Method and system for supporting analytics related to UE rat connectivity in a wireless communication system

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a 5G or 6G communication system for supporting a higher data transmission rate. Specifically, the disclosure related to methods and systems for enabling analytics related to UE RAT connectivity (for example, for predicting changes in the UE RAT connectivity). Embodiments herein disclose systems and methods for supporting analytics (hereinafter referred to as UE RAT connectivity analytics), which can be used by an analytics consumer for optimizing application performance, network traffic / performance, service improvements, and so on. Embodiments herein disclose a Vertical Application Layer (VAL) in a UE fetching analytics / stats from an Application data analytics enablement (ADAE) server and using the fetched analytics / stats to schedule its communication or data delivery for the uplink. Embodiments herein disclose an Edge configuration server (ECS) using the UE RAT connectivity analytics to configure an Edge Enabler Client (EEC) with appropriate configuration(s).

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SUPPORTING ANALYTICS RELATED TO UE RAT CONNECTIVITY IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to Radio access Technologies (RATs), and more particularly to enabling analytics related to UE RAT connectivity (for example, for predicting change in UE RAT connectivity) in a wireless communication system.

[0002] 5G mobile communication technologies define broad frequency bands such that high transmission rates and new services are possible, and can be implemented not only in “Sub 6GHz” bands such as 3.5GHz, but also in “Above 6GHz” bands referred to as mmWave including 28GHz and 39GHz. In addition, it has been considered to implement 6G mobile communication technologies (referred to as Beyond 5G systems) in terahertz (THz) bands (for example, 95GHz to 3THz bands) in order to accomplish transmission rates fifty times faster than 5G mobile communication technologies and ultra-low latencies one-tenth of 5G mobile communication technologies.

[0003] At the beginning of the development of 5G mobile communication technologies, in order to support services and to satisfy performance requirements in connection with enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), there has been ongoing standardization regarding beamforming and massive MIMO for mitigating radio-wave path loss and increasing radio-wave transmission distances in mmWave, supporting numerologies (for example, operating multiple subcarrier spacings) for efficiently utilizing mmWave resources and dynamic operation of slot formats, initial access technologies for supporting multi-beam transmission and broadbands, definition and operation of BWP (BandWidth Part), new channel coding methods such as a LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) code for large amount of data transmission and a polar code for highly reliable transmission of control information, L2 pre-processing, and network slicing for providing a dedicated network specialized to a specific service.

[0004] Currently, there are ongoing discussions regarding improvement and performance enhancement of initial 5G mobile communication technologies in view of services to be supported by 5G mobile communication technologies, and there has been physical layer standardization regarding technologies such as V2X (Vehicle-to-everything) for aiding driving determination by autonomous vehicles based on information regarding positions and states of vehicles transmitted by the vehicles and for enhancing user convenience, NR-U (New Radio Unlicensed) aimed at system operations conforming to various regulation-related requirements in unlicensed bands, NR UE Power Saving, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) which is UE-satellite direct communication for providing coverage in an area in which communication with terrestrial networks is unavailable, and positioning.

[0005] Moreover, there has been ongoing standardization in air interface architecture / protocol regarding technologies such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for supporting new services through interworking and convergence with other industries, IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) for providing a node for network service area expansion by supporting a wireless backhaul link and an access link in an integrated manner, mobility enhancement including conditional handover and DAPS (Dual Active Protocol Stack) handover, and two-step random access for simplifying random access procedures (2-step RACH for NR). There also has been ongoing standardization in system architecture / service regarding a 5G baseline architecture (for example, service based architecture or service based interface) for combining Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technologies, and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) for receiving services based on UE positions.

[0006] As 5G mobile communication systems are commercialized, connected devices that have been exponentially increasing will be connected to communication networks, and it is accordingly expected that enhanced functions and performances of 5G mobile communication systems and integrated operations of connected devices will be necessary. To this end, new research is scheduled in connection with eXtended Reality (XR) for efficiently supporting AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), MR (Mixed Reality) and the like, 5G performance improvement and complexity reduction by utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), AI service support, metaverse service support, and drone communication.

[0007] Furthermore, such development of 5G mobile communication systems will serve as a basis for developing not only new waveforms for providing coverage in terahertz bands of 6G mobile communication technologies, multi-antenna transmission technologies such as Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas and large-scale antennas, metamaterial-based lenses and antennas for improving coverage of terahertz band signals, high-dimensional space multiplexing technology using OAM (Orbital Angular Momentum), and RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface), but also full-duplex technology for increasing frequency efficiency of 6G mobile communication technologies and improving system networks, AI-based communication technology for implementing system optimization by utilizing satellites and AI (Artificial Intelligence) from the design stage and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions, and next-generation distributed computing technology for implementing services at levels of complexity exceeding the limit of UE operation capability by utilizing ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources.

[0008] The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for enabling analytics related to UE RAT connectivity (for example, for predicting changes in the UE RAT connectivity) in a wireless communication system.

[0009] In one embodiment, the present disclosure relates to systems and methods for supporting analytics (hereinafter referred to as UE RAT connectivity analytics) which can be used by an analytics consumer (for example, a Vertical Application Layer (VAL) server) for optimizing application performance, network traffic / performance, service improvements, and so on.

[0010] In another embodiment, the present disclosure relates to Vertical Application Layer (VAL) in a UE fetching analytics / stats from an Application data analytics enablement (ADAE) server and using the fetched analytics / stats to schedule its communication or data delivery for the uplink.

[0011] In another embodiment, the present disclosure relates to an Edge configuration server (ECS) using the UE RAT connectivity analytics to configure an Edge Enabler Client (EEC) with appropriate configuration(s).

[0012] Embodiments herein are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the following illustratory drawings. Embodiments herein are illustrated by way of examples in the accompanying drawings, and in which:

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication network, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a procedure for supporting the UE RAT connectivity analytics, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

[0015] FIG. 3A is flowchart depicting a process for managing analytics related to UE RAT connectivity in a wireless communication network, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

[0016] FIG. 3B is flowchart depicting a process for managing analytics related to UE RAT connectivity in a wireless communication network, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;

[0017] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a terminal or user equipment (UE) according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a base station (BS) according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

[0019] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a network entity according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0020] 3GPP TR 23.700-01 is studying the application enablement for Satellite access-enabled 5G Services over 3GPP networks. The aspects of the study include identifying architecture requirements, supporting architecture for satellite access-enabled 3GPP services and application enablers (either by defining new functional model(s) or by enhancing existing functional model(s)), and corresponding solutions. One of the aspects that would be useful for the application servers is to obtain analytics related to RAT type changes of the UE. Using this prediction / stats / analytics, the application servers can perform actions such as, but not limited to, optimizing the traffic routing, scheduling the data delivery, adjusting the QoS, deciding on whether to involve a particular UE in the group communication, and so on.

