Radio network node, first network node, and methods performed therein in a communications network

Abstract

Embodiments herein relate to, for example, a method performed by a first network node (140) for handling communication of a UE (10) in a communication network. The first network node (140) transmits to a radio network node (130), an indication. The indication indicates that the first network node (140) supports PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

Description

[0001] RADIO NETWORK NODE, FIRST NETWORK NODE, AND METHODS PERFORMED THEREIN

[0002] IN A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] Embodiments herein relate to a first network node, a radio network node, and methods performed therein regarding wireless communication. Furthermore, a computer program product and a computer readable storage medium are also provided herein. In particular, embodiments herein relate to handling communication of user equipments (UE) in a communication network.

[0005] BACKGROUND

[0006] In a typical communication network, UEs, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (ST A) and / or wireless devices, communicate via a Radio Access Network (RAN) with one or more core networks (CN). The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cells, with each service area or cell being served by a radio network node such as an access node e.g. a Wi-Fi access point or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be called, for example, a NodeB, a gNodeB, or an eNodeB. The service area or cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node operates on radio frequencies to communicate over an air interface with the UEs within range of the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over a downlink (DL) to the UE and the UE communicates over an uplink (UL) to the radio network node.

[0007] A Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation (3G) telecommunication network, which evolved from the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) is essentially a RAN using wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) and / or High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) for communication with user equipment. In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), telecommunications suppliers propose and agree upon standards for present and future generation networks and investigate e.g. enhanced data rate and radio capacity. In some RANs, e.g. as in UMTS, several radio network nodes may be connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a controller node, such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), which supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural radio network nodes connected thereto. The RNCs are typically connected to one or more core networks.

[0008] Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completed within the 3GPP and coming 3GPP releases, such as New Radio (NR), are worked on. The EPS comprises the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), also known as the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network, and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also known as System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network. E-UTRAN / LTE is a 3GPP radio access technology wherein the radio network nodes are directly connected to the EPC core network. As such, the RAN of an EPS has an architecture comprising radio network nodes connected directly to one or more core networks.

[0009] With the emerging 5G technologies such as NR, the use of very many transmit- and receive-antenna elements may be of great interest as it makes it possible to utilize beamforming, such as transmit-side and receive-side beamforming. Transmit-side beamforming means that the transmitter can amplify the transmitted signals in a selected direction or directions, while suppressing the transmitted signals in other directions. Similarly, on the receive-side, a receiver can amplify signals from a selected direction or directions, while suppressing unwanted signals from other directions. NR is connected to the 5G Core Network (5GC) which comprises a number of Network Functions (NF) such as Session Management Function (SMF), Access Management Function (AMF), Authentication Service Function (AUSF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Unified Data Manager (UDM), Network Repository Function (NRF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), just to mention some. In the 5GC, NFs can discover other NFs by using a discovery service provided by the NRF.

[0010] An overall 5G RAN (NG-RAN) architecture is depicted in Fig. 1a.

[0011] Fig. 1b shows the Control plane and User plane between NG-RAN, such as a master node (MN) and a secondary node (SN), and 5G Core.

[0012] The gNB with a split architecture is depicted in Fig. 1c. gNB-central unit (CU) hosts the radio resource control (RRC) and the control plane part of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP); gNB-distributed unit (DU) hosts radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC) and the physical layer (PHY).

[0013] In 3GPP, the working group (WG) System Architecture 2 (SA2) has concluded the study item: “Extended Reality and Media service (XRM) Phase 2” in in TR 23.700-70 for Rel-19 and captured in the Work Item Description (WID) on 5GS XRM Ph2, S2-2408024, 1040032 the following objectives: From what is shown above this disclosure focuses on:

[0014] SUMMARY

[0015] As part of developing embodiments herein one or more issues have been identified. During the setup or modification of a protocol data unit (PDU) session, the CN can send the PDU Set quality of service (QoS) parameters to the NG-RAN defined in NG Application Protocol (NGAP) 3GPP TS 38.413 v. 18.2.0. If the NG-RAN supports PDU set handling based on receiving the PDU Set QoS parameters, the NG-RAN signals a PDU Set handling support indicator as defined in 3GPP TS 38.413 v. 18.2.0 and copied below:

[0016] According to WT#1.1 , a new indicator is introduced in NGAP that indicates CN’s support for PDU Set Information marking.

[0017] However, this support indicator was together included with the initial support of PDU Set QoS parameters. The PDU Set QoS parameters are described in, for example, 3GPP TS 38.413 v.

[0018] 18.2.0, 3GPP TS 38.423 v. 18.2.0, 3GPP TS 38.473 v 18.2.0 , or 3GPP TS 37.483 v 18.2.0 as below:

[0019] For extended reality (XR) service, the CN assumes knowledge of RAN being able to handle PDU sets, e.g., transmitting and configuring discarding of PDU sets, while applying PDU Set QoS Information for doing so. However, in the new case of release (Rel)-19, no DL PDU Set QoS parameters are provided by the application function (AF), thus, the SMF does not send the PDU Set QoS information, such as PSDB, PSER and PSIHI, to RAN.

[0020] The CN hence does not know if the NG-RAN node can support PDU Set handling without receiving the PDU Set QoS parameters.

[0021] Furthermore, impacts to other interfaces such as E1 between CU-user plane (UP) and CU- control plane (CP), F1 between CU and DU, and especially Xn between CUs are to be considered to achieve awareness if all nodes in the network can handle XR but without PDU Set QoS information.

