WO2024014996A1

WO2024014996A1 - Signaling energy saving information in a radio access network

Info

Publication number: WO2024014996A1
Application number: PCT/SE2023/050594
Authority: WO
Inventors: Meysam AGHIGHI; Nianshan SHI; Sofia Svedevall; Ari Kangas
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 2022-07-14
Filing date: 2023-06-14
Publication date: 2024-01-18

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for supporting energy saving functions in RAN. A method performed by a distributed unit of a network node 1400 comprises initiating transmission 702, to a central unit of the network node 1400, of energy saving information relating to the distributed unit.

Description

Signaling energy saving information in a Radio Access Network

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to Radio Access Networks (RAN) and in particular to supporting energy saving functions for distributed units (DU) and central units (CU) in RAN.

Background

5^th Generation New Radio (5G NR)

[0002] 5G NR is a radio access technology developed by the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) for the 5th generation mobile network. Compared to the 4th generation (Long Term Evolution, LTE), NR offers e.g., higher channel bandwidth (up to 200 MHz compared to LTE 20 MHz) and is deployed over new frequency bands, including both low and midband (400 MHz - 7 GHz) and so called high-band or so-called millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies which are defined as the range 24.25 GHz to 71.0 GHz. Since the overall bandwidths of NR are larger than those of LTE, the resulting power consumption of NR would be higher than that of LTE, if the NR air interface was similar to that of LTE.

[0003] However, NR was designed to allow base stations to save energy when the network load is slow. This is achieved by reducing the number of signals that need to be transmitted continuously. In LTE, so called common reference symbols (CRS) need to be transmitted constantly, which reduces the possibility for the radio and baseband equipment to enter efficient sleep modes. Figure 1 shows the LTE resource grid for the center bandwidth of a carrier. Typically, the time intervals where the radio equipment can go to sleep are 2-3 symbols (up to ~0.2 ms) long, and the power amplifier (PA) needs to be on 46% of the time. Accordingly, some energy savings are possible, but longer consecutive intervals without transmissions would allow increased energy savings. Figure 1 shows a LTE time/frequency resource grid for the centre 6 resource blocks. The PA needs to be on during 46% of the time.

[0004] By contrast, in NR idle mode transmission is kept to a minimum: only Synchronization Signaling Blocks (SSB) containing Primary Synchronization Signals (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signals (SSS), Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) (4 symbols, 288 subcarriers) are transmitted typically every 20ms, as shown in Figure 2. The PA then needs to be on only during 2% of the time, if only transmission of reference signals is considered. [0005] In addition, NR multi-carrier utilization has a leaner design capability compared to LTE. In LTE, CRS and SSB needs to be sent in all carriers as show in Figure 3 (which is a comparison of LTE and NR resource grids for mandatory reference/synchronization signals), but an NR cell can refer to SSB of another NR cell in the same band, instead of having its own SSB configured.

[0006] A further possibility is to transmit SSB in a carrier but not include any other broadcast information to enable a user to access the cell. Instead, the SSB may contain a pointer to another cell where system information is available, and camping allowed. The SSB can in this situation have longer periodicity and be used not to define the cell, but to enable measurements on the carrier (e.g. sync and signal power) for carrier selection purposes. UE camping is illustrated in Figure 4. In Figure 4, the Left plot shows SSB intensity (20ms) for a basic cell with UE Camping capability. The Right plot shows UE Camping not supported, lower SSB intensity (e.g. 160ms) possible

[0007] In NR, the cell concept is may therefore be considered modified, compared to other Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as LTE. In NR, the cell is not seen as the resource entity, but instead the sector carrier is viewed as the resource entity from which cells are built. The NR Cell is primarily only a configuration for the UE (defined by the transmission of a specific Synchronization Signaling Block (SSB) at a specific frequency and some identifiers in SIB1) and not a network resource. This enables a larger variation and flexibility in generating coverage areas, and performance booster areas and dynamically reconfigure the cells for different purposes.

[0008] An example of a purpose for reconfiguration is energy efficiency. It is not necessary to have a lot of resources available if there is a very low traffic demand in an area. Significant power savings can achieved by turning the underlying resources for the performance booster cells (the sector carriers) off, or placing them in a sleep mode. This does not necessarily mean that the cell as such must be put to sleep or hidden for the UE. It may instead be achieved by e.g. re-configuring the SSB periodicity to enable sleep between transmissions.

[0009] The deeper into a sleep state a resource is (for example, the greater the level of deactivation); the more energy can be saved. However, deeper sleep states also require longer time periods to wake the resource up again and make it available for increasing traffic. [0010] Therefore, it may be helpful to distribute energy saving information within an NR RAN, between the resources (sector carriers), the users (cells) and/or the configuration entities (management systems).

NR Architecture

[0011] In the higher layer split Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node architecture, NG-RAN node (Base station in NR, gNB) consists of a gNB Control Unit (gNB-CU) and one or more gNB Distributed Unit (gNB-DU) logical entities, as shown in Figure 5.

