Handling data stored at a user equipment

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatus for handling first data stored at a UE A method performed by the UE comprises: identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of a first action and a second action in respect of the stored first data in response to a first mobility procedure involving the UE. The identifying is based on an indication provided by one or both of a first network node and a second network node. The first action is to discard the stored first data, and the second action is to transmit information relating to the stored first data towards the second network node.

Description

HANDLING DATA STORED AT A USER EQUIPMENTTECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONEmbodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatus for handling data stored at a user equipment.BACKGROUND

[0001] Artificial Intelligence (Al) and Machine Learning (ML) have been investigated, both in academia and industry, as promising tools to optimize the design of the air-interface in wireless communication networks. Example use cases include using autoencoders for Channel State Information (CSI) compression to reduce the feedback overhead and improve channel prediction accuracy; using deep neural networks for classifying Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Non- LOS (NLOS) conditions to enhance the positioning accuracy; and using reinforcement learning for beam selection at the network (NW) side and / or the User Equipment (UE) side to reduce the signaling overhead and beam alignment latency; using deep reinforcement learning to learn an optimal precoding policy for complex Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) precoding problems.

[0002] In Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) New Radio (NR) standardization work, a new Release 18 (Rel-18) study item on Al or ML (AI / ML) for the NR air interface started in May 2022. This study item will explore the benefits of augmenting the air-interface with features enabling improved support of AI / ML based algorithms for enhanced performance and / or reduced complexity / overhead. Through studying a few selected use cases (CSI feedback, beam management, and positioning), this study item aims at laying the foundation for future air-interface use cases leveraging AI / ML techniques.

[0003] The analysis carried out during the Rel-18 is now considered in the context of Release 19 (Rel-19). Additionally, during the Rel-19, a new study item addressing AI / ML for mobility has been approved. In the context of this new study item, 3GPP will investigate methods for cell-level measurement predictions, and mobility event predictions. These mobility event predictions can, for example, comprise Radio Link Failure (RLF), handover failure, mobility-related events predictions such as A3 (neighbour becomes offset better than special cell (SpCell)) or A5 (SpCell becomes worse than threshold 1 and neighbour becomes better than threshold2), etc.

[0004] Data collection is a useful tool that allows the training entity to generate a model suitable for a specific device. In particular, related to the case of AI / ML applied to Radio Access Network (RAN) use cases (e.g. beam management, positioning accuracy enhancements, cell or frequency level measurement predictions, mobility event predictions, etc.), the AI / ML model may be UE-sided (e.g. tailored for specific UEs) or NW-sided (e.g. tailored for specific network nodes, such as specific NR Node Bs (gNBs). In order for RAN schemes based on AI / ML models to outperform conventional non-AI / ML based schemes, the device (UE or network node (e.g. gNB) in this case) may collect data so that the training entity can generate a model suitable for the device inference. Otherwise, if the collected data set during the training does not match the inputs during the inference, then it is proven that AI / ML may not provide the expected benefits.

[0005] Related to NW-side models, it has been assumed so far in 3GPP that the network node (e.g. gNB) and / or the Operation Administration and Maintenance (0AM) node can be in charge of collecting data from the radio access network (RAN) for the purpose of NW-side model training. If the network node (e.g. gNB) is responsible, it is assumed that the network node may configure the UE with a set of resources (e.g. Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSLRS) resources or Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) resource sets) in which the UE is to collect measurements, such as for a certain amount of time. Then, the UE can report what it has measured to the network node (e.g. gNB), such as via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Then, the training can be performed in the network node (e.g. gNB) itself, or in another node controlled by the network node (e.g. gNB) vendor such as an Over-the-Top (OTT) server handled by the network node vendor.

[0006] A similar approach can apply for the case in which the 0AM does the NW-side training. In this case, the 0AM may request the network node (e.g. gNB) to provide to the UE a certain configuration according to which the UE is to perform certain measurements, and collect data. Once the data collection is completed, the UE can transfer the collected data to the 0AM, e.g. using the Minimization of Drive Tests (MDT) framework such as the immediate MDT or the logged MDT.SUMMARY

[0007] From an operation point of view, performing data collection implies that the UE logs the data intended for the NW-side model training, and stores them in the local memory. Since this type of data does not have any stringent latency requirement, it is beneficial for the UE and for the network (e.g. in terms of UE power consumption, or spectral efficiency) if theUE can log the measured data (e.g. the beam, cell, and / or frequency level qualities), and transmit that data at a later point in time, rather than transmitting the data immediately upon performing the corresponding measurement (as it is, for example, for conventional Layer 1 (LI) measurements, which are transmitted on Uplink Control Information (UCI)). This reduces the power consumed by the UE to continuously access the channel to transmit data that does not have stringent latency requirements, and also reduces the impact on the spectral efficiency, which instead can be used for transmission of data that has a higher priority or more stringent latency requirements.

[0008] The logged LI measurements (or beam level measurements) can be transmitted via RRC signaling (e.g. periodically, or based on events, or upon network request). The logging of measurements can imply that the UE is to send this logged data in multiple RRC messages, particularly in case the logged data is larger in size than the maximum supported size of a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) Service Data Unit (SDU) that conveys the RRC message. In some cases, all the data logged while connected to a certain network node (e.g. gNB) can be transmitted to such a network node (e.g. gNB) prior to performing a mobility procedure, and some other data (e.g. the data not yet transmitted) can be transmitted later to the target network node (e.g. gNB).

[0009] There currently exist certain challenge(s).

[0010] For the case of NW-side data collection, the data collected by the UE when connected to a certain network (e.g. a set of one or more cells, one or more network nodes (e.g. gNBs), or one or more Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs)) are intended to be consumed by that network, for example, in order to train an AI / ML model (or AI / ML functionality) that can operate specifically in that network. This can imply, for example, that the data collected by the UE when connected to a network controlled by a certain vendor may not need to be transmitted to (and hence shared with) the network controlled by a second vendor. Considering the scenario of a UE performing a mobility procedure (e.g. a handover from a network node controlled by a first vendor to a network node controlled by a second vendor), a problem to be addressed is how the UE is to handle the data already collected (or logged or stored) in the UE memory when connected to a first network node, but not yet transmitted to the first network node at the moment of performing the mobility procedure.

[0011] There is the possibility to discard the collected data in response to (e.g. at the moment of) performing a mobility procedure (such as a handover), an RRC state transition occurring (e.g. a UE transitioning from an RRC CONNECTED state to an RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE state, or a UE transitioning from an RRC IDLE or RRC_ INACTIVE stateto an RRC CONNECTED state), or a UE experiencing a radio link failure (RLF) or handover failure (HOF). There is also the possibility for a network node (e.g. gNB) to configure whether or not a UE is to discard the collected data at handover. For example, a network node (e.g. gNB) configuring a UE to perform the data collection may indicate whether (e.g. for the cells or for the network nodes (e.g. gNBs) to which the UE is handed-over or may be handed-over) the UE is to keep or discard the already collected data. In R2 -2408391, it is proposed that the network node (e.g. gNB) configuring the UE for data collection is to provide a list of cells or network nodes (e.g. gNBs) where the unretrieved logged training data is to be reported.

[0012] However, it has not been addressed how to handle the data that is retained by the UE upon performing the mobility procedure from a first network node to the second network node. For example, it has not been addressed whether and how the UE is to indicate that it has data available for transmission to the second network node, or how the UE is to handle the case in which the second network node configures the UE to initiate a new data collection procedure.

[0013] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0014] According to some embodiments there is provided a method performed by a UE. The method is for handling first data stored at the UE. The first data is from a first data collection. The method comprises identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of a first action and a second action in respect of the stored first data in response to a first mobility procedure involving the UE. The identifying is based on an indication provided by one or both of a first network node and a second network node. The first action is to discard the stored first data, and the second action is to transmit information relating to the stored first data towards the second network node.

[0015] According to some embodiments, there is provided a method performed by a network node. The method is for handling first data stored at a UE. The method comprises providing an indication on the basis of which the UE, is to identify whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of a first action and a second action in respect of stored data in response to a first mobility procedure involving the UE. The first action is to discard the storeddata, and the second action is to transmit information relating to the stored data towards the network node or another network node.

[0016] According to some embodiments, there is provided a UE. The UE comprises processing circuitry configured to cause the UE to perform the method performed by the UE.

[0017] According to some embodiments, there is provided a network node. The network node comprises processing circuitry to cause the UE to perform the method performed by the network node.

[0018] According to some embodiments, there is provided a computer program. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by processing circuitry of UE, cause the UE to perform the method performed by the UE herein described.

[0019] According to some embodiments, there is provided a computer program. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to perform the method performed by the network node herein described.

[0020] According to some embodiments, there is provided a computer program product. The computer program product is embodied on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising instructions which are executable by processing circuitry of a UE to cause the UE to perform the method performed by the UE as described herein.

[0021] According to some embodiments, there is provided a computer program product. The computer program product is embodied on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising instructions which are executable by processing circuitry of a network node to cause the network node to perform the method performed by the network node as described herein.

[0022] Thus, there are disclosed herein methods for handling data stored at a UE. The stored data referred to herein can also be referred to as logged data or collected data. Thus, the terms logged, stored, and collected may be used interchangeably.

[0023] More specifically, there is disclosed a first method for a UE which has logged (or stored) data available for transmission to a network node (e.g. gNB). The logged (or stored) data may have been logged (or stored) according to a first RRC data collection configuration transmitted by the network. The logged (or stored) data may be associated with / to a first data collection procedure for the purpose of NW-side (e.g. network node- side) data collection. The first method may comprise the UE determining whether it is allowed to transmit or discard or retain the logged (or stored) data upon performing one or more mobility procedures (e.g. including, but not limited to, any one or more of a handover, Primary Secondary Cell GroupCell (PSCell) change, RRC state transition, radio link failure, handover failure, and reestablishment procedure). The determining may be based on a first indication received from a first network node (e.g. gNB) prior to performing the mobility procedure, associated with / to the first data collection procedure.

[0024] The first indication can comprise one or both of:• one or more instructions on whether or not the UE is to retain or discard (e.g. clear) the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure; and• one or more instructions on whether or not the UE is allowed to transmit the stored (or logged) data or an availability indication of the stored (or logged) data to the target node of the mobility procedure in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure.

[0025] The one or more instructions may be a flag indicating whether the UE is to retain or discard (e.g. clear) and / or is allowed to transmit or not transmit the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure, and / or indicating a list of network nodes (e.g. gNBs) / cells to which the UE may connect upon completing any subsequent (e.g. successive) one or more mobility procedures and for which the UE is to retain or is allowed to transmit the stored (or logged) data or discard (e.g. clear) or is not allowed to transmit the stored (or logged) data. In some methods, the one or more instructions may be valid only for the next mobility procedure that the UE performs. In some other methods, the one or more instructions may be valid for any subsequent (e.g. successive) one or more mobility procedures that the UE performs. In some methods, the one or more instructions may comprise a validity time, upon whose expiry the UE discards (e.g. clears) the stored (or logged) data. The first method may further comprise the UE transmitting an availability indication indicating data available for transmission to a second network node (e.g. gNB) in response to (or in response of) determining to retain the stored (or logged) data or determining that the transmission of the stored (or logged) data is allowed in the second network node (e.g. gNB).

[0026] There is also provided a second method (which can be dependent on the first method), wherein the determination on whether to retain or discard (e.g. clear) the stored (or logged) data may be based on a second indication received from the second network node (e.g. gNB) in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure. The second method may comprise:• the UE discarding (or deleting) the retained (or stored or logged) data if it receives, in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure, a second indication from the second network node (e.g. gNB). The second indication may comprise any one or more of: o an (e.g. explicit) indication to discard (or release) any stored (or logged) data stored (or logged) by the UE before connecting to the second network node (e.g. gNB); o an (e.g. explicit) indication to discard (or release) any stored (or logged) data stored (or logged) by the UE and not associated with / to data stored (or logged) while connected to certain network nodes (e.g. gNBs) / cells as indicated by the second network node (e.g. gNB); and o a second (re)configuration (e.g. RRC (re)configuration) configuring the UE to perform a second data collection for the purpose of NW- side (or network node- side) data collection, such as for training an AI / ML model.