[0022] An object of embodiments herein is to improve performance of a communication network.

[0023] According to an aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a method performed by a first network node, such as an SMF or a NG-RAN node, for handling communication of a UE in a communication network. The first network node transmits to a radio network node, an indication indicating that the first network node supports PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0024] According to another aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a method performed by a radio network node, such as an NG-RAN node or a DU, for handling communication of a UE in a communication network. The radio network node receives from a first network node, an indication indicating that the first network node supports PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters. It is furthermore provided herein a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the methods herein, as performed by the radio network node and the first network node, respectively. It is additionally provided herein a computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to the methods herein, as performed by the radio network node and the first network node, respectively.

[0025] Furthermore, according to another aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a first network node and a radio network node configured to perform the methods herein, respectively.

[0026] Thus, according to an aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing the first network node for handling communication of a UE in a communication network. The first network node is configured to transmit to a radio network node, an indication indicating that the first network node supports PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0027] Additionally, according to another aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing the radio network node for handling communication of a UE in a communication network. The radio network node is configured to receive from a first network node, an indication indicating that the first network node supports PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0028] It is proposed herein to enable a CN node, being an example of the first network node herein, to inform the radio network node, such as a gNB, a target gNB, a DU, or similar, that the first network node supports PDU Set Information marking, and / or PDU Set handling, without signaling one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0029] Furthermore, it is herein provided embodiments to achieve awareness for the NG-RAN in a split architecture and during a dual connectivity scenario of CN's support of DL PDU set marking without signaling any PDU Set QoS information. The NG-RAN may provide back, if such handling is supported, a support indicator to the first network node in, for example, one or more NGAP messages for the first network node to initiate marking in the DL of PDU sets.

[0030] Embodiments herein allow a negotiation procedure between the first network node and the radio network node, such as a CN node and a RAN node, on the support of PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters over, for example, NG-RAN interfaces and also, e.g., during dual connectivity (DC) operations. This will result in an efficient handling of resources and improve performance, or experienced performance, of the communication network.

[0031] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments will now be described in more detail in relation to the enclosed drawings, in which:

[0032] Fig. 1a shows an architecture according to prior art;

[0033] Fig. 1 b shows an architecture according to prior art;

[0034] Fig. 1c shows an architecture according to prior art;

[0035] Fig. 2 shows an overview depicting a communication network according to embodiments herein;

[0036] Fig. 3 is a combined flowchart and signaling scheme according to embodiments herein;

[0037] Fig. 4 shows a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a first network node according to embodiments herein;

[0038] Fig. 5 shows a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a radio network node according to embodiments herein;

[0039] Fig. 6 shows a block diagram depicting embodiments of a first network node according to embodiments herein;

[0040] Fig. 7 shows a block diagram depicting embodiments of a radio network node according to embodiments herein;

[0041] Fig. 8 schematically illustrates embodiments of a communication system,

[0042] Fig. 9 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a UE,

[0043] Fig. 10 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a network node, and

[0044] Fig. 11 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a virtualization environment.

[0045] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Embodiments herein relate to communication networks in general. Fig. 2 is a schematic overview depicting a communication network 1. The communication network 1 comprises one or more RANs and one or more CNs. The communication network 1 may use one or a number of different technologies. Embodiments herein relate to recent technology trends that are of particular interest in a NR context, however, embodiments are also applicable in further development of existing or upcoming wireless communications systems such as e.g. 6G, LTE or Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA).

[0047] In the communication network 1 , a user equipment (UE) 10 exemplified herein as a wireless device such as a mobile station, a non-access point (non-AP) station (ST A), a STA and / or a wireless terminal, is comprised communicating via e.g. one or more Access Networks (AN), e.g. RAN, to one or more CN. It should be understood by the skilled in the art that “UE” is a nonlimiting term which means any terminal, wireless communications terminal, user equipment, narrowband internet of things (NB-loT) device, Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smart phone, laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a small base station capable of communicating using radio communication with a radio network node within an area served by the radio network node.

[0048] The communication network 1 comprises a first radio network node 12 or just radio network node, providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a first service area 11 or first cell, of a first radio access technology (RAT), such as 6G, NR, LTE, or similar. The radio network node 12 may be a transmission and reception point such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a gNodeB (gNB), an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), a NodeB, a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, a distributed unit (DU), an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point or any other network unit or node capable of communicating with the UE 10 within the area served by the first radio network node 12 depending e.g. on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The first radio network node 12 may be referred to as a serving radio network node wherein the service area may be referred to as a serving cell, and the serving network node communicates with the wireless device in form of DL transmissions to the wireless device and UL transmissions from the wireless device. It should be noted that a service area may be denoted as cell, beam, beam group or similar to define an area of radio coverage.

[0049] The communication network 1 comprises a second radio network node 13 or just radio network node, providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a second service area 14 or second cell, of a second radio access technology (RAT), such as 6G, NR, LTE, or similar. The second radio network node 13 may be a transmission and reception point such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a gNodeB (gNB), an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), a NodeB, a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point or any other network unit or node capable of communicating with a wireless device within the area served by the second radio network node 13 depending e.g. on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The second radio network node 13 may be referred to as a visiting radio network node or target radio network node, wherein the service area may be referred to as a visiting cell or target cell, and the second radio network node 13 communicates with the UE 10 in form of DL transmissions to the UE 10 and UL transmissions from the UE 10. It should be noted that a service area may be denoted as cell, beam, beam group or similar to define an area of radio coverage.

