WO2025223690A1

WO2025223690A1 - System and method for supporting registration, update, and discovery of network function

Info

Publication number: WO2025223690A1
Application number: PCT/EP2025/050715
Authority: WO
Inventors: Genadi Velev; Dimitrios Karampatsis
Original assignee: Lenovo International Cooperatief UA
Current assignee: Lenovo International Cooperatief UA
Priority date: 2024-12-31
Filing date: 2025-01-13
Publication date: 2025-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2027-06-30

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to system and method for supporting registration, update, and discovery of network function (NF). For registration or update, a request associated with a registration or update of an NF is received. The request comprises information associated with the NF, including information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF. Storing of the information associated with the NF is initiated based at least in part on approval or acceptance of the request. A response including a result of the request is output. For discovery, a request associated with a discovery of a target NF is received. The request comprises information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF. A response comprising information associated with one or more NFs available as the target NF is output accordingly.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING REGISTRATION, UPDATE, AND DISCOVERY OF NETWORK FUNCTION

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically to system and method for supporting registration, update, and discovery of network function (NF).

BACKGROUND

[0002] A wireless communications system may include one or multiple network communication devices, such as base stations, which may support wireless communications for one or multiple user communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE), or other suitable terminology. The wireless communications system may support wireless communications with one or multiple user communication devices by utilizing resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers, or the like). Additionally, the wireless communications system may support wireless communications across various radio access technologies including third generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, among other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., sixth generation (6G)).

[0003] A later generation wireless communications system may be configured to support greater network flexibility and/or functions than a previous generation wireless communications system. For example, it is envisaged that a beyond-5G wireless communications system, such as a 6G wireless communications system, may support greater network flexibility and/or functions than a 5G wireless communications system.

SUMMARY

[0004] An article “a” before an element is unrestricted and understood to refer to “at least one” of those elements or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” may be interchangeable. As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of’ or “one or more of’ or “one or both of’) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be constmed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on. Further, as used herein, including in the claims, a “set” may include one or more elements.

[0005] Some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein may include, in a first aspect: receiving a request associated with a registration or update of an NF, the request comprising information associated with the NF, the information associated with the NF comprising information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF; initiating storing of the information associated with the NF based at least in part on approval or acceptance of the request; and outputting a response including a result of the request.

[0006] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: the technology functionality supported by the NF comprises functionality associated with one or more generations of mobile network technology supported by the NF.

[0007] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: the one or more generations of mobile network technology comprise: fifth generation (5G) mobile network technology, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies, or any combination thereof.

[0008] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF comprises an NF type parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF. [0009] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF comprises an NF instance parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF.

[0010] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF comprises an NF service instance parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF.

[0011] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: the information associated with the NF comprises an NF profile of the NF, the NF profile comprises an NF instance identifier (ID) and the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF.

[0012] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: the information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF comprises an NF type parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF, and the NF type parameter is represented at least in part by the NF instance ID.

[0013] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: the information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF comprises an NF instance parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF, and the NF profile comprises one or more NF instance technology functionality IDs arranged to represent the NF instance parameter.

[0014] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: the information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF comprises an NF service instance parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF, and the NF profile comprises one or more NF service instance technology functionality IDs arranged to represent the NF service instance parameter. [0015] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: the information associated with the NF comprises one or more endpoint addresses associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF.

[0016] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the first aspect: wherein the information associated with the NF comprises a validity period associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF, the validity period corresponds to a period during which the corresponding technology functionality supported by the NF is available.

[0017] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, operations in the first aspect may be performed by a network entity. The network entity may be or may comprise an NF repository such as Network Repository Function (NRF).

[0018] Some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein may include, in a second aspect: receiving a request associated with a discovery of a target NF, the request comprising information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF; and outputting a response comprising information associated with one or more NFs available as the target NF based at least in part on the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF.

[0019] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF comprises functionality associated with one or more generations of mobile network technology required to be supported by the target NF.

[0020] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the one or more generations of mobile network technology comprise: 5G mobile network technology, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies, or any combination thereof.

[0021] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF comprises an NF type parameter indicating the technology functionality required to be supported by an NF type of the target NF.

[0022] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF comprises an NF instance parameter indicating the technology functionality required to be supported by an NF instance of the target NF.

[0023] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF comprises an NF service instance parameter indicating the technology functionality required to be supported by an NF service instance of the target NF.

[0024] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the information associated with the one or more NFs available as the target NF comprises, for each of the one or more NFs: information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF, and one or more endpoint addresses associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF.

[0025] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF comprises information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF, and corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF type.

[0026] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF comprises information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF, and corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF instance.

[0027] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF comprises information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF, and corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF service instance.

[0028] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the information associated with the one or more NFs available as the target NF comprises, for each of the one or more NFs: a validity period associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF, the validity period corresponds to a period during which the corresponding technology functionality is available.

[0029] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, in the second aspect: the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to, prior to outputting the response: output the request to another network entity; and obtain the response from the another network entity.

[0030] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, operations in the second aspect may be performed by a network entity. The network entity may be or may comprise an NF repository such as NRF.

[0031] In some implementations of the methods, systems, and apparatuses described herein, the network entity in the second aspect may be the network entity in the first aspect.

[0032] Other aspects and features will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and the accompanying drawings. Any feature(s) described herein with reference to any aspect(s) may be combined with any other feature(s) described herein with reference to any aspect(s), where appropriate and/or applicable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 illustrates an example wireless communications system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 2 illustrates an example method associated with registration or update of an NF in a 5G core network in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 3A illustrates an example environment including 5G and 6G systems in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. [0036] Figure 3B illustrates an example environment including systems associated with two different generations of mobile network technologies in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 4A illustrates an example environment including 5G and 6G systems in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 4B illustrates an example environment including systems associated with two different generations of mobile network technologies in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 5 illustrates an example method for supporting registration or update of an NF in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 6 illustrates an example method for supporting discovery of an NF in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 7 illustrates an example method for supporting discovery of an NF in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a user equipment (UE) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 9 illustrates an example of a processor in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 10 illustrates an example of a network equipment (NE) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method for supporting registration or update of an NF in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figure 12 illustrates a flowchart of a method for supporting discovery of an NF in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Examples described herein generally relate to the problem of determining or identifying technology functionality supported by an NF, such as determining or identifying functionality associated with one or more generations of mobile network technology (or other functionality or capability) supported by the NF, to support registration, update, and/or discovery of the NF. The NF may be in a core network based on service-based architecture (SBA). Currently, in 5G wireless communications system, information associated with technology functionality supported by an NF is not determined/identified/used at least in part because the NF only needs to support 5G functionality. Thus, an NF that can support functionality associated with one or more (in particular multiple) generations of mobile network technology cannot register this information with or store this information at the NRF (or NR repository), e.g., as part of the NF registration or update process. And because of this, the NRF cannot facilitate discovery of NFs based at least in part on the technology functionality supported by each NF. These may be undesirable for some wireless communications systems, such as beyond-5G wireless communications systems, which may support the functionality of a previous generation wireless communications system, such as 5G wireless communications system.

[0048] Some examples described herein relate to supporting registration or update of NF based at least in part on the information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF. Some examples described herein relate to supporting discovery of target NF based at least in part on the information associated with technology functionality supported by the target NF. Examples described herein may better support the implementation of some mobile network technologies, such as beyond-5G mobile network technology.

[0049] Aspects of the present disclosure are described in the context of a wireless communications system.

[0050] Definitions of abbreviations and acronyms in the context of a wireless communications system are provided as follows, at least some of these abbreviations and acronyms are used in the present disclosure: 5th Generation Core Network (5GC), 5th Generation System (5GS), 5G QoS Identifier (5QI), 6th Generation Core Network (6GC), 6th Generation System (6GS), Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA), Application Function (AF), Aggregated Maximum Bitrate (AMBR), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Access Network (AN), Application Programming Interface (API), Application Server (AS), Base Station (BS), Core Network (CN), Energy Consumption (EC), Energy Consumption function (ECF), Evolved Packet System (EPS), Guaranteed Bitrate (GBR), Identifier (ID), Information Element (IE), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Non Access Stratum (NAS), Mobility Management (MM), Network Exposure Function (NEF), Network Function (NF), Non-Public Network (NPN), New Radio (NR), Network Repository Function (NRF), Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF), Operations, Administration, and Management (OAM), Policy Control Function (PCF), Protocol Data Unit (PDU), Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN), Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN), Radio Access Network (RAN), Radio Access Technology/Type (RAT), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI), Session Management (SM), Session Management Function (SMF), Standalone Non-Public Network (SNPN), Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI), Tracking Area (TA), Transmission-Reception Points (TRP), Unified Data Management (UDM), Unified Data Repository (UDR), User Equipment (UE), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), User Plane Function (UPF), Universal subscriber identity module (USIM), and (Evolved) Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network ((E)-UTRAN). Unless other specified, in the present disclosure, the above definitions of the abbreviations and acronyms apply. Other abbreviations and acronyms may be further defined in the present disclosure.

[0051] Figure 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more NEs 102, one or more UEs 104, and a CN 106. The wireless communications system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be or may include a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE- Advanced (LTE- A) network. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be or may include an NR network, such as a 5G network, a 5G- Advanced (5G-A) network, or a 5G ultrawideband (5G-UWB) network. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be or may include a beyond-5G network (e.g., 6G network). In other words, the wireless communications system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G, for example, 6G, 7G, or the like (or any other suitable terminologies). In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a combination of two or more generations of networks. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a combination of a 4G network and a 5G network, a combination of a 5G network and a beyond-5G (e.g., 6G) network, or other suitable radio access technology including Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a combination of a first beyond-5G (e.g., 6G) network and a second beyond-5G (e.g., 7G) network. In some implementations, the wireless communications system 100 may be a combination of more than two networks. Additionally, the wireless communications system 100 may support technologies such as time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), or code division multiple access (CDMA), etc.