[0027] There is also provided a third method (which can be dependent on the first method or the second method). According to the third method, for example:• The UE may retain the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. at the moment of performing) a mobility procedure from a first network node (e.g. gNB) to a second network node (e.g. gNB). If the first indication received from the first network node (e.g. gNB) included instructions to retain but not transmit the stored (or logged) data to the second network node (e.g. gNB), and the second network node (e.g. gNB) transmitted a second indication comprising a second (re)configuration (e.g. RRC (re)configuration) configuring the UE to perform a second data collection for the purpose of NW-side (e.g. network node- side) data collection, the UE may store the data associated with / to the second data collection separately from the retained data associated with / to the first data collection.• The UE may retain the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. at the moment of performing) a mobility procedure from a first network node (e.g. gNB) to a second network node (e.g. gNB). If the first indication received from the first network node (e.g. gNB) included instructions to retain or transmit the stored (or logged) data to the second network node (e.g. gNB),and the second network node (e.g. gNB) transmitted a second indication comprising a second (re)configuration (e.g. RRC (re)configuration) configuring the UE to perform a second data collection for the purpose of NW-side (e.g. network node- side) data collection, the UE may append the data associated with / to the second data collection to the retained stored (or logged) data associated with / to the first data collection.

[0028] There are also provided methods for the UE to include, in the availability indication, an indication indicating the cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) with / to which the stored (or logged) data available for transmission are associated, e.g. the cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) in which the UE performed (e.g. radio) measurements associated with / to the stored (or logged) data.

[0029] There are also provided methods for the UE to receive a request message from the network node (e.g. gNB) in response to (or in response of) transmitting to the network node (e.g. gNB) the availability indication. The request message may comprise any one or more of• a request to transmit the stored (or logged) data for which the availability indication was sent; and• a request to transmit the stored (or logged) data associated with / to data collection procedures performed while connected to certain cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) indicated within the request message through their associated identities (IDs).

[0030] There are also provided methods for the UE to transmit (at least parts of) the stored (or logged) data based on the received request message. According to the previous methods, the UE may only transmit to the second network node (e.g. gNB) the data that are allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB), e.g. according to one or both of the first and the second indication, and the UE may delete or retain the collected data that are not allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB).

[0031] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s).

[0032] The methods disclosed herein can determine whether data stored (or logged) by the UE for the purpose of NW-side (or network node- side) data collection should be retained or discarded (e.g. cleared) by the UE in response to (e.g. upon performing) a mobility procedure, or whether or not such data is allowed to be transmitted to a second network node in response to (e.g. after performing) the mobility procedure. In case the stored (or logged) data is to beretained, there are provided methods for the UE to determine how to further log data associated with / to a different data collection procedure configured by the network in response to (e.g. after performing) the mobility procedure. There are also provided methods for the UE to indicate the availability for transmission of the retained data to the second network node in response to (e.g. after) the mobility procedure, and methods for the UE to transmit the said data based on a request received from the second network node.

[0033] The teachings of certain embodiments may improve the data rate, latency, and / or power consumption.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] For a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how it may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0035] Fig. l is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments;

[0036] Fig. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments;

[0037] Fig. 3 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0038] Fig. 3 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0039] Fig. 4 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0040] Fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION

[0041] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art. Additional information may also be found in the document(s) provided in the Appendix.

[0042] Fig. 1 depicts a method 100 in accordance with particular embodiments. The method 100 may be performed by a UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE QQ112 or UE QQ200 as described later with reference to Figs. 3and 4 respectively). The method 100 is for handling first data stored at the UE. The first data is from a first data collection. The method 100 begins at step 102 with identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of a firstaction and a second action in respect of the stored first data in response to a first mobility procedure involving the UE. The identifying is based on an indication provided by one or both of a first network node and a second network node. The first action is to discard the stored first data, and the second action is to transmit information relating to the stored first data towards the second network node.

[0043] There is also provided another method 200 for handling the first data stored at the UE. The method 200 may be performed by a network node (e.g. the network node QQ110 or network node QQ300 as described later with reference to Figs. 3 and 5 respectively). The first data is from a first data collection. The method comprises providing an indication on the basis of which the UE is to identify whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of a first action and a second action in respect of the stored first data in response to a first mobility procedure involving the UE. The first action is to discard the stored first data, and the second action is to transmit information relating to the stored first data towards the network node or another network node.

[0044] There are disclosed herein methods for a UE to determine whether to retain or discard stored (or logged) data (e.g. for the purpose of AI / ML data collection) in response to (e.g. upon) mobility procedures. It will be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein may be described primarily in terms of NR, but the embodiments are applicable also to other networks, other radio technologies, and other generations.

[0045] The methods disclosed herein can advantageously be incorporated into the methods described in the Technical Specification (TS) 38.331.

[0046] In the context of the disclosure, the term “AI / ML functionality” may be called a “supported functionality” the UE can indicate by using UE capability signaling. A supported functionality may be one or more functionalities for and / or associated with / to beam management and / or CSI reporting, or mobility operations, such as the reporting of time domain and / or spatial domain or frequency domain predictions (inference). It may be defined as the ability the UE has to produce an output of an inference function. For example, reporting of time-domain prediction(s) of SSB and / or CSLRS measurement information (e.g. predicted reference signal received power (RSRP)) may be considered as an AI / ML functionality which is a “supported functionality” of / by the UE when the UE reports a capability associated with / to it (via RRC or LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) signaling).For example, “spatial domain prediction for beam management or mobility procedure e.g., handover or reconfiguration with sync, or Primary cell (PCell) change, or Primary Secondary Cell Group cell (PSCell) change” or arelated functionality (e.g. reporting and inference of spatial domain information) may be a supported functionality in which the UE may report that is capable of performing and reporting inference / prediction of a set A of beams or cells (e.g. predicted LI RSRP values of one or more beams or one or more SSB indexes of a cell or predicted LI or Layer 3 (L3) RSRP values of one or more cells) based on measurements performed on a set B of beams (e.g. measured L1 / L3 RSRP values of one or more beams or one or more SSB indexes of a cell), in the case of spatial domain predictions.For example, “frequency domain prediction for beam management or mobility procedure e.g., handover” or a related functionality (e.g. reporting and inference of frequency domain info) may be a supported functionality in which the UE may indicate that is capable of performing and reporting inference (e.g., prediction of the radio link quality of a set A of beams or cells (e.g. predicted LI RSRP values of one or more beams or one or more SSB indexes of a cell or predicted LI or L3 RSRP values of one or more cells) based on measurements performed on a set B of beams (e.g. measured L1 / L3 RSRP values of one or more beams or one or more SSB indexes of a cell or one or more cells), in the case of frequency domain predictions.For example, “time domain prediction for beam management or a mobility procedure e.g., handover or reconfiguration with sync, or Primary cell (PCell) change, or Primary Secondary Cell Group cell (PSCell) change” or a related functionality (e.g. reporting and inference of time domain info) may be a supported functionality in which the UE may report that is capable of performing and reporting inference of a set of A of beams (e.g. predicted L1 / L3 RSRP values of one or more beams or one or more SSB indexes of a cell in future time instances or the L1 / L3 RSRP value of one or more cells in the future time instances) based on measurements performed on a set B of beams or cells (e.g. measured L1 / L3 RSRP values of one or more beams or one or more SSB indexes of a cell and / or LI / L3 RSRP value of one or more cells), in the case of time domain predictions.For example, beam management - downlink (DL) transmitted (Tx) beam prediction for both UE-sided model and NW-sided (e.g. network node- sided) model, e.g. including any one or more of below exampled.o Beam management may include spatial-domain DL Tx beam prediction for Set A of beams based on measurement results of Set B of beams (“BM-Casel”). o Beam management may include temporal DL Tx beam prediction for Set A of beams based on the historic measurement results of Set B of beams (“BM-Case2”).For example, positioning accuracy enhancements, e.g. including any one or more of below example. o Positioning accuracy may include direct AI / ML positioning, such as any one or more of the below examples.■ Direct AI / ML positioning may include UE-based positioning with UE-side model, direct AI / ML positioning.■ Direct AI / ML positioning may include UE-assisted / Location Management Function (LMF)- based positioning with LMF-side model, direct AI / ML positioning.■ Direct AI / ML positioning may include Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node assisted positioning with LMF-side model, direct AI / ML positioning. o Positioning accuracy may include AI / ML assisted positioning, such as any one or more of the below examples.■ AI / ML assisted positioning may include UE-assisted / LMF -based positioning with UE-side model, AI / ML assisted positioning.■ AI / ML assisted positioning may include NG-RAN node assisted positioning with network node (e.g. gNB) -side model, AI / ML assisted positioning.For example, CSI compression (e.g. considering extending the spatial / frequency compression to spatial / temporal / frequency compression), cell / site specific models, CSI compression plus prediction (compared to Rel- 18 non- AI / ML based approach).For example, “Radio Link Failure prediction of serving and / or neighbour cells” or a related functionality (e.g. reporting and inference of RLF prediction of serving and / or neighbour cell(s)) may be a supported functionality in which the UE may report that is capable of performing and reporting inference of an RLF in future time instances.For example, “Handover Failure (HOF) prediction of a cell” or a related functionality (e.g. reporting and inference of HOF prediction of a cell) may be a supported functionality in which the UE may report that is capable of performing and reporting inference of an HOF in future time instances.

[0047] There is provided a first method for a UE which has stored (or logged) data available for transmission to the network node (e.g. gNB), and wherein the stored (or logged) data were stored (or logged) according to a first (e.g. RRC) data collection configuration transmitted by the network, and are associated with / to a first data collection procedure for the purpose of NW-side (e.g. network node- side) data collection. The method comprises the UE determining whether it is allowed to transmit or discard or retain the said stored (or logged) data, in response to (e.g. upon performing) mobility procedures (including, but not limited to, any one or more of the following examples. Mobility procedures may comprise handover. Mobility procedures may comprise PSCell change. Mobility procedures may comprise RRC state transition(s). Mobility procedures may comprises radio link failure(s).Mobility procedures may comprise handover failure(s). Mobility procedure may comprise reestablishment procedure(s)). The determination may be based on a first indication received from the first network node (e.g. gNB), e.g. prior to performing the mobility procedure, and associated with / to the said first data collection procedure. Based on determining that the stored (or logged) data is to be retained or allowed to be transmitted after performing the said mobility procedure, the UE may transmit an availability indication to the second network node (e.g. gNB). The availability indication may indicate the availability of data for transmission to the second network node (e.g. gNB).

[0048] The first network node (e.g. gNB) may be the network node (e.g. gNB) that configured the UE to perform the said data collection, e.g. the network node (e.g. gNB) that transmitted the first data collection configuration, or it may be the network node (e.g. gNB) to which the UE is connected before performing the mobility procedure.

[0049] The second network node (e.g. gNB) may be the network node (e.g. gNB) to which the UE connects after performing the mobility procedure, e.g. the target network node (e.g. gNB) of a handover procedure or of a PSCell / secondary gNB (SgNB) change procedure, or the network node (e.g. gNB) to which the UE reestablishes its connection after an RLF / HOF, or the network node (e.g. gNB) to which the UE reconnects or resumes after transiting from an RRC IDLE / INACTIVE state to an RRC CONNECTED state.

[0050] The first indication can comprise one or both of the below examples.• The first indication may comprise one or more instructions on whether the UE is to retain or discard (e.g. clear) the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure.• The first indication may comprise one or more instructions on whether the UE is allowed to transmit or not transmit the stored (or logged) data or the availability indication of the stored (or logged) data to the target node of the mobility procedure in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure.

