Intent handler entity, charging entity and methods in a wireless communication network

Abstract

A method performed by an intent handler entity for handling an intent based charging of a service in a communication network is provided. The intent handling entity establishes (201) a subscription for chargeable intent state transitions between a charging enablement function, CEF, and the intent handler entity. The subscription comprises the CEF subscribing for chargeable intent state transitions from the intent handler entity. Responsive to receiving an intent for establishing a service, the intent handling entity triggers (203) charging for creating the intent by sending, to the CEF, a first report indicating that an intent for a service setup has been created. The first report comprising an intent identifier, ID, identifying the intent, The intent handling entity establishing (204) the service by requesting the service to be established by a first network function. Responsive to receiving the service being established, the intent handling entity triggers (205) charging for establishing the service by sending, to the CEF, a second report indicating that setup has been established. The second report comprises the intent ID.

Description

[0001] INTENT HANDLER ENTITY, CHARGING ENTITY AND METHODS IN A WIRELESS COMMUNUCATION NETWORK

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments herein relate to an intent handler entity, a charging entity and methods therein. In some aspects, they relate to handling intent based charging in a wireless communication network.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] In a typical wireless communication network, wireless devices, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and / or User Equipment (UE), communicate via a Wide Area Network or a Local Area Network such as a Wi-Fi network or a cellular network comprising a Radio Access Network (RAN) part and a Core Network (CN) part. The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cell areas, which may also be referred to as a beam or a beam group, with each service area or cell area being served by a radio network node such as a radio access node e.g., a Wi-Fi access point, a Base Station (BS) or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be denoted, for example, a Base Station (BS), a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), or gNodeB (gNB) as denoted in Fifth Generation (5G) telecommunications. A service area or cell area is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over an air interface operating on a radio frequency with the wireless devices within the range of the radio network node.

[0006] 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the standardization body for specifying the standards for the cellular system evolution, e.g., including 3G, 4G, 5G and the future evolutions. Specifications for Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) and Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completed within the 3GPP. In 4G also called a Fourth Generation (4G) network, EPS is core network and E-UTRA is radio access network. In 5G, 5GC is core network, NR is radio access network. As a continued network evolution, the new release of 3GPP specifies a 5G network also referred to as 5G New Radio (NR) and 5G Core (5GC).

[0007] Frequency bands for 5G NR are being separated into two different frequency ranges, Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2). FR1 comprises sub-6GHz frequency bands. Some of these bands are bands traditionally used by legacy standards but have been extended to cover potential new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. FR2 comprises frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Bands in this millimeter wave range have shorter range but higher available bandwidth than bands in the FR1.

[0008] Multi-antenna techniques may significantly increase the data rates and reliability of a wireless communication system. For a wireless connection between a single user, such as UE, and a base station (BS), the performance is in particular improved if both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas, which results in a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication channel. This may be referred to as Single-User (SU)-MIMO. In the scenario where MIMO techniques is used for the wireless connection between multiple users and the base station, MIMO enables the users to communicate with the base station simultaneously using the same time-frequency resources by spatially separating the users, which increases further the cell capacity. This may be referred to as Multi-User (MU)-MIMO. Note that MU-MIMO may benefit when each UE only has one antenna. The cell capacity can be increased linearly with respect to the number of antennas at the BS side. Due to that, more and more antennas are employed in BS. Such systems and / or related techniques are commonly referred to as massive MIMO.

[0009] Intent

[0010] In an autonomous networks management framework that is purely intent driven, all goals and expected behaviour are defined with intents. The management framework will only perform operations that relate to the fulfilment and assurance of an intent, which means that all goals - including those that may have been considered "common sense" in human-operated systems - are to be expressed as intents.

[0011] An intent in an autonomous management framework is expressed declaratively -that is, as a goal that describes the properties of a satisfactory outcome rather than prescribing a specific solution. This gives the framework the flexibility to explore various solution options and find the optimal one. It also allows the framework to optimize by choosing its own actions and decisions, e.g., exactly which service to instantiate, or configuration to make, that will ultimately maximize utility.

[0012] In 3GPP TS 28.312 V18.2.1, intent is defined as "a desire to reach a certain state for a specific service or network management workflow". Besides that, "an intent specifiesthe expectations including requirements, goals and constraints given to a 3GPP system, without specifying how to achieve them".

[0013] An original intent will be transformed and decomposed when transferred between different domains. At each stage it can be decomposed into several new declarative intents and, partly or completely, transformed into various actions.

[0014] It is an appropriate way to describe the intentions of vertical users based on their own language and expertise, without needing to understand the underlying infrastructure's details or low-level management and operation resources. This straightforward and service-oriented language simplifies the verticals' approach to mobile networks and their interactions with the management and operation system when defining their requirements.

[0015] The idea of "intent" is an innovative concept in the realm of autonomous and programmable networks because it allows for the declaration of requirements, constraints, objectives, and context of the desired connectivity in a technology-independent and abstract way. This approach shifts the focus from network operation and configuration to the expectations and requirements of the applications and services that utilize network connectivity. The concept of intent is simple to interpret and manage without requiring in-depth technical knowledge of networking aspects. Therefore, it is an appropriate way to describe the intentions of vertical users based on their own language and expertise, without needing to understand the underlying infrastructure's details or low-level management and operation resources.

[0016] 6G networks can enhance the functionalities available to process and translate vertical and customer intents to drive network configuration.

[0017] As per latest 3GPP TS 28.312 V18.2.1, following use cases are in focus of specifications, regarding intent containing an expectation for:

[0018] • delivering radio network.

[0019] • delivering a radio service.

[0020] • delivering a service at the edge.

[0021] • coverage performance to be assured.

[0022] • radio network performance to be assured.

[0023] • end-to-end network optimization.