[0052] The one or more NEs 102 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region to form the wireless communications system 100. One or more of the NE 102 described herein may be or include or may be referred to as a network node, a BS, a network element, an NF, a network entity, a RAN, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terminology. One or more of the NE 102 described herein may be or include or support at least part of the CN 106. An NE 102 and a UE 104 may communicate via a communication link, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, an NE 102 and a UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, transmit signaling) over a Uu interface.

[0053] An NE 102 may provide a geographic coverage area for which the NE 102 may support services for one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area. For example, an NE 102 and a UE 104 may support wireless communication of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc.) according to one or multiple radio access technologies. In some implementations, an NE 102 may be moveable, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas may be associated with different NE 102. [0054] The one or more UEs 104 may be dispersed throughout a geographic region of the wireless communications system 100. A UE 104 may include or may be referred to as a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a subscriber device, a transmitter device, a receiver device, or some other suitable terminology. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet-of- Things (loT) device, an Intemet-of-Everything (loE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples.

[0055] A UE 104 may be able to support wireless communication directly with other UEs 104 over a communication link. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular-V2X deployments, the communication link may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, a UE 104 may support wireless communication directly with another UE 104 over a PC5 interface.

[0056] An NE 102 may support communications with the CN 106, or with another NE 102, or both. For example, an NE 102 may interface with other NE 102 or the CN 106 through one or more backhaul links (e.g., SI, N2, N2, or network interface). In some implementations, the NE 102 may communicate with each other directly. In some implementations, the NE 102 may communicate with each other indirectly (e.g., via the CN 106). In some implementations, one or more NEs 102 may include subcomponents, such as an access network entity, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). An ANC may communicate with the one or more UEs 104 through one or more other access network transmission entities, which may be referred to as a radio heads, smart radio heads, or TRPs.

[0057] The CN 106 may support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The CN 106 may be an evolved packet core (EPC), or a 5GC, or a beyond-5G core (e.g., 6GC), and which may include a control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an AMF, and a user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a UPF). In some implementations, the control plane entity may manage NAS functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signal bearers, etc.) for the one or more UEs 104 served by the one or more NEs 102 associated with the CN 106.

[0058] The CN 106 may communicate with a packet data network over one or more backhaul links (e.g., via an SI, N2, N2, or another network interface). The packet data network may include an application server. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with the application server. A UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., a PDU session, or the like) with the CN 106 via an NE 102. The CN 106 may route traffic (e.g., control information, data, and the like) between the UE 104 and the application server using the established session (e.g., the established PDU session). The PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between the UE 104 and the CN 106 (e.g., one or more NFs of the CN 106).

[0059] In the wireless communications system 100, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may use resources of the wireless communications system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, slots, subframes, frames, or the like) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communications). In some implementations, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support different resource structures. For example, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5 G and among other suitable radio access technologies, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). The NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may support various frame structures based on one or more numerologies.

[0060] One or more numerologies may be supported in the wireless communications system 100, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing and a cyclic prefix. A first numerology (e.g., /r=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first numerology (e.g., /r=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one slot per subframe. A second numerology (e.g., /r=l) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third numerology (e.g., /r=2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth numerology (e.g., /r=3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth numerology (e.g., /r=4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

[0061] A time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to frames (also referred to as radio frames). Each frame may have a duration, for example, a 10 millisecond (ms) duration. In some implementations, each frame may include multiple subframes. For example, each frame may include 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, for example, a 1 ms duration. In some implementations, each frame may have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame may have the same duration.

[0062] Additionally or alternatively, a time interval of a resource (e.g., a communication resource) may be organized according to slots. For example, a subframe may include a number (e.g., quantity) of slots. The number of slots in each subframe may also depend on the one or more numerologies supported in the wireless communications system 100. For instance, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth numerologies (i.e., /r=0, jU=l , /r=2, jU=3, /r=4) associated with respective subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may utilize a single slot per subframe, two slots per subframe, four slots per subframe, eight slots per subframe, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. Each slot may include a number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of slots for a subframe may depend on a numerology. For a normal cyclic prefix, a slot may include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable for 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a slot may include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per slot, the number of slots per subframe, and the number of slots per frame for a normal cyclic prefix and an extended cyclic prefix may depend on a numerology. It should be understood that reference to a first numerology (e.g., /r=0) associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and slots. [0063] In the wireless communications system 100, an electromagnetic (EM) spectrum may be split, based on frequency or wavelength, into various classes, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc. By way of example, the wireless communications system 100 may support one or multiple operating frequency bands, such as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). In some implementations, the NEs 102 and the UEs 104 may perform wireless communications over one or more of the operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 may be used by the NEs 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for cellular communications traffic (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 may be used by the NEs 102 and the UEs 104, among other equipment or devices for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

[0064] FR1 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least three numerologies). For example, FR1 may be associated with a first numerology (e.g., /r=0), which includes 15 kHz subcarrier spacing; a second numerology (e.g., /r=l), which includes 30 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a third numerology (e.g., /r=2), which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing. FR2 may be associated with one or multiple numerologies (e.g., at least 2 numerologies). For example, FR2 may be associated with a third numerology (e.g., /r=2), which includes 60 kHz subcarrier spacing; and a fourth numerology (e.g., /r=3), which includes 120 kHz subcarrier spacing.

[0065] As mentioned, the 5GC is based on SB A, where the architecture elements are defined in terms of NF (which may include a set of one or more NF services). Details related to 5GC can be found in the standards, e.g., in 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS) 23.501 vl 9.1.0 (2024-09).

[0066] In 5GC, the NF may be deployed as a software package on the platform of the network operator. Each NF may communicate with other NFs (including their NF services), directly or indirectly. For indirect communication, a Service Communication Proxy (SCP) entity may be deployed. A Control Plane NF in 5GC may expose its capabilities as services via a service based interface (SBI). The NF service discovery may enable an NF or SCP to discover one or more NF instances which can provide the expected required NF services. The NF service discovery may be implemented by transmitting a request to the NRF and utilizing the NF discovery functionality.

[0067] In 5GC, each NF in the CN may be registered in the NRF. The information associated with the registered NF may be stored by or in the NRF. The NRF may support functionalities such as receiving a registration or update request from an NF to store or update information associated with the NF instance and supported services that is contained in the NF profile. The NRF may expose this functionality via the Nnrf_NFManagement service. The NRF may also support functionalities such as maintaining the NF profile of available NF instances and their supported services. The NF profile of each NF may include NF instance ID, NF type (ID), NF address (e.g., FQDN or IP Address), supported NF services, etc.). The NRF may also support functionalities such as NF/service discovery (e.g., for a target NF or NF service) by receiving an NF Discovery Request from a requester NF. The NRF may expose this functionality via the Nnrf_NFDiscovery service. As part of the discovery process, the requester NF may provide one or more of the following to the NRF to facilitate the discovery: NF type of the target NF, NF type of the requester NF (or service consumer), S-NSSAI, and the associated Network Slice Instance (NSI) ID, DNN, etc. Based on the provided information, the NRF may in response provide to the requester NF the information of the discovered NFs or NF instances. The information of the discovered NFs or NF instances may include: NF instance ID, NF address (e.g., FQDN or IP address) (i.e., FQDN or IP address of NF), NF capacity, load and/or capacity information, endpoint address information of instance(s) of each supported service, etc. The NRF may also support functionalities such as: notifying a subscribed NF about a newly registered/updated/deregistered NF and SCP instances along with its potential/available NF services to the subscribed NF (service consumer) or SCP.

[0068] Figure 2 illustrates an example of registration or update of an NF in 5GC in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Specifically, Figure 2 shows a general method 200 of an NF (also referred to as requester NF) registering a new NF instance or a new NF service (or updating an NF instance or an NF service) with an NRF. In this example, the NRF may act as a service producer for the NF service (or the NRF exposes the NF service). In some implementations, the NF service name may be “Nnrf_NFManagemenf ’ whereas the service operation name may be “Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister” .

[0069] At 202, the NF or NF instance (referred to as NF service consumer of the NRF service) transmits a registration or update request to the NRF. The registration or update request includes a Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister request message that informs the NRF of the new or updated NF profile of the requester NF. For example, 202 may be performed as part of or during the initial deployment or instantiation of the requester NF. The NF profile of the requester NF may be configured by the 0AM system.

[0070] At 204, the NRF receives and accepts the registration or update request, then stores the NF profile of the NF or NF instance, and marks the NF or NF instance as available. The NF profile of the NF or NF instance may include information such as NF instance ID, NF type (ID), NF address (e.g., FQDN or IP Address), supported NF services, etc.

[0071] At 206, the NRF acknowledges the registration or update request (e.g., confirms that the request has been accepted) by transmitting a Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister response message back to the requester NF.

[0072] In some implementations, a beyond-5G CN, such as 6GC, may also be based on SBA. The beyond-5G CN may be implemented along with the 5GC. For example, each of 5G system (5GS) and 6G system may be based on SBA and may use the SBI between the NFs in the CN.

[0073] Figure 3A shows an example environment 300 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The environment 300 includes an example representation of 5G and 6G systems, including CN 302, and a UE 30 arranged to communicate with the 5G and 6G systems using 5G and/or 6G communication technology. In this example, the CN 302 may be referred to as “5GC and 6GC”, “5GC and 6GC (combined)”, “evolved 5GC”, “combined 5GC and 6GC”, or other suitable terminology. The CN 302 may be considered as an evolution of 5GC and 6GC, or as an evolution of 5GC to “5GC + 6GC”. In this example, the CN 302 uses a common SBI bus 304 for both 5GC and 6GC. [0074] As illustrated in Figure 3 A, in this example, the CN 302 generally includes three categories of NFs.

