UE Selection and Reports Correlation For MDT

Abstract

Embodiments of a method in user equipment for performing an MDT process. The method includes: receiving, from a network node, a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) for a Trace Recording session, the TRSR including a continuous management-based MDT prefix; and subsequently transmitting, to the network node, MDT 5 measurements including at least the continuous management-based MDT prefix. A corresponding method in a network node includes: receiving, from a continuous MDT consumer, a Trace Reference (TR) associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix; allocating a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) for a Trace Recording session, the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix; 0 transmitting, to a user equipment (UE) selected for the Trace Recording session, the TR and TRSR; and subsequently receiving, from the UE, MDT measurements including at least the continuous management-based MDT prefix.

Description

UE Selection and Reports Correlation For MDTCross Reference to related applications

[0001] This application claims benefit of US Application No. 63 / 702291, filed October2, 2024, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to network management, and in particular to UE selection and reports correlation for minimization of drive tests (MDT).Background

[0003] In 5G 0AM architecture release 19, continuous management-based MDT feature is required. The continuous management-based MDT feature allows 0AM to activate a management-based MDT over multiple selected RAN nodes. As an output, a data analytic function could use the measurement result for some specific purposes, e.g. AIME training.

[0004] Minimization of drive tests (MDT) is being standardized for NR starting in Rel- 16 to reduce the amount of drive tests performed manually. It is a UE assisted framework where network measurements are collected by both IDLE / INACTIVE and RRC Connected UE(s) in order to aid the network in gathering valuable information. It has been specified for a number of RATs including, LTE and NR in TS 37.320

[0005] In general, there are two types of MDT measurement logging: Logged MDT for UEs in RRC IDLE / RRC INACTIVE state and Immediate MDT for UEs inRRC CONNECTED state.

[0006] The existing trace / MDT framework TS 32.422 enables two methods of activating MDT and collecting data from the UEs:• Management based MDT: MDT data is collected from UEs in a specified area. The area is defined as a list of cells or as a list of tracking / routing / location areas. The management based MDT is an enhancement of the management based trace functionality. Management based MDT can be either a logged MDT or Immediate MDT.• Signalling based MDT: MDT data is collected from one specific UE. The UE that is participating in the MDT data collection is specified as IMEI(SV) or asIMSI. The signalling based MDT is an enhancement of the signalling based subscriber and equipment trace. A signalling based MDT can be either a logged MDT or Immediate MDT.• Immediate MDT: MDT functionality involving measurements performed by the UE in CONNECTED state and reporting of the measurements to RAN available at the time of reporting condition as well as measurements by the network for MDT purposes.• Logged MDT: MDT functionality involving measurement logging by UE in IDLE mode, INACTIVE state, CELL PCH, URA PCH states andCELL FACH state when second DRX cycle is used (when UE is in UTRA) for reporting to eNB / RNC / gNB at a later point in time, and logging of MBSFN measurements by E-UTRA UE in IDLE and CONNECTED modes.Continuous Minimization of Drive Tests (Continuous MDT)

[0007] During the work on AI / ML for NG-RAN, RAN3 has developed the concept of Continuous MDT. While this concept has not been subject of standardization, it is summarized in the following.

[0008] Continuous MDT is based on Management Based MDT and it consists of an MDT process where measurements reports collected by a UE across RRC states and at different RAN nodes serving the UE (e.g. due to RRC_Connected based mobility or due to RRC Idle to RRC Connected transitions in anew serving RAN node) can be correlated together and attributed to the same data source, namely the same UE. Continuous MDT is also characterized by the fact that a UE moving or changing RRC state keeps being selected for the continuous MDT process by the RANMDT configurations

[0009] An example of MDT configuration for NR and for E-UTRAN are provided in the tables below, extracted from 3GPP TS 38.423 vl7.1.0, clauses 9.2.3.126 and 9.2.3.127.* * * * * * * * * * * * ^Beginning of Extract9.2.3.126 MDT Configuration-NRThe IE defines the MDT configuration parameters of NR.9.2.3.127 MDT Configuration-EUTRAThe IE defines the MDT configuration parameters of EUTRA.Extract

[0010] There currently exist certain challenge(s). Continuous MDT is based on the following two main issues:1. How to identify that a UE is a continuous MDT UE for measurement continuity configuration2. How to ensure correlation of Continuous MDT measurements

[0011] The first problem consists of enabling the RAN to identify that a UE previously configured for Continuous MDT and newly served by the RAN, for example because it moves from RRC Idle to RRC Connected into a new RAN node coverage, can be selected again for the same Continuous MDT process.