[0021] Application Data Analytics Enablement (ADAE) Service (ADAES) is a Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL) service that has been specified in 3GPP TS 23.436, wherein ADAES provides various features that support the derivation and exposure of application layer analytics to consumers in the application and enablement layers. Particularly, the analytics may include statistics and predictions. It would be beneficial for the consumers to get to know about the analytics related to UE's RAT connectivity (terrestrial or non-terrestrial) so that application servers (an example of a consumer) can plan the activities (such as, but not limited to, data delivery, communication establishment, QoS adaption, and so on), for the UE's based on the stats received from the ADAE server. The application server would be able to judge whether a particular User Equipment (UE) if involved in the communication can meet the required Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or not. Also, the application server can make necessary steps (for example, extended data buffering, pending downlink data transferring, and so on) to minimize service disruption. These analytics / stats can be used by the application server when the prediction stats depict that the UE might latch on to New Radio (NR) satellite access, but it is not limiting the application server to use the same for the terrestrial access network. Also, these stats / analytics can be used by the Edge configuration server (ECS) to determine a suitable EES with a matching satellite ID to serve the UE with the longest service time in service provisioning.

[0022] It is not specified what analytics need to be supported by the ADAE server and how the analytics identified can be fetched by the consumers. Also, it is not specified how the analytics related to UE RAT connectivity can be utilized to predict the change in UE RAT connectivity during UE mobility (for example, by the ECS) and if any changes are required for the ECS behavior.

[0023] Accordingly, the embodiments herein provide a method for managing analytics related to User Equipment (UE) Radio Access Technology (RAT) connectivity in a wireless communication network. The method comprises the ADAE server receiving a subscription request for UE RAT connectivity analytics for at least one UE from an analytics consumer; and subscribing to a Location Management Server (LMS) to get location information of the at least one UE, and a RAT type. The ADAE server further subscribes to a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) to get mobility analytics data of the at least one UE, and requests historical UE RAT connectivity data from an Analytics Data Repository Function (A-ADRF) for the at least one UE. The ADAE server receives the requested historical UE RAT connectivity data from the A-ADRF for the at least one UE, abstracts the UE RAT connectivity analytics for the at least one UE using the received requested historical UE RAT connectivity data, data received from the LMS in response to the subscription, and mobility analytics data received from the NWDAF in response to the subscription. The ADAE server further sends the abstracted UE RAT connectivity analytics to the analytics consumer.

[0024] Accordingly, the embodiments herein provide an Application Data Analytics Enablement (ADAE) server, wherein the ADAE server comprises a control module; at least one communication module; and a memory. The control module is coupled with the at least one communication module, and the memory, wherein the control module is configured to receive a subscription request for User Equipment (UE) Radio Access Technology (RAT) connectivity analytics for at least one UE from an analytics consumer, and subscribe to a Location Management Server (LMS) to get location information of the at least one UE, and a RAT type. The control module is configured to subscribe to a Network Data Analytics Function (NDAF) to get mobility analytics data of the at least one UE, and request historical UE RAT connectivity data from an Analytics Data Repository Function (A-ADRF) for the at least one UE. The control module is configured to receive the requested historical UE RAT connectivity data from the A-ADRF for the at least one UE. The control module is configured to abstract the UE RAT connectivity analytics for the at least one UE using the received requested historical UE RAT connectivity data, data received from the LMS in response to the subscription, and mobility analytics data received from the NWDAF in response to the subscription. The control module is configured to further send the abstracted UE RAT connectivity analytics to the analytics consumer.

[0025] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating at least one embodiment and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] In describing the embodiments, descriptions related to technical contents well-known in the art and not associated directly with the disclosure will be omitted. Such an omission of unnecessary descriptions is intended to prevent obscuring of the main idea of the disclosure and more clearly transfer the main idea.

[0028] For the same reason, in the accompanying drawings, some elements may be exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated. Further, the size of each element does not completely reflect the actual size. In the drawings, identical or corresponding elements are provided with identical reference numerals or different reference numerals.

[0029] The advantages and features of the disclosure and ways to achieve them will be apparent by making reference to embodiments as described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments set forth below, but may be implemented in various different forms. The following embodiments are provided only to completely disclose the disclosure and inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the disclosure, and the disclosure is defined only by the scope of the appended claims. Throughout the specification, the same or like reference numerals designate the same or like elements. Furthermore, in describing the disclosure, a detailed description of known functions or constitution incorporated herein will be omitted in the case that it is determined that the description may make the subject matter of the disclosure unnecessarily unclear. The terms which will be described below are terms defined in consideration of the functions in the disclosure, and may be different according to users, intentions of the operators, or customs. Therefore, the definitions of the terms should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

[0030] Herein, it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations, may be performed based on computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be loaded collectively onto at least one processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which perform through any one of, or in any combination of, the at least one processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for performing the functions specified in the flowchart block(s). These computer program instructions may also be stored in a non-transitory computer usable or computer-readable memory that may direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer usable or computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that perform the function specified in the flowchart block(s). The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a computer executed process such that the instructions that perform on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus provide steps for executing the functions specified in the flowchart block(s).

[0031] Further, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which includes one or more executable instructions for executing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order. For example, two blocks(or functions) shown in succession may in fact be performed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be performed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved.

[0032] As used in embodiments of the disclosure, a “~unit” may refer to a software element or a hardware element, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), which performs a predetermined function. However, the term including the word “~unit” does not always have a meaning limited to software or hardware. The “~unit” may be constructed either to be stored in an addressable storage medium or to execute one or more processors. Therefore, the “~unit” includes, for example, software elements, object-oriented software elements, components such as class elements and task elements, processes, functions, properties, procedures, sub-routines, segments of a program code, drivers, firmware, micro-codes, circuits, data, database, data structures, tables, arrays, and parameters. The components and functions provided by the “~unit” may be either combined into a smaller number of components and a “~unit,” or divided into additional components and a “~unit.” Moreover, the components and “~units” may be implemented to reproduce one or more central processing units (CPUs) within a device or a security multimedia card. Further, in the embodiments, the “~unit” may include one or more processors.

[0033] It should be appreciated that the blocks in each flowchart and combinations of the flowcharts may be performed by one or more computer programs which include instructions. The entirety of the one or more computer programs may be stored in a single memory device or the one or more computer programs may be divided with different portions stored in different multiple memory devices.

[0034] Any of the functions or operations described herein can be processed by one processor or a combination of processors. The one processor or the combination of processors is circuitry performing processing and includes circuitry like an application processor (AP, e.g. a CPU), a communication processor (CP, e.g., a modem), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a neural processing unit (NPU) (e.g., an artificial intelligence (AI) chip), a Wi-Fi chip, a Bluetooth® chip, a global positioning system (GPS) chip, a near field communication (NFC) chip, connectivity chips, a sensor controller, a touch controller, a finger-print sensor controller, a display driver integrated circuit (IC), an audio CODEC chip, a universal serial bus (USB) controller, a camera controller, an image processing IC, a microprocessor unit (MPU), a system on chip (SoC), an IC, or the like.

[0035] It will be appreciated that various embodiments of the disclosure according to the claims and description in the specification can be realized in the form of hardware, software or a combination of hardware and software.

[0036] Any such software may be stored in non-transitory computer readable storage media. The non-transitory computer readable storage media store one or more computer programs (software modules), the one or more computer programs include computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device individually or collectively, cause the electronic device to perform a method of the disclosure.