[0075] The first category of NFs is 5G NFs, shown in blocks in dashed lines. In this example, these NFs include 5G SMF 306A, 5G AMF 306B, and 5GUPF 306C, each operably connected with the SBI bus 304. In some implementations, alternative or additional 5G NF(s) may be included. Details related to 5G NFs can be found in the standards, e.g., in 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS) 23.501 vl9.1.0 (2024-09) and 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS) 23.502 vl9.1.0 (2024-09).

[0076] The second category of NFs is hybrid NFs, shown in blocks in thick solid lines with a box (interface) in dashed lines and a box (interface) in dotted lines. The hybrid NFs may be referred to as “hybrid NFs”, “combined NFs”, “shared NFs”, or other suitable terminology. Each respective hybrid NF may implement both 5GNF functionality and 6G NF functionality of the same NF type. In this example, these NFs include hybrid NRF 308 A and hybrid UDM/UDR 308B. In some implementations, alternative or additional hybrid NF(s) may be included. Each of these hybrid NFs may implement 5G SBI functionality (illustrated by interface box in dashed lines operably connected with the SBI bus 304) and 6G SBI functionality (illustrated by interface box in dotted lines operably connected with the SBI bus 304). In some implementations, hybrid NRF 308A may operate as the 5GNRF described with reference to Figure 2 and may support various services such as Nnrf_NFManagement, Nnrf_NFDiscovery, Nnrf_AccessToken or Nnrf_Bootstrapping. In addition, NRF 308A may further support functionality required to register, maintain, and/or expose discovery of 6G NFs, which is described in greater detail below. In some implementations, a hybrid NF may be represented by a single NF instance ID and may have multiple endpoint addresses, e.g., one endpoint address for the 5G NF functionality and another endpoint address for the 6G NF functionality.

[0077] The third category of NFs is 6GNFs, shown in blocks in dotted lines. These NFs include 6G SMF 310 A, 6G AMF 310B, 6G UPF 310C, 6G NF 1 310D, and 6G NF2 310E, each operably connected with the SBI bus 304. In this example, 6G NF 1 310D and 6G NF2 310E may be NFs newly introduced in 6G (i.e., NFs not present or not known in 5G) whereas 6G SMF 310A, 6G AMF 310B, an 6G UPF 310C may correspond to their 5G counterparts (at least serve the equivalent function as their 5G counterparts but for 6G) and may be upgraded/ enhanced with functionality required for 6G. In some implementations, alternative or additional 6GNF(s) may be included.

[0078] As illustrated in Figure 3 A, the UE 30 is arranged to communicate with the CN 302 via the 5 GRAN 312 and the 5G cell 314 (e.g., a geographic area or sector served by a BS) as well as via the 6G RAN 316 and the 6G cell 318 (e.g., a geographic area or sector served by a BS).

[0079] Figure 3B shows an example environment 300’ in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The environment 300’ includes an example representation of N^th generation (NG) and M* generation (MG) systems, including CN 302’, and a UE 30’ arranged to communicate with the NG and MG systems using NG and/or MG communication technology. Both the NG and MG systems may be based on SB A. N and M may each be any integer greater than or equal to 5, with N and M being different. For example, N is 5 and M is 6, or N is 6 and M is 7, or N is 5 and M is 7. The CN 302 ’can be considered as a more generic implementation of CN 302 (i.e., not limited specifically to 5G and 6G). The disclosure related to environment 300 and CN 302 is applicable to environment 300’ and CN 302’ (with the specific reference to 5G and 6G is generalized to refer to NG and MG).

[0080] It should be noted that the environment 300, 300’ described herein describes possible implementations, and that the environment may be modified and that other implementations are possible. For example, the environment may include systems of more than two generations of mobile network technologies (e.g., three or more generations of systems sharing at least one common SBI bus) and the hybrid NFs may each support more than two generations of technology functionality.

[0081] Figure 4A shows an example environment 400 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The environment 400 includes an example representation of 5G and 6G systems, including 5GC 402A and 6GC 402B, and a UE 40 arranged to communicate with the 5G and 6G systems using 5G and/or 6G communication technology. In this example, the 5GC 402A and 6GC 402B are separated and they each include their own SBI bus, a 5G SBI bus 404A for the 5GC 402A and a 6G SBI bus 404B for the 6GC 402B. The 5G SBI bus 404A may support services such as Namf, Nsmf, etc. The 6G SBI bus 404B may support services such as Namf6, Nsmf6, Nupf6, etc.

[0082] As illustrated in Figure 4 A, in this example, the 5GC 402 A generally includes two categories of NFs. The first category of NFs is 5G NFs, shown in blocks in dashed lines. In this example, these NFs include 5G NRF 406A and 5G AMF 406B, each operably connected with the 5G SBI bus 404A. In another example, alternative or additional 5G NF(s) may be included. Details related to 5GNFs can be found in the standards, e.g., in 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS) 23.501 vl9.1.0 (2024-09) and 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS) 23.502 vl9.1.0 (2024-09). The second category of NFs is hybrid NFs, shown in blocks in solid lines with a box (interface) in dashed lines and a box (interface) in dotted lines. The hybrid NFs may be referred to as “hybrid NFs”, “combined NFs”, “shared NFs”, or other suitable terminology. Each respective hybrid NF may implement both 5G NF functionality and 6G NF functionality of the same NF type. In this example, these NFs include hybrid UDM/UDR408A and hybrid LMF 408B. In some implementations, alternative or additional hybrid NF(s) may be included. Each of these hybrid NFs may implement 5G SBI functionality (illustrated by interface box in dashed lines operably connected with the 5G SBI bus 404A) via 5GC 402A with and 6G SBI functionality (illustrated by interface box in dotted lines operably connected with the 6G SBI bus 404B) via 6GC 402B. The NFs associated with 5G may use the 5G services exposed by the hybrid NFs. For example, the 5G AMF 406B may use the 5G SBI services offered by the hybrid UDM/UDR 408A.

[0083] Further, as illustrated in Figure 4 A. in this example, the 6GC 402B generally includes two categories of NFs. The first category of NFs is 6GNFs, which are shown in blocks in dotted lines. These NFs include 6GNRF 410A and 6GNF 410B. In this example, 6G NF 410B may be NF newly introduced in 6G (i.e., not present in 5G) whereas 6G NRF 410A may correspond to its 5G counterpart (at least serve the equivalent function as their 5G counterpart but for 6G) and may be upgraded/enhanced with functionality required for 6G. In another example, alternative or additional 6G NF(s) may be included. The second category of NFs is hybrid NFs, which are shown in blocks in solid lines with a box (interface) in dashed lines and a box (interface) in dotted lines. The hybrid NFs may be referred to as “hybrid NFs”, “combined NFs”, “shared NFs”, or other suitable terminology. The hybrid NFs implement both 5GNF functionality and 6GNF functionality of the same NF type. In this example, these NFs include hybrid SMF 412A (a SMF that implements both the 5G SMF functionality and 6G SMF functionality), hybrid AMF 412B, and hybrid UPF 412C. In another example, alternative or additional hybrid NF(s) may be included. Each of these hybrid NFs may implement 5G SBI functionality (illustrated by interface box in dashed lines operably connected with the 5G SBI bus 404A) via 5GC 402A with and 6G SBI functionality (illustrated by interface box in dotted lines operably connected with the 6G SBI bus 404B) via 6GC 402B. The NFs associated with 6G may use the 6G services exposed by the hybrid NFs. For example, the 6G AMF of the hybrid AMF 412B may use the 6G SBI services offered by the hybrid UDM/UDR 408A, the hybrid LMF 408B, or hybrid SMF 412A (e.g., via 6G SBI bus 404B).

[0084] As illustrated in Figure 4 A, the UE 40 is arranged to communicate with the 5GC 402A via the 5G RAN 414 and the 5G cell 416 (e.g., a geographic area or sector served by a BS) as well as communicate with the 6GC 402B via the 6G RAN 418 and the 6G cell 420 (e.g., a geographic area or sector served by a BS).

[0085] One difference between the environment 300 in Figure 3 A and the environment 400 in Figure 4 A is that the environment 300 includes only one NRF (hybrid NRF 308 A) and the environment 400 includes two NRFs (5G NRF 406A for 5GC and 6G NRF 410A for 6GC). In environment 400, all 5G NFs (all NFs supporting 5G functionality) are registered with or in the 5G NRF 406A whereas all 6G NFs (all NFs supporting 6G functionality) are registered with or in the 6G NRF 410A. In environment 400, a hybrid NF (e.g., hybrid SMF 412A) may register itself in both the 5G NRF 406A and the 6G NRF 410A. That is, a hybrid NF may be registered in multiple NRFs.

