Rate adaptive quality of service flows

Abstract

A core network (CN) node in a communications network can determine (630) whether to enable rate adaptation for a quality of service (QoS) flow between a user equipment (UE) and a radio access network (RAN) node. The CN node can further transmit (650) a message to the RAN node indicating whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

Description

RATE ADAPTIVE QUALITY OF SERVICE FLOWSTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure is related to wireless communication systems and more particularly to rate adaptive quality of service (QoS) flows).BACKGROUND

[0002] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a new radio (NR) network (e.g., a 5th Generation (5G) network) including a 5G core (5GC) network 130, network nodes 120a-b (e.g., 5G base station (gNB)), and multiple communication devices 110 (also referred to as user equipment (UE)).

[0003] 5G can be access agnostic meaning that an access network (AN) can use 3 GPP base stations (part of Radio Access Network (RAN)) or non-3GPP access points of wireless local area network (LAN).

[0004] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a 5G system architecture. In this example, the 5GC network includes a user data repository (UDR) 202, a network exposure function (NEF) 210, a network data analytics function (NWDAF) 204, a policy and charging function (PCF) 230, an application function (AF) 220, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 240, and a session management function (SMF) 250, which are all communicatively coupled to each other. The 5GC network can further include a user plane function (UPF) 260 communicatively coupled to the SMF 250. A 5G network can include the 5GC network and a radio access network (RAN) 120 and that is communicatively coupled to the UPF 260 and / or the AMF 240. In some examples, the 5G network can include and / or be coupled to a UE 110 via the RAN 120 (and / or the AMF 240 in some examples).

[0005] The AF can represent an external trusted or non-trusted function integrated in the operator network to interact with 5GC. The AF is part of the 5GC architecture and uses the mechanisms and interfaces specified for 5GC and 0AM. In some examples, the AF can provide packet data unit (PDU) Set related assistance information for dynamic policy and charging control (PCC) control. PDU Set related assistance information may be provided to the NEF / PCF using an AF session with required quality of service (QoS) procedures. The PDU Set related assistance information can include PDU Set QoS parameters and / or a protocol description.

[0006] The PCF can support different functionality (e.g., unified policy framework to govern network behavior), like providing policy rules to Control Plane function(s) to enforcethem, and accessing subscription information relevant for policy decisions in the UDR. In this scope, the PCF is the receiver of the AF request to reserve resources to setup a session with required QoS, and the decision point for policy control actions.

[0007] The SMF supports different functionalities (e.g., the SMF receives PCC rules from the PCF and configures the UPF accordingly). In this scope, the SMF may receive PCC rules from PCF which may include QoS requirements. The SMF can be the network function that has the information of on which network slice is the user PDU Session and which DN it accesses, so as which UPFs conform the user PDU Session and their role (e.g., PDU Session Anchor (PSA)).

[0008] The AMF can handle critical control plane functions like registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management and access authentication. It interacts with other core network functions, communicates with RAN and handles NAS signaling to / from the UE. In this scope, the AMF forwards the UE 5GSM Core Network Capability information in PDU Session Establishment / Modification Request procedures.SUMMARY

[0009] Various embodiments herein describe that a 5GC may provide an indication of rate-adaptable QoS flows to NG-RAN. In some embodiments, provisioning of the indication of rate-adaptable QoS flows to NG-RAN may be triggered by an AF request or by an internal trigger (policy decision) at the PCF. The AF request may come from an external party (untrusted AF) via NEF, or directly to the PCF from an internal (trusted) AF.

[0010] In some additional or alternative embodiments, the PCF provides an indication of service data flows that may be subject to rate adaptation within the PCC rule(s), to the SMF. The SMF forwards the indication to NG-RAN in N2 SM information when establishing and / or updating the corresponding QoS Flows.

[0011] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE indicates support of rate-adaptable QoS flows to the SMF at PDU Session establishment and the SMF provides this UE capability information to the PCF. If the UE has not indicated support for rate-adaptable QoS flows, the PCF notifies the AF that rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation cannot be applied.

[0012] According to some embodiments, a method of operating a core network, CN, node in a communications network is provided. The method includes determining whether to enable rate adaptation for a quality of service, QoS, flow between a user equipment, UE, and a radioaccess network, RAN, node. The method further includes transmitting a message to the RAN node indicating whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

[0013] According to other embodiments, a method of operating a radio access network, RAN, node in a communications network is provided. The method includes receiving a message from a core network, CN, node indicating that a quality of service, QoS, flow associated with a user equipment, UE, is to be a rate-adaptable QoS flow. The method further includes, subsequent to receiving the message, receiving the rate-adaptable QoS flow from the UE.

[0014] According to other embodiments, a method of operating a user equipment, UE, in a communications network is provided. The method includes transmitting a message to a core network, CN, node. The message includes an indication that the UE is capable of supporting a rate-adaptable quality of service, QoS, flow. The method further includes, subsequent to transmitting the message to the CN node, transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow to a radio access network, RAN, node.

[0015] According to other embodiments, a communication device, a network node, a computer program, computer program product, non-transitory computer readable medium, host, or system is provided to perform one of the above methods.

