Patent Description:
Users creating and consuming more and more content and new technologies such as autonomous driving and internet of things (IoT) cause different kinds of requirements such as low latency and quality of service for radio access networks (RAN).

<CIT> discloses that a radio station may request information related to network optimization and that, in response one or both other radio stations, notify a second optimization information to the radio station (see paragraph <NUM>). <NPL>) discloses that both a CU and a DU provide measurement reports to the data analytics that are provided by a RANDAF. The RANDAF collects measurements from NG-RAN nodes. <CIT> discloses using machine learning for RF optimization. A target cluster of cell towers in a RAN is identified and then instructions are generated to collect RAN measurements from mobile devices in the target cluster. The instructions are then sent to a machine learning client after which UE measurement reports are received and aggregated. <CIT> discloses an approach in which there are multiple base stations, gNBs. One gNB requests and receives traffic information from other gNBs. Based on the traffic information, the gNB then determines a radio frame configuration that it passes on to the other gNBs and requests them to use the determined radio frame configuration. <CIT> discloses that an optimization component is used to execute optimization algorithms. The optimization component retrieves base station parameters, modifies those parameters and then executes the optimization algorithm. The optimized base station parameters may then be updated to a tree data structure.

The examples and features, if any, described in this specification that do not fall under the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding various embodiments of the invention.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus as claimed in claim <NUM>.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method as claimed in claim <NUM>.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer program as claimed in claim <NUM>.

Example embodiments relate collecting information from a plurality of radio access network functions (RAN NFs). More particularly, example embodiments relate to receiving information from a first radio access network function and a second radio access network function and providing the received information to at least one machine learning algorithm.

According to an example embodiment, an apparatus is configured to interface with at least a first radio access network function and a second radio access network function. The apparatus is further configured to send a first message to the first radio access network function and a second message to a second radio access network function. According to an example embodiment, the first message and the second message comprise a request to report information based on at least one criterion. The apparatus is further configured to receive the reported information from the first radio access network function and the second radio access network function. The apparatus is further configured to group the reported information and provide the grouped information to at least one radio access network optimization algorithm.

According to an example embodiment, an apparatus is configured to interface with at least one radio access network function and send a message to the at least one radio access network function, the message comprising a request to report information based on at least one criterion. The apparatus is further configured to receive the reported information from the at least one radio access network function and group the reported information. The apparatus is yet further configured to provide the grouped information to at least one radio access network optimization algorithm. The apparatus may be configured to receive the reported information in response to sending the message.

In the following, different exemplifying embodiments will be described using, as an example of an access architecture to which the embodiments may be applied, a radio access architecture based on long term evolution advanced (LTE Advanced, LTE-A) or new radio (NR, <NUM>), without restricting the embodiments to such an architecture, however. It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the embodiments may also be applied to other kinds of communications networks having suitable means by adjusting parameters and procedures appropriately. Some examples of other options for suitable systems are the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) radio access network (UTRAN or E-UTRAN), long term evolution (LTE, the same as E-UTRA), wireless local area network (WLAN or WiFi), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), Bluetooth®, personal communications services (PCS), ZigBee®, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), systems using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, sensor networks, mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) and Internet Protocol multimedia subsystems (IMS) or any combination thereof.

<FIG> shows user devices <NUM> and <NUM> configured to be in a wireless connection on one or more communication channels in a cell with an access node (such as (e/g)NodeB) <NUM> providing the cell. The physical link from a user device to a (e/g)NodeB is called uplink or reverse link and the physical link from the (e/g)NodeB to the user device is called downlink or forward link. It should be appreciated that (e/g)NodeBs or their functionalities may be implemented by using any node, host, server or access point etc. entity suitable for such a usage.

A communications system typically comprises more than one (e/g)NodeB in which case the (e/g)NodeBs may also be configured to communicate with one another over links, wired or wireless, designed for the purpose. These links may be used not only for signalling purposes but also for routing data from one (e/g)NodeB to another. The (e/g)NodeB is a computing device configured to control the radio resources of communication system it is coupled to. The (e/g) NodeB may also be referred to as a base station, an access point, an access node, or any other type of interfacing device including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment. The (e/g)NodeB includes or is coupled to transceivers. From the transceivers of the (e/g)NodeB, a connection is provided to an antenna unit that establishes bi-directional radio links to user devices. The antenna unit may comprise a plurality of antennas or antenna elements. The (e/g)NodeB is further connected to core network <NUM> (CN or next generation core NGC). Depending on the system, the counterpart on the CN side can be a serving gateway (S-GW, routing and forwarding user data packets), packet data network gateway (P-GW), for providing connectivity of user devices (UEs) to external packet data networks, or mobile management entity (MME), etc. As further examples, the counterpart on the CN side can be an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (SMF), or a user plane function (UPF).