[0086] Basically, the environment 300 in Figure 3A and the environment 400 in Figure 4A illustrate a similar concept of 6G architecture but having different arrangements. Specifically, the environment 300 in Figure 3 A uses a common SBI bus for connecting the 5G NFs and 6G NFs whereas the environment 400 in Figure 4A uses dedicated SBI buses for connecting the 5G NFs and 6G NFs (a dedicated 5G SBI bus for connecting the 5G NFs and a dedicated 6G SBI bus for connecting the 6G NFs). [0087] In some implementations, the arrangement in the environment 400 in Figure 4 A (using dedicated SBI buses) may be preferred over the arrangement in the environment 300 in Figure 3A (using a common SBI bus). For example, by using dedicated SBI buses (e.g., a 6G SBI bus independent or separate from the 5G SBI bus), a different network layer security be specified for the 6G SBI compared to the 5G SBI (i.e., 5G SBI and 6G SBI may have different network layer security specifications). For example, by using dedicated SBI buses (e.g., a 6G SBI bus independent or separate from the 5G SBI bus), different protocols can be used for 5G SBI and 6G SBI. For example, for 6G SBI, HTTPv3 via QUIC may be used as the transport protocol, and, for 5G SBI, HTTPv2 via TCP may be used as the transport protocol. For example, by using dedicated SBI buses (e.g., a 6G SBI bus independent or separate from the 5G SBI bus), the 6R RAN can support SBI functionality to expose services to 5G NFs and to use services from the 6G NFs. A new 6G SBI services exposed by the 6G RAN may be exposed via the 6G SBI bus. For example, by using dedicated SBI buses (e.g., a 6G SBI bus independent or separate from the 5G SBI bus), the 6G system may be designed to support services, such as non-communication services related to sensing, positioning/location, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML)/data collection and model transmission within the 6G NFs and/or between the 6G RAN and CN FNs, compute exchange, etc. With these (new) services, the 6G SBI NFs may support new NF services (not available in 5G) with potentially different transport protocols. For example, by using dedicated SBI buses (e.g., a 6G SBI bus independent or separate from the 5G SBI bus), the 6G NAS protocol from the UE may be terminated in the 6G control plane NF(s) in different way (compared to 5G).

[0088] Figure 4B shows an example environment 400’ in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The environment 400’ includes an example representation of N¹¹¹ generation (NG) and M* generation (MG) systems, including NG CN 402A’ and MG CN 402B’, and a UE 40’ arranged to communicate with the NG and MG systems using NG and/or MG communication technology. Both the NG and MG systems may be based on SB A. N and M may each be any integer greater than or equal to 5, with N and M being different. For example, N is 5 and M is 6, or N is 6 and M is 7, or N is 5 and M is 7. The NG CN 402A’ can be considered as a more generic implementation of 5GC 402A (not limited specifically to 5G) and the MG CN 402B’ can be considered as a more generic implementation of 6GC 402B (not limited specifically to 6G). The disclosure related to environment 400, 5GC 402A, and 6GC 402B is applicable to environment 400’, NG CN 402A’, and MG CN 402B’ (with the specific reference to 5G and 6G generalized to refer to NG and MG).

[0089] It should be noted that the environment 400, 400’ described herein describes possible implementations, and that the environment may be modified and that other implementations are possible. For example, the environment may include systems of more than two generations of mobile network technologies (e.g., three or more generations of systems each having at least one respective SBI bus) and the hybrid NFs may each support more than two generations of technology functionality.

[0090] It should be noted that some of the names/terminologies of the network entities, NFs, interfaces, and protocols used with respect to Figures 3 A to 4B (in particular Figures 3A and 4A) are based on the names/terminologies used in 5GS. However, the disclosure is not limited to 5G and can also be applied to other communication systems such as beyond- 5G communication systems (e.g., 6G communication system). In these cases, the notion of the used names/terminologies can be translated or modified to other names/terminologies for use in those other communication systems (e.g., 6G communication system). For example, the N2 interface in 5GS can be translated or modified to a more general interface between the RAN and the CN control plane. For example, the N3 interface in 5GS can be translated or modified to a more general interface between the RAN and the CN user plane. For example, the N4 interface in 5GS can be translated or modified to a more general interface between the SME in the control plane and the user plane entity. Also, while some of the names/terminologies of the network entities are used based on the names/terminologies used in 5GS, different/corresponding names/terminologies may be used in 6GS (or any other beyond-5G system). For example, a SMF or UPF in 5GS may be correspondingly mapped to 6G SMF or 6GUPF in 6GS.

[0091] In respect of the above example environment 300, 300’, 400, 400’, one problem that may arise concerns identification or determination of technology functionality supported by an NF. Currently, in 5G systems, information associated with technology functionality supported by an NF is not determined/identified/used at least partly because the NF only needs to support 5G functionality. However, in other systems (e.g., future generation systems), information associated with technology functionality supported by an NF may be necessary to support registration, update, and/or discovery of NFs.

[0092] More specifically, one issue may relate to differentiation between NFs of the same NF type but supporting different technology functionality (e.g., supporting functionality associated with different generations of mobile network technology) by a network system or network entity of the CN, to support registration, update, and/or discovery of NFs. The network entity referred to here may be include or may be the NRF, which is an NF repository for registering the NFs. For example, the differentiation between NFs of the same NF type but supporting different technology functionality may include differentiating between 5G NF and 6G NF of the same NF type (e.g., differentiating between 5G AMF and 6G AMF, or differentiating between 5G SMF and hybrid SMF). Another issue may relate to how the NFs may indicate their supported technology functionality (e.g., supported functionality associated with one or more generations of mobile network technology) to the network entity (e.g., NRF), for supporting registration, update, and/or discovery of NFs (e.g., to support discovery of a corresponding NF by other NFs).

[0093] To address or at least ameliorate one or more of the above problems or issues, aspects of the present disclosure provides a way that enables an NF register or update its information (e.g., its NF profile) with the NRF, wherein the information includes information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF. In some implementations, the information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF may be included in the NF profile. In some implementations, the NF profile includes information associated with the functionality or capability of the NF to support a specific generation of NF service(s) (e.g., 5G NF services, or 6G NF services, or specific functionality such as sensing functionality). In some implementations, the NF profile includes information associated with the functionality or capability of the NF to support multiple generations of NF service(s) (e.g., both 5G NF services and 6GNF services). In some implementations, the NRF may be a hybrid NRF implementing at least NG (e.g., 5G) and MG (e.g., 6G) functionality (e.g., hybrid NRF 308A in Figure 3 A). In this case, a shared/common database (or NF repository) may be used for registering and maintaining (storing associated NF information) of NG (e.g., 5G) NFs and MG (e.g., 6G) NFs. The shared/common database may be deployed within the hybrid NRF. The hybrid NRF may expose the NG (e.g., 5G) services and MG (e.g., 6G) services via dedicated endpoint address(es) of NF instances or endpoint address(es) of NF service instances. In the example of Figure 3A, the endpoint address(es) of NF (service) instances supporting 5Gmay be represented by the block with dashed lines associated with hybrid NRF 308A and the endpoint address(es) of NF (service) instances supporting 6G may be represented by the block with dotted lines associated with hybrid NRF 308 A.

[0094] To address or at least ameliorate one or more of the above problems or issues, in some implementations, in relation to supporting registration or update of an NF, an NF (also referred to as requester NF) may register or update its NF profile with the NRF. The NF profile may include information indicating the technology functionality supported by the NF. For example, the NF profile may include information indicating whether the NF supports one or more specific generations of mobile network technology functionality (e.g., whether the NF supports NG (e.g., 5G) and/or MG (e.g., 6G) functionality) and corresponding assistance information.

[0095] For example, a hybrid NF, such as hybrid AMF or hybrid SMF, may support 5G NF functionality and 6G NF functionality. The information indicating whether the NF supports one or more specific generations of mobile network technology functionality may include information indicating the one or more specific generations of mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF. The information indicating the one or more specific generations of mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF may be included in the NF profile. For example, the NF profile may include one or more NF instance IDs for indicating the support of NG (e.g., 5G) functionality (e.g., the NF type may be 5G AMF), the support of MG (e.g., 6G) functionality (e.g., the NF type may be 6G AMF), or the support of both NG and MG (e.g., 5G and 6G) functionality (e.g., the NF type may be “5G + 6G” AMF), in relation to the NF type of the NF. In some implementations, each NF instance ID may indicate the support of a single NF type. In some implementations, a single NF instance ID may indicate the support of multiple NF types. In one example, AMF Instance ID#X may indicate the support of NF type “5G AMF” and “6G AMF”. In some cases, for each NF type, a dedicated endpoint address may be indicated. In some implementations, a single NF instance ID and NF type (e.g., the NF type may be AMF) may be used, and the NF profile may also include one or more NF instance technology functionality IDs for indicating one or more NF instance technology functionality supported by the NF instance (e.g., 5G functionality, 6G functionality and/or 5G+6G functionality). In some implementations, a single NF instance ID and NF type (e.g., the NF type may be AMF) may be used, and the NF profile may also include one or more NF service instance technology functionality IDs for indicating one or more NF service instance technology functionality supported by the NF service instance (e.g., the Namf EventExposure service of 5G and the Namf EventExposure service of 6G). The corresponding assistance information may be associated with each specific generation of mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF. In some implementations, the assistance information may include one or more endpoint addresses associated with each generation of mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF. In some implementations, the assistance information may include a validity period per generation of mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF. The validity period may correspond to a period during which the specific generation of mobile network technology functionality is valid or available or operational.

[0096] To address or at least ameliorate one or more of the above problems or issues, in some implementations, in relation to discovery of NF (or target NF), an NF (also referred to as requested NF) may transmit a request to discover (or select or re-select) a target NF (e.g., an NF instance or NF service) to an NRF. The request includes information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF (e.g., information indicating that 5G functionality, 6G functionality, or “5G+6G” functionality needs to be supported by the target NF). The NRF may receive from the requester NF the request including information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF. In response, the NRF may transmit a response back to the NF including information of one or more NFs available as the target NF. The information of one or more NFs available as the target NF may include, for each of the one or more NFs available as the target NF, the endpoint address associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF. For example, the 5G functionality of the NF may have an endpoint address FQDN#A whereas the 6G functionality of the NF may have an endpoint address FQDN#B.

