gNB Cell SA Service Failure Handling via SIB1 and SSB Adjustments
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Solution Overview
Problem
In 5G networks, intermittent or short-term failures in standalone access (SA) service, such as gNB connectivity issues, lead to increased downtime and inability to serve non-standalone access (NSA) UEs, resulting in decreased mobility performance and network load due to excessive signaling.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a solution that makes the gNB cell inoperative for SA service without completely stopping cell transmission, allowing it to continue serving NSA UEs by restricting incoming mobility and shifting synchronization signal blocks, thereby reducing downtime and signaling overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the gNB cell is completely stopped during SA service failures, then SA service reliability is improved, but NSA service continuity deteriorates and cell downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cell operation into two independent parts: SA service and NSA service. During SA service failures, the cell is selectively taken down for SA UEs while remaining operational for NSA UEs. This is achieved by maintaining the cell context and transmission resources while preventing SA UE access, thereby reducing overall cell downtime and maintaining NSA service continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the service status for different UE types within the same cell. SA services are restricted during failures while NSA services continue normally. This selective service availability is implemented through specific signaling mechanisms that identify and handle SA and NSA UEs differently, allowing the cell to maintain partial functionality rather than complete shutdown.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the gNB cell continues transmitting during SA service failures, then NSA service continuity is improved, but SA service reliability deteriorates due to potential handover failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary anti-action by proactively preventing SA UEs from attempting handovers to the affected cell before failures occur. Through pre-configuration and signaling mechanisms, the network prepares SA UEs with alternative target cells or prevents them from selecting the potentially failed cell, thereby avoiding handover failures and maintaining SA service reliability while allowing the cell to remain operational for NSA services.
3Reliability
If the cell is restricted for incoming mobility during SA failures, then handover failure rate is reduced, but network load increases due to excessive signaling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring alternative target cells for SA UEs before failures occur. The network maintains a list of alternative cells and pre-establishes handover preparation information, so that when SA service failures are detected, UEs can be rapidly redirected to pre-identified alternative cells without generating excessive signaling for cell selection and handover preparation, thereby reducing both handover failure rates and signaling overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a gNB or O-RAN for handling intermittent SA-service only failures. In some embodiments, the gNB or O-RAN are configured to detect a service outage when an NG link is down; stop broadcasting SIB1; change ssb-SubcarrierOffset (Kssb) in a MIB transmission; and change an SSB location to prevent incoming handovers from a neighbor cell.