[0037] Any such software may be stored in the form of volatile or non-volatile storage such as, for example, a storage device like read only memory (ROM), whether erasable or rewritable or not, or in the form of memory such as, for example, random access memory (RAM), memory chips, device or integrated circuits or on an optically or magnetically readable medium such as, for example, a compact disk (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), magnetic disk or magnetic tape or the like. It will be appreciated that the storage devices and storage media are various embodiments of non-transitory machine-readable storage that are suitable for storing a computer program or computer programs comprising instructions that, when executed, implement various embodiments of the disclosure. Accordingly, various embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a program comprising code for implementing apparatus or a method as claimed in any one of the claims of this specification and a non-transitory machine-readable storage storing such a program.

[0038] Hereinafter, the determination of priority between A and B in the present disclosure may refer to various actions such as selecting the one having a higher priority based on a predefined priority rule and performing an operation corresponding thereto, or omitting or dropping an operation corresponding to the one having a lower priority.

[0039] Hereinafter, "A or B" as described in the present disclosure may be understood as "A and / or B," which may include A, or B, or both A and B.

[0040] In addition, "at least one of A, B, and C" as described in the present disclosure may be understood to include A, or B, or C, or any combination of A, B, and C.

[0041] In addition, "at least one of A, B, or C" as described in the present disclosure may be understood to include A, or B, or C, or any combination of A, B, and C.

[0042] Furthermore, "A / B" as described in the present disclosure may be understood as "A and / or B," which may include A, or B, or both A and B.

[0043] Furthermore, "A, B" as described in the present disclosure may be understood as "A and / or B," which may include A, or B, or both A and B.

[0044] Furthermore, "A and B" as described in the present disclosure may be understood as "A and / or B," which may include A, or B, or both A and B.

[0045] Furthermore, “if condition A and condition B are satisfied,” as described in the present disclosure, may not be limited to a case where both condition A and condition B are satisfied, but may be understood to include a case where either condition A or condition B is individually satisfied, both condition A and condition B are satisfied, or one or more additional conditions are satisfied in combination.

[0046] Furthermore, throughout this disclosure, ordinal terms such as "first," "second," "third," etc., (and similar qualifiers) are used merely to distinguish between different instances, occurrences, configurations, messages, stages, or aspects of elements, operations, or information as described herein. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the use of such ordinal terms does not itself require that the elements, operations, or information distinguished by these terms be structurally different, numerically distinct, or substantively dissimilar. For example, a "first signal" and a "second signal" may refer to instances of the same signal transmitted at different times or containing the same core information despite minor variations, or they may refer to signals with different content or characteristics, depending on the specific context. Similarly, a "first value" and a "second value" may represent the same magnitude but measured or applied in different circumstances, or they may represent different magnitudes. The interpretation should be guided by the specific technical context, function, and relationship described in the relevant portion of the specification and claims.

[0047] Furthermore, the terms “first ~”, “second ~”, etc., as described in the present disclosure with respect to various elements (e.g., information, objects, operation, sequences, or the like), should not limit those elements. These terms may only be intended to distinguish one element from another, and may not be intended to indicate a specific order. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element.

[0048] Furthermore, even if “first ~” and “second ~” are described in the present disclosure, it may be understood that element(s) referred to by “first ~” and “second ~” may be the same or different. For example, in case of element(s) being information, first information and second information may both be same information and, in some cases, are separate and different information.

[0049] In addition, the terms “if ~” and “in case that ~” as used in the disclosure or claims may be interpreted to include the meanings of “when (or upon) ~,” “in response to ~,” “based on ~,” or “according to ~,” and may be used interchangeably with these expressions. In addition, expressions other than those exemplified herein may also be used, as long as they have substantially the same meaning and do not impair the technical features of the present disclosure.

[0050] For example, the physical layer signaling may be referred to as Layer 1 (L1) signaling and may include downlink control information (DCI). In addition, the higher layer signaling may include a medium access control (MAC) control message, a radio resource control (RRC) signaling message, a non-access stratum (NAS) signaling message, or an application layer message. The RRC signaling message may be referred to as L3 (layer 3) signaling. It should be noted, however, that the higher layer signaling is not limited to the aforementioned examples.

[0051] In addition, the term "not perform" as used in the present disclosure or claims may, in context, be understood to mean that the corresponding step is omitted or skipped. Such a term may be replaced with other terms having the same or substantially equivalent meaning.

[0052] In addition, "transmitting a message including A and B" as described in the present disclosure, may be understood as encompassing both (i) transmitting A and B in a single message, and (ii) transmitting A and B separately via multiple messages (e.g., transmitting a first message including A and a second message including B). This interpretation may also apply to messages that include two or more items (e.g., A, B, C), transmitted either together or separately.

[0053] In addition, "transmitting a message including A and transmitting a message including B" may also be interpreted as transmitting a message including A and B in a single message.

[0054] In the specific embodiments of the present disclosure described below, terms or components included in the disclosure may be expressed in singular or plural form depending on the specific embodiments presented. However, such singular or plural expressions are selected appropriately for convenience of description, and the present disclosure is not limited to a singular or plural number of components. A component expressed in the plural form may be implemented as a single component, and a component expressed in the singular form may be implemented as multiple components.

[0055] The drawings or flowcharts described below illustrate exemplary methods that may be implemented according to the principles of the present disclosure, and various modifications may be made to the methods illustrated in the flowcharts of the present disclosure. For example, although illustrated as a series of steps, various steps in each drawing or flowchart may overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or be repeated. In other examples, any step may be omitted or replaced with another step.

[0056] The methods and apparatuses proposed in the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to each embodiment individually, but may also be applied in combination of all or some of the embodiments proposed in the disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure may be modified and applied without significantly departing from the scope of the present disclosure, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0057] In this case, even if certain wordings are described differently across embodiments, they may be used interchangeably or in substitution or in combination if their underlying concepts are equivalent. For example, for the same or equivalent concept, even if one embodiment uses the expression "A" and another embodiment uses the expression "B", such expressions may be understood interchangeably, in substitution, or in combination.

[0058] The terms used in the following description to refer to access nodes, network entities, messages, interfaces between network entities, various types of identification information, and the like, are provided merely for the convenience of explanation by way of example. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the terms described below, and other terms having equivalent technical meanings may also be used. Such terms may also be interchangeable with terms defined in any 3rd generation partnership project　(3GPP) technical specifications (TS) where appropriate.

[0059] Hereinafter, a base station is an entity that allocates resources to terminals, and may be at least one of a gNode B, an eNode B, a Node B, a base station (BS), a wireless access unit, a BS controller, or a node on a network.

[0060] Furthermore, the base station of the present disclosure may include a split architecture comprising a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). In this structure, the CU is configured to process the higher layers of the control and user planes, while the DU is configured to process lower-layer radio resource functions. The embodiments of the present disclosure may be equally applicable to 5G base station architectures in which such CU and DU functional splits are implemented.

[0061] A terminal may include a UE, a mobile station (MS), a cellular phone, a smartphone, a computer, or a multimedia system capable of performing communication functions.

[0062] In the disclosure, a downlink (DL) refers to a radio link through which a BS transmits a signal to a UE, and an uplink (UL) refers to a radio link through which a UE transmits a signal to a BS.

