Abstract: Method and apparatus for supporting massive random access An access device configures resources for a proxy-based random access operation to the network and transmits an indication of the configured resources and of at least one identified support device and of a plurality of identified terminal devices to use the proxy-based random access operation, wherein the at least one support device is instructed by the indication to act as a proxy for the proxy-based random access operation. Then, the proxy-based random access operation can be enabled for the identified plurality of terminal devices via the at least one support device.

Abstract: A terminal device selects are source indicator to be used for non-scheduled access and transmits it to an access device of the network in the non-scheduled access. If it determines based on a response to the non-scheduled access, that it has selected the same resource indicator as another terminal device, it keeps the resource indicator but selects different physical random access channel occasions by setting a time offset for a retransmission with the selected resource indicator. An initial waiting time may be determined by the access device (e.g. based on a traffic amount on the access channel) and transmitted to the terminal device for setting the time offset. Also, a layer (2) error caused by a random access channel resource collision of terminal devices may be determined at the access device and a feedback indicating a non-acknowledgement for layer (2) may be transmitted to colliding terminal devices.

Abstract: Example embodiments enable controlling consumption of additional resources required for performing data collection in a radio access network by estimating costs associated with various data collection tasks. The costs may be exposed to data consumers such that is possible to keep the additional resource consumption within cost budget(s) allocated for particular data consumers, network nodes, and/or network interfaces. Example embodiments enable preventing excessive data collection load, which may be for example caused by various machine learning tasks performed at the radio access network. Apparatuses, methods, and computer programs are disclosed.

Abstract: A solution for reliable communication in an apparatus of a communication system is provided. The solution comprises receiving (302) from a network element data packets to be transmitted to a user terminal; maintaining (304) one or more transmit buffers for transmitting data packets to the user terminal; transmitting (306) data packets to a user terminal; receiving (308) information from the user terminal regarding whether one or more data packets are successfully or not successfully received; transmitting (310) on the basis of received information acknowledgement information to another network element of the communication system; receiving (312) a notification that one or more packets have been successfully transmitted to the user terminal from a second corresponding apparatus; and, if the one or more transmit buffers comprise the successfully transmitted packets, removing (314) the packets from the buffers.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising means for performing: storing information of a plurality of user equipment addresses, the user equipment addresses allocated to one or more network slices; partitioning the plurality of user equipment addresses in to two or more groups; providing information of each of the two or more groups to one or more network functions in a network or network slice; and updating the stored information of a plurality of user equipment addresses based on information of utilization of addresses.

Abstract: Various communication systems may benefit from differentiated quality of service management. For example, specific applications run on a user equipment in a 5G radio access network may benefit from the flexible differentiated quality of service management. A method includes determining a service flow setup, and mapping traffic through the service flow by a common convergence sublayer entity to at least one radio convergence sublayer entity. The method also includes controlling the traffic through the service flow.

Abstract: It is provided a method, comprising triggering a terminal of a wireless network to establish a control session to a translator device via the wireless network; providing a control port to a station of a wireline network; forwarding at least one of a first message from the station received on the control port via the control session to the translator device and a second message received via the control session from the translator device to the station.

Abstract: A method including obtaining parameters for a flow from a first network through a second network, the parameters including: a maximum protocol data unit volume PDUVmax in the first network, a maximum flow bit rate MFBR in the second network, a guaranteed flow bit rate GFBR in the second network, and a maximum protocol data unit delay budget in the second network; deriving from the obtained parameters: a maximum delay a packet of the flow experiences in the second network, wherein the maximum delay is a sum of a maximum PDUVmax dependent contribution and a maximum PDUVmax independent contribution, a minimum delay the packet experiences in the second network, wherein the minimum delay is a sum of a minimum PDUVmax dependent contribution and a minimum PDUVmax independent contribution.

Abstract: A method includes transmitting packets of first and second traffic subflows via a first radio bearer to a second device; detecting that further packets of the second traffic subflow are to be transmitted via a second radio bearer to the second device; and transmitting a packet data unit via the first radio bearer to the second device, wherein the packet data unit includes an indication of a switch of the second traffic flow. Another method includes receiving from a first device packets of first and second traffic subflows via a first radio bearer; receiving from the first device a packet data unit including an indication that further packets of the second traffic subflow are to be received via a second radio bearer; establishing the second radio bearer between a second device and the first device; and receiving the further packets of the second traffic flow via the second radio bearer.