[0051] The one or more instructions may be any one or more of the following: examples.• The one or more instructions may comprise a flag (or command) indicating whether the UE is to retain or discard (e.g. clear) or is allowed to transmit or not transmit the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure. o For example, the first network node (e.g. gNB) may include, e.g. as part the (e.g. RRC) (re)configuration (e.g. with sync) message, an indication indicating whether upon execution of the said (e.g. RRC) (re)configuration (e.g. with sync) the UE is to retain or discard the data, or whether the UE is allowed to transmit or not transmit the data to the target network node (e.g. gNB) of the handover procedure. In another example, as part of the (e.g. RRC) release message (either including an indication to release or suspend the (e.g. RRC) connection), the network node (e.g. gNB) may provide the said indication. o If the flag indicates that the UE is to retain the stored (or logged) data, or that the data is allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB), the UE may transmit an availability indication indicating the availability of data for transmission, such as upon connecting to the second network node (e.g. gNB), such as in a complete message (e.g. an RRC complete message or RRCReconfigurationComplete message), or in any other message (such as a UEAssistancelnformation message). o The first network node (e.g. gNB) may determine the flag (e.g. whether the flag is to indicate that the UE is to retain or discard the data or to allow or disallow the transmission of the stored (or logged) data), e.g.based on whether the second network node (e.g. gNB) is deployed by the same vendor of the first network node (e.g. gNB), or based on whether the second network node (e.g. gNB) can support the transmission of the stored (or logged) data from the second network node (e.g. gNB) (e.g. once the second network node (e.g. gNB) receives the data from the UE) to the second network node (e.g. gNB) via, for example, an Xn interface. If the second network node (e.g. gNB) does not support this transmission, the first network node (e.g. gNB) may indicate that the UE is to release the stored (or logged) data. If the first network node (e.g. gNB) is not the network node (e.g. gNB) that provided the (e.g. RRC) data collection configuration according to which the UE has stored (or logged) the data, the first network node (e.g. gNB) may set the flag based on whether the UE has the data available for transmission, which can be determined by the network node (e.g. gNB) such as from the reception of the availability indication. Hence, if at the moment of executing the mobility procedure the first network node (e.g. gNB) has not yet received all the stored (or logged) data, the first network node (e.g. gNB) may determine how to set the flag, considering the second network node (e.g. gNB). The flag for making the determination of retaining or discarding the stored (or logged) data or the determination of whether the UE is allowed or not allowed to transmit the retained stored (or logged) data may be associated with one or more AIML models / functionalities (e.g. of a plurality of the AIML models / functionalities) associated with / to the UE stored data stored (or logged) in the UE memory. In other words, the release / retain flag may be configured per AI / ML model or functionality for which the UE received the configuration to collect the measurements e.g. for NW-side (e.g. network node- side) model training. For example, the flag associated with / to a data collection for a beam management functionality can be set to release while another flag associated with / to data collection for an AI / ML based mobility functionality can be set to retain. Therefore, the UE upon performing a handover may release the stored (or logged) data associated with thebeam management use case, while retaining the stored (or logged) data associated with the AI / ML based mobility functionality. In a related embodiment, the determination of whether the UE is allowed or not allowed to transmit the retained (or stored or logged) data may be associated with / to one or more data collection procedures (e.g. of a plurality of data collection procedures) associated with / to which the UE has data stored (or logged) in the UE memory. In such a case, the flag may include the identities of the one or more data collection procedures for which the associated stored (or logged) data is to be retained or discarded (e.g. cleared). As an example of this embodiment, the network node (e.g. gNB) may indicate that the data associated with / to one or more of the data collection procedures associated with / to the network node (e.g. gNB)-centric data collection is to be discarded, whereas the data associated with / to one or more of the OAM-centric data collection is to be retained. In a case where the flag is not transmitted by the first network node (e.g. gNB), the UE may determine that the stored (or logged) data is to be discarded (e.g. cleared) or that the transmission of the stored (or logged) data is not allowed in the second network node (e.g. gNB). In another case where the flag is not transmitted by the first network node (e.g. gNB), the UE may determine that the stored (or logged) data is to be retained until a subsequent (e.g. successive) indication is received from the network, e.g. a second indication, or until the UE determines that the transmission of the stored (or logged) data is allowed in the second network node (e.g. gNB). The first network node (e.g. gNB) may not transmit the flag if the UE executes a handover (e.g. a reconfiguration, such as an RRC reconfiguration or an RRC reconfiguration with sync) from a source SpCell to a target SpCell hosted by the same first network node (e.g. gNB), thereby indicating that the UE is to retain the stored (or logged) data upon performing such a handover. Alternatively, the first network node (e.g. gNB) may indicate (e.g. explicitly) in the flag that the stored (or logged) data is to be retained.• A list of network nodes (e.g. gNBs) / cells (e.g. a list of network node (e.g. gNB) IDs or Cell Global Identifiers (CGIs)) to which the UE may connect upon completing any subsequent (e.g. successive) one or more mobility procedures and for which the UE is to retain or is allowed to transmit the stored (or logged) data or discard (clear) or not allowed to transmit the stored (or logged) data. o The one or more instructions may be valid only for the next mobility procedure that the UE performs. Alternatively, the one or more instructions may be valid for any subsequent (e.g. successive) one or more mobility procedure that the UE performs. o The first network node (e.g. gNB) may provide such a list of network nodes (e.g. gNBs) / cells, and the UE may store it, for example along with data collected in the first network node (e.g. gNB) and with the data collected while being connected to one or more of the network nodes (e.g. gNBs) / cells in the list. o In response to (e.g. when performing, or when completing) the mobility procedure to the second network node (e.g. gNB), or to a second cell, the UE may determine whether this second network node (e.g. gNB) / cell is included in the list. This determination may be performed at the moment the UE acquires the network node (e.g. gNB) ID or the CGI of the second network node (e.g. gNB) / cell, which can be acquired from the System Information Block (SIB1) transmitted by the second network node (e.g. gNB) / cell, or from indications included in a dedicated message, such as a dedicated RRC message (e.g. included in the RRC Reconfiguration message within the HO command). If the acquired network node (e.g. gNB) ID / CGI is included in the list, the UE may retain the data, otherwise it may discard (e.g. clear) the stored (or logged) data. Alternatively or in addition, if it is included, the UE may transmit the availability indication indicating the availability for transmission of the stored (or logged) data associated with / to data collection procedure(s) performed in the first network node (e.g. gNB) and in one or more of the network nodes (e.g. gNBs) / cells included in the list. If it is not included, the UE may not transmit the availability indication indicating the availability for transmission of the stored (orlogged) data associated with / to data collection procedure(s) performed in the first network node (e.g. gNB) and in one or more of the network nodes (e.g. gNBs) / cells included in the list. o In a case where the list is not transmitted by the first network node (e.g. gNB) or the list is empty, the UE may determine that the stored (or logged) data is to be discarded (e.g. cleared) or that the transmission of the stored (or logged) data is not allowed in the second network node (e.g. gNB). In another case where the list is not transmitted by the first network node (e.g. gNB) or the list is empty, the UE may determine that the stored (or logged) data is to be retained until a subsequent (e.g. successive) indication is received from the network, e.g. a second indication, or the UE may determine the transmission of the stored (or logged) data is allowed in the second network node (e.g. gNB).• A validity time, upon whose expiry the UE discards (e.g. clears) the stored (or logged) data. o The UE may retain the data after performing the mobility procedure, e.g. for a predefined (or some) time. Whether to transmit the availability indication may be dependent on other information included in the first indication (e.g. according to the previous methods). However, even if the availability indication is not transmitted, the UE may retain the data for an amount of time corresponding to the validity time. o The validity time may be started by the UE upon receiving the (e.g. RRC) data collection configuration, or upon starting the data collection procedure or upon stopping the data collection procedure, or upon performing the mobility procedure. The validity time may be restarted upon transmitting the availability indication for the stored (or logged) data associated with / to the concerned data collection procedure, or upon transmitting the stored (or logged) data associated with / to the concerned data collection procedure. o The validity time may be included in the first indication, or (e.g. a value of) the validity time may be specified in a technical specification.

[0052] There is provided a second method (which may be dependent on the first method), wherein the determination on whether to retain or discard (clear) the stored (or logged) data isbased on or further based on a second indication received from the second network node (e.g. gNB) in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure. For example, the UE may first retain the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. at the moment of performing) a mobility procedure such as from a first network node (e.g. gNB) to a second network node (e.g. gNB). However, the UE may subsequently (e.g. successively) discard (e.g. clear) the retained (or stored or logged) data, e.g. if it receives in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure a second indication from the second network node (e.g. gNB).

[0053] The second indication may comprise any one or more of the below examples.• The second indication may comprise an (e.g. explicit) indication to release any stored (or logged) data stored (or logged) at / by the UE before connecting to the second network node (e.g. gNB).• The second indication may comprise an (e.g. explicit) indication to release any stored (or logged) data stored (or logged) at / by the UE and not associated with / to data stored (or logged) while connected to certain network nodes (e.g. gNBs) / cells as indicated by the second network node (e.g. gNB).• The second indication may comprise a second (e.g. RRC) (re)configuration configuring the UE to perform a second data collection for the purpose of NW-side (e.g. network node- side) data collection.

[0054] The UE may discard (e.g. clear) the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. upon) receiving the second indication, for example only if it previously determined from the first indication that the stored (or logged) data is to be discarded or is not allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB). Alternatively, the UE may discard (e.g. clear) the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. upon) receiving the second indication, irrespective of whether the UE previously determined from the first indication that the stored (or logged) data is to be discarded or retained or is allowed or not allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB).

[0055] It may be the case that, irrespective of the instruction included in the first or second indication, the UE retains the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. upon performing) a handover or in response to (e.g. upon performing) a reestablishment or in response to (e.g. upon) reconnecting to a second cell hosted by the first network node (e.g. gNB), i.e. the same node that configured the (e.g. RRC) data collection procedure for which the UE has stored (or logged) data available for transmission. In such a case, in response to the UE acquiring (e.g.at the moment the UE acquires) the network node (e.g. gNB) ID associated with / to this second cell, and upon determining that the acquired network node (e.g. gNB) ID is the same as the network node (e.g. gNB) ID of the first network node (e.g. gNB), the UE may determine to retain the stored (or logged) data, and hence to possibly transmit the availability indication to the second cell. If the second cell is the same cell as the first cell (e.g. intra cell handover, or reestablishment to the same cell in which a failure occurred), the UE may determine to retain the stored (or logged) data in response to (e.g. upon) determining that the acquired CGI of the second cell is the same as the CGI of the first cell.

[0056] There is also provided a third method (which may be dependent on the second method), wherein the UE may retain the stored (or logged) data associated with / to the first data collection procedure in response to (e.g. at the moment of performing) a mobility procedure from a first network node (e.g. gNB) to a second network node (e.g. gNB). If the second network node (e.g. gNB) then transmits a second indication comprising a second (e.g. RRC) (re)configuration configuring the UE to perform a second data collection for the purpose of NW-side (e.g. network node- side) data collection, the UE may store the data associated with / to this second data collection procedure separately from the retained data associated with / to the first data collection procedure.

[0057] It may be the case that this third method is performed only if the UE determines from the first indication received from the first network node (e.g. gNB) to the UE is to retain but not transmit the stored (or logged) data to the second network node (e.g. gNB). Otherwise, if the UE determines from the first indication received from the first network node (e.g. gNB) that the UE is to retain or transmit the stored (or logged) data to the second network node (e.g. gNB), the data the UE collects associated with / to the second data collection procedure may be appended by the UE to the stored (or logged) data associated with / to the first data collection procedure.

[0058] Storing data separately may imply storing the data in different UE variables corresponding to different memory allocations in the UE memory or in different entries of the same variable. For example, the UE may collect all the data associated with / to a certain AI / ML model / functionality within a certain UE variable and, within such a variable, the UE may allocate different entries, such as one for each data collection procedure performed while the UE is connected to one cell / network node (e.g. gNB) or group of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) wherein the group of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) may be those cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) to which the UE is allowed (based on the first indication) to transmit the concerned stored (or logged) data.

[0059] Appending the data may imply storing the data associated with / to the second data collection procedure in the same variable or in an entry (within a variable), where also the data associated with / to the first data collection procedure may be stored. For example, if the UE determines that the UE is allowed to transmit the data stored (or logged) associated with / to the first data collection procedure to the second network node (e.g. gNB), and then the second network node (e.g. gNB) configures the UE to perform a second data collection procedure in the second network node (e.g. gNB), the UE may store this data in the same entry of the variable. The said entry may be the entry where all the data associated with / to a group of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) to which the said stored (or logged) data can be transmitted.

