WO2022040955A1

WO2022040955A1 - Apparatus and methods for updating network slice selection assistance information lists

Info

Publication number: WO2022040955A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/111221
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nan Zhang; Yongjun XU; Long HAN
Original assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Current assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Priority date: 2020-08-26
Filing date: 2020-08-26
Publication date: 2022-03-03
Anticipated expiration: 2023-02-26

Abstract

This disclosure relates to techniques for generating and updating a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list. A user equipment (UE) selects an application of one or more applications stored in the UE, wherein the application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors. The UE also generates a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor. The UE further transmits the NSSAI list to a base station.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR UPDATING NETWORK SLICE SELECTION ASSISTANCE INFORMATION LISTS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to generating and updating network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) lists.

INTRODUCTION

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (for example, time, frequency, and power) . Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA) , time division multiple access (TDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) , or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) . A wireless multiple-access communications system may include a number of base stations or network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE) .

Some wireless communications systems, such as a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless network, may be packet-switched (PS) Internet Protocol (IP) networks so that the networks deliver data traffic in IP packets. A user equipment (UE) join a network and a Packet Data Network (PDN) address may be assigned to the UE for connecting the UE to the PDN. A Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session defines the association between the UE and the data network that provides a PDU connectivity service. From Release 16, 3GPP, the UE may request proper network slicing instances during a registration procedure for initiating a PDU session. A network slice may be logical network that provides specific network capabilities and network characteristics. A network slice instance may be a set of network function instances and the requested resources (e.g., computing, storage, and networking resources) which form a deployed network slice. A network slice may be a service type such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) , ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) , a massive internet of things (MIoT) , or the like.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects of the present disclosure, in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the disclosure, and is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

A method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method includes selecting an application of one or more applications stored in the UE, wherein the application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors. The method also includes generating a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor. The method further includes transmitting the NSSAI list to a base station.

A user equipment (UE) is provided. The UE includes a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a base station. The UE also includes one or more processors electronically coupled to the transceiver. The one or more processors are configured to select an application of one or more applications stored in the UE, wherein the application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors. The one or more processors are also configured to generate a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor. The one or more processors are further configured to transmit the NSSAI list to a base station.

A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium, having instructions stored thereon is provided. When the instructions are executed by a processing circuit, the instructions cause the processing circuit to select an application of one or more applications stored in the UE, wherein the application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors. When the instructions are executed by the processing circuit, the instructions also cause the processing circuit to generate a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor. When the instructions are executed by the processing circuit, the instructions further cause the processing circuit to transmit the NSSAI list to a base station.

A user equipment (UE) is provided. The UE includes a means for selecting an application of one or more applications stored in the UE, wherein the application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors. The UE also includes a means for generating a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor. The UE further includes means for transmitting the NSSAI list to a base station.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will become more fully understood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows. Other aspects, features, and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewing the following description of specific, example embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures. While features of the present invention may be discussed relative to certain embodiments and figures below, all embodiments of the present invention can include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with the various embodiments of the invention discussed herein. In similar fashion, while example embodiments may be discussed below as device, system, or method embodiments it should be understood that such example embodiments can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual illustration of an example of a radio access network.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a 5G wireless communication system (5GS) .

FIG. 4 is a conceptual illustration of an example wireless communication system for generating and updating network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) lists in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example hardware implementation for a UE in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example method performed at a UE for generating and updating network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) lists in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example hardware implementation for a base station in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example method performed at a base station for generating and updating network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) lists in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example hardware implementation for an AMF in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an example method performed at an AMF for generating and updating network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) lists in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth herein in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

In some wireless communications systems, such as a fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) wireless network, one or more wireless devices may seek to receive one or more unicast services or one or more multicast or broadcast services (hereinafter referred to collectively as “multicast broadcast services” ) . A unicast transmission is a transmission from a single point in the network (for example, a base station) to another single point in the network (for example, a user equipment (UE) ) . In contrast, a multicast or broadcast transmission (hereinafter referred to collectively as a “multicast broadcast transmission ” ) is a single point to multi-point transmission, such as from a base station to a group of UEs in a cell of the base station. A base station may provide unicast services to multiple UEs via individual unicast transmissions to the respective UEs as well as multicast broadcast services to a group of UEs via multicast broadcast transmissions to the group of UEs.

In Release 17 3GPP systems, networks may be packet-switched (PS) Internet Protocol (IP) networks so that the networks deliver data traffic in IP packets. A user equipment (UE) join a network and a Packet Data Network (PDN) address may be assigned to the UE for connecting the UE to the PDN. A Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session defines the association between the UE and the data network that provides a PDU connectivity service. From Release 16, 3GPP, the UE may request proper network slicing instances during a registration procedure for initiating a PDU session. A network slice may be logical network that provides specific network capabilities and network characteristics. A network slice instance may be a set of network function instances and the required resources (e.g., computing, storage, and networking resources) which form a deployed network slice. A network slice may be a service type such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) , ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) , a massive internet of things (MIoT) , or the like.

In some aspects, hundreds of different network slicing instances may be included within a particular public land mobile network (PLMN) . A UE, supporting as many as eight (8) network slicing instances, may request proper network slicing instances during a registration procedure (e.g., an RRCSetupComplete message) . A UE may transmit a requested network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list to the network during registration and in response receive an allowed NSSAI list. However, the UE may be unable to obtain this NSSAI list for transmission to the network. Network slicing is application-centric instead of UE-centric such that an application knows which network slicing type is needed to run the application, but the UE may not. As described herein, the UE may generate and update NSSAI lists to maintain the proper list for commercialization on the UE. The UE may request proper network slicing, for example, in response to establishing connection with a new PLMN, at one or more time intervals, after initiating use of a new application, when an application stored on the UE changes a use rank relative to one or more other applications stored on the UE, or the like.

Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, the described techniques can be used to monitor or improve the reliability of providing multicast broadcast services via feedback from a group of UEs while maintaining quality of service and reducing congestion. For example, by delaying the transmission of an access request message, by a UE seeking multicast broadcast services to a base station providing the multicast broadcast services, the base station may more efficiently or effectively obtain feedback for improving the reliability or quality of multicast broadcast services while preventing an overload condition.

While aspects and embodiments are described in this application by illustration to some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional implementations and use cases may come about in many different arrangements and scenarios. Innovations described herein may be implemented across many differing platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, packaging arrangements. For example, embodiments and/or uses may come about via integrated chip embodiments and other non-module-component based devices (for example, end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail/purchasing devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc. ) . While some examples may or may not be specifically directed to use cases or applications, a wide assortment of applicability of described innovations may occur. Implementations may range a spectrum from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations and further to aggregate, distributed, or OEM devices or systems incorporating one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some practical settings, devices incorporating described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementation and practice of claimed and described embodiments. For example, transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily includes a number of components for analog and digital purposes (for example, hardware components including antenna, RF-chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffer, processor (s) , interleaver, adders/summers, etc. ) . It is intended that innovations described herein may be practiced in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, end-user devices, or the like of varying sizes, shapes, and constitution.

The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may be implemented across a broad variety of telecommunication systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Referring now to FIG. 1, as an illustrative example without limitation, various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated with reference to a wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 100 includes three interacting domains: a core network 102, a radio access network (RAN) 104, and a user equipment (UE) 106. By virtue of the wireless communication system 100, the UE 106 may be enabled to carry out data communication with an external data network 110, such as (but not limited to) the Internet.

The RAN 104 may implement any suitable wireless communication technology or technologies to provide radio access to the UE 106. As one example, the RAN 104 may operate according to 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications, often referred to as 5G. As another example, the RAN 104 may operate under a hybrid of 5G NR and Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standards, often referred to as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) . The 3GPP refers to this hybrid RAN as a next-generation RAN, or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples may be utilized within the scope of the present disclosure.

As illustrated, the RAN 104 includes a plurality of base stations 108 (e.g., a RAN entity, RAN node, or the like) . Broadly, a base station is a network element in a radio access network responsible for radio transmission and reception in one or more cells to or from a UE. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, a base station may variously be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station (BTS) , a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS) , an extended service set (ESS) , an access point (AP) , a Node B (NB) , an eNode B (eNB) , a gNode B (gNB) , or some other suitable terminology.