Abstract: In accordance with the example embodiments of the invention there is performing a communication including transmitting packets of a first traffic subflow and packets of a second traffic subflow via a first radio bearer to a second device; detecting that further packets of the second traffic subflow are to be transmitted via a second radio bearer to the second device; and based on the detecting, transmitting a packet data unit via the first radio bearer to the second device, wherein the packet data unit includes an indication of a switch of the second traffic flow to the second radio bearer, and wherein packets of the first traffic flow continues to be transmitted via the first radio bearer.

Abstract: A method for allocating resources in a wireless network by making use of a resource pool and a resource selection policy. A user equipment is configured by a base station to use a pool of resources and a resource selection policy to use to select one or more resources from the pool of resources. The information from the user equipment in the selected resources is provided to the base station. The resource selection policy may include a random choice of resource blocks. The resource selection policies may be defined prior to the configuring, and they may be mapped to quality of service requirements. The base station may determine the resource selection policy from the defined resource selection policies. The method may be used for a policy-based resource pool allocation for low-latency HOT and other applications.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer program product receive an application flow comprising a source flow and a supplementary flow from a core network. The method, apparatus and computer program product receive a flow payload indication from the core network. The method, apparatus and computer program product determine whether the application flow is to be transmitted via a unicast transmission or a multicast transmission. The method, apparatus and computer program product determine whether the supplementary flow is droppable based on the flow payload indication and whether the application flow is to be transmitted via a unicast transmission or a multicast transmission. The method, apparatus and computer program product cause only the source flow to be transmitted in a circumstance where the supplementary flow is droppable.

Abstract: In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, a method comprising: receiving a request by a first device from a second device; and in response to receiving the request, transmitting by the first device location information regarding a location of the first device to the second device, where the request is received by the first device with a MAC control element and/or the location information is transmitted by the first device with another MAC control element.

Abstract: In accordance with some embodiments, a method may include receiving, by a first network entity, at least one user equipment context modification request from a second network entity. The method may further include configuring, by the first network entity, at least one of one or more unicast channels and one or more multicast channels. The method may further include receiving, by the first network entity, multicast data. The method may further include selecting, by the first network entity, at least one of one or more multicast channels and one or more unicast channels to transmit multicast data.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for configuring and/or transmitting positioning reference signals (PRS) are provided. One method may include providing, to a user equipment, configuration information (306) for determining reference points for positioning measurements (308) or for user equipment assistance measurements. The assistance information indicates a grouping of downlink reference signals for measurements and reporting.

Abstract: Various communication systems may benefit from differentiated quality of service management. For example, specific applications run on a user equipment in a 5G radio access network may benefit from the flexible differentiated quality of service management. A method includes determining a service flow setup, and mapping traffic through the service flow by a common convergence sublayer entity to at least one radio convergence sublayer entity. The method also includes controlling the traffic through the service flow.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for supporting massive random access An access device configures resources for a proxy-based random access operation to the network and transmits an indication of the configured resources and of at least one identified support device and of a plurality of identified terminal devices to use the proxy-based random access operation, wherein the at least one support device is instructed by the indication to act as a proxy for the proxy-based random access operation. Then, the proxy-based random access operation can be enabled for the identified plurality of terminal devices via the at least one support device.

Abstract: Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for enhanced location services in 5G are provided. One method may include storing, at a network node, at least one of data network access identifier(s) (DNAIs), an indication of serving area(s), and/or slice information that is supported by a location management function (LMF) with or in a LMF profile. The method may also include transmitting, to a consumer network function (NF), the LMF profile with the at least one of DNAIs, indication of serving area(s), or slice information supported by the LMF.

Abstract: The invention relates to apparatuses, methods and computer program products for management of non-stationary mobile edge communication hosts. In accordance of an embodiment, the apparatus comprises means for wirelessly communicating with a non-stationary mobile edge computing element capable of providing mobile edge application services to wireless communication equipment; means for querying whether the non-stationary mobile edge computing element is available for mobile edge computing; and means for maintaining information of the availability of the non-stationary mobile edge computing element for mobile edge computing; and maintaining information on mobile edge application instances the available non-stationary mobile edge computing element is providing.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising means for performing: storing information of a plurality of user equipment addresses, the user equipment addresses allocated to one or more network slices; partitioning the plurality of user equipment addresses in to two or more groups; providing information of each of the two or more groups to one or more network functions in a network or network slice; and updating the stored information of a plurality of user equipment addresses based on information of utilization of addresses.