[0050] The first RAT may be the same RAT as the second RAT or the first RAT may be a different RAT than the second RAT.

[0051] The communication network 1 may further comprise a number of core network nodes providing, e.g. in NR, network functions (NF) or actually instantiations of NFs also referred to as NF instances, such as a first core network node 16 providing, for example, an instantiation of an AMF or SMF, a second core network node 17 providing an instantiation of a NRF, and a third core network node 18 providing, for example, an instantiation of an PCF, or any other NF instances in the communication network 1. The different NF instances may have different tasks. Other functions may be for LTE such as Mobility Management Entity (MME) or similar.

[0052] The respective node may be a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server or processing resources in a server farm or same node. Embodiments herein may be implemented as physical bare metal, virtual or cloud native such as Kubernetes environment in e.g. hyper-cloud networks.

[0053] According to embodiments herein a first network node 140, such as the first core network node 16, the first radio network node 12, a CU, a CP node, or similar, transmits to a radio network node 130 such as the first radio network node 12, the second radio network node 13, a DU, a target radio network node, a UP node or similar, an indication indicating that the first network node 140 supports PDU Set Information marking, and / or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more (or any) PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0054] In one embodiment the first network node 140, which can be CN node, gNB-CU, gNB-CU- CP, provides the indication for DL PDU Set Information marking being supported to a second network node being an example of the radio network node 130.

[0055] In one embodiment, such indication may further indicate that PDU Set QoS Information or Parameters are not provided.

[0056] In one embodiment, the radio network node 130, which may be a gNB-CU, gNB-DU or gNB-CU-UP, when it receives the indication, provides a support indication such as an indicator that the radio network node 130 supports PDU Set Information marking, and / or PDU Set handling, without the PDU Set QoS information, such as QoS parameters.

[0057] In one embodiment, when the indication is received from the first network node 140 by the radio network node 130, the radio network node 130 understands that the indication indicates that the first network node 140 supports PDU set marking without sending one or more (or any) PDU Set QoS Parameters, and if supported, signals the support indication back in case of support, or signals an error message that the indication is not understood.

[0058] In one embodiment, the support indication from the radio network node 130 to the first network node 140 in case of success may be described as the radio network node 130 supports PDU Set handling without signaling PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0059] PDU Set as defined by 23.700-60 v.18.0.0: A PDU Set is composed of one or more PDUs carrying the payload of one unit of information generated at the application level, e.g. a frame or video slice for XR Services. Fig. 3 is a combined flow chart and signaling scheme according to some embodiments herein.

[0060] Action 301. The first network node 140 transmits to the radio network node 130, such as the first radio network node 12 and / or the second radio network node 13, the indication indicating that the first network node 140 supports PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters. The first network node 140 may transmit a flag, being an example of the indication, to the radio network node 130 during a PDU Session setup procedure to indicate support of PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters. Thus, the indication may indicate that the first network node 140 supports PDU Set Information marking without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters, or PDU Set handling without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0061] Action 302. The radio network node 130 may determine whether to accept or not the indicated PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0062] Action 303. The radio network node 130 may transmit the support indication to the first network node 140, wherein the support indication indicates PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters. In case of support the radio network node 130 may reply with an acknowledgement message.

[0063] Action 304. The first network node 140 may then initiate marking of a PDU set based on the support indication. For example, the first network node 140 may handle a PDU Set, which means initiate marking of the PDU set, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters. For example, the first network node 140 may mark one or more PDUs as PDU sets with specific sequence number and PDU Set information.

[0064] It should be noted that the term “PDU Set QoS parameters” and “PDU Set QoS information” may be used interchangeably.

[0065] Some embodiments are explained below:

[0066] 1) NG application protocol (AP)-interface, i.e. between CN node, being an example of the first network node 140, and NG-RAN node, being an example of the radio network node 130: a. In one embodiment, the NG-RAN node receives the indication from the CN node that the CN supports PDU Set handling, i.e., marking of PDU sets, without PDU Set QoS Parameters. The indication may be comprised in NGAP PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP REQUEST and / or PDU SESSION RESOURCE MODIFICATION REQUEST messages. b. In one embodiment, the CN node includes the indication such as an indicator referred to as “DL PDU Set Information marking supported” in an NGAP message towards NG-RAN, without including any PDU Set QoS Information in the QoS flow level QoS parameters IE in NGAP. Example of specification impact is shown below. c. In one embodiment, when the NG-RAN node receives the indication of PDU Set Marking being supported by the CN, without PDU Set QoS information, the NG- RAN node may perform one of the following actions: i. if the NG-RAN node supports PDU Set handling, e.g., discarding of PDU Sets, without the need of PDU Set QoS parameters, it may report in the NGAP response message to CN the support indication such as a “PDU Set based Handling Indicator”. Embodiments herein allow the NG-RAN node to re-use sending the “PDU Set based Handling Indicator” when the PDU Sets QoS parameters are not received. ii. Alternatively, the NG-RAN node may send the support indication as a new IE, e.g., “PDU Set handling support indicator without PDU Set QoS Parameters”, that indicates that PDU Set handling may be supported without PDU Set QoS parameters to the CN node, e.g., SMF. d. Upon reception of the support indication, such as the “PDU Set based Handling Indicator” or the new “PDU Set handling support indicator without PDU Set QoS parameters” at the CN node, the CN node, such as an SMF, will thereupon act and indicate to an UPF that it may initiate marking of PDU Sets. e. In one embodiment, the support indication may be included in a NGAP message such as NGAP PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP RESPONSE and / or PDU SESSION RESOURCE MODIFICATION RESPONSE messages, or as a “PDU Set handling support indicator without PDU Set QoS Information” and may be included in one or more of the following session messages or NGAP messages: i. PDU Session Resource Setup Response Transfer ii. PDU Session Resource Modify Response Transfer