The radio access network 104 is further illustrated supporting wireless communication for multiple mobile apparatuses. A mobile apparatus may be referred to as user equipment (UE) in 3GPP standards, but may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS) , a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal (AT) , a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE may be an apparatus that provides a user with access to network services.

Within the present document, a “mobile” apparatus need not necessarily have a capability to move and may be stationary. The term mobile apparatus or mobile device broadly refers to a diverse array of devices and technologies. UEs may include a number of hardware structural components sized, shaped, and arranged to help in communication; such components can include antennas, antenna arrays, RF chains, amplifiers, one or more processors, etc. electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of a mobile apparatus include a mobile, a cellular (cell) phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal computer (PC) , a notebook, a netbook, a smartbook, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , and a broad array of embedded systems, e.g., corresponding to an “Internet of Things” (IoT) . A mobile apparatus may additionally be an automotive or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotics device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multi-copter, a quad-copter, a remote control device, a consumer and/or wearable device, such as eyewear, a wearable camera, a virtual reality device, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player) , a camera, a game console, etc. A mobile apparatus may additionally be a digital home or smart home device such as a home audio, video, and/or multimedia device, an appliance, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home security system, a smart meter, etc. A mobile apparatus may additionally be a smart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, a municipal infrastructure device controlling electric power (e.g., a smart grid) , lighting, water, etc.; an industrial automation and enterprise device; a logistics controller; agricultural equipment; military defense equipment, vehicles, aircraft, ships, and weaponry, etc. Still further, a mobile apparatus may provide for connected medicine or telemedicine support, i.e., health care at a distance. Telehealth devices may include telehealth monitoring devices and telehealth administration devices, whose communication may be given preferential treatment or prioritized access over other types of information, e.g., in terms of prioritized access for transport of critical service data, and/or relevant QoS for transport of critical service data.

Wireless communication between a RAN 104 and a UE 106 may be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions over the air interface from a base station (e.g., base station 108) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 106) may be referred to as downlink (DL) transmission. In accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink may refer to a point-to-multipoint transmission originating at a scheduling entity (described further below; e.g., base station 108) . Another way to describe this scheme may be to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 106) to a base station (e.g., base station 108) may be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink may refer to a point-to-point transmission originating at a scheduled entity (described further below; e.g., UE 106) .

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, wherein a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station 108) allocates resources for communication among some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. Within the present disclosure, as discussed further below, the scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduled communication, UEs 106, which may be scheduled entities, may utilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity 108.

Base stations 108 are not the only entities that may function as scheduling entities. That is, in some examples, a UE may function as a scheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs) .

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a scheduling entity 108 may broadcast downlink traffic 112 to one or more scheduled entities 106. Broadly, the scheduling entity 108 is a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in a wireless communication network, including the downlink traffic 112 and, in some examples, uplink traffic 116 from one or more scheduled entities 106 to the scheduling entity 108. On the other hand, the scheduled entity 106 is a node or device that receives downlink control information 114, including but not limited to scheduling information (e.g., a grant) , synchronization or timing information, or other control information from another entity in the wireless communication network such as the scheduling entity 108.

In addition, the uplink and/or downlink control information and/or traffic information may be time-divided into frames, subframes, slots, and/or symbols. As used herein, a symbol may refer to a unit of time that, in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) waveform, carries one resource element (RE) per sub-carrier. A slot may carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe may refer to a duration of 1ms. Multiple subframes or slots may be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any suitable scheme for organizing waveforms may be utilized, and various time divisions of the waveform may have any suitable duration.

In general, base stations 108 may include a backhaul interface for communication with a backhaul portion 120 of the wireless communication system. The backhaul 120 may provide a link between a base station 108 and the core network 102. Further, in some examples, a backhaul network may provide interconnection between the respective base stations 108. Various types of backhaul interfaces may be employed, such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, or the like using any suitable transport network.

The core network 102 may be a part of the wireless communication system 100, and may be independent of the radio access technology used in the RAN 104. In some examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to 5G standards (e.g., 5GC) . In other examples, the core network 102 may be configured according to a 4G evolved packet core (EPC) , or any other suitable standard or configuration.

Referring now to FIG. 2, by way of example and without limitation, a block diagram illustrating an example of various components of a 5G wireless communication system (5GS) 200 is provided. In some examples, the 5GS 200 may be the same wireless communication system 100 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1. The 5GS 200 includes a user equipment (UE) 202, a NR-RAN 204, and a core network 206. By virtue of the wireless communication system 200, the UE 202 may be enabled to carry out data communication with an external data network 214, such as (but not limited to) the Internet or an Ethernet network.

The core network 206 may include, for example, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 208, a session management function (SMF) 210, and a user plane function (UPF) 212. The AMF 208 and SMF 210 employ control plane (e.g., Non Access Stratum (NAS) ) signaling to perform various functions related to mobility management and session management for the UE 202. For example, the AMF 208 provides connectivity, mobility management and authentication of the UE 202, while the SMF 210 provides session management of the UE 202 (e.g., processes signaling related to protocol data unit (PDU) sessions between the UE 202 and the external DN 214) . The UPF 212 provides user plane connectivity to route 5G (NR) packets to/from the UE 202 via the NR-RAN 204.

The core network 206 may further include other functions, such as a policy control function (PCF) 216, authentication server function (AUSF) 218, unified data management (UDM) 220, network slice selection function (NSSF) 222, and other functions (not illustrated, for simplicity) . The PCF 216 provides policy information (e.g., rules) for control plane functions, such as network slicing, roaming, and mobility management. In addition, the PCF 216 supports 5G quality of service (QoS) policies, network slice policies, and other types of policies. The AUSF 218 performs authentication of UEs 202. The UDM 220 facilitates generation of authentication and key agreement (AKA) credentials, performs user identification and manages subscription information and UE context. The NSSF 222 redirects traffic to a network slice. Network slices may be defined, for example, for different classes of subscribers or use cases, such as smart home, Internet of Things (IoT) , connected car, smart energy grid, etc. Each use case may receive a unique set of optimized resources and network topology (e.g., a network slice) to meet the connectivity, speed, power, and capacity requirements of the use case.

To establish a connection to the 5G core network 206 via the NR-RAN 204, the UE 202 may transmit a registration request and PDU session establishment request to the 5G core network 206 via the NR-RAN 204. The AMF 208 and SMF 210 may process the registration request and PDU session establishment request and establish a data network session (DNS) between the UE 202 and the external DN 214 via the UPF 212. A DNS may include one or more sessions (e.g., data sessions or data flows) and may be served by multiple UPFs 212 (only one of which is shown for convenience) . Examples of data flows include, but are not limited to, IP flows, Ethernet flows and unstructured data flows.

Referring now to FIG. 3, by way of example and without limitation, a schematic illustration of a RAN 300 is provided. In some examples, the RAN 300 may be the same as the RAN 104 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1 and/or the NR-RAN 204 described above and illustrated in FIG. 2. The geographic area covered by the RAN 300 may be divided into cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted from one access point or base station. FIG. 3 illustrates

macrocells

302, 304, and 306, and a small cell 308, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown) . A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same base station. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.

Various base station arrangements can be utilized. For example, in FIG. 3, two

base stations

310 and 312 are shown in

cells

302 and 304; and a third base station 314 is shown controlling a remote radio head (RRH) 316 in cell 306. That is, a base station can have an integrated antenna or can be connected to an antenna or RRH by feeder cables. In the illustrated example, the

cells

302, 304, and 306 may be referred to as macrocells, as the

base stations

310, 312, and 314 support cells having a large size. Further, a base station 318 is shown in the small cell 308 (e.g., a microcell, picocell, femtocell, home base station, home Node B, home eNode B, etc. ) which may overlap with one or more macrocells. In this example, the cell 308 may be referred to as a small cell, as the base station 318 supports a cell having a relatively small size. Cell sizing can be done according to system design as well as component constraints.

It is to be understood that the radio access network 300 may include any number of wireless base stations and cells. Further, a relay node may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of a given cell. The

base stations

310, 312, 314, 318 provide wireless access points to a core network for any number of mobile apparatuses. In some examples, the

base stations

310, 312, 314, and/or 318 may be the same as the base station/scheduling entity 108 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1.