[0063] Furthermore, hereinafter, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication technologies (e.g., 5G new radio (NR)), 6th generation (6G) mobile communication technologies may be described by way of example, but the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to other communication systems having similar technical backgrounds or channel types. For example, newly evolved mobile communication systems developed after 5G and 6G may be included. Furthermore, based on determinations by those skilled in the art, the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to other communication systems (e.g., Wi-Fi systems) through some modifications without significantly departing from the scope of the present disclosure

[0064] In the following description, the terms physical channel and signal may be used interchangeably with data or control signal. For example, the term physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) refers to a physical channel through which data is transmitted, but the term PDSCH may also be used to refer to the data itself. That is, in the present disclosure, the expression "transmit a physical channel" may be interpreted as being equivalent to the expression "transmit data or a signal via a physical channel."

[0065] Hereinafter, in the context of the present disclosure, higher layer signaling may refer to signaling corresponding to at least one or any combination of the following: master information block (MIB), system information block (SIB) or SIB M (M = 1, 2, ...), radio resource control (RRC), or medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or a non-access stratum (NAS) signaling message, or an application layer message. The RRC signaling message may be referred to as L3 (layer 3) signaling.

[0066] In addition, L1 signaling may refer to signaling corresponding to at least one or any combination of signaling techniques using the at least one or any combination of the following physical layer channels or signaling: physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), downlink control information (DCI), user equipment (UE)-specific DCI, group-common DCI, common DCI, scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI used for scheduling downlink or uplink data), non-scheduling DCI (e.g., DCI not used for scheduling downlink or uplink data) physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or uplink control information (UCI). The L1 signaling message may be referred to as a physical layer signaling.

[0067] Hereinafter, the expression that information is configured by the BS, as used in the present disclosure or claims, may, in context, be understood to mean that the terminal receives the corresponding information from the BS via a physical layer signaling or a higher layer signaling. Such an expression may be replaced with other terms having the same or substantially equivalent meaning.

[0068] Hereinafter, the operational principle of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0070] The embodiments herein achieve methods and systems for supporting analytics related to UE RAT connectivity. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 6, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.

[0071] Embodiments herein disclose systems and methods for supporting a new analytics (hereinafter referred to as UE RAT connectivity analytics), which can be used by an analytics consumer for optimizing the application performance, network traffic, and so on. An analytics consumer (for example, a Vertical Application Layer (VAL) of a UE, an application server, and so on) can fetch the analytics / stats from an Application data analytics enablement (ADAE) server, wherein the analytics consumer can use the fetched information to schedule its communication or data delivery for the uplink. The analytics consumer can request for the UE RAT connectivity analytics from the ADAE server by subscription or through a request response model. The ADAE server can derive the UE RAT connectivity analytics / stats by gathering the relevant data from the Service Enabler Architecture Layer (SEAL) Learning Management System　(LMS)　(for UE location information and RAT type) and Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) (for UE mobility analytics). The ADAE server can also gather the historical analytics / stats data from an Analytics Data Repository Function (A-ADRF) and can store the analytics data in the A-ADRF. The Edge configuration server (ECS) can use this analytics to configure the Edge Enabler Client (EEC) with appropriate configuration(s).

[0072] FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication network. The network 100 comprises an analytics consumer 101, an Application Data Analytics Enablement (ADAE) server 102, a Learning Management System　(LMS) 103, a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) 104, and an Analytics Data Repository Function (A-ADRF) 105.

[0073] The analytics consumer 101 can be an entity in the network 100 that consumes UE RAT connectivity analytics. Examples of the analytics consumer 101 can be, but not limited to, an application server, a Vertical Application Layer (VAL), a Vertical Application Layer (VAL) of a UE, and so on.

[0074] The analytics consumer 101 can make a subscription request to the ADAE server 102 for UE RAT connectivity prediction / stats for at least one UE. The subscription request includes an analytics event ID for UE RAT Connectivity analytics. In an embodiment herein, the request can include the target area, a target service, or a UE, a group of UEs, time validity, and so on. If the UE(s) are provided by the analytics consumer 101, the subscription request may also include an expected route and / or a set of waypoints for the UE(s).

[0075] Table 1 depicts the information elements for the UE RAT connectivity analytics subscription request from the VAL server / Analytics consumer to the ADAE server.

[0076]

[0077] The ADAE server 102 can comprise a control module 102A, a communication module 102B, and a memory 102C. In the embodiment shown herein, the control module 102A may comprise one or more microprocessors, circuits, and other hardware configured for processing. The control module 102A can be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 102C.

[0078] The control module 102A can be at least one of a single processor, a plurality of processors, multiple homogeneous or heterogeneous cores, multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs) of different kinds, microcontrollers, special media, and other accelerators. The control module 102A may be an Application Processor (AP), a graphics-only processing unit such as a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Visual Processing Unit (VPU), and / or an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-dedicated processor such as a Neural Processing Unit (NPU).

[0079] In the embodiment shown herein, the communication module 102B is configured to enable communication between the ADAE server 102 and at least one external entity (such as, but not limited to, the analytics consumer 101, the LMS 103, the NWDAF 104, the A-ADRF 105, any other Network Function, and so on) through a network or cloud. The communication module 104 through which the ADAE server 102 and the at least one external entity communicate may be in the form of either a wired network, a wireless network, or a combination thereof. The wired and wireless communication networks may comprise, but are not limited to, Global Positioning System (GPS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Local Area Network (LAN), Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) compatibility, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near-field Communication (NFC), and so on. The wireless communication may further comprise one or more of Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zonal Intercommunication Global Standard (ZigBee) (registered trademark), short-range wireless communication such as Ultra-wideband (UWB), medium-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or long-range wireless communication such as Third Generation (3G), Fourth Generation (4G), or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Fifth Generation (5G), 5G Advanced, and so on, according to the usage environment.

[0080] In the embodiment shown herein, the memory 102C may comprise one or more volatile and non-volatile memory components that are capable of storing data and instructions to be executed. Examples of the memory 102C can be, but are not limited to, NAND, embedded Multimedia Card (eMMC), Secure Digital (SD) cards, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Solid-State Drive (SSD), and so on. The memory 102C may also include one or more computer-readable storage media. Examples of non-volatile storage elements may include magnetic hard disks, optical discs, floppy discs, flash memories, or forms of Electrically Programmable Memories (EPROM) or Electrically Erasable and Programmable Memories (EEPROM). In addition, the memory 102C may, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The term “non-transitory” may indicate that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. However, the term “non-transitory” should not be interpreted to mean that the memory 102C is non-movable. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium may store data that can, over time, change (e.g., in Random Access Memory (RAM) or cache).

[0081] The control module 102A can receive the subscription request from the analytics consumer 101, via the communication module 102B. On receiving the subscription request, the control module 102A can send a UE RAT connectivity analytics subscription response as an ACK to the analytics consumer 101, via the communication module 102B. Table 2 describes information elements for the UE RAT connectivity analytics subscription response from the control module 102A to the analytics consumer 101.

[0082]

[0083] The control module 102A can subscribe to the LMS 103 to get the location information of the at least one UE along with a RAT type. In an embodiment herein, the trigger criteria for receiving the location information of the at least one UE can be set by the control module 102A to be a change in the UE RAT type.

[0084] The control module 102A can subscribe for UE mobility analytics data per UE (for all the UEs) with the NWDAF 104. In an embodiment herein, the control module 102A can receive a notification from the NWDAF 104 on the per UE location / mobility analytics data based on TS 23.288 clause 6.7.2.