[0097] The endpoint address associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF may be further explained with reference of Figures 3 A and 4A. For example, the hybrid UDM/UDR 308B, 408A or hybrid SMF 412A are presented such that the endpoint address(es) of NF (service) instances supporting 5G are represented by boxes with dashed lines and the endpoint address(es) of NF (service) instances supporting 6G are represented by boxes with dotted lines. In the example of Figure 4A, the hybrid SMF 412A may register itself with both the 5G NRF 406A and the 6G NRF 410A. In other words, a hybrid NF may be registered in multiple NRFs, wherein the hybrid NF may register a separate IP address or FQDN per NF instance(s) and/or a separate endpoint address of relevant NF service instance(s) per 5G and 6G functionality.

[0098] Figure 5 illustrates an example method 500 for supporting registration or update of an NF in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. For example, the method 500 may support NF service registration or update for one or more NF service technology functionality supported by an NF (e.g., functionality associated with one or more generations of mobile network technology supported by the NF). In this example, the method 500 is performed by an NF 50A (also referred to as requester NF) and a network entity 50B (such as an NRF). The NF 50A may be an NF of the CN or RAN that needs to register or update its information (e.g., NF profile) with the network entity 50B (e.g., NRF). In some implementations, the NF 50A may be considered as a service consumer of the network entity and the network entity 50B may be considered as a service producer.

[0099] At 502, the NF 50A may initiate registration or update of its NF profile to register or update it with the network entity 50B. To this end, in one example in which the network entity 50B is NRF, the NF 50A may use the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister service operation exposed by the NRF. The NF 50A may transmit to the network entity 50B a registration or update request including the following information associated with the NF 50A: NF instance ID, NF type (ID), the technology functionality supported by the NF 50A and corresponding endpoint address information, etc. The technology functionality supported by the NF 50A may indicate the ability of the NF 50A to support one or more generations of mobile network technology. In other words, the NF profile includes information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF. The technology functionality supported by the NF may include 5G mobile network technology functionality, one or more beyond-5G (e.g., 6G) mobile network technology functionality, functionality related to specific feature (e.g., related to sensing ability or ambient loT ability), or functionality related to specific release number of the mobile network technology specification or standards (e.g., 3GPP Release 19).

[0100] In one example, a hybrid AMF or hybrid SMF (such as those in the environment 300, 300’, 400, 400’) may support technology functionality such as 5G NF services and/or 6G NF services. In some implementations, if the NF 50A supports multiple technology functionality, such as both 5G NF services and 6G NF services, the NF 50A may include, in the registration or update request, respective service endpoint address for each technology functionality. The service endpoint address may be an FQDN or IP address. In some implementations, the NF 50A may include a validity period for each technology functionality.

[0101] The information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF can be included in the NF profile in various ways (e.g., as various parameters), some examples of which are provided herein.

[0102] In some implementations, the NF profile may include one or more NF instance IDs arranged to indicate the technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF. For example, the one or more NF instance IDs may be arranged to indicate the support of 5G functionality (e.g., the NF type may be 5G AMF), the support of 6G functionality (e.g., the NF type may be 6G AMF), or the support of both 5G and 6G functionality (e.g., the NF type may be “5G + 6G” AMF), associated with NF type. For example, each NF instance ID may support a single NF type. Alternatively, a single NF instance ID may indicate the support of multiple NF types. For example, AMF instance ID#X may support of both NF types 5G AMF and 6G AMF. In such case, for each NF type, a common or dedicated endpoint address may be indicated. [0103] In some implementations, the NF profile (e.g. for an NF instance or instance set) may include one or more NF instance technology functionality IDs arranged to indicate the technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF. For example, the one or more NF instance technology functionality IDs may be arranged to indicate the support of 5G functionality, the support of 6G functionality, or the support of both 5G and 6G functionality, associated with an NF instance. The NF instance and the NF type (e.g., NF type may be AMF) may be associated with one or more supported technology functionality.

[0104] In some implementations, the NF profile may include NF instance ID and NF type information (e.g. NF type may be AMF), as well as one or more NF service instance technology functionality IDs arranged to indicate the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF. For example, the one or more NF service instance technology functionality IDs may be arranged to indicate the support of 5G functionality, the support of 6G functionality, or the support of both 5G and 6G functionality, associated with an NF service instance. For example, the NF service instance technology functionality IDs may indicate the Namf EventExposure service of 5G and/or the Namf EventExposure service of 6G.

[0105] In one example, the hybrid UMD/UDR (Figures 3A to 4B), the hybrid AMF (Figures 4A and 4B), or the hybrid SMF (Figures 4A and 4B) in the environment 300, 300’, 400, 400’ may each register its instances supporting 5 G functionality and the corresponding endpoint address information and its instances supporting 6G functionality and the corresponding endpoint address information.

[0106] At 504, the network entity 50B receives the registration or update request (including the information associated with the NF) and initiates storing of the received NF information such as the NF profile. The network entity 50B may store the received NF information such as the NF profile. In some implementations, the network entity 50B may be a 5G NRF, a beyond-5G NRF, or a hybrid NRF (such as the hybrid NRF in Figures 3A and 3B), and may store the NF profile which includes one or more parameters or IDs indicating the technology functionality supported by the NF (associated with NF type, NF instance, or NF service instance) and the corresponding endpoint address information (e.g., service endpoint address information). In some implementations, the network entity 50B may be the hybrid NRF (such as those in Figures 3A and 3B), which may implement and expose different endpoint addresses of its services (e.g., the endpoint address arranged to be used by 5GS NFs and the endpoint address arranged to be used by 6GS NFs.

[0107] At 506, the network entity 50B may output a response to the NF 50A to indicate a result of the registration or update request. In one example, the network entity 50B is an NRF and it uses the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister service and transmits a response to the NF 50 A. The response may indicate the success or failure of the NF registration or update request (e.g., the success or failure of the storage of the NF information or NF profile).

[0108] Method 500 may be advantageous in various ways. For example, in method 500, the NF 50A may provide information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF to the network entity 50B as part of the process for registering or updating the NF 50A (and for storing the NF information of the NF 50A at or by the network entity 50B). As a result, other NFs may be able to discover and select one or more NFs (which have been registered) for use based at least in part on the technology functionality supported by the NFs, e.g., by directly or indirectly interacting with the network entity 50B.

[0109] It should be noted that the method 500 described herein describes a possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.

[0110] Figure 6 illustrates an example method 600 for supporting discovery of an NF (or target NF) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In this example, the method 600 is performed by an NF 60A (also referred to as requester NF) and a network entity 60B (such as NRF). The NF 60A may be an NF of the CN or RAN that needs to discover one or more other NFs suitable and available for use as target NFs (or NF services).

[0111] At 602, the NF 60A transmits a discovery request to the network entity 60B (e.g., NRF) to discover a target NF (e.g., a target NF instance or target NF service instance). The discovery request may include the following parameters: target NF service name(s) associated with the target NF, NF type of the target NF, NF type of the NF service consumer, information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF (e.g., functionality associated with one or more generations of mobile network technology required to be supported by the target NF), etc. For example, the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF may include 5G mobile network technology functionality, one or more beyond-5G (e.g., 6G) mobile network technology functionality, functionality related to specific feature (e.g., related to sensing ability or ambient loT ability), or functionality related to specific release number of the mobile network technology specification or standards (e.g., 3GPP Release 19). The information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF can be included in the discovery request in various ways, some examples of which are provided herein. For example, the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF may be associated with the NF type, the NF instance, or the NF service instance of the NF (such as that disclosed with reference to 502 in Figure 5).

[0112] At 604, the network entity 60B (e.g., NRF) receives from the NF 60A the discovery request for NF discovery or resolution. The discovery request includes information associated with the target NF, including information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF. The network entity 60B (e.g., NRF) determines, based at least in part on the received request (and information), one or more NFs available as the target NF (also referred to as candidate target NF(s)).

[0113] At 606, the network entity 60B (e.g., NRF) transmits a response to the NF 60A. The response includes information associated with one or more candidate target NFs (or NF instances) that correspond or match the requirements provided in the request. The one or more candidate target NFs may be available as the target NF. In one example, the network entity 60B (e.g., NRF) may provide, in the response (e.g., via NnrfJNFDiscovery response) to the NF 60A, a list of all candidate target NF(s) and corresponding information associated with the technology functionality supported by each candidate target NF. In some implementations, the network entity 60B may perform selection, i.e., only provide one or some (not all) candidate target NF(s) in the response, based at least in part on one or more other filtering or selection criteria. In some implementations, the response may include NF information of one or more NFs available as the target NF (e.g., NF type, NF instance ID, endpoint address associate with the NF instance, services instances, information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF, and the corresponding endpoint address information for each supported technology functionality.

[0114] The information associated with one or more candidate target NFs may be provided in the response in various ways, some examples of which are provided herein.

[0115] In some implementations, the response may include target NF instance ID associated with the NF type (e.g., 5G, 6G, or “5G+6G”) and the corresponding FQDN or IP address(es) for each NF type (if the candidate target NF supports multiple NF types).

[0116] In some implementations, the response may include target NF type, target NF instance ID associated with technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF (e.g. “5G”, “6G” or “5G and 6G”), the corresponding FQDN or IP address(es) for each NF instance (e.g., if the candidate target NF supports 5G and 6G functionality), and if applicable, a list of services instances (each service instance may include a service name, an NF service instance ID, and optionally endpoint address information).

[0117] In some implementations, the response may include target NF type, target NF instance ID, FQDN or IP address(es) for each NF instance (e.g., if the candidate target NF supports 5G and 6G functionality), and a list of services instances (each service instance may include a service name, an NF service instance ID associated with an NF capability (e.g. 5G or 6G) and endpoint address information for each NF service instance associated with the supported technology functionality.