The user device may also utilise cloud.

A wireless device is a generic term that encompasses both the access node and the terminal device.

<NUM> enables using multiple input - multiple output (MIMO) antennas, many more base stations or nodes than the LTE (a so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in co-operation with smaller stations and employing a variety of radio technologies depending on service needs, use cases and/or spectrum available. <NUM> mobile communications supports a wide range of use cases and related applications including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of data sharing and various forms of machine type applications (such as (massive) machine-type communications (mMTC), including vehicular safety, different sensors and real-time control. <NUM> is expected to have multiple radio interfaces, namely below <NUM>, cmWave and mmWave, and also being integrable with existing legacy radio access technologies, such as the LTE. Integration with the LTE may be implemented, at least in the early phase, as a system, where macro coverage is provided by the LTE and <NUM> radio interface access comes from small cells by aggregation to the LTE. In other words, <NUM> is planned to support both inter-RAT operability (such as LTE-<NUM>) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below <NUM> - cmWave, below <NUM> - cmWave - mmWave). One of the concepts considered to be used in <NUM> networks is network slicing in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual sub-networks (network instances) may be created within the same infrastructure to run services that have different requirements on latency, reliability, throughput and mobility.

The low-latency applications and services in <NUM> require to bring the content close to the radio which leads to local break out and multi-access edge computing (MEC).

The communication system is also able to communicate with other networks, such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet <NUM>, or utilise services provided by them.

It should also be understood that the distribution of functions between core network operations and base station operations may differ from that of the LTE or even be non-existent. <NUM> (or new radio, NR) networks are being designed to support multiple hierarchies, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and the base station or node B (gNB).

Possible use cases are providing service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or for passengers on board of vehicles, or ensuring service availability for critical communications, and future railway, maritime, and/or aeronautical communications.

As commonly known in connection with wireless communication systems, control or management information is transferred over a radio interface, e.g. between the terminal device <NUM> and the access node <NUM>.

A radio access network (RAN) may be used for hosting different kinds of services, which may cause conflicting requirements on the same infrastructure. Network slicing enables segmenting the RAN and creating multiple independent and dedicated virtual sub-networks within the same infrastructure. Network slicing enables running services that have different requirements on latency, reliability, throughput and mobility. A network slice may span across multiple parts of network such as radio access network, core network and transport network and it may also be deployed across multiple operators.

Network slices may be used for serving different customers separately based on a Service Level Agreement (SLA). Different network slices may have different SLAs. An SLA is a contract between a provider of a service and a customer. An SLA defines services the provider offers and the level of performance of the offered services. An SLA may include different parameters relating to a service such as a bit rate, latency, a packet error rate and/or a service level.

In order to achieve performance requirements such as low latency and enable network slicing, base station functions may be divided into a central unit (CU) and one or more distributed Units (DU). A CU is configured to control the one or more DUs via a logical interface such as F1 interface of 3GPP specifications. The F1 interface functionally splits a base station into a CU for upper protocol layer processing and a DU for lower protocol layer processing. A CU and a DU may comprise different network functions (NF) and the split between a CU and DUs may be used, for example, for virtualizing network functionalities. A CU is a logical node that may include functions such as transfer of user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning and session management. A DU is logical node that includes a subset of base station functions.

NFs are typically categorized into two groups: a user plane (UP) and a control plane (CP). For example, a central unit may be separated into a central unit control plane (CU-CP) and a central unit user plane (CU-UP). Separating the UP and the CP enables independently scaling the UP and the CP and, for example, specialize the UP for different applications without providing a dedicated CP for each application. A logical interface may be configured to support a control plane (CP) and a user plane (UP) separation. A CP comprises protocols for controlling sessions and a connection between a user equipment (UE) and the network. A UP comprises protocols for implementing an actual session service which carries user data. A CU may also be configured to communicate with other CUs via a control plane interface such as E1 interface of 3GPP specifications.

