WO2025217818A1

WO2025217818A1 - Sharing of energy consumption data

Info

Publication number: WO2025217818A1
Application number: PCT/CN2024/088126
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jos GEORGE; Saurabh Khare; Sireesha Bommisetty; Mallikarjunudu Makham; Bo Holm BJERRUM; Jing PING
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy; Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2024-04-16
Filing date: 2024-04-16
Publication date: 2025-10-23
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-16

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a core network entity, a method, an apparatus, a computer readable storage medium and a computer program product for sharing of energy consumption data. In the solution, the core network entity may receive a request for accessing data associated with a target from a third party application function. In case the target is a terminal device, whether the third party application function meets consent information of the terminal device and whether a privacy policy for a location of the terminal location may be determined. In addition, the energy consumption information can be obtained and provided to the third party application function if both the consent information and the privacy policy are met.

Description

SHARING OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION DATA

FIELD

Example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communications and in particular, to a core network entity, a method, an apparatus, a computer readable storage medium and a computer program product for sharing of energy consumption data.

BACKGROUND

Energy consumption (EC) is a significant source of operations costs for mobile network operators (MNOs) and depending on the energy generation mix that is used to power networks, it can also have impact on the environment. An exposure of network energy consumption data may be needed, e.g. for energy saving. This may involve interactions between applications and networks on energy consumption status. It is worth considering how to deliver services with energy efficiency as service criteria, associated with verticals’ preferences, and how to support the policy of handling energy as part of a subscription. However, the exposure of network energy consumption data may face cybersecurity threats, and details of which should be further studied.

SUMMARY

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for sharing of energy consumption data.

In a first aspect, there is provided a core network entity. The core network entity comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions when executed by the at least one processor, cause the core network entity at least to: receive, from a third party application function, a request for accessing data associated with a target, wherein the data comprise energy consumption information; based on determining that the target comprises a terminal device, determine whether the third party application function meets consent information of the terminal device and whether a privacy policy for a location of the terminal location is met; and based on determining that the third party application function meets the consent information and the privacy policy for the location is met, obtain the energy consumption information of the terminal device; or based on determining that the third party application function does not meet the consent information or the privacy policy for the location is not met, reject the request.

In some example embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the core network entity to: based on determining that the target comprises a radio resource network (RAN) node or a network function (NF) , determine whether a security policy for the RAN node or NF is met; and based on determining that the security policy is met, accept the request; or based on determining that the security policy is not met, reject the request.

In a second aspect, there is provided a method. The method comprises: receiving, at a core network entity from a third party application function, a request for accessing data associated with a target, wherein the data comprise energy consumption information; based on determining that the target comprises a terminal device, determining whether the third party application function meets consent information of the terminal device and whether a privacy policy for a location of the terminal location is met; and based on determining that the third party application function meets the consent information and the privacy policy for the location is met, obtaining the energy consumption information of the terminal device; or based on determining that the third party application function does not meet the consent information or the privacy policy for the location is not met, rejecting the request.

In a third aspect, there is provided an apparatus. The apparatus comprises: means for receiving, at a core network entity from a third party application function, a request for accessing data associated with a target, wherein the data comprise energy consumption information; means for based on determining that the target comprises a terminal device, determining whether the third party application function meets consent information of the terminal device and whether a privacy policy for a location of the terminal location is met; and means for based on determining that the third party application function meets the consent information and the privacy policy for the location is met, obtaining the energy consumption information of the terminal device; or based on determining that the third party application function does not meet the consent information or the privacy policy for the location is not met, rejecting the request.

In a fourth aspect, there is an apparatus. The apparatus comprises: receiving circuitry configured to receive, from a third party application function, a request for accessing data associated with a target, wherein the data comprise energy consumption information; determining circuitry configured to based on determining that the target comprises a terminal device, determine whether the third party application function meets consent information of the terminal device and whether a privacy policy for a location of the terminal location is met; and obtaining circuitry configured to based on determining that the third party application function meets the consent information and the privacy policy for the location is met, obtain the energy consumption information of the terminal device; or rejecting circuitry configured to based on determining that the third party application function does not meet the consent information or the privacy policy for the location is not met, reject the request.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method in a second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus at least the method in a second aspect.

It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication system in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a procedure for energy consumption data of a UE in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a procedure energy consumption data of a radio access network (RAN) or a network function (NF) in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements, unless otherwise indicated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment, ” “an embodiment, ” “an example embodiment, ” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It shall be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a” , “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” , “comprising” , “has” , “having” , “includes” and/or “including” , when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and/or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: <a list of two or more elements>” and “at least one of <a list of two or more elements>” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or” , mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) ;

(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) :

(i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit (s) with software/firmware, and

(ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s) ) , software, and memory (ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions; and

(c) hardware circuit (s) and/or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor (s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) , LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) , New Radio (NR) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) , Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) , Non-terrestrial network (NTN) , IoT over NTN, Wi-Fi and so on. Furthermore, the communications in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G) , the second generation (2G) , 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G) , the fourth generation (4G) , 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G) , the sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, IEEE 802.11 protocols and/or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP) , for example, a node B (NodeB or NB) , an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , a new radio (NR) NB (also referred to as a gNB) , a Remote Radio Unit (RRU) , a radio header (RH) , a remote radio head (RRH) , an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology.