[0118] In some implementations, the response may include the endpoint address associated with each supported technology functionality. For example, 5GNF may be associated with an endpoint address FQDN#A whereas the 6G NF functionality may be associated with an endpoint address FQDN#B. In some implementations, the response may include a validity period for each technology functionality. In some implementations, the validity period may correspond to a duration for which the discovery result is valid and can be cached (e.g., the one or more NFs identified are available as the target NF with reference to the supported technology functionality). [0119] The NF 60A that receives the response (containing information associated with one or more NFs available as the target NF) from the network entity 60B may select (if needed) any of the NF(s) for use based at least in part on the technology functionality supported by the NF(s).

[0120] Figure 7 illustrates an example method 700 for supporting discovery of an NF in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In this example, the method 700 is performed by an NF 70A (also referred to as requester NF), a first network entity 70B (such as a first NRF), and a second network entity 70C (such as a second NRF). The NF 70A may be an NF of the CN or RAN that needs to discover one or more other NFs suitable and available for use as target NFs (or NF services).

[0121] Method 700 can be considered as a variant (or special case) of method 600. Method 700 is similar to method 600 in various ways. For example, 702 is generally the same as 602, 706 is generally the same as 604, and 710 is generally the same as 606.

[0122] In some cases, the first network entity 70B may be located in a specific network slice and it may need to discover a candidate target NF in the second network entity 70C (e.g., another NRF or common NRF for multiple network slices). In some cases, the first network entity 70B (e.g., NRF) may be in VPLMN and the information of the candidate target NF may be stored in the second network entity 70C (e.g., NRF) in HPLMN). In these cases, the first network entity 70B (e.g., NRF) may not be able to determine the candidate target NF instance by itself (e.g., its own NF repository) and needs to communicate with another network entity 70C (e.g., NRF) for assistance.

[0123] At 702, the NF 70A transmits a discovery request to the first network entity 70B (e.g., NRF) to discover a target NF (e.g., a target NF instance or target NF service instance). Operation details of 702 may be similar or the same as those described with reference to 602 of Figure 6.

[0124] At 704, the first network entity 70B (e.g., NRF in VPLMN or in another domain or network slice) receives from the NF 70A the discovery request for NF discovery or resolution. The discovery request includes information associated with the target NF, including information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF. In this case, however, the first network entity 70B (e.g., NRF in VPLMN or in another domain or network slice) then determines that it alone (e.g., its repository) cannot provide one or more NFs available as the target NF. The first network entity 70B thus transmits, forwards, or redirects the received request (and information) to the second network entity 70C (e.g., NRF in HPLMN).

[0125] At 706, the second network entity 70C (e.g., NRF in HPLMN) determines, based at least in part on the received request (and information), one or more NFs available as the target NF (also referred to as candidate target NF(s)). Operation details of 706 (performed by network entity 70C) may be similar or the same as those described with reference to 604 of Figure 6 (performed by network entity 60B).

[0126] At 708, the second network entity 70C (e.g., NRF in HPLMN) transmits a response to the first network entity 70B. The response includes information associated with one or more candidate target NFs (or NF instances) that correspond or match the requirements provided in the request. The one or more candidate target NFs may be available as the target NF. The content of the response may be the same as that described with reference to 606 of Figure 6.

[0127] At 710, the first network entity 70B (e.g., NRF in VPLMN or in another domain or network slice) receives the response from the second network entity 70C (e.g., NRF in HPLMN). The first network entity 70B transmits or forwards the received response (and information) to the NF 70A. Operation details of 710 may be similar or the same as those described with reference to 606 of Figure 6.

[0128] Methods 600, 700 may be advantageous in various ways. For example, in methods 600, 700, the NFs 60 A, 70A may transmit a request to discover a target NF (e.g., target NF instance or NF service) that supports a specific technology functionality (e.g., 5G functionality, 6G functionality, or “5G + 6G” functionality). The network entities 60B, 70C may discover, based at least in part on the stored NF profiles or NF information associated with various NFs (including information associated with technology functionality supported by each NF), one or more NFs available as the target NF. The NF profile or NF information of each NF available as the target NF can be provided to the NFs 60 A, 70A in a response. The response includes information associated with technology functionality supported by each NF available as the target NF.

[0129] It should be noted that the methods 600, 700 described herein describes possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.

[0130] Each of the example methods 500 to 700 may be applied to public networks, such as PLMN, or to private networks, such as NPN or SNPN.

[0131] Figure 8 illustrates an example of a UE 800 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The UE 800 may include a processor 802, a memory 804, a controller 806, and a transceiver 808. The processor 802, the memory 804, the controller 806, or the transceiver 808, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces.

[0132] The processor 802, the memory 804, the controller 806, or the transceiver 808, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuitry). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0133] The processor 802 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general- purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 802 may be configured to operate the memory 804. In some other implementations, the memory 804 may be integrated into the processor 802. The processor 802 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 804 to cause the UE 800 to perform various functions of the present disclosure.

[0134] The memory 804 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. The memory 804 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions when executed by the processor 802 cause the UE 800 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such the memory 804 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non- transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0135] In some implementations, the processor 802 and the memory 804 coupled with the processor 802 may be configured to cause the UE 800 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 802, instructions stored in the memory 804). For example, the processor 802 may support wireless communication at the UE 800 in accordance with examples as disclosed herein.

[0136] The controller 806 may manage input and output signals for the UE 800. The controller 806 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the UE 800. In some implementations, the controller 806 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, WINDOWS®, or other operating systems. In some implementations, the controller 806 may be implemented as part of the processor 802.

[0137] In some implementations, the UE 800 may include at least one transceiver 808. In some other implementations, the UE 800 may have more than one transceiver 808. The transceiver 808 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 808 may include one or more receiver chains 810, one or more transmitter chains 812, or a combination thereof.

[0138] A receiver chain 810 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain 810 may include one or more antennas for receive the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receiver chain 810 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain 810 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the receive signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receiver chain 810 may include at least one decoder for decoding the processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data. [0139] A transmitter chain 812 may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmitter chain 812 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmitter chain 812 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmitter chain 812 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0140] Figure 9 illustrates an example of a processor 900 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The processor 900 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 900 may include a controller 902 configured to perform various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor 900 may optionally include at least one memory 904, which may be, for example, an L1/L2/L3 cache. Additionally, or alternatively, the processor 900 may optionally include one or more arithmetic-logic units (ALUs) 906. One or more of these components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0141] The processor 900 may be a processor chipset and include a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) in accordance with examples as described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 900) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase change memory (PCM), and others). [0142] The controller 902 may be configured to manage and coordinate various operations (e.g., signaling, receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, reading) of the processor 900 to cause the processor 900 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. For example, the controller 902 may operate as a control unit of the processor 900, generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of the processor 900. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory access, and coordinating timing of operations.

[0143] The controller 902 may be configured to fetch (e.g., obtain, retrieve, receive) instructions from the memory 904 and determine subsequent instruction(s) to be executed to cause the processor 900 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. The controller 902 may be configured to track memory address of instructions associated with the memory 904. The controller 902 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operation to be performed and the operands involved. For example, the controller 902 may be configured to interpret the instruction and determine control signals to be output to other components of the processor 900 to cause the processor 900 to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. Additionally, or alternatively, the controller 902 may be configured to manage flow of data within the processor 900. The controller 902 may be configured to control transfer of data between registers, arithmetic logic units (ALUs), and other functional units of the processor 900.

[0144] The memory 904 may include one or more caches (e.g., memory local to or included in the processor 900 or other memory, such RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc. In some implementations, the memory 904 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., local to the processor 900). In some other implementations, the memory 904 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., remote to the processor 900).

[0145] The memory 904 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions that, when executed by the processor 900, cause the processor 900 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. The controller 902 and/or the processor 900 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 904 to cause the processor 900 to perform various functions. For example, the processor 900 and/or the controller 902 may be coupled with or to the memory 904, the processor 900, the controller 902, and the memory 904 may be configured to perform various functions described herein. In some examples, the processor 900 may include multiple processors and the memory 904 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein.

[0146] The one or more ALUs 906 may be configured to support various operations in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, the one or more ALUs 906 may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., the processor 900). In some other implementations, the one or more ALUs 906 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., the processor 900). One or more ALUs 906 may perform one or more computations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on data. For example, one or more ALUs 906 may receive input operands and an operation code, which determines an operation to be executed. One or more ALUs 906 be configured with a variety of logical and arithmetic circuits, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate the data according to the operation. Additionally, or alternatively, the one or more ALUs 906 may support logical operations such as AND, OR, exclusive-OR (XOR), not-OR (NOR), and not- AND (NAND), enabling the one or more ALUs 906 to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0147] The processor 900 may support wireless communication in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the processor 900 may be configured to or operable to support one or more means for supporting registration, update, and/or discovery of NF in accordance with the present disclosure. For example, the processor 900 may be configured to or operable to support one or more means for: receiving a request associated with a registration or update of an NF, the request comprising information associated with the NF, the information associated with the NF comprising information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF; initiating storing of the information associated with the NF based at least in part on approval of the request; and outputting a response including a result of the request. For example, the processor 900 may be configured to or operable to support one or more means for: receiving a request associated with a discovery of a target NF, the request comprising information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF; and outputting a response comprising information associated with one or more NFs available as the target NF based at least in part on the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF.

[0148] Figure 10 illustrates an example of a NE 1000 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The NE 1000 may include a processor 1002, a memory 1004, a controller 1006, and a transceiver 1008. The processor 1002, the memory 1004, the controller 1006, or the transceiver 1008, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of the present disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more interfaces.

[0149] The processor 1002, the memory 1004, the controller 1006, or the transceiver 1008, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., circuitry). The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure.