Within the RAN 300, the cells may include UEs that may be in communication with one or more sectors of each cell. Further, each

base station

310, 312, 314, and 318 may be configured to provide an access point to a core network (e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 1 and/or 2) for all the UEs in the respective cells. For example,

UEs

322 and 324 may be in communication with base station 310;

UEs

326 and 328 may be in communication with base station 312;

UEs

330 and 332 may be in communication with base station 314 by way of RRH 316; and UE 334 may be in communication with base station 318. In some examples, the

UEs

322, 324, 326, 328, 330, 332, 334, 338, 340, and/or 342 may be the same as the UE/scheduled entity 106 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1 and/or the UE 202 described above and illustrated in FIG. 2.

In some examples, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 320, which may be a drone or quadcopter, can be a mobile network node and may be configured to function as a UE. For example, the UAV 320 may operate within cell 302 by communicating with base station 310.

In the RAN 300, the ability for a UE to communicate while moving, independent of its location, is referred to as mobility. The various physical channels between the UE and the radio access network are generally set up, maintained, and released under the control of the AMF 208, illustrated in FIG. 2.

A RAN 300 may utilize DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to enable mobility and handovers (i.e., the transfer of a UE’s connection from one radio channel to another) . In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, a UE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell as well as various parameters of neighboring cells. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more of the neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds that from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE may undertake a handoff or handover from the serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, UE 324 (illustrated as a vehicle, although any suitable form of UE may be used) may move from the geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 302 to the geographic area corresponding to a neighbor cell 306. When the signal strength or quality from the neighbor cell 306 exceeds that of its serving cell 302 for a given amount of time, the UE 324 may transmit a reporting message to its serving base station 310 indicating this condition. In response, the UE 324 may receive a handover command, and the UE may undergo a handover to the cell 306.

In a network configured for UL-based mobility, UL reference signals from each UE may be utilized by the network to select a serving cell for each UE. In some examples, the

base stations

310, 312, and 314/316 may broadcast unified synchronization signals (e.g., unified Primary Synchronization Signals (PSSs) , unified Secondary Synchronization Signals (SSSs) and unified Physical Broadcast Channels (PBCH) ) . The

UEs

322, 324, 326, 328, 330, and 332 may receive the unified synchronization signals, derive the carrier frequency and slot timing from the synchronization signals, and in response to deriving timing, transmit an uplink pilot or reference signal. The uplink pilot signal transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE 324) may be concurrently received by two or more cells (e.g.,

base stations

310 and 314/316) within the radio access network 300. Each of the cells may measure a strength of the pilot signal, and the radio access network (e.g., one or more of the

base stations

310 and 314/316 and/or a central node within the core network) may determine a serving cell for the UE 324. As the UE 324 moves through the radio access network 300, the network may continue to monitor the uplink pilot signal transmitted by the UE 324. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signal measured by a neighboring cell exceeds that of the signal strength or quality measured by the serving cell, the network 300 may handover the UE 324 from the serving cell to the neighboring cell, with or without informing the UE 324.

Although the synchronization signal transmitted by the

base stations

310, 312, and 314/316 may be unified, the synchronization signal may not identify a particular cell, but rather may identify a zone of multiple cells operating on the same frequency and/or with the same timing. The use of zones in 5G networks or other next generation communication networks enables the uplink-based mobility framework and improves the efficiency of both the UE and the network, since the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network may be reduced.

In various implementations, the air interface in the radio access network 300 may utilize licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum provides for exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum, generally by virtue of a mobile network operator purchasing a license from a government regulatory body. Unlicensed spectrum provides for shared use of a portion of the spectrum without need for a government-granted license. While compliance with some technical rules is generally still required to access unlicensed spectrum, generally, any operator or device may gain access. Shared spectrum may fall between licensed and unlicensed spectrum, wherein technical rules or limitations may be required to access the spectrum, but the spectrum may still be shared by multiple operators and/or multiple RATs. For example, the holder of a license for a portion of licensed spectrum may provide licensed shared access (LSA) to share that spectrum with other parties, e.g., with suitable licensee-determined conditions to gain access.

The air interface in the radio access network 300 may utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of the various devices. For example, 5G NR specifications provide multiple access for UL transmissions from

UEs

322 and 324 to base station 310, and for multiplexing for DL transmissions from base station 310 to one or

more UEs

322 and 324, utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) . In addition, for UL transmissions, 5G NR specifications provide support for discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with a CP (also referred to as single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) ) . However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes, and may be provided utilizing time division multiple access (TDMA) , code division multiple access (CDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , sparse code multiple access (SCMA) , resource spread multiple access (RSMA) , or other suitable multiple access schemes. Further, multiplexing DL transmissions from the base station 310 to UEs 322 and 324 may be provided utilizing time division multiplexing (TDM) , code division multiplexing (CDM) , frequency division multiplexing (FDM) , orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) , sparse code multiplexing (SCM) , or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

The air interface in the radio access network 300 may further utilize one or more duplexing algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link where both endpoints can communicate with one another in both directions. Full duplex means both endpoints can simultaneously communicate with one another. Half duplex means only one endpoint can send information to the other at a time. In a wireless link, a full duplex channel generally relies on physical isolation of a transmitter and receiver, and suitable interference cancellation technologies. Full duplex emulation is frequently implemented for wireless links by utilizing frequency division duplex (FDD) or time division duplex (TDD) . In FDD, transmissions in different directions operate at different carrier frequencies. In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from one another using time division multiplexing. That is, at some times the channel is dedicated for transmissions in one direction, while at other times the channel is dedicated for transmissions in the other direction, where the direction may change very rapidly, e.g., several times per slot.

In a further aspect of the RAN 300, sidelink or device-to-device (D2D) signals 327 may be communicated directly between UEs on resources allocated by a base station 312 for sidelink or D2D communication. In some examples, the sidelink or D2D signals 327 include one or more of sidelink/D2D traffic and sidelink/D2D control. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 326 and 328) may communicate with each other using D2D or sidelink signals 327 without relaying that communication through a base station (e.g., base station 312) . In this example, a UE may function as a scheduling entity to schedule D2D or sidelink signals 327 on the network-allocated resources in a D2D, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) , or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network. Thus, in a wireless communication system with scheduled access to time–frequency resources and having a cellular configuration, a scheduling entity (e.g., a UE 326) and one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs 328) may directly communicate with one another utilizing the resources allocated by the cellular network (e.g., base station 312) for D2D or sidelink communication.

5GS networks may be packet-switched (PS) Internet Protocol (IP) networks so that the networks deliver data traffic in IP packets. A user equipment (UE) join a network and a Packet Data Network (PDN) address may be assigned to the UE for connecting the UE to the PDN. A Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session defines the association between the UE and the data network that provides a PDU connectivity service. From Release 16, 3GPP, the UE may request proper network slicing instances during a registration procedure for initiating a PDU session. A network slice may be logical network that provides specific network capabilities and network characteristics. A network slice instance may be a set of network function instances and the requested resources (e.g., computing, storage, and networking resources) which form a deployed network slice. A network slice may be a service type such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) , ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) , a massive internet of things (MIoT) , or the like.

In some aspects, the UE may store one or more applications in the UE. The UE may then collect one or more use-statistics associated with each of the one or more applications stored in the UE. The UE may rank each application of the one or more applications based on the one or more use-statistics. The UE may rank each application of the one or more applications according to a recency of use among each of the one or more applications. The UE may then select an application of the one or more applications stored in the UE based on a rank of the application.

The UE may generate a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application the associated traffic descriptor. For example, the UE may store a plurality of sets of policy rules in the UE, where each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprises a traffic descriptor, match a traffic descriptor from one set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules with the traffic descriptor associated with the application, select the set of policy rules identifying the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the application, and generate at least one S-NSSAI including an identification of the application and the selected set of policy rules. Each S-NSSAI may be representative of or associated with a network slice, discuss herein. In some aspects, the NSSAI list may include up to eight (8) S-NSSAIs in accordance with TS38.300.16.3.1 and TS23.501.5.15.2.1.