[0012] The second problem consists of enabling the Trace Collection Entity, which receives the MDT reports for the contiuous MDT UE seleced, can determine that the reports come all from the same UE.

[0013] To achieve the continuous management-based MDT some modifications are needed on the existing management-based MDT procedure.

[0014] In the existing management-based MDT procedure, a consumer activates a management-based MDT by sending a Trace Job to a RAN node (i.e. gNB). The Trace Job contains an Area Scope attribute which specifies in which area the UE shall be selected for the MDT measurement. However, at UE mobility to another RAN node, the managementbased MDT procedure has to be stopped. This prevents the UE to be selected again for continuous MDT.

[0015] Another issue is that in the existing management-based MDT procedure, the measurement report does not contain a global unique UE identity. For security reason, permanent UE ID (e.g. IMSI) shall not be included in the measurement report. This is a problem if a data analytic function would like to understand which measurements are made from the same source (i.e. UE).Summary

[0016] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0017] Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a network node for performing an MDT process. The method comprises: receiving, from a continuous MDT consumer, a Trace Reference (TR) associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix; allocating a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) for a Trace Recording session, the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix; transmitting, to a UE selected for the Trace Recording session, the TR and / or the TRSR; and subsequently receiving, from the UE, an MDT measurement report including the TR and / or the TRSR.

[0018] In some embodiments, the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises a bit sequence having a predetermined length, the bit sequence having one of a predetermined range of values. In specific embodiments, the predetermined length is 1 octet or 2 octets. The predetermined range of values may comprise a set of one or more prefix values that are reserved for identifying continuous management-based MDT processes.

[0019] In some embodiments, receiving the TR associated with the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises receiving the TR and the MDT prefix, the MDT prefix being appended to the TR.

[0020] In some embodiments, receiving the TR associated with the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises receiving the TR and the MDT prefix, the MDT prefix being signaled to the network node separately from the TR

[0021] In some embodiments, receiving the TR associated with the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises receiving the TR and the continuous management-based MDT prefix, the continuous management-based MDT prefix being comprised within the TR. In specific embodiments, the continuous management-based MDT prefix is comprised within the TR at a predetermined location of the TR. Optionally, the predetermined location comprises either a first octet or a last octet of the TR.

[0022] In some embodiments, allocating the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises: generating the TRSR; and appending the received continuous management-based MDT prefix to the generated TRSR.

[0023] In some embodiments, allocating the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises generating the TRSR incorporating the received continuous management-based MDT prefix at a predetermined location within the TRSR. Optionally, the predetermined location comprises either a first octet or a last octet of the TRSR.

[0024] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a network node for performing an MDT process, the network node comprises processing circuitry configured to perform the steps of: receiving, from a continuous MDT consumer, a Trace Reference (TR) associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix; allocating a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) for a Trace Recording session, the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix; transmitting, to a UE selected for the Trace Recording session, the TR and / or TRSR; and subsequently receiving, from the UE, MDT measurements including the TR and / or TRSR. Power supply circuitry is configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0025] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a network node for performing an MDT process. The method comprises: receiving, from a user equipment, UE, an MDT measurement report including a Trace Reference ,TR, and / or a Trace Recording Session Reference, TRSR, for a Trace Recording session; determining that the received TR and / or TRSR is / are associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix; and responsive to determining that the received TR and / or TRSR is associatedwith a continuous management-based MDT prefix, selecting the UE for continuous MDT measurements.

[0026] This disclosure provides methods where the RAN receives from an external system, e.g. the 0AM, an identifier for an MDT process, from which the RAN can determine that the process refers to a Continuous MDT process. As part of this, the RAN determines that any UE selected for such process needs to be selected again in case:• The UE moves to another RAN node, e.g. via RRC Connected mobility• The UE moves to RRC Idle or RRC Inactive and therefore it needs to be selected for logged MDT collection• The UE moves from RRC Idle or RRC Inactive to RRC Connected and it needs to be selected for Immediate MDT, assuming that the UE was configured for Continuous MDT while in RRC Idle or RRC Inactive

[0027] The methods also propose techniques to ensure that the measurement reports produced for the Continuous MDT process (generated while the UE is in different RRC states or when the UE is served by different nodes in time) can be correlated by the Trace Collection Entity (receiving the reports) and attributed to the same data source, namely to the same UE.

