WO2023061980A1

WO2023061980A1 - 5gc service based architecture optimization of selection of next hop in roaming being a security edge protection proxy (sepp)

Info

Publication number: WO2023061980A1
Application number: PCT/EP2022/078190
Authority: WO
Inventors: Maria Cruz Bartolome Rodrigo
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2021-10-11
Filing date: 2022-10-11
Publication date: 2023-04-20

Abstract

Disclosed are methods by a consumer network function, NFc, and a service communication proxy, SCP, comprising determining (205) whether a request for a service operation to be provided by a network function producer, NFp, needs to be routed via a consumer security edge protection proxy, cSEPP. In this case, a cSEPP is identified (206) from among a plurality of cSEPPs based on locality, and the request for the service operation is sent (207) with relay routing through the identified cSEPP.

Description

5GC SERVICE BASED ARCHITECTURE OPTIMIZATION OF SELECTION OF

NEXT HOP IN ROAMING BEING A SECURITY EDGE PROTECTION PROXY (SEPP)

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the 5GC service based architecture and communications for selecting a network function consumer to perform a defined service operation.

BACKGROUND

[0002] In 5GC, an NFc (Network Function consumer) selects an NFp (Network Function producer) to execute a service operation. The NFp selected should be able to provide the requested service operation and to ensure that there is certain functional criteria the NFc takes into account for selection, e.g. the NFp shall be able to serve a certain slice, or for a certain DNN or subscriber identity. But apart from that, normally there are multiple NFps that will be able to provide equivalent functionality, and then so-called non-functional criteria for selection should be taken into account, which may include NFp values for one or more of proximity, capacity, priority, etc. that are part of the NFp profile.

[0003] The NFc may be in a vPLMN (visited Public Land Mobile Network), sometimes generically named as cPLMN (consumer PLMN), and require a service in a hPLMN (home PLMN) or pPLMN (producer PLMN), such as for a roaming user accessing via a vAMF (visited Access & Mobility Management Function) to its hUDM (home Unified Data Management). In this case, the NFc can access to the NFps in the pPLMN and then perform the selection based on the NFp profile information.

[0004] The Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP) is usually deployed as an Edge element between cPLMN and pPLMN, or in case of multicountry (multitenant) deployments between multiple cPLMNs and different multiple pPLMNs. The NFc does not select the cSEPP (consumer SEPP) to route a request, but instead the selection is based on the “fully qualified domain name (fqdn)” in the NFp profile. If the NFp is placed in a different PLMN than the NFc, the NRF needs to identify that relationship in a Discovery request and then provide the value that is to be included in the “InterPlmnFqdn” attribute in the NFp profile for a Discovery response. [0005] Table 6.2.6.2.3-1 below illustrates the definition of type NFProfile pursuant to Section

6.2.6.2.3 of 3GPP TS 29.510 vl7.1.0.

[0006] The NFc includes the “fqdn” value as the destination fqdn for this NFp, without being aware of anything else. Routing would be performed on the underlying layer, e.g. by resolution by DNS of this fqdn value.

[0007] Accordingly, an NFc does not have control on the possible selection of a specific instance of the cSEPP, which makes it impossible to provide for any optimization, e.g. regarding the routing of the request.

SUMMARY

The invention provides methods by a consumer network function and a service communication proxy, corresponding computer programs and devices according to the independent claims. Further embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of inventive concepts. In the drawings:

[0009] Figure 1 illustrates a data flow diagram of operations for routing to cSEPP based on fqdn in NF profile in accordance with some embodiments of inventive concepts; [0010] Figure 2 illustrates a data flow diagram of operations for routing to the cSEPP based on locality in accordance with some embodiments of inventive concepts;

[0011] Figure 3 illustrates a data flow diagram of operations for informing NFc whether the NFp(s) is/are “InterPlmn”, in accordance with one of the two alternative embodiments;

[0012] Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart of operations that can be performed by a SCP in accordance with some embodiments of inventive concepts;

[0013] Figure QQ1 is a block diagram of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments of inventive concepts;

[0014] Figure QQ2 is a block diagram of a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments of inventive concepts

[0015] Figure QQ3 is a block diagram of a network node in accordance with some embodiments of inventive concepts;

[0016] Figure QQ4 is a block diagram of a host computer communicating with a user equipment in accordance with some embodiments of inventive concepts;

[0017] Figure QQ5 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in accordance with some embodiments of inventive concepts; and

[0018] Figure QQ6 is a block diagram of a host computer communicating via a base station with a user equipment over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments of inventive concepts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art, in which examples of embodiments of inventive concepts are shown. Inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present/used in another embodiment.