[0024] • RAN energy saving.

[0025] • 5GC network.

[0026] 3GPP TS 28.312 V18.2.1 describes intent structure, intent driven management service, intent translation, intent fulfilment states, Intent report and other related details.SUMMARY

[0027] As a part of developing embodiments herein a problem was identified by the inventors and will first be discussed.

[0028] An original intent will be transformed and decomposed when transferred between different domains. At each stage it can be decomposed into several new declarative intents and, partly or completely, transformed into various actions.

[0029] It is possible that in an Intent Based Automated (I BA) network, operator can deploy intent management layer for its Business to Customer (B2C) as well as Business to Business (B2B) customers. In the case of B2C this will mainly be customer and order care scenarios, where only the order case will have charging. The B2C order care can rely on the operator’s current setup for charging since it will end up in an order for an existing product. In the B2B case there are more complexity since the order of a service can have more customization possibilities and the service may be provided in several ways. The product order may also be from an Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) which will require configuration of the B2C charging for the new service, seen from the MVNO side. Current specification does not state anything about charging in the intent scenario can be done.

[0030] There are three basic scenarios for charging in the intent space:

[0031] 1 B2B charging for service setup.

[0032] 2 B2B charging for service usage.

[0033] 3 B2C charging for service usage (in a B2B2C case).

[0034] An object of embodiments herein is to improve the intent handling in in a wireless communication network.

[0035] According to an aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method performed by an intent handler entity for handling an intent based charging of a service in a communication network.

[0036] The intent handler entity establishes a subscription for chargeable intent state transitions between a charging enablement function, CEF, and the intent handler entity. The subscription comprises the CEF subscribing for chargeable intent state transitions from the intent handler entity.

[0037] Responsive to receiving an intent for establishing a service, the intent handler entity triggers charging for creating the intent by sending, to the CEF, a first report indicatingthat an intent for a service setup has been created, the first report comprising an intent identifier, ID, identifying the intent.

[0038] The intent handler entity establishes the service by requesting the service to be established by a first network function.

[0039] Responsive to receiving the service being established, the intent handler entity triggers charging for establishing the service by sending, to the CEF, a second report indicating that setup has been established, the second report comprising the intent ID.

[0040] According to an aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method performed by a charging entity for handling an intent based charging of a service in a communication network.

[0041] The charging entity is configured for charging of one or more intent states.

[0042] The charging entity triggers charging of an intent creation by receiving a first charging request from a charging enablement function, CEF. The first charging request comprises an intent identifier, ID, identifying the intent being created,.

[0043] The charging entity triggeres charging of a service establishment by receiving a second charging request from the CEF. The second charging request comprises an intent ID identifying the intent associated with the established service.

[0044] According to an aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by an intent handler entity configured to handle an intent based charging of a service in a communication network.

[0045] The intent handler entity is configured to establish a subscription for chargeable intent state transitions between a charging enablement function, CEF, and the intent handler entity. The subscription comprises the CEF subscribing for chargeable intent state transitions from the intent handler entity.

[0046] Responsive to receiving an intent for establishing a service, the intent handler entity is configured to trigger charging for creating the intent by sending, to the CEF, a first report indicating that an intent for a service setup has been created. The first report comprises an intent identifier, ID, identifying the intent.

[0047] The intent handler entity is configured to establish the service by requesting the service to be established by a first network function.

[0048] Responsive to receiving the service being established, the intent handler entity is configured to trigger charging for establishing the service by sending, to the CEF, a second report indicating that setup has been established. The second report comprises the intent ID.According to an aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a charging entity configured to handle an intent based charging of a service in a communication network.

[0049] The charging entity is configured for charging of one or more intent states.

[0050] The charging entity is configured to trigger charging of an intent creation by receiving a first charging request from a charging enablement function, CEF. The first charging request comprises an intent identifier, ID, identifying the intent being created.

[0051] The charging entity is configured trigger charging of a service establishment by receiving a second charging request from the CEF. The second charging request comprises an intent ID identifying the intent associated with the established service.

[0052] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] Examples of embodiments herein are described in more detail with reference to attached drawings in which:

[0054] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a wireless communication network.

[0055] Figure 2 is a flowchart depicting embodiments of a method in an intent handler entity.

[0056] Figure 3 is a flowchart depicting embodiments of a method in a charging entity.

[0057] Figure 4 illustrates an example according to embodiments herein.

[0058] Figure 5 illustrates an example according to embodiments herein.

[0059] Figure 6 illustrates an example according to embodiments herein.

[0060] Figure 7 illustrates an example according to embodiments herein.

[0061] Figure 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a intent handler entity.

[0062] Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a charging entity.

[0063] Figure 10 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0064] Figure 11 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0065] Figure 12 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ400 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] Embodiments herein relate to intent handling in a wireless communication network.

[0067] Examples of embodiments herein introduces charging mechanisms for intent based service setup and usage as well as conveying service usage charging requirements in the intent.

[0068] Examples of embodiments herein may e.g., improve intent handling be providing a reporting of the state of the intent fulfilment, linking an intent to service usage and introducing service usage charging requirements in the intents.

[0069] Allows for charging in the intent scenarios which will help operators monetize services introduced based on intents.

[0070] Examples of embodiments herein enable an improved intent handling by introducing an efficient mechanism for handling charging in intent based service handling.

[0071] Embodiments herein relate to wireless communication networks in general. Figure 1 is a schematic overview depicting a wireless communication network 100. The wireless communication network 100 comprises one or more RANs and one or more CNs. The wireless communication network 100 may use a number of different technologies, such as Wi-Fi, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, 5G, New Radio (NR), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications / enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM / EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possible implementations. Embodiments herein relate to recent technology trends that are of particular interest in a 5G context, however, embodiments are also applicable in further development of the existing wireless communication systems such as e.g. WCDMA and LTE, or to future technologies such as 6G.

