Continuous minimization of drive tests (MDT) with respect to network configuration

Abstract

A method performed by a network node is provided. The method includes configuring at least one user equipment (UE) with a minimization of drive tests (MDT) configuration for consistent data collection according to network configuration. The method includes receiving measurements performed by the at least one UE according to the MDT configuration, wherein the measurements are associated with a network configuration identifier (NCI) indicating a network configuration of the network node. And the method includes saving the measurements to at least one MDT record, and reporting the at least one MDT record towards a trace collection entity.

Description

CONTINUOUS MINIMIZATION OF DRIVE TESTS (MDT) WITH RESPECT TO NETWORK CONFIGURATIONTECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to telecommunications and, in particular, to minimization of drive tests (MDT) in a telecommunications system.BACKGROUND

[0002] A telecommunications system can be seen as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities such as user terminals, base stations and / or other nodes by providing carriers between the various entities involved in the communications path. A telecommunications system can be provided for example by means of a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. The communication sessions may comprise, for example, communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, video, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia and / or content data and so on. Non-limiting examples of services provided comprise two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services and access to a data network system, such as the Internet.

[0003] In a wireless telecommunications system, at least a part of a communication session between at least two stations occurs over a wireless link. Examples of wireless telecommunications systems comprise public land mobile networks (PLMN), satellite based communication systems and different wireless local networks, for example wireless local area networks (WLAN). Some wireless systems can be divided into cells, and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.

[0004] A user can access the telecommunications system by means of an appropriate communication device or terminal. A communication device of a user may be referred to as user equipment (UE) or user device. A communication device is provided with an appropriate signal receiving and transmitting apparatus for enabling communications, for example enabling access to a communication network or communications directly withother users. The communication device may access a carrier provided by a station, for example a base station of a cell, and transmit and / or receive communications on the carrier.

[0005] The telecommunications system and associated devices typically operate in accordance with a given standard or specification which sets out what the various entities associated with the communication system are permitted to do and how operations should be achieved. Communication protocols and / or parameters which shall be used for connection of the various entities are also typically defined. One example of a telecommunications system is the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Other examples of telecommunications systems are Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced and the so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. NR is being standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).BRIEF SUMMARY

[0006] Example implementations of the present disclosure are directed to telecommunications and, in particular, to minimization of drive tests (MDT) in a telecommunications system. The present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[0007] Some example implementations provide an apparatus implemented by a network node, the apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least: configure at least one user equipment (UE) with a minimization of drive tests (MDT) configuration for consistent data collection according to network configuration; receive measurements performed by the at least one UE according to the MDT configuration, wherein the measurements are associated with a network configuration identifier (NCI) indicating a network configuration of the network node; save the measurements to at least one MDT record; and report the at least one MDT record towards a trace collection entity.

[0008] Some example implementations provide a method performed by a network node, the method comprising: configuring at least one user equipment (UE) with a minimization of drive tests (MDT) configuration for consistent data collection accordingto network configuration; receiving measurements performed by the at least one UE according to the MDT configuration, wherein the measurements are associated with a network configuration identifier (NCI) indicating a network configuration of the network node; saving the measurements to at least one MDT record; and reporting the at least one MDT record towards a trace collection entity.

[0009] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description together with the accompanying figures, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise recited in a specific example implementation described herein. The present disclosure is intended to be read holistically such that any separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its aspects and example implementations, should be viewed as combinable unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.

[0010] It will therefore be appreciated that this Brief Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example implementations so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above described example implementations are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. Other example implementations, aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of some described example implementations.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE(S)

[0011] Having thus described example implementations of the disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunications system that includes one or more public land mobile networks (PLMNs) coupled to one or more external data networks, according to some example implementations of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a deployment of a PLMN, according to some example implementations;

[0014] FIG. 3 more particularly depicts aspects of a 5G deployment that may correspond to the deployment of FIG. 2, according to some example implementations;

[0015] FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are signaling charts of minimization of drive tests (MDT) procedures using a network configuration identifier (NCI), according to some example implementations;

[0016] FIG. 7 is a signaling chart of a procedure for radio resource control (RRC) configuration based on a matched NCI, according to some example implementations;

[0017] FIGS. 8 A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E and 8F are flowcharts illustrating various steps in a method according to various example implementations; and

[0018] FIG. 9 illustrates an apparatus according to some example implementations.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Some implementations of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which some, but not all implementations of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, various implementations of the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these example implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0020] Unless specified otherwise or clear from context, references to first, second or the like should not be construed to imply a particular order. A feature described as being above another feature (unless specified otherwise or clear from context) may instead be below, and vice versa; and similarly, features described as being to the left of another feature else may instead be to the right, and vice versa. Also, while reference may be made herein to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships or the like, unless otherwise stated, any one or more if not all of these may be absolute or approximate to account for acceptable variations that may occur, such as those due to engineering tolerances or the like.

[0021] As used herein, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, the “or” of a set of operands is the “inclusive or” and thereby true if and only if one or more of the operands is true, as opposed to the “exclusive or” which is false when all of the operands are true. Thus, for example, “[A] or [B]” is true if [A] is true, or if [B] is true, or if both [A] and [B] are true. Further, the articles “a” and “an” mean “one or more,” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Furthermore, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified, the terms “data,” “content,” “digital content,” “information,” and similar terms may be at times used interchangeably. The term “network” may refer to a group of interconnected computers including clients and servers; and within a network, these computers may be interconnected directly or indirectly by various means including via one or more switches, routers, gateways, access points or the like.

[0022] The present disclosure discusses systems and architectures that, while specific terms may be used, are broadly applicable across various technologies. For instance, while the present disclosure may reference technologies from 3 GPP such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), UMTS, LTE, LTE Advanced, 5GNR, 5G Advanced, and 6G, the present disclosure is equally relevant to non-3GPP technologies like IEEE 802, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy. Example implementations of the present disclosure described herein also mention public land mobile networks (PLMNs) and mobile network operators (MNOs), but example implementations are similarly applicable to standalone non-public networks (SNPNs) and the private entities operating these networks. Furthermore, although some examples and figures focus on radio access networks (RANs) and 3 GPP access, example implementations are applicable to any type of network access. This includes not only 5G or 6G 3GPP access but also non-3GPP access, such as wireline access, untrusted non-3GPP access, and trusted non-3GPP access using wireless access gateway function (W-AGF), non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF), or trusted non-3GPP gateway function (TNGF) to connect to a 5G or 6G core network.