[0150] The processor 1002 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general- purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, the processor 1002 may be configured to operate the memory 1004. In some other implementations, the memory 1004 may be integrated into the processor 1002. The processor 1002 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory 1004 to cause the NE 1000 to perform various functions of the present disclosure. [0151] The memory 1004 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. The memory 1004 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code including instructions when executed by the processor 1002 cause the NE 1000 to perform various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such the memory 1004 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non- transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0152] In some implementations, the processor 1002 and the memory 1004 coupled with the processor 1002 may be configured to cause the NE 1000 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., executing, by the processor 1002, instructions stored in the memory 1004). For example, the processor 1002 may support wireless communication at the NE 1000 in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the NE 1000 may be configured to support one or more means for supporting registration, update, and/or discovery of NF in accordance with the present disclosure. For example, the NE 1000 may be configured to support one or more means for: receiving a request associated with a registration or update of an NF, the request comprising information associated with the NF, the information associated with the NF comprising information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF; initiating storing of the information associated with the NF based at least in part on approval of the request; and outputting a response including a result of the request. For example, the NE 1000 may be configured to support one or more means for: receiving a request associated with a discovery of a target NF, the request comprising information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF; and outputting a response comprising information associated with one or more NFs available as the target NF based at least in part on the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF.

[0153] The controller 1006 may manage input and output signals for the NE 1000. The controller 1006 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the NE 1000. In some implementations, the controller 1006 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, WINDOWS®, or other operating systems. In some implementations, the controller 1006 may be implemented as part of the processor 1002.

[0154] In some implementations, the NE 1000 may include at least one transceiver 1008. In some other implementations, the NE 1000 may have more than one transceiver 1008. The transceiver 1008 may represent a wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1008 may include one or more receiver chains 1010, one or more transmitter chains 1012, or a combination thereof.

[0155] A receiver chain 1010 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) over a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain 1010 may include one or more antennas for receive the signal over the air or wireless medium. The receiver chain 1010 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain 1010 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the receive signal and obtain the transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during transmission of the signal. The receiver chain 1010 may include at least one decoder for decoding the processing the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

[0156] A transmitter chain 1012 may be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmitter chain 1012 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase-shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmitter chain 1012 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over the wireless medium. The transmitter chain 1012 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0157] Figure 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1100 for supporting registration or update of an NF in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1100 may be implemented by a network entity as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1100 may be implemented by an NRF. In some implementations, the network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the network entity to perform the described functions.

[0158] At 1102, the method 1100 may include receiving a request associated with a registration or update of an NF. The request includes information associated with the NF, which includes information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF. In some implementations, the technology functionality supported by the NF may include functionality associated with one or more generations of mobile network technology supported by the NF. The one or more generations of mobile network technology may include 5G mobile network technology (e.g., 5G radio access technology), one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., one or more beyond-5G radio access technologies), or any combination thereof. For example, the information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF may indicate that the NF supports 5G mobile network technology functionality, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., 6G mobile network technology) functionality, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the technology functionality supported by the NF may include specific feature, function, or capability supported by the NF, which may be associated with the generation of mobile network technology supported by the NF. In some implementations, the information associated with the NF may include an NF profile of the NF. The NF profile may include, e.g., an NF instance ID and the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF. In other words, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF may be included in the NF profile. In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF may not be included in (i.e., may be separated from) the NF profile.

[0159] In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF may include an NF type parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF. For example, the NF type parameter may indicate that the NF type of the NF supports 5G mobile network technology (e.g., 5G radio access technology) functionality, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., one or more beyond-5G radio access technologies) functionality, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the NF type parameter may be represented at least in part by the NF instance ID in the NF profile.

[0160] In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF may include an NF instance parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF. For example, the NF instance parameter may indicate that the NF instance of the NF supports 5G mobile network technology (e.g., 5G radio access technology) functionality, one or more beyond- 5G mobile network technologies (e.g., one or more beyond-5G radio access technologies) functionality, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF may include multiple NF instance parameters each indicating the technology functionality supported by a respective NF instance of the NF (the NF may include multiple NF instances). In some implementations, the NF instance parameter may be represented by one or more NF instance technology functionality IDs in the NF profile. For example, each NF instance technology functionality ID may be associated with a respective NF instance of the NF.

[0161] In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF may include an NF service instance parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF (or, of an NF instance of the NF). For example, the NF service instance parameter may indicate that the NF service instance of the NF supports 5G mobile network technology (e.g., 5G radio access technology) functionality, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., one or more beyond-5G radio access technologies) functionality, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF may include multiple NF service instance parameters each indicating the technology functionality supported by a respective NF service instance of the NF (the NF may include multiple NF service instances). In some implementations, the NF service instance parameter may be represented by one or more NF service instance technology functionality IDs in the NF profile. For example, each NF service instance technology functionality ID may be associated with a respective NF service instance of the NF. [0162] In some implementations, the information associated with the NF may also include endpoint addresses information (one or more endpoint addresses) associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF. For example, each endpoint address may be represented at least in part by a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or an internet protocol (IP) address. In some implementations, the information associated with the NF may include one or more endpoint addresses each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF. For example, if the NF type of the NF supports both 5 G mobile network technology functionality and a beyond-5G mobile network technology functionality, the information associated with the NF may include one endpoint address associated with the 5G mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF type and another endpoint address associated with the beyond-5G mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF type. In some implementations, the information associated with the NF may include one or more endpoint addresses each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF. For example, if the NF instance of the NF supports both 5G mobile network technology functionality and a bey ond-5G mobile network technology functionality, the information associated with the NF may include one endpoint address associated with the 5G mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF instance and another endpoint address associated with the beyond-5G mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF instance. In some implementations, the information associated with the NF may include an endpoint address associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF. For example, if the NF service instance of the NF supports both 5G mobile network technology functionality and a beyond-5G mobile network technology functionality, the information associated with the NF may include a common (single) endpoint address associated with the NF instance of the NF service instance, and the NF instance may in turn include one or more endpoint addresses each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF. In some other implementations, the endpoint address information associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF may not be included in the request, and may be provided separately from the request. [0163] In some implementations, the information associated with the NF may also include a validity period associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF, the validity period corresponds to a period during which the corresponding technology functionality supported by the NF is available (or valid). The validity period may be in unit of time such as minutes, hours, days, etc. For example, the information associated with the NF may include one or more validity periods each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF. For example, the information associated with the NF may include one or more validity periods each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF. For example, the information associated with the NF may include a common (single) validity period associated with the NF instance of the NF service instance, and the NF instance may in turn include one or more validity periods each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF. In some other implementations, the validity period information associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF may not be included in the request, and may be provided separately from the request.

[0164] The operations of 1102 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1102 may be performed by one or more of the processor 900 as described with reference to Figure 9. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1102 may be performed by one or more of the NE 1000 as described with reference to Figure 10. For example, aspects of the operations of 1102 may be performed by a network entity, such as NRF, which may include an NF repository.

[0165] At 1104, the method 1100 may include initiating storing of the information associated with the NF based at least in part on approval or acceptance of the request, so that the information associated with the NF is stored. The information associated with the NF may be stored in a network entity, such as an NF repository, which receives the request. In some implementations, the request may be approved or accepted based at least in part on the information associated with the NF included in the request as received. For example, the request may be approved or accepted based at least in part on the information associated with the NF included in the request as received is complete (e.g., all required fields or information of the NF is received). For example, the request may be approved or accepted based at least in part on the information associated with the NF included in the request as received is compatible for storage and there exists storage space or memory available for storing the information. For example, the request may be rejected based at least in part on the occurrence of a timeout event or an interruption event associated with the request or the network entity. For example, the request may be approved or accepted based at least in part on determining that the technology functionality supported by the NF (contained in the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF) is supported by the system or the network entity.

[0166] The operations of 1104 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1104 may be performed by one or more of the processor 900 as described with reference to Figure 9. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1104 may be performed by one or more of the NE 1000 as described with reference to Figure 10. For example, aspects of the operations of 1104 may be performed by a network entity, such as NRF, which may include an NF repository.

[0167] At 1106, the method 1100 may include outputting a response including a result of the request. In some implementations, the response may indicate that the request is approved or accepted. For example, the response may indicate that the information associated with the NF is stored. In some implementations, the response may indicate that the request is rejected (and the information associated with the NF is not stored).

[0168] The operations of 1106 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1106 may be performed by one or more of the processor 900 as described with reference to Figure 9. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1106 may be performed by one or more of the NE 1000 as described with reference to Figure 10. For example, aspects of the operations of 1106 may be performed by a network entity, such as NRF, which may include an NF repository.

[0169] It should be noted that the method 1100 described herein describes a possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. For example, at 1102, the request may be received by the network entity in one or more turns (e.g., in one or more messages). For example, at 1106, the response may be output by the network entity in one or more turns (e.g., in one or more messages).

[0170] Figure 12 illustrates a flowchart of a method 1200 for supporting discovery of an NF (or target NF) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1200 may be implemented by a network entity as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1200 may be implemented by an NRF. In some implementations, the network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the function elements of the network entity to perform the described functions.

[0171] At 1202, the method 1200 may include receiving a request associated with a discovery of a target NF. The request includes information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF. In some implementations, the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF includes functionality associated with one or more generations of mobile network technology required to be supported by the target NF. For example, the one or more generations of mobile network technology may include 5G mobile network technology (e.g., 5G radio access technology), one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., one or more beyond-5G radio access technologies), or any combination thereof. For example, the information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF may indicate that the target NF needs to support 5G mobile network technology functionality, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., 6G mobile network technology) functionality, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF may include specific feature, function, or capability required to be supported by the target NF, which may be associated with the generation of mobile network technology required to be supported by the target NF.

[0172] In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF includes an NF type parameter indicating the technology functionality required to be supported by an NF type the target NF (or target NF type). For example, the NF type parameter may indicate that the NF type of the target NF needs to support 5G mobile network technology functionality, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., 6G mobile network technology) functionality, or any combination thereof.