[0072] A number of network nodes operate in the wireless communication network 100 such as e.g. network node 101. These nodes provide radio coverage in a number of cells which may also be referred to as a beam or a beam group of beams.

[0073] The network node 101 may be any of a NG-RAN node, a transmission and reception point e.g. a base station, a radio access network node such as a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), an accesscontroller, a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a NodeB, an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), a gNB, a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point, a network controlled repeater or any other network unit capable of communicating with a wireless device within the service area served by the network node 101 depending e.g. on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The network node 101 may be referred to as a serving radio network node and communicates with a UE 121with Downlink (DL) transmissions to the UE 121 and Uplink (UL) transmissions from the UE 121.

[0074] In the wireless communication network 100, one or more wireless devices operate, such as e.g. a UE 121. The UE 121 may also be referred to as a, a device, an loT device, a mobile station, a non-access point (non-AP) STA, a STA, a user equipment and / or a wireless terminals, communicate via one or more Access Networks (AN), e.g. RAN, to one or more core networks (CN). It should be understood by the skilled in the art that “wireless device” is a non-limiting term which means any terminal, wireless communication terminal, user equipment, Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smart phone, laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a small base station communicating within a cell.

[0075] An intent handler entity 110 operates in the wireless communication network 100. The intent handler entity handler entity 110 handles and / or manages intent in order to fulfill the intents.

[0076] A charging entity 120 operates in the wireless communication network 100. The charging entity 120 is responsible for handling charging and charging events.

[0077] A first network node 160 operates in the wireless communication network 100. The first network node 160 may e.g., handle service establishment, establishing services, or instances of service, and / or instructing other network nodes to establish services and / or instances of services. The service establishment may e.g., comprise intent based service establishment.

[0078] A second network node 165 operates in the wireless communication network 100. The second network node 165 may e.g., handle service establishment, establishing services, or instances of service, and / or instructing other network nodes to establish services and / or instances of services. The service establishment may e.g., comprise intent based service establishment.

[0079] Methods herein may be performed by the intent handler entity 110 and the charging entity 120. As an alternative, a Distributed Node (DN) and functionality, e.g.comprised in the cloud 190 as shown in Figure 1, may be used for performing or partly performing the methods herein.

[0080] The above-described problem is addressed in a number of embodiments, some of which may be seen as alternatives, while some may be used in combination.

[0081] A method according to embodiments will now be described from the view of the intent handler entity 110 together with Figure 2. Figure 2 shows example embodiments of a method performed by the intent handler entity 110 for handling an intent based charging of a service in the communication network 100. The method comprises the following actions, which actions may be taken in any suitable order. Actions that are optional are presented in dashed boxes in Figure 2.

[0082] Action 201

[0083] The intent handler entity 110 establishes a subscription for chargeable intent state transitions between the CEF 140 and the intent handler entity 110. The subscription comprises the CEF 140 subscribing for chargeable intent state transitions from the intent handler entity 110. In other words, a subscription between the intent handler entity 110 and the CEF 140 is established. The subscription establishment may e.g., comprise the intent handler entity 110 receiving a request, e.g., an intent reporting subscribe message, from the CEF 140. The intent handler entity 110 responds with an acknowledgement, e.g., an intent subscription created message, to the CEF 140, thereby acknowledging that the subscription is established. The CEF 140 subscribes to intent state changes from the intent handler entity 110. This may e.g., mean that the intent handler entity 110 inform, e.g., by sending message, or report, to, the CEF 140. The message may indicate a state change for an intent and an identifier associated with the intent. An intent state change may e.g., comprise that the intent handler entity 110 has received, or created, an intent and / or that a service associated with an intent has been established.

[0084] In some embodiments, the intent state comprises any one or more out of intent acknowledged, intent degraded, and intent fulfilled. Intent acknowledged may e.g., mean that the intent has been created, or received from another entity. Intent degraded may e.g., mean that one or more performance requirements associated with the intent, e.g., the service established based on the intent, has degraded with regard to one or more thresholds. Intent fulfilled may e.g., mean that the intent has been fulfilled, such as the service established based on the intent has been fulfilled in accordance with the intent.

[0085] Action 202In some embodiments, the intent handler 110 receives an intent. The intent may be an intent to establish a service. The intent may indicate the service to be created, requirements related to the service, such as performance requirements, charging requirements related to the service, and an identifier of the intent.

[0086] Action 203

[0087] Responsive to receiving an intent for establishing a service, the intent handler entity 110 triggers charging for creating the intent by sending, to the CEF 140, a first report indicating that an intent for a service setup has been created. The first report comprising an intent identifier, ID, identifying the intent. The first report may be sent to the CEF 140 as part of the established subscription between the intent handler entity 110 and the CEF 140. The first report may indicate a state change of the intent, such as that the intent has been created. The first report enables charging of the event creation to be performed.

[0088] Action 204

[0089] The intent handler entity 110 establishes the service by requesting the service to be established by the first network function 160. The intent handler entity 110 may e.g., establish the service by sending a service establishment request to the first network node 160. The request may comprise the intent and the intent ID. When the first network node 160 has established the service in accordance with intent, the intent handler entity 110 may receive a message acknowledging that the intent has been established. That the service has been established may result in a state change of the intent, and trigger informing the CEF 140 due to the established subscription.

[0090] Action 205

[0091] Responsive to receiving the service being established, the intent handler entity 110 triggers charging for establishing the service by sending, to the CEF 140, a second report indicating that setup has been established. The second report comprising the intent ID. The second report may be sent to the CEF 140 as part of the established subscription between the intent handler entity 110 and the CEF 140. The second report may indicate a state change of the intent, such as that the service has been established. The second report enables charging of the service establishment to be performed.