[0012] The Core Network (5GC) connects to the NG-RAN nodes over N2 interface at the control plane, and N3 interface over the user plane. These connections (e.g. N2 and N3) are depicted as a single NG interface in figure 5. gNBs in the NG-RAN are connected through an Xn interface between gNB-CUs. In the split architecture, each gNB-CU is connected to one or more gNB-DUs via Fl interfaces. Service Data Adaptation Protocol/ Packet Data Convergence Protocol (SDAP/PDCP) and Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol reside in gNB-CU. Radio Link Control/ Medium Access Control/Physical Layer (RLC/MAC/PHY) protocols reside in gNB-DU.

Network Energy Saving

[0013] A may be considered to be operating in a sleep mode if part of or all the cell is switched off to save energy. There can be different types of sleep for a cell, for example:

Short sleep: which may be performed when there is expected to be no transmission in the cell. A short sleep may not affect the accessibility of the cell and might have a small impact on the overall throughput. This kind of sleep is usually expected to be less than 20ms.

- Long sleep: which may be performed when there is expected to be neither transmission nor a need to access the cell for a longer period than a short sleep. A long sleep may be likely to have an impact on the overall throughput and might also have a small impact on the overall accessibility. This kind of sleep is usually expected to be less than 160ms.

- Deep sleep: which may be performed when there is no UE (User Equipment) connected to the cell and the cell is completely unusable for a period. This type of sleep may take from a few seconds up to a few hours and may be performed especially when the load is low in the network (e.g., during night-time).

[0014] Figure 6 illustrates different cells in a network. It will be appreciated that the cells are depicted vertically above a geographical area that they service. For example, the area serviced by cells 301 overlaps with the area serviced by cells 302, 305 and 304. For example, in the figure below, the cells 301 and 303 may be put into a deep sleep mode during night-time without having an impact on the accessibility of the system. This is because the remaining cells (302, 305, and 304) will be awake and may therefore be able to provide enough service to whatever few UEs are left still requiring night-time service that may otherwise have been served by the 301 or 303 cells. In principle, all cells except cell 304 may be put into a short sleep mode as soon as there is a period of no requested data transmission, as the cell 304 can cover the areas serviced by all of the other cells depicted.

[0015] There currently exist certain challenge(s). In existing NR implementations, the gNB-CU may have good high level understanding of the intended use of each cell and also its current load (considering number of connected users), and thus the opportunities for putting the cell to a state where the used resources may go to sleep. However, the gNB- CU typically has no knowledge on the exact timing of the (little) traffic that appears in the cell. It is the gNB-DU that has such knowledge, and the gNB-DU needs to decide when to actually utilize the sleep opportunity and request the resources to sleep. In order to take a sleep opportunity decision, the gNB-DU must be informed by gNB-CU about the sleep opportunities (e.g. when a cell is allowed to sleep according to operator control and licensing); this is not supported today using the Fl-AP protocol

[0016] It is not granted that the system can always utilize the sleep, even when gNB-CU decides that sleep should be requested. Not all radio resources (sector carriers) have the capability to sleep. Since many areas are covered by multiple cell layers, the gNB-CU can often choose between multiple cells to put to sleep when traffic is low. Therefore, the knowledge on the sleep capabilities for the different cells may be useful in order to take the right decisions in gNB-CU on which cells’ resources to be allowed to put to sleep. This requires that gNB-DU can report the sleep capabilities for the different cells (once the cell resources are allocated). Also, if the sleep can be utilized by the radio, it can be beneficial that the gNB-CU gets to know that sleep has been initiated, so that this knowledge can be used when setting up new calls, modifying the existing connection, and so on. The reporting by gNB-DU is not supported by the existing Fl-AP protocol.

[0017] Radio resources are often used by multiple cells. In such cases, the ability to sleep is depending on which and how many of the user cells that are in sleep mode. Accordingly, if cells using common radio resources are put to sleep in “the right order”, there is much to gain. Accordingly, information on dependencies between resources for different cells may advantageously be transferred from gNB-DU to gNB-CU.

[0018] Further, there is currently no mechanism that allows gNB-CU to control (whether a soft control, as indication of allowance, or hard control, as a command for cell sleep/wakeup) when and for how long the cells should go to sleep. 3GPP TS 38.423 vl7.1.0 XN Application Protocol, available at https://portal.3gpp.org/desktopmodules/ Specifications/SpecificationDetails.aspx?specificationId=3228 as of 5 May 2023, discusses the radio network layer signalling procedures of the control plane between NG- RAN nodes in NG-RAN. 3GPP TS 38.473 vl7.1.0 Fl Application Protocol, available at https://portal.3gpp.org/desktopmodules/Specifications/SpecificationDetails.aspx7specific ationld=3260 as of 5 May 2023 discusses the 5G radio network layer signalling protocol for the Fl interface. The Fl interface provides means for interconnecting a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU of a gNB within an NG-RAN, or for interconnecting a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU of an en-gNB within an E-UTRAN.

[0019] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Aspects and embodiments may support communication of additional power saving information between entities in a Radio Access Network, to both make possible and assist certain power saving functions.