[0067] Hi. Path Switch Request Transfer iv. Handover Request Acknowledge T ransfer ) F1AP interface wherein the first network node 140 is exemplified as a gNB-CU and the radio network node 130 is exemplified as a gNB-DU: a. In one embodiment, the gNB-DU receives the indication of PDU Set marking being supported without any PDU Set QoS information from the gNB-CU. b. In one embodiment, the gNB-CU includes the indication as a new indicator for “DL PDU Set Information marking supported” in the F1AP message towards gNB-DU, without any PDU Set QoS parameters, in the QoS flow level QoS parameters IE in F1AP. c. In one embodiment, when the gNB-DU receives the indication of “DL PDU Set Information marking supported without PDU Set QoS information” from the gNB-CU, the gNB-DU may then indicate that it supports PDU set handling in an F1 response message. The gNB-DU may not need to send explicit feedback, but gNB-DU is aware of the DL PDU Set Information marking and handles it accordingly. ) E1AP interface wherein the first network node 140 is exemplified as a gNB-CU-CP and the radio network node 130 is exemplified as a gNB-CU-UP: a. In one embodiment, for a QoS flow established without PDU Set QoS parameters, the gNB-CU-UP receives the indication being exemplified as an indication of “DL PDU Set Information marking supported” from the gNB-CU-CP in the QoS flow level QoS parameters contained in a BEARER CONTEXT MODIFICATION REQUEST message. Thus, the gNB-CU-UP is aware of the DL PDU Set Information marking and handles it accordingly. b. In one embodiment, the gNB-CU-UP may indicate that it supports of PDU set handling without PDU Set QoS Parameters with the support indication in the response message. The gNB-CU-UP may not need to send explicit feedback if assumed a homogeneous deployment, but the gNB-CU-UP is aware of the DL PDU Set Information marking and handles it accordingly. ) XnAP interface: a. Mobility cases, wherein the first network node 140 is exemplified as a source gNB and the radio network node 130 is exemplified as a target gNB: i. In one embodiment, for a QoS flow established without PDU Set QoS parameters, the target gNB receives a XnAP HANDOVER REQUEST message that includes the indication exemplified as a “DL PDU Set Information marking supported without any PDU Set QoS information” from the source gNB. The target gNB shall, if supported, report the support in the HANDOVER REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGE message:

[0068] 1 . either the PDU Set based Handling Indicator IE,

[0069] 2. or send a new IE that PDU Set handling can be supported without PDU Set QoS parameters. ii. In one embodiment, for a QoS flow established without PDU Set QoS parameters, the target gNB receives a XnAP RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT REQUEST message that includes the “DL PDU Set Information marking supported without any PDU Set QoS information” from the source gNB. The target gNB may, if supported, report in the RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT RESPONSE message:

[0070] 1 . either the PDU Set based Handling Indicator IE, 2. or send a new IE that PDU Set handling can be supported without PDU Set QoS parameters. b. Dual connectivity cases, wherein the first network node 140 is exemplified as a master NG-RAN node and the radio network node 130 is exemplified as the secondary NG-RAN node: i. In one embodiment, the secondary NG-RAN node (S-NG-RAN) connected to the master NG-RAN (M-NG-RAN) node in DC scenario receives via an XnAP message from the M-NG-RAN node the indication, being an indication of DL PDU Set Information marking supported without any PDU Set QoS parameters. ii. In one embodiment, the S-NG-RAN node may indicate that it supports of PDU set handling without PDU Set QoS Parameters with the support indication in the response message. The S-NG-RAN node may not need to send explicit feedback if we assume the homogeneous deployment, but the S-NG-RAN node is aware of the DL PDU Set Information marking and handles it accordingly.

[0071] The method actions performed by the first network node 140, such as a CU, a source radio network node, a CP node, an AMF or an SMF, for handling communication of the UE 10 in the communication network, for example, handling a session, according to embodiments herein will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 4. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Actions performed in some embodiments are marked with dashed boxes.

[0072] Action 401. The first network node 140 transmits to the radio network node 130 the indication indicating that the first network node 140 supports PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters. The indication may be transmitted in e.g., a session message such as a NGAP message, an E1AP message, an F1AP message and / or an XnAP message.

[0073] Action 402. The first network node 140 may receive from the radio network node 130, the support indication, which in its turn indicates support of PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0074] Action 403. The first network node 140 may determine a packet handling action taking the support indication into account.

[0075] Action 404. The first network node 140 may, when such handling is supported, for example, initiate marking in the DL of PDU sets without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters, or handle a PDU Set without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters. For example, the first network node 140 may mark one or more PDUs as PDU sets with specific sequence number and PDU Set information.