[0020] Potential problems with prior existing solutions can include that the NFc (or SCPs) do not have control over a possible selection of different instances of the cSEPP and, instead the selection is performed by an underlying layer, e.g. DNS resolution. [0021] Therefore, it is not possible to select a cSEPP instance that could minimize the signalling path distances for the routing in the cPLMN of a request by a NFc for a defined service operation.

[0022] Figure 1 illustrates a data flow diagram of operations for routing a request to cSEPP based on fqdn in NF profile.

[0023] In Step 100, registration is performed in the local (home) NRF (hNRF) with communications between the hNRF and NFp (including NFpl and NFp2).

[0024] In Step 101, the NFc needs to get (e.g., identify) all NFps which are suitable to perform a service operation.

[0025] In Step 102, to get (e.g., identify) a list of all NFps, NFc performs a Discovery request towards NRF. If the required NFp type is on the pPLMN, then the cNRF needs to get the corresponding NFp profiles from the local NRF in the pPLMN. This interaction is done via the cSEPP (consumer Security Edge Protection Proxy) and pSEPP (producer SEPP). The illustrated Step 102 includes the indicated communications referenced as 102, 102a, 102b, and 102c.

[0026] In Step 103, a response from the cNRF provides the obtained NFp profiles to the NFc. The illustrated Step 103 includes the indicated communications referenced as 103, 103a, 103b, and 103 c.

[0027] In Step 104, NFc selects (or reselects) an NFp using functional and non-functional criteria that depend on the obtained NFp profiles. It is assumed that both NFpl and NFp2 are functionally equivalent and, therefore, are valid candidates. NFc performs non-functional selection taking into account Locality, Priority, and Capacity (considering Load), which may be performed in this order of precedence (Locality then Priority and then Capacity) for the selection criteria. When Locality has a meaning for a single PLMN it will not be taken into account for selection, and it is assumed that NFpl is selected.

[0028] In Step 105, service operation is sent to the selected NFpl via the cSEPP and pSEPP. Then, in this example, if pSEPP is located in geoArea2 and pSEPP is located in geoAreal, the selection results in a relatively large distance between pSEPP and NFpl. The illustrated Step 105 includes the indicated communications referenced as 105a, 105b, and 105c.

[0029] In Step 106, the service response will occur over a relatively long signalling path distance. The illustrated Step 106 includes the indicated communications referenced as 106a, 106b, and 106c.

[0030] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to operations that when the NFp is in a different PLMN than the NFc, then the NFc identifies that and selects the most suitable cSEPP based on its locality, in order to minimize signalling paths distances in the cPLMN.

[0031] Various further embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to operations that in a case of roaming, the signalling paths to route the request in the cPLMN to the cSEPP may be minimized in distance. A wrong selection of a cSEPP instance may incur in long distances since the cSEPP may be in a different geo area than the NFc.

[0032] Various embodiments are now described in the context of Figure 2 which illustrates a data flow diagram of operations for routing a service operation request to cSEPP based on locality, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0033] Figure 2 illustrates a data flow diagram of operations for routing to the cSEPP based on locality in accordance with some embodiments of inventive concepts.

[0034] Steps 200 to 204 of Figure 2 may be performed in accordance with the description of the corresponding Steps 100 to 104 in Figure 1. In Step 205, in accordance with some present embodiments, the NFc determines whether the selected NFp is in another PLMN, then the request will need to be routed via cSEPP. Step 205 can include that the NFc determines a routing path for the request toward a next hop in the cPLMN, and determines whether the next hop in the routing path is a cSEPP local to the NFc (e.g., within a same geoArea).

[0035] Two alternative embodiments are now explained through which the NFc determines whether the NFp is in another PLMN, also named “InterPlmn”.

[0036] Figure 3 illustrates a data flow diagram of operations for informing NFc whether the NFp(s) is/are “InterPlmn”, in accordance with one of the two alternative embodiments.

[0037] Steps 300 to 304 of Figure 3 may be performed in accordance with the description of the corresponding Steps 100 to 104 in Figure 1.

