Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Yong Yang

Yunjie Lu

Gunnar Rydnell

Qian Chen

Zu Qiang

Roland Gustafsson

Dongmei Zhu

Tony Olsson

Hans Bertil Rönneke

John Stenfelt

Chunbo Wang

Jiehong Yang

Ann-Christine Sander

Wenliang Xu

Juying Gan

Zhiwei Qu

Jesus-Angel de-Gregorio-Rodriguez

Yingjiao He

Mei Dong

Ioannis Sapountzis

Susana Fernandez Alonso

Josefin Karlsson

Qi Xia

Patrik Hermansson

Anders Fredén

Peter Hedman

Xinyu Zhang

Stefan Rommer

Magnus Norberg Olsson

Lasse Olsson

Lars-Bertil Olsson

Cheng Wang

Maria Cruz Bartolomé Rodrigo

Jan Backman

Jinyin Zhu

Dirk Kopplin

Hans Bertil Ronneke

Gang Ren

Erik Wikström

Junyi Wang

Paul Schliwa-Bertling

Angelo Centonza

Kai Zhang

Xiao Li

Miguel Angel Muñoz De La Torre Alonso

György Miklós

Peter Ramle

János Harmatos

Feng Guo

Lars Lövsén

Carlos Jimenez Cordon

Hans Mattsson

Loudon Lee Campbell

Di Liu

Sven-Ove Emanuelsson

Jingzhe Zhang

Nan Zhang

Yumei Song

Folke Ahlstrom

Juan Xu

Maud Forsman

The present disclosure provides a method in a network node implementing a Service Communication Proxy, SCP, function. The method includes: receiving, from a first Network Function, NF, a request destined to a second NF, wherein the request comprises information on the second NF; redirecting the request to a third NF, wherein the redirected request comprises information on the third NF; and transmitting a response to the first NF, wherein the response comprises the information on the third NF.

Network nodes and methods therein for indirect communication

The present disclosure provides a method in a Network Function, NF, producer. The method includes transmitting, to a Service Communication Proxy, SCP, a notification request for delivering a notification. The notification request contains a Uniform Resource Identifier, URI, having a predetermined service path indicating that the notification request is associated with a default notification subscription.

Network nodes and methods therein for notification delivery

A method of operation of a cellular communications system is disclosed. The method comprises: at a MME: receiving an attach request from a UE; sending a location update request to a HSS; receiving a location update acknowledgement; sending, to a DNS, a DNS query request comprising an APN FQDN; receiving a DNS query response comprising information that indicates candidate PGWs that satisfy the DNS query request and at least two PGWs belonging to a same PGW set; selecting the first PGW; sending, to a SGW, a first create session request that comprises information that indicates the first PGW; receiving a first create session response; sending an attach accept to the UE; and at the SGW: receiving the first create session request from the MME; forwarding the first create session request to the first PGW; receiving the first create session response; and forwarding the first create session response to the MME.

Restoration of a PDN connection at PGW failure

A method of operation of a network node implementing a network function, NF, service producer in a core network for providing accurate information related to the selected service instance in the NF service producer and to allow the NF service consumer, when detecting a restart of the service instance, to perform end user service restoration (e.g. restoring UE IP connectivity), and/or to clean up the resource is provided. The method comprises receiving at the NF service producer a request to create or update a resource via for example HTTP/REST signaling, the NF service producer selecting a service instance, where the resource is replicated, to create or update the requested resource and sending a response to the received request comprising a resource Uniform Resource Identifier, URI, of the created or updated resource by the second service instance and a service instance identifier identifying the selected service instance.

Service instance indication for resource creation

There is provided a method performed by a user plane core network function for a wireless communication network. The user plane core network function is configured with a range of Internet Protocol addresses for allocation to user equipments. The method comprises: transmitting a message to a control plane core network function, the message comprising an indication of a usage level of the range of IP addresses.

IP address allocation in a wireless communication network

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatuses for improved packet detection rule provision. A method performed by a first network entity comprises: transmitting packet detection information, PDI, to a second network entity, wherein the PDI indicates information on one or more traffic endpoints on which packets are to be detected.