[0060] For each stored (or logged) data associated with / to different (e.g. RRC) data collection configurations, the identities of the one or more cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) associated with / to which the UE has stored (or logged) the said stored (or logged) data may be stored, and / or the list of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) identities included in the first indication associated with / to the said stored (or logged) data may be stored. The list of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) identities may represent the list of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) in which the corresponding data can be transmitted. The UE may store the identity of the first cell / network node (e.g. gNB) transmitting the associated (e.g. RRC) data collection configuration. Alternatively or additionally, the UE may store an identity of the specific data collection procedure associated with / to the (e.g. RRC) data collection configuration for which the UE has stored (or logged) data. Such identity may be indicated by the network node (e.g. gNB) as part of the (e.g. RRC) data collection configuration. The identities may be assigned, for example, by the network node (e.g. gNB) in a way that different data collection procedures associated with / to different AI / ML functionalities / models are assigned different identities; or data collection procedures associated with / to different data collection mechanisms are assigned different identities, for example depending on whether the UE performs data collection based on periodic or aperiodic or semi-persistent measurements, or on whether the data collection mechanism is started based on certain triggering events (based on radio measurements qualities), or based on network indication / configuration; or data collection procedures associated with / to different data collection procedures performed at different point in times are assigned different identities; or data collection procedures associated with / to different data collection measurements (e.g. LI RSRP, cell level RSRP, event predictions, etc) are assigned different identities; or data collection procedures associated with / to different data collection purposes are assigned different identities, e.g. data collection procedures for network node (e.g.gNB) centric data collection are assigned different identities than the data collection procedures for OAM centric data collection.

[0061] There are also provided methods for the UEto include in the availability indication an indication indicating the cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) with / to which the stored (or logged) data available for transmission are associated, e.g. the cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) in which the UE performed the (e.g. radio) measurements associated with / to the stored (or logged) data.

[0062] The availability indication may be transmitted in relationship to one or more AI / ML models / functionalities, e.g. the availability indication(s) that the UE uses in the target cell to indicate whether the stored (or logged) data is available to be retrieved by the target cell may be associated with one or more AI / ML models / functionalities (of a plurality of the AI / ML models / functionalities) associated with / to which the UE has stored (or logged) data. In other words, the stored (or logged) data availability indication may be associated with the AI / ML model or functionality. For example, the availability indication associated with / to the stored (or logged) data collected for a beam management functionality does not need to be set by the UE in the target cell while the other availability indication associated with / to the stored (or logged) data collected for AI / ML based mobility functionality can be set so the target cell can retrieve the data. Therefore, upon performing a handover for the UE, the target cell, upon receiving the availability indication associated with / to the specific AI / ML model / functionality can be aware which stored (or logged) data associated with / to that AI / ML functionality (or functionalities) can be fetched. The UE availability indication may be transmitted in relationship to the one or more of the data collection procedures of the plurality of the data collection procedures for which the UE has stored (or logged) data stored in the UE memory. In this example, the availability indication may include a list of identities associated with / to each of the data collection procedures for which the UE has data available in the memory for transmission.

[0063] There are also provided methods for the UE to receive a request message from the network node (e.g. gNB) in response to (or in response of) transmitting to the network node (e.g. gNB) the availability indication. The request message may comprise any one or more of below examples.• The request message may comprise a request to transmit the stored (or logged) data for which the availability indication was sent.• The request message may comprise a request to transmit the stored (or logged) data associated with / to a data collection procedure(s) performed, e.g. while connected to certain cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) indicated within the request message such as through their associated identities.

[0064] There are also provided methods for the UE to transmit at least part(s) of the entire stored (or logged) data based on the received request message. For example, the UE may only transmit to the second network node (e.g. gNB) the data that is allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB), e.g. according to one or both of the first or second indication, and the UE may delete or retain the stored (or logged) data that is not allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB).

[0065] The transmitted stored (or logged) data may include the identities of the one or more cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) associated with / to which the UE has stored (or logged) data (e.g. the cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) in which the UE performed (e.g. radio) measurements associated with / to the stored (or logged) data), and / or the list of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) identities included in the first indication, and / or the identity of the first cell / network node (e.g. gNB) transmitting the first (e.g. RRC) data collection configuration.

[0066] Methods for the network to indicate the list of network nodes (e.g. gNBs)

[0067] The UE may receive a range of network node (e.g. gNB) ID information where the UE is allowed to report the stored (or logged) data (e.g. measurements) if it moves to a different network node (e.g. gNB), e.g. through handover or state transition. The range information can be numeric or alpha numeric. The range information can be a single entry within which the network node (e.g. gNB) IDs may be contiguous. The range information can be a list where each element of the list denotes a range of contiguous network node (e.g. gNB) IDs. However, different elements of the list may be non-contiguous.

[0068] The range of network node (e.g. gNB) IDs may be used by the UE to determine where it may collect measurements.

[0069] The network node may generate the range of the network node (e.g. gNB) IDs in a variety of ways. For example, the range of network node (e.g. gNB) IDs may be determined by a source network node (e.g. gNB) that configures the UE. In another example, the range of network node (e.g. gNB) IDs may be determined by an 0AM system of the network. The 0AM system may forward the list of network node (e.g. gNB) IDs along with the command to configure network nodes (e.g. gNBs) for data collection. The network nodes (e.g. gNBs) may then, in turn, configure the UEs.

[0070] The following embodiments are also provided, which may be performed by a UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE QQ112 or UE QQ200 as described later with reference to Figs. 3 and 4 respectively):Al . A method at a UE to determine, upon performing a mobility procedure, and based on at least a first indication received from a first network node (e.g. gNB) prior to the mobility procedure, whether:• to discard (clear) or retain any stored data stored (or logged) according to a first RRC data collection configuration and associated to a first data collection procedure for the purpose of NW-side data collection,• it is allowed or not allowed to transmit the said stored (or logged) data to the second network node (e.g. gNB) / cell in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure, and based on determining that the stored (or logged) data are retained or allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB), transmitting to the second network node (e.g. gNB) an indication indicating availability for transmission of the stored (or logged) data.A2. The method of Al, wherein the determination of whether to perform the first or second action is further based on a second indication received from the second network node (e.g. gNB) after the mobility procedure.A3. The method of Al, wherein the first indication may comprise any of:• A flag indicating whether the UE should retain or discard (clear) the data in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure to the second network node (e.g. gNB), or indicating whether the UE is allowed to transmit or not transmit the stored (or logged) data to the second network node (e.g. gNB) in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobility procedure.• A list of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) identities indicating that the UE should retain the stored (or logged) data if completing anysubsequent (e.g. successive) one or more mobility procedures to a cell or network node (e.g. gNB) included in the said list, or indicating that the UE is allowed to transmit the stored (or logged) data to the target cell / network node (e.g. gNB) of the mobility procedure if completing any subsequent (e.g. successive) one or more mobility procedures to a cell or network node (e.g. gNB) included in the said list.• A list of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) identities indicating that the UE should discard (clear) the stored (or logged) data if completing any subsequent (e.g. successive) one or more mobility procedures to a cell or network node (e.g. gNB) not included in the said list, or indicating that the UE is not allowed to transmit the stored (or logged) data to the target cell / network node (e.g. gNB) of the mobility procedure if completing any subsequent (e.g. successive) one or more mobility procedures to a cell or network node (e.g. gNB) not included in the said list.• A validity time, indicating for how long the UE should retain the stored (or logged) data, and after which the UE should discard / clear the stored (or logged) data.A4. The method of A2, wherein the second indication may comprise any of:• An explicit indication to discard (clear) any stored (or logged) data, stored (or logged) by the UE before connecting to the second network node (e.g. gNB).• An explicit indication to discard (clear) any stored (or logged) data, stored (or logged) by the UE and not associated to data stored (or logged) while connected to certain network nodes (e.g. gNBs) / cells as indicated by the second network node (e.g. gNB).• A second RRC data collection configuration configuring the UE to perform a second data collection procedure for the purpose of NW- side data collection.A5. The method of any of the previous methods, wherein the UE discards / clears in response to (e.g. upon executing or upon / after completing) the mobilityprocedure to the second network node (e.g. gNB) any stored data stored (or logged) according to a first RRC data collection configuration in response of• Determining from a received first indication that the said stored (or logged) data are not allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB).• Determining from a received second indication that the said stored (or logged) data should be discarded or that a second data collection procedure should be initiated according to a second RRC data collection configuration.A6. The method of any of the previous methods, wherein the UE stores / logs any data stored (or logged) according to a second data collection procedure separately from the stored (or logged) data associated to the first data collection procedure, in response of• Determining from a received first indication that the stored (or logged) data associated to the first data collection procedure are not allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB).• Determining from a received second indication that a second data collection procedure should be initiated according to a second RRC data collection configuration.A7. The method of any of the previous methods, wherein the UE stores / logs any data stored (or logged) according to a second data collection procedure appending them to the stored (or logged) data associated to the first data collection procedure, in response of• Determining from a received first indication that the stored (or logged) data associated to the first data collection procedure are allowed to be transmitted to the second network node (e.g. gNB).• Determining from a received second indication that a second data collection procedure should be initiated according to a second RRC data collection configuration.A8. The method of A7, wherein for each stored (or logged) data associated to different RRC data collection configurations, it is stored the identities of the one or more cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) associated to which the UE has stored (or logged) the said stored (or logged) data, and / or the list of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) identities included in the first indication associated to the said stored (or logged) data, and / or the identity of the first cell / network node (e.g. gNB) transmitting the associated RRC data collection configuration, and / or an identity for each of the one or more data collection procedures associated to the different RRC data collection configurations.A9. The method of Al, wherein the availability indication indicating the availability for transmission of the stored (or logged) data associated to the first data collection procedure includes the identities of the one or more cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) associated to which the UE has stored (or logged) data, and / or the list of cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) identities included in the first indication, and / or the identity of the first cell / network node (e.g. gNB) transmitting the first RRC data collection configuration, and / or an identity of the first data collection.A10. The method of any of the previous methods, wherein the UE receives a request message from the network node (e.g. gNB) in response of transmitting to the network node (e.g. gNB) the availability indication, the request message containing any of:• A request to transmit the stored (or logged) data for which the availability indication was sent.• A request to transmit the stored (or logged) data associated to data collection procedures performed while connected to certain cells / network nodes (e.g. gNBs) indicated within the request message through their associated identities.• A request to transmit the stored (or logged) data associated a certain data collection procedure.Al 1. The method of A10, wherein the UE transmits at least parts of the stored (or logged) data based on the received request message.A12. The method of any of the previous methods, wherein the determination of retaining / discarding the stored (or logged) data or the determination of whether the UE is allowed or not allowed to transmit the retained stored (or logged) data is for one AIML models / functionalities of the plurality of the AIML models / functionalities or for one data collection procedure of the plurality of the data collection procedures associated to which the UE has data stored (or logged) in the UE memory.Al 3. The method of any of the previous methods, wherein first and second indication is comprising instruction for one or more AIML models / functionalities or one or more data collection procedures of the plurality of the AIML models / functionalities or of the plurality of the data collection procedures associated to which the UE has data stored (or logged) in the UE memory, and wherein the availability indication is transmitted in relationship to one or more AIML models / functionalities or one or more data collection procedures of the plurality of the AIML models / functionalities or of the plurality of the data collection procedures associated to which the UE has data stored (or logged) in the UE memory.A14. The method of Al, wherein the first network node (e.g. gNB) is the network node (e.g. gNB) transmitting to the UE the first data collection configuration for the first data collection procedure, or any network node (e.g. gNB) to which the UE is connected prior to performing the mobility procedure.Al 5. The method of Al, wherein the second network node (e.g. gNB) is the network node (e.g. gNB) to which the UE connects after performing the mobility procedure.Al 6. The method of any of the previous methods, wherein the first indication is included in the first RRC data collection configuration and the second indication is included in the second RRC data collection configuration.Al 7. The method of any of the previous methods, wherein the mobility procedure is any of: a handover procedure from the first (source) network node (e.g. gNB) to the second (target) network node (e.g. gNB), a PSCell change procedure from the first (source) SgNB to the second (target) SgNB, an RRC procedure to release the RRC connection, an RRC procedure to suspend the RRC connection, an RRC procedure to setup / reestablish / resume the RRC connection.