[0038] In Step 303 of Figure 3, in accordance with some embodiments a flag is included in the Discovery response to indicate whether the fully qualified domain name, “fqdn,” value returned, responsive to the Discovery request, includes an “InterPlmn” value. Using this flag, the NFc determines whether the selected NFp is “InterPlmn”, in accordance with some embodiments. Corresponding operations by the NFc can include receiving 303 a NF discovery response provided by a NRF wherein the NF discovery response contains profiles of the NFps. The identifying 205 whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP, comprises identifying whether the NF discovery response containing a profile for the NFp includes a flag indicating whether a fully qualified domain name associated with the NFp includes an InterPlmn value. [0039] In accordance with the second of the two alternative embodiments, the the NFc is locally configured with information identifying the “local PLMNIds”, where the locally configured information may be similar to that of the NRF. The NFc uses the locally configured information to determine whether the “fqdn” value is in another (different) PLMN. Corresponding operations by the NFc can include receiving information identifying local PLMN identifiers. The identifying 205 determines the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP based on determining a fully qualified domain name associated with the NFp does not correspond to one of the local PLMN identifiers.

[0040] Referring again to Figure 2, in Step 206, multiple cSEPPs may be available. A network where at least two instances of cSEPP are deployed for geo redundancy reason is expected to be quite common, then this would mean that each instance of cSEPP is deployed in a different geo area. Consequently, selection of the “closest” cSEPP instance to the NFc is important because the distances between geo areas may be high, which would result in penalties in the signalling path distances.

[0041] In accordance with at least some present embodiments, the NFc operates to select the cSEPP based on its locality, e.g., choosing a cSEPP which is local or geographically close to the NFc, or based on the length of a signalling path between the NFc and the cSEPP (measured e.g. in number of hops, round trip time or the like). This could be done by getting the cSEPP profiles using an NRF Discovery, or the cSEPP profiles may be potentially configured locally in the NFc. [0042] In Step 207 a service operation request is sent to the NFp with relay through the selected ("closest") cSEPP. The pSEPP receives the request via the identified (selected) cSEPP. [0043] The service operation request reaches the NFp selected by the NFc. The NFp sends a service operation response indicating success, through the pSEPP and the identified (selected) cSEPP for relay in Step 208 to the NFc.

[0044] In case of indirect communication (via SCP) in the cPLMN, then the SCP operates with responsibility to perform Steps 206 and 207, and possibly 205 in a manner similar to what has been described.

[0045] More generally, the operations performed by the NFc can include getting 201 a list of NFps which are suitable to perform a defined service operation. The NFc selects or reselects 204 an NFp from among the list of NFps using criteria that depend on NFp profiles of the NFps. The NFc determines 205 whether a request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP. When the NFc determines 205 that the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP, the NFc further identifies 206 a cSEPP from among a plurality of cSEPPs based on locality. The NFc then sends 207 the request for the defined service operation with relay routing through the identified (selected) cSEPP.

[0046] Corresponding operations that can be performed by the SCP are now described with reference to the flowchart of Figure 4. Referring to Figure 4, the operations can include receiving 400 the request by the NFc for a defined service operation provided by a NFp. The operations identify 406 based on information in the request a cSEPP from among a plurality of cSEPPs, through which the request can be routed, based on locality. The operations send 407 the request for the defined service operation with relay routing through the identified (selected) cSEPP.

[0047] In a further alternative or additional embodiment, the identifying 406 the cSEPP based on its locality includes selecting the cSEPP based on a location of the cSEPP being closest to a location of the SCP, or based on the length of a signalling path between the SCP and the cSEPP (measured e.g. in number of hops, round trip time or the like).

[0048] In a further alternative or additional embodiment, the the identifying 406 the cSEPP based on its locality includes selecting the cSEPP based on a location of the cSEPP being closest to a location of the NFc, or based on the length of a signalling path between the NFc and the cSEPP (measured e.g. in number of hops, round trip time or the like).

[0049] In a further alternative or additional embodiment, the operations optionally further include identifying 405 whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP. The identifying 406 of the cSEPP based on its locality is then performed based on the identifying 405 determining that the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP.

[0050] In a further alternative or additional embodiment, the identifying 405 whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP further includes determining a routing path for the request toward a next hop in a cPLMN, and determining whether the next hop in the routing path is a cSEPP local to the SCP and/or local to the NFc.