[0023] Further, as used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of hardwarecircuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions); or (c) hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0024] The above definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunications system 100 according to various example implementations of the present disclosure. The telecommunications system generally includes one or more telecommunications networks. As shown, for example, the system includes one or more PLMNs 102 coupled to one or more other external data networks 104 - notably including a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. Each of the PLMNs includes a core network (CN) 106 backbone such as the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) of LTE, the 5G core network (5GC) or the like; and each of the core networks and the Internet are coupled to one or more RANs 108, air interfaces or the like that implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs). As used herein, a “network device” refers to any suitable device at a network side of a telecommunications network. Examples of suitable network devices are described in greater detail below.

[0026] In addition, the system includes one or more radio units that may be varyingly known as user equipment (UE) 110, terminal device, terminal equipment, mobile station or the like. The UE is generally a device configured to communicate with a network device or a further UE in a telecommunications network. The UE may be a portable computer (e.g., laptop, notebook, tablet computer), mobile phone (e.g., cell phone,smartphone), wearable computer (e.g., smartwatch), or the like. In other examples, the UE may be an Internet of things (loT) device, an industrial loT (IIoT device), a vehicle equipped with a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology, or the like. In some examples, as referenced by 3 GPP, the UE may be a narrowband loT (NB-IoT) device, an enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) device, a reduced capability (RedCap) device, an ambient loT device, or the like.

[0027] In operation, these UEs 110 may be configured to connect to one or more of the RANs 108 according to their particular radio access technologies to thereby access a particular CN 106 of a PLMN 102, or to access one or more of the external data networks 104 (e.g., the Internet). The external data network may be configured to provide Internet access, operator services, 3rd party services, etc. For example, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has classified 5G mobile network services into three categories: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra- reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine type communications (mMTC) or massive internet of things (MIoT).

[0028] Examples of radio access technologies include 3 GPP radio access technologies such as GSM, UMTS, LTE, LTE Advanced, 5GNR, 5G Advanced, and 6G. Other examples of radio access technologies include IEEE 802 technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.15 (including 802.15.1 (WPAN / Bluetooth), 802.15.4 (Zigbee) and 802.15.6 (WBAN)), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), ultra wideband (UWB), and the like. Generally, a radio access technology may refer to any 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G or higher generation mobile communication technology and their different versions, as well as to any other wireless radio access technology that may be arranged to interwork with such a mobile communication technology to provide access to the CN 106 of a mobile network operator (MNO).

[0029] In various examples, a RAN 108 may be configured as one or more macrocells, microcells, picocells, femtocells or the like. The RAN may generally include one or more radio access nodes (also at times referred to as network nodes) that are configured to interact with UEs 110. In various examples, a radio access node may be referred to as a base station (BS), access point (AP), base transceiver station (BTS), Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), macro BS, NB (MNB) or eNB (MeNB), home BS, NB(HNB) or eNB (HeNB), next generation NB (gNB), enhanced gNB (en-gNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), or the like. The RAN may include some type of network controlling / governing entity responsible for control of the radio access nodes. The network controlling / governing entity and radio access node may be separate or integrated into a single apparatus. The network controlling / governing entity may include processing circuity configured to carry out various management functions, etc. The processing circuity may be associated with a memory, computer-readable storage medium or database for maintaining information required in the management functions.

[0030] A RAN 108 may be centralized or distributed. In various examples, components of a RAN may be interconnected by Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), optical fiber, dark fiber, passive wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), WDM passive optical network (WDM-PON), optical transport network (OTN), time sensitive networking (TSN) and / or any other data link layer network, possibly including radio links. The RAN may be connected to a CN 106 through one or more gateways, network functions or the like.

[0031] As will be appreciated, a PLMN 102 may be deployed in a number of different manners. FIG. 2 illustrates a deployment 200 of a PLMN, such as a 4G LTE, 5G or 6G deployment, according to some example implementations. As shown, the deployment includes a CN 106, and RAN 108 with one or more radio access nodes 202 configured to interact with UEs 110. In a 4G LTE deployment, the EPC is the CN, and the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) is the RAN; and the E- UTRAN includes one or more eNBs (radio access nodes) configured to connect UEs to the E-UTRAN to thereby access the EPC. Similarly, in a 5G deployment, the 5GC is the CN 106, and the next generation (NG) radio access network (NG-RAN) is the RAN 108; and the NG-RAN includes one or more gNBs (radio access nodes) configured to connect UEs 110 to the NG-RAN to thereby access the 5GC (at times referred to as the NGC). The term ‘gNB’ in 5G may correspond to the eNB in 4G LTE.

[0032] Some deployments of 4G LTE and 5G in particular are considered standalone (SA) deployments. Other deployments combine 4G LTE and 5G technologies, and are referred to as non-standalone (NSA) deployments. In some deployments, the E-UTRAN includes one or more ng-eNBs that are configured to communicate with the 5GC, andthat may also be configured to communicate with one or more gNBs. Similarly, in another deployment, the NG-RAN may include one or more en-gNBs that are configured to communicate with the EPC, and that may also be configured to communicate with one or more eNBs. In various instances, a single UE 110, a dual-mode or multimode UE, may support multiple (two or more) RANs — thereby being configured to connect to multiple RANs, such as 4G LTE and 5G.

[0033] FIG. 3 more particularly depicts aspects of a 5G deployment 300 for a MNO, which may correspond to deployment 200, according to some example implementations. As shown, the 5G deployment includes a 5GC 302, and NG-RAN 304 with one or more gNBs 306 configured to connect UEs 110 to the NG-RAN to thereby access the 5GC. The gNB may be functionally split into one or more distributed units (DUs) and a central unit (CU). The DUs may include radio heads configured to perform radio frequency (RF) processing of signals to and from the UE. The DUs include some real-time baseband processing functionality, and the CU includes non-real-time baseband processing functionality. The 5GC may include a number of network functions (NFs) divided between the control plane and the user plane. In particular, the 5GC may include, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 308, a session management function (SMF) 310, a user plane function (UPF) 312, and the like.

[0034] In the control plane, the AMF 308 is configured to provide UE-based authentication, authorization, mobility management, etc. The SMF 310 is configured to provide various functionality including session management (SM), UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of UPF(s) 312, control part of policy enforcement and quality of service (QoS), lawful intercept, termination of SM parts of NAS messages, downlink data notification (DDN), roaming functionality, handle local enforcement to apply QoS for service level agreements (SLAs), charging data collection and charging interface, etc. If the UE 110 has multiple sessions, different SMFs may be allocated to each session to manage them individually and possibly provide different functionalities per session.

