Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Yong Yang

Yunjie Lu

Gunnar Rydnell

Qian Chen

Zu Qiang

Roland Gustafsson

Hans Bertil Rönneke

John Stenfelt

Chunbo Wang

Wenliang Xu

Ann-Christine Sander

Juying Gan

Zhiwei Qu

Jinyin Zhu

Susana Fernandez Alonso

Josefin Karlsson

Peter Hedman

Xinyu Zhang

Stefan Rommer

Kai Zhang

Magnus Norberg Olsson

Lasse Olsson

Lars-Bertil Olsson

Cheng Wang

Jan Backman

Maria Cruz Bartolomé Rodrigo

Paul Schliwa-Bertling

Angelo Centonza

Miguel Angel Muñoz De La Torre Alonso

Xiao Li

György Miklós

Peter Ramle

János Harmatos

Feng Guo

Carlos Jimenez Cordon

Lars Lövsén

Ana Maria Lopez Nieto

Ignacio Rivas Molina

Dongmei Zhu

Yingjiao He

Tony Olsson

Jesus-Angel de-Gregorio-Rodriguez

Jiehong Yang

Mei Dong

Ioannis Sapountzis

Qi Xia

Anders Fredén

Patrik Hermansson

Dirk Kopplin

Wen Ju Zhang

Gang Ren

Erik Wikström

Junyi Wang

Hans Mattsson

Loudon Lee Campbell

Di Liu

Jesus Angel De Gregorio Rodriguez

Folke Ahlström

Zhansheng Wei

Magnus Olsson

Sven-Ove Emanuelsson

Juan Xu

Yumei Song

Jingzhe Zhang

Nan Zhang

Jesus-Angel De-Gregorio-Rodriguez

Hans Rönneke

Maud Forsman

Erik Wikstroem

Jesus De Gregorio

Lars LÖVSEN

Anders FRÉDEN

Anders FRÈDEN

The present disclosure proposes network elements (NEs), methods at NEs for facilitating data forwarding, and a telecommunications system comprising the NEs. The method at a first network element for facilitating data forwarding may comprise: receiving, from a second network element, a first message comprising a first indicator indicating that a data forwarding function is supported by the second network element. Further, the first message may be a first request message which requests registering, at the first network element, one or more functions of the second network element comprising the data forwarding function. Further, the method may further comprise transmitting, to the second network element, a first response message comprising a second indicator indicating success of the registration.

Support for data forwarding

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods and apparatus for user plane path failure and recovery handling. A method comprises detecting that a user plane path is failed; and monitoring the user plane path within a configurable period to determine whether the user plane path is recovered or not.

Method and apparatus for user plane path failure and recovery handling

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide method and apparatus for session management. A method at a control plane function comprises generating an information element to indicate a number of reports that the user plane function can send a usage report to the control plane function. The method further comprises sending the information element to the user plane function.

Method and apparatus for session management

A method () performed by an NF service consumer. The method includes invoking (s) a discovery service for discovering NF service producers. Invoking the discovery service comprises: generating (s) a discovery message () comprising a query; and transmitting (s) to an NRF (), the discovery message comprising the query. The query included in the discovery message () comprises a first query parameter comprising a first NF type value identifying an NF type of a target NF being discovered. The query further comprises at least one of: i) a second query parameter comprising a supported features value specifying that the NF service consumer invoking the discovery service supports selection of combined NFs, or ii) a third query parameter comprising a second NF type value identifying a set of one or more NF types. The third query parameter indicates either a) that the NF service consumer prefers the NRF to return a set of NF instance profiles wherein each NF instance profile included in the set is for an NF instance that supports all of the NF types identified by the first and second NF type values.

Methods and apparatuses for network function discovery

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

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Kållered, Sweden

Yong Yang