To determine the performance of a service in view of an agreed SLA, information may need to be collected in different parts of the Radio Access Network (RAN). For example, the needed information may be located in a DU, in a CU control plane (CU-CP) and/or CU user plane (CU-UP). Gathering the needed information in different places causes delay in reaction times. However, some functions such as Quality of Experience (QoE), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) and RAN slicing may require near real time information.

The example of <FIG> shows an exemplifying apparatus.

<FIG> is a block diagram depicting the apparatus <NUM> operating in accordance with an example embodiment of the invention. The apparatus <NUM> may be, for example, an electronic device such as a chip, chip-set, an electronic device, a network function or an access node such as a base station. In the example of <FIG>, the apparatus comprises a radio access network function (RAN NF) such as a central unit control plane (CU-CP) or a radio intelligent controller (RIC). A RAN NF is a processing function that has defined functional behaviour and defined interfaces. The apparatus <NUM> includes a processor <NUM>, a broker <NUM> and a memory <NUM>. In other examples, the apparatus <NUM> may comprise multiple processors.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to collect data relating to RAN metrics. The apparatus <NUM> may comprise a RAN broker for collecting the data. The RAN broker may be, for example, a broker function implemented in the apparatus <NUM>. The apparatus <NUM> may be configured to collect the data in different levels of detail. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be configured to collect data per UE, per network slice, per a set of network slices and/or per carrier.

According to an example embodiment, the broker <NUM> is a RAN broker configured to interface with a plurality of RAN NFs. The broker <NUM> is configured to collect data from a plurality of RAN NFs and deliver the data to one or more radio access network optimization algorithms executed in the apparatus <NUM>. A radio access network optimization algorithm may comprise an algorithm for optimizing/improving operation, performance and/or one or more functions of a RAN. For example, a radio access network optimization algorithm may be used for optimizing RAN traffic. Radio access network optimization may comprise, for example, increasing or decreasing a priority of a service. A radio access network optimization algorithm may be implemented with, for example, a machine learning technology.

According to an example embodiment, the RAN broker <NUM> is implemented in the apparatus <NUM>. According to an example embodiment, the broker <NUM> is configured to collect and store the received information such that the same data may be provided to a plurality of RAN optimization algorithms. The plurality of RAN optimization algorithms may be implemented with machine learning algorithms. According to an example embodiment, the broker <NUM> is configured to collect and store the received information such that the same data may be provided to a plurality of machine learning algorithms.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to run one or more machine learning (ML) algorithms for different purposes such as optimizing radio access network traffic and/or managing traffic congestion in a radio access network. Machine learning algorithms may comprise supervised learning, semi-supervised learning, unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning or any suitable artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. ML algorithms may require near real-time information to comply with different requirements such as requirements relating to Quality of Experience (QoE), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) or Radio Access Network (RAN) slicing.

Without limiting the scope of the claims, an advantage of a RAN broker is that each ML algorithm in a RAN NF does not need not to request same data separately.

In the example of <FIG>, the processor <NUM> is a central unit operatively connected to read from and write to the memory <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may also be configured to receive control signals received via an input interface and/or the processor <NUM> may be configured to output control signals via an output interface. In an example embodiment the processor <NUM> may be configured to convert the received control signals into appropriate commands for controlling functionalities of the apparatus.

The memory <NUM> stores computer program instructions <NUM> which when loaded into the processor <NUM> control the operation of the apparatus <NUM> as explained below. In other examples, the apparatus <NUM> may comprise more than one memory <NUM> or different kinds of storage devices.

Computer program instructions <NUM> for enabling implementations of example embodiments of the invention or a part of such computer program instructions may be loaded onto the apparatus <NUM> by the manufacturer of the apparatus <NUM>, by a user of the apparatus <NUM>, or by the apparatus <NUM> itself based on a download program, or the instructions can be pushed to the apparatus <NUM> by an external device. The computer program instructions may arrive at the apparatus <NUM> via an electromagnetic carrier signal or be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product, a memory device or a record medium such as a Compact Disc (CD), a Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) or a Blu-ray disk.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> comprises means for performing features of the apparatus <NUM>, wherein the means for performing comprises at least one processor <NUM>, at least one memory <NUM> including computer program code <NUM>, the at least one memory <NUM> and the computer program code <NUM> configured to, with the at least one processor <NUM>, cause the performance of the apparatus <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram <NUM> comprising an apparatus <NUM> according to an example embodiment. The apparatus <NUM> comprises a central unit control plane (CU-CP) <NUM> and a RAN broker <NUM>. The RAN broker <NUM> may be internal to the CU-CP <NUM>.