[0085] Based on the subscriptions, the control module 102A can receive data from the LMS 103, and the NWDAF 104. In an embodiment herein, the control module 102A can combine and / or correlate the received data / analytics. The control module 102A can further store the received data in the A-ADRF 105.

[0086] The control module 102A can request the UE RAT connectivity historical analytics / data from the A-ADRF 105 for the at least one UE, via the communication module 102B. Table 3 describes information elements for the UE RAT connectivity data request from the control module 102A to the A-ADRF 105.

[0087]

[0088] On receiving the request, the A-ADRF 105 can provide the UE RAT connectivity historical analytics / data for the at least one UE to the ADAE server 102. The control module 102A can receive the UE RAT connectivity historical analytics / data from the A-ADRF 105, via the communication module 102B. Table 4 describes information elements for the UE RAT connectivity data response from the A-ADRF to the ADAE server.

[0089]

[0090] On receiving the UE RAT connectivity historical analytics / data, the control module 102A can abstract and / or correlate the data / UE RAT connectivity analytics using the received requested historical UE RAT connectivity data, data received from the LMS in response to the subscription, and mobility analytics data received from the NWDAF in response to the subscription. The control module 102A can determine the analytics on the UE RAT connectivity for the at least one UE. The control module 102A can send the UE RAT connectivity analytics notification to the analytics consumer 101, via the communication module 102B. Table 5 describes information elements for the UE RAT connectivity analytics notification from the ADAE server to the analytics consumer 101.

[0091]

[0092] In an embodiment herein, the control module 102A can retrieve Satellite coverage availability information (SCAI) from one or more external servers (not shown). On retrieving the SCAI, the control module 102A can use the SCAI for predicting a change in RAT connectivity of the at least one UE.

[0093] FIG. 2 illustrates a procedure for supporting the UE RAT connectivity analytics. In step 201, the analytics consumer 101 makes a subscription request to the ADAE server 102 for UE RAT connectivity prediction / stats for at least one UE. The subscription request includes an analytics event ID for UE RAT Connectivity analytics. In an embodiment herein, the request can include the target area, a target service, or a UE, a group of UEs, time validity, and so on. If the UE(s) are provided by the analytics consumer 101, the subscription request may also include an expected route and / or a set of waypoints for the UE(s). In step 202, the ADAE server 102 receives the subscription request from the analytics consumer 101, and sends a UE RAT connectivity analytics subscription response as an ACK to the analytics consumer 101.

[0094] In step 203, the ADAE server 102 subscribes to the LMS 103 to get the location information of the at least one UE along with a RAT type. In an embodiment herein, the trigger criteria for receiving the location information of the at least one UE can be set by the ADAE server 102 to be a change in the UE RAT type. In step 204, the ADAE server 102 subscribes for UE mobility analytics data per UE (for all the UEs) with a NWDAF 104. In an embodiment herein, the ADAE server 102 receives a notification from the NWDAF 104 on the per UE location / mobility analytics based on TS 23.288 clause 6.7.2. Based on the subscriptions, the ADAE server 102 receives data from the LMS 103, and the NWDAF 104. In an embodiment herein, the control module 102A can combine and / or correlate the received data / analytics. In step 205, the ADAE server 102 stores the received data in the A-ADRF 105.

[0095] In step 206, the ADAE server 102 requests the UE RAT connectivity historical analytics / data from the A-ADRF 105 for the at least one UE. On receiving the request, in step 207, the A-ADRF 105 provides the UE RAT connectivity historical analytics / data for the at least one UE to the ADAE server 102. On receiving the UE RAT connectivity historical analytics / data, in step 208, the ADAE server 102 determines the analytics on the UE RAT connectivity (i.e., UE RAT connectivity analytics) for the at least one UE. In step 209, the ADAE server 102 sends the UE RAT connectivity analytics notification to the analytics consumer 101.

[0096] FIG. 3A is flowchart depicting a process for managing analytics related to UE RAT connectivity in a wireless communication network, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

[0097] In step 301, the ADAE server 102 receives a subscription request for UE RAT connectivity analytics for at least one UE from the analytics consumer 101. In an embodiment herein, the subscription request comprises an analytics event ID for UE RAT Connectivity analytics, a target area, a target service, the at least one UE, time validity, and an expected route for the at least one UE. In step 302, the ADAE server 102 sends a UE RAT connectivity analytics subscription response as an ACK to the analytics consumer 101. In step 303, the ADAE server 102 subscribes to the LMS 103 to get location information of at least one UE, and a RAT type. In an embodiment herein, the ADAE server 102 sets at least one trigger criteria of receiving location information of the at least one UE, on a change in UE RAT type. In step 304, the ADAE server 102 subscribes to the NWDAF 104 to get mobility analytics data of the at least one UE. In step 305, the ADAE server 102 receives a notification from the NWDAF 104 on a per UE location / mobility analytics, based on TS 23.288 clause 6.7.2.

[0098] FIG. 3B is flowchart depicting a process for managing analytics related to UE RAT connectivity in a wireless communication network, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

[0099] In step 306, the ADAE server 102 requests historical UE RAT connectivity data from the A-ADRF 105 for the at least one UE. The historical UE RAT connectivity data comprises the analytics ID (wherein the analytics ID is an identifier of an analytics event), a list comprising an ID of the at least one UE, and at least one address for which the analytics apply, a service ID, and the analytics output (wherein the analytics output comprises at least one offline stats, and historical data for the at least one UE). In step 307, the ADAE server 102 receives the requested historical UE RAT connectivity data from the A-ADRF 105 for the at least one UE. In step 308, the ADAE server 102 abstracts the UE RAT connectivity analytics for the at least one UE using the received requested historical UE RAT connectivity data, data received from the LMS 103 in response to the subscription, and mobility analytics data received from the NWDAF 104 in response to the subscription. In an embodiment herein, the ADAE server 102 can store the data received from the LMS 103 in response to the subscription, and the mobility analytics data received from the NWDAF 104 in response to the subscription in the A-ADRF 105. The abstracted UE RAT connectivity analytics comprises an analytics ID, an analytics output, and the confidence level. In an embodiment herein, the analytics ID can be an identifier of UE RAT connectivity event. In an embodiment herein, the analytics output can comprise at least one predictive or statistical parameter, which can be at least one of at least one predicted RAT type change for the at least one UE for a given expected route, and a predicted RAT Type that the UE would latch on for a given time period or location. In step 309, the ADAE server 102 sends the abstracted UE RAT connectivity analytics to the analytics consumer 101. The various actions in method 300 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order or simultaneously. Further, in some embodiments, some actions listed in FIGs. 3A and 3B may be omitted.

[0100] Embodiments herein disclose that the location information shared by the UE to the location management server shall include the RAT type to which it is currently connected. These RAT type values could be any of NR, LTE, UMTS, NR (LEO), NR (MEO), NR (GEO), NR (OTHERSTAT), and so on. In case of NR satellite access, the RAT Types values can be any of "NR (LEO)", "NR (MEO)", "NR (GEO)" and "NR (OTHERSAT)". In case of terrestrial access, the RAT types could be NR, LTE, UMTS etc., which are defined by 3GPP.