[0020] Embodiments may provide mechanisms for a gNB-DU to report to a gNB-CU one or more of the following information and/or decisions regarding energy saving features:

The available energy saving capabilities in the gNB-DUs and Radio Units. This information can help gNB-CU configure traffic control features to create more sleep opportunities, depending on the available energy saving capabilities in the gNB-DU and Radio Units.

The sleep status of cells served by the gNB-DU. This information can help gNB-CU configure traffic control features to reduce the usage of cells in short sleeps to avoid throughput degradation, and to reduce the usage of cells in long sleeps to avoid accessibility degradation.

[0021] Embodiments may provide mechanisms for gNB-CU to report to gNB-DU, the following information and/or decisions regarding energy saving features:

The energy saving indication. This information allows gNB-CU, who has a broad view over many gNB-DUs that it serves, to allow/disallow or to directly initiate/finish certain energy saving functions per one or several gNB-DUs, or per one or several cells served by a gNB-DU. It also allows gNB-DU to change the configuration of its cells (SSB periodicity, System Information, allowed PLMNs, etc.) due to energy saving.

[0022] In existing systems, gNB-DUs can typically neither report energy saving capabilities of their cells to gNB-CU, nor report the status of ongoing energy saving functions/features to gNB-CU. Aspects of embodiments may provide that information to be sent from gNB-DU to gNB-CU, which makes it possible for gNB-CU to configure traffic control features accordingly to 1 -create more possibilities for energy saving functions in gNB- DU, 2-adapt to the ongoing energy saving functions in gNB-DU.

[0023] In existing systems, the gNB-CU typically cannot indicate any energy saving policy and command to the gNB-DU. Aspects of embodiments may provide that information, which allows gNB-DU to configure different types of energy saving functions for its cells. This may also allow gNB-DU to change the configuration of its cells (SSB periodicity, System Information, allowed PLMNs, etc.) due to energy saving.

[0024] Embodiments provide methods performed by distributed units of network nodes for supporting energy saving functions. A method comprises initiating transmission, to a central unit of the network node, of energy saving information relating to the distributed unit.

[0025] Embodiments provide methods performed by central units of network nodes for supporting energy saving functions. A method comprises initiating transmission, to a distributed unit of the network node, of energy saving instructions relating to the distributed unit. [0026] Further embodiments provide distributed units and central units configured to perform the methods discussed herein.

[0027] The scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims.

[0028] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s):

Significant increase of energy saving possibilities in the network, as a result of allowing gNB-CU to participate and take part in the ongoing energy saving functions in gNB-DU and the Radio Unit. Accordingly, if all layers work together in a Radio Access Network (Radio Unit, gNB-DU, gNB-CU), the energy saving possibilities may significantly increase.

- Reduction of degradations in throughput and accessibility cause by energy saving functions, as a result of reporting the status of ongoing energy saving functions from gNB-DU to gNB-CU. Accordingly, gNB-CU may configure the traffic control functions in accordance with the ongoing energy saving functions in lower layers (gNB-DU and Radio Unit), and reduce the risk of degradations in throughput and/or accessibility.

[0029] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] For a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how it may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagram of a LTE time/frequency resource grid for the centre 6 resource blocks;

Figure 2 is a diagram of a NR time/frequency resource grid;

Figure 3 is a diagram providing a comparison of LTE and NR resource grids for mandatory reference/synchronization signals;

Figure 4 (left) is a diagram showning SSB intensity for a basic cell with UE camping capability, and Figure 4 (right) shows SSB intensity where UE camping is not supported;

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of NG-RAN node architecture; Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of cells in a network;

Figure 7 is a flowchart of a method in accordance with some embodiments;

Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method in accordance with some embodiments;

Figure 9 is a signalling diagram showing an example of transmission between gNB- CU and gNB-DU in accordance with some embodiments;

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example implementation using gNB- CU-CP and gNB-CU-UP in accordance with some embodiments;

Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example implementation using O-DU and O-CU-CP in accordance with some embodiments;

Figure 12 shows an example of a communication system 1200 in accordance with some embodiments;

Figure 13 shows a UE 1300;

Figure 14 shows a network node 1400 in accordance with some embodiments;

Figure 15 shows a host 1500 in accordance with some embodiments;

Figure 16 shows a virtualization environment 1600 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; and

Figure 17 shows a communication diagram of a host 1702 communicating via a network node 1704 with a UE 1706 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.

ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION

[0031] 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.

[0032] Figure 7 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method 7 may be performed by a distributed unit of a network node (e.g. the network node 1210 or network node 1400 as described later with reference to Figures 12 and 14 respectively). The method begins at step 702 with initiating transmission, to a central unit of the network node, of energy saving information relating to the distributed unit. Figure 8 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method 8 may be performed by a central unit (or control unit) of a network node (e.g. the network node 1210 or network node 1400 as described later with reference to Figures 12 and 14 respectively). The method begins at step 802 with initiating transmission, to a distributed unit of the network node, of energy saving instructions relating to the distributed unit.

