Multicast Session Paging for Idle and Inactive Terminal Endpoints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication networks face challenges in supporting multicast services for user equipment (UEs) in idle or inactive modes, particularly due to issues with Radio Access Network (RAN) node changes and the need for paging upon reception of multicast data, leading to inefficient resource utilization and increased signaling.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves differentiating between ingress nodes and session management functions (SMFs) to provide support for multicast services, including flexible and resource-efficient methods for idle and inactive UEs, such as subscribing to notifications and issuing downlink data notifications based on multicast data availability, even during silence periods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If UEs transition to idle or inactive mode to save resources, then energy efficiency is improved, but the ability to receive multicast data promptly deteriorates due to RAN node changes and paging requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the SMF subscribe to notifications from the UPF before actual multicast data transmission begins. This allows the network to proactively manage UE states and prepare for data delivery without requiring UEs to remain in connected mode, thus maintaining energy efficiency while ensuring reliable data delivery when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the UPF notifies the SMF about multicast data availability, and the SMF accordingly manages UE paging and data delivery. This feedback loop enables the system to respond dynamically to data availability while maintaining UE energy efficiency, resolving the contradiction between power saving and delivery reliability.
2Speed
If the network pages UEs promptly upon multicast data availability, then data delivery speed is improved, but signaling overhead and network complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses feedback from the UPF to the SMF about multicast data availability to trigger targeted paging only when necessary. This feedback-based approach maintains fast data delivery while reducing unnecessary signaling by avoiding pages when no data is available, thus resolving the contradiction between delivery speed and signaling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The SMF performs preliminary actions by subscribing to UPF notifications in advance, so when data becomes available, the system is already prepared to page UEs efficiently. This pre-preparation reduces the complexity of real-time decision-making and signaling during data delivery events.
3Reliability
If the network maintains continuous connectivity for multicast UEs, then data delivery reliability is improved, but resource utilization efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the SMF subscribe to UPF notifications before data transmission begins. This allows the network to maintain reliability through proactive state management while avoiding continuous connectivity by transitioning UEs to idle/inactive modes when no data is available, thus improving resource utilization efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic state management where UEs can transition between connected, idle, and inactive modes based on actual data availability and network conditions. This dynamic approach maintains delivery reliability when needed while optimizing resource utilization by allowing UEs to enter power-saving modes during silence periods.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, comprising at least one processing circuitry, and at least one memory for storing instructions to be executed by the at least one processing circuitry, wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processing circuitry, cause the apparatus at least to receive a request for joining a terminal endpoint device to an established multicast session; based on the received request, subscribe at a network entity to one or several notifications, the one or several notifications indicating whether data to be transmitted for the established multicast session is available for multicasting; obtain a subscribed notification from the network entity if data for the established multicast session is available for multicasting; and responsive to the obtained subscribed notification, issue for the established multicast session a downlink data notification for the terminal endpoint device.