[0092] Action 206

[0093] In some embodiments, the intent handler entity 110 receives a service performance report related to the intent. The service performance report may indicate that the performance of the service has been degraded. The performance degradation may e.g., be related to latency, load, hardware failure etc. The service performance report may indicate the severity of the degradation and / or the reason or type of degradation.Responsive to receiving the service performance report, the intent handler entity 110 may attempt to mitigate the degraded performance. The mitigation may depend on the type of performance mitigation.

[0094] Action 207

[0095] In some embodiments, responsive to receiving a service performance report related to the established service, the intent handler entity 110 triggers charging related to the service performance by sending, to the CEF 140, a third report indicating that the performance of the service has degraded below a performance requirement of the intent related to the service. The third report comprises the intent ID. The third report may be sent to the CEF 140 as part of the established subscription between the intent handler entity 110 and the CEF 140. The third report may indicate the performance degradation, such as the severity of the degradation and / or the reason or type of degradation.

[0096] Alternatively, the third report may just indicate that the performance has been degraded for the service. The third report enables charging of the service, such as a charging adjustment, to be performed.

[0097] In some embodiments, the third report is a service degradation report. The third report triggers a charging adjustment based on the service degradation. This may e.g., mean that charging related to the service, such as service usage charging and / or charging related to maintaining the service, is adjusted based on the service degradation. This may e.g., comprise reducing or increasing charging.

[0098] In some embodiments, prior to sending the third report, the intent handler entity 110 validates the service degradation and attempts to mitigate the service degradation. The third report is sent responsive to failing to mitigate the service degradation. Validating the service degradation may e.g., comprise evaluating degradation against one or more thresholds related to performance requirements associated with the service. If the performance, e.g., as indicated in the service performance report, fails to meet the one or more threshold, the intent handler 110 may determine that the service performance degradation is validated.

[0099] A method according to embodiments will now be described from the view of the charging entity 110 together with Figure 3. Figure 3 shows example embodiments of a method performed by the charging entity 120 for handling an intent based charging of a service in the wireless communication network 100. The method comprises the followingactions, which actions may be taken in any suitable order. Actions that are optional are presented in dashed boxes in Figure 3.

[0100] Action 301

[0101] The charging entity 120 is configured to charging of one or more intent states. The charging entity 120 may e.g., be configured by on operator of the wireless communication network 100. As mentioned above, an intent state change may e.g., comprise that the intent handler entity 110 has received, or created, an intent and / or that a service associated with an intent has been established. Thus, by the configuration, the charging entity 120 may be triggered to charge based on an intent state change.

[0102] In some embodiments, the intent state comprises any one or more out of intent acknowledged, intent degraded, and intent fulfilled. Intent acknowledged may e.g., mean that the intent has been created, or received from another entity. Intent degraded may e.g., mean that one or more performance requirements associated with the intent, e.g., the service established based on the intent, has degraded with regard to one or more thresholds. Intent fulfilled may e.g., mean that the intent has been fulfilled, such as the service established based on the intent has been fulfilled in accordance with the intent.

[0103] Action 302

[0104] The charging entity 120 triggers charging of an intent creation by receiving a first charging request from the CEF 140. The first charging request comprises an intent ID identifying the intent being created. The first charging request may e.g., be received responsive to the first report sent by the intent handler entity 110. The first charging request may indicate a state change of the intent, such as that the intent has been created. The first charging request may trigger the charging entity to perform charging for intent state in accordance with the configuration. In response to the first charging request, and that the charging has been performed, the charging entity 120 may e.g., send an acknowledgment to the CEF 140. The intent ID may e.g., be used for identifying the intent associated with the charging.

[0105] Action 303

[0106] The charging entity 120 triggers charging of a service establishment by receiving a second charging request from the CEF 140. The second charging request comprises an intent ID identifying the intent associated with the established service. The second charging request may e.g., be received responsive to the second report sent by the intent handler entity 110. The second charging request may indicate a state change of the intent, such as that the service associated with the intent has been established. The second charging request may trigger the charging entity 120 to perform charging for intentstate in accordance with the configuration. In response to the second charging request, and that the charging has been performed, the charging entity 120 may e.g., send an acknowledgment to the CEF 140. The intent ID may e.g., be used for identifying the intent associated with the charging.

[0107] Action 304

[0108] In some embodiments, the charging entity 120 triggers a charging adjustment of the established service by receiving a third charging request from the CEF 140. The third charging request comprises the intent ID. The third charging request may e.g., be received responsive to the third report sent by the intent handler entity 110. The third charging request may indicate a state change of the intent, such as the service degradation associated with the intent. The third charging request may trigger the charging entity 120 to perform charging for intent state in accordance with the configuration. In response to the third charging request, and that the charging has been performed, the charging entity 120 may e.g., send an acknowledgment to the CEF 140. The intent ID may e.g., be used for identifying the intent associated with the charging.

[0109] The third report may be sent to the CEF 140 as part of the established subscription between the intent handler entity 110 and the CEF 140. The third charging request may indicate the performance degradation, such as the severity of the degradation and / or the reason or type of degradation. Alternatively, the third charging request may just indicate that the performance has been degraded for the service. The third charging request enables charging of the service, such as a charging adjustment, to be performed.

[0110] In some embodiments, the charging adjustment is performed due to a service degradation of the established service. This may e.g., mean that charging related to the service, such as service usage charging and / or charging related to maintaining the service, is adjusted based on the service degradation. This may e.g., comprise reducing or increasing charging.

[0111] In some embodiments, the third charging request indicates that the performance of the service has degraded below a performance requirement of the intent related to the service. The performance degradation may e.g., be related to latency, load, hardware failure etc. The performance requirement may e.g., comprise one or more thresholds related to the performance of the service.