The UE may transmit the NSSAI list to the base station. The base station may receive the NSSAI list and transmit the NSSAI list to an AMF. Subsequently, the AMF may select at least one of a serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slice instances based on the S-NSSAI contained in the NSSAI and transmit an indication of the selection to the base station. The base station may receive the indication of the selection of at least one of a serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slice instances based on the S-NSSAI contained in the NSSAI and transmit an approved NSSAI list to the UE. The UE and the base station may then establish a protocol data unity (PDU) session.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual illustration of an example wireless communication system 400 for generating and updating network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) lists in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. Wireless communication networks may include a user equipment (UE) 402, a base station 404, and a AMF 406 and may be configured for generating and updating network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) lists.

In operation 408, the UE 402 may store one or more applications in the UE 402. For example, one or more application may have been stored on the UE 402 before an initial use of the UE. As another, example, a user of the UE 402 may have downloaded and stored the one or more applications on the UE after an initial use. Application may include, for example, a NETFLIX ^TM application, a WECHAT ^TM application, a BLIBLI ^TM application, an OFFICE ^TM application, or the like. In some aspects, each of the one or more applications may be associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors. A traffic descriptor may be information associated with a particular application that, when provided to a network, such as an AMF (e.g., AMF 406) , informs the network of the particular kind of traffic that the application utilizes and the performance requirements of that traffic. In some aspects, a traffic descriptors may include a requested service type, one or more traffic parameters of each data flow in both directions, and quality of service (QoS) parameters requested in each direction. In some cases, services types may include constant bit rate (CBR) , real-time variable bit rate (rt-VBR) , non-real-time variable bit rate (nrt-VBR) , available bit rate (ABR) , and unspecified bit rate (UBR) . In some cases, traffic parameters may include peak cell rate (PCR) , sustainable cell rate (SCR) , maximum burst size (MBS) , and minimum cell rate (MCR) . In some cases, QoS parameters may include cell transfer delay (CTD) , peak-to-peak cell delay variation (CDV) , and cell loss ratio (CLR) . When the network receives a traffic descriptor associated with an application, the network seeks to identify resources to accommodate the information provided in the traffic descriptor.

In operation 410, the UE 402 may collect one or more use-statistics associated with each of the one or more applications. In some cases, the UE 402 may determine an amount of a time that each application is used. For example, the UE 402 may determine a total amount of time that each application has been used on the UE 402. As another example, the UE 402 may determine the average amount of time that each application is used over a predetermined time period (e.g., a day, a week, a month, a year, or the like) . In some cases, the UE 402 may determine a recency of use of each of the one or more applications. For example, the UE 402 may determine which applications were most recently used. In some cases, when the UE 402 has not been used, the UE 402 may determine that each of the one or more applications have not been used and assign a default use statistic to each of the one or more applications.

In operation 412, the UE 402 may rank each application of the one or more applications based on the one or more use-statistics. In some cases, the UE 402 may rank each application of the one or more applications according to a total amount of time that each applications is used. For example, the UE 402 may assign a highest rank to a first application that has been used the most, a second highest rank to a second application that has been used less than only the first application, and a lowest rank to a third application that has been used the least of all of the other one or more applications. In some cases, the UE 402 may rank each application of the one or more applications according to an averaged amount of time that each applications is used over a predetermined period of time. For example, the UE 402 may assign a highest rank to a first application that has a highest averaged amount of use time over the predetermined time, a second highest rank to a second application that has an averaged amount of use time over the predetermined time that is less than only the first application, and a lowest rank to a third application that has an averaged amount of use time over the predetermined time that is less than all of the other one or more applications.

In some cases, the UE 402 may rank each application of the one or more applications according to a recency of use among each of the one or more applications. For example, the UE 402 may assign a highest rank to a first application that was most recently used, a second highest rank to a second application that was used most recently relative to every other application of the one or more applications except the first application, and a lowest rank to a third application that was last used at a time before all of the other one or more applications were used. In some cases, when the UE 402 has not been used, and thus none of the one or more applications have been used, the UE 402 may assign a same rank or a default rank to each of the one or more applications.

In operation 414, the UE 402 may select an application of the one or more applications stored in the UE based on a rank of the application. In some cases, the UE 402 may select at least one application of the one or more applications having a rank above a minimum threshold rank. For example, the UE 402 may select only the highest-ranking application of the one or more applications. As another example, the UE 402 may select the eight (8) highest ranking applications (e.g., a top eight (8) ) of the one or more applications. In some cases, when the UE 402 can select a threshold quantity of applications based on rank, but the quantity of applications that have a use statistic and a rank (i.e., not default rank) is below the threshold quantity, the UE 402 may select only those applications that have a rank (i.e., not default rank) . In some cases, when the UE 402 can select a threshold quantity of applications based on rank, but the quantity of applications that have a use statistic and a rank (i.e., not default rank) is below the threshold quantity, the UE 402 may select those applications that have a rank (i.e., not default rank) and one or more default applications so that the quantity of selected applications meet the threshold quantity. In some cases, when the UE 402 has not been used, and thus none of the one or more applications have been used, the UE 402 may select one or more default applications of the one or more applications.

In operation 416, the UE 402 may generate a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application the associated traffic descriptor. For example, after the UE 402 selects at least one application of the one or more applications, the UE 402 may generate a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the at least one selected application and each traffic descriptor associated with each application. In some cases, for example, when the UE 402 has not been used, and thus none of the one or more applications have been used, the UE 402 may generate a default NSSAI list. The default NSSAI list be including one or more S-NSSAIs that are associated with a predetermined set of one or more applications.

In some cases, generating an NSSAI list may include storing a plurality of sets of policy rules in the UE 402, where each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprises a traffic descriptor. For example, the UE 402 may search for and record or store a plurality of UE route selection policy (URSP) rules and/or a plurality of network slice selection policy (NSSP) rules. In some cases, the plurality of sets of policy rules stored in the UE may include at least one of one or more sets of policy rules configured by the UE or one or more sets of policy rules received from the base station. Additionally, or alternatively, generating an NSSAI list may include matching a traffic descriptor from one set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules with the traffic descriptor associated with the application. For example, after storing a plurality of URSP rules and/or a plurality of NSSP rules, the UE 402 may match a traffic descriptor contained in a URSP rule of the plurality of USRP rules or contained in an NSSP rule of the plurality of NSSP rules with a traffic descriptor associated with a selected application.

Additionally, or alternatively, generating an NSSAI list may include selecting the set of policy rules identifying the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the application. For example, after matching a traffic descriptor contained in a URSP rule of the plurality of URSP rules or contained in an NSSP rule of the plurality of NSSP rules with a traffic descriptor associated with a selected application, the UE 402 may select the URSP rule and/or the NSSP rule having the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the selected application. Additionally, or alternatively, generating an NSSAI list may include generating at least one S-NSSAI including an identification of the application and the selected set of policy rules. For example, after selecting the set of policy rules identifying the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the selected application, the UE 402 may generate an NSSAI list including at least one S-NSSAI. The UE 402 may generate the S-NSSAI for inclusion in the NSSAI list and using an identification of the selected application and the selected set of policy rules. Each S-NSSAI may be representative of or associated with a network slice, discuss herein. In some aspects, the NSSAI list may include up to eight (8) S-NSSAIs in accordance with TS38.300.16.3.1 and TS23.501.5.15.2.1.

In operation 418, the UE 402 transmits the NSSAI list to the base station 404. For example, during a registration procedure (e.g., using an RRCSetupComplete message) , the UE 402 may transmit a requested NSSAI list to the base station 404. In operation 420, the base station 404, transmits the NSSAI list to the AMF 406. For example, in response to receiving the requested NSSAI list from the UE 402, the base station 404 may transmit the requested NSSAI list to an AMF 406 associated with the base station 404. In operation 422, the AMF 406 selects at least one of a serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slice instances based on the S-NSSAI contained in the NSSAI. For example, the AMF 406 may determine that the AMF 406 itself has the appropriate network slicing instance and/or is associated with the appropriate network slice for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI and select the AMF 406 itself for providing network slicing instances. As another example, the AMF 406 may determine that another AMF has the appropriate network slicing instance and/or is associated with the appropriate network slice for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI and select the other AMF for providing network slicing instances. As yet another example, the AMF 406 may identify one or more network slices and select appropriate network slices for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI. As another example, the AMF 406 may identify one or more network slice instances and select appropriate network slice instances for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI. The AMF 406 may determine a serving AMF, a network slice, and/or a network slice instance for each S-NSSAI and thus for each application selected by the UE.