[0076] The method actions performed by the radio network node 130, such as the second radio network node 13 and / or the first radio network node 12, for handling communication of the UE 10 in the communication network, for example, handling a session, according to embodiments herein will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 5. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Actions performed in some embodiments are marked with dashed boxes.

[0077] Action 501. The radio network node 130 receives from the first network node 140 the indication indicating that the first network node 140 supports PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters. The indication may be received in a e.g., session message such as a NGAP message, an E1AP message, an F1AP message and / or an XnAP messages.

[0078] Action 502. The radio network node 130 may determine whether the radio network node 130 understands the indication and / or determines whether the radio network node 130 supports the PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0079] Action 503. The radio network node 130 may transmit the support indication or indicator to the first network node 140, which support indication indicates support of PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters, and / or an acceptance or non-acceptance of the indicated support. For example, if the NG-RAN node, being an example of the radio network node 130, supports PDU Set handling, e.g., discarding of PDU Sets, without the need of receiving any PDU Set QoS parameters, the NG-RAN node may report in an NGAP response message to the CN node, being an example of the first network node 140, the support indication such as a “PDU Set based Handling Indicator”. Alternatively, the NG-RAN node sends a new IE, e.g., “PDU Set handling support indicator without PDU Set QoS Parameters”, that indicates to the CN node, e.g., SMF, that PDU Set handling can be supported without PDU Set QoS information.

[0080] The radio network node 130 may then receive one or more PDUs as PDU sets with specific sequence number and PDU Set information.

[0081] In one embodiment, the indication may be an indication indicating DL PDU Set Information marking without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters support, and / or PDU Set handling without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters support, and may be signaled in NGAP messages from the CN node, being an example of the first network node 140, to the NG-RAN node, being an example of the radio network node 130, during PDU Session Management procedures.

[0082] Example of such messages where the indication is sent may be the NGAP PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP REQUEST and PDU SESSION RESOURCE MODIFICATION REQUEST.

[0083] In one embodiment, the indication may be signaled as new IE in the PDU Set QoS parameter.

[0084] In one embodiment, the indication is received without PDU Set QoS parameters. If the indication is a DL PDU Set Information marking supported indication that is included in the NGAP request message, the NG-RAN node shall, if supported, report in the RESPONSE message the support indication. If the support indication is included in response, the CN node shall, if supported, handle this information as specified in TS 23.501 v.19.0.0. “If the NG-RAN has provided a PDU Set based handling support Indication indicating that PDU Set handling is supported and a Protocol Description together with 1) a PSIHI and / or 2) PSDB and PSER is included in the PCC rule, the SMF instructs PSA UPF to perform PDU Set marking and may provide the PSA UPF the DL Protocol Description used by the service data flow. The DL Protocol Description may be received in the PCC rule, based on information provided by the AF or by PCF local policies as described in clause 5.37.5.1.

[0085] PSA UPF can identify the PDU Set Information using the DL Protocol Description and the received transport protocol headers and payload or using implementation specific means. The details of the RTP / SRTP headers, header extensions and / or payloads used to identify PDU Set Information are defined in TS 26.522

[0179] ,

[0086] For each DL PDU received on N6 for which PDU Set based QoS handling is indicated from the SMF, the PSA UPF applies the rules for PDU Set identification and provides the available PDU Set Information to the RAN in the GTP-U header.

[0087] NOTE 3: The PSA UPF is expected to assign a unique PDU Set Sequence Number in the GTP-U header to each PDU Set of the QoS Flow".

[0088] In one embodiment the indication, being a DL PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters, supported indication, may be signaled as a standalone indication or as part of the QoS parameters over F1AP message from gNB-CU, being an example of the first network node 140, to gNB-DU, being an example of the radio network node 130, during the F1AP UE Context management procedures.

[0089] In one embodiment the indication, being a DL PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters support, supported indication, may be signaled as standalone indication or as part of the QoS parameters over E1AP message from gNB-CU-CP, being an example of the first network node 140, to gNB-CU-UP, being an example of the radio network node 130, during the E1AP Bearer Context management procedures.

[0090] In one embodiment the indication, being a DL PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters support, supported indication, may be signaled as a standalone indication or as part of the QoS parameters over XnAP message from NG-RAN node, being an example of the first network node 140, to another NG-RAN node, being an example of the radio network node 130, in the following procedures: a. HANDOVER REQUEST message b. RETRIEVE UE CONTEXT REQUEST message. c. S-NODE ADDITION REQUEST message d. S-NODE MODIFICATION REQUEST i. In PDU Session Resource Setup Info - SN terminated IE or ii. the PDU Session Resource Modification Info - SN terminated IE or

[0091] Hi. the PDU Session Resource Setup Info - MN terminated IE or iv. the PDU Session Resource Modification Info - MN terminated IE

[0092] Below is an example of specification impact, underlined, to NGAP for adding the indication from ON node, being an example of the first network node 140, to NG-RAN node, being an example of the radio network node 130. Below are two solutions over NGAP for NG-RAN node feedback the support indication to CN.

[0093] Solution 1 : Reuse the existing IE, but redefine the IE definition. Added text are underlined.