[0112] Action 305

[0113] In some embodiments, the charging entity 120 triggers charging associated with service usage of the established service by receiving a fourth charging request from a second network function 165 managing the established service. The fourth chargingrequest comprises the intent ID. The second network function 165 may e.g., comprise a network function handling the service associated with the intent, such as e.g., handling an established instance of the service. The fourth charging request may e.g., be received periodically or aperiodically. When the fourth charging request is received periodically, it may be received at preconfigured periodic time intervals. When received aperiodically, it may be received responsive to certain triggers, such data usage triggers, active usage time triggers, etc.

[0114] The fourth charging request may indicate a service usage metric, e.g., related to time and / or data, for the service associated with the intent. The fourth charging request may trigger the charging entity 120 to perform charging for service usage in accordance with the configuration. In response to the fourth charging request, and that the charging has been performed, the charging entity 120 may e.g., send an acknowledgment to the second network node 165. The intent ID may e.g., be used for identifying the intent associated with the charging.

[0115] Embodiments herein such as the embodiments mentioned above will now be further described and exemplified. The text below is applicable to embodiments herein and may be combined with any suitable embodiment described above.

[0116] There may be intents in owners and handlers in both BSS and OSS, embodiments herein focuses on the cases where the intent owner is in BSS. An intent handler can act as an intent owner towards another intent handler. In the Figure 4 the starting point is the intent owner in the BSS, which interacts with an intent handler also in BSS. The intent handler in BSS may act as intent owner towards several intent handlers in OSS. The intent handlers in OSS may use the Management Service (MnS) producers in OSS to perform the required actions. To further complicate it an MnS producer may be implemented as a intent handler and in this case the intent owner would be an MnS consumer.

[0117] Figure 5 shows a signaling diagram according to examples of embodiments herein. Figure 5 shows an example of establishing a service, e.g., an operator wants to be able to charge for intents and have this dependent on the state of the intent.

[0118] 5501. The Operator configures the CEF 140 to subscribe for intent status reports.

[0119] 5502. The CEF 140 subscribes to intent reports for specific intent state transitions for which charging is applicable. Intent states include e.g., ACKNOWLEDGED,COMPLIANT, DEGRADED, SUSPENDED, TERMINATED, FULFILMENTFAILED, FULFILLED, and NOT_FULFILLED, from the Intent Handler (may be an MnS Producer).

[0120] 5503. The intent handler entity 110 confirms the subscription.

[0121] 5504. The CEF 140 confirm that the monitoring has been configured.

[0122] 5505. The operator configures charging for the intent states in the converged charging system, such as the charging entity 120.

[0123] 5506. The charging entity 120 confirms the configuration.

[0124] The intent handling may now be used by enterprises to setup services, and an enterprise is interested to create a service.

[0125] 5507. An enterprise acting as intent owner creates an intent for a new service.

[0126] 5508. The intent handler entity 110 acknowledge that the intent has been received and is syntactically correct.

[0127] 5509. The intent handler entity 110 sends a report to the CEF 140 that an intent has been created in the handler, including intent reference, e.g, an identifier for the intent, and enterprise information, e.g., tenant identifier.

[0128] 5510. The CEF 140 sends a charging request to the charging entity 120 for the intent creation including intent reference and enterprise information.

[0129] 5511. The charging entity 120 confirms the charging of the intent creation.

[0130] 5512. The intent handler 110 continues with the service setup to be able to fulfill the intent, this can be by interacting with one or more MnS Producers, such as the first network function 160.

[0131] 5513. The first network function 160 confirms the service setup.

[0132] 5514. The intent handler entity 110 reports that the intent is now fulfilled to the intent owner.

[0133] 5515. The intent handler entity 110 sends a report to the CEF 140 that an intent has been fulfilled, including intent reference , e.g., an identifier for the intent and enterprise information, e.g., tenant identifier.

[0134] 5516. The CEF 140 sends a charging request to the charging entity 120 for the intent fulfillment including intent reference and enterprise information.

[0135] 5517. The charging entity 120 confirms the charging of the intent fulfillment.

[0136] The service created based on the intent can now be used by the enterprise.

[0137] 5518. The first network function 160 reports the performance to the Intent Handler entity 110, e.g. indicating that the performance has degraded.5519. The intent handler entity 110 validates the performance and since the performance is below the requirements of the intent it will try and mitigate. If this is not possible, it will send a notification to the Intent Owner that the service has been degraded.

[0138] 5520. The intent handler entity 110 sends a report to the CEF 140 that an intent has been degraded, including intent reference, e.g., an identifier for the intent, and enterprise information, e.g., tenant identifier.

[0139] 5521. The CEF 140 sends a charging request to the charging entity 120 for the intent degradation including intent reference and enterprise information.

[0140] 5522. The charging entity 120 confirms the charging of the intent degradation, e.g., it may record the duration of the degradation for later charging adjustments.

[0141] Figure 6 shows a signaling diagram according to examples of embodiments herein. Figure 6 shows an example related to service usage, e.g., an operator wants to be able to charge for intents based on service usage.

[0142] 5601. The Enterprise acting as intent owner creates an intent for a new service.

[0143] 5602. The intent handler entity 110 acknowledge that the intent has been received and is syntactically correct.

[0144] 5603. The intent handler entity continues with the service setup to be able to fulfill the intent, this can be by interacting with one or more MnS Producers, such as the first network function 160, including intent reference, e.g., an identifier for the intent, and enterprise information, e.g., tenant identifier.

[0145] 5604. The first network function 160 configures or instantiates NFs, such as the second network function 165 to be able to fulfill the intent, including intent reference, e.g., an identifier for the intent, and enterprise information, e.g., tenant identifier.