[0016] In another embodiment, a method of operating a a policy control function, PCF, in a communications network is provided, the method comprising receiving an indication from a session management function, SMF, of whether a user equipment, UE, is capable of supporting a rate-adaptable quality of service, QoS, flow; receiving a request from an application function, AF, to reserve resources for an AF session, the request including an indication that data traffic associated with the AF session may be subject to rate adaptation; determining whether to enable rate adaptation for a QoS flow associated with the UE based on the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow and the request from the AF; and transmitting a policy control and charging, PCC, rule to the SMF, the PCC rule including an indication of whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow. Just as well, an according PCF is provided.

[0017] In yet another embodiment, a method of operating a session management function, SMF, in a communications network is provided, the method comprising receiving, from a user equipment, UE, an indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting a rate-adaptable quality of service, QoS, flow; providing the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow to a policy control function, PCF; receiving a policy control and charging, PCC, rule from the PCF, the PCC rule including an indication of whether to enable rate adaptation for a QoS flow associated with the UE; and transmitting N2 SMinformation to a radio access network, RAN, node, the N2 SM information including the indication of whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow. Just as well, an according SMF is provided.

[0018] In yet another embodiment, a method of operating a network exposure function, NEF, in a communications network is provided, the method comprising receiving, from an application function, AF, a request to reserve resources for an AF session, the request including an indication that data traffic may be subject to rate adaptation based on a radio access network, RAN, bit rate recommendation; forwarding the request to a policy control function, PCF; receiving, from the PCF, a response indicating whether rate adaptation is enabled for the AF session; and transmitting the response to the AF. Just as well, an according NEF is provided.

[0019] In yet another embodiment, a method of operating an application function, AF, in a communications network is provided, the method comprising transmitting a request to reserve resources for an AF session, the request including an indication that data traffic associated with the AF session may be subject to rate adaptation based on a radio access network, RAN, bit rate recommendation; and receiving a response indicating whether rate adaptation is enabled for the AF session.

[0020] There is further provided a system, comprising:A user equipment, UE, configured to transmit a message including an indication that the UE is capable of supporting a rate-adaptable quality of service, QoS, flow;a core network, CN, node configured to receive the message from the UE, determine whether to enable rate adaptation for the QoS flow and transmit a message indicating whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow; anda radio access network, RAN, node (1000) configured to receive the message from the CN node indicating whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow and receive the rate-adaptable QoS flow from the UE.

[0021] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. Some embodiments herein enable an external party AF / AS to indicate which data traffic is subject to rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation. In some examples, the procedure builds on existing 5GS mechanisms for information exposure.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. In the drawings:

[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a 5thgeneration (“5G”) network;

[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a 5G architecture;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of establishing and / or modifying a rate-adaptable QoS flow according to some embodiments;

[0026] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example of operations performed by a user equipment, UE, in accordance with some embodiments;

[0027] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example of operations performed by a radio access network, RAN, node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0028] FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of operations performed by a core network, CN, node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0029] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0030] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of another communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0031] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments;

[0032] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a network node in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0033] FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] 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, in which examples of embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present / used in another embodiment.

[0035] Additional information may also be found in the documents provided in the Appendices.

[0036] 3GPP is specifying as part of Release 195GS functionalities for support of extended reality (XR) services (e.g., augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) applications) and interactive media services that require high data rate and low latency communication (e.g., cloud gaming and tactile / multi-modal communication services ). The enhancements include (amongst others): QoS policy control for multi-modal traffic, network information exposure, PDU Set based QoS handling, traffic assistance information, and traffic identification for multiplexed media flows.

[0037] Rate adaptation can be employed by XR applications, to adapt the traffic generation to potential congestion in the network. For example, the 3GPP Rel-18 XR Study Item mentions that the video frame generation rate can vary between 15 and 120 fps.

[0038] There are different procedures through which the client and server nodes of the XR application can find out about congestion in the network, to adapt the rate. The following methods are presented next: (i) Transport Layer congestion control with congestion indication in the IP header, (ii) discarding packets in the RAN based on implementation, (iii) a generic RAN-native solution to signal UL congestion to UEs, and (iv) Recommended Bit Rate MAC CE.

[0039] A generic approach to rate control and congestion indication on a transport-level (e.g., TCP / UDP / RTP) can be based on an explicit congestion notification (ECN) marking of an Internet-protocol (IP) header. In any of the hops between the sender entity and receiver entity, any of the nodes can set the ECN bits to indicate to the next hop that a particular node is congested. When the receiver entity sees the ECN bits set, it can initiate the transport-level signaling to the sender entity to reduce its rate of transmission.

[0040] In some examples, a solution for rate adaptation based on implementation is to discard / drop packets at the RAN and when the receiver entity sees missing packets, it will then, using transport layer protocols, trigger the sender entity to reduce its rate.

[0041] As part of work item NR_XR_Ph3, RAN2 has agreed to study within 3 GPP Release 19, enhancements addressing system capacity, efficient and effective mechanisms to meet QoS requirements and lower device power consumption, in the context of the demanding scenarios and traffic characteristics requirements of XR, including also multi-modal applications.

[0042] One of the objectives in the work item is the XR rate control. In XR rate control, rate control in the UL is triggered based on a bit rate recommendation signaled from the gNB to the UE which in turn is triggered upon congestion detection. The advantage of this bit rate recommendation is that it enables proactive rate control in the UL, faster round-trip times to signal UL rate control and overcomes the issue of ‘ECN bleaching’ as could be experienced with the L4S mechanism. The ECN bleaching is where the ECN bits might be reset by any nodebetween the gNB and application server that does not support L4S thereby losing the congestion marking information.

