WO2021114285A1

WO2021114285A1 - Operator network identification in network sharing

Info

Publication number: WO2021114285A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/125381
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andres ARJONA; Subramanya CHANDRASHEKAR; Pawel H. NOWAK; Litao RU
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co., Ltd.; Nokia Solutions And Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2019-12-13
Filing date: 2019-12-13
Publication date: 2021-06-17
Also published as: CN114788392A

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to operator network identification. According to some example embodiments, a first apparatus comprised in a second network device obtains a first identity of a first operator network from a first network device for determining a termination point of traffic associated with a terminal device. The second network device is configured to provide dual connectivity to the terminal device together with the first network device. The first apparatus determines a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device and transmits, to a second apparatus comprised in the second network device, information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network. Through this solution, it is possible to distinguish the operator networks selected by different network devices within a network device with a disaggregated architecture in the dual connectivity scenario.

Description

OPERATOR NETWORK IDENTIFICATION IN NETWORK SHARING

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatuses and computer readable storage medium for operator network identification.

BACKGROUND

With developments of communication systems, new technologies have been proposed. A next-generation communication system is expected to support accommodation of explosive data traffic, an epochal increase of transmission rate per user, accommodation of the significantly increased number of connection devices, very low end-to-end latency, and high energy efficiency. To this end, various technologies have been developed.

Traditionally, each operator provides its own core network and its own radio access network (RAN) for providing access to the operator's core network. However, the deployment of a network involves high efforts and costs. Therefore, it has been proposed a network sharing architecture, which allows different operators to share a common network and thus share network resources according to agreed allocation schemes. Identification of the networks for different operators is important in the network sharing architecture.

SUMMARY

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for operator network identification.

In a first aspect, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to obtain a first identity of a first operator network from a first network device for determining a termination point of traffic associated with a terminal device, the first apparatus being comprised in a second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to the terminal device together with the first network device; determine a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device; and transmit, to a second apparatus comprised in the second network device, information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network.

In a second aspect, there is provided a second apparatus. The first device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to receive, from a first apparatus comprised in a second network device, information on a first identity of a first operator network and a second identity of a second operator network, the second apparatus being comprised in the second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to a terminal device together with a first network device; identify a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device based on the first identity; and identify the second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device based on the second identity.

In a third aspect, there is provided a network device. The network device comprises a first network entity configured to: obtain a first identity of a first operator network from a further network device for determining a termination point of traffic associated with a terminal device, wherein the network device is configured to provide dual connectivity to the terminal device together with the further network device, determine a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device, and provide information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network; and a second network entity communicatively coupled to the first network entity and configured to obtain the information on the first identity and the second identity from the first network entity.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises obtaining, at a first apparatus comprised in a second network device, a first identity of a first operator network from a first network device for determining a termination point of traffic associated with a terminal device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to the terminal device together with the first network device; determining a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device; and transmitting, to a second apparatus comprised in the second network device, information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises receiving, at a second apparatus and from a first apparatus, information on a first identity of a first operator network and a second identity of a second operator network, the first and second apparatuses being comprised in a second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to a terminal device together with a first network device; identifying a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device based on the first identity; and identifying the second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device based on the second identity.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises means for: obtaining a first identity of a first operator network from a first network device for determining a termination point of traffic associated with a terminal device, the first apparatus being comprised in a second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to the terminal device together with the first network device; determining a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device; and transmitting, to a second apparatus comprised in the second network device, information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises means for: receiving, from a first apparatus, information on a first identity of a first operator network and a second identity of a second operator network, the first and second apparatuses being comprised in a second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to a terminal device together with a first network device; identifying a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device based on the first identity; and identifying the second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device based on the second identity.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a device. The device comprises a first apparatus of the above sixth aspect and a second apparatus of the above seventh aspect.

In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to any one of the above fourth and fifth aspects.

It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, where:

Fig. 1 illustrates an example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

Fig. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example network device with disaggregated architecture;

Fig. 3 illustrates a signaling flow for operator network identification according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 4 illustrates a signaling flow for transmission of context management messages according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5 illustrates a signaling flow for transmission of context management messages according to some further example embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a first apparatus according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a second apparatus according to some other example embodiments of the present disclosure;

Fig. 8 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an apparatus that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

Fig. 9 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment, ” “an embodiment, ” “an example embodiment, ” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a” , “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” , “comprising” , “has” , “having” , “includes” and/or “including” , when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof.

As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) and

(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) :

(i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit (s) with software/firmware and

(ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s) ) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and

(c) hardware circuit (s) and or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor (s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as New Radio (NR) , Long Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the future fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) , for example, a node B (NodeB or NB) , an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , a relay, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology.

The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE) , a Subscriber Station (SS) , a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS) , or an Access Terminal (AT) . The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE) , laptop-mounted equipment (LME) , USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE) , an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD) , a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery) , an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or an automated processing chain contexts) , a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms “terminal device” , “communication device” , “terminal” , “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

Example environment and work principle

With the development of telecommunications, it has been proposed to support network sharing among different operators. A network sharing architecture shall allow multiple participating operators to share one or more common networks and their resources according to agreed allocation schemes. The shared networks include radio access networks (RANs) . The shared resources include radio resources. Network sharing is a way for the operators to share the heavy deployment costs for transport networks. In addition to this shared RAN, the operators may or may not have additional dedicated radio access networks.

The RAN sharing may be implemented by means of two standardized architectures. The first architecture is called mobile operator core network (MOCN) and consists of different participating operators which connect their core network (CN) infrastructure to a commonly shared RAN. In this case each participating operator can run CN-RAN procedures from its own managed RAN. In the MOCN architecture, the RAN routes the UE's initial access to the shared network to one of the available CN nodes. Supporting UEs shall inform the RAN of the chosen core network operator so that the RAN can route correctly. A second architecture option is called gateway core network (GWCN) and it consists of the shared RAN connecting to a single shared CN. Participating operators would therefore share the CN as well as the RAN.

Fig. 1 shows an example communication environment 100 for network sharing, in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. In the example of Fig. 1, a core network 110-1 and a core network 110-2 are provided and operated by two different operators, i.e., a first operator and a second operator. The operators can be identified by respective identities. In an example, the different operators are identified by respective public land mobile network (PLMN) identities. Accordingly, as an example, the first operator for the core network 110-1 can be identified by an identity of “PLMN ID1, ” while the second operator for the core network 110-2 can be identified by an identity of “PLMN ID2. ”

In the scenario of network sharing, a RAN is shared by the two operators. As shown, a network device 120-1, which is an access node for a RAN, is connected with both the core networks 100-1, 110-2, for example, connected to one or more core network entities via S1-U interfaces. Another network device 120-2 is also connected with both the core networks 100-1, 110-2, for example, connected to one or more core entities via S1-U interfaces. In such architecture, the two core networks 100-1, 110-2 can share radio resources in the network device 120-1 and the network device 120-2.