[0173] In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF includes an NF instance parameter indicating the technology functionality required to be supported by an NF instance of the target NF (or target NF instance). For example, the NF instance parameter may indicate that the NF instance of the target NF needs to support 5G mobile network technology functionality, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., 6G mobile network technology) functionality, or any combination thereof.

[0174] In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF includes an NF service instance parameter indicating the technology functionality required to be supported by an NF service instance of the target NF (or target NF service instance). For example, the NF service instance parameter may indicate that the NF service instance of the target NF needs to support 5G mobile network technology functionality, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., 6G mobile network technology) functionality, or any combination thereof.

[0175] The operations of 1202 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1202 may be performed by one or more of the processor 900 as described with reference to Figure 9. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1202 may be performed by one or more of the NE 1000 as described with reference to Figure 10. For example, aspects of the operations of 1202 may be performed by a network entity, such as NRF, which may include an NF repository. For example, aspects of the operations of 1202 may be performed by a network entity that is configured to perform method 1100.

[0176] At 1204, the method 1200 may include outputting a response including information associated with one or more NFs available as the target NF based at least in part on the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF. In some implementations, each of the one or more NFs available as the target NF may respectively be identified based at least in part on stored information associated with the NF, which includes information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF. The NF may be determined to be an NF available as the target NF based at least in part on the technology functionality supported by the NF matching the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF. In some implementations, the one or more NFs available as the target NF (information of which is included in the response) include all NF(s) identified to be available as the target NF. In some other implementations, the one or more NFs available as the target NF (information of which is included in the response) include only one or only some of all NFs identified to be available as the target NF (i.e., NF filtering / screening may be performed prior to outputting the response). The information associated with each NF available as the target NF may be stored in an NF repository such as NRF as part of the NF profile of the NF. The information associated with each NF available as the target NF may be obtained from an NF repository such as NRF for inclusion in the response.

[0177] In some implementations, the information associated with the one or more NFs available as the target NF includes, for each of the one or more NFs: information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF, and one or more endpoint addresses associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF.

[0178] In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF includes information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF, and corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF type. For example, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF may indicate that the NF type of the NF supports 5G mobile network technology (e.g., 5G radio access technology) functionality, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., one or more beyond-5G radio access technologies) functionality, or any combination thereof For example, the corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF type may include one or more endpoint addresses each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF. For example, if the NF type of the NF supports both 5G mobile network technology functionality and a beyond-5G mobile network technology functionality, the information associated with the NF may include one endpoint address associated with the 5G mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF type and another endpoint address associated with the beyond-5G mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF type.

[0179] In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF includes information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF, and corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF instance. For example, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF may indicate that the NF instance of the NF supports 5G mobile network technology (e.g., 5G radio access technology) functionality, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., one or more beyond-5G radio access technologies) functionality, or any combination thereof. For example, the corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF instance may include one or more endpoint addresses each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF. For example, if the NF instance of the NF supports both 5G mobile network technology functionality and a beyond-5G mobile network technology functionality, the information associated with the NF may include one endpoint address associated with the 5G mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF instance and another endpoint address associated with the beyond-5G mobile network technology functionality supported by the NF instance.

[0180] In some implementations, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF includes information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF, and corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF service instance. For example, the information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF may indicate that the NF service instance of the NF supports 5G mobile network technology (e.g., 5G radio access technology) functionality, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies (e.g., one or more beyond-5G radio access technologies) functionality, or any combination thereof. For example, the corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF service instance may include a common (single) endpoint address associated with the NF instance of the NF service instance, and the NF instance may in turn include one or more endpoint addresses each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF.

[0181] In some implementations, the information associated with the one or more NFs available as the target NF also includes, for each of the one or more NFs, a validity period associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF. The validity period corresponds to a period during which the corresponding technology functionality is available (or valid). The validity period may be in unit of time such as minutes, hours, days, etc. For example, the information associated with the NF may include one or more validity periods each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF. For example, the information associated with the NF may include one or more validity periods each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF. For example, the information associated with the NF may include a common (single) validity period associated with the NF instance of the NF service instance, and the NF instance may in turn include one or more validity periods each associated with a respective technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF.

[0182] The operations of 1204 may be performed in accordance with examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1204 may be performed by one or more of the processor 900 as described with reference to Figure 9. In some implementations, aspects of the operations of 1204 may be performed by one or more of the NE 1000 as described with reference to Figure 10. For example, aspects of the operations of 1204 may be performed a network entity, such as NRF, which may include an NF repository. For example, aspects of the operations of 1204 may be performed by a network entity that is configured to perform method 1100.

[0183] It should be noted that the method 1200 described herein describes a possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. For example, at 1202, the request may be received by a network entity in one or more turns (e.g., in one or more messages). For example, at 1204, the response may be output by a network entity in one or more turns (e.g., in one or more messages). In some implementations, after 1202 and before 1204, the request may be output (e.g., forwarded, redirected, etc.) to another network entity and the response may be obtained or received from the another network entity. For example, the another network entity, such as another NRF, which may include another NF repository, which includes the required information. These additional operations involving the another network entity may be useful in cases where the network entity that initially receives the request at 1202 cannot provide the response by itself (e.g., the network entity that receives the request cannot determine any NF available as the target NF and/or cannot obtain the information associated with one or more NFs available as the target NF by itself).

[0184] In some implementations, method 1100 and method 1200 may be combined to form a method that includes method 1100 and method 1200. For example, method 1200 may be performed after method 1100. For example, method 1100 and method 1200 may be performed by the same network entity, e.g., the same NRF (such as the NRF disclosed with reference to the environment in Figures 3A to 4B). Method 500 may be considered as an example implementation of method 1100, e.g., in respect of operations performed by the NRF. Methods 600, 700 may each be considered as an example implementation of method 1200, e.g., in respect of operations performed by the NRF.

[0185] The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network entity to: receive a request associated with a registration or update of a network function (NF), the request comprising information associated with the NF, the information associated with the NF comprising information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF; initiate storing of the information associated with the NF based at least in part on approval or acceptance of the request; and output a response including a result of the request.

2. The network entity of claim 1, wherein the technology functionality supported by the NF comprises functionality associated with one or more generations of mobile network technology supported by the NF.

3. The network entity of claim 2, wherein the one or more generations of mobile network technology comprise: fifth generation (5G) mobile network technology, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies, or any combination thereof.

4. The network entity of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF comprises: an NF type parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF; an NF instance parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF; and/or an NF service instance parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF.

5. The network entity of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information associated with the NF comprises an NF profile of the NF, the NF profile comprises an NF instance identifier (ID) and the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF.

6. The network entity of claim 5, wherein:

(i) the information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF comprises an NF type parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF, and the NF type parameter is represented at least in part by the NF instance ID;

(ii) the information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF comprises an NF instance parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF, and the NF profile comprises one or more NF instance technology functionality IDs arranged to represent the NF instance parameter; and/or

(iii) the information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF comprises an NF service instance parameter indicating the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF, and the NF profile comprises one or more NF service instance technology functionality IDs arranged to represent the NF service instance parameter.

7. The network entity of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the information associated with the NF comprises: one or more endpoint addresses associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF.

8. The network entity of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the information associated with the NF comprises: a validity period associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF, the validity period corresponds to a period during which the corresponding technology functionality supported by the NF is available.

9. The network entity of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the network entity comprises an NF repository.

10. A network entity for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the network entity to: receive a request associated with a discovery of a target NF, the request comprising information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF; and output a response comprising information associated with one or more NFs available as the target NF based at least in part on the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF.

11. The network entity of claim 10, wherein the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF comprises functionality associated with one or more generations of mobile network technology required to be supported by the target NF.

12. The network entity of claim 11, wherein the one or more generations of mobile network technology comprise:

5G mobile network technology, one or more beyond-5G mobile network technologies, or any combination thereof.

13. The network entity of any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF comprises: an NF type parameter indicating the technology functionality required to be supported by an NF type of the target NF; an NF instance parameter indicating the technology functionality required to be supported by an NF instance of the target NF; and/or an NF service instance parameter indicating the technology functionality required to be supported by an NF service instance of the target NF.

14. The network entity of any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the information associated with the one or more NFs available as the target NF comprises, for each of the one or more NFs: information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF; and one or more endpoint addresses associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF.

15. The network entity of claim 14, wherein the information associated with the technology functionality supported by the NF comprises:

(i) information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF type of the NF, and corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF type;

(ii) information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF instance of the NF, and corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF instance; and/or

(iii) information associated with the technology functionality supported by an NF service instance of the NF, and corresponding endpoint address information associated with the NF service instance.

16. The network entity of claim 15, wherein the information associated with the one or more NFs available as the target NF comprises, for each of the one or more NFs: a validity period associated with each technology functionality supported by the NF, the validity period corresponds to a period during which the corresponding technology functionality is available.

17. The network entity of any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the at least one processor is configured to cause the network entity to, prior to outputting the response: output the request to another network entity; and obtain the response from the another network entity.

18. The network entity of any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the network entity comprises an NF repository.

19. A method performed by a network entity, the method comprising: receiving a request associated with a registration or update of an NF, the request comprising information associated with the NF, the information associated with the NF comprising information associated with technology functionality supported by the NF; initiating storing of the information associated with the NF if the request is approved; and outputting a response including a result of the request.

20. A method performed by a network entity, the method comprising: receiving a request associated with a discovery of a target NF, the request comprising information associated with technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF; and outputting a response comprising information associated with one or more NFs available as the target NF based at least in part on the information associated with the technology functionality required to be supported by the target NF.