In this example, the apparatus <NUM> is comprised by a base station such as a gNodeB or eNodeB. The base station comprises different RAN NFs: a central unit control plane (CU-CP) <NUM>, a distributed unit (DU) <NUM> and a central unit user plane (CU-UP) <NUM>. The NFs may be located in different physical locations according to, for example, operator requirements, physical site constraints, latency and capacity limitations. User plane (UP) functions may be located closer to the user than control plane (CP) functions.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> comprises a central unit control plane <NUM>. The central unit control plane (CU-CP) <NUM> may be configured to host a radio resource controller (RRC) configured to manage signalling messages between the base station and a user equipment (UE).

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> comprises a broker <NUM> for requesting and delivering information. According to an example embodiment, the broker <NUM> is comprised by a RAN NF. According to an example embodiment, the broker is a RAN broker. In the example of <FIG>, the broker <NUM> is a RAN broker comprised by the CU-CP <NUM>. The broker may be used for receiving and delivering information between different RAN NFs.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to interface with at least a first radio access network function and a second radio access network function. According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is further configured to interface with a third radio access network function. The first radio access network function, the second radio access network function and the third radio access network function may be comprised by the base station. According to an example embodiment, the first radio access network function comprises a central unit user plane (CU-UP) <NUM>. According to an example embodiment, the second radio access network function comprises a distributed unit (DU) <NUM>. According to an example embodiment, the third radio access network function comprises a central unit control plane (CU-CP). According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to interface with more than three network functions. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be configured to interface with a plurality of DUs and/or a plurality of CUs.

The apparatus <NUM> may be configured to interface with different radio access network functions via different interfaces or via a common interface. According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to interface with the first radio access network function via a first interface. The first interface may comprise an interface between a first central unit and a second central unit. For example, the first interface may comprise an E1 interface of 3GPP specifications. The first central unit and the second central unit may be comprised by the base station but may have different functions.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to interface with the second radio access network function via a second interface. The second interface may comprise an interface between a central unit and a distributed unit. For example, the second interface may comprise an F1 interface of 3GPP specifications. The central unit and the distributed unit may be comprised by the base station and the central unit may be configured to control the distributed unit.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is further configured to send a first message <NUM> to the first radio access network function <NUM> and a second message <NUM> to the second radio access network function <NUM>, the first message <NUM> and the second message <NUM> comprising a request to report information based on at least one criterion. According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to send a third message to a third radio access network function.

The apparatus <NUM> may be configured to send the first message <NUM> via the first interface and the second message <NUM> via the second interface. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be configured to send the first message <NUM> to the CU-CP <NUM> via a E1 interface and the second message <NUM> to the DU <NUM> via an F1 interface.

According to an example embodiment, the at least one criterion is comprised by the first message and/or the second message. The at least one criterion comprised by the first message may be different from the criterion comprised by the second message or the at least one criterion comprised by the first message may be the same as the at least one criterion comprised by the second message. A criterion may relate to a type of requested information, a level of detail of requested information, a validity of requested information or any other criterion. The at least one criterion may comprise a criterion relating to a time scale of the requested information.

According to an example embodiment, the at least one criterion comprises near real-time data. Near real-time data may comprise data below a threshold value or between two threshold values. The threshold value may be defined by a single value, for example, in milliseconds, hundreds of milliseconds or a range of values. For example, data within a time scale of <NUM> milliseconds - <NUM> milliseconds, <NUM> milliseconds -<NUM> milliseconds or any other suitable time scale. According to an example embodiment, the near real-time comprises data within a time scale of <NUM> milliseconds - <NUM> milliseconds.

According to an example embodiment, the at least one criterion comprises a level of detail of requested information. The level of detail may comprise, for example, information per a network element, per a physical entity, per network function or a combination thereof. For example, the level of detail may comprise information per transmitter, information per user equipment, information per a group of transmitters or information per a group of user equipment.

According to an example embodiment, the first message <NUM> is different from the second message <NUM>. According to an example embodiment, a type of the message may depend on a radio access network function it is sent to. A first type of a message may be sent to a first RAN NF and a second type of a message may be sent to a second RAN NF. A type of the message may comprise a structure of the message. For example, a message sent to a CU-UP may be different from a message sent to a DU. According to an example embodiment, a type of the message may depend on the purpose of the message. A first type of message may be sent when information is requested from a RAN NF for a first purpose and a second type of message may be sent when information is requested for a second purpose.