[0043] For such XR rate control, RAN2 discussed how the gNB gets the information of QoS flows which are subject to uplink rate control (e.g., whether the information is from CN or UE). RAN2 has sent an LS to RAN3 and SA2 where it stays: RAN2 assumes for XR rate control, the gNB receives QoS flow information from the CN, specifying which QoS flows are subject to uplink rate control. Send an LS to RAN3 and SA2.

[0044] There currently exist certain challenge(s), for example, there is currently no mechanism specified in 3GPP for the 5GC to indicate to the NG-RAN which QoS flows may be subject to uplink rate control in the gNB.

[0045] Various embodiments herein address the above challenges. In some examples, XR and interactive media services can send data traffic that is subject to rate adaptation. In some embodiments, in order to enable rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation, the AF may provide, within the AF session with QoS procedure, an indication that the media flow may be subject to rate adaptation. The PCF, based on the AF input or operator policies, may include an indication within the PCC rule that the service data flow(s) may be subject to rate adaptation; and the SMF may forward the indication to NG-RAN in N2 SM information when establishing and / or updating the corresponding QoS Flows.

[0046] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE may indicate support of rate-adaptable QoS flows to the SMF at PDU Session establishment and the SMF may provide this UE capability information to the PCF. The PCF considers such UE capability information when providing the PCC rules to the SMF.

[0047] In additional or alternative embodiments, when the AF request includes the indication of media flows subject to rate adaptation and the UE has not indicated support for rate-adaptable QoS flows, the PCF notifies the AF that rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation cannot be applied.

[0048] Embodiments associated with UE capability information are described below. In some examples, within the PDU Session Establishment / Modification Request, the UE can indicate in the UE 5GSM Core Network Capability whether the UE supports rate-adaptable QoS flows. In additional or alternative examples, within the SM Policy Association Establishment / Modification, the SMF provides to the PCF the UE capability to support rate-adaptable QoS flows. After the PDU session has been established, the AF may set up an AF session with required QoS.

[0049] Embodiments associated with indicating a rate adaptable QoS flow to a RAN node are described below.

[0050] In some embodiments, the AF sends a request to reserve resources for an AF session, including an indication that the data traffic may be subject to rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation.

[0051] In additional or alternative embodiments, the NEF forwards the received parameters to the PCF that determines whether the request is authorized, derives the required PCC rules and QoS parameters, and notifies the result to the NEF. In some examples, the PCF determines that a service data flow may be subject to rate adaptation based on a RAN bit rate recommendation, based on the NEF input and local configuration. In additional or alternative examples, the PCF provisions the Indication of Rate Adaptation within the PCC rule to indicate that the service data flow(s) may be subject to rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation. In additional or alternative examples, when the PCF provisions a PCC rule with Indication of Rate Adaptation to the SMF, the PCC rule is bound to a new QoS Flow or to an existing QoS Flow where only PCC rules with Indication of Rate Adaptation have been bound. In additional or alternative embodiments, if the UE has not indicated support for rate-adaptable QoS flows, the PCF notifies the NEF that rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation cannot be applied.

[0052] In additional or alternative embodiments, the NEF sends aNnef AFsessionWithQoS Create response message to the AF, indicating whether the request is granted or not. In some examples, the NEF forwards to the AF the notification that rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation cannot be applied, when received from the PCF.

[0053] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a procedure for establishing a QoS flow in accordance with some embodiments. At operation 1, within the PDU Session Establishment Request, the UE shall indicate in the UE 5GSM Core Network Capability whether the UE supports: rate-adaptable QoS flows. At operation 2, steps 2-7a in FIG. 4.3.2.2.1-1 of TS23.502 can be performed. At operation 3, within the SM Policy Association Establishment, the SMF provides to the PCF the UE capability to support rate-adaptable QoS flows. At operation 4, steps 8-21 in FIG. 4.3.2.2.1-1 of TS 23.502 can be performed.

[0054] After the PDU session has been established, the AF may set up an AF session with required QoS. At operation 5, the AF sends a request to reserve resources for an AF session, including a indication the data traffic may be subject to rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation. At operation 6, the NEF forwards the received parameters to the PCF that determines whether the request is authorized, derives the required PCC rules and QoSparameters, and notifies the result to the NEF. In some examples, the PCF determines that a service data flow may be subject to rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation, based on the NEF input and local configuration.

[0055] At operations 7-8, the PCF sends a Npcf PolicyAuthorization Create response message to the NEF, indicating whether the request is granted with rate adaptation enabled. The NEF forwards to the AF the notification that rate adaptation can be applied. In some examples, if the UE has not indicated support for rate-adaptable QoS flows, the PCF notifies the AF via NEF that rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation cannot be applied.

[0056] At operation 9, the PCF determines service data flow is subject to rate adaptation. At operation 10, the PCF provisions the Indication of Rate Adaptation within the PCC rule to indicate that the service data flow(s) may be subject to rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation. In some examples, if the UE has not indicated support for rate-adaptable QoS flows, the PCF notifies the NEF that rate adaptation based on RAN bit rate recommendation cannot be applied.

[0057] At operation 11, when the PCF provisions a PCC rule with Indication of Rate Adaptation to the SMF, the PCC rule is bound to a new QoS Flow or to an existing QoS Flow where only PCC rules with Indication of Rate Adaptation have been bound. At operations 12-13, the SMF provides the Indication of Rate Adaptation to the NG-RAN in N2 SM information when establishing and / or updating the corresponding QoS Flows. At operation 14 steps 5-12 in FIG. 4.3.3.2-1 of TS23.502 can be performed.

