Ai / ML framework to support WTRU data collection over the user plane

Abstract

A WTRU may receive a DL-NAS message that comprises an indication that the WTRU should establish a PDU session for the purpose of data collection. The WTRU may send a UL NAS message acknowledging the DL-NAS message. The WTRU may send a NAS-MM message that comprises a PDU session establishment request and an indication that the PDU Session is for data collection. The WTRU may receive an RRC Message that comprises a the PDU session establishment accept message. The WTRU may collect data and generate an unstructured PDU that comprises a first part indicating the type of data in the payload, a second part being a sequence number, and / or a third part which carries collected data. The WTRU may send the unstructured PDU in the PDU session. A RAN may receive a PDU) session establishment accept message for a PDU session and an N2 Message for the PDU Session.

Description

AI / ML Framework to support WTRU Data Collection Over the User PlaneCROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIORITY INFORMATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application Number 63 / 703,018, filed October 3, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] 3GPP has started specifying mechanisms and frameworks for using artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) based approaches both the air interface level (e.g., CSI- feedback enhancements (e.g., CSI compression), beam management / prediction and wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) positioning) and network level (e.g., network energy saving, load balancing and mobility).

[0003] AI / ML operations are based on models (e.g., Neural networks) that have been trained using a substantial amount of data under different scenarios / conditions. The conditions could be WTRU side conditions (e.g., speed) or network side conditions (e.g., antenna pattern, load, etc.,). These are referred to as WTRU side additional conditions and network side additional conditions, respectively.

[0004] For a given AI / ML functionality, there could be several models (e.g., each trained / suitable for different network / WTRU side additional conditions).

[0005] Once a model is well trained, it can be deployed (e.g., in a test environment, e.g., test network) for performance testing. Model monitoring may need to be performed even after deployment in a real network, as the current network / WTRU conditions can become different from the scenarios / conditions in which the model was trained / tested. If the model monitoring is shown to provide undesirable WTRU / network performance, a decision could be made to switch to another model or stop using AI / ML based operations for the concerned function, etc., The performance monitoring can also be used to determine whether a model needs to be retained with new sets of data. Model training and monitoring can be performed at the WTRU, at the network, or in collaboration between the two. Model training and monitoring can be performed offline or online.SUMMARY

[0006] The following describes example procedures for how a data collection server function (DCSF) may be triggered to initiate a data collection procedure. Once triggered, the DCSF will determine one or more wireless transmit / receive units (WTRU) to collect data from. For each determined, or selected, WTRU, the DCSF will request that the network trigger and configure the WTRU to perform data collection. Once triggered and configured, the WTRU will begin to collect data and report the collected data to the DCSF.

[0007] According to one example aspect, the disclosure relates to a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that includes a processor and a memory, that is configured to receive a downlink non-access stratum (DL NAS) message. The downlink message includes an indication that the WTRU should establish a packet data unit (PDU) session for the purpose of data collection. According to an example aspect, the WTRU may be configured to send an uplink (UL) NAS message. The sent UL NAS message acknowledges the DL NAS message. According to an example aspect, the WTRU may be configured to send a NAS mobility management (NAS-MM) message. The sent NAS-MM message may include a PDU session establishment request and an indication that the PDU Session is for data collection. According to an example aspect, the WTRU may be configured to receive a radio resource control (RRC) message. The received RRC message may include a PDU session establishment accept message. According to an example aspect, the WTRU may be configured to collect data and generate an unstructured PDU, wherein the unstructured PDU may include a first part which indicates the type of data in the payload, a second part which is a sequence number, and / or a third part which carries collected data. According to an example aspect, the WTRU may be configured to send the unstructured PDU in the PDU Session.

[0008] In an example, the DL NAS message may include a data network name / single-network slice selection assistance information (DNN / S-NSSAI) combination that can be used to establish the PDU Session. In an example, the NAS-MM message may include the DNN / S-NSSAI combination that was received in the DL NAS message. In an example, the NAS-MM message may include a DNN / S-NSSAI combination that is determined based on a URSP Rule and the indication that the PDU Session is for data collection. In an example, the RRC message may include data collection configuration information that is based on the information about a type of data that a Data Collection Server Function (DCSF) wants to collect. In an example, the unstructured PDU is generated based on the data collection configuration information.

[0009] According to one example aspect, the disclosure relates to a radio access network (RAN) device that includes a processor and a memory, that is configured to receive a PDU2024P00737WQ session establishment accept message for a PDU session and an N2 Message for the PDU Session. According to an example aspect, the RAN may be configured to send the PDU session establishment accept message to a WTRU. According to an example aspect, the RAN may be configured to receive an unstructured PDU for the PDU session. According to an example aspect, the RAN may be configured to determine, based on the N2 Message, that a type of data that is carried in the PDU is a type of data that a DCSF wants to trigger collection of context data. According to an example aspect, the RAN may be configured to send a context report to the DCSF, wherein the context report comprises a data collection (DC) correlation identifier, a sequence number of the unstructured PDU that triggered the report, and / or context information.

[0010] In an example, the N2 message may include one or more quality of service (QoS) profiles, an indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN device that serves the PDU Session, a DC correlation identifier, and / or a context information destination address. In an example the N2 message may include information about the type of data that a DCSF wants to trigger collection of context data. In an example, the processor is further configured to send the unstructured PDU to a User Plane Function (UPF) of the RAN device. In an example, the context report is sent to a context information destination address indicated by the N2 message.

[0011] An apparatus includes a processor that may be configured to receive a packet data unit (PDU) session establishment accept message for a PDU session and an indication that data collection context information is requested. The processor may be configured to send the PDU session establishment accept message to a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU). The processor may be configured to receive an unstructured PDU for the PDU session. The processor may be configured to send a context report to a Data Collection Server Function (DCSF) based on the unstructured PDU and the indication that data collection context information is requested, where the context report includes at least one of a data collection (DC) correlation identifier, a sequence number of the unstructured PDU, or the data collection context information.

[0012] The processor may be configured to receive a data collection (DC) correlation identifier or a destination address associated with the data collection context information.

[0013] The processor may be configured to receive information indicating a type of data that the DCSF wants to trigger collection of context data. The processor may be configured to send the context report based on the type of data carried in the unstructured PDU.

[0014] The indication that data collection context information may be requested is received as an N2 message, and the N2 message may further include one or more quality of service (QoS)2024P00737WQ profiles, a data collection (DC) correlation identifier, or a context information destination address.

[0015] The N2 message may include information about a type of data that a Data Collection Server Function (DCSF) wants to trigger collection of context data.

[0016] The context report may be sent to a context information destination address indicated by the N2 message.

[0017] The apparatus may include a radio access node (RAN).

[0018] The data collection context information may include one or more timestamps, a RAN node identification (ID), radio conditions, or network congestion level.

[0019] The processor may be configured to send the context report to the DCSF based on the indication that data collection context information is requested indicating that a WTRU is sending an immediate report.

[0020] The processor may be configured to determine a training model update is required. The processor may be configured to based on determining the training model update is required, and based on the context report, determine a number of wireless transmit / receive units (WTRU) to collect data from to update the training model.

[0021] A method performed by an apparatus may include one or more of the following steps. The method may include receiving a packet data unit (PDU) session establishment accept message for a PDU session and an indication that data collection context information is requested. The method may include sending the PDU session establishment accept message to a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU). The method may include receiving an unstructured PDU for the PDU session. The method may include sending a context report to a Data Collection Server Function (DCSF) based on the unstructured PDU and the indication that data collection context information is requested, where the context report may include at least one of a data collection (DC) correlation identifier, a sequence number of the unstructured PDU, or the data collection context information.

[0022] The method may include receiving a data collection (DC) correlation identifier or a destination address associated with the data collection context information.

[0023] The method may include receiving information indicating a type of data that the DCSF wants to trigger collection of context data. The method may include sending the context report based on the type of data carried in the unstructured PDU.

[0024] The indication that data collection context information is requested is received as an N2 message, and the N2 message may further include one or more quality of service (QoS)2024P00737WG profiles, a data collection (DC) correlation identifier, or a context information destination address.

[0025] The N2 message may include information about a type of data that a Data Collection Server Function (DCSF) wants to trigger collection of context data.

[0026] The context report may be sent to a context information destination address indicated by the N2 message.

[0027] The apparatus may include a radio access node (RAN).

[0028] The data collection context information may include, one or more timestamps, a RAN node identification (ID), radio conditions, or network congestion level.

[0029] The method may include sending the context report to the DCSF based on the indication that data collection context information is requested indicating that a WTRU is sending an immediate report.

[0030] The method may include determining a training model update is required. The method may include based on determining the training model update is required, and based on the context report, determining a number of wireless transmit / receive units (WTRU) to collect data from to update the training model.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0032] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0033] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0034] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example data collection procedure.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example procedure for initiating data collection.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example procedure of data collection server function (DCSF) interfaces.2024P00737WG

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example procedure for establishing a packet data unit (PDU) session for data collection.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example procedure for using the PDU session for data collection.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word DFT-Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a CN 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or a “STA”, may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a WTRU.

[0042] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0043] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, e.g., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0044] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0045] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), whichmay establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0046] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE- Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0047] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access, which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0048] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., a eNB and a gNB).

[0049] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (e.g., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (e.g., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0050] The base station 114b in FIG. 1 A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellularbased RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection2024P00737WQ to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0051] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0052] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0053] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0054] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122,2024P00737WG a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0055] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1 B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0056] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0057] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0058] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11 , for example.2024P00737WG

[0059] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0060] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0061] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0062] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 1382024P00737WG may include one or more sensors, the sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0063] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0064] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the ON 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0065] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0066] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0067] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0068] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0069] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0070] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0071] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit- switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0072] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1A-1D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0073] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0074] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have an access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respectivedestinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to-peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11e DLS or an 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0075] When using the 802.11 ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width via signaling. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0076] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0077] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0078] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11 af and 802.11 ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11 ah relative to those used in 802.11 n, and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non- TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications, such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0079] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11 ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (e.g., which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode), transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the frequency bands remains idle and may be available.