[0146] 5605. The second network function 165 confirms the configuration or instantiation.

[0147] 5606. The first network function 160 confirms the service setup.

[0148] The service created based on the intent can now be used by the enterprise.

[0149] 5607. The second network function 165 sends a charging request to the chargin entity 120 for the intent usage including intent reference and enterprise information.

[0150] 5608. The charging entity 120 confirms the charging of the intent usage.

[0151] Figure 7 shows a signaling diagram according to examples of embodiments herein. Figure 6 shows an example related to service usage, e.g., an operator wants to be able to charge for intents based on service usage. An enterprise, e.g., an MVNO, wants to beable to charge for service usage of services created by intents in its own CCS, such as charging entity, e.g., an MVNO charging entity.

[0152] 5701. The Enterprise, such as the MVNO, acting as intent owner creates an intent for a new service.

[0153] 5702. The intent handler 110 acknowledge that the intent has been received and is syntactically correct.

[0154] 5703. The intent handler entity 110 continues with the service setup by setting up charging routing and triggers in the charging entity 120 based on intent reference, e.g., an identifier for the intent, and enterprise information, e.g., tenant identifier.

[0155] 5704. The charging entity 120 confirm the charging configuration.

[0156] 5705. The intent handler entity 110 continues with the service setup to be able to fulfill the intent. This may be by interacting with one or more first network functions 160, including intent reference, e.g., an identifier for the intent, enterprise information, e.g., tenant identifier, and charging triggers.

[0157] 5706. The first network function 160 configures or instantiates one or more second network functions 165 to be able to fulfill the intent, including intent reference, e.g., an identifier for the intent, enterprise information, e.g., tenant identifier, and charging triggers.

[0158] 5707. The second network function 165 confirm the configuration or instantiation.

[0159] 5708. The first network function 160 confirm the service setup.

[0160] The service created based on the intent can now be used by the enterprise.

[0161] 5709. The second network function 165 sends a charging request to the charging entity 120 for the intent usage including intent reference and enterprise information.

[0162] 5710. The charging entity 120 performs charging of enterprise service usage and send a charging request to the MVNO charging entity 125 based on charging information and the configuration in S703.

[0163] 5711. The MVNO charging entity 125 confirms the charging of the service usage.

[0164] 5712. The charging entity 120 confirms the charging of the intent usage.

[0165] To perform the method actions above, the intent handling entity 110 is configured to handle intent based charging of a service in the wireless communication network 100. The intent handling entity 110 may comprise an arrangement depicted in Figure 8.

[0166] The intent handling entity 110 may comprise an input and output interface 10 configured to communicate with each other. The input and output interface 10 may comprise a receiver, e.g. wired and / or wireless, (not shown) and a transmitter, e.g. wired and / or wireless, (not shown).The embodiments herein may be implemented through a respective processor or one or more processors, such as at least one processor 11 of a processing circuitry in the intent handling entity 110 depicted in Figure 8, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the intent handling entity 110. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the intent handling entity 110.

[0167] The intent handler entity 110 and / or processor 11 is configured to handle an intent based charging of a service in the communication network 100.

[0168] The intent handler entity 110 and / or processor 11 is configured to establish a subscription for chargeable intent state transitions between the CEF 140 and an intent handler entity 110. The subscription comprises the CEF 140 subscribing for chargeable intent state transitions from the intent handler entity 110.

[0169] Responsive to receiving an intent for establishing a service, the intent handler entity 110 and / or processor 11 is configured to trigger charging for creating the intent by sending, to the CEF 140, a first report indicating that an intent for a service setup has been created. The first report being adapted to comprise the intent ID identifying the intent.

[0170] The intent handler entity 110 and / or processor 11 is configured to establish the service by requesting the service to be established by a first network function 160.

[0171] Responsive to receiving the service being established, the intent handler entity 110 and / or processor 11 is configured to trigger charging for establishing the service by sending, to the CEF 140, a second report adapted to indicate that setup has been established. The second report comprising the intent ID.

[0172] In some embodiments, the intent handler entity 110 and / or processor 11 may further be configured to, responsive to receiving a service performance report related to the established service, trigger charging related to the service performance by sending, to the CEF 140, a third report adapted to indicate that the performance of the service has degraded below a performance requirement of the intent related to the service. The second report comprising the intent ID.In some embodiments, the third report is adapted to be a service degradation report, and wherein third report is adapted to trigger a charging adjustment based on the service degradation.

[0173] In some embodiments, the intent handler entity 110 and / or processor 11 may further be configured to, prior to sending the third report, validate the service degradation and attempt to mitigate the service degradation. The third report is sent responsive to failing to mitigate the service degradation.

[0174] In some embodiments, the service report is adapted to indicate a performance degradation of the service.

[0175] In some embodiments, the intent state comprises any one or more out of intent acknowledged, intent degraded, and intent fulfilled.

[0176] The intent handling entity 110 may further comprise respective a memory 12 comprising one or more memory units. The memory 12 comprises instructions executable by the processor 11 in the intent handling entity 110.

[0177] The memory 12 is arranged to be used to store instructions, data, configurations, intents, requests, responses, messages, identifiers, indications, parameters, applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the intent handling entity 110.

[0178] In some embodiments, a computer program 13 comprises instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor 11 , cause the at least one processor 11 of the intent handling entity 110 to perform the actions above.

[0179] In some embodiments, a respective carrier 14 comprises the respective computer program 13, wherein the carrier 14 is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0180] Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the intent handling entity 110 e.g., configured to handle intent based charging of a service in the communication network 100. The intent handling entity 110 comprises the processor 11 and the memory 12, said memory 12 comprising instructions executable by said processor 11 whereby said intent handling entity 110 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0181] As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, that functions means or modules may be implemented using digital logic and / or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and / or software interfaces between them. Several of the functionsmay be implemented on a processor shared with other functional components of a base station, for example.