[0058] Operations of a UE 900 (implemented using the structure of FIG. 9) will now be discussed with reference to the flow charts of FIG. 4 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts. For example, modules may be stored in memory 910 of FIG. 9, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective UE processing circuitry 902, UE 900 performs respective operations of the flow chart.

[0059] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of operations performed by a UE.

[0060] At block 410, processing circuitry 902 transmits, via communication interface 912, a message to a CN node including an indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting a rate-adaptable QoS flow. In some embodiments, the message indicates that the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow.

[0061] In additional or alternative embodiments, transmitting the message to the CN node includes transmitting the message to the CN node via the RAN node.

[0062] In additional or alternative embodiments, transmitting the message includes transmitting a packet data unit, PDU, session establishment or modification request including the indication that the UE supports the rate-adaptable QoS flow.

[0063] At block 420, processing circuitry 902 transmits, via communication interface 912, a QoS flow to a RAN node. In some embodiments, the UE transmits the QoS flow as a rate-adaptable QoS flow. In some examples, transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow includes receiving an indication of a bit rate recommendation from the RAN node; and responsive to receiving the indication of the bit rate recommendation, transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow to the RAN node with a bit rate based on the bit rate recommendation. In additional or alternative examples, transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow includes transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow with a bit rate based on congestion information.

[0064] In additional or alternative examples, the rate-adaptable QoS flow is a first QoS flow of a plurality of QoS flows. A second QoS flow of the plurality of QoS flows is not configured for rate adaptation.

[0065] In additional or alternative examples, the rate-adaptable QoS flow includes an extended reality, XR, QoS flow.

[0066] Various operations from the flow chart of FIG. 4 may be optional with respect to some embodiments of communication devices and related methods.

[0067] Operations of a network node 1000 (implemented using the structure of FIG. 10) will now be discussed with reference to the flow charts of FIGS. 5-6 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts. For example, modules may be stored in memory 1004 of FIG. 10, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective network node processing circuitry 1002, network node 1000 performs respective operations of the flow charts.

[0068] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of operations performed by a radio access network (RAN) node.

[0069] At block 510, processing circuitry 1002 receives, via communication interface 1006, a first message from a UE including an indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting a rate-adaptable QoS flow. In some embodiments, the first message indicates that the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow. In additional or alternative embodiments, receiving the first message includes receiving a packet data unit, PDU, session establishment or modification request including the indication that the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow.

[0070] At block 520, processing circuitry 1002 transmits, via communication interface 1006, a second message to a CN node indicating whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow. In some embodiments, the second message indicates that the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow. In additional or alternative embodiments, the CN node includes a session management function, SME In additional or alternative embodiments, the QoS flow includes an extended reality, XR, QoS flow. In additional or alternative embodiments, the QoS flow is a first QoS flow of a plurality of QoS flows, and a second QoS flow of the plurality of QoS flows is not configured for rate adaptation.

[0071] At block 530, processing circuitry 1002 receives, via communication interface 1006, a third message from the CN node indicating whether the QoS flow associated with the UE is to be a rate-adaptable QoS flow. In some embodiments, the third message indicates that the QoS flow is to be a rate-adaptable QoS flow. In additional or alternative embodiments, receiving the third message from the CN node includes receiving N2 SM information when establishing and / or updating the QoS flow, the N2 SM information including the message. In additional or alternative embodiments, receiving the third message from the CN node includes receiving an indication that the QoS flow is subject to rate adaptation within a policy control and charging, PCC, rule.

[0072] At block 540, processing circuitry 1002 receives, via communication interface 1006, the QoS flow from the UE. In some embodiments, the QoS flow is the rate-adaptable QoS flow. In some examples, receiving the rate-adaptable QoS flow includes discarding one or more packets of the rate-adaptable QoS flow based on the PCC rule and / or a congestion information.

[0073] In additional or alternative embodiments, receiving the rate-adaptable QoS flow includes transmitting an indication of a bit rate recommendation to the UE; and responsive to transmitting the indication of the bit rate recommendation, receiving the rate-adaptable QoS flow from the UE with a bit rate based on the bit rate recommendation.

[0074] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of operations performed by a core network (CN) node.

[0075] At block 610, processing circuitry 1002 receives, via communication interface 1006, a first message from a UE including an indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting a rate-adaptable QoS flow.

[0076] At block 620, processing circuitry 1002 stores the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow.

[0077] At block 630, processing circuitry 1002 determines whether to enable rate adaptation for a QoS flow. In some embodiments, determining whether to enable rate- adaptation for the QoS flow includes: receiving a request to reserve resources for an application function, AF,session including the QoS flow associated with the UE, the request including a request to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow; determining whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate adaptation for the QoS flow; and determining whether to enable rate-adaptation for the QoS flow based on the request and whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

[0078] In additional or alternative embodiments, determining whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate adaptation for the QoS flow includes retrieving the indication from memory of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow. In some examples, receiving the first message includes receiving, by a session management function, SMF, of the CN node, the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow. Storing the indication includes providing, by the SMF, the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow to a policy control function, PCF, of the CN node. Retrieving the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow includes requesting, by a network exposure function, NEF, of the CN node, authorization from the PCF to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

[0079] In additional or alternative embodiments, the QoS flow includes an extended reality, XR, QoS flow.