In some example embodiments, a core network 110-3 also shares the network device 120-2. The core network 110-3 is, for example, also provided and operated by the same second operator of the core network 110-2 and thus may be identified by an identity of the second operator. In some example embodiments, there may be one or more network devices that are not shared by different operators. For example, the network device 120-3 is connected to the core network 110-3 of the second operator only.

Herein, the core networks 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3 are collectively or individually referred to as core networks 110, and the network devices 120-1, 120-2, and 120-3 are collectively or individually referred to as network devices 120. In the example shown in Fig. 1, a network for the first operator (also referred to as a “first operator network” ) may include the core network 110-1, the network device 120-1, and the network device 120-1. A network for the second operator (also referred to as a “second operator network” ) may include the core network 110-2, the core network 110-3, and the network device 120-1 to the network device 120-3. The network devices 120-1 and 120-2 (and their access resources in the corresponding RANs) are shared by the first and second operators. In this example, two operators (e.g., identified by PLMN ID1 and PLMN ID2) share radio resource management (RRM) resources as well as the transport network for the X2 interface. The network device 120-1 may be a 4G eNB, while the network device 120-2 may be a 5G gNB. In such a case, both PLMNs share resources in both the 4G eNB, as well as in the 5G gNB. In this example, the core networks are not shared by the operators, and each PLMN has own core network to which the eNB/gNB needs to connect respectively.

In some example embodiments, one or more of the network devices 120 may be implemented in a disaggregated architecture, with different separate logical network entities configured to handle corresponding functions. A gNB in NR is an example of such network device that could be implemented in the disaggregated architecture.

Fig. 2 shows an example of a network device 120 with a disaggregated architecture. As shown, the network device 120 consists of multiple network entities, including a central unit-control plane (CU-CP) 210, one or more central unit-user planes (CU-UPs) 220-1, 220-2, ..., 220-N (collectively or individually referred to as CU-UPs 220, where N is an integer equal to or larger than one) , and one or more distributed units (DUs) 230-1, ..., 230-M (collectively or individually referred to as DUs 230, where M is an integer equal to or larger than one) . In the example where the network device 120 is a gNB, the CU-CP 210 may be called a gNB-CU-CP, a CU-UP 220 may be called a gNB-CU-UP, and a DU 230 may be called gNB-DU.

In some example embodiments, the CU-CP 210 and the CU-UPs 220 collectively implement functions of a central unit (CU) of the network device 120. In some example embodiments, the CU-CP 210 is a logical node or entity hosting the radio resource control (RRC) and the control plane part of the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocol of the CU for the network device 120. The CU-CP 210 may terminate the E1 interface connected with the CU-UPs 220 and the F1-C interface connected with the DUs 230. In some example embodiments, the CU-UP 220 is a logical node or entity hosting the user plane part of the PDCP protocol of the CU for the network device 120, and the user plane part of the PDCP protocol and the shared device access protocol (SDAP) protocol of the CU for the network device 120. The CU-UP 220 may terminate the E1 interface connected with the CU-CP 210 and the F1-U interface connected with the DU 230. In the example of Fig. 2, the control-plane signalling may be carried out by the CU-CP 210, while the user-plane traffic is handled by the CU-UP 220.

In some example embodiments, the DU 230 is a logical node or entity hosting radio link control (RLC) , media access control (MAC) , and physical (PHY) layers of the network device 120, and its operation is partly controlled by the CU of the network device 120. One DU 230 may support one or multiple cells. One cell may be supported by only one DU 230. The DU 230 may terminate the F1 interface connected with the CU.

In the example shown in Fig. 2, the CU-CP and CU-UP in the network device 120 are separately provided. In another disaggregated architecture, the network device 120 may include a CU and one or more DU 230. The CU-CP and the CU-UP collectively act as a CU. In this example, the CU may be considered as a logical node hosting RRC, SDAP, and/or PDCP protocols of the network device 120 that controls the operation of one or more DUs 230. The CU may terminate the F1 interface connected with the DU 230. It would be appreciated that the network device 120 may be designed with any other disaggregated architecture.

In the environment 100, a terminal device 130 can communicate via a network device to one or more operator networks. The terminal device 130 may support dual connectivity (DC) , where the terminal device 130 maintains the radio resource control (RRC) connection with a serving cell from a master node (MN) and the terminal device 130 can be configured with a connection to a secondary node (SN) for additional throughput. The MN and the SN are connected to each other via a backhaul interface, such as the X2-U interface, X2-C interface, Xn-U interface, and/or Xn-C interface. In the example of Fig. 1, the terminal device 130 is connected to the network device 120-1 and the network device 120-2. The network device 120-1 may act as a MN and the network device 120-2 may act as a SN for the terminal device 130 in DC.

Different DC options may be applied for the terminal device 130. One option may include an evolved-UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) -NR DC (EN-DC) mode, in which the MN for the terminal device 130 is an eNB (for example, the network device 120-1 is an eNB) and the SN for the terminal device 130 is a NR gNB (for example, the network device 120-2 is a gNB) . The EN-DC mode is a specific example of multi-RAT DC (MR-DC) supported by the terminal device 130. A further DC option may include an NR DC, in which the terminal device 130 is connected to an NR gNB that acts as a MN and to another NR gNB that acts as a SN (that is, both the network devices 110-1 and 110-2 are gNB) . In the DC, at least the MN is connected to an operator network. In some example embodiments, the SN can also be connected to an operator network.

It is to be understood that the number of devices and networks and their connection is only for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations. The environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices and networks adapted for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol (s) , comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) and the fifth generation (5G) and on the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and/or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) , Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) , Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) , Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) , Time Division Duplex (TDD) , Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) , Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM) , Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and/or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

In the communication environment where the network sharing is deployed, if one or more network devices are in a disaggregated architecture, there may be some communication scenarios where conflicts and inconsistent behaviors will happen due to lack of proper means to correctly identify the identities of the operator networks consistently among different logical entities of the network device (s) . The conflicts and inconsistent behaviors are particularly pressing in DC.