[0028] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). The disclosed methods may allow the consumer to make a linkage between different measurements for better data analytic result. The teachings of certain embodiments may improve the data rate and / or latency.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain principles of the disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating steps in a representative process according to embodiments of the current disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating steps in a representative process implemented in a user equipment (UE) according to embodiments of the current disclosure;

[0032] Figure 3 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0033] Figure 4 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments.

[0034] Figure 5 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0035] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.Detailed Description

[0036] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0037] At least some of the following abbreviations and terms may be used in this disclosure.• 2D Two Dimensional• 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project• 5G Fifth Generation• AAS Antenna Array System• AoA Angle of Arrival• AoD Angle of Departure• ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit• BF Beamforming• BLER Block Error Rate• BW Beamwidth• CGI Cell Global Identity• CPU Central Processing Unit• CSI Channel State Information• dB Decibel• DCI Downlink Control Information• DFT Discrete Fourier Transform• DSP Digital Signal Processor• eNB Enhanced or Evolved Node BFIR Finite Impulse ResponseFPGA Field Programmable Gate Array gNB New Radio Base StationICC Information Carrying CapacityIIR Infinite Impulse ResponseKDF Key Derivation FunctionLTE Long Term EvolutionMDT Minimization of Drive TestMIMO Multiple Input Multiple OutputMME Mobility Management EntityMMSE Minimum Mean Square ErrorMTC Machine Type CommunicationNR New RadioOTT Over-the-TopPBCH Physical Broadcast ChannelPDCCH Physical Downlink Control ChannelPDSCH Physical Downlink Shared ChannelP-GW Packet Data Network GatewayPM Performance MeasurementRAM Random Access MemoryRAN Radio Access NetworkROM Read Only MemoryRRC Radio Resource ControlRRH Remote Radio HeadSCEF Service Capability Exposure FunctionSINR Signal to Interference plus Noise RatioSUPI Subscription Permanent IdentifierTBS Transmission Block SizeTR Trace ReferenceTRSR Trace Recording Session ReferenceUE User EquipmentULA Uniform Linear ArrayURA Uniform Rectangular Array

[0038] Radio Node: As used herein, a “radio node” is either a radio access node or a wireless device.

[0039] Radio Access Node: As used herein, a “radio access node” or “radio network node” is any node in a radio access network of a cellular communications network that operates to wirelessly transmit and / or receive signals. Some examples of a radio access node include, but are not limited to, a base station (e.g., a New Radio (NR) base station (gNB) in a Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) Fifth Generation (5G) NR network or an enhanced or evolved Node B (eNB) in a 3 GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), a high-power or macro base station, a low -power base station (e.g., a micro base station, a pico base station, a home eNB, or the like), and a relay node.

[0040] Core Network Node: As used herein, a “core network node” is any type of node in a core network. Some examples of a core network node include, e.g., a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF), or the like.

[0041] Wireless Device: As used herein, a “wireless device” is any type of device that has access to (i.e., is served by) a cellular communications network by wirelessly transmitting (and / or receiving) signals to (and / or from) a radio access node. Some examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, a User Equipment device (UE) in a 3 GPP network and a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device.

[0042] Network Node: As used herein, a “network node” is any node that is either part of the radio access network or the core network of a cellular communications network / system.

[0043] Cell: As used herein, a “cell” is a combination of radio resources (such as, for example, antenna port allocation, time and frequency) that a wireless device may use to exchange radio signals with a radio access node, which may be referred to as a host node or a serving node of the cell. However, it is important to note that beams may be used instead of cells, particularly with respect to 5G NR. As such, it should be appreciated that the techniques described herein are equally applicable to both cells and beams.

[0044] Note that references in this disclosure to various technical standards (such as3GPP TS 38.211 V15. 1.0 (2018-03) and 3GPP TS 38.214 V15.1.0 (2018-03), for example) should be understood to refer to the specific version(s) of such standard(s) that is(were)current at the time the present application was filed, and may also refer to applicable counterparts and successors of such versions.

[0045] The description herein focuses on a 3GPP cellular communications system and, as such, 3GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3GPP terminology is oftentimes used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to a 3GPP system. In this disclosure NR is used as an example RAN system to which the methods are applied. However, the disclosed methods may equally be applied to any system where management based MDT is supported, such as, for example UTRAN and E-UTRAN.