[0071] There is also provided a method performed by a network node (e.g. the network node QQ110 or network node QQ300 as described later with reference to Figs. 3and 5 respectively). The method can comprise any one or more of the steps described herein in respect of a network node. There is also provided a method performed by a system comprising any one or more of the steps described herein in respect of a UE and any one or more of the steps described herein in respect of a network node. There is also provided a system comprising a UE as described herein and a network node as described herein.

[0072] Fig. 3 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0073] In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQl lOa and QQl lOb (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non- 3 GPP access points (APs). Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network QQ102 includes one or more Open- RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network QQ102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O- RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network nodes QQ108.

[0074] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies.

[0075] The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE) (also referred to interchangeably herein as wireless device), such as by connecting UEs QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections. The network nodes QQ110 may be, for example, access points (APs) (e.g. radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g. radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and New Radio (NR) Node Bs (gNBs). Unless otherwise indicated, the term ‘network node’ as used herein refers to network nodes QQ110 and core network nodes QQ108.

[0076] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0077] The UEs QQ112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ110are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network QQ102.

[0078] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ1 10 to one or more host computing systems, such as host QQ116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node QQ108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0079] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and / or the telecommunication network QQ102. The host QQ116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0080] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of Fig. QQ1 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other 2ndGeneration (2G), 3rdGeneration (3G), 4thGeneration (4G), 5thGeneration (5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g. 6thGeneration (6G)); wirelesslocal area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC), ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0081] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3 GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0082] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi- Radio Access Technology (RAT) or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UTRA (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access) Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0083] In the example, the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display,loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub QQ114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy Internet of Things (loT) devices.

[0084] The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ110b. The hub QQ114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to a machine-to-machine (M2M) service provider over the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node QQl lOb. In other embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0085] Fig. 4 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE QQ200 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE QQ112 of Fig. 3. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage / playback device, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), an Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0086] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), orvehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0087] The UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ204 to an input / output interface QQ206, a power source QQ208, a memory QQ210, a communication interface QQ212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. QQ2. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0088] The processing circuitry QQ202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory QQ210. The processing circuitry QQ202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to cause the UE QQ202 to perform the methods as described with reference to Fig. 1, or any other method described herein in respect of the UE.

[0089] In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UEQQ200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0090] In some embodiments, the power source QQ208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source QQ208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source QQ208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE QQ200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source QQ208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source QQ208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE QQ200 to which power is supplied.

[0091] The memory QQ210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 may store, for use by the UE QQ200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0092] The memory QQ210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universalintegrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a Universal SIM (USIM) and / or Integrated SIM (ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card’. The memory QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory QQ210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0093] The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0094] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface QQ212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0095] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface QQ212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connectionto a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0096] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0097] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE QQ200 shown in Fig. QQ2.

[0098] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3 GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, orother equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0099] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0100] Fig. 5 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), Open-RAN (0-RAN) nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e g., 0-RU, 0-DU, O-CU).

[0101] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an 0-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0102] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0103] The network node QQ300 includes a processing circuitry QQ302, a memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power source QQ308. The network node QQ300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node QQ300 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node QQ300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node QQ300.

[0104] The processing circuitry QQ302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node QQ300 components, such as the memory QQ304, to provide network node QQ300 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to cause the network node to perform the methods as described herein in respect of the network node.

[0105] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and the baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units. The processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to cause the networknode QQ300 to perform the methods as described with reference to Fig. 2, or any other method described herein in respect of the network node.

[0106] The memory QQ304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computerexecutable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry QQ302. The memory QQ304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and memory QQ304 is integrated.

[0107] The communication interface QQ306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, the access network, the core network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface QQ306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) QQ316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 comprises filters QQ320 and amplifiers QQ322. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to an antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters QQ320 and / or amplifiers QQ322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna QQ310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna QQ310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0108] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node QQ300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ318, instead, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of the communication interface QQ306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, the radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface QQ306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0109] The antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna QQ310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna QQ310 is separate from the network node QQ300 and connectable to the network node QQ300 through an interface or port.

[0110] The antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna QQ310, the communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.[OHl] The power source QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source QQ308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node QQ300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source QQ308. As a further example, the power source QQ308 may comprise a source of power in the form of abattery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0112] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Fig. QQ3 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node QQ300 and to allow output of information from the network node QQ300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node QQ300. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 108 of FIG. QQ1, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 may be omitted.

[0113] Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ400 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ400 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment QQ400 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0114] Applications QQ402 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0115] Hardware QQ404 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devicesas described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ406 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs QQ408a and QQ408b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs QQ408), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ406 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs QQ408.

[0116] The VMs QQ408 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ406. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance QQ402 may be implemented on one or more of VMs QQ408, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0117] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ408 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs QQ408, and that part of hardware QQ404 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs QQ408 on top of the hardware QQ404 and corresponds to the application QQ402.