In DC scenarios, a MN for a terminal device in DC indicates, to a SN, an identity of an operator network for determining a termination point of traffic communication. As such, the SN may know to which operator network the traffic needs to traverse from the SN. The identity of the operator network generally matches with the core network in use in the MN. Thus, the MN may signal, to the SN, S1-U termination points toward the core network in use and selected by the MN.

On the side of SN, the main issue is that currently only one identity of an operator network is allowed to be signaled among different network entities in the disaggregated architecture of the SN, for example, signaled over F1 and E1 interfaces. Therefore, in the cases where the SN is a network device shared by different operator networks, the SN in practice is restricted to follow the operator network selected by the MN and then signal the identity of the operator network selected by the MN among its network entities even though it would be beneficial if the SN is allowed to select the operator network on its own. This restriction incurs issues as in many cases as the operator network indicated by the MN should not be used for counting traffic at the SN, but only used for indicating the termination point to which the SN needs to communicate the traffic. Hence, it may result in wrong statistics and user charging as the traffic of the terminal device is marked as belonging to an incorrect operator network by the signalled identity of the operator network. Likewise, the SN is unable to select the correct identity of the suitable operator network freely and has to treat all user traffic as belonging to the operator network initially selected by the MN.

There are some other issues. For example, if there is a list of equivalent operator networks, the SN, for example, the DU of the SN, may be able to select a best cell from either equivalent operator network during handover of the terminal device. However, unless the backhaul of those operator networks (for example, the core networks) is also shared, selecting an equivalent operator network other than the one selected by the MN will lead to inconsistency in sharing resources because the operator networks for cell selection and resource selection are not aligned or tightly coupled.

To circumvent at least some of the above potential problems, in one possible implementation, the SN is not allowed to carry out a selection of operator network, but rather reuse identity of the same operator network selected by the MN in order to ensure that the traffic is directed to the correct termination point in the dual connectivity. With such implementation, in case of disaggregated architecture for a SN gNB, the gNB-CU-CP always reuses the PLMN ID provided by the MN when establishing UE/Bearer Contexts over F1 (towards gNB-DU) and over E1 (towards gNB-CU-UP) . However, this is not desirable as it artificially enforces limitations at the SN to forbidden the SN from freely selecting the identity corresponding to the suitable operator and also force the SN to treat all user traffic as belonging to the PLMN initially selected by the MN, as mentioned above.

In summary, lack of proper operator network identification results in having to circumvent some of the issues and even violate the principles of network sharing in some scenarios. Further, interoperability problems in inter-operator scenarios may occur due to lack of alignment on behaviors, as well as incorrect statistics and charging incurred to the wrong operator network.

According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, there are provided an improved solution for operator network identification. In this solution, a plurality of identities of operator networks can be transmitted among different apparatuses or network entities within a network device. Specifically, a first network device and a second network device are to provide dual connectivity to a terminal device and the first network device transmits to the second network device a first identity of a first operator network for determining a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device. A first apparatus or network entity of the second network device can determine a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device. The first apparatus or network entity of the second network device then transmits, to a second apparatus or network entity of the second network device, a first identity of the first operator network obtained from the first network device and a second identity of the second operator network determined by the second network device.

Through this solution, by means of transmitting a plurality of identities of operator networks, it is possible to distinguish the operator networks selected by different network devices, within a network device with a disaggregated architecture in the DC scenario. The network device, when acting as a SN in dual connectivity, can direct the traffic to the correct termination points (e.g., X2-U or S1-U) , while keep the autonomy to select and identify the appropriate operator network for resource scheduling, thereby solving the conflicts with traffic termination and avoiding wrong traffic statistics.

Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It would be appreciated that although some example embodiments of the present disclosure below are described in the network sharing architecture, the present disclosure can also be implemented in other network architectures, such as those without network sharing.

Example signaling flow

Reference is now made to Fig. 3, which shows a signaling flow 300 for operator network identification according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the signaling flow 300 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The signaling flow 300 may involve a network entity 301 and a network entity 302 included in a network device with a disaggregated architecture, such as the network device 120-2 as illustrated in Fig. 1. In some example embodiments, the signaling flow 300 may further involve a further network device, such as the network device 120-1 and a terminal device, such as the terminal device 130, as illustrated in Fig. 1. It would be appreciated that the signaling flow 300 may also be implemented in any other communication environment.

The network device 120-2 with a disaggregated architecture is configured to provide DC to the terminal device 130 together with the network device 120-1. The network device 120-1 may be a network device with or without the disaggregated architecture. For example, the network device 120-2 may be a gNB, while the network device 120-1 may be an eNB or a gNB. Sometimes the network device 120-1 may be referred to as a first network device and the network device 120-2 may be referred to as a second network device for purpose of discussion. The terminal device 130 may be any terminal device (or UE) supporting a communication mode of DC. The DC provided by the network devices 120-1, 120-2 may be any applicable DC.

The network entity 301 and the network entity 302 included in the network device 120-2 may be logical nodes or entities within the network devices 120-2 that are communicatively coupled with each other and can signal at least identities of operator networks therebetween. The network entity 301 herein may sometimes be referred to as a first network entity and the network entity 302 herein may sometimes be referred to as a second network entity. In some example embodiments, the network entity 302 may be communicated with and controlled by the network entity 301 over an interface, for example, a 3GPP defined interface (such as the E1 or F1 interface) .

In the example where the network device 120-2 is a gNB, the

network entities

301, 302 may be the logical entities as illustrated in Fig. 2. Depending on different signalling scenarios, the

network entities

301, 302 may be different types of logical entities of the network device 120-2. For example, in some example embodiments, the network entity 301 may be a CU-CP 210 and the network entity 302 may be a CU-UP 220. In some example embodiments, the network entity 301 may be a CU (i.e., a combination of the CU-CP 210 and the CU-UP 220) and the network entity 302 may be a DU 230. Some specific example signalling scenarios will be further discussed below.

In the signaling flow 300, the network entity 301 included in the network device 120-2 obtains 305 a first identity of a first operator network for determining a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device 130. In the case where the network devices 120-1, 120-2 are to provide DC to the terminal device 130, the network device 120-1 may be a MN which is responsible for selecting an operator network for traffic communication with the terminal device 130, including backhaul traffic and user traffic communication. Accordingly, the network device 120-2 may be a SN which can assist in traffic communication for the terminal device 130. In some example embodiments, the network device 120-1 may communicate with the network device 120-2 via a backhaul interface, such as the X2-U interface, X2-C interface, Xn-U interface, and/or Xn-C interface.