[0035] The UPF 312 supports various user plane operations and functionalities, such as packet routing and forwarding, traffic handling (e.g., QoS enforcement), an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), packet inspection and policyrule enforcement, lawful intercept (UP collection), traffic accounting and reporting, etc. The UPF is the point of interconnect between the 5GC and external data networks (i.e., point of ingress or egress for a data network), and routes packets to and from the data network. As explained above, data network may be configured to provide Internet access, operator services, 3rd party services, etc.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, in some deployments, operations of the radio access node 202 (gNB 306) may be carried out, at least partly, in a CU, such as a server, host or node, operationally coupled to a DU, such as a radio head / node. It is also possible that node operations may be distributed among a plurality of servers, hosts or nodes. It should also be understood that the distribution of work between CN 106 operations and radio access node 202 operations may vary depending on implementation.

[0037] Thus, a 5G network architecture may be based on a so-called CU-DU split. One gNB-CU (central node) may control one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU may control a plurality of spatially separated gNB-DUs, acting at least as transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) nodes. In some example implementations, however, the gNB-DUs (also called DU) may include, for example, a radio link control (RUC), medium access control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY) layer, whereas the gNB-CU (also called a CU) may include the layers above the RUC layer, such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio resource control (RRC), and an internet protocol (IP) layer. Other functional splits are also possible. It is considered that a skilled person is familiar with the open systems interconnection (OSI) model and the functionalities within each layer.

[0038] In some example implementations, the server or CU may generate a virtual network through which the server communicates with the radio node. In general, virtual networking may involve a process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based administrative entity, a virtual network. Such virtual network may provide flexible distribution of operations between the server and the radio head / node. In practice, any digital signal processing task may be performed in either the CU or the DU, and the boundary where the responsibility is shifted between the CU and the DU may be selected according to implementation.

[0039] As specified by 3 GPP, the RRC layer of the 5G radio protocol stack is responsible for various control functions such as synchronization, connectionestablishment and its management, facilitating security and reliable messaging, radio resource management, signaling handling, dedicated and broadcast network configuration management, mobility procedures paging notification.

[0040] The operation of the RRC is guided by a state machine which defines certain specific states that a UE 110 may be present in. The different states in the RRC state machine have different amounts of radio resources associated with them and these are the resources that the UE may use when the UE is present in each state. Since different amounts of resources are available at different states, the quality of the service that the user experiences and the energy consumption of the UE are influenced by this state machine. Relative to previous generations, 5G NR supplemented RRC idle (RRC IDLE) and RRC connected (RRC CONNECTED) states by an RRC inactive(RRC IN ACTIVE) state, which offers light connectivity with major power saving methods integrated into the state.

[0041] The RRC inactive state, introduced in 5G NR, is designed to address challenges of signaling overhead and latency that occur when the UE 110 transitions from the RRC idle state to the RRC connected state. The RRC inactive state provides a balance by allowing the UE to maintain similar power-saving as when the UE is in the RRC idle state, while still being prepared for prompt reconnection. In the RRC inactive state, the UE remains in a connection management (CM) connected state. In the CM connected state, the UE retains its access stratum (AS) context, which includes parameters and configurations that were established during the RRC connected state, for promptly resuming an RRC connection with minimal latency.

[0042] The RRC inactive state allows the UE 110 to perform cell re-selection measurements, similar to the RRC idle state, enabling the UE to move within a predefined area known as RAN notification area (RNA) without notifying the gNB 306. The RNA is configured by a serving gNB, allowing the UE to maintain mobility while in the RRC inactive state without triggering excessive signaling.

[0043] During the RRC inactive state, signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers (DRBs) are suspended, except for SRB0, which remains active to allow the UE to receive signaling messages, such as paging messages, while minimizing battery consumption. In the RRC inactive state, the 5GC 302 maintains an NG signalingconnection with the gNB, as well as general packet radio service tunneling protocol-user plane (GTP-U) tunnels. Context information of the UE’s most recent RRC connection (i.e., during the RRC connected state) is stored in the UE and the last serving gNB.

[0044] In 3 GPP, the minimization of drive tests (MDT) framework is a feature widely used by MNOs who want feedback on the coverage on a particular area of their network (management-based MDT) or feedback on the radio conditions experienced by some specific UE(s) 110 in a given coverage area of the PLMN (signaling based MDT). In this context, the MDT framework may include, for example, a management system 314 and a trace collection entity (TCE) 316, as also shown in FIG. 3. The management system and the TCE may be components of operations, administration and maintenance (0AM).

[0045] There are two types of MDT, namely logged MDT and immediate MDT. Logged MDT applies to RRC IDLE and RRC INACTIVE states. For logged MDT, the UE 110, when the UE is in RRC CONNECTED, receives a logged MDT configuration from the network (e.g., gNB 306). The logged MDT configuration is stored in the UE. The configured logged MDT measurements are activated and performed when the UE is in RRC IDLE state during the configured logging duration (e.g., maximum two hours), and measurement results are buffered in the UE.

[0046] When the UE 110 reconnects by transitioning to RRC CONNECTED state, a log of the availability of buffered measurements is signaled to the network which may forward the log to the TCE. In RRC CONNECTED state the logged MDT configuration is simply kept but the measurements are not performed. However, the network may be configured with immediate MDT configuration.

[0047] The immediate MDT configuration may result in the UE 110 configured with RRC measurements to be activated and performed in RRC CONNECTED, but the UE is not aware whether the purpose of these RRC measurements are radio resource management (RRM) or MDT. As immediate MDT applies to RRC CONNECTED state, the configuration for immediate MDT UE measurements reuses existing RRC measurement procedures and reporting.

[0048] In particular, the following measurements are supported for immediate MDT performance:M1 : downlink (DL) signal quantities measurement results for the serving cell and for intra-frequency / inter-frequency / inter-RAT neighbor cells, including cell / beam level measurement for NR cells only.M2: power headroom measurement by the UE 110.M3: Void.M4: PDCP service data unit (SDU) data volume measurement separately for DL and uplink (UL), per DRB per UE.M5: average UE throughput measurement separately for DL and UL, per DRB per UE and per UE for the DL, per DRB per UE and per UE for the UL, by the gNB 306M6: packet delay measurement separately for DL and UL, per DRB per UE. M7: packet loss rate measurement separately for DL and UL, per DRB per UE. M8: received signal strength indicator (RS SI) measurement by UE (for WLAN / Bluetooth measurement).M9: round trip time (RTT) measurement by UE (for WLAN measurement).