[0080] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0081] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0082] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating withthe WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 180b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0083] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0084] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non-standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.2024P00737WQ

[0085] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0086] The CN 115 shown in FIG. 1D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0087] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of NAS signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non- 3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0088] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating WTRU IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.2024P00737WQ

[0089] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0090] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0091] In view of FIGS. 1A-1 D, and the corresponding description of FIGS. 1A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-ab, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0092] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or may performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0093] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication2024P00737WG network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0094] Model training and monitoring may be performed at the WTRU, at the network, or in collaboration between the WTRU and the network. Model training and monitoring may be performed offline or online.

[0095] A given artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) model may be trained under certain WTRU and network conditions. For example, a WTRU condition could be the speed of the wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU). On the other hand, network conditions could be something that may be related to some network configurations / settings that the WTRU may not be aware of but may impact the performance of the model. For example, an AI / ML beam management model may perform differently if it is trained when the network was using a certain antenna pattern, beam pattern, power levels, and so on. Also, there could be aspects related to network load, that may have impact on the model performance. Since the WTRU doesn’t necessarily need to know all network conditions, settings, and configurations (and network may also not want to expose some of these implementation), the network could hide these details by signaling to the WTRU (e.g., via broadcast signaling, dedicated signaling, etc.,) a network configuration index or associated ID. In other words, the configuration index or associated ID can be associated with one or more network conditions, settings, and configurations. The configuration index or associated ID may be called an association ID. For example, when data is being collected for training a model, tagging may be performed indicating under which network conditions the model is being trained. When a WTRU is being configured to perform an AI / ML operation, it may be configured to check the consistency between the conditions under which the AI / ML model is trained on and current conditions (e.g., current WTRU conditions, current associated ID signaled by the network indicating current network conditions / settings, etc.).

[0096] 3GPP working groups (WG) including radio access network (RAN) WGs and system architecture (SA) WGs have studied the topic of data collection. Data collection is a function that provides input data to the model training, management, and inference functions. Data collection is performed for the purpose of AI / ML model training.

[0097] Model training is a function that performs AI / ML model training, validation, and testing which may generate model performance metrics which may be used as part of the model testing procedure. The model training function is also responsible for data preparation (e.g., data preprocessing and cleaning, formatting, and transformation) based on training data delivered by a data collection function, if required. If a model storage function is used, the model training function may be used to deliver trained, validated and tested AI / L models to the model storage function. Note that according to studies conducted by 3GPP RAN WGs, “for all types of offline model training (e.g., WTRU-side, NW-side, or two-sided mode training) there is no latency requirement for data collection.”

[0098] When designing 3GPP system enhancements to support data collection procedures consideration should be given to what type of data is reported and what type of data needs to be reported. Examples of the type data the needs to be reported are data related to model input, data related to ground truth, data that may provide assistance when categorizing the data, and information about the quality of the data (e.g. relevance of the data to the training, uniformity of the data contents, etc.).

[0099] When designing 3GPP system enhancements to support data collection procedures, consideration should be given to how the WTRU is configured to perform the reporting of the collected data. When designing 3GPP system enhancements to support data collection procedures, consideration should be given to whether the WTRU is able to report information that is proprietary. Proprietary refers to information that is reported by the WTRU and is not necessarily standardized. For example, the information may be collected by the mobile network operator (MNO) and provided to the handset manufacturer.

[0100] Fig 2 illustrates an example data collection procedure 200. Options for data collection for WTRU-side model training. In order to support an AI / ML model that is resident on the WTRU, different mechanisms may be used for collecting training data from the WTRU. At step 202, the WTRU may collect data and transfer the data for training to an over the top (OTT) server and the transfer may take place in a way that the transfer is transparent to the cellular network (e.g., the collected data will be transmitted like any other user plane data, like internet browsing, streaming, etc.).

[0101] At step 204, the WTRU may collect data and transfer the data for training to an OTT server and the transfer may take place in a way that the transfer is not transparent to the cellular network (e.g., even though the collected data is directly sent to an OTT server, the MNO is aware that the data collection / transfer is happening and may have some control over it, e.g., the control of the transmission of the collected data).

[0102] Another option may be called option 2. In some examples, the WTRU may collect data and transfer the data for training to the core network. The core network may then transfer the data to an OTT server. At step 206, the WTRU may collect data and transfer the data for training to an operations, administrations, and maintenance (OAM) system. The 0AM system may then transfer the data to an OTT server.

[0103] The data collection mechanism may be designed such that an MNO may manage data transfer to the OTT server. Managing means controlling the initiation, timing, and destination of the data transfer. The term ‘transparent” refers to the visibility of the data to the cellular network and radio access network. Data is visible if the cellular network or radio access network (e.g. the MNO of the cellular network or radio access network) is able to detect that the WTRU is transmitting training data and is able to access and understand (e.g. comprehend or interpret) the training data.

[0104] How to ensure that an MNO have full control on a data collection process. Some procedures enable the collection and transfer of data from measurements and information provided by the WTRU. For example, 3GPP supports data collection and reporting at the application layer by enabling data collection entity at the WTRU to collect domain specific data. Multiple instantiations of domain specific data collection entities may be supported. Note that the current specifications state that the definitions of these instantiations are beyond the scope of the 3GPP specification, and the realization of these logical functions is implementationdependent. As such, it is not clear how an MNO may have full control of standardized data collection when in fact the instantiation of domain specific data collection entity is beyond the scope of 3GPP specification. It is desirable to enhance the 5G System or design a new system that enables operators to control how these data are collected and what data may be collected.

[0105] How to enable the MNO to have full visibility for standardized collected data. When collected data is transferred end to end (E2E) over the user plane using regular protocol data unit (PDU) sessions, at least two mechanisms may be used to transfer this data and both mechanisms are realized using the user plane to transfer the collected data. This transfer is either done directly using a data collection application function that may or may not be in the MNO trust domain, or indirectly over the application layer using a regular PDU session which is not explicitly identifiable from any other user data. Both scenarios pose operators concerns since user data carried over the user plane is not readily identifiable, unless other complex, proprietary mechanisms, such as deep packet inspection (DPI), are used to identify these data.

[0106] It is desirable to enhance the 5G system to enable the operator to have visibility of the data that is being collected in the MNO network and that is transferred E2E to a third party2024P00737WG application server (e.g. an OTT server) for further processing. In addition, it is desirable that the operator be able to distinguish standardized data from proprietary data, in cases where partial visibility may be allowed.

[0107] Providing context data for data that is collected from the WTRU. When data is collected from a WTRU and sent to a data collection server function (DCSF), the DCSF may not be aware of the network conditions when the data was collected by the WTRU. For example, the DCSF might not be aware of relative congestion levels in the network when the WTRU collected the data. However, if both the collected data and information about network conditions were available to the DCSF, then both the collected data and the information about network conditions could be used for model training. The result of using both the collected data and the information about network conditions for model training may be a model that is better trained (e.g. performs better). Examples of network conditions include radio measurements, information that relates to the about of data and signaling traffic in a cell, network settings, and network configurations. Some information about network conditions can be identified with an association identifier.

[0108] The 3GPP system (e.g., the present 3GPP system) may not provide means for determining information about network conditions jointly with collected data. In other words, there may not be a mechanism in place to provide the DCSF with information about the condition of the network when the data was collected by the WTRU. The information about the condition of the network is called context information because the information provides additional context for the data that was collected by the WTRU.

[0109] The terms RAN node, eNodeB, gNodeB, and base station may be used interchangeably. Data collection may refer to the WTRU logging data (e.g., measurements) and sending it to an DCSF. Context information may refer to information that is provided by the network (e.g. a RAN node or core network node) about the network at the time when some corresponding piece of data was collected by a WTRU. Context information can include an association identifier or context information can be associated with an association identifier. The terms DCSF or data collection server (DCS) may be used interchangeably. In addition to the inputs that are required for the inference by the AI / ML model (e.g., and hence to be collected for the training purposes) that are described below, the WTRU may collect information regarding the “ground truth”, e.g., the value that the AI / ML model is expected to infer. For example, for the positioning use case, this could be the actual WTRU location, for the beam prediction use case, this could be the signal level of the beams that are being predicted etc. Descriptions herein relating to the input parameters and their corresponding data types, etc. may be applicable to the ground truth2024P00737WQ values as well (e.g., WTRU knowing the ground truth data type / format information implicitly from the functionality ID, WTRU being configured with measurements / configurations to acquire / log the ground truth information, etc.).

[0110] A WTRU may perform any combination of the following when collecting data. The WTRU may perform any combination of the following steps. The WTRU may receive a downlink non-access stratum (DL NAS) transport message (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3, Step 5). The DL NAS transport message may include an indication that the WTRU should establish a PDU session for the purpose of data collection. The container may also contain a data network name / single-network slice selection assistance information (DNN / S-NSSAI) combination that may be used to establish the PDU session. The WTRU may send an uplink non-access stratum (UL NAS) transport message (e.g., as shown in FIG. 3, Step 6). The UL NAS transport message may acknowledge the DL NAS transport message. The WTRU may send a non-access stratum mobility management (NAS-MM) message to the network (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5, Step 1). The NAS-MM message may include a PDU session establishment request and an indication that the PDU session is for data collection. The NAS-MM message may include the DNN / S- NSSAI combination that was received in the DL NAS transport message. The NAS-MM message may include a DNN / S-NSSAI combination that is determined based on a WTRU route selection policy (URSP) rule and the indication that the PDU session is for data collection. The WTRU may receive a radio resource control (RRC) message (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5, Step 11). The RRC message may include the PDU session establishment accept message and / or data collection configuration information that is based on the information about the type of data that the DCSF wants to collect. The WTRU may collect data and build an unstructured PDU based on the data collection configuration information (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6, Step 1 and 2). The unstructured PDU may include any combination of a first part that indicates the type of data in the payload, a second part that indicates a sequence number, a third part that carries collected data, and a fourth part which carries proprietary data. The WTRU may send the unstructured PDU in the PDU session (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6, Step 3a).