In some example embodiments, the first operator network selected by the network device 120-1 may be associated with a specific operator (referred to as a “first operator” ) which can be identified with an identity (i.e., the first identity) . The first operator network may include a core network and a corresponding RAN including one or more network access nodes (including the network device 120-1) to provide radio access. The first operator network selected by the network device 120-1 acting as the MN may match with the core network in use in the network device 120-1. The first identity is to indicate, to the network device 120-2, to which operator network the traffic associated with the terminal device 130 needs to traverse from the network device 120-2. The network device 120-2 can use the first identity to select correct addresses (for example, correct internet protocol (IP) addresses) to the first operator. As such, the traffic associated with the terminal device 130 can be directed to the correct termination points (for example, via the X2-U/Xn-U interface, the X2-C/Xn-C interface, and/or the S1-U interface) . The first operator network may thus be called an operator network associated with a termination point of a backhaul interface in the DC for the terminal device 130 (for example the operator network associated with a S1-U termination point) , and the first identity may be called a termination point identity.

In some example embodiments, the first operator network may be a PLMN and the first identity may be a PLMN identity. The PLMN identity may be derived based on a combination of a mobile country code (MCC) and a mobile network code (MNC) , in some examples. It would be appreciated that other types of applicable operator networks may also be possible. In some example embodiments, the network device 120-1 may transmit 310, to the network device 120-1 (and then obtained by the network entity 301) the first identity or information for deriving the first identity.

As a specific example, the network device 120-1, as the MN, may serve the terminal device 130 in the first operator network and the core network of the first operator network may maintain a context of the terminal device 130. If the network device 120-1decides to add the network device 120-2 as a SN for the terminal device 130, a SN addition request may be triggered by the network device 120-1 towards the network device 120-2, for example, over the X2-C/X2-U interface between the two network devices.

In example embodiments of the present disclosure, instead of forcing the network entity 301 of the network device 120-2 to always reuse the first identity selected by the network device 120-1, this entity is allowed to select an operator network device freely for resource scheduling through the network device 120-2 without worrying about incurring conflicts and inconsistency in operator network identification within the network device 120-2. The network device 120-2 may be connected to a plurality of operator networks, and radio resources of the network device 120-2 are shared by these operator networks. In such case, there are some operator networks selectable by the network device 120-2 to serve the terminal device 130, for example, to provide access resources for communication with the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2. Thus, in the signaling flow 300, the network entity 301 determines 315 a second operator network for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2.

In some example embodiments, the second operator network selected by the network device 120-1 may be associated with a specific operator (referred to as a “second operator” ) which can be identified with an identity (i.e., a second identity) . The second operator network may include a core network and a corresponding RAN including one or more network access nodes (including the network device 120-2) to provide radio access. In some example embodiments, the network device 120-2 is shared by at least the first and second operators (if the two operators are different) . Thus, the radio resources of the network device 120-2 may be scheduled for communications associated with the two operators and the network device 120-2 may need to distinguish the two operators and their operator networks correctly, for example, via their corresponding identities.

When the second operator network is selected for resource scheduling for the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2, the second operator network may be called a serving operator network that serves the terminal device 130 in the RAN of the network device 120-2 because the resources of the second operator network are scheduled for communication between the network device 120-2 and the terminal device 130. It is noted that all the termination of the traffic for the terminal device 130 is still addressed to the first operator network selected by the network device 120-1 acting as the MN.

In some example embodiments, the second operator network may be a PLMN and the second identity may be a PLMN identity. The PLMN identity may be derived based on a combination of a MCC and a MNC, in some examples. It would be appreciated that other types of applicable operator networks may also be possible.

In some example embodiments, the network entity 301 may select the second operator network to be associated with the same operator as the first operator of the first operator network selected by the network device 120-1 or be a different one from the first operator. The network entity 301 may follow various criteria to select the second operator network as a different one from the first operator network. In some example embodiments, the network entity 301 may determine whether a cell assigned to the first operator network is available for the terminal device 130. A cell is corresponding to a coverage area served by a network device shared by the first operator network. If no cell assigned to the first operator network is available, it probably means that the terminal device 130 is moving to a different area out of service from the first operator network or all the cells assigned to the first operator network are overloaded. In this case, the network entity 301 may select or reselect the second operator network for the terminal device 130.

In some example embodiments, the second operator network may be selected from a list of equivalent operator networks for the first operator network. The network entity 301 may obtain identities of the list of equivalent operator networks. The list may include the first operator network and one or more other operator networks equivalent to the first operator network. As used herein, an equivalent operator network for the first operator network may be considered to be equivalent to the first operator network in terms of operator network selection or reselection, cell selection or reselection, and handover. The list of equivalent operator networks may be defined, for example, by the first operator. In some example embodiments, the list of equivalent operator networks may include a Handover Restriction List. The network entity 301 may be able to select one of the equivalent operator networks in the list as the second operator network, for example, in the case that no suitable cell for the first operator network is available.

Reference back to Fig. 3, with the second operator network determined, the network entity 301 transmits 320, to the network entity 302, information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network. The network entity 302 receives 325 the information on the first and second entities from the network entity 301. The network entity 302 can thus identify 330, based on the first identity, a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device 130 (i.e., the termination point in the first operator network) , and identify 335, based on the second identity, the second operator network for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2.

In example embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to distinguish the first operator network selected by the network device 120-1 for determining a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device 130 and the second operator network selected by the network device 120-2 for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2.

In some example embodiments, if the second operator network selected by the network device 120-2 for serving the terminal device 130 is different from the first operator network device selected by the network device 120-1 for determining the termination point of traffic, i.e., the second identity is different from the first identity, the network entity 301 may transmit the first and second identities in separate information elements (IEs) to the network entity 302. That is, the first and second identities have respective IEs for transmission. In some example embodiments, if the second identity is the same as the first identity, which means that the network device 120-2 still decides to reuse the first operator network for serving the terminal device 130, one of the first and second identities may be transmitted, for example, in its corresponding IE. The network entity 302, upon receipt of such information, may determine that the first identity and the second identity are the same.

In some example embodiments, in the case that the second operator network is different from the first operator network, by signaling the second identity of the second operator network to the network entity 302 which is responsible for managing a context associated with the terminal device 130, the network entity 302 thus can correctly identify user traffic of the terminal device 130 and the corresponding charging as belonging to the correct second operator network based on the second identity. In addition, all the traffic associated with the terminal device 130 can still be directed to the correct termination point as selected by the network device 120-1. Further, the operator network identification in some example embodiments of the present disclosure can also be further proof to account for possible roaming events in which the termination points would require to be updated without impacting the operator network for which the traffic is marked as belonging to (the second operator in some examples described above) .