The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE) , a Subscriber Station (SS) , a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS) , an Access Terminal (AT) , or an internet of things (IoT) device. The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE) , laptop-mounted equipment (LME) , USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE) , an Internet of Things (loT) device, a machine type communication (MTC) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD) , a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery) , an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and/or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and/or an automated processing chain contexts) , a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms “terminal device” , “communication device” , “terminal” , “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

Climate change and global energy shortage are issues that requires international cooperation and coordinated solutions at all levels, many regions and countries have published related policies and requirements to control carbon release and promote energy efficiency. These policies have made energy efficiency (EE) a strategic priority for many telecom operators around the world. Energy efficiency has been considered in many standard groups and specifications. The possibility of using energy consumption as a new service criterion for this less constrained type of mobile telecommunication service is explored.

The study on energy efficiency as service criteria has been proposed in the service and system architecture (SA) working group 1 in the third generation partnership project (3GPP) , which is denoted as “FS_EnergyServ” . While the goal of energy efficiency is to provide the same services more efficiently, the goal of energy use control as service criteria will be to supervise services in an energy-aware manner, with ensuring the services offered as intended by service providers, network operators or subscribers, with determined constraints and consequences.

A study on the fifth generation system (5GS) enhancement for energy efficiency and energy saving aims to investigate and identify enhancements on 5GS to improve energy efficiency and to support energy saving in the network, taking the SA1 EnergyServ requirements into consideration. The main objectives include:

- WT #1. Study potential framework for network energy consumption exposure. This will include whether and what information is exposed, how it is exposed (e.g., charging) and at what granularity, e.g., at RAN level, Core Network level, network slice level, UE level, PDU session level, and/or QoS flow level. Additionally, whether and how renewable energy or carbon emission information for such granularities can be exposed by an MNO will be studied.

- WT #2. Study enhancement for subscription and policy control to enable network energy savings as service criteria.

- WT #3. Study 5GS enhancements (e.g., energy usage adjustment for NF from CN aspect, energy saving related decision making, NF selection leveraging NF energy states) for network energy saving including 5GC (NFs) and NG-RAN interactions, analytics, etc. Impacts on the UE are not ruled out e.g., for scenarios specified in TR 22.882 by SA1 EnergyServ.

Exposure of network energy consumption data from the UE/IoT devices and NF/NGRAN nodes poses cybersecurity threats, in this event, security aspects of transmitting energy data to a third party application function (AF) should be studied.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for security aspects of energy consumption information when requested by a third party AF. In the solution, consent information of a terminal device and a location of the terminal device are both considered for determining whether to provide the energy consumption information to the third party AF, thus the privacy can be guaranteed. Principles and implementations of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the figures.

In the present disclosure, the term “energy consumption information” can be interchangeably used with one of the following: energy consumption data, energy usage information, energy usage data, energy related information, energy related data, and the like, the present disclosure does not limit for this aspect.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The system 100 includes a core network (CN) 110, a RAN node 140, and a UE 130.

The CN 110 may include multiple network functions (NFs) . As shown in FIG. 1, there are a network repository function (NRF) 201, a unified data management function (UDM) 202, a policy control function (PCF) 203, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 204, a session management function (SMF) 205, a network data analytics function (NWDAF) 122, and a network exposure function (NEF) 155. There may be more NFs which are not illustrated, for example, there may be a new NF 124 which is responsible for energy consumption data checking.

It is to be understood that the number of functions in FIG. 1 is given for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations to the present disclosure.

It is to be noted that a name of any NF in the present disclosure is only for illustration without any limitations, for example, some other names may be applied. As a non-limited example, an NF may be called as a CN entity, a CN function, a CN node, etc. An NF may provide one or multiple functionalities.

It is to be understood that functionalities supported by one single NF may be supported by more than one NF in some cases, in other words, one NF in the present disclosure may be implemented as one or multiple functions, the present disclosure does not limit for this aspect.

Based on operator policy and service agreement between the operator and application service provider, the 5G system shall be able to derive energy efficiency information for one or more application services, and expose energy efficiency information notifications to the application service provider.