[0046] References herein to a RAN node, or a gNB, also refers to any network node capable of reporting MDT measurements to a server designed for reception of such reports, such as the Trace Collection Entity (TCE).

[0047] A consumer of an MDT process refers to any node or function or system that may trigger initiation of the MDT measurement collection process, e.g. the 0AM system.

[0048] Systems and methods are disclosed herein that provide a method Systems and methods are disclosed herein that provide a method performed by a network node for performing an MDT process. The method comprises: receiving, from a continuous MDT consumer, a Trace Reference (TR) associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix; allocating a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) for a Trace Recording session, the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix; transmitting, to a UE selected for the Trace Recording session, the TR and / or TRSR; and subsequently receiving, from the UE, an MDT measurement report including the TR and / or TRSR.

[0049] In some embodiments, the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises a bit sequence having a predetermined length, the bit sequence having one of a predetermined range of values. In specific embodiments, the predetermined length is 1 octet or 2 octets. The predetermined range of values may comprise a set of one or more prefix values that are reserved for identifying continuous management-based MDT processes.

[0050] In some embodiments, receiving the TR associated with the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises receiving the TR and the MDT prefix, the MDT prefix being appended to the TR.

[0051] In some embodiments, receiving the TR associated with the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises receiving the TR and the MDT prefix, the MDT prefix being signaled to the network node separately from the TR.

[0052] In some embodiments, receiving the TR associated with the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises receiving the TR and the continuous management-based MDT prefix, the continuous management-based MDT prefix being comprised within the TR. In specific embodiments, the continuous management-based MDT prefix is comprised within the TR at a predetermined location of the TR. Optionally, the predetermined location comprises either a first octet or a last octet of the TR.

[0053] In some embodiments, allocating the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises: generating the TRSR; and appending the received continuous management-based MDT prefix to the generated TRSR.

[0054] In some embodiments, allocating the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises generating the TRSR incorporating the received continuous management-based MDT prefix at a predetermined location within the TRSR. Optionally, the predetermined location comprises either a first octet or a last octet of the TRSR.

[0055] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a network node for performing an MDT process, the network node comprises processing circuitry configured to perform the steps of: receiving, from a continuous MDT consumer, a Trace Reference (TR) associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix; allocating a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) for a Trace Recording session, the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix; transmitting, to a UE selected for the Trace Recording session, the TR and / or TRSR; and subsequently receiving, from the UE, MDT measurements including the TR and / or TRSR. Power supply circuitry is configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0056] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a network node for performing an MDT process. The method comprises: receiving, from a user equipment, UE, an MDT measurement report including a Trace Reference ,TR, and / or a Trace Recording Session Reference, TRSR, for a Trace Recording session; determining that the received TR and / or TRSR is / are associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix; and responsive to determining that the received TR and / or TRSR is associatedwith a continuous management-based MDT prefix, selecting the UE for continuous MDT measurements.

[0057] As noted above, this disclosure provides methods in which the RAN receives, from an external system, e.g. the 0AM, an identifier for an MDT process. Based on the received identifier, the RAN can determine that the MDT process refers to a continuous MDT process.

[0058] Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure introduce a continuous management-based MDT prefix range. Namely, to introduce a prefix range that can be used when selecting the Trace Reference identifier for the Trace Job corresponding to a continuous MDT process. As the uniqueness of the Trace Reference (TR) is per PLMN, the uniqueness of the prefix is also per PLMN.

[0059] In the context of the present disclosure, the continuous management-based MDT prefix shall be considered to be a bit sequence of a predetermined length, and having a predetermined range of values. The predetermined range of values may comprise a set of one or more prefix values that are reserved for continuous management-based MDT processes. The prefix may be appended to the TR, or alternatively may be comprised within the TR itself. For example, for a prefix having a length of 1 octet, the prefix may comprise a predetermined location within the TR, such as, for example, the first octet or the last octet of the TR. In embodiments in which the prefix is comprised within the TR, the predetermined range of prefix values effectively yields a set of TRs that are reserved for continuous management-based MDT processes. Such a set of reserved TRs may be referred to as a TR list.

[0060] For any Trace Job which is not used for continuous management-based MDT, prefix values within the reserved continuous management-based MDT prefix range (or, equivalently, TR values within the TR List) shall not be used.