Example triggers for transmitting the identities

There are various triggers for the transmission of the information on the first and second identities from the network entity 301 to the network entity 302. In some example embodiments, the network entity 302 may be a logical unit of the network device 120-2 that is configured to manage (for example, setup or modify) a context associated with the terminal device 130. For example, the network entity 302 may be a CU-UP for managing a bearer context associated with the terminal device 130 or a DU for managing a UE context associated with the terminal device 130. In such case, if the network entity 301 determines to setup or modify a context associated with the terminal device 130, it may transmit the information on the first and second identities to the network entity 302 in a context management message. In some example embodiments, the information on the first and second identities may be transmitted in a context setup request, such as a bearer context setup request or a UE context setup request, or in a context modification request, such as a bearer context modification request or a UE context modification request.

In some example embodiments, upon receiving the first and second identities of the first and second operator networks into a context modification request, such as the bearer context modification request or the UE context modification request, the network entity 302 may be able to check the compatibility of the operator networks. Specifically, the network entity 302 may determine whether the second operator network is compatible with the first operator network. If the second operator network is compatible with the first operator network, the network entity 302 may modify a context (i.e., the bearer or UE context) associated with the second operator network for the terminal device. The network entity 302 may transmit, to the network entity 301, a context modification response to indicate that the context has been modified. If the second operator network is incompatible with the first operator network, the network entity 302 may transmit, to the network entity 301, a context modification response to reject the context modification request.

In some example embodiments, if an identity of an operator network for determining the termination point changes, for example, changes from a third identity of a third operator network to the first identity of the first operator network, the network entity 301 may transmit the IE corresponding to the first identity to the network entity 302 in the context modification request. As such, the network entity 302 may determine that the identity of the operator network for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2 remains unchanged (for example, is still the second identity of the second operator network) . The network entity 302 can still check the compatibility of the two operator networks.

Likewise, if an identity of an operator network for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2, for example, changes from a fourth identity of a fourth operator network to the first identity of the first operator network, the network entity 301 may transmit the IE corresponding to the first identity to the network entity 302 in the context modification request. As such, the network entity 302 may determine that the identity of the operator network for determining the termination point remains unchanged (for example, is still the first identity of the first operator network) . The network entity 302 can still check the compatibility of the two operator networks.

In the example where the network entity 301 is a CU-CP 210 of the network device 120-2, it may be configured to transmit the bearer context setup request or the bearer modification request containing the first and second identities to the network entity 302 which may be a CU-UP 220 of the network device 120-2. The bearer context setup request or the bearer modification request may be transmitted from the CU-CP 210 to the CU-UP 220 via an interface connected therebetween, such as the E1 interface.

As the legacy format of the bearer context setup request can only be used to signal one identity of one operator network and no identity of the operator network is transmitted in the bearer modification request, in some example embodiments, in order to transmit the information on the first and second identities, the format of the bearer context setup request or bearer modification request may be extended to include two IEs for carrying the first and second identities. Thus, the E1 Application protocol may be updated to specify the extended format of the bearer context setup request or bearer modification request.

In an example, the bearer context setup request specified in section 9.2.2.1, 3GPP TS 38.463, which is a specification related to the E1 Application Protocol, may be updated to include the IEs for carrying the identities of the operator networks as provided in following Table 1.

Table 1 Example specifications on IEs for carrying the identities

It is to note that PLMN is an example operator network and the PLMN identity is an example identity of the operator network in Table 1, and in addition to the above listed IEs, the bearer context setup request may contain one or more other IEs for carrying other information. In this example, the IE “Serving PLMN” is to carry the second identity of the second operator network, and the IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” is to carry the first identity of the first operator network. If the presence of the IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” in the bearer context setup request is optional (represented as “O” ) which means that if the second identity of the second operator network (i.e., the identity of the serving PLMN) is the same as the first identity of the first operator network (i.e., the identity of Termination Point PLMN ID) , the IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” may not be specifically included in the request and the recipient of this request can treat the identity of the serving PLMN as the identity of the termination point PLMN. The presence of the IE “Serving PLMN” is usually necessary (marked as “M” for mandatory) in order to setup a bearer context at the CU-UP. The IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” is an additional IE to be added to the bearer context setup request. It would be appreciated that the name of this IE is merely an example and other names may also be possible.

In an example, the bearer context modification request specified in section 9.2.2.4, 3GPP TS 38.463 may also be updated to include the IEs for carrying the identities of the operator networks as provided in following Table 2.

Table 2 Example specifications on IEs for carrying the identities

It is to note that PLMN is an example operator network and the PLMN identity is an example identity of the operator network in Table 2, and in addition to the above listed IEs, the bearer context modification request may contain one or more other IEs for carrying other information. In this example, the presence of the IE “Serving PLMN” and the IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” in the bearer context modification request are both optional (represented as “O” ) . The IE “Serving PLMN” may be included if the CU-CP 210 determines to change the serving PLMN for the terminal device 130 to a new one, for example, when the terminal device undergoes handover to a cell of an equivalent operator network. The IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” may be included if the network device 120-1 acting as the MN requires the termination point to be updated, for example, in response to one or more roaming events. The IE “Serving PLMN” and the IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” are additional IE to be added to the bearer context modification request.

In the example where the network entity 301 is a CU (a combination of the CU-CP 210 and the CU-UP 220) of the network device 120-2, it may be configured to transmit the UE context setup request or the UE modification request containing the first and second identities to the network entity 302 which may be a DU 230 of the network device 120-2. The UE context setup request or the UE modification request may be transmitted from the CU via an interface connected therebetween, such as the F1 interface.

As the legacy format of the UE context setup request can only be used to signal one identity of one operator network and no identity of the operator network is transmitted in the UE context modification request, in some example embodiments, in order to transmit the information on the first and second identities, the format of the UE context setup request or UE context modification request may be extended to include two IEs for carrying the first and second identities. Thus, the F1 Application protocol may be updated to specify the extended format of the UE context setup request or UE modification request.

In an example, the UE context setup request specified in section 9.2.2.1, 3GPP TS 38.473, which is a specification related to the F1 Application Protocol, may be updated to include the IEs for carrying the identities of the operator networks as provided in following Table 3.