In the present disclosure, a core network entity, which may be a new NF 124 or a NWDAF 122 as shown in FIG. 1, receives a request from a third party application function (AF) 150, e.g. via the NEF 155. The request may be used to request energy consumption data of a target. The target may be a UE, detailed embodiments may refer to FIG. 2 below. The target may be a RAN node or a NF, detailed embodiments may refer to FIG. 3 below.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which illustrates an example of a procedure 200 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The procedure 200 may involve a UE 130, a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 208, a UDM 202, a CN entity 120, an NEF 155, and a third party AF 150. The CN entity 120 may be the new NF 124 or the NWDAF 122 as shown in FIG. 1. For ease of description, the procedure 200 is illustrated with reference to FIG. 1, however, it would be appreciated that the procedure 200 may be applied to other communication scenarios, which will not be described in detail.

In the procedure 200, consent information of the UE 130 may be stored in the UDM 202 at 210. In some implementations, an owner of the UE 130 may input and grant consent information. The consent information may include an authorization associated with one or more third party AFs. For example, the consent information may also be called as authorization information or UE owner preferences.

In some examples, the consent information may indicate a list of allowed application functions, which may include one or more allowed AFs. As a specific example, the consent information of UE 130 may indicate that AF1 and AF2 are allowed. In some instances, an allowed AF may also be called as an interested AF for the UE 130.

In some examples, the consent information may indicate a list of non-allowed application functions, which may include one or more non-allowed AFs. As a specific example, the consent information of UE 130 may indicate that AF3 is not allowed or is restricted.

In some examples, the consent information may indicate one or more allowed purposes (or may be called as objectives) . That is, the energy consumption data of the UE 130 is granted for the one or more allowed purposes of usage. As a specific example, the consent information of UE 130 may indicate that a purpose of network optimization is allowed.

In some examples, the consent information may indicate one or more allowed types of data. That is, the data with the one or more allowed types may be provided to an allowed AF. As a specific example, the consent information of UE 130 may indicate that the allowed type of data is a voice traffic type.

In some embodiments, the consent information in the UDM 202 stored by the owner of the UE 130 may be further updated, e.g. by an operator or by an operation administration and maintenance (OAM) . In some examples, one or more of the following may be considered by the operator/OAM while updating the consent information: a network condition, a user preference, a privacy requirement. For example, the network condition may be a scenario of a RAN network which the UE 130 locates at, the RAN network may be RAN network with dual connectivity, RAN network with CU-DU deployment, RAN sharing, etc. For example, the privacy requirement may be determined based on a local policy or a legal requirement.

In some instances, the consent information may be regarded as a sharing agreement between external AFs and operator/UE owner.

It is to be noted that although FIG. 2 shows the consent information is stored (or kept, maintained) in the UDM 202, the present disclosure does not limit for this aspect. In some other embodiments, the consent information may be stored (or kept, maintained) and maintained in another network function. Alternatively, the consent information of the UE 130 may be stored in a unified data repository (UDR) , e.g., provisioned by the OAM.

In the procedure 200, the CN entity 120 obtains a request from the third party AF 150. Specifically, the third party AF 150 transmits a request to the NEF 155 at 220, and the NEF 155 forwards the request to the CN entity 120 at 230. The request from the third party AF 150 may be used for retrieving energy consumption data of the UE 130. For example, an identifier (ID) of the UE 130 may be included in the request.

In some implementations, the request may include a purpose of the requested data. For example, the purpose indicated by the request may be one of: advertisement, user experience enhancement, network optimization, etc. In some embodiments, the CN entity 120 may obtain the purpose upon receiving the request.

In some cases, a specific purpose may be stated in the certificate of the third party AF 150, so that the third party AF 150 is allowed for the specific purpose that indicated in the AF certificate, thereby granting permission for the specific purpose outlined in the AF certificate. In some examples, the CN entity 120 may check whether the purpose indicated by the request is aligned with the specific purpose indicted in the AF certificate. As such, a future security assurance can be ensured in case of any security violation from the third party AF 150, and the security breaching or energy data leaking can be avoided.

In some other implementations, the purpose may not be included in the request, for example, the purpose of the third party AF 150 may be determined based on profile information of the third party AF 150. For example, the profile information may be provisioned by the OAM. In some embodiments, the CN entity 120 may transmit a profile request to the OAM, accordingly the OAM may provide the profile information of the third party AF 150 to the CN entity 120, and in addition, the CN entity 120 may determine the purpose based on the profile information. In some other embodiments, the CN entity 120 may transmit a purpose request to the OAM, accordingly the OAM may determine the purpose based on the profile information of the third party AF 150 to the CN entity 120, and in addition, the OAM may provide the purpose to the CN entity 120.

In addition, the CN entity 120 may perform operations 240-260 to check the consent information and operation 270-280 to check privacy policy.

In the procedure 200, the CN entity 120 transmits a request for consent information to the UDM 202 at 240. In some implementations, the request to the UDM 202 may indicate the third party AF 150 and an associated purpose, and the request may be used for retrieving consent information associated with the third party AF 150. It is to be noted that in case the consent information is stored in the UDR, the CN entity 120 may transmit the request to the UDR.