[0080] At block 640, processing circuitry 1002 transmits, via communication interface 1006, an indication to the AF indicating whether rate adaptation will be enabled for the QoS flow.

[0081] At block 650, processing circuitry 1002 transmits a message to the RAN node indicating whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

[0082] In some embodiments, determining whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow includes determining to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow. Transmitting the message to the RAN node includes transmitting the message to the RAN node indicating to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

[0083] In some examples, determining to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow includes receiving, by a session management function, SMF, of the CN node, an indication of a policy control and charging, PCC, rule from a policy control function, PCF, the PCC rules including an indication to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow. Transmitting the message to the RAN node comprises transmitting the message to the RAN node indicating the PCC rule.

[0084] In additional or alternative embodiments, determining whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow includes determining to not enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow. In some examples, determining to not enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow includesreceiving, by a network exposure function, NEF, of the CN node, an indication from a policy control function, PCF, to not enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

[0085] Various operations from the flow chart of FIGS. 5-6 may be optional with respect to some embodiments of network nodes and related methods.

[0086] FIG. 7 shows an example of a communication system 700 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0087] In the example, the communication system 700 includes a telecommunications network 702 that includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706, which includes one or more core network nodes 708. The access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes or base stations of various types, access network nodes 710A and 710B are depicted (which may be collectively referred to as network nodes 710), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3 GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points (APs). Some embodiments of the access network 704 may include more than one access network technology. The network nodes 710 of access network 704 facilitate direct or indirect connection of wireless devices, also referred to as user equipments (UEs), such as by connecting UEs 712A, 712B, 712C, and 712D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections.

[0088] Moreover, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunications network 702 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a network node in the telecommunications network 702 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 network nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any network node in the telecommunications network 702, including one or more access network nodes 710 and / or core network nodes 708.

[0089] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). An ORAN network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORANspecification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN network node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies.

[0090] The network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of one or more UEs 712 to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections. 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 700 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 700 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0091] The UEs 712 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 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 708, 710 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly (e.g., via other devices of telecommunications network 702) with the UEs 712 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunications network 702 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunications network 702. More specifically, UEs 712 may send messages, data, and / or other signals to network nodes 708, 710 or other elements of the telecommunications network 702 by transmitting such signals to the relevant device directly without the signals passing through any intervening devices or by transmitting such signals to the relevant device indirectly through an intervening device (or multiple intervening devices) that then transmit the signal to the relevant device. Similarly, network nodes 708, 710 may send messages, data, and other signals to UEs 712, other network nodes 708, 710, and other devices in telecommunications network 702 directly or indirectly. As one specific example, a core network node 708 may transmit a particular message to a UE 712 by transmitting the message toan access network node 710 that will then transmit the message to the intended UE 712.Similarly, a core network node 708 may receive a particular message from a UE 712 by receiving the message from an access network node 710 that itself received the message from the UE 712.

[0092] In the depicted example, the core network 706 connects elements of the access network 704 (e.g., one or more of the network nodes 710) to one or more host computing systems, such as host 716. 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 706 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 708) of various types, one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 708. Network nodes 708 are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, access network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 708. Example core network nodes provide 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).

[0093] The host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 704 and / or the telecommunications network 702. The host 716 may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 716 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.

[0094] As a whole, the communication system 700 of FIG. 7 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 700 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or othersuitable 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 (Wi-Fi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wi-Max), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, Li-Fi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox. Moreover, the communication system 700 may be configured to support multiple different standards, protocols, or other rule sets, with individual components supporting all of the relevant rule sets or with different components or sub-systems within the communication system 700 supporting different standards, protocols, or rule sets.

[0095] As one example, in certain embodiments, access network 704 may contain some access network nodes 710 that support 3 GPP radio access technologies (RAT), such as LTE or NR, while other access network nodes 710 support (or the same access network nodes 710 additionally support) non-3GPP RATs, such as Wi-Fi or a proprietary RAT. As another example, telecommunications network 702 may support multiple generations of related communication standards (e.g., 4G and 5G 3GPP communication standards) and, as a result, may include an access network 704 and / or a core network 706 that supports multiple different standard generations or may include multiple access networks 704 and / or multiple core networks 706 with individual networks 704, 706 supporting different standard generations.

[0096] Telecommunications network 702 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunications network 702. For example, the telecommunications network 702 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.

[0097] In some examples, one or more of the UEs 712 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 704 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 704.Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi -standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0098] In the example, the hub 714 communicates with the access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 712C and / or 712D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 710B). In some examples, the hub 714 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 714 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 706 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 714 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 710, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 714.

[0099] As another example, the hub 714 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 714 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 714 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 714 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 714 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0100] The hub 714 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 710B. The hub 714 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 714 and UEs (e.g., UE 712C and / or 712D), and between the hub 714 and the core network 706. In other examples, the hub 714 is connected to the core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 714 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 704 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 710 while still connected via the hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 714 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 710B. In other embodiments, the hub 714 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 710B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0101] FIG. 8 is another example of a communication system 800 according to some embodiments. As used herein, the communication system 800 includes multiple access points (APs) 810 (with four exemplary APs 810A, 810B, 810C, and 810D being depicted) and multiplewireless devices, referred to in the context of communication system 800 as stations (STAs) 812 (referred to individually as STA 812A, STA 812B, STA 812C, STA 812D, and STA 812E). STA 812A is served by AP 810A in a first basic service set (BSS) 820A. STA 810B and STA 810C are served by AP 810B in a second BSS, BSS 820B. STA 812D is served by AP 810C in a third BSS, BSS 820C. STA 812E is served by AP 810D in a fourth BSS, BSS 820D. Stations 812 may be non-AP STAs and correspond to various kinds of wireless devices, for example, user terminals, such as mobile or stationary computing devices like smartphones, laptop computers, desktop computers, tablet computers, gaming devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs) for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), or the like. Further, stations 812 could, for example, correspond to other kinds of equipment like smart home devices, printers, multimedia devices, data storage devices, or the like.