Table 3 Example specifications on IEs for carrying the identities

It is to note that PLMN is an example operator network and the PLMN identity is an example identity of the operator network in Table 3, and in addition to the above listed IEs, the UE context setup request may contain one or more other IEs for carrying other information. In this example, the presence of the IE “Serving PLMN” and the IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” in the UE context setup request are both optional (represented as “O” ) . The IE “Serving PLMN” may be included if the CU-CP 210 determines to change the serving PLMN for the terminal device 130 to a new one, for example, when the terminal device undergoes handover to a cell of an equivalent operator network. The IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” may be included if the network device 120-1 acting as the MN requires the termination point to be updated, for example, in response to one or more roaming events. The IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” is an additional IE to be added to the UE context setup request.

In an example, the UE context modification request specified in section 9.2.2.7, 3GPP TS 38.473 may also be updated to include the IEs for carrying the identities of the operator networks as provided in following Table 4.

Table 4 Example specifications on IEs for carrying the identities

It is to note that PLMN is an example operator network and the PLMN identity is an example identity of the operator network in Table 4, and in addition to the above listed IEs, the UE context modification request may contain one or more other IEs for carrying other information. In this example, the presence of the IE “Serving PLMN” and the IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” in the UE context modification request are also both optional (represented as “O” ) , as in the UE context setup request. The IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” may be included if the network device 120-1 acting as the MN requires the termination point to be updated, for example, in response to one or more roaming events. The IE “Serving PLMN” and the IE “Termination Point PLMN ID” are additional IE to be added to the UE context modification request.

It would be appreciated that that some example updates to the bearer/UE context management messages are described above. In other example embodiments, the bearer/UE context management messages may be updated in other ways to indicate the multiple identities of the operator networks. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

The context management messages may be transmitted from the network entity 301 (which may be the CU-CP 210 or the CU) to the network entity 302 (which may be the CU-UP 220 or the DU 230) in various possible procedures within the network device 120-2 or among the network devices 120-1, 120-2, and possible the terminal device 130 and network elements in the core network. Some example procedures include a procedure for secondary gNB (SgNB) addition in EN-DC during which a UE context setup message is transmitted, a bearer context setup procedure during which a bearer context setup request and a bearer context modification request are transmitted, and some procedures related to UE handover where the UE/bearer context modification requests are transmitted. For purpose of better understanding the transmission of these context management messages, some example procedures during which the messages are transmitted are illustrated with reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

Fig. 4 illustrates a signaling flow 400 for transmission of UE context management messages according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The signaling flow 400 may involve the network device 120-1 and the network device 120-2 (more specifically, a CU 402 which is a combination of the CU-CP 210 and the CU-UP 220, and the DU 230) . The signaling flow 400 is related to a SgNB addition procedure. It is assumed that the network device 120-1 is an eNB acting as MN in the DC of the terminal device 130 and may sometimes be called MeNB, and the network device 120-2 is a gNB. In this example, the CU can be considered as the network entity 301 in the network device 120-2 and the DU 230 can be considered as the network entity 302 in the network device 120-2.

Specifically, the network device 120-1, which is the MN for the terminal device 130, determines to add the network device 120-2 as a SN for the terminal device 130. Thus, the network device 120-1 transmits 405 a SgNB addition request to the CU 402. In some example embodiments, the SgNB addition request may carry source cell group configuration (represented as “CG-ConfigInfo” ) .

After receiving the SgNB addition request message from the network device 120-1, the CU 402 sends 410 the UE context setup request message to the DU 230 to setup a UE context. In some example embodiments, the UE context setup request message may include the first identity (e.g., PLMN ID1) of the first operator network selected by the network device 120-1 for determining a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device 130 and the second identity (e.g., PLMN ID2) of the second operator network selected by the CU 402 for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2. In some example embodiments of a Secondary Node Change, the UE context setup request message may contain the source cell group configuration to allow the DU 230 to perform delta configuration.

The DU 230 responds 415 to the CU 402 with the UE context setup response message. Upon receipt of the UE context setup request message, the CU 402 responds 420 the network device 120-1 with a SgNB addition request acknowledge message. In some example embodiments, the SgNB addition request acknowledge message may carry the source cell group configuration.

It would be appreciated that the SgNB addition procedure may include further signaling between the network device 120-1, the network entities within the network device 120-1 and probably the terminal device 130 and one or more network elements in the core network. Such signaling is not illustrated here for purpose of brevity.

Fig. 5 illustrates a signaling flow 500 for transmission of bearer context management messages according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The signaling flow 500 may involve the network entities within the network device 120-2, including, the CU-CP 210, the CU-UP 220, and the DU 230. The signaling flow 500 is related to a procedure to setup the bearer context in the CU-UP 220. In this example, it is assumed that the network device 120-2 is a gNB. The CU-CP 210 can be considered as the network entity 301 in the network device 120-2 and the CU-UP 220 can be considered as the network entity 302 in the network device 120-2.

Specifically, bearer context setup (for example, following a SgNB addition request message from the network device 120-1) is triggered 505 in the CU-CP 210 210. The CU-CP 210 sends 510 a bearer context setup request message to the CU-UP 220 to setup the bearer context in the CU-UP 220. In some example embodiments, the bearer context setup request message may include the first identity (e.g., PLMN ID1) of the first operator network selected by the network device 120-1 for determining a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device 130 and the second identity (e.g., PLMN ID1) of the second operator network selected by the CU-CP 210 for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2.

The CU-UP 220 responds 515 the CU-CP 210 with a bearer context setup response message. A F1 UE context setup procedure is performed 520 between the CU-CP 210 and the DU 230 to setup one or more bearers in the DU 230.

The CU-CP 210 sends 525 to the CU-UP 220 a bearer context modification request message. In some example embodiments, the bearer context modification request message may include the first identity (e.g., PLMN ID1) of the first operator network selected by the network device 120-1 for determining a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device 130 and the second identity (e.g., PLMN ID1) of the second operator network selected by the CU-CP 210 for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2. The CU-UP 220 responds 530 the CU-CP 210 with a bearer context modification response message.

In some example embodiments, uplink user data from the terminal device 130 may be transmitted 535 from the DU 230 to the CU-UP 220 and the downlink user data for the terminal device 130 may be transmitted 540 from the CU-UP 220 to the DU 230.

It would be appreciated that the above procedures illustrated are provided for purpose of illustration only, without suggesting any limitation to the scope of the present invention. The first and second identities of the first and second operator networks may be informed from a network entity to another network entity within the network device 120-2 in various other procedures.