[0033] Aspects of embodiments may comprise one or both of the following two reporting processes:

Process one: reporting from gNB-DU to gNB-CU, the energy saving capabilities of the cells served by the gNB-DU, and/or the energy saving capabilities of the Radio Unit(s) connected to the cells served by the gNB-CU, and/or the status of ongoing energy saving functions (sleep status of the cells, etc.) in the cells served by the gNB-DU. This reporting may collectively be referred to as reporting energy saving information.

Process two: reporting from gNB-CU to gNB-DU, the indication of energy saving strategy and status to use as an input to the ongoing energy saving functions in the gNB-DU and/or the Radio Unit(s) connected to the gNB-DU, and/or the indication to allow/disallow or to directly initiate/finish certain energy saving functions on one or several cells served by the gNB-DU. This reporting may collectively be referred to as reporting energy saving instructions.

[0034] Some embodiments of process two comprise adding a ‘ Sleep Allowed’ parameter and a ‘Sleep Type’ indicator per each NR cell to the GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE message sent over Fl -C interface from gNB-CU to gNB-DU. A suggestion is presented below (text copied and modified from 3GPP TS 38.473, v.17.1.0 section 9.2.1.10, with modifications highlighted):

[0035] In some embodiments, upon the reception of the ‘sleep allowed’ parameter for a cell, gNB-DU may take the decision (based upon internal configuration and the Radio Unit capabilities) on whether or not it can put a cell into sleep. Further, upon the reception of the ‘sleep not allowed’ parameter for a cell, gNB-DU may determine not put a cell into sleep or if the cell is already in sleep, wake the cell up.

[0036] In some embodiments of process two, at least one of a ‘Sleep Status’ parameter and a ‘Sleep Type’ indicator are added per each NR cell to the GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE message sent over Fl-C interface from gNB-CU to gNB-DU. A suggestion is presented below (text copied and modified from 3GPP TS 38.473, v.17.1.0 section 9.2.1.10, with modifications highlighted):

[0037] In some embodiments, upon reception of the ‘Cell Sleep’ parameter for a cell, gNB- DU may put the cell into sleep with the indicated sleep type, or wake the cell up from sleep, or change the type of sleep, and may report the success/failure of the sleep procedure back to the gNB-CU via Fl -C interface. The reporting from gNB-DU to gNB-CU may be done in several ways, such as those discussed with reference to process one.

[0038] In some embodiments of process two, one or both of two separate lists reported for cells to go to sleep and cells to be woken up, may be sent in the GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE message sent over Fl -C interface from gNB-CU to gNB-DU.

[0039] In some embodiments of process two, part of or all of the energy saving information from gNB-DU to gNB-CU may be sent in the Fl SETUP REQUEST message sent from gNB- DU to gNB-CU over the Fl interface.

[0040] In some embodiments of process two, the ‘sleep type’ may be changed from an ENUM (when a variable type is ENUM, it means it can take one of several values) to a list, indicating the set of allowed sleep types for each cell. Different sleep types may refer to difference in transmission of SSB (Synchronization Signal Block), difference in activation time (the time it takes the system to wake up a cell that was put to sleep), and difference in sleep duration of each cell.

[0041] In some embodiments of process two, gNB-CU may be allowed to request changes in configuration of the cells served by the gNB-DU due to energy saving. These configurations are normally controlled by the gNB-DU. Some example of changes are, but not limited to, the following:

Changes in the SSB periodicity; by increasing SSB periodicity in low network load and decreasing it in high network load. For example, having SSB every 160ms at night while having it every 20ms during the day. This may reduce power consumption due to SSB transmission by around 87% (simply because 7 out of 8 transmissions are skipped).

Changes in the served PLMNs; by disallowing certain PLMNs on certain cells at certain times. For example, not allowing the guest UEs on power consuming frequencies in a shared RAN scenario during low network load.

Changes in the System Information; by stopping the transmission of certain system information on a cell, the system may make the cell impossible to camp on. For example, in low network load, the gNB-CU can ask the gNB-DU to stop system information transmission on certain high-power-consuming cells. Then, the UEs from IDLE cannot use the cell which allows gNB-DU and Radio Unit to put the cell into longer sleeps without jeopardizing the accessibility of the system. [0042] Embodiments of process two may be implemented using other messages to those discussed above, for example during UE context setup procedure for a specific UE, or over User Plane interface, in the GTP-U header extension.

[0043] In some embodiments of process one, the gNB-DU may report to the gNB-CU, the energy saving capabilities of its cells. This may allow gNB-CU to take traffic control and traffic steering decisions properly by moving away UEs (User Equipment) away from the low loaded cells with high sleep possibilities, and instead putting the load on other cells (possibly on other gNB-DUs) with low sleep possibilities, resulting in the creation of more sleep opportunities for the sleep capable cells.