In operation 424, the base station 404, receives an indication of a selection of at least one of a serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slice instances based on the S-NSSAI contained in the NSSAI. For example, the base station 404 may receive the indication of the selection of at least one of the serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slicing instances and determine that the requested NSSAI list is an approved NSSAI list. In some cases, the base station may transmit the selection of at least one of a serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slice instances based on the S-NSSAI contained in the NSSAI, and thus for each application selected by the UE. In operation 426, the base station 404, transmits an approved NSSAI list to the UE 402. For example, in response to receiving the indication of a selection of at least one of the serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slicing instances and determining that the requested NSSAI list is an approved NSSAI list, the base station 404 may transmit the approved NSSAI to the UE 402. In operation 428, the UE 402 and the base station 404 establish a protocol data unit (PDU) session. For example, the UE 402 and the base station 404 may establish a PDU session for each application selected by the UE.

It should be understood that the system 400 including the UE 402, the base station 404, and the AMF 406 may implement any one or more procedures described herein in addition to the procedure described herein with respect to FIG. 4. For example, in addition to the system 400 implementing the one or more procedures described herein with respect to FIG. 4, the system 400 including the UE 402 and the base station 404 may implement any one or more procedures described herein with respect to any one or more of FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 5-10.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example hardware implementation for a UE 500 in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. In some examples, the UE 500 may be a UE as illustrated in any one or more of FIGS. 1-4 and 6-10.

]The UE 500 may be implemented with a processing system 514 that includes one or more processors 504. Examples of processors 504 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs) , field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) , programmable logic devices (PLDs) , state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the UE 500 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 504, as utilized in the UE 500, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes and procedures described and illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and 6-10.

In this example, the processing system 514 may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the bus 502. The bus 502 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system 514 and the overall design constraints. The bus 502 communicatively couples together various circuits including one or more processors (represented generally by the processor 504) , a memory 505, and computer-readable media (represented generally by the computer-readable medium 506) . The bus 502 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface 508 provides an interface between the bus 502 and a transceiver 510. The transceiver 510 may provide a communication interface or means for wirelessly communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user interface 512 (for example, keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 504 may include a selecting circuit 540 configured to perform various functions, including, for example, selecting an application of one or more applications stored in the UE, where the application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors. In some examples, the selecting circuit 540 may be configured to perform various functions, including, for example, storing one or more applications in the UE, each of the one or more applications associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 504 may include a generating circuit 542 configured to perform various functions, including, for example, generating a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor. Additionally, or alternatively, the generating circuit 542 may be configured to perform various functions, including, for example, storing a plurality of sets of policy rules in the UE, where each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprises a traffic descriptor. Additionally, or alternatively, the generating circuit 542 may be configured to perform various functions, including, for example, matching a traffic descriptor from one set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules with the traffic descriptor associated with the application. Additionally, or alternatively, the generating circuit 542 may be configured to perform various functions, including, for example, selecting the set of policy rules identifying the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the application. Additionally, or alternatively, the generating circuit 542 may be configured to perform various functions, including, for example, generating the at least one S-NSSAI including an identification of the application and the selected set of policy rules.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 504 may include a collecting circuit 544 configured to perform various functions, including, for example, collecting one or more use-statistics associated with each of the one or more applications stored in the UE. In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 504 may include a ranking circuit 546 configured to perform various functions, including, for example, ranking each application of the one or more applications based on the one or more use-statistics. In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 504 may include a transmitting circuit 548 configured to perform various functions, including, for example, transmitting the NSSAI list to a base station. In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 504 may include a receiving circuit 549 configured to perform various functions, including, for example, receiving an approved NSSAI list. In some examples, the transmitting circuit 548 and/or the receiving circuit 549 may be configured to perform various functions, including, for example, establishing a protocol data unit (PDU) session.

The processor 504 may be responsible for managing the bus 502 and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium 506. The software, when executed by the processor 504, causes the processing system 514 to perform the various functions described herein, including those functions describe with respect to FIGS. 1-4 and 6-10. The computer-readable medium 506 and the memory 505 may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor 504 when executing software.

One or more processors 504 in the processing system may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software may reside on a computer-readable medium 506. The computer-readable medium 506 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way of example, a magnetic storage device (for example, hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip) , an optical disk (for example, a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD) ) , a smart card, a flash memory device (for example, a card, a stick, or a key drive) , a random access memory (RAM) , a read only memory (ROM) , a programmable ROM (PROM) , an erasable PROM (EPROM) , an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM) , a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium 506 may reside in the processing system 514, external to the processing system 514, or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 514. The computer-readable medium 506 may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

In one or more examples, the computer-readable storage medium 506 may include selecting software or instructions 550, generating software or instructions 552, collecting software or instructions 554, ranking software or instructions 556, transmitting software or instructions 558, or receiving software or instructions 659. Of course, in the examples provided herein, the circuitry included in the processor 504 is merely provided as an example, and other means for carrying out the described functions may be included within various aspects of the present disclosure, including but not limited to the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium 506, or any other suitable apparatus or means described in any one of the FIGS. 1-4 and 6-10 and utilizing, for example, the processes or algorithms described herein.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 600 performed at a UE for generating and updating network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) lists in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. In some examples, the method 600 may be carried out by any suitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions or algorithm described herein.

At block 602, the UE 500 may store one or more applications in a user equipment (UE) , each of the one or more applications associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors. For example, one or more application may have been stored on the UE before an initial use of the UE. As another, example, a user of the UE may have downloaded and stored the one or more applications on the UE after an initial use. Application may include, for example, a NETFLIX ^TM application, a WECHAT ^TM application, a BLIBLI ^TM application, an OFFICE ^TM application, or the like. In some aspects, each of the one or more applications may be associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors. A traffic descriptor may be information associated with a particular application that, when provided to a network, such as an AMF (e.g., AMF 406) , informs the network of the particular kind of traffic that the application utilizes and the performance requirements of that traffic. In some aspects, a traffic descriptors may include a requested service type, one or more traffic parameters of each data flow in both directions, and quality of service (QoS) parameters requested in each direction. In some cases, services types may include constant bit rate (CBR) , real-time variable bit rate (rt-VBR) , non-real-time variable bit rate (nrt-VBR) , available bit rate (ABR) , and unspecified bit rate (UBR) . In some cases, traffic parameters may include peak cell rate (PCR) , sustainable cell rate (SCR) , maximum burst size (MBS) , and minimum cell rate (MCR) . In some cases, QoS parameters may include cell transfer delay (CTD) , peak-to-peak cell delay variation (CDV) , and cell loss ratio (CLR) . When the network receives a traffic descriptor associated with an application, the network seeks to identify resources to accommodate the information provided in the traffic descriptor.

At block 604, the UE 500 may collect one or more use-statistics associated with each of the one or more applications stored in the UE. In some cases, the UE may determine an amount of a time that each application is used. For example, the UE may determine a total amount of time that each application has been used on the UE. As another example, the UE may determine the average amount of time that each application is used over a predetermined time period (e.g., a day, a week, a month, a year, or the like) . In some cases, the UE may determine a recency of use of each of the one or more applications. For example, the UE may determine which applications were most recently used. In some cases, when the UE has not been used, the UE may determine that each of the one or more applications have not been used and assign a default use statistic to each of the one or more applications.

At block 606, the UE 500 may rank each application of the one or more applications based on the one or more use-statistics. In some cases, the UE may rank each application of the one or more applications according to a total amount of time that each applications is used. For example, the UE may assign a highest rank to a first application that has been used the most, a second highest rank to a second application that has been used less than only the first application, and a lowest rank to a third application that has been used the least of all of the other one or more applications. In some cases, the UE may rank each application of the one or more applications according to an averaged amount of time that each applications is used over a predetermined period of time. For example, the UE may assign a highest rank to a first application that has a highest averaged amount of use time over the predetermined time, a second highest rank to a second application that has an averaged amount of use time over the predetermined time that is less than only the first application, and a lowest rank to a third application that has an averaged amount of use time over the predetermined time that is less than all of the other one or more applications.