[0061] The length of the MDT prefix can be encoded to different lengths, e,g. the prefix could be 1 octet or 2 octets. Alternatively, the prefix could be variable, where the length of the prefix can be either communicated to the nodes that will send and / or receive the prefix via signalling over interfaces (e.g. it may be communicated to the RAN via signalling from the 0AM to the RAN) or it could be pre-configured at the nodes that will handle the prefix.

[0062] FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating steps in a representative process implemented in a network node such as a gNB. Referring to FIG. 1:

[0063] Step 1 (100): The network node receives, from a continuous MDT consumer, a Trace Reference (TR) associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix;

[0064] Step 2 (102): The network node allocates a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) for a Trace Recording session, the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix.

[0065] Optionally, the network node may also perform the following additional steps:

[0066] Step 3 (104): The network node transmits, to a UE selected for the Trace Recording session, the TR and / or the TRSR;

[0067] Step 4 (106): The network node subsequently receives, from the UE, MDT measurements including the TR and / or the TRSR.

[0068] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating steps in a representative process implemented in a user equipment (UE). Referring to FIG. 2:

[0069] Step 1 (200): The UE receives, from a network node, a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) for a Trace Recording session, the TRSR including a continuous management-based MDT prefix;

[0070] Step 2 (202): The UE subsequently transmits, to the network node, MDT measurements including at least the continuous management-based MDT prefix.

[0071] In some embodiments, the prefix and, in general, the TR associated to a specific prefix, are also associated to a time duration for which the continuous MDT process shall last. In one variation of this embodiment, the time duration is signalled to the RAN as part of the MDT Configuration information. In another variation, the time duration is configured by the 0AM to the RAN. In both variations, the time duration could either be the same for all prefixes associated to continuous MDT, or it could be different for each prefix.

[0072] The RAN, upon receiving the time duration for the continuous MDT process, for a given prefix or TR, would know that if the continuous MDT process has run for an overall amount of time corresponding to the time duration, the continuous MDT process should be stopped.

[0073] One example procedure describing how the continuous management-based MDT prefix may be used is the following:1. The operator configures a continuous management-based MDT prefix range in all gNBs and all consumers of the Continuous MDT process.2. When continuous management-based MDT is needed,• The consumer allocates a Trace Reference with one continuous managementbased MDT prefix. The continuous management-based MDT prefix is selected from the reserved continuous management-based MDT prefix range. Such prefix can be part of the Trace Reference ID or it can be appended to it or it can be signalled to the RAN separately from it.• This Trace Reference is used in the Trace Job which is sent to the gNB, namely to identify the Trace Job.• The same prefix shall not be reused for another Trace Job at a given RAN node, e.g. at a gNB, for the life time of the existing Trace Job. In an alternative of this embodiment, the prefix is used only for one Trace Job in the whole network and for that there is only one Trace Job at any point in time in the network that uses a specific prefix.3. For each gNB where Continuous MDT for a UE is started, the above procedure is repeated. Namely, the consumer signals the information above to the gNB.4. At receiving the Trace Job, the gNB understands that it corresponds to a continuous management-based MDT from the prefix of the Trace Reference.5. When a UE for the continuous MDT process is selected by the RAN node that has received the Trace Job, and a Trace Recording session is initiated, the gNB allocates a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) using the same prefix from the received TR. Namely, the TRSR may contain the prefix or have the prefix appended to it, or have the prefix associated to it..6. If the selected UE is tasked with Logged Continuous MDT, the TR and TRSR with associated prefix, are signalled by the serving RAN node to the UE. The UE shall include such parameters in the Logged MDT logs containing the MDT measurements collected while in RRC Idle or RRC Inactive. The UE shall report such logs, including the TR and TRSR with the associated prefix, after moving into RRC Connected and upon request from the RAN

[0074] In the sections below it is described how the above approach allows to solve the Continuous MDT issues described above. Example embodiments associated to the details of the solutions are described as well.Embodiments for UE selection solutions

[0075] The approach described above enables to solve the UE selection problem thanks to the methods listed below:Method for UE selection during RRC Connected mobility:

[0076] If the UE has been configured with Immediate Continuous MDT and the UE moves to a different RAN node, the source RAN node may signal to the target RAN node, e.g. as part of the Handover Request message, the TR and / or TRSR assigned to the UE by the source RAN node, including the prefix associated with such parameters. This allows the target RAN node to understand that the UE was selected for Continuous MDT, because the prefix of the TR and / or TRSR corresponds to a continuous MDT process. Hence the target RAN would select the UE again for continuous MDT.Method for UE selection during RRC state changes:

[0077] If the UE has been configured with Continuous MDT and the UE moves to RRC Idle or RRC Inactive, The RAN may configure the UE with Continuous Logged MDT and as part of such configuration the UE would be signalled by the RAN (via RRC signalling) the TR and TRSR including the specific Continuous MDT prefix. While in RRC Idle, the UE will collect measurements corresponding to the measurement configuration the UE has received for the logged continuous MDT process. Such measurements will be stored by the UE together with the TR, TRSR and associated prefix assigned to the logged MDT process.

[0078] When the UE moves to RRC_Connected, the UE will report to the newly serving RAN node the logs of measurements collected while in RRC_Idle or RRC_Inactive. The newly serving RAN node will therefore identify that the UE was selected for Continuous MDT by looking at the TR and / or TRSR and associated prefix that is reported with them in the received logs. The newly serving RAN would therefore further select the UE for Continuous MDT, e.g. the RAN will select the UE for further immediate continuous MDT measurements.Embodiments for correlation of MPT measurement reports solutions

[0079] Based on the embodiments above, the correlation of MDT measurement at the consumer receiving such reports is possible thanks to the methods described below.Method for correlation of MDT measurements reported during RRC Connected mobility:

[0080] If the UE has been configured with Immediate Continuous MDT and the UE moves to a different RAN node, the source RAN node may signal to the target RAN node, e.g. as part of the Handover Request message, the TR and / or TRSR, including the prefix associated with such parameters, assigned to the UE by the source RAN node.

[0081] In one embodiment of this invention, and if reuse of the prefix is allowed within the network, the target RAN node checks if the TR and / or TRSR and / or prefix assigned to the UE is already in use by any other of the UEs served by the RAN node and configured with Continuous MDT. If this is the case, the RAN node may take one of the following options:• Not configure with continuous MDT or deconfigure from Continuous MDT all of the UEs using the duplicate TR / TRSR / prefix except for one UE, so that only one UE with those TR / TRSR / prefix is served.• Allow that the two UEs with the same TR / TRSR / prefix are configured with continuous MDT, if the UEs are served by different cells and if the MDT reports include the CGI of the cell serving the UEs, and deconfigure from Continuous MDT all of the UEs but one using the duplicate TR / TRSR / prefix if the UEs end up in the same cell• Assign to all the UEs but one using the same TR / TRSR / prefix, a new TR and / or TRSR and / or prefix.• Assign to all the UEs but one using the same TR / TRSR / prefix, a new TR and / or TRSR and / or prefix and includes in the MDT measurement reports signalled to the consumer a mapping between the old TR / TRSR / prefix and the new TR / TRSR / prefix. An example of signlling such mapping may be to signal both old and new TRSR, where the TRSR may include the prefix.

[0082] The serving RAN node will maintain for the newly served UE the same TRSR and add it in the MDT measurement reports signalled to the TCE.

[0083] With the above mechanisms, the MDT measurement reports from the UEs, which will always include the TR / TRSR / prefix and that may include the CGI of the cell serving the UE, will be identifiable by the TCE as coming from the same UE because either a single TRSR is assigned to the UE in a global way, or the combination of TR, TRSR and other parameters like the CGI of the cell serving generate a tuple that allows the TCE to identify that the reports are coming from the same source (namely from the same UE).

[0084] In an alternative embodiment, the identifier used for correlation of the MDT measurement can be derived by utilizing a key derivation function (KDF) such as the generic KDF defined in 3GPP TS 33.220. The KDF requires two parameters, namely a Key, and a string S which is a concatenation of input parameters, in this case, to produce the identifier used for correlation of MDT measurements. The identifier generated in this way may be associated to the other identifiers for a Trace Job, e.g. it may be included by the UE (for logged MDT) and by the RAN in the information provided with the MDT measurements reports. Alternatively, the identifier may be generated to produce a TRSR. Note that the probability of collisions of the output of the KDF is extremely low as it utilizes the KDF in 33.220.