[0044] In some embodiments of process one, a list “Supported Sleep Types” may be added to the “Served Cell Information” IE that contains the cell configuration information of a cell in the gNB-DU and used in Fl SETUP REQUEST and GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE messages sent from gNB-DU to gNB-gNB-CU over the Fl-C interface as follows: (text copied and modified (modifications highlighted) from 3GPP TS 38.473 v.17.0.1 section 9.3.1.10)

This IE contains cell configuration information of a cell in the gNB-DU.

[0045] In some embodiments of process one, the gNB-DU may report to the gNB-CU, the sleep status of the cells served by the gNB-DU. This may allow gNB-CU to configure the traffic control functions in accordance with the ongoing energy saving functions in lower layers (gNB-DU and Radio Unit), and to reduce the risk of degradations in throughput (for shorter sleep periods) and/or accessibility (for longer sleep periods).

[0046] In some embodiments of process one, the gNB-DU may report a list of cells for which some sleep type is configured in the GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE message sent from gNB-DU to gNB-CU over the Fl -C interface. A suggestion is presented below: (text is copied and modified (modifications highlighted) from 3GPP TS 38.473 v.17.0.1 section

9.2.1.7)

9.2.1.7 GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE

This message is sent by the gNB-DU to transfer updated information associated to an Fl-C interface instance.

NOTE: If Fl-C signalling transport is shared among several Fl-C interface instances, this message may transfer updated information associated to several Fl-C interface instances.

Direction: gNB-DU ->gNB-CU

[0047] In some embodiments of process one or process two, other messages may be used, for example during UE context setup procedure for a specific UE or over User Plane interface, in the GTP-U header extension.

[0048] Figure 9 shows an example of the transmission of energy saving information between gNB-DU and gNB-CU.

[0049] The gNB-CU to gNB-DU energy saving information may be included in either Fl SETUP RESPONSE, GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE, GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE, or other dedicated signaling over the Fl interface. The gNB-DU to gNB-CU energy saving information may be included in either Fl SETUP REQUEST, GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE, GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE ACKNOWLEDGE, or other dedicated signalling over the Fl interface.

[0050] In 3GPP Higher Layer Split (HLS), a gNB consists of a gNB-CU Control Plane (gNB-CU-CP), multiple gNB-CU User Planes (gNB-CU-UP)s and multiple gNB-DUs (as shown in Figure 10 below). Accordingly one gNB-CU may be connected to many gNB-DUs. This gives a holistic view to a gNB-CU-CP over all the cells on all the gNB-DUs that are connected to it.

[0051] In relation to energy saving functions, if there is a need for coordination between cells on different gNB-DUs, it is the gNB-CU-CP connected to them that can take decisions and act on a high-level. By way of example, assume that two cells under different gNB-DUs are connected to the same gNB-CU-CP, have the same coverage and both have a very low load (few numbers of UEs). It is the gNB-CU-CP that can take the decision of moving UEs from one cell to another and putting the other cell into sleep. Aspects of embodiments may facilitate this.

[0052] Aspects of embodiments may be included in the Fl-C interface between Open RAN DU (O-DU) and Open RAN CU CP (O-CU-CP). An example is illustrated in Figure 11. Also, O-DU may acquire part or all of sleep capabilities of its cells from O-RU. Moreover, an rApp or xApp in Non-Real Time RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) and Near-Real Time RIC, respectively, can control the configuration of energy saving functions in either O-DU and O- CU-CP or both.

[0053] Figure 12 shows an example of a communication system 1200 in accordance with some embodiments

[0054] In the example, the communication system 1200 includes a telecommunication network 1202 that includes an access network 1204, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 1206, which includes one or more core network nodes 1208. The access network 1204 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1210a and 1210b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1210), or any other similar 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 1210 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 1212a, 1212b, 1212c, and 1212d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1212) to the core network 1206 over one or more wireless connections.

[0055] 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 1200 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 1200 may include and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and/or other similar type of system.

[0056] The UEs 1212 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 1210 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 1210 are arranged, capable, configured, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 1212 and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 1202 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 1202.

[0057] In the depicted example, the core network 1206 connects the network nodes 1210 to one or more hosts, such as host 1216. 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 1206 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1208) 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 1208. 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).

[0058] The host 1216 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 1204 and/or the telecommunication network 1202, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1216 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include the provision of live and/or pre-recorded audio/video content, data collection services, for example, 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.

[0059] As a whole, the communication system 1200 of Figure 12 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.

[0060] In some examples, the telecommunication network 1202 is a cellular network that implements 3 GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 1202 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 1202. For example, the telecommunications network 1202 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)ZMassive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0061] In some examples, the UEs 1212 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 1204 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 1204. 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).

[0062] In the example illustrated in Figure 12, the hub 1214 communicates with the access network 1204 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1212c and/or 1212d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 1210b). In some examples, the hub 1214 may be a controller, router, a content source and analytics node, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 1214 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 1206 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 1214 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 1210, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 1214. As another example, the hub 1214 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 1214 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 1214 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 1214 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and/or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 1214 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. [0063] The hub 1214 may have a constant/persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 1210b. The hub 1214 may also allow for a different communication scheme and/or schedule between the hub 1214 and UEs (e.g., UE 1212c and/or 1212d), and between the hub 1214 and the core network 1206. In other examples, the hub 1214 is connected to the core network 1206 and/or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 1214 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 1204 and/or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 1210 while still connected via the hub 1214 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 1214 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 1210b. In other embodiments, the hub 1214 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 1210b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and/or end point for certain data channels.