[0049] In order to avoid impacts to the UE 110, the network is not expected to change the RRC configuration of the UEs based on the received MDT configuration from 0AM. Instead, a gNB 306 may apply the received configuration from 0AM only to UEs matching this configuration within a gNB.

[0050] In Release 18, 3 GPP discussed the problem of continuous MDT data collection. In this regard, continuous MDT collection is defined as MDT data collection that enables to collect data from the same UE across RRC states (RRC CONNECTED, RRC IDLE, RRC IN ACTIVE).

[0051] The existing MDT configurations and states facilitate enablers to trigger data collection in various areas (e.g., different cells), various occasions and UE states (e.g., the UE 110 being connected to the gNB 306 or in RRC IDLE), but lead to scattered data collection and lack of continued context of a target scenario or use case. Signaling-based MDT enables configuration towards one particular device. However, the device scatters the data collection by its operation (changing RRC states) or mobility in the network (changing areas). Management-based MDT enables configuration towards a certain area (selecting users randomly), but does not require contextual alignment or continuity withrespect to the network conditions or configuration under which a measurement is taken. This may lead to either incomplete or redundant data, resources waste and difficulty in data analysis.

[0052] The current MDT framework can configure a UE 110 to report measurements when certain conditions are met, e.g., when reference signal received power (RSRP) meets a certain threshold. This configuration defines a context on conditions at the UE side that when satisfied the UE starts the data collection process. However, if this is management-based MDT configured towards a cell, all UEs can start monitoring of the condition and may never report results. Absent an association with additional network configuration (logged MDT for RRC IDLE), the network cannot know how to interpret the gap: whether all UEs were experiencing good radio signal, or some released connection or some lost coverage (experienced radio link failure (RLF)) and entered RRC IDLE.

[0053] In the current MDT framework there are no conditions defining a context regarding the network side configuration(s) under which a UE 110 reports measurements. This means that different UE measurements are not comparable since they may be taken under very different network configurations. This results that the entity receiving UE measurements cannot know if a measurement discontinuity (e.g., a sudden drop of an RSRP measurement from a gNB to another or during an RRC transition of the UE) is due issues observed internally at the UE or issues observed at the network or just a poor network configuration choice of the gNB. Merging MDT reports, taken under different gNBs using different configurations without a common context may be overwhelming, often requiring significant pre-processing and post-processing to understand necessary background. As there is no standard requirement nor support to ensure consistency, such alignment left to implementation only may be very inefficient, as the same background and underlying conditions may be not possible to be repeated in another cell / area.

[0054] For artificial intelligence (Al) / machine learning (ML) purposes, it is useful to enable the network to collect measurements in a consistent way across various UEs 110 under the same or similar network conditions across an area of gNBs 306 in order to, for example, train an AI / ML model (also at times more simply referred to as a ML model) under the same or similar contexts (network configurations). This may be important forAI / ML model training independent of the location of the AI / ML model, e.g., if the ML model is located at the UE, at the network (gNB, gNB-CU, gNB-CU-CP, gNB-DU, OAM), at the core network (e.g., location management function (LMF), Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF)), or in some external over the top (OTT) server.

[0055] In view of the foregoing, example implementations of the present disclosure provide a solution to enable MDT data collection continuity from one or more UEs 110 over the same or similar network configuration. As described in greater detail below, the solution of example implementations achieves a context- dependant, consistent data collection according to specific network configurations.

[0056] In some example implementations, the MDT framework (management-based and signalling-based) may be extended so that only gNBs 306 that match a specific network configuration start MDT towards a UE 110. This MDT extension may be defined over an area of multiple NG-RAN nodes (gNB or ng-eNB). The network configuration may be identified through a network configuration identifier (NCI). The NCI may indicate or determine information about a particular network configuration, or particular one or more network configuration characteristics (e.g., conditions) that should be met at the gNB before the gNB may configure a UE for MDT. The NCI may indicate or determine information about a particular network configuration, or particular one or more network configuration characteristics (e.g., conditions) that should be met at the gNB before the gNB may configure a UE for MDT and particular UE’s configuration parameters.

[0057] The NCI may characterize one or more network configurations, e.g., related to network deployment such as list of frequency bands, or radio type (NS A, frequency range 1 (FR1), frequency range 2 (FR2)), number of beams or beam configuration, frequency layers, energy saving mode, MDT types (immediate MDT, logged MDT), selective list of measurement or reporting triggers, etc. The NCI may be an associated identifier (ID), association identifier (ID) or another ID that uniquely identifies a network configuration. In some examples, the network configuration may enable a certain functionality related to an AI / ML feature and may be supported based on conditions indicated by UE capability. The network configuration may also be supported based on one or more additional conditions pertaining to vendor-specific and implementation-specific scenarios, sites, anddatasets, to give a few examples. In the context of the 3GPP general framework of AI / ML, these additional conditions may be referred to as network (NW)-side additional conditions. The network configuration may differentiate “conditions for the NW” from “configurations to the UE.” In this way, the configuration associated with the NCI may be self-explanatory to which scenario which parameters apply.

[0058] According to some example implementations, the NCI may be used in two scenarios. In a first scenario, a number of UEs 110 start data collection under the same context identified by the NCI. In a second scenario, the same UE continues the data collection, possibly after multiple state transitions to RRC IDLE and RRC INACTIVE states or number of handover events. In this scenario, every time the UE transitions to RRC IDLE, the gNB 306 may store the configuration with the NCI in the UE context to the core network while a gNB to which the UE reconnects can retrieve the NCI information from the core network when it retrieves the UE context for the UE and wait for the next time it is possible to apply a configuration based on the NCI. In the case of handover, every time a UE is handed over, the NCI may be sent in the handover message to the neighbor. The NCI may be sent in the handover request message either as part of the MDT configuration (management based or signaling based) or independently.

[0059] The network configuration may correspond to a specific configuration applicable for AI / ML model training or AI / ML model inference of a certain model. The NCI may correspond to a group of network configurations. So a network configuration identifier NCI x = {network configuration 1, network configuration 2, ... , network configuration x}, or the network configuration identifier may have one-to-one mapping with a single network configuration, NCI x = {network configuration}. In some examples, NCI x may be a hard-coded value, e.g., 1,2,3, ... k, where each value i corresponds to a preconfigured network configuration and may be configured by 0AM to different gNBs 306.