[0085] The Key could be e.g. an all-zero key, K_AUSF (if available between the home network and the UE), K AMF, or K gNB. In terms of the input parameters, the KDF can utilize the following:• any permanent UE identifier, such as Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), TR identifier,• RAN node Identifier, e.g. gNB ID,• Cel Global Identity and CGI, all of which are globally unique parameters. Thus, below is an example of how the identifier, which might provide the value of the TRSR, is derived:TRSR = KDF(K gNB. SUPI, TR identifier, gNB ID, CGI)

[0086] In a dependent embodiment, the identifier derived according to the methods above can be derived in a way that it fits any of the parameters already present in the Trace Recording header or in general any of the parameters present in the MDT measurement report. An example is the TRSR, namely the parameter derived by means described in the embodiment above would fit into the current space (3 octets) the TRSR occupies and therefore be usable by legacy UEs and RAN nodes.

[0087] For the consumer who initiate the continuous management-based MDT, it is possible to correlate the measurement result with different TRs and TRSR. In non-mobility case, the TR and TRSR associated to MDT measurements reports for the same UE shall contain the same allocated prefix. If a TRSR contains a prefix which is different than the allocated prefix to its TR, but same as the prefix allocated to another TR, it means it is the same UE which is in mobility.

[0088] Figure 3 shows an example of a communication system 300 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0089] In the example, the communication system 300 includes a telecommunication network 302 that includes an access network 304, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 306, which includes one or more core network nodes 308. The access network 304 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 310a and 310b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 310), or any other similar 3rdGeneration 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 302 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 302 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 302, including one or more network nodes 310 and / or core network nodes 308.

[0090] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near- real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface.Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O- RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 310 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 312a, 312b, 312c, and 312d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 312) to the core network 306 over one or more wireless connections.

[0091] 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 300 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 300 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0092] The UEs 312 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 310 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 310 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 312 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 302 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 302.

[0093] In the depicted example, the core network 306 connects the network nodes 310 to one or more host computing systems, such as host 316. 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 306 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 308) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those describedwith 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 308. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0094] The host 316 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 304 and / or the telecommunication network 302. The host 316 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.

[0095] As a whole, the communication system 300 of Figure 3 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.

[0096] In some examples, the telecommunication network 302 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 302 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 302. For example, the telecommunications network 302 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.

[0097] In some examples, the UEs 312 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 304 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 304. 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).

[0098] In the example, the hub 314 communicates with the access network 304 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 312c and / or 312d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 310b). In some examples, the hub 314 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 314 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 306 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 314 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 310, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 314. As another example, the hub 314 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 314 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display, loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 314 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 314 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 314 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0099] The hub 314 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 310b. The hub 314 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 314 and UEs (e.g., UE 312c and / or 312d), and betweenthe hub 314 and the core network 306. In other examples, the hub 314 is connected to the core network 306 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 314 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 304 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 310 while still connected via the hub 314 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 314 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 310b. In other embodiments, the hub 314 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 310b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0100] Figure 4 shows a UE 400 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE 400 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE 312 of Figure 3. 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.

[0101] 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 forsale 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).

[0102] The UE 400 includes processing circuitry 402 that is operatively coupled via a bus 404 to an input / output interface 406, a power source 408, a memory 410, a communication interface 412, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 4. 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.

[0103] The processing circuitry 402 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 410. The processing circuitry 402 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 402 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0104] In the example, the input / output interface 406 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 400. 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.

[0105] In some embodiments, the power source 408 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 408 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 408 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 400 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 408. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 408 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 400 to which power is supplied.

[0106] The memory 410 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 410 includes one or more application programs 414, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 416. The memory 410 may store, for use by the UE 400, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0107] The memory 410 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 (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 410 may allow the UE 400 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 410, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0108] The processing circuitry 402 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 412. The communication interface 412 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 422. The communication interface 412 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 418 and / or a receiver 420 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 418 and receiver 420 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 422) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0109] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 412 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 / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0110] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 412, 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).

[0111] 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 awireless 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.

[0112] 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 400 shown in Figure 4.

[0113] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship 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.

[0114] 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.

[0115] Figure 5 shows a network node 500 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NRNodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0116] 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).

[0117] 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, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0118] The network node 500 includes a processing circuitry 502, a memory 504, a communication interface 506, and a power source 508. The network node 500 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and aRNC 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 500 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 500 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 504 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 510 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 500 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 500, 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 500.

[0119] The processing circuitry 502 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 500 components, such as the memory 504, to provide network node 500 functionality.