Example methods implemented at respective apparatuses

Fig. 6 shows a flowchart of an example method 600 implemented at a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 600 will be described from the perspective of the network entity 301 (i.e., the first apparatus) comprised in the network device 120-2, with reference to Figs. 1 to 3.

At block 610, the network entity 301 obtains a first identity of a first operator network from the network device 120-1 for determining a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device 130. The network device 120-2 and the network device 120-1 are configured to provide DC to the terminal device 130. The network device 120-1 may be the one responsible for selecting the termination point, and may be the MN in the DC. The network device 120-2 may be the one assisting in the traffic communication of the terminal device 130, and may be the SN in the DC.

At block 620, the network entity 301 determines a second operator network for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2. In example embodiments of the present disclosure, as mentioned above, the network entity 301 in the network device 120-2 is allowed to freely select the operator network for serving the terminal device 130. In some example embodiments, the second operator network may be the same operator network as the first operator network. In some example embodiments, the second operator network may be, for example, selected from a list of equivalent operator networks for the first operator network. In some example embodiments, the network entity 301 may determine whether a cell assigned to the first operator network is available for the terminal device 130. In the case that the cell is unavailable, the network entity 301 may select the second operator network that is equivalent to the first operator network, e.g., when a suitable cell assigned to second operator is available.

At block 630, the network entity 301 transmits, to the network entity 302 in the network device 120-2, information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network. As such, the network entity 302 can distinguish the two operator networks and thus can correctly identify a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device 130 and the operator network for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2. Accordingly, the traffic associated with the terminal device 130 may be correctly directed to the termination point, and the network entity 302 can also perform correct traffic statistic and charging for the terminal device 130 for the serving by the second operator network.

In some example embodiments, the information on the first and second identities may be transmitted in separate IEs, especially if the second identity is different from the first identity. In some example embodiments, the information on the first and second identities may be transmitted in a context setup request or a context modification request. For example, if the network entity 301 is a CU-CP 210 of the network device 120-2 and the network entity 302 is a CU-UP 220 of the network device 120-2, the network entity 301 may transmit, to the network entity 302, a bearer context setup request or a bearer context modification request containing the information on the first and second identities, depending on the actual events triggering the transmission of the corresponding request.

As another example, if the network entity 301 is a CU of the network device 120-2 and the network entity 302 is a DU 230 of the network device 120-2, the network entity 301 may transmit, to the network entity 302, a UE context setup request or a UE context modification request containing the information on the first and second identities, depending on the actual events triggering the transmission of the corresponding request.

Fig. 7 shows a flowchart of an example method 700 implemented at a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 700 will be described from the perspective of the network entity 302 (i.e., the second apparatus) comprised in the network device 120-2, with reference to Figs. 1 to 3.

At block 710, the network entity 302 receives, from the network entity 301 comprised in the network device 120-2, information on a first identity of a first operator network and a second identity of a second operator network. The network device 120-2 and another network device, for example, the network device 120-1, are configured to provide DC to the terminal device 130. In some example embodiments, the first identity and the second identity may be included in separate IEs from the network entity 301, especially if the second identity is different from the first identity. In some example embodiments, the information on the first and second identities may be transmitted in a context setup request or a context modification request, as mentioned above.

The network entity 302 identifies, at block 720, a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device 130 based on the first identity, and identifies, at block 730, the second operator network for serving the terminal device 130 through the network device 120-2 based on the second identity.

In some example embodiments, if the information on the first and second identities is comprised in a context modification request and the second identity is different from the first identity, the network entity 302 may check the compatibility of the operator networks identified by the two identities so as to decide whether to accept or reject the context modification request. Specifically, the network entity 302 may determine whether the second operator network is compatible with the first operator network. If the second operator network is compatible with the first operator network, the network entity 302 may modify a context associated with the second operator network for the terminal device 130. If the second operator network is incompatible with the first operator network, the network entity 302 may transmit, to the network entity 301, a context modification response to reject the context modification request.

Example apparatuses

In some example embodiments, a first apparatus capable of performing any of the method 600 (for example, the network entity 301) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 600. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The first apparatus may be implemented as or included in the network entity 301.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises means for: obtaining a first identity of a first operator network from a first network device (e.g., network device 120-1) for determining a termination point of traffic associated with a terminal device, the first apparatus being comprised in a second network device (e.g., network device 120-2) , and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to the terminal device together with the first network device; determining a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device; and transmitting, to a second apparatus (e.g., an apparatus implemented as or included in the network entity 302) comprised in the second network device, information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network.

In some example embodiments, the means for transmitting the information comprises means for: determining whether the second identity is different from the first identity; and in accordance with a determination that the second identity is different from the first identity, transmitting the first identity and the second identity in separate information elements to the second apparatus.

In some example embodiments, the means for transmitting the information comprises: means for transmitting the information on the first and second identities in a context setup request to the second apparatus; or means for transmitting the information on the first and second identities in a context modification request to the second apparatus.

In some example embodiments, the means for determining the second operator network comprises means for: determining whether a cell assigned to the first operator network is available for the terminal device; and in accordance with a determination that the cell is unavailable, selecting the second operator network that is equivalent to the first operator network.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a central unit of the second network device, and the second apparatus comprises a distributed unit of the second network device. In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a central unit-control plane entity of the second network device, and the second apparatus comprises a central unit-user plane entity of the second network device.

In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 600. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the first apparatus.

In some example embodiments, a second apparatus capable of performing any of the method 700 (for example, the network entity 302) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 700. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The second apparatus may be implemented as or included in the network entity 302.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a first apparatus (e.g., an apparatus implemented as or included in the network entity 301) , information on a first identity of a first operator network and a second identity of a second operator network, the first and second apparatuses being comprised in a second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to a terminal device together with a first network device; identifying a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device based on the first identity; and identifying the second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device based on the second identity.

In some example embodiments, the means for receiving the information comprises means for receiving the first identity and the second identity in separate information elements from the first apparatus, the first identity being different from the second identity.

In some example embodiments, the means for receiving the information comprises: means for receiving, from the first apparatus, the information on the first and second identities in a context setup request; or means for receiving, from the first apparatus, the information on the first and second identities in a context modification request.

In some example embodiments where the information on the first and second identities is comprised in a context modification request, the second apparatus further comprises means for: in accordance with a determination that the second identity is different from the first identity, determining whether the second operator network is compatible with the first operator network; in accordance with a determination that the second operator network is compatible with the first operator network, modifying a context associated with the second operator network for the terminal device; and in accordance with a determination that the second operator network is incompatible with the first operator network, transmitting, to the first apparatus, a context modification response to reject the context modification request.