According to an example embodiment, the structure of the first message is similar to the structure of the second message. According to another example embodiment, the structure of the first message and the structure of the second message are identical. According to a further example embodiment, the structure of the first message is different from the structure of the second message.

According to an example embodiment, the content of the first message is similar to the content of the second message. According to another example embodiment, the content of the first message and the content of the second message are identical. According to a further example embodiment, the content of the first message is different from the content of the second message.

The first message <NUM> and/or the second message307 may comprise reporting instructions. According to an example embodiment, the first message <NUM> and the second message <NUM> comprise an instruction for reporting frequency. Reporting frequency may comprise a request to report information one-time or periodically.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to receive the reported information <NUM>, <NUM> from the first radio access network function <NUM> and the second radio access network function <NUM>. The reported information <NUM>, <NUM> may comprise data collected by performance management (PM) counters in RAN NFs. According to an example embodiment reported data received from a RAN NF comprises performance metrics comprised by the RAN NF. Different RAN NFs may be configured to collect and/or provide different information. For example, a CU-CP may collect and/or provide information on the number of protocol data unit (PDU) sessions successfully setup, the number of released/dropped calls and the number of PDU sessions failed to setup. As another example, a DU may comprise information on average packet delay per session and MAC layer throughput measurement per <NUM> quality of service indicator (5QI)/ dedicated radio bearer (DRB) per UE.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to receive the reported information <NUM>, <NUM> in response to sending a message <NUM>, <NUM> to a radio access network function <NUM>, <NUM>. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be configured to receive reported information <NUM> from a first radio access network function <NUM> in response to sending a first message <NUM> to the first radio access network function <NUM>. Further, the apparatus <NUM> may be configured to receive reported information <NUM> from a second radio access network function <NUM> in response to sending a second message <NUM> to the second radio access network function <NUM>.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to group the received reported information and provide the grouped information to at least one machine learning algorithm. Grouping the received information may comprise selecting information from the received information that is needed by a machine learning algorithm. The grouped information provided to at least one machine learning algorithm may be used for, for example, monitoring a service level and performing actions based on the monitored service level. For example, if, the reported information indicates that the quality of experience for a particular UE is endangered, the priority of a service serving the UE may be increased and the priority of those UEs that can afford a reduction in a particular metric may be decreased.

<FIG> is a block diagram <NUM> comprising an apparatus <NUM> according to an example embodiment. Similarly to the example of <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> is comprised by a base station such as a gNodeB or eNodeB. In the example of <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> comprises a radio intelligent controller (RIC) <NUM> comprising a broker function <NUM>. The RIC <NUM> comprises a set of policies that are sent to a RAN. The RAN is configured to execute the policies in real time.

Similarly to <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> comprises a broker <NUM> for requesting and delivering information. In the example of <FIG>, the broker <NUM> is a RAN broker comprised by a RIC <NUM>. According to an example embodiment, the broker is a RAN broker. In the example of <FIG>, the broker <NUM> is a RAN broker comprised by the RIC <NUM>. The broker may be used for receiving and delivering information between different RAN NFs.

The apparatus <NUM> is configured to interface with at least a first radio access network function and a second radio access network function. The first radio access network function and the second radio access network function may be comprised by the base station. According to an example embodiment, the first radio access network function comprises a central unit user plane (CU-UP) or a central unit control plane (CU-CP) <NUM> or both the CU-CP and CU-UP. According to an example embodiment, the second radio access network function comprises a distributed unit <NUM>.

According to an example embodiment, the apparatus <NUM> is configured to interface with the first radio access network function and the second radio access network function via a common interface. Using a common interface, a RIC may be configured to interface with a central unit control plane (CU-CP), a central unit user plane (CU-UP) and/or a distributed unit (DU). A common interface may be, for example, an E2 interface of O-RAN specifications.

Similarly to the example embodiment of <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> of <FIG> is configured to send a first message <NUM> to the first radio access network function <NUM> and a second message <NUM> to the second radio access network function <NUM>, the first message <NUM> and the second message <NUM> comprising a request to report information based on at least one criterion.

The apparatus <NUM> may be configured to send the first message <NUM> and the second message <NUM> via the common interface. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be configured to send the first message <NUM> and the second message <NUM> via a E2 interface of O-RAN specifications.