[0051] In a further alternative or additional embodiment, the identifying 405 whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP, includes determining a plurality of candidate routing paths for the request which include next hops being cSEPPs. The identifying (406) the cSEPP based on its locality, includes identifying one of the cSEPPs that is closest to the SCP and/or closest to the NFc.

[0052] In a further alternative or additional embodiment, the operations further include receiving 303 a NF discovery response provided by a network repository function, NRF, wherein the NF discovery response contains profiles of the NFps. The identifying 405 whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP, includes identifying whether the NF discovery response containing a profile for the NFp includes a flag indicating whether a fully qualified domain name associated with the NFp includes an InterPlmn value.

[0053] In a further alternative or additional embodiment, the operations further include receiving information identifying local PLMN identifiers. Step 405 then determines that the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP based on determining a fully qualified domain name associated with the NFp does not correspond to one of the local PLMN identifiers.

[0054] Although various embodiments have been described in the context of identifying (selection) of cSEPP, these embodiments may also be used to perform reselection of cSEPP. Accordingly, the steps and related operations disclosed herein for Figures 1 to 4 may be used to perform reselection. Therefore, the terms "identify", "selection" and "reselection" are used interchangeably herein.

[0055] Figure QQ1 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0056] In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The one or more core network nodes QQ108 can correspond to the nodes illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, such as the NFc, the cNRF, the cSEPP, the pSEPP, the NRF, the NFp, the SCP, etc. Processing circuitry of each of the one or more core network nodes QQ108 can be adapted to perform the corresponding operations illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0057] The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQl lOa and QQl lOb (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0058] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system QQ100 may include and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and/or other similar type of system.

[0059] The UEs QQ112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ110 are arranged, capable, configured, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 to enable and/or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and/or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network QQ102.

[0060] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 to one or more hosts, such as host QQ116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and/or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node QQ108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and/or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0061] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and/or the telecommunication network QQ102, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host QQ116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio/video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0062] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of Figure QQ1 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and/or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0063] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3 GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and/or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)/Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0064] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 are configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0065] In the example, the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and/or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQl lOb). In some examples, the hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub QQ114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and/or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices. [0066] The hub QQ114 may have a constant/persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQl lOb. The hub QQ114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and/or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ 114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network QQ104 and/or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to/from the UEs from/to the network node QQ110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and/or end point for certain data channels.

[0067] Figure QQ2 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded/integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and/or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0068] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and/or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0069] The UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ204 to an input/output interface QQ206, a power source QQ208, a memory QQ210, a communication interface QQ212, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure QQ2. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0070] The processing circuitry QQ202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory QQ210. The processing circuitry QQ202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0071] In the example, the input/output interface QQ206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and/or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE QQ200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0072] In some embodiments, the power source QQ208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source QQ208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source QQ208 itself, and/or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE QQ200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source QQ208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source QQ208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE QQ200 to which power is supplied.

[0073] The memory QQ210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 may store, for use by the UE QQ200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0074] The memory QQ210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and/or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory QQ210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0075] The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and/or a receiver QQ220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0076] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface QQ212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and/or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth. [0077] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface QQ212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient). [0078] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0079] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door/window sensor, a flood/moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and/or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE QQ200 shown in Figure QQ2.

[0080] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and/or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and/or measurements to another UE and/or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3 GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and/or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0081] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and/or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0082] Figure QQ3 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and/or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NRNodeBs (gNBs)).

[0083] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and/or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0084] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell/multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and/or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0085] The network node QQ300 includes a processing circuitry QQ302, a memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power source QQ308. The network node QQ300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node QQ300 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node QQ300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node QQ300.

[0086] The processing circuitry QQ302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node QQ300 components, such as the memory QQ304, to provide network node QQ300 functionality.

[0087] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and the baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units. [0088] The memory QQ304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and/or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry QQ302. The memory QQ304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and/or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry QQ302 and/or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and memory QQ304 is integrated.

[0089] The communication interface QQ306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and/or data between a network node, access network, and/or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface QQ306 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) QQ316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 comprises filters QQ320 and amplifiers QQ322. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to an antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio frontend circuitry QQ318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters QQ320 and/or amplifiers QQ322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna QQ3 10. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna QQ310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.

[0090] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node QQ300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ318, instead, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes radio front- end circuitry and is connected to the antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of the communication interface QQ306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, the radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface QQ306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0091] The antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. The antenna QQ310 may be coupled to the radio frontend circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna QQ310 is separate from the network node QQ300 and connectable to the network node QQ300 through an interface or port. [0092] The antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and/or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna QQ310, the communication interface QQ306, and/or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and/or any other network equipment.