[0118] Hardware QQ404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware QQ404 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ404 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration QQ410, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications QQ402. In some embodiments, hardware QQ404 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of acontrol system QQ412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0119] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0120] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.EMBODIMENTSGroup A Embodiments1. A method performed by a user equipment, UE, for handling first data stored at the UE, wherein the first data is from a first data collection, the method comprising: identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of a first action and a second action in respect of the stored first data in response to a first mobility procedure involving the UE, wherein the identifying is based on an indication provided by one or both of a first network node and a second network node, and wherein the first action is to discard the stored first data, and the second action is to transmit information relating to the stored first data towards the second network node.2. The method of Embodiment 1, wherein: the information relating to the stored first data comprises: the stored first data itself; or an indication that the stored first data is available for transmission to the second network node.3. The method of Embodiment 1 or 2, wherein: the information relating to the stored first data comprises: the indication that the stored first data is available for transmission to the second network node; and one or both of information identifying one or more network nodes to which the stored first data relates and information identifying the first data collection.4. The method of any of the previous Embodiments, comprising: performing the first action in response to identifying any one or more of the following: that the UE is allowed to perform the first action; that the UE is not allowed to perform the second action; and that a second data collection is to be initiated.5. The method of any of the previous Embodiments, comprising: performing the second action in response to identifying one or both of:that the UE is not allowed to perform the first action; and that the UE is allowed to perform the second action.6. The method of any of the previous Embodiments, wherein: identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of the first action and the second action in respect of the stored first data in response to the first mobility procedure involving the UE comprises: identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of the first action and the second action in respect of the stored first data once the first mobility procedure involving the UE is executed or once the first mobility procedure involving the UE is complete.7. The method of any of the previous Embodiments, wherein: the indication provided by one or both of the first network node and the second network node comprises a first indication provided by the first network node; and identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of the first action and the second action is based on the first indication.8. The method of Embodiment 7, wherein: the first indication is provided by the first network node prior to the first mobility procedure starting.9. The method of Embodiment 7 or 8, wherein: a first configuration is provided by the first network node and the first configuration comprises the first indication, wherein the first configuration configures the UE to perform the first data collection.10. The method of any of Embodiments 7 to 9, wherein: the first indication comprises any one or more of: an indication of whether the UE is allowed to perform the first action; an indication of whether the UE is allowed to perform the second action; an indication of one or more network nodes for which the UE is allowed or not allowed to perform one or both of the first action and the second action; and an indication of a time period on expiry of which the UE is to perform the firstaction.11. The method of Embodiment 10, comprising: storing second data from a second data collection separately from the stored first data if the first indication comprises one or both of an indication that the UE is not allowed to perform the first action and an indication that the UE is not allowed to perform the second action; or appending the second data from the second data collection to the stored first data if the first indication comprises one or both of an indication that the UE is not allowed to perform the first action and an indication that the UE is allowed to perform the second action.12. The method of any of Embodiments 7 to 11, wherein: the first indication is valid for the first mobility procedure only; or the first indication is valid for the first mobility procedure and one or more subsequent second mobility procedures involving the UE.13. The method of any of Embodiments 7 to 12, wherein: the first network node is a network node to which the UE is connected prior to the first mobility procedure starting.14. The method of any of Embodiments 7 to 13, wherein: the first network node is a network node that configured the UE to perform the first data collection.15. The method of any of the previous Embodiments, wherein: the indication provided by one or both of the first network node and the second network node comprises a second indication provided by the second network node; and identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform the first action is based on the second indication.16. The method of Embodiment 15, wherein: the second indication is provided by the second network node in response to the first mobility procedure involving the UE (e.g. once the first mobility procedure involving the UE is executed or once the first mobility procedure involving the UE is complete).17. The method of Embodiment 15 or 16, wherein: a second configuration is provided by the second network node and the second configuration comprises the second indication, wherein the second configuration configures the UE to perform a second data collection.18. The method of any of Embodiments 15 to 17, wherein: the information relating to the stored first data comprises an indication that the stored first data is available for transmission to the second network node; and the method comprises: receiving a message from the second network node in response to performing the second action, wherein the message comprises a request for the UE to transmit the stored first data towards the second network node.19. The method of Embodiment 18, wherein: the message comprises an indication of one or more network nodes; and the request for the UE to transmit the stored first data is a request for the UE to transmit the stored first data that the UE collected while connected to the one or more network nodes.20. The method of Embodiment 18 or 19, comprising: transmitting the requested stored first data towards the second network node in response to receiving the message.21. The method of Embodiment 20, comprising: identifying that the UE is allowed to perform the second action in respect of only part of the stored first data; and transmitting the requested stored first data comprises only transmitting the requested stored first data for which the UE is allowed to perform the second action.22. The method of any of Embodiments 15 to 21, wherein: the second indication comprises one or more of: an indication for the UE to discard any data stored by the UE before connecting to the second network node; an indication for the UE to discard any data stored by the UE that is unrelated todata collected while the UE is connected to a network node indicated by the second network node or is in a coverage area of a network node indicated by the second network node; and a second configuration configuring the UE to perform a second data collection.23. The method of any of Embodiments 15 to 22, comprising: storing second data from a second data collection separately from the stored first data if the second indication is indicative that a second data collection is to be initiated; or appending the second data from the second data collection to the stored first data if the second indication is indicative that the second data collection is to be initiated.24. The method of any of the previous Embodiments, wherein: the second network node is a network node to which the UE is to connect once the first mobility procedure is complete.25. The method of any of the previous Embodiments, wherein: the identifying is performed in response to the first mobility procedure starting.26. The method of any of the previous Embodiments, wherein: the stored data meets one or more of the following criteria: the stored data is collected according to a first configuration, wherein the first configuration is provided by the first network node and configures the UE to perform the first data collection; the stored data is collected for the purpose of a network-side data collection; and the stored data is available for transmission to the second network node.27. The method of Embodiment 26, wherein: the first configuration is a first Radio Resource Control, RRC configuration.28. The method of any of the previous Embodiments, wherein: the stored first data is data collected for training the AI / ML model.29. The method of any of the previous Embodiments, wherein: the first mobility procedure comprises any one or more of:a handover of the UE from the first network node to the second network node; a Primary Secondary Cell Group Cell, PSCell, change of the UE from the first network node to the second network node; a Radio Resource Control, RRC, procedure to change an RRC state of the UE; a radio link failure for the UE; and a handover failure for the UE.Group B Embodiments30. A method performed by a network node for handling first data, the method comprising: any one or more of the steps described herein in relation to the network node.Group C Embodiments31. A user equipment, UE, comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the UE to perform the method of any of the Group A embodiments.32. The UE of the previous embodiment, wherein the UE comprises at least one memory for storing instructions which, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the UE to perform the method of any of the Group A embodiments.33. A network node comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform the method of any of the Group B embodiments.34. The network node of the previous embodiment, wherein the network node comprises at least one memory for storing instructions which, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the network node to perform the method of any of the Group B embodiments.35. A user equipment for handling first data, comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.36. A network node for handling first data, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments;power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.37. A user equipment (UE) for handling first data, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.Group D Embodiments38. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment, cause the user equipment to perform the method according to any of the Group A embodiments.39. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by processing circuitry of a network node, cause the network node to perform the method according to any of the Group B embodiments.40. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising instructions which are executable by processing circuitry of a user equipment to cause the user equipment to perform the method according to any of the Group A embodiments.41. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising instructions which are executable by processing circuitry of a network node to cause the network node to perform the method according to any of the Group B embodiments.APPENDIX3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 #128 DocNumberOrlando, USA, 18th- 22ndNovember, 2024Agenda Item: 8.1.3Source: EricssonTitle: NW-side data collection for beam management and positioningDocument for: Discussion1 IntroductionThe discussion on the topic of NW-side data collection has progressed during the last RAN2 meetings. The discussion has focused on different technical aspects, such as when the UE should start / stop the NW-side data collection, how the UE should report the logged data, etc.In this paper, we addressed the FFSs captured in the meeting notes, and further details to be discussed in RAN2.2 Discussion on NW-side data collection for beam managementRelated to network side data collection, the following agreements were reached during the last RAN2#128 meeting.In the following, we further develop the expected technical impacts related to this topic, taking into account the above agreements and the online discussion during the last meeting.2.1 Configuration aspects and content of the data collection reportIn RAN2#127, it was agreed that when the network wants to perform NW-side data collection, it will transmit to the UE a measurement configuration for AI / ML-enabled features / FGs for data collection and logging of measurements. For the case of beam management, the NW may configure the UE with a specific set of CSI-RS / SSB resources specifically configured fortraining purposes. On such resources, the UE will then start performing layer-1 measurements and log the measurement results and any possible useful information associated to it.Going into more details on the necessary configuration, we know that from the point of view of the gNB, this set of CSI-RS / SSB resources used fortraining purposes may correspond to the set A and set B. However, unlike the case of UE-side data collection, the UE does not need to know that a certain resource set is a Set A or B, because that will be left to the NW implementation, and the UE just has to perform the same type of measurements in those sets of resources. The UE only needs to know that the purpose of this set of resources is to perform measurements for the purpose of NW- side data collection, rather than for conventional operations.RAN2 assumes that the radio resource configuration for the purpose of NW-side data collection consists of a set of CSI-RS / SSB resources on which the UE shall perform radio measurements and the related logging.Another aspect to be discussed is how to report the L1 measurements related to NW-side data collection purposes in case the UE does not support data logging. In this case in our view, there is no motivation to support L3 reporting. The L3 reporting framework is very different from the L1 reporting framework in UCI, and if data logging cannot be supported by the UE, it does not make sense from a technical point of view to replicate the UCI framework over L3, also considering the high specification / design complexity.RAN2 assumes that if data logging is not supported by the UE, the L1 measurements results associated to the NW-side data collection are reported via UCI.Related to the content of the data collection report, in RAN2#127-bis, it was agreed that “at least L1- RSRPs and / or beam-IDs needs to be collected by UE”. In our view, along with such information, also the timestamp of the measurement might be beneficial, especially for the case of event-based measurements. The timestamp of a logged measurement is already included in the logged MDT report, as a tool to assist the network in retrieving NW operating conditions at the moment in which the measurement was taken by the UE. In the same way, in the context of AIML, a timestamp would allow the network to correlate a given UE radio measurement with the NW conditions / configurations experienced at the network, which is critical to ensure a proper AIML model setup.Along with the L1-RSRP and beams IDs, the UE includes the timestamp related to the point in time in which a reported measurement was taken.However, all the above assumptions captured in 0, 0, 0 should be confirmed by RAN1 .Ask RAN1 confirmation on the following topics, including any RAN2 related agreement: a. Radio resource configuration via CSI measurement framework for the purpose of NW-side data collection b. Reporting via UCI of the L1 measurements in case the data logging is not supported by the UE c. Content of the data collection report, including at least the L1-RSRPs, the associated measured beam IDs, the timestamp of the performed measurementA further topic discussed in RAN2#127 was on whether multiple configurations for NW-side data collection should be provided to the UE.On this regard, we first note that unlike the inference case, the data collection for NW-side model training does not have any requirement on latency. Hence, whenever the network wants to configure the UE to perform radio measurements for the purpose of data collection in a different set of resources, the network can simply reconfigure the UE. Even if this reconfiguration causes a delay gap in the radio measurement, this is not a problem for the case of NW-side data collection. Hence, for thecase of NW-side data collection, the NW can simply de-configure the UE when data collection is no longer needed, and reconfigure it when needed, without the need for any activation / deactivation mechanism which would cost extra standardization effort.No need to introduce multiple configurations for NW-side data collection, and hence no need to introduce dynamic activation / deactivation mechanisms.2.2 When the UE should perform / stop the radio measurements for NW-side data collectionIn RAN2#127-bis, it was agreed that both periodic logging and event-triggered data logging will be supported.For the case of periodic logging, in our view, this means that the UE will start the data logging upon receiving the data collection configuration from the network.The UE starts the data collection upon receiving a L3 configuration for NW-side data collection.The logging periodicity as well as the logging duration can be configurable. In particular, related to the logging periodicity, that depends on the CSI-RS / SSB configuration which should be included as part of the CSI measurement configuration. Logging duration and logging periodicity can be considered both for the case of periodic data logging and event-triggered data logging.The logging periodicity / interval (for both periodic and event-triggered data collection) is given by the specific CSI measurement configuration.For the stopping of data collection, it was agreed in RAN2#127 that the data collection can be stopped once the UE faces issues such as becoming power limited. However, in general, the data collection, once started, can continue for a certain configurable time (as in logged MDT), for both the case of periodic and event triggered data collection; or it can continue until certain events are fulfilled, for the case of event-triggered data collection.Besides the case of memory limitation issues (already agreed in RAN2#127), UE stops the NW- side data collection procedure when: d. data collection has been done a certain configurable logging duration (as in logged MDT) e. the event that triggered the data collection is no longer fulfilled.Related to the event-triggered data collection, the triggering conditions were discussed in RAN2#127- bis. It was eventually agreed that “at least radio condition based event triggered logging will be supported”, and it is “FFS the details of radio condition based event”. In our view, it is kind of straightforward to assume that the measured level of L1-RSRP can be used as triggering condition, given the BM use case at hand. However, during the last meeting, it was argued that the L1-RSRP are not filtered (unlike the L3 measurements) and their values can fluctuate, so this may lead to the UE continuously starting and stopping the data collection. Given such considerations, RAN2 can discuss whether to consider alternative logging conditions. For example, the data logging can be anchored to the L3 measurements, i.e. when the L3 measurements drop above / below certain thresholds, the UE starts / stops logging the L1-RSRP, or to other L1 -driven events such as the UE starting T310 timers.A configurable level of the L1-RSRP is considered the baseline triggering condition for the UE to start / stop the NW-side data collection.RAN2 to consider the need to define alternative even-triggered conditions, such as based on the L3 filtered RSRP level, on the starting of T310 timer, etc.2.3 Design of the UElnformationResponse / Request framework for AIMLIn RAN2#127-bis, it was agreed that the UElnformationRequest / UEInformationResponse is used for on-demand reporting of AI / ML training data collection, and that an availability indication will be used by the UE signal the availability of collected data.The first issue to discuss is which SRB to use for the transmission of the UElnformationRequest / UEInformationResponse. The UElnformationRequest is already mapped to SRB1 , so in our view SRB1 can be reused. The UElnformationResponse is instead mapped to SRB1 or SRB2 (when logged measurement information is included).In legacy, the UElnformationRequest is mapped to SRB1, and the UElnformationResponse is mapped to SRB1 or SRB2 (when logged measurement information is included).In last meeting, it was proposed that for the UElnformationResponse the SRB4 could be used.However, in our view this proposal is not very well motivated given that SRB4 is today used for QoE which however uses a completely different data transmission mechanisms based on RRC segmentation, and not based on the “on-demand” framework that instead we have decided to adopt for the reporting of AIML collected data. On the other hand, SRB2 is used for the logged MDT that, as said, resembles very much the AIML use cases, both on the signalling mechanism (both based on “on-demand”) and on the prioritization (both logged MDT and AIML-related collected data can be assumed to have the same priority from NW point of view).Hence, our preference is to reuse the SRB2, or a new SRB that can be assumed to be used for all the AIML use cases from now on.The UElnformationRequest requesting AIML data is transmitted via SRB1 (as any other data request contained in such message), and the UElnformationResponse is transmitted via SRB2, or via a new defined SRB (to be used for all AIML use cases).Another FFS captured during the last meeting is the content of theUElnformationRequest / UEInformationResponse messages and the details of the availability indication.We first note that the UElnformationRequest / UEInformationResponse framework based on availability indication, is used also for retrieving SON and MDT-related reports. Hence, it is important to distinguish the signalling of the AIML-related use cases from the legacy use cases. This means that the availability indication should at least contain a reference to the type of data that are available for transmission, e.g. “NW-side collected data”, and in turn, the existing UElnformationRequest should be extended to include at least an indicator indicating that the gNB is requesting “NW-side collected data”.The availability indication transmitted by the UE should contain at least reference to the type of data that are available for transmission, and the UElnformationRequest should contain at least reference to the type of data that are requested, e.g. “AIML NW- side collected data”.How the availability indication is sent to the network is FFS. In our