[0111] A RAN node may perform any combination of the following to collect data. The RAN node may receive a PDU session establishment accept message for a PDU session and / or an N2 message for the PDU session (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5, Step 10). The N2 message may comprise any combination of one or more quality of service (QoS) profiles, an indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN node that serves the PDU session, a data collection (DC) correlation identifier, and / or a context information destination address. The N2 Message for the RAN node may also include information about the type of2024P00737WG context data that the DCSF wants to trigger collection of. The RAN node may send the PDU session establishment accept message to the WTRU (e.g., as shown in FIG. 5, Step 11). The RAN node may receive, from a WTRU, an unstructured PDU for the PDU session and may send the unstructured PDU to the user plane function (UPF) (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6, Step 3a and 3b). Based on the indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN node that serves the PDU session, the RAN node may inspect the PDU and may detect that type of data that is carried in the PDU is the type of data that the DCSF wants to trigger collection of context data (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6, Step 4a). The RAN node may send a context report to the DCSF. The context report may include the DC correlation identifier, the sequence number of the unstructured PDU that triggered the report, and context information. The context information may include an association identifier or the context report may include an association identifier. The report may be sent to the context information destination address (e.g., as shown in FIG. 6, Step 6).

[0112] Described herein are example procedures for how an DCSF may be triggered to initiate a data collection procedure. Once triggered, the DCSF may determine one or more WTRUs to collect data from. For each determined, or selected, WTRU, the DCSF may request that the network trigger and configure the WTRU to perform data collection. Once triggered and configured, the WTRU may begin to collect data and report the collected data to the DCSF.

[0113] FIG. 2 shows an example of how data collection may be achieved. At step 302, the DCSF may initiate data collection as shown in the procedure of FIG. 3. At step 502, the WTRU may establish a PDU session that may be used for data collection as shown in the procedure of FIG. 5. At step 602, the WTRU, network, and DCSF may execute data collection procedures as shown in the procedure of FIG. 6.

[0114] FIG. 3 shows an example procedure 300 of how a DCSF may initiate data collection procedures with a WTRU 301 . In the procedure of FIG. 3, the WTRU 301 and DCSF 311 initially have no application layer connection, and the WTRU 301 has no PDU session established that may be used for communicating with the DCSF 311. When the DCSF 311 decides to begin collecting data from the WTRU 301 , it sends a request to a data collector controller in the core network. The request may trigger the transmission of a NAS message to the WTRU 301 . The NAS message may include an indication that the WTRU 301 should establish a PDU session that may be used for data collection. The request may also cause the data collection controller to update the WTRU’s session management subscription data. The data collection controller stores the following information in the WTRU’s session management subscription data. The2024P00737WQDNN / S-NSSAI combination that may be used to establish a PDU session for data collection, and the IP address or fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the DCSF 311 .

[0115] At step 302, the DCSF 311 may determine to initiate data collection from the WTRU 301. The determination may be based on a trigger from an application server, input from a graphical user interface (GUI), or a request from the OAM system, or directly from RAN nodes 303.

[0116] At step 304, the DCSF 311 may send a DC initiation request to the data collection controller 309. The request may include an identifier of the WTRUs to collect data from. The identifier may be a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) or generic public subscription identifier (GPSI). The request may also include the identity of the DCSF 311. The identity of the DCSF 311 may be an application function (AF) identity. The DC initiation request may indicate data collection configuration information that is the type of data that that the DCSF 311 requests to collect from the WTRU 301. The DC initiation request may include an indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN node 303 that serves the PDU session. The RAN node 303 that serves the PDU Session may be the same RAN node 303 that triggered the data collection request at step 302. The DC initiation request may also include a DC correlation identifier and a context information destination address.

[0117] At step 306, the data collection controller may authorize the request. For example, the data collection controller may check that the DCSF 311 is authorized to collect the type of data that was indicated in the DC initiation request. Determining if the DCSF 311 is authorized may be based, for example, on credentials that are provided by the operator and provisioned in the DCSF 311. After authorizing the request, the data collection controller may:

[0118] First, the data collection controller 309 may send a request to the unified data management / unified data repository (UDM / UDR) 307 to store information in the WTRU’s session management subscription data. The request may indicate a DNN / S-NSSAI combination that may be used to communicate with the DCSF 311 and the request may include an address of the DCSF 311. The address of the DCSF 311 may be an FQDN or an IP address. The data collection controller may be configured with information to map the AF identity to an FQDN or IP address. When the data collection controller writes this information to the UDM / UDR 307, the WTRU 301 identifier may be used as the data key and the DNN / S-NSSAI combination may be used as a data sub-key. The request may result in the UDM / UDR 307 storing the DNN / S-NSSAI combination, the address of the DCSF 311 , and the AF identity. The data collection controller 309 may also store, in the UDM / UDR 307, the indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN node 303 that serves the PDU session, the DC correlation identifier,2024P00737WG the context information destination address, and / or the information about the type of data that the DCSF 311 wants to collect.

[0119] Second, the data collection controller 309 may send a request to the UDM / UDR 307 to request that the UDM / UDR 307 send trigger to the WTRU 301 to initiate establishment of a PDU session for the purpose of data collection. The request to send a trigger may include the address of the DCSF 311 and a DNN / S-NSSAI combination that may be used to communicate with the DCSF 311.

[0120] At step 308, the UDM / UDR 307 may send a transparent container to the AMF 305. Transparent means that the AMF 305 does not need to be able to understand the content of the container. The container may include at least an indication that the WTRU 301 should establish a PDU session for the purpose of data collection or reception of the container will trigger the WTRU 301 to establish a PDU session for the purpose of data collection. The container may also contain the address of the DCSF 311. The container may also contain a DNN / S-NSSAI combination that may be used to establish the PDU session.

[0121] At step 310, the access and mobility management function (AMF 305) may deliver the container to the WTRU 301 in a DL NAS transport message.

[0122] At step 312, the WTRU 301 may acknowledge receipt of the container by sending an UL NAS transport message. The UL NAS transport message may include an acknowledgement container. The acknowledgement container may indicate whether the WTRU 301 rejects the request to establish the PDU session. If the WTRU 301 rejects the request to establish the PDU session, the WTRU 301 may include a cause value.

[0123] At step 314, the AMF 305 may receive the acknowledgement container and forward the acknowledgement container to the UDM / UDR 307. The acknowledgement container may be transparent to the AMF 305.

[0124] At step 316, the UDM / UDR 307 may notify the data collection controller of whether the WTRU 301 rejected the request to establish the PDU session.

[0125] At step 318, the data collection controller 309 may notify the DCSF 311 of whether the WTRU 301 rejected the request to establish the PDU session.

[0126] Transmission of the UL NAS transport message may trigger the WTRU 301 to execute the procedure of FIG. 5.

[0127] Triggering the DCSF 311 to initiate data collection. As discussed in the description of the procedure of FIG. 3, the DCSF 311 may be triggered to perform data collection.

[0128] The DCSF 31 may be triggered by an OTT server to perform data collection. Perform data collection refers to initiating procedures to collect data from one or more WTRUs. The trigger message from the OTT server to the DCSF 311 may indicate that certain WTRUs or types of WTRUs that the OTT server wants to collect data from. The trigger message from the OTT server to the DCSF 311 may indicate that the OTT server wants to collect data from a certain number of WTRUs in an area. The trigger message from the OTT server may include an AF-identity. The AF-identity of the OTT server may identify the owner of the OTT server (e.g. a 3rd party) and the DCSF may authorize the request from the OTT server before initiating the data collection procedure.

[0129] The DCSF 311 may be triggered to perform data collection by the OAM system. The trigger message may indicate an area where the data should be collected from. For example, the trigger message may indicate that the DCSF 311 should collect data from WTRUs that are in a certain geographical area, registered via certain RAN nodes / cells, or registered via certain tracking areas. This option may be useful if models are location specific or model needs to be retrained to perform better in certain areas. The trigger message may indicate that the data should be collected by a number of WTRUs that are registered to a particular slice or a particular type of slice. The slice may be identified by network slice instance identifier (NSI ID) and the type of slice may be identified by single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). This option may be useful to improve model training for WTRU’s that use certain network slices. The trigger message may indicate that the data should be collected by a number of WTRUs that have a PDU session with a certain DNN / S-NSSAI combination. This option may be useful to improve model training for WTRU’s that send data to certain data networks. The trigger message may indicate that data should be collected for certain WTRUs. This option may be useful to improve model training for certain WTRUs. The trigger message may indicate that the data should be collected by WTRUs fulfilling certain WTRU side conditions (e.g., WTRUs moving within a certain speed, or WTRUs for which QoE is maintained above certain threshold).

[0130] The DCSF 311 may be triggered to perform data collection by a RAN node 303. The trigger message may indicate that data should be collected from certain WTRUs, or the trigger message may indicate that data should be collected from a certain number of WTRUs. This RAN node 303 may initiate the procedure when it determines that model training needs to be improved. The RAN node 303 may determine the number of WTRUs to collected data from based on a trade-off between how much data is required for accurate training and network conditions. For example, it may be desirable to collect data from a relatively large number of2024P00737WGWTRUs in order to improve model accuracy and it may be desirable to collect data from a relatively small number of WTRUs in order to not generate a lot of network traffic.