[0064] Figure 13 shows a UE 1300. 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 camera, 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.

[0065] 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), orvehicle- 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).

[0066] The UE 1300 includes processing circuitry 1302 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1304 to an input/output interface 1306, a power source 1308, a memory 1310, a communication interface 1312, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 13. 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. [0067] The processing circuitry 1302 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 1310. The processing circuitry 1302 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 1302 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuitry 1302 may be operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other UE 1300 components, such as the memory 1310, UE 1300 functionality.

[0068] In the example, the input/output interface 1306 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 1300. 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.

[0069] In some embodiments, the power source 1308 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 1308 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1308 itself, and/or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1300 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1308. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1308 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1300 to which power is supplied.

[0070] The memory 1310 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 read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1310 includes one or more application programs 1314, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1316. The memory 1310 may store, for use by the UE 1300, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0071] The memory 1310 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 1310 may allow the UE 1300 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 1310, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0072] The processing circuitry 1302 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1312. The communication interface 1312 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1322. The communication interface 1312 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 1318 and/or a receiver 1320 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1318 and receiver 1320 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1322) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0073] In some embodiments, communication functions of the communication interface 1312 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.

[0074] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1312, 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).

[0075] 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 controls a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0076] 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 devices which are or which are 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 on the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1300 shown in Figure 13.

[0077] 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.

[0078] 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.

[0079] Figure 14 shows a network node 1400 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 NR NodeBs (gNBs)). The network node may comprise CU and DU, as discussed herein.

[0080] 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).

[0081] 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).

[0082] The network node 1400 includes processing circuitry 1402, a memory 1404, a communication interface 1406, and a power source 1408, and/or any other component, or any combination thereof. The network node 1400 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 1400 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 1400 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1404 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1410 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1400 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1400, 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 1400.

[0083] The processing circuitry 1402 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 1400 components, such as the memory 1404, network node 1400 functionality. The processing circuitry may form part of a CU or DU. By way of example, the processing circuitry 1402 may be configured to cause the network node to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 7 or Figure 8.

[0084] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1402 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1402 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1412 and baseband processing circuitry 1414. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1412 and the baseband processing circuitry 1414 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 1412 and baseband processing circuitry 1414 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units. [0085] The memory 1404 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 computerexecutable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1402. The memory 1404 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 1402 and utilized by the network node 1400. The memory 1404 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1402 and/or any data received via the communication interface 1406. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1402 and memory 1404 is integrated.

[0086] The communication interface 1406 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 1406 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 1416 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1406 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1418 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1410. Radio front-end circuitry 1418 comprises filters 1420 and amplifiers 1422. The radio front-end circuitry 1418 may be connected to an antenna 1410 and processing circuitry 1402. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1410 and processing circuitry 1402. The radio front-end circuitry 1418 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 1418 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1420 and/or amplifiers 1422. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1410. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1410 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1418. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1402. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.

[0087] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1400 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1418, instead, the processing circuitry 1402 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1410. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1412 is part of the communication interface 1406. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1406 includes one or more ports or terminals 1416, the radio front-end circuitry 1418, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1412, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1406 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1414, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0088] The antenna 1410 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1410 may be coupled to the radio frontend circuitry 1418 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1410 is separate from the network node 1400 and connectable to the network node 1400 through an interface or port. [0089] The antenna 1410, communication interface 1406, and/or the processing circuitry 1402 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 1410, the communication interface 1406, and/or the processing circuitry 1402 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.

[0090] The power source 1408 provides power to the various components of network node 1400 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1408 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1400 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1400 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 1408. As a further example, the power source 1408 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.

[0091] Embodiments of the network node 1400 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 14 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 1400 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1400 and to allow output of information from the network node 1400. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1400.

[0092] Figure 15 is a block diagram of a host 1500, which may be an embodiment of the host 1216 of Figure 12, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1500 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 1500 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs. [0093] The host 1500 includes processing circuitry 1502 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1504 to an input/output interface 1506, a network interface 1508, a power source 1510, and a memory 1512. 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 13 and 14, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1500.

[0094] The memory 1512 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1514 and data 1516, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1500 or data generated by the host 1500 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1500 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1514 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 1514 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 1500 may select and/or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1514 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.

[0095] Figure 16 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1600 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 1600 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.

[0096] Applications 1602 (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.

[0097] Hardware 1604 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 1606 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1608a and 1608b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1608), and/or perform any of the functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1606 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1608.

[0098] The VMs 1608 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1606. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1602 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1608, 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.

[0099] In the context of NFV, a VM 1608 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 1608, and that part of hardware 1604 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 1608 on top of the hardware 1604 and corresponds to the application 1602.