view, the network cannot always know when there are data available for transmission. This is particularly true for the event-triggered data collection. Additionally, the network cannot know if the UE has stopped the data collection, e.g. due to event-triggering conditions not being any longer fulfilled, or due to UE internal events such as UE memory becoming full. These are definitely information that the network should know as soon as possible, so that the network can start retrieving the data in order to free up the UE memory as soon as possible, thereby avoiding that the UE needs to skip the logging of some radio measurements. In our view, it is sufficient if the UE just signals to the network when it has stopped the data collection, so that the network can start retrieving the data.When the UE stops the data collection (e.g. due to fulfilling / unfulfilling of the event-triggered data collection, or UE internal conditions such as memory limitations), the UE informs the gNB about the availability of collected data.In legacy, the data availability indication is transmitted in any RRC complete message, such as RRCResumeComplete, RRCReconfigurationComplete, RRCReestablishmentComplete message.However, the classical SON / MDT reports are designed to be transmitted in gNBs different than the gNB in which the measurement was configured, or different from the gNB in which a certain event (such as RLF) occurred. For the BM use cases however we have not agreed yet on whether inter- gNB signalling forthe transmission of AIML collected data is supported. Hence, as baseline we have to be assumed that the collected data should be at least transmitted to the gNB that configured the AIML NW-side data collection. This means that we cannot limit the transmission of the availability indication exclusively to the RRC complete messages that may be transmitted just sporadically when connected to a certain gNB. For this reason, we consider that as baseline the availability indication should be transmitted via UEAssistancelnformation.As baseline, the data availability indication is transmitted at least in the UEAssistancelnformation. Whether it can be transmitted also in RRC complete messages (as in SON / MDT) depends on the handling of collected data during mobility.2.3.1 How to handle the case of collected data exceeding single RRC message sizeIn RAN2#127, it was agreed that no standardized RRC segmentation procedure is needed, as forthe logged MDT measurements. The UE implementation can determine how many entries to include in the list radio measurements information, such that the maximum PDCP SDU size is not exceeded. Then, with this agreement in place, RAN2 just need to discuss how to transmit the collected AIML data that could not fit into a single RRC message. Again, we can get some inspiration from the logged MDT and foresee the following options:• In each transmitted RRC message, the UE indicates to the gNB that there are still collected data available for transmission, and then the gNB further requests the UE to transmit the next RRC message (via UElnformationRequest / Response); or• Once the gNB requests the UE to transmit the AIML collected data, the UE continues the transmission of a certain amount of samples (as indicated by the gNB in the UElnformationRequest) in the following RRC UElnformationResponse messages. In such case, it would be useful for the network to get to know how many data are stored / left for transmission so that the gNB can allocate the necessary resources and decide when to fetch those data and how many data (e.g. taking into account cell load).• Once the gNB requests the UE to transmit the AIML collected data, the UE continues the transmission of all the remaining samples in following RRC UElnformationResponse messages without any further request from the gNB. Also in such case, it would be useful for the network to get to know how many data are stored / left for transmission so that the gNB can allocate the necessary resources and decide when / whetherto fetch those data taking into account cell load.In case all the collected data do not fit into a single RRC message, RAN2 to discuss the following options: f. In each transmitted RRC message, the UE indicates to the gNB that there are still collected data available for transmission, and then the gNB further requests the UE to transmit the next RRC message (via UElnformationRequest / Response) (similar to logged MDT). g. The gNB indicates (i.e. in the UElnformationRequest) the amount of collected data the UE should transmit in the following RRC UElnformationResponse messages, or the amount of RRC UElnformationResponse messages the UE should transmit, without any further request from the gNB. h. The gNB indicates (i.e. in the UElnformationRequest) that all the remaining collected data should be transmitted by the UE in the following RRC UElnformationResponse messages without any further request from the gNB.As said above, in order to facilitate the gNB decisions of whether to fetch or postpone the fetching of the data, it would be beneficial if the UE could indicate as part of the availability indication, how many data the UE has collected or how many RRC messages are expected to be transmitted.The UE indicates in the availability indication how many data or RRC samples are available for transmission.2.4 UE memory capabilitiesDuring the last RAN2 meeting, we have agreed that the UE stores the logged training data at AS layer with a minimum AS layer memory size supported by the UE. FFS on the memory size. Before discussing the minimum value of the memory size, we propose waiting for more RAN1 inputs related to the data that the UE could log and report to the gNB, so that RAN2 can do a more thorough analysis of such minimum requirement. Additionally, in our view if the UE supports more memory than this minimum memory size, that should be indicated by the UE.RAN2 to wait RAN1 inputs on the type of data to be logged by the UE, before discussing the minimum memory size for storing collected data.Define in a UE capability some different minimum memory values that a UE can support for the logging of collected data.2.5 Handling of collected data during mobilitySeveral contributions submitted to the last RAN2#127-bis meeting addressed the handling of AIML collected data during mobility. The discussion so far as mainly focused on aspects related to how to configure / start / stop the data collection, and how to report the collected data. It is the natural next step to start discussing what happens at the data collected but not yet transmitted, when certain mobility- related events occur, e.g. a handover is executed, or an RLF / HOF is detected, or an RRC state transition is performed. In our view, there are mainly two alternatives:1 . The UE discards / clears the collected data when performing a mobility procedure2. The UE retains the collected data, and possibly transmit them to a different node than the node configuring the data collection (e.g. the target gNB of the HO, or the gNB to which the UE reconnects / reestablishes after an RLF)Needless to say, that the option 2 above is certainly preferrable from a technical point of view, because it allows the source gNB to retrieve all the collected data, and it allows to fully capitalize on the reference signals transmitted for the data collection purpose, and on the power spent by the UE. However, the standardization effort of the option 2 should be also assessed in relationship to the time left for this Rel.19 Wl.For example, if option 2 is pursued, RAN2 should first discuss whether the data retaining should be supported in all mobility cases or only in some cases, e.g. the retaining of the data may be supported only in case of HO, whereas in case of RLF the UE may discard all the data. Then, it should be discussed how the UE is informed on whether it is allowed or not allowed to transmit the AIML collected data to another gNB, e.g the target gNB of the HO. Allowing the UE to always transmit the retained data to a target gNB may not be desirable considering that the target node could be of another vendor.Finally, since the node retrieving the data should transmit the collected data to the source gNB, some work on the Xn interface might be needed, and as such RAN3 involvement.Given the above considerations, we propose for simplicity to limit the scope of this discussion for Rel.19.For Rel.19, as baseline, RAN2 assumes that the UE discards / clears the AIML collected data at mobility events (e.g. handover to a different gNB than the source gNB, RLF / HOF, RRC state transitions).Nevertheless, if there is a strong preference to pursue optimizations in this area, we propose addressing the following aspects.If it is agreed to enable the UE to retain the AIML collected data at mobility events, RAN2 to discuss the following: i. Whether the retaining of the data should be supported for all mobility-related events, i.e. HO, RLF, RRC state transitions. j. How the UE is informed on whether it should retain the data or not when executing the mobility-related event. k. Consider Xn impact and RAN3 involvement2.6 OAM-centric data collectionFor the OAM-centric data collection, the RAN2 impact is quite limited. This is because the agreements reached so far are also suitable for the OAM-centric use cases. However, there might be more specific OAM-related aspects that should be addressed by RAN3 and SA5. For example, SA5 should consider whether to introduce other Mx measurement for the specific BM use cases. Additionally, RAN3 / SA5 could consider whether to enhance the management MDT for the selection of the UEs to perform the data collection.RAN2 can start by indicating the agreements reached so far by RAN2 on this topic, and ask RAN3 / SA5 to consider these agreements for their work.RAN2 to send an LS to RAN3 / SA5 to indicate the agreements reached so far by RAN2 on the topic of NW-side data collection, and ask them to consider such agreements in their work.3 Discussion on NW-side data collection for positioningNetwork-side data collection for positioning occurs in the following network-based positioning methods:• Case 3a: NG-RAN node assisted / LMF-based positioning with gNB side model (direct positioning)• Case 3b: NG-RAN node assisted / LMF-based positioning with LMF-side model (assisted positioning)Case 3a and Case 3b both are based on UL measurements performed at the gNB and share similar flows as the legacy UL-TDOA positioning method. As such the impact is primarily in RAN3 domain NRPPa.The main impact in terms of RAN2 is the RRC configuration for SRS which can follow the legacy mechanism. However, one additional aspect to consider is that for AI / ML model both measurements and label are needed. For the training, the necessary information is the gNB measurements (RTOA) and the label / ground truth is UE location or true RTOA. The LMF would have to configure the reporting of UE location coinciding the SRS transmission periodicity. The gNB for the case 3a can also obtain the UE location using RRC; that is there would be no requirement of having an LPP session. This is already possible in legacy as below for MDT.- CommonLocationlnfoThe IE CommonLocationlnfo is used to transfer detailed location information available at the UE to correlate measurements and UE position information.CommonLocationlnfo information elementUE sending ground truth UE location coordinate to gNB via RRC is more efficient compared to sending it first to LMF which further forwarding to gNB, especially when UE is requested to send updated location coordinate when moving.Case 3a / 3b NW side data collection should be driven by RAN3 as it has primarily NRPPa impact. The main impact on RAN2 can be to align the gNB measurements and UE reporting of ground truth during training.UE sending ground truth UE location coordinate directly to gNB via RRC is an efficient way to support gNB-side data collection.A window to report UE ground truth coinciding with SRS transmission periodicity is configured.UE sends ground truth UE location coordinate to gNB via RRC for gNB-side data collection.4 ConclusionIn the previous sections we made the following observations:Observation 1 In legacy, the UElnformationRequest is mapped to SRB1, and the UElnformationResponse is mapped to SRB1 or SRB2 (when logged measurement information is included).Observation 2 Case 3a / 3b NW side data collection should be driven by RAN3 as it has primarily NRPPa impact. The main impact on RAN2 can be to align the gNB measurements and UE reporting of ground truth during training.Observation 3 UE sending ground truth UE location coordinate directly to gNB via RRC is an efficient way to support gNB-side data collection.Based on the discussion in the previous sections we propose the following:Proposal 1 RAN2 assumes that the radio resource configuration for the purpose of NW- side data collection consists of a set of CSI-RS / SSB resources in which the UE shall perform radio measurements and optionally loggingProposal 2 RAN2 assumes that if data logging is not supported by the UE, the L1 measurements results associated to the NW-side data collection are reported via UCI.Proposal 3 Along with the L1-RSRP and beams IDs, the UE includes the timestamp related to the point in time in which a reported measurement was taken.Proposal 4 Ask RAN1 confirmation on the following topics, including any RAN2 related agreement: a. Radio resource configuration via CSI measurement framework for the purpose of NW-side data collection b. Reporting via UCI of the L1 measurements in case the data logging is not supported by the UE c. Content of the data collection report, including at least the L1-RSRPs, the associated measured beam IDs, the timestamp of the performed measurementProposal 5 No need to introduce multiple configurations for NW-side data collection, and hence no need to introduce dynamic activation / deactivation mechanisms.Proposal 6 The UE starts the data collection upon receiving a L3 configuration for NW- side data collection.Proposal 7 The logging periodicity / interval (for both periodic and event-triggered data collection) is given by the specific CSI measurement configuration.Proposal 8 Besides the case of memory limitation issues (already agreed in RAN2#127), RAN2 to consider the following additional mechanisms for the stopping of the NW-side data collection procedure: a. The UE continues data collection for a certain configurable logging duration (as in logged MDT) b. The UE continues data collection until the event that triggered the data collection is fulfilled.Proposal 9 A configurable level of the L1-RSRP is considered the baseline triggering condition for the UE to start / stop the NW-side data collection.Proposal 10 RAN2 to consider the need to define alternative logging conditions, such as the L3 filtered RSRP level, the starting of T310 timer, etc.Proposal 11 The UElnformationRequest requesting AIML data is transmitted via SRB1 (as any other data request contained in such message), and the UElnformationResponse is transmitted via SRB2, or via a new defined SRB (to be used for all AIML use cases).Proposal 12 The availability indication transmitted by the UE should contain at least reference to the type of data that are available for transmission, and the UElnformationRequest should contain at least reference to the type of data that are requested, e.g. “AIML NW-side collected data”.Proposal 13 When the UE stops the data collection (e.g. due to fulfilling / unfulfilling of the event-triggered data collection, or UE internal conditions such as memory limitations), the UE informs the gNB about the availability of collected data.Proposal 14 As baseline, the data availability indication is transmitted at least in the UEAssistancelnformation. Whether it can be transmitted also in RRC complete messages (as in SON / MDT) depends on the handling of collected data during mobility.Proposal 15 In case all the collected data do not fit into a single RRC message, RAN2 to discuss the following options: a. In each transmitted RRC message, the UE indicates to the gNB that there are still collected data available for transmission, and then the gNB further requests the UE to transmit the next RRC message (via UElnformationRequest / Response) (similar to logged MDT). b. The gNB indicates (i.e. in the UElnformationRequest) the amount of collected data the UE should transmit in the following RRC UElnformationResponse messages, or the amount of RRC UElnformationResponse messages the UE should transmit, without any further request from the gNB. c. The gNB indicates (i.e. in the UElnformationRequest) that all the remaining collected data should be transmitted by the UE in the following RRC UElnformationResponse messages without any further request from the gNB.Proposal 16 The UE indicates in the availability indication how many data or RRC samples are available for transmission.Proposal 17 RAN2 to wait RAN1 inputs on the type of data to be logged by the UE, before discussing the minimum memory size for storing collected data.Proposal 18 Define in a UE capability some different minimum memory values that a UE can support for the logging of collected data.Proposal 19 For Rel.19, as baseline, RAN2 assumes that the UE discards / clears the AIML collected data at mobility events (e.g. handover to a different gNB than the source gNB, RLF / HOF, RRC state transitions).Proposal 20 If it is agreed to enable the UE to retain the AIML collected data at mobility events, RAN2 to discuss the following: a. Whether the retaining of the data should be supported for all mobility-related events, i.e. HO, RLF, RRC state transitions. b. How the UE is informed on whether it should retain the data or not when executing the mobility-related event. c. Consider Xn impact and RAN3 involvementProposal 21 RAN2 to send an LS to RAN3 / SA5 to indicate the agreements reached so far by RAN2 on the topic of NW-side data collection, and ask them to consider such agreements in their work.Proposal 22 A window to report UE ground truth coinciding with SRS transmission periodicity is configured.Proposal 23 UE sends ground truth UE location coordinate to gNB via RRC for gNB-side data collection.ABBREVIATIONSAt least some of the following abbreviations may be used in this disclosure. If there is an inconsistency between abbreviations, preference should be given to how it is used above. If listed multiple times below, the first listing should be preferred over any subsequent listing(s).Al Artificial IntelligenceML Machine LearningBM Beam ManagementUL UplinkDL DownlinkCSLRS Channel State Information reference signalCU-CP Central Unit Control PlaneDU Distributed UnitMDT Minimization Drive TestOAM Operation Administration and MaintenancePTRS Phase Tracking reference signalSSB Synchronization Signal blockUE User equipmentRAN Radio Access NetworkRSRP Reference signal received powerRSRQ Reference signal received qualitySINR Signal to Interference and noise RatioRRC Radio Resource ControlRLM Radio Link MonitoringL2 Layer-2REF Radio Link FailureHARQ Hybrid ARQARQ Automatic Repeat RequestRS SI Received Signal Strength IndicatorDRX Discontinuous receptionCU-UP Central Unit User PlanePDCP Packet Data Convergence ProtocolMAC Medium Access ControlCE Control ElementUCI Uplink Control InformationNW NetworkSSB Synchronization Signal BlockPBCH Physical Broadcast ChannelPDCCH Physical Downlink Control ChannelDCI Downlink Control InformationIE Information ElementPLMN Public Land Mobile NetworkMIMO Multiple Input Multiple OutputARFCN Absolute Radio-Frequency Channel NumberMNO Mobility Network OperatorOTT Over-the-TopNWDAF Network Data Analytics FunctionDCAF Data Collection Application FunctionHOF Handover Failure3 GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project 5G 5th Generation 6G 6thGeneration ABS Almost Blank Subframe ARQ Automatic Repeat Request AWGN Additive White Gaussian Noise BCCH Broadcast Control Channel BCH Broadcast Channel CA Carrier Aggregation CC Carrier Component CCCH SDU Common Control Channel SDU CDMA Code Division Multiplex Access CGI Cell Global Identity CIR Channel Impulse Response CP Cyclic Prefix CPICH Common Pilot Channel CQI Channel Quality Information C-RNTI Cell RNTI CSI Channel State Information DCCH Dedicated Control Channel DL Downlink DM Demodulation DMRS Demodulation Reference Signal DRX Discontinuous Reception DTX Discontinuous Transmission DTCH Dedicated Traffic Channel DUT Device Under Test E-CID Enhanced Cell-ID (positioning method) Ec / No Received energy per chip divided by the power density in the band eMBMS Evolved Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services ECGI Evolved CGI eNB E-UTRAN NodeB ePDCCH Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel E-SMLC Evolved Serving Mobile Location Center E-UTRAN Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network FDD Frequency Division Duplex FFS For Further Study gNB Base station in NR GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request HO Handover HSPA High Speed Packet Access HRPD High Rate Packet Data LOS Line of Sight LPP LTE Positioning Protocol LTE Long-Term Evolution MAC Medium Access Control MAC Message Authentication Code MBSFN Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service Single Frequency NetworkMBSFN ABS MBSFN Almost Blank Subframe MDT Minimization of Drive Tests MIB Master Information Block MME Mobility Management Entity MSC Mobile Switching Center NPDCCH Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel NR New Radio OCNG OFDMA Channel Noise Generator OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing OFDMA Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access OSS Operations Support System OTDOA Observed Time Difference of Arrival O&M Operation and Maintenance PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel P-CCPCH Primary Common Control Physical Channel PCell Primary Cell PCFICH Physical Control Format Indicator Channel PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol PDP Power Delay Profile PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel PGW Packet Gateway PHICH Physical Hybrid-ARQ Indicator Channel PLMN Public Land Mobile Network PMI Precoding Matrix Indicator PRACH Physical Random Access Channel PRS Positioning Reference Signal PSS Primary Synchronization Signal PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel RACH Random Access Channel QAM Quadrature Amplitude Modulation RAN Radio Access Network RAT Radio Access Technology RLC Radio Link Control RLM Radio Link Monitoring RNC Radio Network Controller RNTI Radio Network Temporary Identifier RRC Radio Resource Control RRM Radio Resource Management RS Reference Signal RSCP Received Signal Code Power RSRP Reference Symbol Received Power OR Reference Signal Received PowerRSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality OR Reference Symbol Received QualityRS SI Received Signal Strength Indicator RSTD Reference Signal Time Difference SCH Synchronization Channel SCell Secondary CellSDAP Service Data Adaptation Protocol SDU Service Data Unit SFN System Frame Number SGW Serving Gateway SI System Information SIB System Information Block SNR Signal to Noise Ratio SON Self-Organizing Network ss Synchronization Signal sss Secondary Synchronization Signal TDD Time Division Duplex TDOA Time Difference of Arrival TOA Time of Arrival TSS Tertiary Synchronization Signal TTI Transmission Time Interval UE User Equipment UL Uplink UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System USIM Universal Subscriber Identity Module UTDOA Uplink Time Difference of Arrival WCDMA Wideband CDMA WLAN Wireless Local Area Network