In the procedure 200, the UDM 202 transmits a response to the CN entity 120 at 250. The response may include consent information associated with the third party AF 150.

As one example, if the third party AF 150 is AF1 and its purpose is advertisement, the consent information in the response may indicate that: the allowed AFs include AF1 and the allowed purposes do not include advertisement. As one example, if the third party AF 150 is AF2 and its purpose is network optimization, the consent information in the response may indicate that: the allowed AFs include AF2 and the allowed purposes include network optimization. As one example, if the third party AF 150 is AF3 and its purpose is advertisement, the consent information in the response may indicate that: the allowed AFs do not include AF3 (or the restricted AFs include AF3) and the allowed purposes do not include advertisement.

In addition, the CN entity 120 determines whether the third party AF 150 meets the consent information at 260, e.g. by checking the consent information.

In some implementations, the CN entity 120 may determine that the third party AF 150 does not meet the consent information, in this case, the CN entity 120 may reject (or deny) the request from the third party AF 150. As one example, if the third party AF 150 is AF1 with a purpose advertisement or if the third party AF 150 is AF3, the CN entity 120 may determine to reject the request from the third party AF 150. In some implementations, the CN entity 120 may transmit an error message to the third party AF 150 via the NEF 155 at 290. In some examples, the error message may indicate that the request is rejected (or denied or declined) . In some examples, the error message may indicate an unavailability of the requested data. In some examples, the error message may include a rejection reason. For example, the rejection reason may be the third party AF 150 is not allowed. For example, the rejection reason may be the purpose is not allowed. In this case, the operations 270-280 may not need to be performed, and therefore, the operations at the CN entity 120 can be simplified and the resources may be saved.

In some other implementations, the CN entity 120 may determine that the third party AF 150 meets the consent information, and in addition, the operations 270-280 can be further performed. In addition or alternatively, the CN entity 120 may obtain the energy consumption data of the UE 130, e.g., upon determining that the third party AF 150 meets the consent information. In some examples, once the authorization if granted for the third party AF 150, the CN entity 120 may start gathering energy consumption data.

The CN entity 120 retrieves a location of the UE 130 from the GMLC 208 at 270. In some implementations, the CN entity 120 may transmit a location request to the GMLC 208, and in addition, the GMLC 208 provides the location (e.g. a geographical location) back to the CN entity 120. It is to be noted that a source for providing the location is not limited to the GMLC 208, another location server can be used and the present disclosure does not limit for this aspect.

In addition, the CN entity 120 determines whether the location of the terminal device 130 meets a privacy policy at 280, e.g. by checking the location. In some implementations, the privacy policy may be called as a data privacy policy, a security policy, a network policy, or the like.

In the implementations, the privacy policy is associated with a privacy zone, which is also called as a privacy-sensitive zone, a privacy-sensitive restricted security zone, a cyber-security critical zone, a cyber-security sensitive zone, a restricted zone, a range of security sensitive geographical locations, or the like. In some examples, the privacy policy or the privacy zone may be stored in the CN entity 120. In some examples, the privacy policy or the privacy zone may be defined associated with sharing the energy consumption data. In some examples, the privacy policy or the privacy zone may be configured by the operator, e.g., according to recommendations from one or more authorized external sources like government bodies, public infrastructure managers, threat intelligence agencies and systems, etc.

In some implementations, the CN entity 120 may determine whether the location of the UE 130 is within the privacy zone. In some examples, if the location of the UE 130 is out of (not within) the privacy zone, the CN entity 120 may determine that the privacy policy is met. In some other examples, if the location of the UE 130 is within the privacy zone, the CN entity 120 may determine that the privacy policy is not met.

In some embodiments, if the privacy policy is met, the CN entity 120 transmits the energy consumption data to the third party AF 150 via the NEF 155 at 290. It is understood that, in this case, the third party AF 150 meets the consent information and the privacy policy is met too.

In some embodiments, if the privacy policy is met (which means, the third party AF 150 meets the consent information and the privacy policy is met too) , the CN entity 120 may further process the energy consumption data to obtain the process data, and in addition, the CN entity 120 transmits the processed data to the third party AF 150 via the NEF 155 at 290. In some examples, the energy consumption data may be anonymized.

In some examples, the CN entity 120 may analyze the energy consumption data to determine whether location information is included in the energy consumption data. In some instances, the CN entity 120 may remove or restrict the location information in the energy consumption data to obtain the process data. In some instances, if some location information in the energy consumption data is within the privacy zone, then these location information (or all location information) in the energy consumption data is removed or restricted to obtain the process data.

