Slice-Aware Cell Reselection Across Frequencies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently selecting cells that support specific network slices due to scenarios where frequencies with overlapping slices have different priorities and homogeneous deployments, leading to high signaling overhead and latency during cell reselection.
Innovation Solution
A method for user equipment (UE) to receive configuration information about network slices and frequencies from the communication network, allowing it to prioritize and select cells based on supported slices, thereby optimizing cell reselection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If UE performs traditional cell reselection without slice-aware configuration, then the cell selection process is simple, but signaling overhead increases and latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network pre-provides slice-aware cell reselection configuration information to the UE before cell reselection occurs. This configuration includes slice-specific parameters and supported slice lists for multiple frequencies, allowing the UE to perform slice-aware cell reselection without requiring complex real-time network coordination, thus improving efficiency while managing complexity through advance preparation
2Measurement precision
If the network provides detailed slice configuration information for all frequencies, then cell reselection accuracy improves, but signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The configuration information is provided selectively for multiple frequencies in a structured manner, with each frequency entry containing only the necessary slice support details for that specific frequency. This localized approach allows the UE to access precise slice configuration data for each frequency without receiving unnecessary configuration information for all frequencies, thereby reducing overall signaling overhead while maintaining selection accuracy
3Reliability
If UE evaluates all frequencies for slice support, then the selected cell accurately reflects user needs, but reselection time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network pre-provides slice-aware configuration information including supported slice lists for multiple frequencies before cell reselection is needed. This allows the UE to perform rapid slice-aware cell reselection by directly utilizing the pre-provided configuration data rather than performing time-consuming slice support evaluation during the reselection process, thus reducing latency while maintaining reliable slice support identification
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a communication network comprising a radio access network, one or more messages comprising configuration information of at least one network slice and of at least one frequency, wherein the radio access network is associated with a plurality of base stations (BSs) providing a plurality of cells, wherein the configuration information indicates for each of the at least one frequency which one or more slices of the at least one network slice are supported; and selecting, based on the configuration information, a cell from the plurality of cells for camping on.