[0182] Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random-access memory for storing software and / or program or application data, and nonvolatile memory. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Designers of communications receivers will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices.

[0183] Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0184] To perform the method actions above, the charging entity 120 is configured to handle intent based charging of a service in the wireless communication network 100. The charging entity 120 may comprise an arrangement depicted in Figure 9.

[0185] The charging entity 120 may comprise an input and output interface 20 configured to communicate with each other. The input and output interface 20 may comprise a receiver, e.g. wired and / or wireless, (not shown) and a transmitter, e.g. wired and / or wireless, (not shown).The embodiments herein may be implemented through a respective processor or one or more processors, such as at least one processor 21 of a processing circuitry in the charging entity 120 depicted in Figure 9, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the charging entity 120. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the charging entity 120.

[0186] The charging entity 120 and / or processor 21 is configured to handle an intent based charging of a service in the communication network 100.

[0187] The charging entity 120 and / or processor 21 is configured to charge of one or more intent states.

[0188] The charging entity 120 and / or processor 21 is configured to trigger charging of an intent creation by receiving a first charging request from the CEF 140. The first charging request is adapted to comprise an intent ID identifying the intent being created.

[0189] The charging entity 120 and / or processor 21 is configured to trigger charging of a service establishment by receiving a second charging request from the CEF 140. The second charging request is adapted to comprise the intent ID identifying the intent associated with the established service.

[0190] The charging entity 120 and / or processor 21 may further be configured to trigger charging adjustment of the established service by receiving a third charging request from the CEF 140. The third charging request comprises the intent ID.

[0191] In some embodiments, the charging adjustment is adapted to performed due to a service degradation of the established service.

[0192] In some embodiments, the third charging request indicating that the performance of the service has degraded below a performance requirement of the intent related to the service.

[0193] The charging entity 120 and / or processor 21 may further be configured to trigger charging associated with a service usage of the established service by receiving a fourth charging request from a second network function 165 managing the established service. The fourth charging request is adapted to comprise the intent ID.In some embodiments, the intent state comprises any one or more out of intent acknowledged, intent degraded, and intent fulfilled.

[0194] The charging entity 120 may further comprise respective a memory 22 comprising one or more memory units. The memory 22 comprises instructions executable by the processor 21 in the charging entity 120.

[0195] The memory 22 is arranged to be used to store instructions, data, configurations, intents, requests, responses, messages, identifiers, indications, parameters, applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the charging entity 120.

[0196] In some embodiments, a computer program 23 comprises instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor 21, cause the at least one processor 21 of the charging entity 120 to perform the actions above.

[0197] In some embodiments, a respective carrier 24 comprises the respective computer program 23, wherein the carrier 24 is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0198] Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the charging entity 120 is configured to handle intent based charging of a service in the wireless communication network 100. The charging entity 120 comprises the processor 21 and the memory 22, said memory 22 comprising instructions executable by said processor 21 whereby said charging entity 120 is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0199] As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, that functions means or modules may be implemented using digital logic and / or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and / or software interfaces between them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processor shared with other functional components of a base station, for example.

[0200] Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, read-only memory (ROM) for storing software, random-access memory for storing software and / or program or application data, and non-volatile memory. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Designers of communications receivers will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices.

[0201] Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0202] ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION

[0203] 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.

[0204] Figure 10 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0205] 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 QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a singlevendor. 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.

[0206] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (0-Rll), an open distributed unit (0-Dll), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CLI-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1, F1, W1, E1, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), 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.

[0207] 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 anytype of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0208] 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 QQ110 are 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.

[0209] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 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).

[0210] 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.

[0211] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of Figure 10 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication systemmay be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0212] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP 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.

[0213] 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-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0214] 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 bereceived 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 loT devices.

[0215] 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 an 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 QQ110b. 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.

[0216] Figure 11 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE QQ200 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE QQ112 of Figure 1. 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) orVirtual Reality (VR) device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehiclemounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0217] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0218] 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 Figure 11. 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.

[0219] 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).

[0220] 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 videocard, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE QQ200. 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.

[0221] 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.

[0222] 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.

[0223] 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 universal integrated circuit card (IIICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a IISIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The IIICC may for example be an embedded IIICC (elllCC), integrated IIICC (illlCC) or a removable IIICC 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.

[0224] 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.

[0225] 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) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof.

[0226] Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.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 connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0227] 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.

[0228] 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 smartwatch, 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 Figure 11.

[0229] 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 anMTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0230] 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.

[0231] Figure 12 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)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0232] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0233] 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-cel l / 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).

[0234] 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.

[0235] 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.

[0236] 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 orall of RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0237] 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 computer-executable 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.

[0238] The communication interface QQ306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 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. Inother embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0239] 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).

[0240] 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.

[0241] 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.

[0242] 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 comprisea source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0243] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in 15 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.

[0244] Figure 13 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 Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0245] 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.Hardware QQ404 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 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.

[0246] 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.

[0247] 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.

[0248] 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 networkinterfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system QQ412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0249] 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.

[0250] 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 thecomputing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0251] When using the word "comprise" or “comprising” it shall be interpreted as nonlimiting, i.e. meaning "consist at least of".