In some embodiments, if the privacy policy is not met, that is, the UE 130 locates within the privacy zone, the CN entity 120 may determine to reject the request from the third party AF 150. In some implementations, the CN entity 120 may transmit an error message to the third party AF 150 via the NEF 155 at 290. In some examples, the error message may indicate that the request is rejected (or denied or declined) . In some examples, the error message may indicate an unavailability of the requested data. In some examples, the error message may include a rejection reason. For example, the rejection reason may be privacy policy.

In some embodiments, if the privacy policy is not met, that is, the UE 130 locates within the privacy zone, the CN entity 120 may process the energy consumption data to obtain the process data, and in addition, the CN entity 120 transmits the processed data to the third party AF 150 via the NEF 155 at 290. In some examples, if a data item in the energy consumption data is related to location information that is within the privacy zone, the data item can be removed. In some examples, if a data item in the energy consumption data is related to location information that is within the privacy zone, the data item can be processed by removing the location information.

It is to be noted that although some embodiments above show that the energy consumption data of the UE 130 is obtained after 260, in some other embodiments, the CN entity 120 can obtain the energy consumption data of the UE 130 after 280. For example, the energy consumption data of the UE 130 is obtained is the third party AF 150 meets the consent information and the location of the UE 130 is outside the privacy zone.

Accordingly, the CN entity 120 may validate the privacy policy to determine whether to provide the energy consumption data and how to provide the energy consumption data. For instance, the energy consumption data of the UE 130 which are in the privacy zone may be restricted, normalized, or anonymized, and accordingly a report with the processed data can be provided to the external third party AF 150.

Embodiments with reference to FIG. 2 provide a solution for sharing energy consumption data with an external third party AF 150, specifically checking operations 240-260 and 270-280 may performed to determine whether to provide the data. It is to be appreciated that some further embodiments may be obtained by modifying the procedure 200. In some embodiments, the energy consumption data (or process data) may be provided after 260 without performing 270-280. In some other embodiments, the energy consumption data (or process data) may be provided after 280 without performing 240-260.

Reference is further made to FIG. 3, which illustrates an example of a procedure 300 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The procedure 300 may involve a RAN/NF 209, an NRF 201, a CN entity 120, an NEF 155, and a third party AF 150. The CN entity 120 may be the new NF 124 or the NWDAF 122 as shown in FIG. 1. The RAN/NF 209 may be the RAN node 140 or any of NFs 201-205 as shown in FIG. 1. The RAN/NF 209 may be another NF not shown in FIG. 1. For ease of description, the procedure 300 is illustrated with reference to FIG. 1, however, it would be appreciated that the procedure 300 may be applied to other communication scenarios, which will not be described in detail.

In the procedure 300, a configuration may be made at 305. In some implementations, a specific location of the RAN/NF 209 may be stored or obtained by the NRF 201. In some examples, the specific location of the RAN/NF 209 may be a geographical location, a non-public network (NPN) , or a site.

It is to be noted that although FIG. 3 shows the location of the RAN/NF 209 is stored (or kept, maintained) in the NRF 201, the present disclosure does not limit for this aspect. In some other embodiments, the location of the RAN/NF 209 may be stored (or kept, maintained) and maintained in another network function. Alternatively, the location of the RAN/NF 209 may be stored in an OAM, the NEF 155, or another NF.

In the procedure 300, the CN entity 120 obtains a request from the third party AF 150. Specifically, the third party AF 150 transmits a request to the NEF 155 at 310, and the NEF 155 forwards the request to the CN entity 120 at 320. The request from the third party AF 150 may be used for retrieving energy consumption data of the RAN/NF 209. For example, an identifier (ID) of the RAN/NF 209 may be included in the request.

In the procedure 300, the CN entity 120 transmits a request for location information to the NRF 201 at 330. In some implementations, the request to the NRF 201 may include an ID of the RAN/NF 209. In addition, the NRF 201 transmits a response with the location information to the CN entity 120 at 340. For example, the response may include a current geo location of the RAN/NF 209. It is to be noted that a source for providing the location is not limited to the NRF 201, another entity (such as OAM, NEF, etc. ) can be used and the present disclosure does not limit for this aspect.

In addition, the CN entity 120 determines whether the location information of the RAN/NF 209 meets a security policy at 350, e.g. by checking the security policy. In some implementations, the security policy may be called as a privacy policy, a data privacy policy, a data security policy, a network policy, or the like.

In the implementations, the security policy is associated with a security zone, which is also called as a privacy-sensitive zone, a privacy-sensitive restricted security zone, a cyber-security critical zone, a cyber-security sensitive zone, a restricted zone, a range of security sensitive geographical locations, or the like. In some examples, the security policy or the security zone may be stored in the CN entity 120. In some examples, the security policy or the security zone may be defined associated with sharing the energy consumption data. In some examples, the security policy or the security zone may be configured by the operator or by the OAM, e.g., according to network conditions, legal requirements, etc.