[0102] Each of STAs 812 may connect through a radio link to one of APs 810. For example, depending on location or channel conditions experienced by a given STA 812, the STA may select an appropriate AP and BSS for establishing the radio link. The radio link may be based on one or more orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) carriers from a frequency spectrum that is shared on the basis of a contention-based mechanism, e.g., an unlicensed or license exempt band like 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band, the 5 GHz band, the 6 GHz band, or the 60 GHz band.

[0103] Each AP 810 may provide data connectivity to STAs 812 connected to a particular AP 810. As illustrated, APs 810 may be connected to a data network 830. In this way, APs 810 may also provide data connectivity between STAs 812 and other entities, e.g., to one or more servers, service providers, data sources, data sinks, user terminals, or the like. Accordingly, the radio link established between a given STA 812 and its serving AP 810 may be used for providing various kinds of services to STA 812, e.g., a voice service, a multimedia service, or other data service. Such services may be based on applications that are executed on STA 812 and / or on a device linked to STA 812. By way of example, FIG. 8 illustrates an application service platform 832 provided in data network 830. The application(s) executed on STA 812 and / or on one or more other devices linked to STA 812 may use the radio link for data communication with one or more other STA 812 and / or the application service platform 832, thereby enabling utilization of the corresponding service(s) at STA 812.

[0104] FIG. 9 shows a wireless device 900, which may be configured to operate in communication system 700 of FIG. 7 or in communication system 800 of FIG. 8. The wireless device 900 may be alternatively referred to as a UE 900, like a UE 712 within the context of communication system 700, or as a station (STA) 900 or as a non-access-point station (non-APSTA) 900, like a STA 812 within the context of the communication system 800, in accordance with respective embodiments. As used herein, a wireless device refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Examples of a wireless device 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 device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, and wireless terminal. Other examples include any type of UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0105] A wireless device 900 may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, wireless device 900 may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, wireless device 900 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, wireless device 900 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).

[0106] In particular embodiments, wireless device 900 includes processing circuitry 902 that is operatively coupled via a bus 904 to an input / output interface 906, a power source 908, a memory 910, a communication interface 912, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain embodiments of wireless device 900 may include all or a subset of the components shown in FIG. 9. The level of integration between the components may vary from one embodiment of wireless device 900 to another. In general, in a particular embodiment of wireless device 900, processing circuitry 902, input / output interface 906, power source 908, memory 910, and communication interface 912 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of wireless device 900. Further, certain embodiments of wireless devices 900 may contain multipleinstances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0107] The processing circuitry 902 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 910. The processing circuitry 902 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 902 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0108] In the example, the input / output interface 906 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into wireless device 900. 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.

[0109] In some embodiments, the power source 908 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 to supply power to circuitry or to charge an associated battery. The power source 908 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 908 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of wireless device 900 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Power source 908 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to make accessible power suitable for the respective components of the wireless device 900 to which power is supplied.

[0110] The memory 910 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 readonly memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 910 includes one or more programs 914, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 916. The memory 910 may store, for use by wireless device 900, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0111] The memory 910 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini -dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 910 may allow wireless device 900 to access instructions, 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 910, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0112] The processing circuitry 902 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network via or using the communication interface 912. The communication interface 912 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 922. The communication interface 912 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 wireless device or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 918 and / or a receiver 920 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 918 and receiver 920 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 922) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0113] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 912 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented 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.

[0114] In particular embodiments, wireless device 900 may provide an output of data captured via a sensor, through its communication interface 912, via a wireless connection to a network node, and / or in any appropriate manner. Data captured by sensors of a wireless device 900 can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another wireless device 900. In particular embodiments, such 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).

[0115] As another example, wireless device 900 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, wireless device 900 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.

[0116] Wireless device 900, 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, 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 connecteddoorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. In particular embodiments, wireless device 900 represents an loT device that 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 example embodiment of wireless device 900 shown in FIG. 9.

[0117] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, wireless device 900 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 wireless device and / or a network node. Wireless device 900 may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, wireless device 900 may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, wireless device 900 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.

[0118] In practice, any number of wireless devices 900 may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first wireless device 900 might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second wireless device 900 that is a remote controller operating the drone. When a user makes changes from the remote controller, the first wireless device 900 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 wireless device 900 can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, wireless device 900 might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0119] FIG. 10 shows a network node 1000 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 telecommunications network. In accordance with respective embodiments, network node 1000 may be configured to operate in communication system 700 of FIG. 7, like network nodes 708 or 710, or in communication system 800 of FIG. 8, like an AP 810 or a station 812. Examples ofnetwork 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)), 0-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., 0-RU, 0-DU, O-CU).

[0120] Network nodes 1000 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. Network node 1000 may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. Network nodes 1000 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).