Method and apparatus for improved packet detection rule provision

Embodiments of a method performed in a User Plane Entity (UPE) in a core network to perform a user plane initiated Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) association release procedure are provided. In some embodiments, the method comprises, for each affected PFCP session, sending, to a Control Plane Entity (CPE), a PFCP session report request comprising an indicator that the PFCP session is being removed and one or more usage reports for the PFCP session, and deleting the PFCP session. The method further comprises sending, to the CPE, a PFCP association update request comprising information that indicates that the PFCP association update request is to initiate release of the PFCP association and an indicator that all non-zero usage reports for the affected PFCP session(s) have been reported. The method further comprises receiving, from the CPE, a PFCP association release request and sending, to the CPE, a PFCP association release response.

Enhanced up function requested PFCP association release

A method performed in a CP node. The method comprises setting a TQM in a URR to which its corresponding SDFs are applicable for envelope reporting, setting at least one reporting trigger in the URR, to instruct the UP function to generate a usage report upon closure of an envelope, setting a measurement method in the URR, to instruct the UP function to collect usage of volume, time and/or event, sending the set URR to the UP function, receiving one or more usage reports from the UP function, in response to the sent URR, wherein the received usage report(s) comprises at least a usage report trigger set to envelope closure, determining a starting time and/or an ending time for each envelope, based on the received usage report(s), and storing each envelope, with the determined starting time and/or ending time, for online or offline charging.

Support for envelope reporting

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing an enhanced Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) association procedure for session restoration. In this regard, a method performed by a PFCP node comprises deleting one or more PFCP sessions of the PFCP node that are associated with a failed PFCP entity or with a failed PFCP path. The method further comprises sending, to a PFCP peer node, a node level message to request that the PFCP peer node delete a corresponding one or more PFCP sessions of the PFCP peer node that are associated with the failed PFCP entity or with the failed PFCP path, wherein the node level message comprises an indication of the corresponding one or more PFCP sessions. Some embodiments provide that the node level message comprises a PFCP Association Setup Request including sessions retention information to indicate whether to retain PFCP sessions associated with the PFCP Association Setup Request.

Enhanced PFCP association procedure for session restoration

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatuses for assigning network address prefix. A method performed by a control plane function may comprise: receiving, from a terminal device, a request for assigning a network address prefix; determining whether the network address prefix is assigned by the control plane function or a user plane function; transmitting, to the user plane function, a PFCP Session Modification Request for requesting the user plane function to assign the network address prefix, if it is determined that the network address prefix is assigned by the user plane function; receiving, from the user plane function, a PFCP Session Modification Response including an assigned network address prefix; and transmitting the assigned network address prefix to the terminal device. The specific procedure for the terminal device to obtain the network address prefix from a network entity not directly requested by the terminal device may be defined.

Method and apparatus for assigning network address prefix

A method in a first Network Function (NF). The method includes: transmitting, to a second NF, a message containing a first binding indication associated with a context hosted by the first NF, the message or the first binding indication containing a parameter identifying a group of contexts.

Network nodes and methods therein for providing binding indication

Systems and methods to measure the number of packets in Control/User Plane Separation, CUPS, are provided. In some embodiments, a method performed by a Control Plane, CP, entity includes: determining that packet counting should be performed by a User Plane, UP, entity; providing measurement instructions to the UP entity for counting packets and identifying a recipient of a packet count if the CP entity is not the recipient; and, if the CP entity is the recipient of the packet count, receiving, from the UP entity, a packet count. In this way, a CP function is able to instruct a UP function to perform a measurement in terms of packets, e.g., a measurement of the number of packets transmitted.

Systems and methods to measure the number of packets in cups

Systems and methods for detecting, e.g., that a Network Function (NF) service consumer in a core network of a cellular communications system has restarted are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method of operation of a NF service consumer in a core network of a cellular communications system comprises sending, to a NF service producer, a message comprising information related to a unit of the NF service consumer.

NF service consumer restart detection using direct signaling between NFs

A network entity generates a discovery request and transmit the discovery request to a network repository entity, NRE, wherein, advantageously, the discovery request includes a set of query parameters, the set of query parameters comprising a set of candidate network entity identifiers (IDs) comprising at least a first candidate network entity ID (e.g., an1-SMF instance ID), wherein each candidate network entity ID included in the set of candidate network entity IDs identifies a candidate network entity.

Methods and apparatuses for network function discovery

Growing community of inventors

Kållered, Sweden

Yong Yang