[0060] In some examples, the NCI may be configured by 0AM configuration. In this regard, 0AM may select the NCI since 0AM knows the different node capabilities and possible node configurations. 0AM may also know the ML models deployed in the RAN and may have information (e.g., through metadata) about ML models that can be trained and / or executed at the UE side. The NCI may be related to an energy saving mode, to abeam or other network configuration for example as NCI x = {energy saving mode, number of beams, beam configuration, ... } .

[0061] In some examples, the 0AM configures the NCI, such as by configuring the NCI together with the MDT configuration. In some of these examples, the NCI may be a unified identifier which is unified across an area of gNBs 306, such as across an area scope or across a group of gNBs or group of cells. A gNB could determine that neighbors may apply similar network configurations. However, since the notion of NCI may not necessarily characterize uniquely a gNB configuration (but a number of configurations) a gNB cannot know the exact network configuration of its neighbors but may deduct instead that they operate on similar configurations based on the received values of NCI. In other examples, the NCI may be a non-unified identifier which is not unified across gNBs but is under the control of 0AM. Each gNB in this case only knows its own identifier. In examples in which the 0AM configures the NCI, the 0AM may request data collection only from specific NCIs indicated in the MDT configuration.

[0062] In some other examples, the 0AM only indicates an interest in consistent data collection and leaves the final choice of the NCI on which data collection takes place for a given UE 110 to the first gNB 306 that configures the UE for a data collection. This may be realized by a one bit flag indication (e.g. with a value set to TRUE), leaving the NCI allocation and / or generation to the network entity that is initiating the MDT configuration to the UE (e.g., gNB or mobility management entity, i.e., AMF). Consistent data collection may also be indicated by the 0 AM in a new job type.

[0063] To further illustrate a mapping between NCIs and network configuration, below is an example table of predefined NCIs mapping to respective configurations.As another example, below is a table of NCIs mapping to respective configurations that are split into network condition and UE configuration.

[0064] In some examples, the MDT configuration from 0AM may be extended to include a NCI enabling only gNBs 306 that match the received network configuration to start MDT towards a UE 110. The MDT Configuration from 0AM may include instructions towards the gNB how to handle the activation, such as if there is no matching configuration at the gNB at the reception of the MDT configuration with NCI.

[0065] In some examples, the network configuration information provided by the 0AM to the RAN (e.g., NG-RAN 304) during MDT activation may include an indication to discard the MDT configuration when the gNB 306 does not have a matching configuration at the reception of the MDT configuration. In some other examples, the MDT configuration from 0AM may include an indication to store the configuration when the gNB does not have a matching configuration at the reception of the MDT configuration.

[0066] In some examples, the network configuration information provided by the 0AM may provide timing information to indicate to a gNB 306 for how long the gNB may store a network configuration if the network configuration cannot be immediatelyapplied. That is, the timing information may indicate to the gNB for how long the gNB may store the network configuration if the gNB uses a different network configuration at the time the gNB receives the MDT configuration by OAM. In this case, the NCI may be associated with a validity timer.

[0067] When a gNB 306 receives the MDT configuration from the OAM, the gNB may store the MDT configuration parameters, together with the indicated NCI. Before a gNB selects a UE 110 for a given MDT configuration, the gNB may first check whether the gNB’s configuration matches any of the configurations indicated by the NCI. Depending on information in the MDT activation, if the gNB does not have a matching configuration available, the gNB may either: a) store the MDT configuration and the NCI for a later point time when the gNB will have a network configuration matching a configuration indicated by the NCI; b) store the MDT configuration and the NCI for a limited amount of time indicated in the MDT configuration that determines consistent data collection time (e.g., through a validity timer); or c) the gNB may try to update its configuration to a matching configuration to the received MDT configuration.

[0068] Independent of the above, in some examples, a UE 110 may be chosen by the network for MDT measurements when the network operates under a network configuration specified by the NCI provided with the MDT configuration.

[0069] To further illustrate some example implementations of the present disclosure, FIG. 4 is a signaling chart 400 of MDT procedures using a NCI, according to some example implementations. The signaling chat in FIG. 4 is for an example in which configuration of the NCI is unified across an area (e.g., across the MDT area scope or across an area of gNBs 306 defined by the OAM), as shown at step 0. In this example, each gNB in a certain area may unambiguously know the NCI of its neighbors.

[0070] As shown, the OAM by its management system 314 may at step 401 indicate a list of NCIs over which MDT can be started. As shown, the list is indicate by a NG- RAN MDT activation, but the list may also be indicated in a core network activation. The gNB 306 may at step 402 receive and store MDT parameters for the MDT activation.

[0071] In step 403, the network knows which NCI to pass with a MDT configuration based on the list of NCIs given by the OAM. For example, the identifier may be passed in a handover request message from a source gNB to a target gNB together with the MDTconfiguration in signaling-based MDT. The identifier may also be introduced to be sent in a handover request message from the source gNB to the target gNB in management-based MDT. The identifier determines the context for the associated set of configuration parameters that should be sent to the UE 110. The identifier can be temporary and may have a corresponding validity timer, determining a time interval during which the identifier is valid and can be used.

[0072] The gNB 306 may at step 404 store within the UE context the NCI associated with the MDT configuration. NCI may be part of the MDT configuration or may be separately provided. The gNB may then at step 405 check its current network configuration (i.e., the gNB needs to have capability to support given NCI and resulting configuration, e.g. whether is supports energy saving mode, or FR2 for and a given set of beams). The gNB compares its current network configuration with the NCI(s) of different MDT configurations it may have stored, and selects the MDT configuration matching its own network configuration.

[0073] Depending on the information in the MDT activation, if the gNB 306 does not have a matching configuration available, the gNB may in step 406 either keep the MDT configuration stored for a while (or indefinitely) or discard the configuration. The MDT configuration may be stored during the time of the validity timer. If a matching network configuration is found, the gNB may at steps 406, 407 and 408 configure UEs 110 for immediate MDT or logged MDT. The UE therefore may be configured transparently to report measurements according to network’s configuration. For logged MDT, the UE may store the NCI in its logged MDT configuration. When the UE reports logged MDT, the network can use the received NCI to determine whether to reconfigure UE (if, e.g., the network has a matching NCI).