[0131] As described at step 304 of the procedure of FIG. 3, the data collection controller 309 is a network function or service that accepts requests from an DCSF 311 to perform data collection. The request may indicate the type of data to be collected and the identity of the WTRU’s to collect the data from.

[0132] As described at step 306 of the procedure of FIG. 3, the data collection controller 309 may configure a data collection procedure based on the information from the DCSF 311. For example, the data collection controller may send information to the UDR to store information in the WTRU’s session management subscription. The information may be used to configure a PDU session that is used by the WTRU to communicate with the DCSF 311 . The data collection controller may perform a procedure to check if the DCSF 311 is authorized to collect data from the WTRU 301 and / or check whether the DCSF 311 is authorized to collect the type of requested data from the WTRU 301 . The data collection controller 309 may send information to the UDR 307 to store information about what data to be collect from the WTRU 301 and what information, if any, to also be collected from the network nodes such as the RAN node 303 or core network nodes. This information may be used by the session management function (SMF) to determine information to send the RAN node 303 that serves the WTRU 301 . The information can be used by the RAN node 303 to configure the WTRU 301 for data collection and reporting. The information can also be used by the RAN node 303 to determine whether and how to report context information to the DCSF 311.

[0133] It should be appreciated that the data collection controller functionality may be part of a different network function such as the network data analytics function (NWDAF) or a data collection coordination function (DCCF). It should be appreciated that the data collection controller functionality and DCSF functionality that is described in this part may be part of the same network function.

[0134] The 3GPP system may be enhanced to support multiple data reporting mechanisms. For example, the WTRU may be able to report data via the user plane (e.g., a PDU session) or the control plane (e.g. via RRC or NAS messaging) or both via the user plane (e.g., a PDU session) and the control plane (e.g. via RRC or NAS messaging). For example, some types of data may be report via the user plane (e.g., a PDU session) and other types of data may be reported via the control plane (e.g. via RRC or NAS messaging). The data collection controller may determine, based on local policies, which reporting mechanism should be used by the WTRU. The selected reporting mechanism may be stored in the WTRU’s subscription information whenthe data collection controller sends information about the data collection session to the UDM / UDR.

[0135] As described at step 306 of the procedure of FIG. 3, the data collection controller may trigger the UDM / UDR 307 to send a container to the WTRU 301 . The container may be delivered to the WTRU 301 in a NAS message. Besides triggering the WTRU 301 to establish a PDU session that may be used for reporting collected data, the container may also include data reporting configuration information. The data reporting configuration information may indicate what type of data the WTRU 301 needs to collect and where the data needs to be reported to (e.g. what DCSF 311 the data needs to report to).

[0136] Upon reception of the container with the data reporting configuration, the WTRU 301 NAS layer may either send the data reporting configuration to the WTRU RRC layer or send the data reporting configuration to the WTRU 301 data collection client.

[0137] The WTRU 301 data collection client may then provide the data reporting configuration information to the RRC layer of the WTRU 301 .

[0138] The data collection controller 309 may be implemented as an operator-controlled and operator-managed AF.

[0139] The DCSF 311 may be a core network function that may be controlled by a network operator. The DCSF 311 may interface with an OTT server. The DCSF 311 may perform at least one of the following actions. The DCSF 311 may receive data collection requests from an OTT server. The DCSF 311 may authorize data collection requests from an OTT server. The DCSF 311 may select a WTRU 301 to participate in data collection requests from an OTT server. The DCSF 311 may trigger other network nodes (e.g. the data collection controller) to configure a WTRU 301 to perform data collection. The DCSF 311 may receive collected data from WTRUs. The DCSF 311 may receive context information from network nodes (e.g. the RAN node and / or UPF). The DCSF 311 may process the collected data received from the WTRU 301 and may send the processed collected data to an OTT server. The DCSF 311 may process the context information received from network nodes (e.g. the RAN node and / or UPF) and may send the processed context information to an OTT server. And / or the DCSF may use a collection protocol to communicate with the DCSF 311.

[0140] The data collection controller functionality and DCSF 311 functionality described in this part may be part of the same network function. The DCSF 311 may be implemented as an operator-controlled and operator-managed application server (AS).

[0141] FIG. 4 shows an example procedure 400 of how the DCSF 403 may interface to other entities such as the WTRU client 401 , the over-the-top (OTT) server 405, and the data collectioncontroller 407. The interface between the DCSF 403 and WTRU client 401 may be based on a protocol that is described herein and is used to collect data from the WTRU. The interface between the DCSF 403 and data collection controller 407 is described herein and may be based on a service based interface and based on the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). The interaction between the DCSF 403 and data collection controller 407 may take place via a network exposure function (NEF). In other words, the NEF may process messages that are sent between the DCSF 403 and data collection controller 407. The interface between the DCSF 403 and OTT server 405 may be based on the HTTP protocol of file transfer protocol (FTP).

[0142] The procedure 600 of FIG. 6 describes how the DCSF 611 may receive collected data from the WTRU 620. The DCSF 611 may process the data and send the data to the OTT server 405.

[0143] The OTT server 405 may be configured with authorization information that indicates what types of data the OTT server 405 is allowed to receive and indicates what WTRU the OTT server 405 is allowed to receive data from.

[0144] When the DCSF 611 receives collected data, it may decide to forward some of the received data to the OTT 405 server and not forward some of the received data to the OTT server 405. For example, a message may be received from the WTRU 620 and the message may include a first value and a second value. The DCSF 611 may determine, based on the authorization information, that the OTT server 405 is authorized to receive the first value but not the second value. The DCSF 611 may indicate to the OTT server 405 that the second value was removed.

[0145] When the DCSF 611 receives collected data, the collected data may include information about the WTRU’s location or the DCSF 611 may receive WTRU 620 location information from the NEF. The DCSF 611 may determine, based on the authorization information, that the OTT server 405 is authorized to receive WTRU 620 location with a certain granularity and is therefore not authorized to WTRU 620 location with other granularities. Thus, the DCSF 611 may modify the granularity of the location information before sending the location to the OTT server 405. An example of modifying the granularity of the location is that the DCSF 611 may determine that the WTRU 620 is connected via a specific cell, but the DCSF 611 may choose to report the WTRU’s tracking area instead of the specific cell that the WTRU 620 is connected to. A tracking area may be less granular than a cell identifier.

[0146] When the DCSF 611 receives collected data from the WTRU 620, whether the DCSF 611 also sends the identity of the WTRU 620 to the OTT server 405 may depend on the authorization information. For example, the DCSF 611 may provide collected data to the OTTserver 405 but may not provide information to the OTT server 405 about the identity of the WTRU 620 that the data was collected from. However, based on authorization limits, the DCSF 611 may provide the OTT server 405 with information about the identity of the WTRU 620 that the data was collected from. In other words, what WTRU 620 identifier is sent to the OTT server 405 may depend on the authorization information.

[0147] As described in the procedure 600 of FIG. 6, the DCSF 611 may receive context information from the RAN node 605 or UPF 609. The DCSF 611 may correlate the context information with data that was received from the WTRU 620 and send the context information to the OTT server 405 with the data that was received from the WTRU 620. For example, the DCSF 611 may send, to the OTT server 405, information about network conditions at, or near, the time that the data was collected by the WTRU 620.

[0148] As shown in the procedure of FIG. 6, a client 601 in the WTRU 620 may communicate with the DCSF 611 . The main purpose of the communication between the client 601 and the DCSF 611 may be to report collected data from the WTRU 620 to the DCSF 611. However, communication between the client 601 and the DCSF 611 may also serve other purposes.

[0149] A protocol may be defined between the client 601 and the DCSF 611. The protocol may support procedures that are executed between the DCSF 611 and the client 601 . Each procedure may involve the client 601 sending a message to the DCSF 611 and the DCSF 611 receiving the message, and / or the DCSF 611 sending a message to the client and the client receiving the message.

[0150] The protocol may support a connection initiation procedure. When the WTRU 620 receives, or detects, a trigger to begin data collection or reporting, the WTRU 620 may start the connection initiation procedure. The client 601 may start the connection initiation procedure by sending an initiation message to the DCSF 611. The initiation message may include the DC correlation identifier. The WTRU 620 may report data based on a data reporting session that was triggered by the DCSF 611 in the procedure of FIG. 3. The DC correlation identifier may be used by the DCSF 611 to determine what data reporting session the WTRU 620 is reporting data for. The initiation message may indicate information about what data the WTRU 620 is configured to report to the DCSF 61 land how often the WTRU 620 is configured to report data to the DCSF 611. In FIG. 3, the DCSF 311 requested that the WTRU 301 be configured in a certain way for data reporting, however, it may be that the RAN node 303 or core network configured the WTRU 301 differently. For example, the RAN node 303 may have configured the WTRU 301 to report less data than what the DCSF 311 requested that the WTRU 301 report. For example, the RAN node 303 may have determined that certain roaming WTRUs should notreport certain types of data, or the RAN node 303 may have determined that the volume of data reporting in the network should be minimized in order to avoid network congestion. The DCSF 311 may respond to the initiation message by sending an initiation accept message to the WTRU 301.

[0151] The client may determine to not report data to the DCSF 311 unless the client initiation accept message is received from the DCSF 311. In some scenarios, the DCSF 311 may send an initiation reject message to the client instead of a client initiation accept message. For example, the DCSF 311 may send an initiation reject message to the client if the DCSF 311 determines that the information about what data the WTRU 301 is configured to report does not indicate information that is sufficient or useful for the DCSF 311 or OTT server 405.