In some cases, the UE may rank each application of the one or more applications according to a recency of use among each of the one or more applications. For example, the UE may assign a highest rank to a first application that was most recently used, a second highest rank to a second application that was used most recently relative to every other application of the one or more applications except the first application, and a lowest rank to a third application that was last used at a time before all of the other one or more applications were used. In some cases, when the UE has not been used, and thus none of the one or more applications have been used, the UE may assign a same rank or a default rank to each of the one or more applications.

At block 608, the UE 500 may select an application of the one or more applications stored in the UE based on a rank of the application. In some cases, the UE may select at least one application of the one or more applications having a rank above a minimum threshold rank. For example, the UE may select only the highest-ranking application of the one or more applications. As another example, the UE may select the eight (8) highest ranking applications (e.g., a top eight (8) ) of the one or more applications. In some cases, when the UE can select a threshold quantity of applications based on rank, but the quantity of applications that have a use statistic and a rank (i.e., not default rank) is below the threshold quantity, the UE may select only those applications that have a rank (i.e., not default rank) . In some cases, when the UE can select a threshold quantity of applications based on rank, but the quantity of applications that have a use statistic and a rank (i.e., not default rank) is below the threshold quantity, the UE may select those applications that have a rank (i.e., not default rank) and one or more default applications so that the quantity of selected applications meet the threshold quantity. In some cases, when the UE has not been used, and thus none of the one or more applications have been used, the UE may select one or more default applications of the one or more applications.

At block 610, the UE 500 may generate a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the selected application and the associated traffic descriptor. For example, after the UE selects at least one application of the one or more applications, the UE may generate a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the at least one selected application and each traffic descriptor associated with each application. In some cases, for example, when the UE has not been used, and thus none of the one or more applications have been used, the UE may generate a default NSSAI list. The default NSSAI list be including one or more S-NSSAIs that are associated with a predetermined set of one or more applications.

In some cases, generating an NSSAI list may include storing a plurality of sets of policy rules in the UE, where each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprises a traffic descriptor. For example, the UE may search for and record or store a plurality of UE route selection policy (URSP) rules and/or a plurality of network slice selection policy (NSSP) rules. In some cases, the plurality of sets of policy rules stored in the UE may include at least one of one or more sets of policy rules configured by the UE or one or more sets of policy rules received from the base station. Additionally, or alternatively, generating an NSSAI list may include matching a traffic descriptor from one set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules with the traffic descriptor associated with the application. For example, after storing a plurality of URSP rules and/or a plurality of NSSP rules, the UE may match a traffic descriptor contained in a URSP rule of the plurality of USRP rules or contained in an NSSP rule of the plurality of NSSP rules with a traffic descriptor associated with a selected application.

Additionally, or alternatively, generating an NSSAI list may include selecting the set of policy rules identifying the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the application. For example, after matching a traffic descriptor contained in a URSP rule of the plurality of URSP rules or contained in an NSSP rule of the plurality of NSSP rules with a traffic descriptor associated with a selected application, the UE may select the URSP rule and/or the NSSP rule having the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the selected application. Additionally, or alternatively, generating an NSSAI list may include generating at least one S-NSSAI including an identification of the application and the selected set of policy rules. For example, after selecting the set of policy rules identifying the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the selected application, the UE may generate an NSSAI list including at least one S-NSSAI. The UE may generate the S-NSSAI for inclusion in the NSSAI list and using an identification of the selected application and the selected set of policy rules. Each S-NSSAI may be representative of or associated with a network slice, discuss herein. In some aspects, the NSSAI list may include up to eight (8) S-NSSAIs in accordance with TS38.300.16.3.1 and TS23.501.5.15.2.1.

At block 612, the UE 500 may transmit the NSSAI list to a base station. For example, during a registration procedure (e.g., using an RRCSetupComplete message) , the UE 402 may transmit a requested NSSAI list to the base station 404. At block 614, the UE 500 may receive an approved NSSAI list. For example, in response to receiving the requested NSSAI list from the UE, a base station may transmit the requested NSSAI list to an AMF associated with the base station. The AMF may determine that the AMF itself has the appropriate network slicing instance and/or is associated with the appropriate network slice for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI and select the AMF itself for providing network slicing instances. Additionally, or alternatively, the AMF 406 may determine that another AMF has the appropriate network slicing instance and/or is associated with the appropriate network slice for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI and select the other AMF for providing network slicing instances. Additionally, or alternatively, the AMF may identify one or more network slices and select appropriate network slices for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI. Additionally, or alternatively, the AMF may identify one or more network slice instances and select appropriate network slice instances for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI. Subsequently, the base station may receive the indication of the selection of at least one of the serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slicing instances and determine that the requested NSSAI list is an approved NSSAI list. After the base station determines that the requested NSSAI list is an approved NSSAI list, the base station may transmit the approved NSSAI list for reception by the UE. At block 616, the UE 500 may establish a protocol data unit (PDU) session. For example, the UE and the base station may establish a PDU session for each application selected by the UE.

In certain aspects, a UE includes a means for selecting an application of one or more applications stored in the UE. The application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors. The UE also includes a means for generating a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor. The UE further includes a means for transmitting the NSSAI list to a base station. In some aspects, the UE includes a means for collecting one or more use-statistics associated with each of the one or more applications stored in the UE. In some aspects, the UE includes a means for ranking each application of the one or more applications based on the one or more use-statistics. In some aspects the UE includes a means for receiving an allowed NSSAI list from the RAN entity in response to transmitting the requested NSSAI list.

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example base station 700 in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. For example, the base station 700 may perform any of the functions illustrated and described in FIGS. 1-6 and 8-10.

The base station 700 may be implemented with a processing system 714 that includes one or more processors 704. Examples of processors 704 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs) , field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) , programmable logic devices (PLDs) , state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the base station 700 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 704, as utilized in the base station 700, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes and procedures described in FIGS. 1-6 and 8-10 and further illustrated in the flow diagrams discussed herein.

In this example, the processing system 714 may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the bus 702. The bus 702 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system 714 and the overall design constraints. The bus 702 communicatively couples together various circuits including one or more processors (represented generally by the processor 704) , a memory 705, and computer-readable media (represented generally by the computer-readable medium 706) . The bus 702 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface 708 provides an interface between the bus 702 and a transceiver 710. The transceiver 710 provides a communication interface or means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user interface 712 (for example, keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 704 may include a receiving circuit 740 configured for various functions, including, for example, receiving a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single-NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on an application and an associated traffic descriptor. The receiving circuit 740 may also be configured for various functions, including, for example, receiving a selection of at least one of a serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slice instances based on the S-NSSAI contained in the NSSAI.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 704 may include an approving circuit 742 configured for various functions, including, for example, approving a requested NSSAI from a UE based on receiving a selection of at least one of a serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slice instances. In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 704 may include a transmitting circuit 744 configured for various functions, including, for example, transmitting an approved NSSAI list to a UE. The transmitting circuit 744 and/or the receiving circuit 740 may also be configured for various functions, including, for example, establishing a protocol data unit (PDU) session between the base station and a UE.

The processor 704 is responsible for managing the bus 702 and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium 706. The software, when executed by the processor 704, causes the processing system 714 to perform the various functions described below for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable medium 706 and the memory 705 may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor 704 when executing software.

One or more processors 704 in the processing system may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software may reside on a computer-readable medium 706. The computer-readable medium 706 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way of example, a magnetic storage device (for example, hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip) , an optical disk (for example, a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD) ) , a smart card, a flash memory device (for example, a card, a stick, or a key drive) , a random access memory (RAM) , a read only memory (ROM) , a programmable ROM (PROM) , an erasable PROM (EPROM) , an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM) , a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium 706 may reside in the processing system 714, external to the processing system 714, or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 714. The computer-readable medium 706 may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

In one or more examples, the computer-readable storage medium 706 may include receiving software or instructions 750, approving software or instructions 752, and transmitting software or instructions 754. Of course, in the above examples, the circuitry included in the processor 704 is merely provided as an example, and other means for carrying out the described functions may be included within various aspects of the present disclosure, including but not limited to the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium 706, or any other suitable apparatus or means described in any one of the FIGS. 1-6 and 8-10 and utilizing, for example, the processes or algorithms described herein.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 800 performed at a base station for generating and updating network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) lists in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. In some examples, the method 800 may be carried out by any suitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions or algorithm described herein.