[0121] Other examples of network nodes 1000 include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi -standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0122] In particular embodiments, network node 1000 includes a processing circuitry 1002, a memory 1004, a communication interface 1006, and a power source 1008. In general, in a particular embodiment of network node 1000, processing circuitry 1002, memory 1004, communication interface 1006, and power source 1008 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of network node 1000.

[0123] The network node 1000 may be composed of multiple distinct network entities (e.g., a NodeB entity and a RNC entity, or a BTS entity and a BSC entity, etc.), which may each have or utilize their own respective physical components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1000 comprises multiple such entities (e.g., BTS and BSC), one or more of the separate entities 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 1000 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments,some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memories 1004 or portions of memory 1004 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1010 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1000 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1000, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, Wi-Fi (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), 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 1000.

[0124] The processing circuitry 1002 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 components, such as the memory 1004, to provide network node 1000 functionality.

[0125] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1012 and the baseband processing circuitry 1014 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0126] The memory 1004 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 1002. The memory 1004 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 1002 and utilized by the network node 1000. The memory 1004 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1002 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1006. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 and memory 1004 is integrated.

[0127] The communication interface 1006 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data with UEs, other network nodes, and / or any other network equipment. In the illustrated embodiment, communication interface 1006 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1016 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. In particular embodiments, network node 1000 may be capable of wireless communication and communication interface 1006 may also include radio front-end circuitry 1018 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, an antenna 1010. Particular embodiments of radio front-end circuitry 1018 include filter(s) 1020 and amplifier(s) 1022. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may be connected to an antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 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 1018 may convert the digital data into a radio signal(s) having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1020 and / or amplifiers 1022. The radio signal(s) may then be transmitted via the antenna 1010. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1010 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1018. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1002. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0128] In certain alternative embodiments, network node 1000 may be capable of wireless communication but does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1018, instead, the processing circuitry 1002 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1010. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1012 is part of the communication interface 1006. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1006 includes one or more ports or terminals 1016, the radio front-end circuitry 1018, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1012, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1006 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1014, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0129] The antenna 1010 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1010 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1018 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1010 is separate from the network node 1000 and connectable to the network node 1000 through one or more interfaces or ports.

[0130] The antenna 1010, communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to perform some or all of the receiving operations and / or obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1000. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1010, the communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to perform some or all of the transmitting or sending operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1000. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0131] The power source 1008 provides power to the various components of network node 1000 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1008 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1000 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1000 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 1008. As a further example, the power source 1008 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0132] Embodiments of the network node 1000 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIG. 10 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 1000 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1000 and to allow output of information from the network node 1000. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1000.

[0133] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1100 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 asvirtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1100 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as an access network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which a 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 1100 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0134] Applications 1102 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 1100 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0135] Hardware 1104 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 1106 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VM 1108 A and VM 1108B (which may be collectively referred to as VMs 1108), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1106 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to one or more of the VMs 1108.

[0136] The VMs 1108 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by virtualization layer 1106. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1102 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1108, 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.

[0137] In the context of NFV, each of the VMs 1108 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 1108, and that part of hardware 1104 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 functionis responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more of the VMs 1108 on top of the hardware 1104 and corresponds to an application 1102.

[0138] Hardware 1104 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1104 may implement some functions via virtualization.Alternatively, hardware 1104 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 1110, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1102. In some embodiments, hardware 1104 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1112 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0139] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) 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.

[0140] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a core network, CN, node in a communications network, the method comprising:determining (630) whether to enable rate adaptation for a quality of service, QoS, flow between a user equipment, UE, and a radio access network, RAN, node; andtransmitting (650) a message to the RAN node indicating whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein determining whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow comprises determining to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow, and wherein transmitting the message to the RAN node comprises transmitting the message to the RAN node indicating to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

3. The method of Claim 2, wherein determining to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow comprises receiving, by a session management function, SMF, of the CN node, an indication of a policy control and charging, PCC, rule from a policy control function, PCF, the PCC rules including an indication to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow, and wherein transmitting the message to the RAN node comprises transmitting the message to the RAN node indicating the PCC rule.

4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein determining to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow comprises receiving, by a policy control function, PCF, of the CN node, an indication from an application function, AF, that the QoS flow may be subject to rate adaptation.

5. The method of Claim 1, wherein determining whether to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow comprises determining to not enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

6. The method of Claim 5, wherein determining to not enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow comprises receiving, by a network exposure function, NEF, of the CN node, an indication from a policy control function, PCF, to not enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

7. The method of any of Claims 1-6, wherein determining whether to enable rate-adaptation for the QoS flow comprises:receiving a request to reserve resources for an application function, AF, session including the QoS flow associated with the UE, the request including a request to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow;determining whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate adaptation for the QoS flow; anddetermining whether to enable rate-adaptation for the QoS flow based on the request and whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

8. The method of Claim 7, further comprising:transmitting (640) an indication to the AF indicating whether rate adaptation will be enabled for the QoS flow.

9. The method of any of Claims 7-8, wherein the message is a third message,the method further comprising:receiving (610) a first message from the UE, the message including an indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting a rate-adaptable QoS flow; andresponsive to receiving the first message, storing (620) the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow,wherein determining whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate adaptation for the QoS flow comprises retrieving the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow.