[0152] The protocol may support a report procedure. An example of the reporting procedure is shown at step 606 of FIG. 6. The client may trigger the report procedure when it determines that data should be reported. Data reporting triggers are described herein. The client may initiate the reporting procedure by sending a report message as shown at step 606 of FIG. 6. The report message may carry collected data. The format of the collected data payload is described herein. The DCSF may respond to the to the report message by sending a report acknowledgment message to the client. Reception of the report acknowledgment message by the client may trigger the client to delete the information that was included in the report message. If no report acknowledgment message by the client after a time duration, the client may determine to retransmit the report message.

[0153] The protocol may support a configuration update notification procedure. When the WTRU 301 receives new data reporting configuration information from the network e.g. in a NAS or RRC message), the client 601 may trigger the configuration update notification procedure by sending a configuration update notification. The configuration update notification message may indicate information about what data the WTRU 301 is configured to report to the DCSF 311 and how often the WTRU 301 is configured to report data to the DCSF 311. In FIG.3, the DCSF 311 requested that the WTRU 301 be configured in a certain way for data reporting, however, it may be that the RAN node 303 or core network configured the WTRU 301 differently. For example, the RAN node 303 may have configured the WTRU 301 to report less data than what the DCSF 311 requested that the WTRU 301 report. For example, the RAN node 303 may have determined that certain roaming WTRUs should not report certain types of data, or the RAN node 303 may have determined that the volume of data reporting in the network should be minimized in order to avoid network congestion. For example, the RAN node 303 that serves the WTRU may change. The configuration of the new RAN node may be2024P00737WC different than the RAN node that was formally serving the WTRU. Thus, the new RAN node may request that the WTRU change the WTRU’s data reporting configuration and this request from the new RAN node may trigger the configuration update notification procedure. The DCSF 311 may respond to the initiation message by sending a configuration update notification message accept message to the WTRU 301.

[0154] The protocol may support a configuration change request procedure. When the DCSF 311 determines to change what data is reported by the WTRU 301 , the DCSF 311 may trigger the configuration change request procedure by sending a configuration change request message. For example, the DCSF 311 may determine that it no longer needs the WTRU 301 to report certain types of data, and this determination may trigger the DCSF 311 to initiate the configuration change request procedure. The configuration change request message may indicate information about what data the WTRU 301 is requested to report or what information the WTRU 301 is requested to stop reporting. As described herein, the WTRU 301 may have received information in a NAS message or an RRC message that indicates what data the WTRU 301 is allowed to report. The configuration change request message can be used by the DCSF to indicate to the WTRU that it does not need to report certain types of information or that the WTRU is requested to report certain types of data. Although the WTRU has been configured by the RAN or core network with information that indicates that the WTRU is allowed to report the information. The configuration change request message is used by the client to determine what information needs to be reported. The client may respond to the configuration change request message by sending a configuration change request accept message to the DCSF.Alternatively, the client may send no response to the DCSF. The client will start or stop reporting a type of data based on the configuration change request message.

[0155] The protocol may support a report trigger request procedure. The DCSF 311 may determine to initiate the report trigger procedure when the DCSF detects that the WTRU is in connected mode. For example, the DCSF 311 may receive a reachability notification from an NEF and based on the notification from the NEF, determine to request that the WTRU report data. The report trigger request message may indicate information about what data the WTRU is requested to report or what information the WTRU 301 is requested to report. The client may respond to the report trigger request message by sending a report response message to the DCSF 311.

[0156] The collection protocol may be an application layer protocol. The protocol messages may be carried in an unstructured PDU session. Alternatively, the protocol messages may be sent within a protocol that is carried in top of IP such as UDP or HTTP. If an IP based protocol is2024P00737WQ used, the Client in the WTRU will receive an FQDN or an IP Address of the DCSF from the network. The FQDN or IP Address may be received via a NAS or RRC message. Alternatively, if an IP based protocol is used, the WTRU may send the messages to a place-holder IP Address (e.g., 0.0.0.0) and the UPF may populate the IP Address of uplink traffic to the DCSF so that the packet may be routed to the correct DCSF.

[0157] When the DCSF receives collected data, it may forward the collected data to the DCSF (after processing the data). Security protocols may be applied to data before sending to the OTT server. For example, the data may be sent to the OTT server in a secure tunnel. Security may be based on certificates that are provisioned in the OTT server and DCS. The DCSF may be triggered to send data to the OTT server periodically or after an amount of data is received. The OTT server may use the data for AI / ML model training. The OTT server may be implemented as a 3rd party AS.

[0158] FIG. 5 shows an example procedure 500 of how a WTRU 501 may initiate a PDU session establishment procedure so that the PDU session can be used for data collection. The procedure of FIG. 5 can be triggered by the WTRU 501 when the WTRU 501 receives a DL NAS transport message that triggers the WTRU 501 to establish the PDU session for data collection or after the WTRU 501 sends the UL NAS transport message that acknowledges the triggers. In other words, the procedure of FIG. 5 can be triggered by the message at step 310 of FIG. 3 or the message at step 312 of FIG. 3.

[0159] At step 502, the WTRU may send a PDU session establishment request to the network. The PDU session establishment request message is a non-access stratum session management (NAS-SM) message that is carried in a NAS-MM message. The NAS-MM message can include an indication that the PDU session is for data collection. The reason for including an indication that the PDU session is for data collecting in the NAS-MM part of the message is that the AMF 505 may consider this indication when performing SMF selection. For example, the AMF 505 may select an SMF 507 that can be used in a data collection PDU session. The NAS-MM part of the message can include a DNN I S-NSSAI combination. The DNN / S-NSSAI combination is used by the AMF 505 to perform SMF 507 selection. For example, the AMF 505 may select an SMF 507 that is part of a slice that is associated with the S-NSSAI and an SMF 507 that can be used to reach the DNN. The DNN / S-NSSAI combination can be the DNN / S-NSSAI combination that was provided in the DL NAS transport trigger message. The DNN / S-NSSAI combination can be determined based on URSP rule evaluation. The URSP rule evaluation can be based on a traffic descriptor (e.g., a connectioncapability) that indicates data collection or based on a traffic descriptor that is the address of the DCSF that was received in the DL NAS transport trigger message.

[0160] At step 504, the AMF 505 may receive the NAS-MM message which carries the PDU session establishment request. The AMF 505may use information from the NAS-MM part of the message to perform SMF selection. The AMF 505 may then send a request to the selected SMF to create a new PDU session. The request from the AMF 505 to the SMF 507 may carry the PDU session establishment request, the DNN, the S-NSSAI, and the indication that the PDU session may be used for data collection.

[0161] At step 506, the SMF 507 may read session management subscription data for the WTRU 501 from the UDM / UDR 509. The SMF 507 may use the WTRU 501 identifier as a data key when reading the session management subscription data and may use the S-NSSAI / DNN combination as a data sub-key when requesting to read the session management subscription data from the UDM / UDR 509 in step 3a. At step 508, the SMF 507 may receive the information that the data collection controller stored in the UDM / UDR 509 in the procedure of FIG. 3. For example, the SMF may receive the address of the DCSF 515, the AF Identity, the indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN node 503 that serves the PDU session, the DC correlation identifier, the context information destination address, and / or the information about the type of data that the DCSF 515 wants to collect.

[0162] At step 510, the SMF 507 may select a policy control function (PCF) 511 to serve the PDU session and send a policy association request to the selected PCF 511. The request may include an indication that the PDU session may be used for data collection, the address of the DCSF 515, the AF identity, and the information about the type of data that the DCSF 515 wants to collect.

[0163] The PCF may use the information from the request to derive PCC rule(s) for the PDU session. For example, the PCF 511 may derive PCC rules that are based on the type of data that may be collected and where the data may be sent (e.g. what DCSF (e.g. AF Identity) may receive the data). For example, the network operator may configure the PCF 511 to configure a higher or lower quality of service when sending certain types of data or when sending data to certain DCSFs 515. For example, the network operator may configure the PCF 511 not to charge the user (or charge the user differently as compared to traffic in other PDU sessions) for the traffic associated with this PDU session. At step 512, the PCF 511 may send the PCC rules to the SMF.2024P00737WQ

[0164] At step 514, the SMF 507 may perform UPF selection. For example, the SMF 507 may select a UPF that can be used to reach the DCSF 515. Thus, UPF selection may be based on the AF identity or the address of the DCSF 515.

[0165] At step 516, the SMF 507 may derive QoS rule(s), QoS profile(s), and N4 rule(s). For example, the PDU session may be an PDU session whose type is unstructured. Thus, the SMF 507 may derive QoS rule(s), QoS profile(s), and N4 rule(s) that are based on a single QoS flow. In other words, all traffic from the PDU session may be mapped to one QoS Flow. The configuration of the QoS Flow may be based on the policy and charging control (PCC) rules. The PCC rules may be based on the PDU session being used for data collection.

[0166] At step 518, the SMF 507may perform an N4 establishment procedure with the UPF. At step 518, the SMF 507 will send the N4 Rules to the UPF and will send the address of the DCSF 515 to the UPF 507. The message at step 518 may also include an indication that the PDU session may be used for data collection. At step 520, the UPF 513 may indicate that the N4 session was successfully established.

[0167] In some examples, the message at step 518, may include the indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN node 503 that serves the PDU session, the DC correlation identifier, and the context information destination address.

[0168] At step 522, the UPF 513 may establish an application layer connection with the DCSF 515. The UPF 513 use the DCSF 515 address that was received in step 518 to initiate the procedure to establish the application layer connection. The application layer connection may be a U DP tunnel type connection. The UPF 513 may determine what application layer protocol to use based on the indication that the PDU session may be used for data collection.