In some implementations, the CN entity 120 may determine whether the location information of the RAN/NF 209 is within the security zone. In some examples, if the location of the RAN/NF 209 is out of (not within) the security zone, the CN entity 120 may determine that the security policy is met. In some other examples, if the location of the RAN/NF 209 is within the security zone, the CN entity 120 may determine that the security policy is not met.

In some embodiments, if the security policy is met, the CN entity 120 transmits the energy consumption data to the third party AF 150 via the NEF 155 at 360.

In some embodiments, if the security policy is met, the CN entity 120 may further process the energy consumption data to obtain the process data, and in addition, the CN entity 120 transmits the processed data to the third party AF 150 via the NEF 155 at 360. In some examples, the energy consumption data may be anonymized.

In some examples, the CN entity 120 may analyze the energy consumption data to determine whether location information is included in the energy consumption data. In some instances, the CN entity 120 may remove or restrict the location information in the energy consumption data to obtain the process data. In some instances, if some location information in the energy consumption data is within the security zone, then these location information (or all location information) in the energy consumption data is removed or restricted to obtain the process data.

In some embodiments, if the security policy is not met, the CN entity 120 may determine to reject the request from the third party AF 150. In some implementations, the CN entity 120 may transmit an error message to the third party AF 150 via the NEF 155 at 360. In some examples, the error message may indicate that the request is rejected (or denied or declined) . In some examples, the error message may indicate an unavailability of the requested data. In some examples, the error message may include a rejection reason. For example, the rejection reason may be security policy.

In some embodiments, if the security policy is not met, the CN entity 120 may process the energy consumption data to obtain the process data, and in addition, the CN entity 120 transmits the processed data to the third party AF 150 via the NEF 155 at 360. In some examples, if a data item in the energy consumption data is related to location information that is within the security zone, the data item can be removed. In some examples, if a data item in the energy consumption data is related to location information that is within the security zone, the data item can be processed by removing the location information.

It is to be noted that although some embodiments above show that the security policy is associated with a location of the RAN/NF 209, in some other embodiments, the security policy may also be associated with a security level of the energy consumption data. For example, if the security level of the energy consumption data is lower than a threshold, then the security policy is met.

Accordingly, the CN entity 120 may validate the security policy to determine whether to provide the energy consumption data and how to provide the energy consumption data. For instance, the energy consumption data of the RAN/NF 209which are in the security zone may be restricted, normalized, or anonymized, and accordingly a report with the processed data can be provided to the external third party AF 150.

Embodiments with reference to FIG. 3 provide a solution for sharing energy consumption data with an external third party AF 150, specifically checking operations 330-350 may performed to determine whether to provide the data. It is to be appreciated that some further embodiments may be obtained by modifying the procedure 300, and the present disclosure does not limit for this aspect.

According to the embodiments with reference to FIGS. 2-3, a solution for sharing energy consumption data with an external third party AF is proposed. When the third party AF requests energy consumption data of a UE, both consent information and privacy policy are considered. In this case, a security of the data can be guaranteed.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method 400 implemented at a device in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of a core network entity 120, which may be the NWDAF 122 or the new NF 124 in FIG. 1.

At block 410, the core network entity receives, from a third party application function, a request for accessing data associated with a target, wherein the data comprise energy consumption information. At block 420, based on determining that the target comprises a terminal device, the core network entity determines whether the third party application function meets consent information of the terminal device and whether a privacy policy for a location of the terminal location is met. At block 432, based on determining that the third party application function meets the consent information and the privacy policy for the location is met, the core network entity obtains the energy consumption information of the terminal device. At block 434, based on determining that the third party application function does not meet the consent information or the privacy policy for the location is not met, the core network entity rejects the request.

In some example embodiments, the core network entity transmits, to a further core network entity, a further request for the consent information of the terminal device; and the core network entity receives, from the further core network entity, a response comprising the consent information of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the consent information is provisioned by an OAM or by an owner of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the consent information is updated by an operator based one at least one of: a network condition, or a privacy requirement.

In some example embodiments, the further core network entity comprises a UDM function or a UDR function.

In some example embodiments, the consent information indicates at least one of: a list of allowed application functions, a list of non-allowed application function, one or more allowed purposes, or one or more allowed types of data.

In some example embodiments, the request further indicates a purpose for accessing the data.

In some example embodiments, the core network entity determines, based on profile information of the third party application function, a purpose associated with the third party application function, wherein the profile information is provisioned by an OAM.

In some example embodiments, the core network entity retrieves, from a location center, a location of the terminal device; and based on determining that the location is not within a privacy zone, the core network entity determines that the privacy policy for the location is met; or based on determining that the location is within a privacy zone, the core network entity determines that the privacy policy for the location is not met.

In some example embodiments, the core network entity processes the obtained energy consumption information to generate processed data; and the core network entity provides, to the third party application function, the processed data.