10. The method of Claim 9, wherein receiving the first message comprises receiving, by a session management function, SMF, of the CN node, the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow,wherein storing the indication comprises providing, by the SMF, the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow to a policy control function, PCF, of the CN node, andwherein retrieving the indication of whether the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow comprises requesting, by a network exposure function, NEF, of the CN node, authorization from the PCF to enable the rate adaptation for the QoS flow.

11. The method of any of Claims 1-10, wherein the QoS flow comprises a media flow, particularly an interactive media service QoS flow or an extended reality, XR, QoS flow.

12. The method of any of Claims 1-11, wherein transmitting the message to the RAN node comprises transmitting N2 SM information when establishing and / or updating the QoS flow, the N2 SM information including the indication of whether to enable the rate adaptation.

13. The method of any of Claims 1-12, wherein determining whether to enable rate adaptation for the QoS flow is based on an operator policy.

14. A method of operating a radio access network, RAN, node in a communications network, the method comprising:receiving (530) a message from a core network, CN, node indicating that a quality of service, QoS, flow associated with a user equipment, UE, is to be a rate-adaptable QoS flow; andsubsequent to receiving the message, receiving (540) the rate-adaptable QoS flow from the UE.

15. The method of Claim 14, wherein the message is a third message,the method further comprising:receiving (510) a first message from the UE, the first message including an indication that the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow; andresponsive to receiving the first message, transmitting (520) a second message to the CN node indicating that the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow.

16. The method of Claim 15, wherein receiving the first message comprises receiving a packet data unit, PDU, session establishment or modification request including the indication that the UE is capable of supporting the rate-adaptable QoS flow.

17. The method of any of Claims 14-16, wherein receiving the message from the CN node comprises receiving N2 SM information when establishing and / or updating the QoS flow, the N2 SM information including the message.

18. The method of any of Claims 14-17, wherein receiving the message from the CN node comprises receiving an indication that the QoS flow is subject to rate adaptation within a policy control and charging, PCC, rule.

19. The method of Claim 18, wherein receiving the rate-adaptable QoS flow comprises discarding one or more packets of the rate-adaptable QoS flow based on the PCC rule and / or congestion information.

20. The method of any of Claims 14-19, wherein receiving the rate-adaptable QoS flow comprises:transmitting an indication of a bit rate recommendation to the UE; andresponsive to transmitting the indication of the bit rate recommendation, receiving the rate-adaptable QoS flow from the UE with a bit rate based on the bit rate recommendation.

21. The method of any of Claims 14-20, wherein the CN node comprises a session management function, SMF.

22. The method of any of Claims 14-20, wherein the QoS flow comprises a media flow, particularly an interactive media service QoS flow or an extended reality, XR, QoS flow.

23. The method of any of Claims 14-22 wherein the QoS flow is a first QoS flow of a plurality of QoS flows, andwherein a second QoS flow of the plurality of QoS flows is not configured for rate adaptation.

24. A method of operating a user equipment, UE, in a communications network, the method comprising:transmitting (410) a message to a core network, CN, node, the message including an indication that the UE is capable of supporting a rate-adaptable quality of service, QoS, flow; andsubsequent to transmitting the message to the CN node, transmitting (420) the rate-adaptable QoS flow to a radio access network, RAN, node.

25. The method of Claim 24, wherein transmitting the message to the CN node comprisestransmitting the message to the CN node via the RAN node.

26. The method of any of Claims 24-25, wherein transmitting the message comprises transmitting a packet data unit, PDU, session establishment or modification request including the indication that the UE supports the rate-adaptable QoS flow.

27. The method of any of Claims 24-26, wherein transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow comprises:receiving an indication of a bit rate recommendation from the RAN node; and responsive to receiving the indication of the bit rate recommendation, transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow to the RAN node with a bit rate based on the bit rate recommendation.

28. The method of Claim 27, wherein transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow comprises transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow with a bit rate based on congestion information.

29. The method of any of Claims 24-28, wherein transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow comprises transmitting the rate-adaptable QoS flow with a variable frame generation rate.

30. The method of any of Claims 24-29, wherein the rate-adaptable QoS flow is a first QoS flow of a plurality of QoS flows, andwherein a second QoS flow of the plurality of QoS flows is not configured for rate adaptation.

31. The method of any of Claims 24-30, wherein the rate-adaptable QoS flow comprises a media flow, particularly an interactive media service QoS flow or an extended reality, XR, QoS flow.

32. A core network, CN, node (1000) adapted to perform the operations of any of Claims 1-13.

33. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (1002) of a core network, CN, node (1000), whereby execution of the program code causes the CN node to perform any of the operations of Claims 1-13.

34. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (1004) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (1002) of a core network, CN, node (1000), whereby execution of the program code causes the CN node to perform any of the operations of Claims 1-13.

35. A radio access network, RAN, node (1000) adapted to perform the operations of any of Claims 14-23.

36. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (1002) of a radio access network, RAN, node (1000), whereby execution of the program code causes the RAN node to perform any of the operations of Claims 14-23.

37. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (1004) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (1002) of a radio access network, RAN, node (1000), whereby execution of the program code causes the RAN node to perform any of the operations of Claims 14-23.

38. A user equipment, UE, (900) adapted to perform the operations of any of Claims 24-31.

39. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a user equipment, UE, (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the UE to perform any of the operations of Claims 24-31.

40. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (910) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (902) of a user equipment, UE, (900), whereby execution of the program code causes the UE to perform any of the operations of Claims 24-31.

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