[0169] At step 526, the SMF 507 may send a response to the AMF’s request to create a PDU session. The response may include a PDU session establishment accept message for the WTRU 501. The PDU session establishment accept message may include the QoS rules that were derived in step 516 and an N2 SM message for the RAN node. The N2 SM message for the RAN node 503 may include the QoS profiles that were derived from step 516, the indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN node 503 that serves the PDU session, the DC correlation identifier, and / or the context information destination address. The N2 Message for the RAN node may also include information about the type of data that the DCSF 515 wants to trigger collection of context data.

[0170] At step 528, the AMF 505 may send the PDU session establishment accept message and the N2 SM message to the RAN node.2024P00737WG

[0171] at step 530, the RAN node 503 may store information from the N2 SM message and may send the PDU session establishment accept message to the WTRU 501. The information in the N2 SM message may include the indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN node 501 that serves the PDU session, the DC correlation identifier, and the context information destination address. In this step, the RAN node 501 may send an RRC message to the WTRU. The RRC message may carry the NAS PDU session establishment accept message to the WTRU. The RRC message also includes data collection configuration information.

[0172] An existing PDU session may be used for data collection. The procedure 300 of FIG. 3 describes how a data collection controller can configure session management information in a WTRU’s subscription. The session management information is then used by the network in a PDU session establishment procedure. The PDU session establishment procedure is described in the procedure of FIG. 5. In other words, the information is configured in the WTRU’s subscription and then the PDU session is established.

[0173] It should be understood that a similar approach can be used to configure an already established PDU session. Steps 302 through 306 of FIG. 3 can be used to configure the session management information. Configuration of the session management information can then trigger a notification to the SMF 507 that already serves a PDU session of the WTRU 501 that is associated with the DNN / S-NSSAI combination that is part of the session management information that was configured by the data collection controller. The SMF 507 may then perform steps 510 though 526 of the procedure of FIG. 5. However, steps 526 through 530 of the procedure of FIG. 5 may involve sending a PDU session modification command message to the WTRU 501 instead of a PDU session establishment accept message to the WTRU 501.

[0174] The WTRU 501 may be configured to reject requests to perform data collection. For example, the RAN node 503 may send configuration information to the WTRU 501 in an RRC message in step 530 of the procedure of FIG. 5. The configuration information may indicate to the WTRU 501 that WTRU 501 data collection configuration should be rejected. For example, the RAN node 503 may be part of the visited network and the NAS container that was delivered to the WTRU 501 in step 312 of the procedure 300 of FIG. 3 may have been sent from the home network (e.g. the UDM / UDR 509 of the HPLMN) transparently through the RAN 503. The WTRU 501 may determine to reject the request from the home network in step 312based on the configuration that was received from the RAN node 503. This option may be useful in a situation where the visited network wants to disable data collection reporting in order to avoid or resolve a congestion situation.2024P00737WC

[0175] Upon reception of the message of step 310 (FIG. 3), the WTRU 501 may send a request to the RAN node 503 to request that the WTRU 501 be able to collect and report data (e.g., request a measurement configuration that is needed to collect the desired type of data). The RAN node 503 may reject the request, and, in the rejection, the RAN node 503 may send configuration information to the WTRU 501 in an RRC message. The configuration information may indicate to the WTRU 501 that WTRU 501 data collection configuration should be rejected

[0176] For example, a GUI application that runs in the terminal equipment (TE) part of the WTRU 501 may invoke an AT Command to inform the MT part of the WTRU that data collection reporting should be disabled. The WTRU 501 may determine to reject the request from the home network in step 6 based on the configuration that was received from the GUI application. This option may be useful in a situation where the user of the WTRU desires to reduce the amount of data that is transmitted from the WTRU in order to conserve energy (e.g. battery life).

[0177] The WTRU 501 may also reject the data collection request for other reasons such as current WTRU conditions (e.g., WTRU 501 moving at a speed not compatible with the data collection requirements, WTRU 501 battery level low, WTRU not having enough buffer / memory, etc.). If the WTRU 501 determines to reject the request to perform data collection then the message of step 312 of the procedure of FIG. 3 may indicate that the WTRU 501 rejects the request and the message may also indicate a rejection cause (e.g., configuration from the RAN node or configuration from a local WTRU application). The rejection indication and rejection cause may be sent towards the DCSF in step 314, step 316, and step 318 of the procedure of FIG. 3.

[0178] The conditions (e.g., WTRU moving at a speed not compatible with the data collection requirements, WTRU 501 battery level low, WTRU not having enough buffer / memory, etc.,) that would cause the WTRU 501 to reject a request for data collection may be based on a local WTRU 501 policy that is configured in the WTRU via RRC, NAS, or an application layer GUI that runs in the TE.

[0179] FIG. 6 shows an example procedure 600 of how a WTRU and DCSF can use the PDU session that was established in the procedure of FIG. 5 to perform data collection.

[0180] At step 602, the WTRU 620 may perform data collection based on the data collection configuration information that was received in the RRC message. Receiving the RRC message that includes the data collection configuration information may trigger the WTRU to perform data collection. In some examples, the WTRU 620 may be triggered by a separate message to being performing data collection. For example, the WTRU 620 may receive the data collection2024P00737WQ configuration information and collect (e.g., only collect) and report data each time that the WTRU 620 receives a collect and report trigger in an RRC Message.

[0181] At step 604, the mobile terminal (MT) part 603 of the WTRU 620 may send collected data to an application client in the terminal equipment (TE) part of the WTRU 620. The collected data may be a payload that includes one or more of the following. The payload may include a part which indicates the type of data in the payload. The payload may include a part which is a sequence number. The payload may include a part which is a time stamp (e g., absolute time, relative / delta time, etc.). The payload may include a part which is a location information (e.g., GNSS co-ordinates, current cell, current RAN / tracking area, etc.). The payload may include a part which includes network side additional condition related information (e.g., one or more associated IDs). The payload may include a part which includes WTRU 620 side additional conditions related information (e.g., WTRU speed). The payload may include a part which carries collected data according to a standardized format. The payload may include a part which carries proprietary data.

[0182] It should be noted that all the data record may not contain all the above information. For example, the location / time related information may not be included in all data record (e.g., only the first / or the last record within a certain cell may contain the cell information, time related information may be included every certain time duration, etc.). As another example, the WTRU side or network side additional conditions may be included when (e.g., only when) they are changing. There may be some records that may contain the collected data (e.g., only the collected data) according to a standardized format, while other records may contain proprietary data (e.g., only proprietary data), and other records that may contain both.

[0183] At step 606, the application client treats the payload from the MT part 603 of the WTRU 620 as an unstructured PDU and sends the unstructured PDU in the PDU session that was established in the procedure of FIG. 5. The MT part 603 of the WTRU 620 may know to send the unstructured PDU in the PDU session that was established in the procedure of FIG. 5 based on URSP rule evaluation. For example, a traffic descriptor in a URSP rule may indicate that all traffic that if for data collection matches the traffic descriptor and the route selection descriptor (RSD) part of the URSP rule may indicate that the traffic should map to a PDU session that is associated with the DNN I S-NSSAI combination of the PDU session that was established in the procedure of FIG. 5.

[0184] At step 608, the RAN node 605 may use the QoS flow of the PDU session to send the PDU to the UPF 609. The RAN node 605 before forwarding may attach network side measured data that corresponds to the WTRU 620 side data. The RAN node 605 may inspect fields of that2024P00737WQ data for example, the data that is in a standardized format or other relevant data to help train the network side model or for other radio resource management (RRM) purposes.

[0185] at step 610, the UPF 609 may use the application layer connection with the DCSF 611 , which was established in the procedure FIG. 5, to send the unstructured PDU to the DCSF 611 .

[0186] At step 612, the RAN node 605 may read (e.g. inspect) the field of the unstructured PDU that indicates the type of data that is carried in the PDU. For example, the RAN node 605 may perform this inspection before the RAN node 605 transmits the PDU in the QoS Flow at step 608. Based on the type of data that is detected by the RAN node 605 and the indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN node 605, the RAN node 605 may detect that it need to send a context report to the DCSF 611. In other words, the RAN node 605 may determine to trigger a context report. The data collection context information may additionally indicate to the RAN node 605 that a context report needs (e.g., only needs) to be sent when certain types of data is being reported from the WTRU 620.

[0187] At step 614, the UPF 609 may read (e.g. inspect) the field of the unstructured PDU that indicates the type of data that is carried in the PDU. For example, the UPF 609 may perform this inspection after the UPF 609 receives the PDU in the QoS Flow in step 608. Based on the type of data that is detected by the UPF 609 and the indication that data collection context information is requested from the RAN node 605, the RAN node 605 may detect that the RAN node 605 needs to send a Context Report to the DCSF 611. In other words, the UPF 609 may determine to trigger a context report.

[0188] At step 616, based on the UPF’s determination that the RAN node 605 needs to send a context report to the DCSF 611, the UPF 609 may send a request to the RAN node 605 to request that the RAN node 605 send a report to the DCSF 611 . The request from the UPF 609 may include the DC correlation identifier and the sequence number of the Unstructured PDU that triggered the report.

[0189] Note that the combination of steps 614 and 616 may be alternative to step 612. Step 618 may be triggered by step 612 or step 616.

[0190] At step 618, the RAN node 605 may send a context report to the DCSF 611. The context report may include the DC correlation identifier, the sequence number of the unstructured PDU that triggered the report, and / or context information.