In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 700. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the performance of the second apparatus.

Example device and computer readable medium

Fig. 8 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be provided to implement a communication device, for example, the network device 120 or the terminal device 130 as shown in Fig. 1, or the network entity 301 or the network entity 302 as shown in Fig. 2. As shown, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 coupled to the processor 810.

The communication module 840 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 840 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interfaces may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 840 may include at least one antenna.

The processor 810 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 800 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

The memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 824, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD) , a digital video disk (DVD) , an optical disk, a laser disk, and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

A computer program 830 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 810. The program 830 may be stored in the memory, e.g., ROM 824. The processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 830 into the RAM 822.

The example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 830 so that the device 800 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to Figs. 3 to 7. The example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some example embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 800 (such as in the memory 820) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 822 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like. Fig. 9 shows an example of the computer readable medium 900 in form of CD or DVD. The computer readable medium has the program 830 stored thereon.

Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out any of the methods as described above with reference to Figs. 3 to 7. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

A first apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to:

obtain a first identity of a first operator network from a first network device for determining a termination point of traffic associated with a terminal device, the first apparatus being comprised in a second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to the terminal device together with the first network device;

determine a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device; and

transmit, to a second apparatus comprised in the second network device, information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to transmit the information by:

determining whether the second identity is different from the first identity; and

in accordance with a determination that the second identity is different from the first identity, transmitting the first identity and the second identity in separate information elements to the second apparatus.
The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to transmit the information by:

transmitting the information on the first and second identities in a context setup request to the second apparatus; or

transmitting the information on the first and second identities in a context modification request to the second apparatus.
The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to determine the second operator network by:

determining whether a cell assigned to the first operator network is available for the terminal device; and

in accordance with a determination that the cell is unavailable, selecting the second operator network that is equivalent to the first operator network.
A second apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to:

receive, from a first apparatus comprised in a second network device, information on a first identity of a first operator network and a second identity of a second operator network, the second apparatus being comprised in the second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to a terminal device together with a first network device;

identify a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device based on the first identity; and

identify the second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device based on the second identity.
The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to receive the information by:

receiving the first identity and the second identity in separate information elements from the first apparatus, the first identity being different from the second identity.
The apparatus of claim 5 or 6, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to receive the information by:

receiving, from the first apparatus, the information on the first and second identities in a context setup request; or

receiving, from the first apparatus, the information on the first and second identities in a context modification request.
The apparatus of any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the information on the first and second identities is comprised in a context modification request, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, further cause the second apparatus to:

in accordance with a determination that the second identity is different from the first identity, determine whether the second operator network is compatible with the first operator network;

in accordance with a determination that the second operator network is compatible with the first operator network, modify a context associated with the second operator network for the terminal device; and

in accordance with a determination that the second operator network is incompatible with the first operator network, transmit, to the first apparatus, a context modification response to reject the context modification request.
The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first apparatus comprises a central unit of the second network device, and the second apparatus comprises a distributed unit of the second network device.
The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first apparatus comprises a central unit-control plane entity of the second network device, and the second apparatus comprises a central unit-user plane entity of the second network device.
A network device, comprising:

a first network entity configured to:

obtain a first identity of a first operator network from a further network device for determining a termination point of traffic associated with a terminal device, wherein the network device is configured to provide dual connectivity to the terminal device together with the further network device,

determine a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device, and

provide information on the first identity of the first operator network and a

second identity of the second operator network; and

a second network entity communicatively coupled to the first network entity and configured to obtain the information on the first identity and the second identity from the first network entity.
A method comprising:

obtaining, at a first apparatus comprised in a second network device, a first identity of a first operator network from a first network device for determining a termination point of traffic associated with a terminal device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to the terminal device together with the first network device;

determining a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device; and

transmitting, to a second apparatus comprised in the second network device, information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network.
The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting the information comprises:

determining whether the second identity is different from the first identity; and

in accordance with a determination that the second identity is different from the first identity, transmitting the first identity and the second identity in separate information elements to the second apparatus.
The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein transmitting the information comprises:

transmitting the information on the first and second identities in a context setup request to the second apparatus; or

transmitting the information on the first and second identities in a context modification request to the second apparatus.
The method of any of claims 12 to 14, wherein determining the second operator network comprises:

determining whether a cell assigned to the first operator network is available for the terminal device; and

in accordance with a determination that the cell is unavailable, selecting the second operator network that is equivalent to the first operator network.
A method comprising:

receiving, at a second apparatus and from a first apparatus, information on a first identity of a first operator network and a second identity of a second operator network, the first and second apparatuses being comprised in a second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to a terminal device together with a first network device;

identifying a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device based on the first identity; and

identifying the second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device based on the second identity.
The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the information comprises:

receiving the first identity and the second identity in separate information elements from the first apparatus, the first identity being different from the second identity.
The method of claim 16 or 17, wherein receiving the information comprises:

receiving, from the first apparatus, the information on the first and second identities in a context setup request; or

receiving, from the first apparatus, the information on the first and second identities in a context modification request.
The method of any of claims 16 to 18, wherein the information on the first and second identities is comprised in a context modification request, the method further comprising:

in accordance with a determination that the second identity is different from the first identity, determining whether the second operator network is compatible with the first operator network;

in accordance with a determination that the second operator network is compatible with the first operator network, modifying a context associated with the second operator network for the terminal device; and

in accordance with a determination that the second operator network is incompatible with the first operator network, transmitting, to the first apparatus, a context modification response to reject the context modification request.
A first apparatus comprising means for:

obtaining a first identity of a first operator network from a first network device for determining a termination point of traffic associated with a terminal device, the first apparatus being comprised in a second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to the terminal device together with the first network device;

determining a second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device; and

transmitting, to a second apparatus comprised in the second network device, information on the first identity of the first operator network and a second identity of the second operator network.
A second apparatus comprising means for:

receiving, from a first apparatus, information on a first identity of a first operator network and a second identity of a second operator network, the first and second apparatuses being comprised in a second network device, and the second network device being configured to provide dual connectivity to a terminal device together with a first network device; and

identifying a termination point of traffic associated with the terminal device based on the first identity; and

identifying the second operator network for serving the terminal device through the second network device based on the second identity.
A device comprising:

a first apparatus according to claim 20; and

a second apparatus according to claim 21.
A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any of claims 12 to 15, or the method of any of claims 16 to 19.