[0100] Hardware 1604 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1604 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1604 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 1610, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1602. In some embodiments, hardware 1604 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 1612 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units. [0101] Figure 17 shows a communication diagram of a host 1702 communicating via a network node 1704 with a UE 1706 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 1212a of Figure 12 and/or UE 1300 of Figure 13), network node (such as network node 1210a of Figure 12 and/or network node 1400 of Figure 14), and host (such as host 1216 of Figure 12 and/or host 1500 of Figure 15) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 17.

[0102] Like host 1500, embodiments of host 1702 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1702 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1702 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 1706 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1750 extending between the UE 1706 and host 1702. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1750.

[0103] The network node 1704 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1702 and UE 1706. The connection 1760 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 1206 of Figure 12) 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.

[0104] The UE 1706 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1706 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 1706 with the support of the host 1702. In the host 1702, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1750 terminating at the UE 1706 and host 1702. 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 1750 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 1750.

[0105] The OTT connection 1750 may extend via a connection 1760 between the host 1702 and the network node 1704 and via a wireless connection 1770 between the network node 1704 and the UE 1706 to provide the connection between the host 1702 and the UE 1706. The connection 1760 and wireless connection 1770, over which the OTT connection 1750 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1702 and the UE 1706 via the network node 1704, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0106] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1750, in step 1708, the host 1702 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 1706. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1706 that shares data with the host 1702 without explicit human interaction. In step 1710, the host 1702 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1706. The host 1702 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1706. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1706 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1706. The transmission may pass via the network node 1704, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1712, the network node 1704 transmits to the UE 1706 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1702 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1714, the UE 1706 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1706 associated with the host application executed by the host 1702.

[0107] In some examples, the UE 1706 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1702. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1702. Accordingly, in step 1716, the UE 1706 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 1706. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1706 initiates, in step 1718, transmission of the user data towards the host 1702 via the network node 1704. In step 1720, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1704 receives user data from the UE 1706 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1702. In step 1722, the host 1702 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1706.

[0108] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1706 using the OTT connection 1750, in which the wireless connection 1770 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the use of sleep modes and thereby provide benefits such as reduced power consumption.

[0109] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1702. As another example, the host 1702 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1702 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1702 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1702 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 1702 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.

[0110] 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 1750 between the host 1702 and UE 1706, 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 1702 and/or UE 1706. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1750 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 1750 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1704. 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 1702. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1750 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0111] 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.

[0112] 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.

The following numbered statements provide additional information on the disclosure

1. A method performed by a distributed unit of a network node for supporting energy saving functions, the method comprising: initiating transmission, to a central unit of the network node, of energy saving information relating to the distributed unit.

2. The method of statement 1, wherein the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit is transmitted as part of a GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE message.

3. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit is transmitted over an Fl-AP interface between the distributed unit and the central unit, and/or over a User Plane interface.

4. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit comprises energy saving capabilities of one or more cells served by the distributed unit.

5. The method of statement 4, wherein the energy saving capabilities of the one or more cells served by the distributed unit comprise supported sleep types of the one or more cells.

6. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit comprises sleep status information of one or more cells served by the distributed unit.

7. The method of statement 6, wherein the sleep status information of the one or more cells served by the distributed unit comprises list of cells for which some sleep type is configured

8. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit comprises energy saving capabilities of one or more Radio Units, RUs, connected to one or more cells served by the distributed unit.

9. The method of any preceding statement further comprising, at the central unit, utilizing the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit to configure traffic control features.

10. A method performed by a central unit of a network node for supporting energy saving functions, the method comprising: initiating transmission, to a distributed unit of the network node, of energy saving instructions relating to the distributed unit. The method of statement 10, wherein the energy saving instructions relating to the distributed unit are transmitted as part of a GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE message, and/or during a UE context setup procedure. The method of any of statements 10 and 11, wherein the energy saving instructions relating to the distributed unit are transmitted over an Fl-C interface between the central unit and the distributed unit, and/or over a User Plane interface. The method of any of statements 10 to 12, wherein the energy saving instructions comprise, for one or more cells served by the distributed unit, at least at least one of: a sleep allowed permission; a sleep instruction and a sleep type indicator. The method of statement 13 further comprising, by the distributed unit, putting to sleep and/or waking up at least one cell served by the distributed unit based on the energy saving instructions. The method of any of statements 10 to 14, wherein the energy saving instructions comprise, for one or more cells served by the distributed unit, at least at least one of: a sleep status parameter and a sleep type indicator. The method of statement 15 further comprising, by the distributed unit, putting to sleep, waking up and/or changing a sleep type for at least one cell served by the distributed unit based on the energy saving instructions. The method of statement 16 further comprising, by the distributed unit, reporting actions taken to the central unit. The method of any of statements 15 to 17, wherein the energy saving instructions comprise a list of cells to be woken up and/or a list of cells to be put to sleep by the distributed unit. The method of any of statements 15 to 18, wherein the energy saving instructions comprise a list of allowed sleep types for one or more cells served by the distributed unit. The method of any of statements 10 to 19, wherein the energy saving instructions comprise cell configuration change requests for one or more cells served by the distributed unit. The method of statement 20, wherein the cell configuration change requests comprise one or more of: a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB, periodicity change; a served Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN, change; and/or a system information change. 22. The method of any of the previous statements, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