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a user equipment, UE, for handling first data stored at the UE, wherein the first data is from a first data collection, the method comprising: identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of a first action and a second action in respect of the stored first data in response to a first mobility procedure involving the UE, wherein the identifying is based on an indication provided by one or both of a first network node and a second network node, and wherein the first action is to discard the stored first data, and the second action is to transmit information relating to the stored first data towards the second network node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the information relating to the stored first data comprises an indication that the stored first data is available for transmission to the second network node.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the information relating to the stored first data comprises the stored first data itself.

4. The method of claims 1-3, wherein: the information relating to the stored first data comprises: the indication that the stored first data is available for transmission to the second network node; and one or both of information identifying one or more network nodes to which the stored first data relates and information identifying the first data collection.

5. The method of any of the previous claims, comprising: performing the first action in response to identifying any one or more of the following: that the UE is allowed to perform the first action; that the UE is not allowed to perform the second action; and that a second data collection is to be initiated.

6. The method of any of the previous claims, comprising:performing the second action in response to identifying one or both of: that the UE is not allowed to perform the first action; and that the UE is allowed to perform the second action.

7. The method of any of the previous claims, wherein: identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of the first action and the second action in respect of the stored first data in response to the first mobility procedure involving the UE comprises: identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of the first action and the second action in respect of the stored first data once the first mobility procedure involving the UE is executed or once the first mobility procedure involving the UE is complete.

8. The method of any of the previous claims, wherein: the indication provided by one or both of the first network node and the second network node comprises a first indication provided by the first network node; and identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of the first action and the second action is based on the first indication.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein: the first indication is provided by the first network node prior to the first mobility procedure starting.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9, wherein: a first configuration is provided by the first network node and the first configuration comprises the first indication, wherein the first configuration configures the UE to perform the first data collection.

11. The method of any of claims 8 to 10, wherein: the first indication comprises an indication of whether the UE is allowed to perform the second action.

12. The method of any of claims 8-11, wherein the first indication comprises any one or more of:an indication of whether the UE is allowed to perform the first action; an indication of whether the UE is allowed to perform the second action;; and an indication of a time period on expiry of which the UE is to perform the first action.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising: storing second data from a second data collection separately from the stored first data if the first indication comprises one or both of an indication that the UE is not allowed to perform the first action and an indication that the UE is not allowed to perform the second action; or appending the second data from the second data collection to the stored first data if the first indication comprises one or both of an indication that the UE is not allowed to perform the first action and an indication that the UE is allowed to perform the second action.

14. The method of any of claims 8 to 13, wherein: the first indication is valid for the first mobility procedure only; or the first indication is valid for the first mobility procedure and one or more subsequent second mobility procedures involving the UE.

15. The method of any of claims 8 to 14, wherein: the first network node is a network node to which the UE is connected prior to the first mobility procedure starting.

16. The method of any of claims 8 to 15, wherein: the first network node is a network node that configured the UE to perform the first data collection.

17. The method of any of the previous claims, wherein: the indication provided by one or both of the first network node and the second network node comprises a second indication provided by the second network node; and identifying whether or not the UE is allowed to perform the first action is based on the second indication.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein: the second indication is provided by the second network node in response to the first mobility procedure involving the UE (e.g. once the first mobility procedure involving the UE is executed or once the first mobility procedure involving the UE is complete).

19. The method of claims 17 or 18, wherein: a second configuration is provided by the second network node and the second configuration comprises the second indication, wherein the second configuration configures the UE to perform a second data collection.

20. The method of any of claims 17 to 19, wherein: the information relating to the stored first data comprises an indication that the stored first data is available for transmission to the second network node; and the method comprises: receiving a message from the second network node in response to performing the second action, wherein the message comprises a request for the UE to transmit the stored first data towards the second network node.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein: the message comprises an indication of one or more network nodes; and the request for the UE to transmit the stored first data is a request for the UE to transmit the stored first data that the UE collected while connected to the one or more network nodes.

22. The method of claims 20 or 21, comprising: transmitting the requested stored first data towards the second network node in response to receiving the message.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising: identifying that the UE is allowed to perform the second action in respect of only part of the stored first data; and transmitting the requested stored first data comprises only transmitting the requested stored first data for which the UE is allowed to perform the second action.

24. The method of any of claims 17 to 23, wherein:the second indication comprises one or more of: an indication for the UE to discard any data stored by the UE before connecting to the second network node; an indication for the UE to discard any data stored by the UE that is unrelated to data collected while the UE is connected to a network node indicated by the second network node or is in a coverage area of a network node indicated by the second network node; and a second configuration configuring the UE to perform a second data collection.

25. The method of any of claims 17 to 24, comprising: storing second data from a second data collection separately from the stored first data if the second indication is indicative that a second data collection is to be initiated; or appending the second data from the second data collection to the stored first data if the second indication is indicative that the second data collection is to be initiated.

26. The method of any of the previous claims, wherein: the second network node is a network node to which the UE is to connect once the first mobility procedure is complete.

27. The method of any of the previous claims, wherein: the identifying is performed in response to the first mobility procedure starting.

28. The method of any of the previous claims, wherein: the stored data meets one or more of the following criteria: the stored data is collected according to a first configuration, wherein the first configuration is provided by the first network node and configures the UE to perform the first data collection; the stored data is collected for the purpose of a network-side data collection; and the stored data is available for transmission to the second network node.

29. The method of claims 28, wherein: the first configuration is a first Radio Resource Control, RRC configuration.

30. The method of any of the previous claims, wherein:the stored first data is data collected for training the AI / ML model.

31. The method of any of the previous claims, wherein: the first mobility procedure comprises any one or more of a handover of the UE from the first network node to the second network node; a Primary Secondary Cell Group Cell, PSCell, change of the UE from the first network node to the second network node; a Radio Resource Control, RRC, procedure to change an RRC state of the UE; a radio link failure for the UE; and a handover failure for the UE.

32. A method performed by a network node for handling first data, the method comprising: providing an indication on the basis of which a User Equipment, UE, is to identify whether or not the UE is allowed to perform one or both of a first action and a second action in respect of stored data in response to a first mobility procedure involving the UE, wherein the first action is to discard the stored data, and the second action is to transmit information relating to the stored data towards the network node or another network node.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the method comprises any one or more of the steps described in any of claims 2-31 in relation to the network node.

34. A user equipment, UE, comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the UE to perform the method of any of claims 1-31.

35. The UE of the claim 34, wherein the UE comprises at least one memory for storing instructions which, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the UE to perform the method of any of claims 1-31.

36. A network node comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform the method of any of the claims 32-33.

37. The network node of the claim 36, wherein the network node comprises at least one memory for storing instructions which, when executed by the processing circuitry, cause the network node to perform the method of any of the claims 32-33.

38. A user equipment for handling first data, comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of the claims 1-31; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

39. A network node for handling first data, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of any of the claims 32-33; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

40. A user equipment (UE) for handling first data, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of the claims 1-31; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

41. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment, cause the user equipment to perform the method according to any of the claims 1-31.

42. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by processing circuitry of a network node, cause the network node to perform the method according to anyof the claims 32-33.

43. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising instructions which are executable by processing circuitry of a user equipment to cause the user equipment to perform the method according to any of the claims 1-31.

44. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising instructions which are executable by processing circuitry of a network node to cause the network node to perform the method according to any of the claims 32-33.

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