In some example embodiments, the core network entity processes the obtained energy consumption information by: removing or anonymizing privacy information in the obtained energy consumption information.

In some example embodiments, the core network entity transmits, to the third party application function, an error message indicating a rejection reason.

In some example embodiments, based on determining that the target comprises a RAN node or an NF, the core network entity determines whether a security policy for the RAN node or NF is met. In some example embodiments, based on determining that the security policy is met, the core network entity accepts the request; or based on determining that the security policy is not met, the core network entity rejects the request.

In some example embodiments, the security policy comprises at least one of: the RAN node or the NF does not locate within a security zone, or the energy usage information of the RAN node or the NF is not configured with a security level higher than a threshold.

In some example embodiments, the core network entity retrieves a location of the RAN node or NF; and based on determining that the location of the RAN node or NF is not within a security zone, the core network entity determines that the security policy is met; or based on determining that the location of the RAN node or NF is within a security zone, the core network entity determines that the security policy is not met.

In some example embodiments, the core network entity generates processed data based on the energy consumption information of the RAN node or the NF; and the core network entity provides, to the third party application function, the processed data.

In some example embodiments, the core network entity processes, based on an input from an operator and/or a privacy requirement, the energy consumption information by at least one of anonymizing or trimming the energy consumption information of the RAN node or the NF.

In some example embodiments, the request is received via an NEF.

In some example embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing the method 400 (for example, the core network entity 120) may comprise means for performing the respective steps of the method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module.

The term “means” as used in the description and in the claims may refer to one or more individual elements configured to perform the corresponding recited functionality or functionalities, or it may refer to several elements that perform such functionality or functionalities. Furthermore, several functionalities recited in the claims may be performed by the same individual means or the same combination of means. For example, performing such functionality or functionalities may be caused in an apparatus by a processor that executes instructions stored in a memory of the apparatus.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving, at a core network entity from a third party application function, a request for accessing data associated with a target, wherein the data comprise energy consumption information; means for based on determining that the target comprises a terminal device, determining whether the third party application function meets consent information of the terminal device and whether a privacy policy for a location of the terminal location is met; and means for based on determining that the third party application function meets the consent information and the privacy policy for the location is met, obtaining the energy consumption information of the terminal device; or based on determining that the third party application function does not meet the consent information or the privacy policy for the location is not met, rejecting the request.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for transmitting, to a further core network entity, a further request for the consent information of the terminal device; and means for receiving, from the further core network entity, a response comprising the consent information of the terminal device.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for determining, based on profile information of the third party application function, a purpose associated with the third party application function, wherein the profile information is provisioned by an OAM.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for retrieving, from a location center, a location of the terminal device; and means for based on determining that the location is not within a privacy zone, determining that the privacy policy for the location is met; or means for based on determining that the location is within a privacy zone, determining that the privacy policy for the location is not met.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for processing the obtained energy consumption information to generate processed data; and means for providing, to the third party application function, the processed data.

In some example embodiments, means for processing the obtained energy consumption information comprises means for removing or anonymizing privacy information in the obtained energy consumption information.

In some example embodiments, means for rejecting the request comprises means for transmitting, to the third party application function, an error message indicating a rejection reason.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for based on determining that the target comprises a RAN node or an NF, determining whether a security policy for the RAN node or NF is met; and means for based on determining that the security policy is met, accepting the request; or means for based on determining that the security policy is not met, reject the request.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for retrieving a location of the RAN node or NF; and means for based on determining that the location of the RAN node or NF is not within a security zone, determining that the security policy is met; or means for based on determining that the location of the RAN node or NF is within a security zone, determining that the security policy is not met.

In some example embodiments, means for accepting the request comprises: means for generating processed data based on the energy consumption information of the RAN node or the NF; and means for providing, to the third party application function, the processed data.

In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for processing, based on an input from an operator and/or a privacy requirement, the energy consumption information by at least one of anonymizing or trimming the energy consumption information of the RAN node or the NF.

In some example embodiments, the request is received via an NEF.

FIG. 5 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device 500 that is suitable for implementing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 500 may be provided to implement the core network entity discussed above, for example the CN entity 120 in FIGS. 2-3, for example the NWDAF 122 or the new NF 124 in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to the processor 510, and one or more communication modules 540 coupled to the processor 510.

The communication module 540 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements.

The processor 510 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 500 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

The memory 520 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 524, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM) , a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD) , a digital video disk (DVD) , and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

A computer program 530 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 510. The program 530 may be stored in the ROM 524. The processor 510 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 530 into the RAM 522.

The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 530 so that the device 500 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIGS. 2-4. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some example embodiments, the program 530 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 500 (such as in the memory 520) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 500. The device 500 may load the program 530 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 522 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any types of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example of a computer readable medium 600 in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The computer readable medium 600 has the program 530 stored thereon. It is noted that although the computer readable medium 600 is depicted in form of CD or DVD in FIG. 6, the computer readable medium 600 may be in any other form suitable to carry or hold the program 530.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out the method as described above with reference to any of FIGS. 2-4. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Program code for the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM) , a read-only memory (ROM) , an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory) , an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) , an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term “non-transitory, ” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM) .