[0094] TS 38.413, chapter 8.2.1.2

[0095] If the PDU Set QoS Parameters IE and / or the DL PDU Set Information marking supported IE_is included in the PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP REQUEST message, the NG-RAN node shall, if supported, report in the PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP RESPONSE message the PDU Set based Handling Indicator IE in the PDU Session Resource Setup Response Transfer IE. If the PDU Set based Handling Indicator IE is included in the PDU Session Resource Setup Response Transfer IE in the PDU SESSION RESOURCE SETUP RESPONSE message, the SMF shall, if supported, handle this information as specified in TS 23.501 [9],

[0096] TS 38.413, chapter 9.3.1.268 PDU Set based Handling Indicator

[0097] This IE indicates whether PDU Set based Handling and / or DL PDU Set Information marking handling is supported for the NG-RAN node.

[0098] Solution 2: Define a new IE, indicating the support of DL PDU Set Information marking from

[0099] NG-RAN node to CN.

[0100] TS 38.413, chapter 9.3.4.2 PDU Session Resource Setup Response Transfer

[0101] This IE is transparent to the AMF.

[0102] Note: the new IE names are just examples.

[0103] Fig. 6 is a block diagram depicting the first network node 140, such as the source radio network node, a CU, an AMF or an SMF, for handling communication of the UE 10 in the communication network 1 according to embodiments herein.

[0104] The first network node 140 may comprise processing circuitry 601 , e.g. one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0105] The first network node 140 and / or the processing circuitry 601 is configured to transmit to the radio network node 130, the indication. The indication indicates that the first network node 140 supports PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more (or any) PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0106] The first network node 140 and / or the processing circuitry 601 may be configured to transmit the indication in e.g., the session message such as in a NGAP message, an E1AP message, an F1AP message, and / or an XnAP message.

[0107] The first network node 140 and / or the processing circuitry 601 may be configured to receive from the radio network node 130 the support indication indicating support of PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without receiving one or more (or any) PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0108] The first network node 140 and / or the processing circuitry 601 may be configured to, when PDU Set Information marking without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters is supported, initiate the marking in DL of one or more PDU sets, or handle a PDU Set without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0109] The first network node 140 may comprise a memory 605. The memory 605 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as data packets, indications, messages, support information, support indications, sequence numbers, events and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the first network node 140 may comprise a communication interface 606 such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas.

[0110] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the first network node 140 are respectively implemented by means of e.g. a computer program product 607 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the first network node 140. The computer program product 607 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 608, e.g., a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 608, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the first network node 140. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the first network node 140 for handling communication of the UE 10 in a communication network, wherein the first network node 140 comprises processing circuitry and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said first network node 140 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0111] Fig. 7 is a block diagram depicting the radio network node 130, such as the first radio network node 12, the second radio network node 13 or a DU, for handling communication of the UE 10 in the communication network 1 according to embodiments herein.

[0112] The radio network node 130 may comprise processing circuitry 701 , e.g. one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0113] The radio network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 701 is configured to receive from the first network node 140 the indication indicating that the network node 140 supports PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without PDU Set QoS Parameters. The indication may be received in e.g., the session message such as a NGAP message, an E1AP message, an F1AP message, and / or an XnAP message.

[0114] The radio network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 701 may be configured to determine whether the radio network node 130 understands the indication and / or determine whether the radio network node 130 supports the PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0115] The radio network node 130 and / or the processing circuitry 701 may be configured to transmit to the radio network node 130 the support indication indicating support of PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS parameters.

[0116] The radio network node 130 may comprise a memory 705. The memory 705 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as data packets, indications, messages, support of the PDU Set Information marking without receiving any PDU Set QoS Parameters, and / or PDU Set handling without receiving any PDU Set QoS Parameters, support indications, information, events and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the radio network node 130 may comprise a communication interface 706 such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas. The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the radio network node 130 are respectively implemented by means of e.g. a computer program product 707 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the radio network node 130. The computer program product 707 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 708, e.g., a disc, a USB stick or similar. The computer- readable storage medium 708, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the radio network node 130. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non- transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the radio network node 130 for handling communication of the UE 10 in a communication network, wherein the radio network node 130 comprises processing circuitry and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said radio network node 130 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0117] Fig. 8 shows an example of a communication system 15100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0118] In the example, the communication system 15100 includes a telecommunication network 15102 that includes an access network 15104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 15106, which includes one or more core network nodes 15108 such as the first network node 140. The access network 15104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 15110a and 15110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 15110, or radio network node 130), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 15102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 15102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 15102, including one or more network nodes 15110, being examples of the radio network node 130 or the first network node 140, and / or core network nodes 15108, being examples of the first network node 140.

[0119] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1 , F1 , W1 , E1 , E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 15110, such as the radio network node 130 or the first network node 140, facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 15112a, 15112b, 15112c, and 15112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 15112 or UE 10) to the core network 15106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0120] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 15100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 15100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0121] The UEs 15112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 15110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 15110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 15112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 15102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 15102.