[0093] The power source QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source QQ308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node QQ300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source QQ308. As a further example, the power source QQ308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0094] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure QQ3 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and/or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node QQ300 and to allow output of information from the network node QQ300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node QQ300. [0095] Figure QQ4 is a block diagram of a host QQ400, which may be an embodiment of the host QQ116 of Figure QQ1, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host QQ400 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and/or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host QQ400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0096] The host QQ400 includes processing circuitry QQ402 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ404 to an input/output interface QQ406, a network interface QQ408, a power source QQ410, and a memory QQ412. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures QQ2 and QQ3, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host QQ400.

[0097] The memory QQ412 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs QQ414 and data QQ416, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host QQ400 or data generated by the host QQ400 for a UE. Embodiments of the host QQ400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs QQ414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs QQ414 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host QQ400 may select and/or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs QQ414 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc. [0098] Figure QQ5 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ500 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized.

[0099] Applications QQ502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0100] Hardware QQ504 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and/or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and/or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input/output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs QQ508a and QQ508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs QQ508), and/or perform any of the functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs QQ508.

[0101] The VMs QQ508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance QQ502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs QQ508, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment. [0102] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ508 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs QQ508, and that part of hardware QQ504 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and/or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs QQ508 on top of the hardware QQ504 and corresponds to the application QQ502.

[0103] Hardware QQ504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware QQ504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ504 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration QQ510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications QQ502. In some embodiments, hardware QQ504 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system QQ512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0104] Figure QQ6 shows a communication diagram of a host QQ602 communicating via a network node QQ604 with a UE QQ606 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE QQ112a of Figure QQ1 and/or UE QQ200 of Figure QQ2), network node (such as network node QQ110a of Figure QQ1 and/or network node QQ300 of Figure QQ3), and host (such as host QQ116 of Figure QQ1 and/or host QQ400 of Figure QQ4) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure QQ6.

[0105] Like host QQ400, embodiments of host QQ602 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host QQ602 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host QQ602 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE QQ606 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection QQ650 extending between the UE QQ606 and host QQ602. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection QQ650. [0106] The network node QQ604 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host QQ602 and UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network QQ106 of Figure QQ1) and/or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0107] The UE QQ606 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE QQ606 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE QQ606 with the support of the host QQ602. In the host QQ602, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection QQ650 terminating at the UE QQ606 and host QQ602. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection QQ650 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection QQ650.

[0108] The OTT connection QQ650 may extend via a connection QQ660 between the host QQ602 and the network node QQ604 and via a wireless connection QQ670 between the network node QQ604 and the UE QQ606 to provide the connection between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 and wireless connection QQ670, over which the OTT connection QQ650 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606 via the network node QQ604, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0109] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection QQ650, in step QQ608, the host QQ602 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE QQ606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE QQ606 that shares data with the host QQ602 without explicit human interaction. In step QQ610, the host QQ602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE QQ606. The host QQ602 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE QQ606. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE QQ606 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE QQ606. The transmission may pass via the network node QQ604, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step QQ612, the network node QQ604 transmits to the UE QQ606 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host QQ602 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step QQ614, the UE QQ606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE QQ606 associated with the host application executed by the host QQ602.

[0110] In some examples, the UE QQ606 executes a client application which provides user data to the host QQ602. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host QQ602. Accordingly, in step QQ616, the UE QQ606 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input/output interface of the UE QQ606. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE QQ606 initiates, in step QQ618, transmission of the user data towards the host QQ602 via the network node QQ604. In step QQ620, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node QQ604 receives user data from the UE QQ606 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host QQ602. In step QQ622, the host QQ602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE QQ606.

[OHl] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host QQ602. As another example, the host QQ602 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host QQ602 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host QQ602 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host QQ602 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host QQ602 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and/or transmitting data.

[0112] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection QQ650 between the host QQ602 and UE QQ606, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host QQ602 and/or UE QQ606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection QQ650 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection QQ650 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node QQ604. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host QQ602. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection QQ650 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0113] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and/or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and/or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware. [0114] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and/or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0115] Further definitions and embodiments are discussed below.