Further, while operations are depicted 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. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

A core network entity comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the core network entity at least to:

receive, from a third party application function, a request for accessing data associated with a target, wherein the data comprise energy consumption information;

based on determining that the target comprises a terminal device, determine whether the third party application function meets consent information of the terminal device and whether a privacy policy for a location of the terminal location is met; and

based on determining that the third party application function meets the consent information and the privacy policy for the location is met, obtain the energy consumption information of the terminal device; or

based on determining that the third party application function does not meet the consent information or the privacy policy for the location is not met, reject the request.
The core network entity of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the core network entity to:

transmit, to a further core network entity, a further request for the consent information of the terminal device; and

receive, from the further core network entity, a response comprising the consent information of the terminal device.
The core network entity of claim 2, wherein the consent information is provisioned by an operation administration and maintenance (OAM) or by an owner of the terminal device.
The core network entity of claim 3, wherein the consent information is updated by an operator based one at least one of:

a network condition, or

a privacy requirement.
The core network entity of any of claims 2-4, wherein the further core network entity comprises a unified data management (UDM) function or a unified data repository (UDR) function.
The core network entity of any of claims 1-5, wherein the consent information indicates at least one of:

a list of allowed application functions,

a list of non-allowed application function,

one or more allowed purposes, or

one or more allowed types of data.
The core network entity of any of claims 1-6, wherein the request further indicates a purpose for accessing the data.
The core network entity of any of claims 1-6, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the core network entity to:

determine, based on profile information of the third party application function, a purpose associated with the third party application function, wherein the profile information is provisioned by an OAM.
The core network entity of any of claims 1-8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the core network entity to:

retrieve, from a location center, a location of the terminal device; and

based on determining that the location is not within a privacy zone, determine that the privacy policy for the location is met; or

based on determining that the location is within a privacy zone, determine that the privacy policy for the location is not met.
The core network entity of any of claims 1-9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the core network entity to:

process the obtained energy consumption information to generate processed data; and

provide, to the third party application function, the processed data.
The core network entity of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the core network entity to process the obtained energy consumption information by: removing or anonymizing privacy information in the obtained energy consumption information.
The core network entity of any of claims 1-9, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the core network entity to reject the request by:

transmitting, to the third party application function, an error message indicating a rejection reason.
The core network entity of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the core network entity to:

based on determining that the target comprises a radio resource network (RAN) node or a network function (NF) , determine whether a security policy for the RAN node or NF is met; and

based on determining that the security policy is met, accept the request; or

based on determining that the security policy is not met, reject the request.
The core network entity of claim 13, wherein the security policy comprises at least one of:

the RAN node or the NF does not locate within a security zone, or

the energy usage information of the RAN node or the NF is not configured with a security level higher than a threshold.
The core network entity of claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the core network entity to:

retrieve a location of the RAN node or NF; and

based on determining that the location of the RAN node or NF is not within a security zone, determine that the security policy is met; or

based on determining that the location of the RAN node or NF is within a security zone, determine that the security policy is not met.
The core network entity of any of claims 13-15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the core network entity to accept the request by:

generating processed data based on the energy consumption information of the RAN node or the NF; and

providing, to the third party application function, the processed data.
The core network entity of claim 16, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the core network entity to:

process, based on an input from an operator and/or a privacy requirement, the energy consumption information by at least one of anonymizing or trimming the energy consumption information of the RAN node or the NF.
The core network entity of any of claims 1-17, wherein the request is received via a network exposure function (NEF) .
A method comprising:

receiving, at a core network entity from a third party application function, a request for accessing data associated with a target, wherein the data comprise energy consumption information;

based on determining that the target comprises a terminal device, determining whether the third party application function meets consent information of the terminal device and whether a privacy policy for a location of the terminal location is met; and

based on determining that the third party application function meets the consent information and the privacy policy for the location is met, obtaining the energy consumption information of the terminal device; or

based on determining that the third party application function does not meet the consent information or the privacy policy for the location is not met, rejecting the request.
An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving, at a core network entity from a third party application function, a request for accessing data associated with a target, wherein the data comprise energy consumption information;

means for based on determining that the target comprises a terminal device, determining whether the third party application function meets consent information of the terminal device and whether a privacy policy for a location of the terminal location is met; and

means for based on determining that the third party application function meets the consent information and the privacy policy for the location is met, obtaining the energy consumption information of the terminal device; or based on determining that the third party application function does not meet the consent information or the privacy policy for the location is not met, rejecting the request.
A computer readable storage medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of claim 19.