[0101] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a terminal or user equipment (UE) 400 according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0102] The terminal is an electronic device capable of wireless communication, may include a User Equipment (UE), a portable phone, a smartphone, a tablet, an Internet of things (IoT) device, etc., having various form factors, and may perform wireless communication with a base station (BS) through a wireless channel.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 4, the UE 400 may include at least one transceiver (hereinafter, referred to as simply “transceiver”) 401, at least one processor (hereinafter, referred to as simply “processor”) 402, and at least one memory (hereinafter, referred to as simply “memory”) 403. According to at least one or a combination of methods corresponding to the embodiments described in the present disclosure, the transceiver 401, the processor 402, and the memory 403 of the UE 400 may operate. However, components of the UE 400 are not limited to the exemplary components illustrated in FIG. 4. In another embodiment, the UE 400 may further include additional components in addition to the above-mentioned components, or some components may be omitted. Further, in some embodiments, any combination of the transceiver 401, the processor 402, or the memory 403 may be integrated in the form of one component.

[0104] The transceiver 401 may be a communication circuit or communication circuitry that enables the UE 400 to perform wireless communication with a node or an entity of a network. For example, the transceiver 401 may enable the UE 400 to transmit or receive a signal to or from a BS through cellular communication, or to transmit or receive a signal to or from another UE through cellular communication. For example, the transceiver 401 may support at least one of various cellular communication technologies including 3rd generation (3G), 4th generation (4G), long term evolution (LTE), 5th generation (5G) NR, 6th generation (6G), and various cellular wireless communication technologies supported by the transceiver (401) may include all subsequent generations of evolved wireless communications.

[0105] According to an embodiment, the UE 400 may include a plurality of transceivers. For example, in the case of supporting evolved-universal terrestrial radio access-new radio (E-UTRA-NR) sual connectivity (EN-DC), the UE 400 may include a first transceiver supporting the 4G LTE wireless communication and a second transceiver supporting the 5G NR wireless communication. According to another embodiment, in the case of supporting NR-dual connectivity (NR-DC), the UE 400 may include a plurality of transceivers supporting the 5G NR wireless communication. According to still another embodiment, in the case of supporting near field wireless communication, the UE 400 may separately include a transceiver supporting at least one standard in the group of wireless communication protocol standards as defined in the protocol standards for Bluetooth®, wireless local area network (WLAN) network (including institute of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE) 802.11-2016 standard or its amendments, e.g., 802.11ah, 802.11ad, 802.11ay, 802.11ax, 802.11az, 802.11ba, and 802.11be, without being limited thereto).

[0106] According to an embodiment, the transceiver 401 may include various circuit structures used to transmit or receive signals to or from a BS through a wireless channel. The signals may include control information and data. For example, the transceiver 401 may include a radio frequency (RF) transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of a transmitted signal and an RF receiver for low-noise-amplifying a received signal and down-converting the frequency thereof. The transceiver 401 may output a signal received through a wireless channel to the processor 402 and may transmit, through a wireless channel, a signal output from the processor 402.

[0107] The processor 402 may control general operations of the UE 400 according to embodiments of the disclosure. The processor 402 may be implemented by one or more integrated circuit (or circuitry) (IC) chips and may execute various data processings. The processor 402 may include at least one electric circuit, and may execute instructions (or a program, codes, data, etc.) stored in the memory 403, individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. Further, the processor 402 may include a single-core processor or multi-core processor, and may include a processor assembly including a plurality of processing circuits (circuitry) according to a specific implementation scheme.

[0108] The processor 402 may be electrically, operatively, or communicatively coupled to the transceiver 401 to control the transceiver 401.

[0109] The processor 402 may include at least one processor (or processing circuitry), and the at least one processor may perform the following operations individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. For example, the processor 402 may include a communication processor (CP) configured to control communication operations and an application processor (AP) configured to control execution of an upper layer (for example, an application layer) . In a specific embodiment, at least a part of the processor 402 may be included in one chip and the other part of the processor 402 may be included in another chip. Otherwise, at least one processor may be included in another component, for example, the transceiver 401 or the memory 403.

[0110] The processor 402 may perform or control or cause an operation of the UE 400 for executing at least one or a combination of methods according to embodiments of the disclosure. For example, the processor 402 may control operations of the UE 400 for processing a downlink signal received from a BS or generating and transmitting an uplink signal to a BS. To this end, the processor 402 may execute a computer program, codes, or instructions stored in the memory 403, so as to control other components of the UE 400 to enable execution of various operations.

[0111] The memory 403 corresponds to a hardware storage device capable of temporarily or permanently storing information and may include one or more storage media. For example, the memory 403 may include a memory assembly including one or more storage media. For example, the one or more storage media may include permanent memory, such as a hard drive, flash memory, or read-only memory (ROM), semipermanent memory, such as random access memory (RAM), cache memory, or a combination thereof.

[0112] The memory 403 may be electrically, operatively, or communicatively coupled to the processor 402 and may be accessed by the processor 402.

[0113] The memory 403 may store a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 402. According to an embodiment, a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 402 may be either stored in a single memory device or separated and distributedly stored in two or more memory devices. By executing the instructions stored in the memory 403, the processor 402 may perform various functions according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0114] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, operations of the UE 400 may be caused to be performed based on execution of instructions (or a computer program or codes) stored in the memory 403 by at least one processor (or processing circuitry) configured to execute the same individually, collectively, or in any combination thereof, based on processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions, and / or based on components of processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions.

[0115] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a base station (BS) 500 according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0116] The BS 500 may perform wireless communication with at least one user equipment (UE) located within the area of the BS 500 through a wireless channel.

[0117] Referring to FIG. 5, the BS 500 may include at least one transceiver (hereinafter, referred to as simply “transceiver”) 501, at least one processor (hereinafter, referred to as simply “processor”) 502, and at least one memory (hereinafter, referred to as simply “memory”) 503. According to at least one or a combination of methods corresponding to the embodiments described in the present disclosure, the transceiver 501, the processor 502, and the memory 503 of the BS 500 may operate. However, components of the BS 500 are not limited to the exemplary components illustrated in FIG. 5. In another embodiment, the BS 500 may further include additional components in addition to the above-mentioned components, or some components may be omitted. Further, in some embodiments, any combination of the transceiver 501, the processor 502, or the memory 503 may be integrated in the form of one component.

[0118] The transceiver 501 may be a communication circuit or communication circuitry that enables the BS 500 to perform wireless communication with a node or an entity of a network. For example, the transceiver 501 may enable the BS 500 to transmit or receive a signal to or from the UE X00 through cellular communication, or to transmit or receive a signal to or from another network entity through wireless communication. For example, the transceiver 501 may support various cellular communication technologies including 3rd generation (3G), 4th generation (4G), long term evolution (LTE), 5th generation (5G) NR, 6th generation (6G), and various cellular wireless communication technologies supported by the transceiver (501) may include all subsequent generations of evolved wireless communications.. According to an embodiment, the transceiver 501 may include various circuit structures used to transmit or receive signals to or from a UE through a wireless channel. The signals may include control information and data. For example, the transceiver 501 may include a radio frequency (RF) transmitter for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of a transmitted signal and an RF receiver for low-noise-amplifying a received signal and down-converting the frequency thereof. The transceiver 501 may output a signal received through a wireless channel to the processor 502 and may transmit, through a wireless channel, a signal output from the processor 502.