At block 802, the base station 700 may receive a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single-NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on an application and an associated traffic descriptor. For example, during a registration procedure (e.g., using an RRCSetupComplete message) , the base station may receive a requested NSSAI list from a UE. At block 804, the base station 700 may transmit the NSSAI list to an access and mobility management function (AMF) . For example, in response to receiving the requested NSSAI list from the UE, a base station may transmit the requested NSSAI list to an AMF associated with the base station. The AMF may determine that the AMF itself has the appropriate network slicing instance and/or is associated with the appropriate network slice for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI and select the AMF itself for providing network slicing instances. Additionally, or alternatively, the AMF 406 may determine that another AMF has the appropriate network slicing instance and/or is associated with the appropriate network slice for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI and select the other AMF for providing network slicing instances. Additionally, or alternatively, the AMF may identify one or more network slices and select appropriate network slices for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI. Additionally, or alternatively, the AMF may identify one or more network slice instances and select appropriate network slice instances for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI.

At block 806, the base station 700 may receive a selection of at least one of a serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slice instances based on the S-NSSAI contained in the NSSAI. For example, the base station may receive the indication of the selection of at least one of the serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slicing instances and determine that the requested NSSAI list is an approved NSSAI list. At block 808, the base station 700 may transmit an approved NSSAI list. For example, after the base station determines that the requested NSSAI list is an approved NSSAI list, the base station may transmit the approved NSSAI list for reception by the UE. At block 810, the base station 700 may establish a protocol data unit (PDU) session. For example, the UE and the base station may establish a PDU session for each application selected by the UE.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example AMF 900 in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. For example, the AMF 900 may perform any of the functions illustrated and described in FIGS. 1-8 and 10.

The AMF 900 may be implemented with a processing system 914 that includes one or more processors 904. Examples of processors 904 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs) , field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) , programmable logic devices (PLDs) , state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the base station 700 may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 904, as utilized in the AMF 900, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes and procedures described in FIGS. 1-8 and 10 and further illustrated in the flow diagrams discussed herein.

In this example, the processing system 914 may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the bus 902. The bus 902 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system 914 and the overall design constraints. The bus 902 communicatively couples together various circuits including one or more processors (represented generally by the processor 904) , a memory 905, and computer-readable media (represented generally by the computer-readable medium 906) . The bus 902 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface 908 provides an interface between the bus 902 and a transceiver 910. The transceiver 910 provides a communication interface or means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user interface 912 (for example, keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 904 may include a receiving circuit 940 configured for various functions, including, for example, receive a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single-NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on an application and an associated traffic descriptor. In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 904 may include a selecting circuit 942 configured for various functions, including, for example, selecting at least one of a serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slice instances based on the S-NSSAI contained in the NSSAI.. In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 904 may include a transmitting circuit 944 configured for various functions, including, for example, transmitting an indication of the selection.

The processor 904 is responsible for managing the bus 902 and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium 906. The software, when executed by the processor 904, causes the processing system 914 to perform the various functions described below for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable medium 906 and the memory 905 may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor 904 when executing software.

One or more processors 904 in the processing system may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software may reside on a computer-readable medium 906. The computer-readable medium 906 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way of example, a magnetic storage device (for example, hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip) , an optical disk (for example, a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD) ) , a smart card, a flash memory device (for example, a card, a stick, or a key drive) , a random access memory (RAM) , a read only memory (ROM) , a programmable ROM (PROM) , an erasable PROM (EPROM) , an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM) , a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium 906 may reside in the processing system 914, external to the processing system 914, or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 914. The computer-readable medium 906 may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

In one or more examples, the computer-readable storage medium 906 may include receiving software or instructions 950, selecting software or instructions 952, and transmitting software or instructions 954. Of course, in the above examples, the circuitry included in the processor 904 is merely provided as an example, and other means for carrying out the described functions may be included within various aspects of the present disclosure, including but not limited to the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium 906, or any other suitable apparatus or means described in any one of the FIGS. 1-8 and 10 and utilizing, for example, the processes or algorithms described herein.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 1000 performed at an AMF for generating and updating network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) lists in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. In some examples, the method 1000 may be carried out by any suitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions or algorithm described herein.

At block 1002, the AMF 900 may receive a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single-NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on an application and an associated traffic descriptor. For example, in response to receiving the requested NSSAI list from the UE, a base station may transmit the requested NSSAI list to an AMF associated with the base station. The AMF may determine that the AMF itself has the appropriate network slicing instance and/or is associated with the appropriate network slice for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI and select the AMF itself for providing network slicing instances. Additionally, or alternatively, the AMF 406 may determine that another AMF has the appropriate network slicing instance and/or is associated with the appropriate network slice for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI and select the other AMF for providing network slicing instances. Additionally, or alternatively, the AMF may identify one or more network slices and select appropriate network slices for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI. Additionally, or alternatively, the AMF may identify one or more network slice instances and select appropriate network slice instances for one or more applications identified by the S-NSSAIs in the NSSAI. At block 1004, the AMF 900 may select at least one of a serving AMF, one or more network slices, or one or more network slice instances based on the S-NSSAI contained in the NSSAI. At block 1006, the AMF 900 may transmit an indication of the selection.

Several aspects of a wireless communication network have been presented with reference to an example implementation. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure may be extended to other telecommunication systems, network architectures and communication standards.

As used herein, “or” is used intended to be interpreted in the inclusive sense, unless otherwise explicitly indicated. For example, “a or b” may include a only, b only, or a combination of a and b. As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” or “one or more of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. For example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover the examples of: a only, b only, c only, a combination of a and b, a combination of a and c, a combination of b and c, and a combination of a and b and c.

The various illustrative components, logic, logical blocks, modules, circuits, operations and algorithm processes described in connection with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, firmware, software, or combinations of hardware, firmware or software, including the structures disclosed in this specification and the structural equivalents thereof. The interchangeability of hardware, firmware and software has been described generally, in terms of functionality, and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits and processes described above. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware, firmware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure may be readily apparent to persons having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles and the novel features disclosed herein.

Additionally, various features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations also can be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation also can be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination. As such, although features may be described above as acting in particular combinations, and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination, and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Further, the drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flowchart or flow diagram. However, other operations that are not depicted can be incorporated in the example processes that are schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or between any of the illustrated operations. In some circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

Claims

A method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE) , comprising:

selecting an application of one or more applications stored in the UE, wherein the application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors;

generating a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor; and

transmitting the NSSAI list to a base station.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting one or more use-statistics associated with each of the one or more applications stored in the UE; and

ranking each application of the one or more applications based on the one or more use-statistics.
The method of claim 2, wherein the selecting the application of the one more applications stored in the UE comprises selecting the application of the one or more applications stored in the UE based on a rank of the application.
The method of claim 3, wherein the rank of the application indicates that the application is within the top eight (8) most frequently used applications of the one or more applications stored in the UE.
The method of claim 3, wherein the rank of the application indicates that the application is within the top eight (8) most recently used applications of the one or more applications stored in the UE.
The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more use-statistics associated with each application of the one or more applications stored in the UE comprise statistics indicating a frequency of use of each application of the one or more applications by the UE.
The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more use-statistics associated with each application of the one or more applications stored in the UE comprise statistics indicating a recency of use of each application of the one or more applications by the UE.
The method of claim 2, wherein the NSSAI list is a default NSSAI list when each application of the one or more applications have a same rank.
The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the NSSAI list including the at least one S-NSSAI based on the application and the traffic descriptor comprises:

storing a plurality of sets of policy rules in the UE, wherein each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprises a traffic descriptor;

matching a traffic descriptor from one set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules with the traffic descriptor associated with the application;

selecting the set of policy rules identifying the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the application; and