[0252] The embodiments herein are not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by an intent handler entity (110) for handling an intent based charging of a service in a communication network (100), the method comprising:establishing (201) a subscription for chargeable intent state transitions between a charging enablement function, CEF, (140) and an intent handler entity (110), wherein the subscription comprises the CEF (140) subscribing for chargeable intent state transitions from the intent handler entity (110),responsive to receiving an intent for establishing a service, triggering (203) charging for creating the intent by sending, to the CEF (140), a first report indicating that an intent for a service setup has been created, the first report comprising an intent identifier, ID, identifying the intent,establishing (204) the service by requesting the service to be established by a first network function (160),responsive to receiving the service being established, triggering (205) charging for establishing the service by sending, to the CEF (140), a second report indicating that setup has been established, the second report comprising the intent ID.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:responsive to receiving a service performance report related to the established service, triggering (207) charging related to the service performance by sending, to the CEF (140), a third report indicating that the performance of the service has degraded below a performance requirement of the intent related to the service, the second report comprising the intent ID.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the third report is a service degradation report, and wherein third report triggers a charging adjustment based on the service degradation.

4. The method according to any of claims 2-3, wherein prior to sending the third report, validating the service degradation and attempting to mitigate the service degradation, and wherein the third report is send responsive to failing to mitigate the service degradation.

5. The method according to any of claims 2-4, wherein the service report indicates a performance degradation of the service.

6. The method according to any of claims 1-5, wherein the intent state comprises any one or more out of:- intent acknowledged,- intent degraded, and- intent fulfilled.

7. A computer program (13) comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor (11), causes the processor (11) to perform actions according to any of the claims 1-6.

8. A carrier (14) comprising the computer program (13) of claim 7, wherein the carrier (14) is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

9. A method performed by a charging entity (120) for handling an intent based charging of a service in a communication network (100), the method comprising:configuring (301) the charging entity (120) for charging of one or more intent states, triggering (302) charging of an intent creation by receiving a first charging request from a charging enablement function, CEF, (140), which first charging request comprises an intent identifier, ID, identifying the intent being created, andtriggering (303) charging of a service establishment by receiving a second charging request from the CEF (140), which second charging request comprises an intent ID identifying the intent associated with the established service.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:triggering (304) charging adjustment of the established service by receiving a third charging request from the CEF (140), which third charging request comprises the intent ID.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the charging adjustment is performed due to a service degradation of the established service.

12. The method according to any of claims 10-11, wherein the third charging request indicating that the performance of the service has degraded below a performance requirement of the intent related to the service.

13. The method according to any of claims 9-12, wherein the method further comprises:triggering (305) charging associated with a service usage of the established service by receiving a fourth charging request from a second network function (165) managing the established service, which fourth charging request comprises the intent ID.

14. The method according to any of claims 9-13, wherein the intent state comprises any one or more out of:- intent acknowledged,- intent degraded, and- intent fulfilled.

15. A computer program (23) comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor (21), causes the processor (21) to perform actions according to any of the claims 9-14.

16. A carrier (24) comprising the computer program (23) of claim 15, wherein the carrier (24) is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

17. An intent handler entity (110) configured to handle an intent based charging of a service in a communication network (100), the intent handler entity (110) further being configured to:establish a subscription for chargeable intent state transitions between a charging enablement function, CEF, (140) and an intent handler entity (110), wherein the subscription comprises the CEF (140) subscribing for chargeable intent state transitions from the intent handler entity (110),responsive to receiving an intent for establishing a service, trigger charging for creating the intent by sending, to the CEF (140), a first report indicating that an intent for a service setup has been created, the first report being adapted to comprise an intent identifier, ID, identifying the intent,establish the service by requesting the service to be established by a first network function (160),responsive to receiving the service being established, trigger charging for establishing the service by sending, to the CEF (140), a second report adapted to indicate that setup has been established, the second report comprising the intent ID.

18. The intent handler entity (110) according to claim 17, wherein the intent handler entity (110) is further configured to:responsive to receiving a service performance report related to the established service, trigger charging related to the service performance by sending, to the CEF (140), a third report adapted to indicate that the performance of the service has degraded below a performance requirement of the intent related to the service, the second report comprising the intent ID.

19. The intent handler entity (110) according to claim 18, wherein the third report is adapted to be a service degradation report, and wherein third report is adapted to trigger a charging adjustment based on the service degradation.

20. The intent handler entity (110) according to any of claims 18-19, wherein prior to sending the third report, validate the service degradation and attempt to mitigate the service degradation, and wherein the third report is sent responsive to failing to mitigate the service degradation.

21. The intent handler entity (110) according to any of claims 18-20, wherein the service report is adapted to indicate a performance degradation of the service.

22. The intent handler entity (110) according to any of claims 17-21, wherein the intent state comprises any one or more out of:- intent acknowledged,- intent degraded, and- intent fulfilled.

23. A charging entity (120) configured to handle an intent based charging of a service in a communication network (100), the charging entity (120) further being configured to: configure the charging entity (120) to charge of one or more intent states, trigger charging of an intent creation by receiving a first charging request from a charging enablement function, CEF, (140), which first charging request is adapted to comprise an intent identifier, ID, identifying the intent being created, andtrigger charging of a service establishment by receiving a second charging request from the CEF (140), which second charging request is adapted to comprise the intent ID identifying the intent associated with the established service.

24. The charging entity (120) according to claim 23, wherein the charging entity (120) is further is further configured to:trigger charging adjustment of the established service by receiving a third charging request from the CEF (140), which third charging request comprises the intent ID.

25. The charging entity (120) according to claim 24, wherein the charging adjustment is adapted to performed due to a service degradation of the established service.

26. The charging entity (120) according to any of claims 24-25, wherein the third charging request indicating that the performance of the service has degraded below a performance requirement of the intent related to the service.

27. The charging entity (120) according to any of claims 23-26, wherein the charging entity (120) is further configured to:trigger charging associated with a service usage of the established service by receiving a fourth charging request from a second network function (165) managing the established service, which fourth charging request is adapted to comprise the intent ID.

28. The charging entity (120) according to any of claims 23-27, wherein the intent state comprises any one or more out of:- intent acknowledged,- intent degraded, and- intent fulfilled.

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