an analysis of the plurality of data points, wherein a plurality of time-wise clusters are created for each time frame; and assigning, by the processing module (208), the bond strength score to each identified member UE for each time frame based on consistent presence of the member UE in the plurality of time-wise clusters created for the time frame.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the step of assigning the bond strength score to each member UE of the plurality of member UEs for each time frame based on a bond strength determined for the member UE at the time frame comprises:converting, by the processing module (208), the bond strength obtained for each member UE at each time frame into a percentage value; and assigning, by the processing module (208), the percentage value obtained corresponding to the bond strength of each member UE at each time frame as the bond strength score to the member UE at the time frame.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of predefined parameters comprises one or more of a Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, and a UE separation distance.

7. A system (108) for paging a user equipment (UE) (104) in a telecommunication network, the system (108) comprising: a memory (204) storing instructions; one or more communication interfaces (206); and one or more hardware processors (202) coupled to the memory (204) via the one or more communication interfaces (206); and a processing module (208) configured to page the UE (104) based on cell information of the UE (104); identify a plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) associated with the UE (104) based on a plurality of predefined parameters upon determining that the paging is unsuccessful; determine a bond strength score between each identified member UE (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) and the UE (104) at one or more time frames; create a member UE list for each time frame based on the plurality of identified member UEs at the time frame and the bond strength score;extract cell information of at least one UE present in the member UE list; and reinitiate the paging to the UE (104) based on the cell information of the at least one UE present in the member UE list.

8. The system (108) as claimed in claim 7, wherein before identifying the plurality of member UEs (302A, 304A, 306A) associated with the UE (104) based on the plurality of predefined parameters using a member UE selection technique, the processing module is configured to: determine whether the member UE lists are present for the UE (104) in a database (210); and upon determining that the member UE lists are not present for the UE (104), identify the plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) associated with the UE (104) based on the plurality of predefined parameters using the member UE selection technique.

9. The system (108) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processing module (208) is further configured to access the member UE list based on the one or more time frames.

10. The system (108) as claimed in claim 7, wherein for determining the bond strength score between each identified member UE and the UE (104) at the one or more time frames, the processing module is configured to: for each time frame of the one or more time frames, perform: access a plurality of data points for a predefined period of time from a database for analysing a connection between each identified member UE and the UE (104), wherein the plurality of data points comprises a tower location, a signal strength, and one or more RAN parameters; andcreate a time-wise cluster for the UE (104) based on an analysis of the plurality of data points, wherein a plurality of time- wise clusters are created for each time frame; and assign the bond strength score to each identified member UE for each time frame based on consistent presence of the member UE in the plurality of time-wise clusters created for the time frame.

11. The system (108) as claimed in claim 10, wherein for assigning the bond strength score to each member UE of the plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) for each time frame based on a bond strength determined for the member UE at the time frame, the processing module is configured to: convert the bond strength obtained for each member UE at each time frame into a percentage value; and assign the percentage value obtained corresponding to the bond strength of each member UE at each time frame as the bond strength score to the member UE at the time frame.

12. The system (108) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the plurality of predefined parameters comprises one or more of a Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, and a UE separation distance.

13. A user equipment (104) communicatively coupled to a system (108), said coupling comprises steps of: receiving a connection request; sending an acknowledgment of the connection request to the system (108); and transmitting data from the user equipment (104) to the system (108), wherein the system (108) is configured for paging the user equipment (104) in a telecommunication network as claimed in claim 7.

14. A method (600) for determining a bond strength score associated with a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: identifying, by a processing module (208), a plurality of member UEs (302A, 304A, 306A) associated with the UE (104) based on a plurality of predefined parameters, wherein the plurality of predefined parameters comprises one or more of a Quality of Service (QoS), Radio Access Technology (RAT) types of Packet Data Unit (PDU), a data volume transfer time, a UE location, a UE historical location, a UE direction of movement, and a UE separation distance; determining, by the processing module (208), a bond strength between the plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304 A, 306 A) and the UE (104) based on a frequency and a duration of co-location of the plurality of member UEs (302 A, 304A, 306A) with the UE (104); converting, by the processing module (208), the bond strength obtained for each member UE at each time frame into a percentage value; and assigning, by the processing module (208), the converted percentage value obtained corresponding to the bond strength of each member UE as the bond strength score to the member UE at the time frame.

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