[0119] Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the BS 500 may perform communication with a node or an entity of a network through wired or wireless communication. For example, the BS 500 may perform wired or wireless communication with an adjacent BS, or a node or an entity of a core network through a backhaul network. Although not illustrated in FIG. 5, when the BS 500 performs wired communication, the BS 500 may further include a separate network interface for wired communication in addition to the transceiver 501. The network interface may be referred to as network interface circuitry or communication interface circuitry.

[0120] The processor 502 may control general operations of the BS 500 according to embodiments of the disclosure. The processor 502 may be implemented by one or more integrated circuit (or circuitry) (IC) chips and may execute various data processings. The processor 502 may include at least one electric circuit, and may execute instructions (or a program, codes, data, etc.) stored in the memory 503, individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. Further, the processor 502 may include a single-core processor or multi-core processor, and may include a processor assembly including a plurality of processing circuits (circuitry) according to a specific implementation scheme.

[0121] The processor 502 may be electrically, operatively, or communicatively coupled to the transceiver 501 to control the transceiver 501.

[0122] The processor 502 may include at least one processor (or processing circuitry), and the at least one processor may perform the following operations individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. In a specific embodiment, at least a part of the processor 502 may be included in one chip and the other part of the processor 502 may be included in another chip. Otherwise, at least one processor may be included in another component, for example, the transceiver 501 or the memory 503.

[0123] The processor 502 may perform or control or cause an operation of the BS 500 for executing at least one or a combination of methods according to embodiments of the disclosure. For example, the processor 502 may control operations of the BS 500 for generating and transmitting a downlink signal to a UE or processing an uplink signal received from a UE. Otherwise, the BS 500 may transmit or receive a signal to or from a neighboring BS, transfer a signal received from a UE to an upper node of the network, or transmit a signal transferred from an upper node of the network to a UE. To this end, the processor 502 may execute a computer program, codes, or instructions stored in the memory 503, so as to control other components of the BS 500 to enable execution of various operations.

[0124] The memory 503 corresponds to a hardware storage device capable of temporarily or permanently storing information and may include one or more storage media. For example, the memory 503 may include a memory assembly including one or more storage media. For example, the one or more storage media may include permanent memory, such as a hard drive, flash memory, or read-only memory (ROM), semipermanent memory, such as random access memory (RAM), cache memory, or a combination thereof.

[0125] The memory 503 may be electrically, operatively, or communicatively coupled to the processor 502 and may be accessed by the processor 502.

[0126] The memory 503 may store a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 502. According to an embodiment, a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 502 may be either stored in a single memory device or separated and distributedly stored in two or more memory devices. By executing the instructions stored in the memory 503, the processor 502 may perform various functions according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0127] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, operations of the BS 500 may be caused to be performed based on execution of instructions (or a computer program or codes) stored in the memory 503 by at least one processor (or processing circuitry) configured to execute the same individually, collectively, or in any combination thereof, based on processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions, and / or based on components of processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions.

[0128] The UE or the base station may perform various communication procedures related to the control plane or the user plane by cooperating with one or more network entities based on wireless communication. For example, the UE may communicate with network entity such as an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) or a Session Management Function (SMF) via the base station, or the base station may perform at least one communication procedure by directly transmitting and receiving signals to / from, or relaying signals between, the network entities.

[0129] The structure of the above-described network entity will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0130] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a network entity 600 according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0131] The network entity 600 may include an entity (apparatus, device, or server, etc.) that performs one or more network functions (NFs) or a part of a network function constituting a core network (e.g., a 5th generation (5G) core (5GC)) in a communication system. In this case, multiple NFs may be implemented within a single network entity, or a single NF may be distributed and implemented across a plurality of network entities. In addition, when an NF is implemented within the network entity, the NF may be implemented in the form of software, and in such a case, a program for operating the NF may be stored in memory of the network entity 600.

[0132] A single NF may be implemented by one or more instances, which may be deployed on the same network entity or distributed across multiple network entities to operate. The instance may be a software unit that logically executes a specific network function, and may be implemented in a form that is decoupled from physical hardware resources. Further, one or more NFs may be implemented in the form of one network slice to operate to satisfy specifications required by a particular service.

[0133] The NF may include at least one of an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), a local session management function (L-SMF), a user plane function (UPF), a local user plane function (L-UPF), a policy control function (PCF), a unified data management (UDM), a unified data repository (UDR), a network exposure function (NEF), a network repository function (NRF), an application function (AF), a network slice selection function (NSSF), a network data analytics function (NWDAF), a network slice admission control function (NSACF), an authentication server function (AUSF), or a data network (DN).

[0134] Referring to FIG. 6, the network entity 600 may include at least one network interface 601, at least one processor 602 (hereinafter, “processor”), and at least one memory 603 (hereinafter, “memory”). As described above, a NF may be implemented in the form of a physical device such as the network entity 600, or may be virtualized and executed in the form of an instance. When implemented as an instance, the NF need not necessarily include physical components as illustrated in FIG. 6. In such a case, the instance may be logically represented as comprising one or more logical functional elements.

[0135] According to at least one or a combination of methods corresponding to the embodiments described in the present disclosure, the network interface 601, the processor 602, and the memory 603 of the network entity 600 may operate. However, components of the network entity 600 are not limited to the exemplary components illustrated in FIG. 6. In another embodiment, the network entity 600 may further include additional components in addition to the above-mentioned components, or some components may be omitted. Further, in an embodiment, the network interface 601, the processor 602, or the memory 603 may be integrated in the form of one component.

[0136] The network interface 601 is a collective term for a transmitter part of the network entity 600 and a receiver part of the network entity 600, and may be a communication circuit for transmitting or receiving a signal to or from a user equipment (UE), a base station (BS), or another network entity. Here, the communication circuit may include both a communication circuit for wireless communication and a communication circuit for a wired communication. For example, the network interface 601 may include a circuit, logic, hardware, etc., configured to exchange a control plane message or a user plane message with a UE, a BS, or other core network entities through wireless communication or wired communication. The network interface 601 may operate using various protocols (e.g., non-access stratum (NAS) protocol). The network interface 601 may also be referred to, for convenience of description or depending on implementation, as communication circuitry, network interface circuitry, or a communication interface circuitry.

[0137] The processor 602 may control general operations of the network entity 600 according to embodiments of the disclosure. The processor 602 may be implemented by one or more integrated circuit (or circuitry) (IC) chips and may execute various data processings. The processor 602 may include at least one electric circuit, and may execute instructions (or a program, codes, data, etc.) stored in the memory 603, individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. Further, the processor 602 may include a single-core processor or multi-core processor, and may include a processor assembly including a plurality of processing circuits (circuitry) according to a specific implementation scheme. Further, it should be noted that, according to another embodiment, in a case where NF is implemented in the form of an instance, the network function may be not necessarily configured by physical hardware.

[0138] According to an embodiment, the processor 602 may be electrically, operatively, or communicatively coupled to the network interface 601 to control the network interface 601.