[0191] The report may be sent to the context information destination address. The DC correlation identifier may be provided by the DCSF 611 for the data collection session. Thus, the DC correlation identifier may be used by the DCSF 611 to determine what WTRU 620 the report relates to. The sequence number is provided by the DCSF 611 so that the DCSF 611 knows2024P00737WG what collected data the report is related to. Notice that the RAN node 605 does not need to read, or interpret, the collected data.

[0192] The data that can be collected by the WTRU 620 in step 602 of the procedure of FIG. 6 and reported in step 604 and 606 of the procedure of FIG. 6 is training data. The training data can be received by the DCSF 611 and then used for AI / ML model training. Examples of training data are target CSI, CSI feedback, gradients for CSI feedback, target CSI in observation and prediction window, layer 1 RSRPs and / or beam identifiers, timing measurements, power measurements, phase information, location information, speed information, line-of-sight or no line-of-sight indication, and proprietary data. Each example of training data listed here may be considered a type of training data.

[0193] It can be envisioned that when a certain AI / ML use case is standardized (e.g., such as the beam prediction, CSI prediction and positioning use cases that are being standardized in rel-19 in 3GPP), at least some of the inputs that are required for the inference of the model (and hence the type of the data that is needed to be collected for training) of the model, may be standardized. As such, it is possible that for each AI / ML use case (or sub use, e.g., temporal beam prediction, spatial beam prediction, etc.,) there could be a mapping of the use case and the required data type to be collected. For example, this could be a mapping of the use case and the type of data that is to be collected. For example, such a mapping could be like: Use case x: (part 1 , part 2, part 3, ... ).

[0194] Where each may correspond to an information element (e.g., one of the data types mentioned above, such as CSI values, radio signal level values, etc.,). Additionally, each part may be associated with detailed information such as the acceptable range of values, number of bits / octets that can be used to encode the values, whether that part is mandatory or optional, whether it contains one value or a list / set of values, etc.). The WTRU 620 may confirm to this structure when logging the data. Thus, the type of data that is indicated to the WTRU during the data collection procedures above may be an indication of the AI / ML use case or sub use case, from which the WTRU 620 may infer the particular data elements to be collected / logged. In some examples, it may be envisioned that the data type may be an explicit indication that includes all the individual information elements to be recorded.

[0195] A combined approach could also be envisioned where the WTRU 620 can be provided with the use case or sub use case (from which it will infer the type of data to be collected, as discussed above) and additional information that also needs to be added. In some examples, the WTRU 620 may be provided with the use case or sub use case and the type of information that it doesn’t need to provide. For example, in the specifications, it may have been stated that2024P00737WG for a certain use case the training data may include parts 1 to 10, and WTRU 620 may be told to not include part 8.

[0196] The WTRU 620 may not have all the information elements all the time, so it may be possible to have records that may contain partial information (e.g., only partial information). In these cases, the WTRU 620 may include some pre-defined values to indicate that it was not able to acquire that part of the data. In some examples, the WTRU 620 may be configured to not include a certain record unless all the required information elements / parts are acquired / available.

[0197] In the procedure 300 of FIG. 3, the DCSF 311 may indicate the type of training data that needs to be collected (e.g. the type of data that that the DCSF 311 requests to collect from the WTRU 301). In the procedure of FIG. 3, the Data Collection Controller 309 may store, in the UDM / UDR 307, information about the type of data that the DCSF 311 wants to collect.

[0198] In the procedure of FIG. 5, in steps 526 and 528, the SMF 507 may configure the RAN node 503 with information about the type of training data that needs to be collected (e.g. the type of data that that the DCSF 515 requests to collect from the WTRU 501). At step 320, the RAN node 503 may configure the WTRU 501 with information about the type of training data that needs to be collected (e.g. data collection configuration information).

[0199] Proprietary data may characterize multiple data types. For example, a proprietary data type field may be a multi bit field and what information the WTRU 501 reports may depend on the value of the multi bit field. The information that is reported based on the proprietary data type field may not be standardized. The information that is reported based on the proprietary data type field may be dependent on the manufacturer of the WTRU 501, the version of the WTRU’s software (e.g. operating system), the version of the WTRU’s firmware, or the model of the WTRU.

[0200] As described in step 604 of the procedure FIG. 6, the collected payload data may have a format and may be reported from the MT part 603 of the WTRU 620, to an application in the TE part 601 of the WTRU 620, to the RAN node 605, to the UPF 609, and to the DCSF 611.

[0201] As described in step 604 of the procedure FIG. 6, the collected payload data may have a first part which indicates the type of data in the payload, a second part which is a sequence number, and a third part which carries collected data, a fourth part which carries proprietary data.

[0202] The first part which indicates the type of data in the payload, may be a field that is not transparent to the RAN node 605 or core network nodes (e.g. the UPF 609). The reason that the first part is not transparent to the RAN node 605 or UPF 609 is that the RAN node 605 and2024P00737WGUPF 609 can read the field and detect what kind of data is being sent. The reason that the RAN node 605 may detect the type of data that is sent is that the sending of certain types of data from a WTRU 620 may trigger the RAN node 605 to send Context Information to the DCSF 611 as described in steps 612 and 618 of the procedure of FIG. 6. The reason that the UPF 609 may detect the type of data that is sent is that the sending of certain types of data from a WTRU 620 may trigger the UPF Node 609 to trigger the RAN node 605 to send context information to the DCSF 611 as described in steps 614, 616, and 618 of the procedure of FIG. 6. The reason that the UPF 609 may detect the type of data that is sent from a WTRU 620 is that the sending of certain types of data may trigger the UPF 609 to report context information to the DCSF 611 . The context information that is reported by the UPF 609 to the DCSF 611 may include information about the congestion level of the network in the WTRU’s location (e.g. the identity of the RAN Node 605 that serves the WTRU 620). For example, the UPF 609 may obtain the congestion information from the NWDAF.

[0203] The second part which indicates a sequence number, may be a field that is not transparent to the RAN node 605 or core network nodes (e.g. the UPF 609). The reason that the first part is not transparent to the RAN node 605 or UPF 609 is that the RAN node 605 and UPF 609 may include the value in the field in any context information report that the UPF 609 or RAN node 605 sends to the DCSF 611 . The DCSF 611 may use the sequence number to correlate reported data with context information.

[0204] The third part may carry the data that is collected by the WTRU 620. This part may not be transparent to the RAN node 605 and core network nodes (e.g. the UPF 609). For example, it may be transparent to RAN node 605 and core network nodes since the collected data only needs to be forwarded to the DCSF 611. In cases where the data reported was collected recently in time, the RAN node 605 may be configured to add network side measurements to the payload either in the third part or in an additional part.

[0205] The fourth part may carry the data that is collected by the WTRU 620. This part may not be transparent to the RAN node 605 and core network nodes (e.g. the UPF 609). For example, it may be transparent to RAN node 605 and core network nodes since the collected data only needs to be forwarded to the DCSF 611. The fourth part can carry proprietary data that is collected by the WTRU 620. Here, proprietary means that the data is not standardized. The data is carried in a field whose format is standardized so that the network and DCSF can detect that proprietary data is carried. The data can be specific to the WTRU 620, the type of WTRU 620, the version of software and firmware that is run in the WTRU 620. The data may be collected by the DCSF 611 so that it can be used in model training. The data may be collected by the DCSF2024P00737WG611 so that it can be provided to the handset manufacturer and used for model training and debugging. Proprietary data can include radio measurements, statistics about CPU activity, and information about what software is running in the WTRU 620.

[0206] The format, or the encoding, of the data may include indications that allow the DCSF 611 , the RAN node 605, and UPF 609 to detect where each part of the payload begins and ends. The third part of the payload may carry multiple pieces of data. For example, the third part of the payload may carry measurements, a time stamp, location information (e.g. a cell id, a tracking area identity, an SSID, and / or GPS coordinates).

[0207] The presence of each part of the payload may be optional. For example, a WTRU 620 may be designed to send (e.g., only send) proprietary data under certain conditions. For example, the WTRU 620 may be configured to send the sequence number under certain conditions. For example, the WTRU 620 may be configured to not send the sequence number because context data is not needed by the DCSF 611 or the WTRU 620 may be configured to send the sequence number because context data is needed by the DCSF 611.

[0208] Data collection triggers. The WTRU 620 may be configured to perform data collection based on information in a NAS message (e.g. the NAS message of step 310 of FIG. 3) or in an RRC message (e.g. the RRC message of step 520 of FIG. 5). The configuration may be based on the data collection configuration information that is provided by the DCSF 515 to the data collection controller.

[0209] The configuration information may describe data collection triggers, or conditions that may be fulfilled for data collection to take place. Examples of triggers, or conditions that may be fulfilled for data collection to take place may be one of the following. An indication that the WTRU 620 should start data collection as soon as the data is configured for data collection. An indication that the WTRU 620 should start data collection as soon as a PDU session is established for reporting collected data. An indication that the WTRU 620 should collect data when in certain locations (e.g. when connected to certain RAN nodes 605). An indication that the WTRU 620 should not collect data when in certain locations (e.g. when connected to certain RAN nodes 605). An indication that the WTRU 620 should collect data during certain times of day. An indication that the WTRU 620 should not collect data during certain times of day. An indication that the WTRU 620 should collect data when registered via certain public land mobile networks (PLMN). An indication that the WTRU 620 should not collect data when registered via certain PLMNs. An indication that the WTRU 620 should begin to collect when certain events are detected. An indication that the WTRU 620 should collect the data while the WTRU 620 speed is above a first threshold, below a second threshold, between a third and fourth2024P00737WG threshold, etc.. An indication that the WTRU 620 should only report data after receiving an RRC message from the RAN node 605 that indicates that the WTRU 620 may be authorized to begin collecting and reporting data. And an indication that the WTRU 620 should collect the data while in cells that are under certain network side additional conditions (e.g., in cells that have signaled to the WTRU 620 one or more configured associated IDs, in cells that are not signaling one or more configured associated IDs, etc.).