[0074] In step 409, the gNB may perform MDT record reporting towards the TCE 316. The NCI under which measurements are collected may be indicated explicitly or implicitly. The indication may be explicit if the NCI is associated with the UE 110 provided reports and the NCI is indicated together in the MDT trace records. The NCI may also be implicit, in which case the TCE may deduce the NCI based on the trace reference (TR), trace recording session reference (TRSR) of the received trace recordswhat is the NCI or group of NCIs that defined the context of the data collection if, e.g., trace has been started over a specific NCI.

[0075] FIGS. 5 and 6 are signaling charts 500, 600 of MDT procedures using a NCI, according to other example implementations. In these examples, the allowed NCI is not provided by the 0AM in the MDT configuration but is chosen by the first gNB 306 that starts the data collection towards a UE 110. The identifier is still unified under the 0AM, but the 0AM only provides an indication that consistent data collection is needed from specific NCI.

[0076] If a gNB 306 has selected a UE 110 under a certain network configuration when the UE is released and transitions to RRC IDLE, the gNB stores the NCI or indicates the to the core network the NCI that was used during the data collection from this UE to trigger NCI maintenance in the core network. When UE transitions back to RRC_CONNECTED (at the same or different gNB), the gNB can associate the UE with a network configuration that should be continued based on the stored NCI. Alternatively, the core network may provide the (new) gNB with the NCI of the previous gNB that configured the UE with continuous measurement collection. If the UE is handed over from a source gNB 306A to a target gNB 306B, the source gNB includes the NCI in the handover request message so that target gNB uses the same NCI (if possible). The new gNB will need to match this configuration before reconfiguring the UE.

[0077] As shown at step 501, in FIGS. 5 and 6, the 0AM by its management system 314 may indicate that the current MDT configuration is for consistent data collection. The gNB 306 (gNB 306A in FIG. 6) at step 502 stores MDT parameters. In step 503, the gNB receives MDT configuration for a UE 110. This step may include signaling-based MDT (or management-based MDT), where the MDT configuration may be included in a handover request message. This step may also include information from the core network about a UE if the UE had transited to RRC IDLE before the UE connected to the gNB. In step 504, the gNB stores within the UE context the NCI associated with the MDT configuration.

[0078] The gNB 306 may at step 505 check its current network configuration (i.e., the gNB needs to have capability to support given NCI and resulting configuration, e.g. whether is supports energy saving mode, or FR2 for and a given set of beams). The gNBcompares its current network configuration with the NCI(s) of different MDT configurations it may have stored, and selects the MDT configuration matching its own network configuration. If no such configuration can be found, the gNB may keep the MDT configuration stored for a while (or indefinitely) or may discard the configuration. The MDT configuration may be stored during the time of the validity timer.

[0079] If a matching network configuration is found, the gNB may at steps 506, 507 and 508 configure UEs 110 for immediate MDT or logged MDT. The UE therefore may be configured transparently to report measurements according to network’s configuration. For logged MDT, the UE may store the NCI in its logged MDT configuration. When the UE reports logged MDT, the network can use the received NCI to determine whether to reconfigure UE (if, e.g., the network has a matching NCI).

[0080] FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate two possibilities to continue consistent data collection depending on whether UE 110 transitions to RRC IDLE and then transitions back to RRC CONNECTED to reconnect to another gNB 306 (FIG. 5), or whether the UE is handed over to another gNB 306B (FIG. 6). As shown at steps 509 and 510 of FIG. 5, if UE transitions to RRC IDLE, in order to remember the context under which UE performed data collection in the previous gNB, the NCI may be saved in the AMF 308 together with the UE context. The NCI may then be provided back to the UE when UE reconnects to the new gNB. If UE is instead handed over to another gNB, as shown at step 609 of FIG. 6, the NCI information may be included in the handover request message. The NCI information may be included within the MDT configuration.

[0081] As shown at step 511 (in FIG. 5) and step 610 (in FIG. 6), the gNB 306 may save the UE measurements to MDT records. In step 512 (in FIG. 5) and step 611 (in FIG. 6), similar to before, the gNB may perform MDT record reporting towards the TCE 316. The NCI under which measurements are collected may be indicated explicitly or implicitly. The indication may be explicit if the NCI is associated with the UE 110 provided reports and the NCI is indicated together in the MDT trace records. The NCI may also be implicit, in which case the TCE may deduce the NCI based on the TR, TRSR of the received trace records what is the NCI or group of NCIs that defined the context of the data collection if, e.g., trace has been started over a specific NCI.

[0082] FIG. 7 is a signaling chart 700 of a procedure for RRC configuration based on a matched NCI, according to some example implementations. As shown at steps 701 and 702, a gNB 306 may receive an indication that measurements are needed according to a NCI, and check whether the gNB’s current configuration can be matched to the requested NCI. If so, the gNB may at steps 703 and 704 start measurements, such as through RRC configuration towards the UE.

[0083] If the gNB 306 cannot match the NCI, the gNB may use the earlier indicated options. For example, the gNB may store the data collection configuration for a later point time when it will have a network configuration matching a configuration indicated by the NCI. In another example, the gNB may store the data collection configuration for a limited amount of time indicated in the MDT configuration that determines consistent data collection time e.g., through a validity timer. And in yet another example, the gNB may try to update its configuration to a matching data configuration.

[0084] Even though in the examples above we have assumed that the NCI is unified across an area of gNBs 306, example implementations of the present disclosure are also applicable to a non-unified NCI. For example, it is possible that different gNBs may receive a mapping rule from 0AM that indicates a list of equivalent NCIs between neighbors. Using this mapping rule, each gNB can create a table of equivalent NCIs with its neighbors. Hence, if a neighbor sends in a handover request message a given NCI (under which the gNB configured the UE for data collection), the target gNB receiving the NCI can map the given NCI to a local NCI (which may be different from the first one), by looking into its local table and may continue the data collection e.g., by configuring the UE with MDT.

[0085] FIGS. 8A- 8F are flowcharts illustrating various steps in a method 800 performed by a network node, according to various example implementations. The method includes configuring at least one user equipment (UE) with a minimization of drive tests (MDT) configuration for consistent data collection according to network configuration, as shown at block 802 of FIG. 8 A. The method includes receiving measurements performed by the at least one UE according to the MDT configuration, In some of these examples, the measurements are associated with a network configuration identifier (NCI) indicating a network configuration of the network node, as shown atblock 804. The method includes saving the measurements to at least one MDT record, as shown at block 806. And the method includes reporting the at least one MDT record towards a trace collection entity, as shown at block 808.

[0086] In some examples, the measurements are saved at block 806 to the at least one MDT record that also includes the NCI.