[0122] In the depicted example, the core network 15106 connects the network nodes 15110 to one or more host computing systems, such as host 15116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 15106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 15108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 15108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Deconcealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0123] The host 15116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 15104 and / or the telecommunication network 15102. The host 15116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0124] As a whole, the communication system 15100 of Figure 8 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0125] In some examples, the telecommunication network 15102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 15102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 15102. For example, the telecommunications network 15102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)ZMassive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0126] In some examples, the UEs 15112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 15104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 15104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0127] In the example, the hub 15114 communicates with the access network 15104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 15112c and / or 15112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 15110b). In some examples, the hub 15114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 15114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 15106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 15114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 15110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 15114. As another example, the hub 15114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 15114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display, loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 15114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 15114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 15114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0128] The hub 15114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 15110b. The hub 15114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 15114 and UEs (e.g., UE 15112c and / or 15112d), and between the hub 15114 and the core network 15106. In other examples, the hub 15114 is connected to the core network 15106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 15114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 15104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 15110 while still connected via the hub 15114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 15114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 15110b. In other embodiments, the hub 15114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 15110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels. Fig. 9 shows a UE 15300 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE 15300 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE 15112 of Figure 8. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage / playback device, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), an Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0129] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0130] The UE 15300 includes processing circuitry 15302 that is operatively coupled via a bus 15304 to an input / output interface 15306, a power source 15308, a memory 15310, a communication interface 15312, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. 9. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0131] The processing circuitry 15302 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 15310. The processing circuitry 15302 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 15302 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0132] In the example, the input / output interface 15306 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 15300. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0133] In some embodiments, the power source 15308 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 15308 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 15308 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 15300 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 15308. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 15308 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 15300 to which power is supplied.

[0134] The memory 15310 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 15310 includes one or more application programs 15314, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 15316. The memory 15310 may store, for use by the UE 15300, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0135] The memory 15310 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUlCC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 15310 may allow the UE 15300 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non- transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 15310, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0136] The processing circuitry 15302 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 15312. The communication interface 15312 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 15322. The communication interface 15312 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 15318 and / or a receiver 15320 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 15318 and receiver 15320 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 15322) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0137] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 15312 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11 , Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0138] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 15312, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0139] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0140] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 15300 shown in Fig. 9.

[0141] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0142] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0143] Fig. 10 shows a network node 15400 in accordance with some embodiments, such as the first network node 140 or the radio network node 130. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0144] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0145] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, SelfOrganizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0146] The network node 15400 includes a processing circuitry 15402, a memory 15404, a communication interface 15406, and a power source 15408. The network node 15400 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 15400 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 15400 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 15404 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 15410 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 15400 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 15400, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 15400.

[0147] The processing circuitry 15402 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 15400 components, such as the memory 15404, to provide network node 15400 functionality.

[0148] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 15402 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 15402 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 15412 and baseband processing circuitry 15414. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 15412 and the baseband processing circuitry 15414 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 15412 and baseband processing circuitry 15414 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0149] The memory 15404 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or nonvolatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 15402. The memory 15404 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 15402 and utilized by the network node 15400. The memory 15404 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 15402 and / or any data received via the communication interface 15406. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 15402 and memory 15404 is integrated.

[0150] The communication interface 15406 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 15406 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 15416 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 15406 also includes radio front-end circuitry 15418 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 15410. Radio front-end circuitry 15418 comprises filters 15420 and amplifiers 15422. The radio front-end circuitry 15418 may be connected to an antenna 15410 and processing circuitry 15402. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 15410 and processing circuitry 15402. The radio front-end circuitry 15418 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 15418 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 15420 and / or amplifiers 15422. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 15410. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 15410 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 15418. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 15402. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0151] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 15400 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 15418, instead, the processing circuitry 15402 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 15410. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 15412 is part of the communication interface 15406. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 15406 includes one or more ports or terminals 15416, the radio front-end circuitry 15418, and the RF transceiver circuitry 15412, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 15406 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 15414, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0152] The antenna 15410 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 15410 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 15418 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 15410 is separate from the network node 15400 and connectable to the network node 15400 through an interface or port.

[0153] The antenna 15410, communication interface 15406, and / or the processing circuitry 15402 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 15410, the communication interface 15406, and / or the processing circuitry 15402 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0154] The power source 15408 provides power to the various components of network node 15400 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 15408 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 15400 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 15400 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 15408. As a further example, the power source 15408 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0155] Embodiments of the network node 15400 may include additional components beyond those shown in Fig. 10 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 15400 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 15400 and to allow output of information from the network node 15400. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 15400. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 15108 of Fig. 8, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry 15418 and the RF transceiver circuitry 15412 may be omitted.

[0156] Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 15500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 15500 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 15500 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0157] Applications 15502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q500 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0158] Hardware 15504 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 15506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 15508a and 15508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 15508), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 15506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 15508.

[0159] The VMs 15508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 15506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 15502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 15508, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0160] In the context of NFV, a VM 15508 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 15508, and that part of hardware 15504 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 15508 on top of the hardware 15504 and corresponds to the application 15502.

[0161] Hardware 15504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 15504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 15504 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 15510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 15502. In some embodiments, hardware 15504 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 15512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0162] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0163] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0164] It will be appreciated that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings represent non-limiting examples of the methods and apparatus taught herein. As such, the apparatus and techniques taught herein are not limited by the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Instead, the embodiments herein are limited only by the following claims and their legal equivalents.

[0165] Embodiments:

[0166] Embodiment A1.

[0167] A method performed by a first network node (140) for handling communication of a UE in a communication network, the method comprising - transmitting (401) to a radio network node (130), an indication, wherein the indication indicates that the first network node (140) supports PDU Set Information marking , and / or PDU Set handling without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0168] Embodiment A2:

[0169] The method according to embodiment A1 , wherein the indication is transmitted in a NGAP message, E1AP message, F1AP message, and / or an XnAP message..