[0120] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 502 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 502 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 512 and baseband processing circuitry 514. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 512 and the baseband processing circuitry 514 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 512 and baseband processing circuitry 514 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0121] The memory 504 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 non-volatile, non-transitory device- readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 502. The memory 504 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 502 and utilized by the network node 500. The memory 504 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 502 and / or any data received via the communication interface 506. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 502 and memory 504 is integrated.

[0122] The communication interface 506 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 506 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 516 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 506 also includes radio front-end circuitry 518 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 510. Radio front-end circuitry 518 comprises filters 520 and amplifiers 522. The radio front-end circuitry 518 may be connected to an antenna 510 and processing circuitry 502. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 510 and processing circuitry 502. The radio front-end circuitry 518 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 518 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 520 and / or amplifiers 522. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 510. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 510 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 518. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 502. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0123] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 500 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 518, instead, the processing circuitry 502 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 510. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 512 is part of the communication interface 506. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 506 includes one or more ports orterminals 516, the radio front-end circuitry 518, and the RF transceiver circuitry 512, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 506 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 514, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0124] The antenna 510 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 510 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 518 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 510 is separate from the network node 500 and connectable to the network node 500 through an interface or port.

[0125] The antenna 510, communication interface 506, and / or the processing circuitry 502 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 510, the communication interface 506, and / or the processing circuitry 502 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.

[0126] The power source 508 provides power to the various components of network node 500 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 508 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 500 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 500 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 508. As a further example, the power source 508 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.

[0127] Embodiments of the network node 500 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 5 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionalitynecessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 500 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 500 and to allow output of information from the network node 500. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 500. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 108 of FIG. 3, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry 518 and the RF transceiver circuitry 512 may be omitted.

[0128] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 600 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 600 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 600 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0129] Applications 602 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0130] Hardware 604 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 606 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs608a and 608b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 608), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 606 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 608.

[0131] The VMs 608 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 606. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 602 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 608, 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.

[0132] In the context of NFV, a VM 608 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, nonvirtualized machine. Each of the VMs 608, and that part of hardware 604 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 608 on top of the hardware 604 and corresponds to the application 602.

[0133] Hardware 604 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 604 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 604 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 610, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 602. In some embodiments, hardware 604 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 612 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0134] 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.

[0135] 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.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A method performed by a network node for performing an MDT process, the method comprising: receiving (100), from a continuous MDT consumer, a Trace Reference (TR) associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix; and allocating (102) a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) for a Trace Recording session, the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting (104), to a user equipment (UE) selected for the Trace Recording session, the TR and / or the TRSR; and subsequently receiving (106), from the UE, an MDT measurement report including the TR and / or the TRSR.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises a bit sequence having a predetermined length, the bit sequence having one of a predetermined range of values.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined length is either 1 octet or 2 octets.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the predetermined range of values comprises a set of one or more prefix values that are reserved for identifying continuous management-based MDT processes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the TR associated with the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises receiving the TR and the MDT prefix, the MDT prefix being appended to the TR.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the TR associated with the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises receiving the TR and the MDT prefix, the MDT prefix being signalled to the network node separately from the TR.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the TR associated with the continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises receiving the TR and the continuous management-based MDT prefix, the continuous management-based MDT prefix being comprised within the TR.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the continuous management-based MDT prefix is comprised within the TR at a predetermined location of the TR.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined location comprises either a first octet or a last octet of the TR.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises: generating the TRSR; and appending the received continuous management-based MDT prefix to the generated TRSR.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix comprises generating the TRSR incorporating the received continuous management-based MDT prefix at a predetermined location within the TRSR.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined location comprises either a first octet or a last octet of the TRSR.

14. A network node for performing an MDT process, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of: receiving, from a continuous MDT consumer, a Trace Reference (TR) associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix; allocating a Trace Recording Session Reference (TRSR) for a Trace Recording session, the TRSR using the received continuous management-based MDT prefix; transmitting, to a UE selected for the Trace Recording session, the TR andTRSR; andsubsequently receiving, from the UE, MDT measurements including at least the continuous management-based MDT prefix; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

15. A method performed by a network node for performing an MDT process, the method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, UE, an MDT measurement report including a Trace Reference ,TR, and / or a Trace Recording Session Reference, TRSR, for a Trace Recording session; determining that the received TR and / or TRSR is / are associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix; and responsive to determining that the received TR and / or TRSR is associated with a continuous management-based MDT prefix, selecting the UE for continuous MDT measurements.

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