Similarly to the example of <FIG>, the structure of the first message and the structure of the second message may be similar, identical or different. Further, the content of the first message and the second message may be similar, identical or different.

The apparatus <NUM> is further configured to receive the reported information <NUM>, <NUM> from the first radio access network function <NUM> and the second radio access network function <NUM>. The apparatus may be configured to receive reported information from a radio access network function in response to sending a message to the radio access network function. For example, the apparatus <NUM> may be configured to receive reported information <NUM> from a first radio access network function <NUM> in response to sending a first message <NUM> to the first radio access network function <NUM>. Further, the apparatus <NUM> may be configured to receive reported information <NUM> from a second radio access network function <NUM> in response to sending a second message <NUM> to the second radio access network function <NUM>.

The reported information <NUM>, <NUM> may comprise data collected by performance management (PM) counters. Similarly to <FIG>, the reported information <NUM>, <NUM> may comprise data collected by performance management (PM) counters in RAN NFs. According to an example embodiment, reported data received from a RAN NF comprises performance metrics comprised by the RAN NF. Different RAN NFs may comprise different information.

The apparatus <NUM> is further configured to group the reported information and provide the grouped information to at least one machine learning algorithm. Grouping the received information may comprise selecting information from the received information that is needed by a machine learning algorithm. The grouped information provided to at least one machine learning algorithm may be used for, for example, monitoring a service level and performing actions based on the monitored service level.

<FIG> illustrates an example signalling diagram depicting actions performed by the apparatus <NUM> of <FIG>. More specifically, the actions may be performed by the broker <NUM> comprised by the apparatus <NUM>. The apparatus <NUM> is configured to send a first message to a first RAN NF and a second message to a second RAN NF. In this example of <FIG>, the first RAN NF comprises a CU-UP and the second RAN NF comprises a DU. The CU-CP sends a first message to a CU-UP and a second message to a DU. The first message and the second message comprise a request to report information and they may be different messages. The requested information may comprise near real time information accessible to the RAN NF that receives the request. The CU-CP receives reported information from the CU-UP and the DU. The reported information comprises near real time information that may then be grouped and provided to at least one machine learning algorithm.

<FIG> illustrates another example signalling diagram depicting actions performed by the apparatus <NUM> of <FIG>. More specifically, the actions may be performed by the broker <NUM> comprised by the apparatus <NUM>. In the example of <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> comprises a radio intelligent controller (RIC). The apparatus <NUM> is configured to send a first message to a first RAN NF and a second messages to a second RAN NF. In this example of <FIG>, the first RAN NF comprises a CU-CP or a CU-UP and the second RAN NF comprises a DU. The RIC sends a first message to a CU-CP/UP and a second message to a DU. The first message and the second message comprise a request to report information. The requested information may comprise near real time information accessible to the RAN NF that receives the request. The RIC receives the reported information from the CU-CP/UP and the DU. The reported information comprises near real time information that may then be grouped and provided to at least one access network optimization algorithm, for example, a machine learning algorithm.

<FIG> illustrates a method <NUM> incorporating aspects of the previously disclosed embodiments. More specifically, the example method <NUM> illustrates collecting information from different radio access network functions. In the example of <FIG>, the method may be performed by a RAN NF comprising a RAN broker implemented. The RAN NF may be, for example, a CU-CP or a RIC, for example.

The method starts with interfacing <NUM> with a first RAN NF and a second RAN NF. The first RAN NF may comprise, for example, a CU-UP and the second RAN NF may comprise, for example, a DU. The method continues with sending <NUM> a first message to the first RAN NF and a second message to the second RAN NF. The first message and the second message may comprise a request to report information based on at least one criterion. The at least one criterion may comprise near real-time data.

The method further continues with receiving <NUM> the reported information from the first RAN NF and the second RAN NF. The method further continues with grouping <NUM> the reported information and providing the grouped information to at least one machine learning algorithm.

<FIG> illustrates an example message for requesting a RAN NF to report information. According to an example embodiment, a message for requesting a RAN NF to report information comprises a predefined data structure. The message may be customized in dependence upon a type of a radio access network function receiving the message. The message comprises information on the sender and the receiver of the message. The sender may be a CU-CP or a RIC and the receiver may be a CU-CP, CU-UP or a DU.