[0116] In the above-description of various embodiments of present inventive concepts, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of present inventive concepts. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which present inventive concepts belong. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0117] When an element is referred to as being "connected", "coupled", "responsive", or variants thereof to another element, it can be directly connected, coupled, or responsive to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected", "directly coupled", "directly responsive", or variants thereof to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, "coupled", "connected", "responsive", or variants thereof as used herein may include wirelessly coupled, connected, or responsive. 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. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity. The term "and/or" (abbreviated “/”) includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. [0118] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements/operations, these elements/operations should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element/operation from another element/operation. Thus a first element/operation in some embodiments could be termed a second element/operation in other embodiments without departing from the teachings of present inventive concepts. The same reference numerals or the same reference designators denote the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

[0119] As used herein, the terms "comprise", "comprising", "comprises", "include", "including", "includes", "have", "has", "having", or variants thereof are open-ended, and include one or more stated features, integers, elements, steps, components or functions but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, elements, steps, components, functions or groups thereof. Furthermore, as used herein, the common abbreviation "e.g.", which derives from the Latin phrase "exempli gratia," may be used to introduce or specify a general example or examples of a previously mentioned item, and is not intended to be limiting of such item. The common abbreviation "i.e.", which derives from the Latin phrase "id est," may be used to specify a particular item from a more general recitation.

[0120] Example embodiments are described herein with reference to block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations of computer-implemented methods, apparatus (systems and/or devices) and/or computer program products. It is understood that a block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer program instructions that are performed by one or more computer circuits. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor circuit of a general purpose computer circuit, special purpose computer circuit, and/or other programmable data processing circuit to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus, transform and control transistors, values stored in memory locations, and other hardware components within such circuitry to implement the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block or blocks, and thereby create means (functionality) and/or structure for implementing the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block(s).

[0121] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a tangible computer- readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the functions/acts specified in the block diagrams and/or flowchart block or blocks. Accordingly, embodiments of present inventive concepts may be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) that runs on a processor such as a digital signal processor, which may collectively be referred to as "circuitry," "a module" or variants thereof.

[0122] It should also be noted that in some alternate implementations, the functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the flowcharts. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved. Moreover, the functionality of a given block of the flowcharts and/or block diagrams may be separated into multiple blocks and/or the functionality of two or more blocks of the flowcharts and/or block diagrams may be at least partially integrated. Finally, other blocks may be added/inserted between the blocks that are illustrated, and/or blocks/operations may be omitted without departing from the scope of inventive concepts. Moreover, although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths to show a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood that communication may occur in the opposite direction to the depicted arrows.

[0123] Many variations and modifications can be made to the embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the present inventive concepts. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of present inventive concepts. Accordingly, the above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the examples of embodiments are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall within the spirit and scope of present inventive concepts. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of present inventive concepts are to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the present disclosure including the examples of embodiments and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.

[0124] Abbreviations used herein are explained below:

5GC 5^th Generation Core Network

AMF Access & Mobility Management Function

CN Core Network

CNA Cloud Native Architecture

NF Network Function

NFc Network Function Consumer

NFp Network Function Producer NRF Network Repository Function

PLMN Public Land Mobile Network vPLMN Visited Public Land Mobile Network hPLMN Home Public Land Mobile Network pPLMN Producer Public Land Mobile Network

SBA Service based Architecture

SCP Service Communication Proxy

SEPP Security Edge Protection Proxy cSEPP Consumer Security Edge Protection Proxy pSEPP Producer Security Edge Protection Proxy

UDM Unified Data Management

Claims

1. A method by a consumer network function, NFc, the method comprising: determining (205) whether a request for a service operation to be provided by a network function producer, NFp, needs to be routed via a consumer security edge protection proxy, cSEPP; when the determining (205) results in that the request for the service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP, identifying (206) a cSEPP from among a plurality of cSEPPs based on locality; and sending (207) the request for the service operation with relay routing through the identified cSEPP.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining (201) a list of NFps which are suitable to perform the service operation; selecting or reselecting (204) an NFp from among the list of NFps using criteria that depend on NFp profiles of the NFps.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the identifying (206) the cSEPP based on its locality comprises: selecting the cSEPP based on a location of the cSEPP being closest to a location of the NFc.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the identifying (206) the cSEPP based on its locality comprises: selecting the cSEPP based on the length of a signalling path between the cSEPP and the NFc.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the determining (205) whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP further comprises: determining a routing path for the request toward a next hop in a cPLMN; and determining whether the next hop in the routing path is a cSEPP local to the NFc.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein: the determining (205) whether the request for the service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP comprises determining a plurality of candidate routing paths for the request which include next hops being cSEPPs; and the identifying (206) a cSEPP from among a plurality of cSEPPs based on locality comprising identifying one of the cSEPPs that is closest to the NFc.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: receiving (303) a NF discovery response provided by a network repository function, NRF, wherein the NF discovery response contains profiles of the NFps, wherein the determining (205) whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP comprises determining whether the NF discovery response containing a profile for the NFp includes a flag indicating whether a fully qualified domain name associated with the NFp includes an InterPlmn value.

8. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: receiving information identifying local PLMN identifiers, wherein the determining (205) whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP comprises determining that a fully qualified domain name associated with the NFp does not correspond to one of the local PLMN identifiers.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: receiving (208) a service operation response by the NFp indicating success of the request for the defined service operation.

10. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a consumer network function, NFc, whereby execution of the program code causes the NFc to perform the method according to any of claims 1 to 9.

11. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a consumer network function, NFc, whereby execution of the program code causes the NFc to perform the method according to any of claims 1 to 9.

12. A method by a service communication proxy, SCP, the method comprising: receiving (400) a request from a consumer network function, NFc, for a defined service operation provided by a NFp; identifying (406), based on information in the request, a consumer security edge protection proxy, cSEPP, from among a plurality of cSEPPs, through which the request can be routed, based on locality; and sending (407) the request for the defined service operation with relay routing through the identified cSEPP.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying (406) the cSEPP based on its locality comprises: selecting the cSEPP based on a location of the cSEPP being closest to a location of the SCP.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying (406) the cSEPP based on its locality comprises: selecting the cSEPP based on a location of the cSEPP being closest to a location of the NFc.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying (206) the cSEPP based on its locality comprises: selecting the cSEPP based on the length of a signalling path between the cSEPP and the SCP or based on the length of a signalling path between the cSEPP and the NFc.

16. The method of any of claims 12 to 15, further comprising determining (405) whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP, wherein the identifying (406) the cSEPP based on its locality is performed based on determining (405) that the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining (405) whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP further comprises: determining a routing path for the request toward a next hop in a cPLMN; and determining whether the next hop in the routing path is a cSEPP local to the SCP and/or local to the NFc.

18. The method of any of claims 16 to 17, wherein: the determining (405) whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP comprises determining a plurality of candidate routing paths for the request which include next hops being cSEPPs; and the identifying (406) the cSEPP based on its locality comprises identifying one of the cSEPPs that is closest to the SCP and/or closest to the NFc.

19. The method of any of claims 16 to 18, further comprising: receiving (303) a NF discovery response provided by a network repository function, NRF, wherein the NF discovery response contains profiles of the NFps, wherein the determining (405) whether the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP comprises determining whether the NF discovery response containing a profile for the NFp includes a flag indicating whether a fully qualified domain name associated with the NFp includes an InterPlmn value.

20. The method of any of claims 16 to 118, further comprising: receiving information identifying local PLMN identifiers, wherein the determining (405) determines that the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP based on determining that a fully qualified domain name associated with the NFp does not correspond to one of the local PLMN identifiers.

21. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a service communication proxy, SCP, whereby execution of the program code causes the SCP to perform the method according to any of claims 12 to 20.

22. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a service communication proxy, SCP, whereby execution of the program code causes the SCP to perform the method according to any of claims 12 to 20.

23. A consumer network function, NFc, adapted to: determine whether a request for a service operation to be provided by a network function producer, NFp, needs to be routed via a consumer security edge protection proxy, cSEPP; when the request for the defined service operation needs to be routed via a cSEPP, identify a cSEPP from among a plurality of cSEPPs based on locality; and send the request for the service operation with relay routing through the identified cSEPP.

24. The consumer network function of claim 23, being adapted to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 9.

25. A service communication proxy, SCP, adapted to: receive a request from a consumer network function, NFc, for a defined service operation provided by a NFp; identify, based on information in the request, a consumer security edge protection proxy, cSEPP, from among a plurality of cSEPPs, through which the request can be routed, based on locality; and send the request for the defined service operation with relay routing through the identified cSEPP.

26. The SCP of claim 25, being adapted to perform the method of any of claims 13 to 20.