Group C Statements

23. A distributed unit of a network node for supporting energy saving functions, the distributed unit of the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the distributed unit of the network node to perform any of the distributed unit steps of any of the Group B statements; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

24. A central unit of a network node for supporting energy saving functions, the central unit of the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the central unit of the network node to perform any of the central unit steps of any of the Group B statements; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

25. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B statements to transmit the user data from the host to the UE, wherein the network node comprises a distributed unit and a central unit.

26. The host of the previous statement, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

27. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node comprises a distributed unit and a central unit and performs any of the operations of any of the Group B statements to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

28. The method of the previous statement, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

29. The method of any of the previous 2 statements, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

30. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node comprising a distributed unit and a central unit and having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B statements to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

31. The communication system of the previous statement, further comprising: the network node; and/or the user equipment.

32. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node comprising a distributed unit and a central unit and having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B statements to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

33. The host of the previous statement, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

34. The host of the any of the previous 2 statements, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

35. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node comprises a distributed unit and a central unit and performs any of the steps of any of the Group B statements to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

36. The method of the previous statement, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

Claims

1. A method performed by a distributed unit of a network node (1400) for supporting energy saving functions, the method comprising: initiating transmission (702), to a central unit of the network node (1400), of energy saving information relating to the distributed unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit is transmitted as part of a GNB-DU CONFIGURATION UPDATE message.

3. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, wherein the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit is transmitted over an Fl-AP interface between the distributed unit and the central unit, and/or over a User Plane interface.

4. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit comprises energy saving capabilities of one or more cells served by the distributed unit.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the energy saving capabilities of the one or more cells served by the distributed unit comprise supported sleep types of the one or more cells.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit comprises sleep status information of one or more cells served by the distributed unit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the sleep status information of the one or more cells served by the distributed unit comprises list of cells for which some sleep type is configured

8. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit comprises energy saving capabilities of one or more Radio Units, RUs, connected to one or more cells served by the distributed unit.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8 further comprising, at the central unit, utilizing the energy saving information relating to the distributed unit to configure traffic control features.

10. A method performed by a central unit of a network node (1400) for supporting energy saving functions, the method comprising: initiating transmission (802), to a distributed unit of the network node (1400), of energy saving instructions relating to the distributed unit. The method of claim 10, wherein the energy saving instructions relating to the distributed unit are transmitted as part of a GNB-CU CONFIGURATION UPDATE message, and/or during a User Equipment, UE (1300), context setup procedure. The method of any of claims 10 and 11, wherein the energy saving instructions relating to the distributed unit are transmitted over an Fl-C interface between the central unit and the distributed unit, and/or over a User Plane interface. The method of any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the energy saving instructions comprise, for one or more cells served by the distributed unit, at least at least one of: a sleep allowed permission; a sleep instruction and a sleep type indicator. The method of claim 13 further comprising, by the distributed unit, putting to sleep and/or waking up at least one cell served by the distributed unit based on the energy saving instructions. The method of any of claims 10 to 14, wherein the energy saving instructions comprise, for one or more cells served by the distributed unit, at least at least one of: a sleep status parameter and a sleep type indicator. The method of claim 15 further comprising, by the distributed unit, putting to sleep, waking up and/or changing a sleep type for at least one cell served by the distributed unit based on the energy saving instructions. The method of claim 16 further comprising, by the distributed unit, reporting actions taken to the central unit. The method of any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the energy saving instructions comprise a list of cells to be woken up and/or a list of cells to be put to sleep by the distributed unit. The method of any of claims 15 to 18, wherein the energy saving instructions comprise a list of allowed sleep types for one or more cells served by the distributed unit. The method of any of claims 10 to 19, wherein the energy saving instructions comprise cell configuration change requests for one or more cells served by the distributed unit. The method of claim 20, wherein the cell configuration change requests comprise one or more of: a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB, periodicity change; a served Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN, change; and/or a system information change.

22. A distributed unit of a network node (1400) for supporting energy saving functions, the distributed unit of the network node (1400) comprising: processing circuitry (1402) configured to cause the distributed unit of the network node (1400) to initiate transmission, to a central unit of the network node (1400), of energy saving information relating to the distributed unit; and power supply circuitry (1408) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry (1402).

23. A central unit of a network node (1400) for supporting energy saving functions, the central unit of the network node (1400) comprising: processing circuitry (1402) configured to cause the central unit of the network node (1400) to initiate transmission, to a distributed unit of the network node (1400), of energy saving instructions relating to the distributed unit; power supply circuitry (1408) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry (1402).

24. A network node (1400) comprising at least one of the distributed unit of claim 22 and the central unit of claim 23.

25. A communication system (1200) comprising the network node (1400) of claim 24.