[0210] If the WTRU 620 is configured with indication that the WTRU 620 may begin (e.g., only begin) to collect when certain events are detected, then the WTRU 620 may also be configured with information that indicates what events may trigger data collection and how long data collection should be performed once the event is detected.

[0211] Examples of events that may trigger data collection are radio measurements that exceed a threshold. For example, the WTRU 620 may be configured to collect the data when the radio condition of the serving cell (or one or more beams of the serving cell) is / are above or below a certain radio signal level. The WTRU 620 may also be configured with a maximum / minimum time duration to perform the data collection. The WTRU 620 may be configured with the maximum size of the data to be collected (e.g., in terms of total size, e.g., Mbytes, or in terms of records / samples, etc.). The WTRU 620 may be configured with starting conditions for the data collection (e.g., immediately after the triggering of the setting up of the PDU session for data collection, immediately after being configured with the required configuration / measurements for data collection from the RAN / CN, at a particular relative / absolute time, when arriving at a particular cell / location, etc.). The WTRU 620 may be configured with stopping conditions for the data collection (e.g., the maximum size of the data to be collected have been reached, state transition to an IDLE / INACTIVE, leaving a certain location / RAN area / cell, etc.).

[0212] The WTRU 620 may be configured to perform data collection in a NAS message (e.g., the NAS message of step 310 of FIG. 3) or in an RRC message (e.g. the RRC message of step 530 of FIG. 5). The configuration may be called data collection configuration information. The data collection configuration information may be based on the configuration information that is provided by the DCSF 611 to the data collection controller.

[0213] The configuration information may describe data reporting triggers, or conditions that should be fulfilled for the WTRU 620 to report any collected data. Examples of triggers, or conditions that may be fulfilled for data reporting to take place may be the following. An indication that the WTRU 620 report data anytime that there is data available to report. An indication that the WTRU 620 should report data before a duration of time has passed since the data collection has started or finished. An indication that the WTRU 620 should report data2024P00737WG when in certain locations (e.g. when connected to certain RAN nodes). An indication that the WTRU 620 should not report data when in certain locations (e.g. when connected to certain RAN nodes). An indication that the WTRU 620 should report data during certain times of day. An indication that the WTRU 620 should not report data during certain times of day. An indication that the WTRU 620 should report data when registered via certain PLMNs. An indication that the WTRU 620 should not report data when registered via certain PLMNs. An indication that the WTRU 620 should begin to report when certain events are detected.

[0214] If the WTRU 620 is configured with indication that the WTRU 620 should begin to report data when certain events are detected, then the WTRU 620 may also be configured with information that indicates what events should trigger data reporting and how long reporting is allowed after the event is detected. An example of an event that may trigger data collection is when the amount of collected data exceeds a size in terms of number of bits. An example of an event that may trigger data collection is when a certain duration has passed since data was collected but not yet sent to the DCSF 611.

[0215] The WTRU 620 may be configured to send an indication that collected data is available to be sent (e.g., to the DCSF 611). The WTRU 620 may be configured to send the collected data upon explicit request (e.g., from the DCSF 611).

[0216] As described in step 618 of the procedure of FIG. 6, the RAN node 605 may send a context report to the DCSF 611. The content report may include the DC correlation identifier, the sequence number of the Unstructured PDU that triggered the report, and / or context information. Examples of context information may include timestamps, the RAN node ID, RAN node measurements of radio conditions, and a congestion level.

[0217] The DCSF 611 may use the DC correlation identifier to determine what WTRU 620 data collection the report relates to. The DCSF 611 may use the sequence number of the unstructured PDU that triggered the report to determine what report message from the WTRU 620 triggered the report. The report message from the WTRU 620 triggered the report may include a timestamp and the report from the RAN 605 may include a timestamp. The DCSF 611 may use the two timestamps to determine how far apart, in terms of time, the data in the report from the WTRU 620 and the data in the report from RAN node 605 were collected. This time difference may be considered in model training.

[0218] As described at step 618 of the procedure of FIG. 6, whether the RAN node 605 triggers the context report may depend on the field that indicates the type of data that was sent by the WTRU 620 and configuration that the RAN node 605 received in an N2 message. The field that indicates a type of data may indicate if the data that is being reported by the WTRU 620 is an2024P00737WQ immediate report or a logged report. The RAN node 605 may, decide to send (e.g., only send) context reports when it detects that the WTRU 620is sending an immediate report and not a logged report. A logged report refers to a report that carries data that the WTRU 620 collected a relatively long time ago. For example, the report may carry information about an event that relates to the WTRU 620 losing connectivity and the report may be sent several hours later when the WTRU 620 re-establishes connectivity to the network. Whereas an immediate report refers to a report that carries data that the WTRU 620 collected and sent with a relatively small delay. When a logged report is sent by the WTRU 620, the network conditions during the time that the WTRU 620 sent the report are less relevant to model training compared to when the WTRU 620 sends an immediate report.

[0219] Another example of how to send network context information to the DCSF 611 may be that the network (e.g. RAN node 605) sends the network context information to the WTRU 620 and the WTRU 605 may send the network context information over the user plane by using the procedure of FIG. 6. In 3GPP, currently it is being discussed on how the network conditions (referred to as network side additional condition) can be communicated to the WTRU 620 and the collected data can be associated with this network side conditions. For example, the network may signal to the WTRU 620 different IDs (referred to as associated IDs) and when the WTRU 620 collects the data, it may tag the data with this ID. Tag means indicating that the data and the ID are associated. When the model is trained with this data, it may also be tagged (e.g., in the model meta information) with this ID. This way, the WTRU 620 may be able to determine if it has a model that is applicable to be used for inference under the current network side conditions that may be signaled by the network. Since the associated IDs identify context information, the associated IDs may be considered an example of network context information. For example, the context information could be a list of timestamps and associated I D(s) , for one or more of the cells within a given RAN / tracking area (indicating the different network side additional conditions during the time the WTRU’s was collecting the data).

[0220] As described in step 608 of the procedure of FIG. 6, the RAN node 605 may send collected data from a WTRU 620 to a UPF 609. The data may be sent within a PDU session. Within a PDU session means that the report is sent in a GTP-U message to the UPF 609 and the general packet radio service tunnelling protocol user plane (GTP-U) message header indicates a QoS Flow Identifier that is associated with the PDU that carries the collected data. Alternatively, a PDU session that is used for data collection may be handled differently by the RAN node 605 and any data that is received by the RAN node 605, for a QoS Flow that is associated with data collection, may be forwarded to the QAM System.

Claims

2024P00737WQCLAIMS:

1. An apparatus comprising: a processor configured to: receive a packet data unit (PDU) session establishment accept message for a PDU session and an indication that data collection context information is requested; send the PDU session establishment accept message to a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU); receive an unstructured PDU for the PDU session; and send a context report to a Data Collection Server Function (DCSF) based on the unstructured PDU and the indication that data collection context information is requested, wherein the context report comprises at least one of a data collection (DC) correlation identifier, a sequence number of the unstructured PDU, or the data collection context information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to receive a data collection (DC) correlation identifier or a destination address associated with the data collection context information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to receive information indicating a type of data that the DCSF wants to trigger collection of context data; and wherein the processor is configured to send the context report based on the type of data carried in the unstructured PDU.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the indication that data collection context information is requested is received as an N2 message, and wherein the N2 message further comprises one or more quality of service (QoS) profiles, a data collection (DC) correlation identifier, or a context information destination address.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the N2 message comprises information about a type of data that a Data Collection Server Function (DCSF) wants to trigger collection of context data.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the context report is sent to a context information destination address indicated by the N2 message.2024P00737WC7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a radio access node (RAN).

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data collection context information comprises, one or more timestamps, a RAN node identification (ID), radio conditions, or network congestion level.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to send the context report to the DCSF based on the indication that data collection context information is requested indicating that a WTRU is sending an immediate report.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to: determine a training model update is required; and based on determining the training model update is required, and based on the context report, determine a number of wireless transmit / receive units (WTRU) to collect data from to update the training model.

11. A method performed by an apparatus, the method comprising: receiving a packet data unit (PDU) session establishment accept message for a PDU session and an indication that data collection context information is requested; sending the PDU session establishment accept message to a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU); receiving an unstructured PDU for the PDU session; and sending a context report to a Data Collection Server Function (DCSF) based on the unstructured PDU and the indication that data collection context information is requested, wherein the context report comprises at least one of a data collection (DC) correlation identifier, a sequence number of the unstructured PDU, or the data collection context information.

12. The method of claim 12, comprising: receiving a data collection (DC) correlation identifier or a destination address associated with the data collection context information.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising: receiving information indicating a type of data that the DCSF wants to trigger collection of context data; and2024P00737WQ sending the context report based on the type of data carried in the unstructured PDU.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the indication that data collection context information is requested is received as an N2 message, and wherein the N2 message further comprises one or more quality of service (QoS) profiles, a data collection (DC) correlation identifier, or a context information destination address.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the N2 message comprises information about a type of data that a Data Collection Server Function (DCSF) wants to trigger collection of context data.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the context report is sent to a context information destination address indicated by the N2 message.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the apparatus comprises a radio access node (RAN).

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the data collection context information comprises, one or more timestamps, a RAN node identification (ID), radio conditions, or network congestion level.

19. The method of claim 11 , comprising: sending the context report to the DCSF based on the indication that data collection context information is requested indicating that a WTRU is sending an immediate report.

20. The method of claim 12, comprising: determining a training model update is required; and based on determining the training model update is required, and based on the context report, determining a number of wireless transmit / receive units (WTRU) to collect data from to update the training model.

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