[0087] In some examples, the NCI is configured by operations, administration and maintenance (0AM), and the NCI is unified across an area of network nodes including the network node.

[0088] In some examples, the NCI is configured by operations, administration and maintenance (0AM), and the NCI is not unified across network nodes.

[0089] In some examples, the method 800 further includes receiving the MDT configuration including an associated NCI, as shown at block 810 of FIG. 8B. The method also includes making a determination that the NCI indicating the network configuration of the network node matches the associated NCI of the MDT configuration, as shown at block 812. And the at least one UE is configured at block 802 with the MDT configuration based on the determination.

[0090] In some examples, the method 800 further includes receiving the MDT configuration including an indication for consistent data collection according to network configuration, as shown at block 814 of FIG. 8C. And the method includes determining the NCI indicating the network configuration of the network node based on the indication for consistent data collection according to network configuration, as shown at block 816.

[0091] In some examples, the method 800 further includes storing the NCI in at least one UE context of the at least one UE, as shown at block 818 of FIG. 8D.

[0092] In some examples, the method 800 further includes determining a transition of one of the at least one UE from a connected state to an idle state, as shown at block 820 of FIG. 8E. And in some of these examples, the method also includes saving a respective one of the at least one UE context including the NCI to a mobility management function for retrieval by another network node with which the UE transitions back to the connected state, as shown at block 822.

[0093] In some examples, the method 800 further includes sending a handover request message including the NCI to another network node in connection with handoverof one of the at least one UE from the network node to the other network node, as shown at block 824 of FIG. 8F.

[0094] In some examples, the at least one UE is configured at block 802 with the MDT configuration through a radio resource control (RRC) configuration towards the at least one UE.

[0095] According to example implementations of the present disclosure, a telecommunications system 100 or PLMN 102, and its components such as a UE 110, CN 106, RAN 108, radio access node 202, gNB 306, AMF 308, SMF 310, UPF 312, management system 314 and / or TCE 316, may be implemented by various means. Means for implementing the system and its components may include hardware, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. In some examples, one or more apparatuses may be configured to function as or otherwise implement the system and its components shown and described herein. In examples involving more than one apparatus, the respective apparatuses may be connected to or otherwise in communication with one another in a number of different manners, such as directly or indirectly via a wired or wireless network or the like.

[0096] According to some example implementations, at least some of the method 800 described with respect to FIGS. 8A-8F may be carried out by an apparatus comprising means for performing functions corresponding steps of the method. Examples of a suitable apparatus may include a gNB (e.g., gNB-DU, gNB-CU), ng-eNB or any suitable apparatus, such as a server, host or node.

[0097] FIG. 9 illustrates an apparatus 900 in which means for performing various functions includes hardware, alone or under direction of one or more computer programs from a computer-readable storage medium or other memory, such as computer memory, according to some example implementations of the present disclosure. The apparatus may include one or more of each of a number of components such as, for example, processing circuitry 902 connected to computer-readable storage medium or other memory 904.

[0098] The processing circuitry 902 may be composed of one or more processors alone or in combination with one or more computer-readable storage media. The processing circuitry is generally any piece of computer hardware that is capable of processing information such as, for example, data, computer programs and / or othersuitable electronic information. The processing circuitry is composed of a collection of electronic circuits some of which may be packaged as an integrated circuit or multiple interconnected integrated circuits (an integrated circuit at times more commonly referred to as a “chip”). The processing circuitry may be configured to execute computer programs, which may be stored onboard the processing circuitry or otherwise stored in the memory 904 (of the same or another apparatus).

[0099] The processing circuitry 902 may be a number of processors, a multi-core processor or some other type of processor, depending on the particular implementation. Further, the processing circuitry may be implemented using a number of heterogeneous processor systems in which a main processor is present with one or more secondary processors on a single chip. As another illustrative example, the processing circuitry may be a symmetric multi-processor system containing multiple processors of the same type. In yet another example, the processing circuitry may be embodied as or otherwise include one or more ASICs, FPGAs or the like. Thus, although the processing circuitry may be capable of executing a computer program to perform one or more functions, the processing circuitry of various examples may be capable of performing one or more functions without the aid of a computer program. In either instance, the processing circuitry may be appropriately programmed to perform functions or operations according to example implementations of the present disclosure.

[0100] The memory 904 is generally any piece of computer hardware that is capable of storing information such as, for example, data, computer programs, instructions 906 (e.g., computer-readable program code) and / or other suitable information either on a temporary basis and / or a permanent basis. The memory may include volatile and / or nonvolatile memory, and may be fixed or removable. Examples of suitable memory include recording media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard drive, a flash memory, a thumb drive, a removable computer diskette, an optical disk or some combination thereof.

[0101] The memory 904 is a non-transitory device capable of storing information. One example of a suitable memory is a computer-readable storage medium, which is distinguishable from a computer-readable transmission medium capable of carrying information from one location to another. Examples of suitable computer-readabletransmission media comprise electronic carrier signals, telecommunications signals, or some combination thereof. As used herein, the term “non-transitory” is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM versus ROM). A computer-readable medium as described herein generally refers to a computer-readable storage medium or computer-readable transmission medium. A computer-readable medium is any entity or device capable in which information, such as one or more computer programs or portions thereof, may be stored and carried.

[0102] In addition to the memory 904 (e.g., computer-readable storage medium), the processing circuitry 902 may also be connected to one or more interfaces for displaying, transmitting and / or receiving information. The interfaces may include a communications interface 908 and / or one or more user interfaces (e.g., display, user input interface). The communications interface may be configured to transmit and / or receive information, such as to and / or from other apparatus(es), network(s) or the like. The communications interface may be configured to transmit and / or receive information by physical (wired) and / or wireless communications links. Examples of suitable communication interfaces include a network interface controller (NIC), wireless NIC (WNIC) or the like.

[0103] Execution of the instructions 906 by the processing circuitry 902, or storage of the instructions in the memory 904, supports combinations of operations for implementing example implementations of the present disclosure. In this manner, an apparatus 900 may comprise at least one processing circuitry and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing circuitry, where the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute instructions stored in the at least one memory. It will also be understood that one or more functions, and combinations of functions, may be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems and / or processing circuitry which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and program code instructions.