[0139] The processor 602 may include at least one processor (or processing circuitry), and the at least one processor may perform the following operations individually, collectively or in any combination thereof. In a specific embodiment, at least a part of the processor 602 may be included in one chip and the other part of the processor 602 may be included in another chip. Otherwise, at least one processor may be included in another component, for example, the network interface 601 or the memory 603.

[0140] The processor 602 may perform or control or cause an operation of the network entity 600 for executing at least one or a combination of methods according to embodiments of the disclosure. For example, the processor 602 may control operations of the network entity 600 for exchanging a control plane message or a user plane message with a UE, a BS, or other core network entities through wireless or wired communication, using various protocols (e.g., NAS protocol). To this end, the processor 602 may execute a computer program, codes, or instructions stored in the memory 603, so as to control other components of the network entity 600 to enable execution of various operations.

[0141] The memory 603 corresponds to a hardware storage device capable of temporarily or permanently storing information and may include one or more storage media. For example, the memory 603 may include a memory assembly including one or more storage media. For example, the one or more storage media may include permanent memory, such as a hard drive, flash memory, or read-only memory (ROM), semipermanent memory, such as random access memory (RAM), cache memory, or a combination thereof.

[0142] The memory 603 may be electrically, operatively, or communicatively coupled to the processor 602 and may be accessed by the processor 602.

[0143] The memory 603 may store a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 602. According to an embodiment, a computer program, codes, or instructions executable by the processor 602 may be either stored in a single memory device or separated and distributedly stored in two or more memory devices. By executing the instructions stored in the memory 603, the processor 602 may perform various functions according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

[0144] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, operations of the network entity 600 may be caused to be performed based on execution of instructions (or a computer program or codes) stored in the memory 603 by at least one processor (or processing circuitry) configured to execute the same individually, collectively, or in any combination thereof, based on processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions, and / or based on components of processing circuitry that is not configured to execute instructions.

[0145] The embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented through at least one software program running on at least one hardware device and performing network management functions to control the network elements. The elements include blocks which can be at least one of a hardware device, or a combination of hardware device and software module.

[0146] The embodiments disclosed herein describe methods and systems for supporting analytics related to UE RAT connectivity. Therefore, it is understood that the scope of the protection is extended to such a program and in addition to a computer readable means having a message therein, such computer readable storage means contain program code means for implementation of one or more steps of the method, when the program runs on a server or mobile deviceor any suitable programmable device. The method is implemented in at least one embodiment through or together with a software program written in e.g., Very high speed integrated circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL) another programming language, or implemented by one or more VHDL or several software modules being executed on at least one hardware device. The hardware device can be any kind of portable device that can be programmed. The device may also include means which could be e.g., hardware means like e.g., an ASIC, or a combination of hardware and software means, e.g., an ASIC and an FPGA, or at least one microprocessor and at least one memory with software modules located therein. The method embodiments described herein could be implemented partly in hardware and partly in software. Alternatively, the invention may be implemented on different hardware devices, e.g., using a plurality of CPUs.

[0147] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of embodiments and examples, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments and examples disclosed herein can be practised with modification within the scope of the embodiments as described herein.

[0148] Meanwhile, although specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

1.A method performed by an application data analytics enablement (ADAE) server in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:receiving, from a vertical application layer (VAL) server, a subscription request message for user equipment (UE) radio access technology (RAT) connectivity analytics;transmitting, to the VAL server, a subscription response message for the UE RAT connectivity analytics;receiving, from a service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) location management server, location information on a VAL UE, the location information including a RAT type of the VAL UE;receiving, from a network data analytics function (NWDAF) entity, information on mobility analytics for the VAL UE;generating the UE RAT connectivity analytics based on the location information and information on the mobility analytics for the VAL UE; andtransmitting, to the VAL server, a notification message including the UE RAT connectivity analytics.2.The method of claim 1, further comprising:transmitting, to an analytics data repository function (A-ADRF) entity, a data retrieval request message for requesting historical analytics or historical data of the VAL UE; andreceiving, from the A-ADRF entity, the historical analytics or the historical data of the VAL UE.3.The method of claim 1,wherein the subscription request message includes information on at least one of an analytics event ID, a target area, a target VAL service, a VAL UE ID of the target VAL service, or time validity.4.The method of claim 1,wherein a trigger criterion for receiving the location information of the UE is configured based on a change in the RAT type of the UE.5.An application data analytics enablement (ADAE) server in a wireless communication system, the ADAE server comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, storing instructions executable by the at least one processor individually or in any combination to cause the network entity to:receive, from a vertical application layer (VAL) server, a subscription request message for user equipment (UE) radio access technology (RAT) connectivity analytics;transmitting, to the VAL server, a subscription response message for the UE RAT connectivity analytics;receive, from a service enabler architecture layer (SEAL) location management server, location information on a VAL UE, the location information including a RAT type of the VAL UE;receive, from a network data analytics function (NWDAF) entity, information on mobility analytics for the VAL UE;generate the UE RAT connectivity analytics based on the location information and information on the mobility analytics for the VAL UE; andtransmit, to the VAL server, a notification message including the UE RAT connectivity analytics.6.The network entity of claim 5, wherein the instructions further cause the ADAE server to:transmit, to an analytics data repository function (A-ADRF) entity, a data retrieval request message for requesting historical analytics or historical data of the VAL UE; andreceive, from the A-ADRF entity, the historical analytics or the historical data of the VAL UE.7.The network entity of claim 5,wherein the subscription request message includes information on at least one of an analytics event ID, a target area, a target VAL service, a VAL UE ID of the target VAL service, or time validity.8.The network entity of claim 5,wherein a trigger criterion for receiving the location information of the UE is configured based on a change in the RAT type of the UE.9.A method performed by a vertical application layer (VAL) server in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:transmitting, to an application data analytics enablement (ADAE) server, a subscription request message for user equipment (UE) radio access technology (RAT) connectivity analytics;receiving, from the ADAE server, a subscription response message for the UE RAT connectivity analytics; andreceiving, from the ADAE server, a notification message including the UE RAT connectivity analytics,wherein the UE RAT connectivity analytics is associated with the location information including a RAT type of the VAL UE and information on the mobility analytics for the VAL UE.10.The method of claim 9,wherein the subscription request message includes information on at least one of an analytics event ID, a target area, a target VAL service, a VAL UE ID of the target VAL service, or time validity.11.The method of claim 9,wherein a trigger criterion for receiving the location information of the UE is configured based on a change in the RAT type of the UE.12.A vertical application layer (VAL) server in a wireless communication system, the VAL server comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor, storing instructions executable by the at least one processor individually or in any combination to cause the network entity to:transmit, to an application data analytics enablement (ADAE) server, a subscription request message for user equipment (UE) radio access technology (RAT) connectivity analytics,receive, from the ADAE server, a subscription response message for the UE RAT connectivity analytics,receive, from the ADAE server, a notification message including the UE RAT connectivity analytics, andwherein the UE RAT connectivity analytics is associated with the location information including a RAT type of the VAL UE and information on the mobility analytics for the VAL UE.13.The VAL server of claim 12,wherein the subscription request message includes information on at least one of an analytics event ID, a target area, a target VAL service, a VAL UE ID of the target VAL service, or time validity.14.The VAL server of claim 12,wherein a trigger criterion for receiving the location information of the UE is configured based on a change in the RAT type of the UE.

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