NAS Slice Congestion Signaling With UE Back-Off Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication systems lack effective methods to manage network slice congestion, leading to radio resource wastage, unnecessary signaling, and increased power consumption due to repeated service requests, and fail to maintain service continuity during dual registration scenarios.

Innovation Solution

Implement a wireless communication system with User Equipment (UE) and core network that utilize NAS signaling messages to detect and indicate network slice congestion, including a reject cause value and back off timer, to manage network slice and data path congestion, and allow for dual registration handling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the UE continuously sends service requests for network slice access, then the service availability is improved, but the radio resource wastage and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice availabilityVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The core network provides feedback to the UE about network slice congestion status through NAS signaling messages. When congestion is detected, the network sends rejection messages with back-off timer information to the UE, allowing the UE to adjust its behavior and avoid continuous transmission attempts, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining service availability through proper retry mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The core network performs preliminary detection of network slice congestion before it affects service availability. By monitoring parameters in advance and sending proactive congestion notification messages with back-off timer values, the network prepares the UE for potential service unavailability, allowing the UE to optimize its request timing and reduce unnecessary transmission attempts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the UE repeatedly sends service requests for congested network slice, then the service continuity is maintained, but the radio resource wastage increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice continuityVSAvoidradio resource wastage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The core network sends feedback messages containing congestion status and back-off timer information to the UE. This feedback mechanism allows the UE to understand when network slice congestion occurs and adjust its request timing accordingly, maintaining service continuity through proper retry logic while avoiding continuous transmission that would waste radio resources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the UE's service request behavior based on real-time network congestion conditions. The back-off timer mechanism provides dynamic timing adjustments, allowing the UE to space out requests during congestion periods while maintaining the ability to reconnect when network conditions improve, thus balancing service continuity with resource efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Device complexity

If the core network does not provide congestion indication, then the network complexity is reduced, but the UE cannot optimize its service request behavior

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork complexityVSAvoidservice request efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The core network provides feedback to the UE about congestion conditions through standardized NAS signaling messages. This feedback mechanism, implemented using existing network infrastructure, allows the UE to optimize its service request behavior without requiring complex new network architecture, thereby improving service request efficiency while keeping network complexity manageable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The congestion indication mechanism uses existing multi-functional NAS signaling messages that serve multiple purposes in the network communication protocol. By leveraging the universal nature of these signaling messages, the network can provide congestion information without adding dedicated complex infrastructure, thus improving productivity while maintaining acceptable network complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3673678B1User equipment (UE) and core network for managing network slice congestion in wireless communication system
Publication Date: 2026.03.25 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP3673678B1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP3673678B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~3a
  • EP3673678B1 patent drawingFigure 3b

AI summary

Embodiments herein provide a wireless communication system for managing a network slice congestion. The wireless communication system includes a User Equipment (UE), operably coupled to a core network. The UE is configured to transmit a first NAS signaling message to the core network, wherein the first NAS signaling message comprises a specific network slide identity. The core network is configured to detect the network slice congestion in the wireless communication system. Further, the core network is configured to indicate the network slice congestion using a second NAS signaling message to the User Equipment (UE), wherein the second NAS signaling message comprising a reject cause value and a back off timer for the requested network slice identity.