generating the at least one S-NSSAI comprising an identification of the application and the selected set of policy rules.
The method of claim 9, wherein each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprise at least one of a set UE route selection policy (URSP) rules or a set of network slice selection policy (NSSP) rules.
The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of sets of policy rules stored in the UE comprise at least one of:

one or more sets of policy rules configured by the UE; or

one or more sets of policy rules received from the base station.
The method of claim 1, wherein the NSSAI list is a requested NSSAI list.
The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving an allowed NSSAI list from the RAN entity in response to transmitting the requested NSSAI list.
The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station comprises transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station in a radio resource control (RRC) Setup Complete message.
The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station is for enabling an access and mobility management function (AMF) to select for the UE at least one of:

a serving AMF;

one or more network slices; or

one or more network slice instances.
A user equipment (UE) , comprising:

a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with a base station; and

one or more processors electronically coupled to the transceiver and configured to:

select an application of one or more applications stored in the UE, wherein the application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors,

generate a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor, and

transmit the NSSAI list to a base station.
The UE of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

collect one or more use-statistics associated with each of the one or more applications stored in the UE, and

rank each application of the one or more applications based on the one or more use-statistics.
The UE of claim 17, wherein the selecting the application of the one more applications stored in the UE comprises selecting the application of the one or more applications stored in the UE based on a rank of the application.
The UE of claim 18, wherein the rank of the application indicates that the application is within the top eight (8) most frequently used applications of the one or more applications stored in the UE.
The UE of claim 18, wherein the rank of the application indicates that the application is within the top eight (8) most recently used applications of the one or more applications stored in the UE.
The UE of claim 17, wherein the one or more use-statistics associated with each application of the one or more applications stored in the UE comprise statistics indicating a frequency of use of each application of the one or more applications by the UE.
The UE of claim 17, wherein the one or more use-statistics associated with each application of the one or more applications stored in the UE comprise statistics indicating a recency of use of each application of the one or more applications by the UE.
The UE of claim 17, wherein the NSSAI list is a default NSSAI list when each application of the one or more applications have a same rank.
The UE of claim 16, wherein the generating the NSSAI list including the at least one S-NSSAI based on the application and the traffic descriptor comprises:

storing a plurality of sets of policy rules in the UE, wherein each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprises a traffic descriptor,

matching a traffic descriptor from one set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules with the traffic descriptor associated with the application,

selecting the set of policy rules identifying the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the application, and

generating the at least one S-NSSAI comprising an identification of the application and the selected set of policy rules.
The UE of claim 24, wherein each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprise at least one of a set UE route selection policy (URSP) rules or a set of network slice selection policy (NSSP) rules.
The UE of claim 24, wherein the plurality of sets of policy rules stored in the UE comprise at least one of:

one or more sets of policy rules configured by the UE; or

one or more sets of policy rules received from the base station.
The UE of claim 16, wherein the NSSAI list is a requested NSSAI list.
The UE of claim 27, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

receive an allowed NSSAI list from the RAN entity in response to transmitting the requested NSSAI list.
The UE of claim 16, wherein the transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station comprises transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station in a radio resource control (RRC) Setup Complete message.
The UE of claim 16, wherein the transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station is for enabling an access and mobility management function (AMF) to select for the UE at least one of:

a serving AMF;

one or more network slices; or

one or more network slice instances.
A non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium, having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to:

select an application of one or more applications stored in the UE, wherein the application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors;

generate a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor; and

transmit the NSSAI list to a base station.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuit, further cause the processing circuit to:

collect one or more use-statistics associated with each of the one or more applications stored in the UE, and

rank each application of the one or more applications based on the one or more use-statistics.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the selecting the application of the one more applications stored in the UE comprises selecting the application of the one or more applications stored in the UE based on a rank of the application.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the rank of the application indicates that the application is within the top eight (8) most frequently used applications of the one or more applications stored in the UE.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 33, wherein the rank of the application indicates that the application is within the top eight (8) most recently used applications of the one or more applications stored in the UE.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the one or more use-statistics associated with each application of the one or more applications stored in the UE comprise statistics indicating a frequency of use of each application of the one or more applications by the UE.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the one or more use-statistics associated with each application of the one or more applications stored in the UE comprise statistics indicating a recency of use of each application of the one or more applications by the UE.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 32, wherein the NSSAI list is a default NSSAI list when each application of the one or more applications have a same rank.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the generating the NSSAI list including the at least one S-NSSAI based on the application and the traffic descriptor comprises:

storing a plurality of sets of policy rules in the UE, wherein each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprises a traffic descriptor,

matching a traffic descriptor from one set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules with the traffic descriptor associated with the application,

selecting the set of policy rules identifying the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the application, and

generating the at least one S-NSSAI comprising an identification of the application and the selected set of policy rules.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 39, wherein each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprise at least one of a set UE route selection policy (URSP) rules or a set of network slice selection policy (NSSP) rules.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 39, wherein the plurality of sets of policy rules stored in the UE comprise at least one of:

one or more sets of policy rules configured by the UE; or

one or more sets of policy rules received from the base station.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the NSSAI list is a requested NSSAI list.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 42, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processing circuit, further cause the processing circuit to:

receive an allowed NSSAI list from the RAN entity in response to transmitting the requested NSSAI list.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station comprises transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station in a radio resource control (RRC) Setup Complete message.
The non-transitory, processor-readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein the transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station is for enabling an access and mobility management function (AMF) to select for the UE at least one of:

a serving AMF;

one or more network slices; or

one or more network slice instances.
A user equipment (UE) , comprising:

means for selecting an application of one or more applications stored in the UE, wherein the application is associated with a traffic descriptor of a plurality of traffic descriptors;

means for generating a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) list including at least one single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) that is based on the application and the traffic descriptor; and

means for transmitting the NSSAI list to a base station.
The UE of claim 46, further comprising:

means for collecting one or more use-statistics associated with each of the one or more applications stored in the UE; and

means for ranking each application of the one or more applications based on the one or more use-statistics.
The UE of claim 47, wherein the selecting the application of the one more applications stored in the UE comprises selecting the application of the one or more applications stored in the UE based on a rank of the application.
The UE of claim 48, wherein the rank of the application indicates that the application is within the top eight (8) most frequently used applications of the one or more applications stored in the UE.
The UE of claim 49, wherein the rank of the application indicates that the application is within the top eight (8) most recently used applications of the one or more applications stored in the UE.
The UE of claim 47, wherein the one or more use-statistics associated with each application of the one or more applications stored in the UE comprise statistics indicating a frequency of use of each application of the one or more applications by the UE.
The UE of claim 47, wherein the one or more use-statistics associated with each application of the one or more applications stored in the UE comprise statistics indicating a recency of use of each application of the one or more applications by the UE.
The UE of claim 47, wherein the NSSAI list is a default NSSAI list when each application of the one or more applications have a same rank.
The UE of claim 46, wherein the generating the NSSAI list including the at least one S-NSSAI based on the application and the traffic descriptor comprises:

storing a plurality of sets of policy rules in the UE, wherein each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprises a traffic descriptor;

matching a traffic descriptor from one set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules with the traffic descriptor associated with the application;

selecting the set of policy rules identifying the traffic descriptor that matches the traffic descriptor associated with the application; and

generating the at least one S-NSSAI comprising an identification of the application and the selected set of policy rules.
The UE of claim 54, wherein each set of policy rules of the plurality of sets of policy rules comprise at least one of a set UE route selection policy (URSP) rules or a set of network slice selection policy (NSSP) rules.
The UE of claim 54, wherein the plurality of sets of policy rules stored in the UE comprise at least one of:

one or more sets of policy rules configured by the UE; or

one or more sets of policy rules received from the base station.
The UE of claim 46, wherein the NSSAI list is a requested NSSAI list.
The UE of claim 57, further comprising:

means for receiving an allowed NSSAI list from the RAN entity in response to transmitting the requested NSSAI list.
The UE of claim 46, wherein the transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station comprises transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station in a radio resource control (RRC) Setup Complete message.
The UE of claim 46, wherein the transmitting the NSSAI list to the base station is for enabling an access and mobility management function (AMF) to select for the UE at least one of:

a serving AMF;

one or more network slices; or

one or more network slice instances.