[0170] Embodiment A3:

[0171] The method according to any of the embodiments A1-A2, further comprising

[0172] - receiving (402) from the radio network node (130) a support indication indicating support of PDU Set Information marking, and / or PDU Set handling without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0173] Embodiment A4:

[0174] The method according to embodiment A3, further comprising when PDU Set Information marking is supported, initiating (404) a marking in DL of one or more PDU sets.

[0175] Embodiment A5:

[0176] The method according to any of the embodiments A3-A4, wherein the support indication is received in a NGAP message, an E1AP message, an F1AP message, and / or an XnAP message.

[0177] Embodiment B1.

[0178] A method performed by a radio network node (130) for handling communication of a UE in a communication network, the method comprising

[0179] - receiving (501) from a first network node (140) an indication indicating that the first network node (140) supports PDU Set Information marking, and / or PDU Set handling without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0180] Embodiment B2:

[0181] The method according to embodiment B1 , wherein the indication is received in a NGAP message, an E1AP message, an F1AP message, and / or an XnAP message .

[0182] Embodiment B3:

[0183] The method according to any of the embodiments B1-B2, further comprising determining (502) whether the radio network node (130) understands the indication and / or determining whether the radio network node (130) supports the PDU Set Information marking, and / or PDU Set handling without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0184] Embodiment B4:

[0185] The method according to any of the embodiments B1-B3, further comprising

[0186] - transmitting (503) to the first network node (140) a support indication indicating support of PDU Set Information marking, and / or PDU Set handling without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS parameters.

[0187] Embodiment B5:

[0188] The method according to embodiment B4, wherein the support indication is transmitted in a NGAP message, an E1AP message, an F1AP message, and / or an XnAP message.

[0189] Embodiment C1.

[0190] A first network node (140) for handling communication of a UE in a communication network, wherein the first network node is configured to:

[0191] - transmit to a radio network node (130), an indication, wherein the indication indicates that the first network node (140) supports PDU Set Information marking, and / or PDU Set handling without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0192] Embodiment C2.

[0193] The first network node according to embodiment C1 , wherein the first network node is configured to perform the method according to any of the embodiments A2-A5.

[0194] Embodiment D1.

[0195] A radio network node (130) for handling communication of a UE in a communication network, wherein the radio network node is configured to:

[0196] - receive from a first network node (140) an indication indicating that the first network node (140) supports PDU Set Information marking, and / or PDU Set handling without sending one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

[0197] Embodiment D2.

[0198] The radio network node according to embodiment D1 , wherein the radio network node is configured to perform the method according to any of the embodiments B2-B5.

[0199] Embodiment E1. A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the embodiments A1-A5 or B1-B5, as performed by the radio network node and the first network node, respectively.

[0200] Embodiment F1.

[0201] A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the embodiments A1-A5 or B1-B5, as performed by the radio network node and the first network node, respectively.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A method performed by a first network node (140) for handling communication of a user equipment, UE, (10) in a communication network, the method comprising- transmitting (401) to a radio network node (130), an indication, wherein the indication indicates that the first network node (140) supports protocol data unit, PDU, Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set quality of service, QoS, Parameters.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the indication is transmitted in a NGAP message, E1AP message, F1AP message, and / or an XnAP message..

3. The method according to any of the claims 1-2, further comprising- receiving (402) from the radio network node (130) a support indication indicating support of PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising when PDU Set Information marking is supported,- initiating (404) a marking in downlink, DL, of one or more PDU sets.

5. The method according to any of the claims 3-4, wherein the support indication is received in a NGAP message, an E1AP message, an F1AP message, and / or an XnAP message.

6. A method performed by a radio network node (130) for handling communication of a user equipment, UE, (10) in a communication network, the method comprising- receiving (501) from a first network node (140) an indication indicating that the first network node (140) supports protocol data unit, PDU, Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set quality of service, QoS, Parameters.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the indication is received in a NGAP message, an E1AP message, an F1AP message, and / or an XnAP message .

8. The method according to any of the claims 6-7, further comprising- determining (502) whether the radio network node (130) understands the indication, and / or determining whether the radio network node (130) supports the PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS Parameters.

9. The method according to any of the claims 6-8, further comprising- transmitting (503) to the first network node (140) a support indication indicating support of PDU Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without receiving one or more PDU Set QoS parameters.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the support indication is transmitted in a NGAP message, an E1AP message, an F1AP message, and / or an XnAP message.11 . A first network node (140) for handling communication of a user equipment, UE, (10) in a communication network, wherein the first network node (140) is configured to: transmit to a radio network node (130), an indication, wherein the indication indicates that the first network node (140) supports protocol data unit, PDU, Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set quality of service, QoS, Parameters.

12. The first network node (140) according to claim 11 , configured to perform the method according to any of the claims 2-5.

13. A radio network node (130) for handling communication of a user equipment, UE, (10) in a communication network, wherein the radio network node (130) is configured to: receive from a first network node (140) an indication indicating that the first network node (140) supports protocol data unit, PDU, Set Information marking, or PDU Set handling, without sending one or more PDU Set quality of service, QoS, Parameters.

14. The radio network node (130) according to claim 13, configured to perform the method according to any of the claims 7-10.

15. A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the claim 1-10, as performed by the radio network node (130) and the first network node (140), respectively.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the claims 1-10,as performed by the radio network node (130) and the first network node (140), respectively.

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