[0104] Some example implementations of the present disclosure may also be carried out in the form of a computer process defined by one or more computer programs or portions thereof. Example implementations of the present disclosure may be carried out by executing at least one portion of a computer program comprising instructions. Thecomputer program may be in source code form, object code form, or in some intermediate form. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable medium that is readable by a computer, processing circuitry or other suitable apparatus. As indicated above, for example, the computer program may be stored in a memory, such as a computer-readable storage medium. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable transmission medium. The coding of software for carrying out example implementations of the present disclosure is well within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0105] As will be appreciated, any suitable instructions may be loaded onto a computer, a processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus from a memory or a computer-readable medium (e.g., computer-readable storage medium, computer-readable transmission medium) to produce a particular machine, such that the particular machine becomes a means for implementing the functions specified herein. The instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that can direct a computer, a processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner to thereby generate a particular machine or particular article of manufacture. In some examples, the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium may produce an article of manufacture, where the article of manufacture becomes a means for implementing functions described herein. The instructions may be retrieved from a computer-readable medium and loaded into a computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to configure the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to execute operations to be performed on or by the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus.

[0106] Retrieval, loading and execution of instructions comprising program code instructions may be performed sequentially such that one instruction is retrieved, loaded and executed at a time. In some example implementations, retrieval, loading and / or execution may be performed in parallel such that multiple instructions are retrieved, loaded, and / or executed together. Execution of the program code instructions may produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions executed by the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus provide operations for implementing functions described herein.

[0107] As explained above and reiterated below, the present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[0108] Clause 1. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising: configuring at least one user equipment (UE) with a minimization of drive tests (MDT) configuration for consistent data collection according to network configuration; receiving measurements performed by the at least one UE according to the MDT configuration, wherein the measurements are associated with a network configuration identifier (NCI) indicating a network configuration of the network node; saving the measurements to at least one MDT record; and reporting the at least one MDT record towards a trace collection entity.

[0109] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the measurements are saved to the at least one MDT record that also includes the NCI.

[0110] Clause 3. The method of clause 1 or clause 2, wherein the NCI is configured by operations, administration and maintenance (0AM), and the NCI is unified across an area of network nodes including the network node.

[0111] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the NCI is configured by operations, administration and maintenance (0AM), and the NCI is not unified across network nodes.

[0112] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the method further comprises: receiving the MDT configuration including an associated NCI; and making a determination that the NCI indicating the network configuration of the network node matches the associated NCI of the MDT configuration, and wherein the at least one UE is configured with the MDT configuration based on the determination.

[0113] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the method further comprises: receiving the MDT configuration including an indication for consistent data collection according to network configuration; and determining the NCI indicating the network configuration of the network node based on the indication for consistent data collection according to network configuration.

[0114] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the method further comprises storing the NCI in at least one UE context of the at least one UE.

[0115] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, wherein the method further comprises: determining a transition of one of the at least one UE from a connected state to an idle state; and saving a respective one of the at least one UE context including the NCI to a mobility management function for retrieval by another network node with which the UE transitions back to the connected state.

[0116] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 1 to 8, wherein the method further comprises sending a handover request message including the NCI to another network node in connection with handover of one of the at least one UE from the network node to the other network node.

[0117] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 1 to 9, wherein the at least one UE is configured with the MDT configuration through a radio resource control (RRC) configuration towards the at least one UE.

[0118] Clause 11. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 10.

[0119] Clause 12. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 1 to 10.

[0120] Clause 13. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 10.

[0121] Clause 14. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 10.

[0122] Clause 15. A computer program comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 10.

[0123] Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated figures. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to thespecific implementations disclosed and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing description and the associated figures describe example implementations in the context of certain example combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative implementations without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and / or functions than those expl icitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An apparatus implemented by a network node, the apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least: configure at least one user equipment (UE) with a minimization of drive tests (MDT) configuration for consistent data collection according to network configuration; receive measurements performed by the at least one UE according to the MDT configuration, wherein the measurements are associated with a network configuration identifier (NCI) indicating a network configuration of the network node; save the measurements to at least one MDT record; and report the at least one MDT record towards a trace collection entity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measurements are saved to the at least one MDT record that also includes the NCI.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the NCI is configured by operations, administration and maintenance (OAM), and the NCI is unified across an area of network nodes including the network node.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the NCI is configured by operations, administration and maintenance (OAM), and the NCI is not unified across network nodes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to further at least: receive the MDT configuration including an associated NCI; and make a determination that the NCI indicating the network configuration of the network node matches the associated NCI of the MDT configuration, and wherein the at least one UE is configured with the MDT configuration based on the determination.-32-6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to further at least: receive the MDT configuration including an indication for consistent data collection according to network configuration; and determine the NCI indicating the network configuration of the network node based on the indication for consistent data collection according to network configuration.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to further store the NCI in at least one UE context of the at least one UE.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to further at least: determine a transition of one of the at least one UE from a connected state to an idle state; and save a respective one of the at least one UE context including the NCI to a mobility management function for retrieval by another network node with which the UE transitions back to the connected state.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to further send a handover request message including the NCI to another network node in connection with handover of one of the at least one UE from the network node to the other network node.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one UE is configured with the MDT configuration through a radio resource control (RRC) configuration towards the at least one UE.-33-11. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising: configuring at least one user equipment (UE) with a minimization of drive tests(MDT) configuration for consistent data collection according to network configuration; receiving measurements performed by the at least one UE according to the MDT configuration, wherein the measurements are associated with a network configuration identifier (NCI) indicating a network configuration of the network node; saving the measurements to at least one MDT record; and reporting the at least one MDT record towards a trace collection entity.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the measurements are saved to the at least one MDT record that also includes the NCI.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the NCI is configured by operations, administration and maintenance (OAM), and the NCI is unified across an area of network nodes including the network node.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the NCI is configured by operations, administration and maintenance (OAM), and the NCI is not unified across network nodes.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises: receiving the MDT configuration including an associated NCI; and making a determination that the NCI indicating the network configuration of the network node matches the associated NCI of the MDT configuration, and wherein the at least one UE is configured with the MDT configuration based on the determination.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises: receiving the MDT configuration including an indication for consistent data collection according to network configuration; anddetermining the NCI indicating the network configuration of the network node based on the indication for consistent data collection according to network configuration.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises storing the NCI in at least one UE context of the at least one UE.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises: determining a transition of one of the at least one UE from a connected state to an idle state; and saving a respective one of the at least one UE context including the NCI to a mobility management function for retrieval by another network node with which the UE transitions back to the connected state.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises sending a handover request message including the NCI to another network node in connection with handover of one of the at least one UE from the network node to the other network node.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one UE is configured with the MDT configuration through a radio resource control (RRC) configuration towards the at least one UE.

Images