The message in the example of <FIG> enables grouping the information into information per a cell and information concerning the cell may further be grouped into information per a network slice. A cell may be identified by an identifier such as a physical cell ID and an E-Utran cell global identifier (PCI-ECGI). A PCI is an identifier of a cell in the physical layer of a radio access network and it is used for separation of different transmitters. An ECGI is used for identifying cells globally. An ECGI comprises a mobile country code, a mobile network code and an E-UTRAN cell identifier.

In the example of <FIG>, a request for information comprises an indication on granularity of the requested information in terms of a level of detail. For example, if a RAN NF is requested to report information per a single user, the information is collected with granularity per UE. If a RAN NF is requested to report information per a cell, the information is collected per transmitter.

The granularity of requested information may also be indicated in the message in terms of time domain. Time level granularity comprises the frequency of reporting the information. For example, once or periodically with a predefined time interval.

A radio access network slice may be identified by single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). The S-NSSAI may comprise a slice/service type (SST), which refers to the expected network slice behaviour in terms of features and services, and a slice differentiator (SD), which complements the slice/service types to differentiate amongst multiple network slices of the same slice/service type. A request for information per a RAN slice group comprises a request to list S-NSSAIs comprised by the RAN slice group. A slice group may comprise a set of RAN network slices with same characteristics. A request for information per a RAN slice further comprises an indication whether a RAN NF is requested to report information relating to the RAN slice one time or periodically. If the RAN NF is requested to report information periodically, granularity of reporting the information is indicated in the message. Time granularity comprises the frequency of reporting the information.

In the example of <FIG>, a request for information per a RAN slice further comprises a request to list metrics from performance management counters (PMs) comprised by the RAN slice and a list of UE quality of service flows. A UE may be identified by a RAN-ID.

According to an example embodiment, the structure of a message enables collecting information at different levels of detail. For example, a message may trigger reporting of information per cell, per network slice, per UE and/or per UE flows.

The example message of <FIG> may be used, for example, collecting performance metrics for executing an SLA algorithm in a RAN NF such as a RIC or CU-CP. The RIC and/or the CU-CP may send a tailored message to one or more other RAN NFs comprising the needed information. As some metrics may be available in CU-CP, some may be available in other RAN NFs such as one or more DUs and/or CU-UP.

For example, the SLA algorithm may need average throughput of all best effort (BE) UEs in a geographic area spanning multiple cells and blocking rate of all UEs in a geographic area. To compute the average throughput, the RIC/CU-CP may request the necessary metrics from, for example, one or more DUs. Similarly, to compute the blocking rate, the RIC/CU_CP may request the necessary metrics from, for example, one or more DUs.

For critical UE services such as QoE or URLLC, the SLA algorithm may need metrics of the whole carrier and for RAN slicing the SLA algorithm may need the metrics of all carriers in the RAN slice. In this way, the SLA algorithm may indicate that the priority of the QoE/URLLC UE-service should be increased and that the priority of those UEs that can afford a reduction of a metric, should be decreased to conform with the SLA.

Without limiting the scope of the claims, an advantage of a radio access network function requesting another radio access network function to report information is that near real-time information may be received.

Another advantage may be that information available locally on a RAN NF may be received and used for RAN optimization. An advantage of a radio access network function comprising a broker for collecting and delivering information is that a radio access network function may comprise a plurality of machine learning algorithms that need the same data and with a broker function it may be avoided that each algorithm requests the same data separately.

Without in any way limiting the scope, interpretation, or application of the claims appearing below, a technical effect of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein is that a radio access network may be managed more efficiently and in near real-time.

The software, application logic and/or hardware may reside on the apparatus, a separate device or a plurality of devices. If desired, part of the software, application logic and/or hardware may reside on the apparatus, part of the software, application logic and/or hardware may reside on a separate device, and part of the software, application logic and/or hardware may reside on a plurality of devices. In the context of this document, a 'computer-readable medium' may be any media or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer, with one example of a computer described and depicted in <FIG>. A computer-readable medium may comprise a computer-readable storage medium that may be any media or means that can contain or store the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer.

Furthermore, even though the examples illustrate a first network function and a second network function, and sending a first message to the first network function and a second message to the second network function, there may be further network functions to which messages are sent. For example, a CU may be configured to control a plurality of DUs and in such a case messages may be sent to the plurality of DUs. In some example embodiments, there may be one network function to which a message is sent.

Claim 1:
An apparatus (<NUM>) of a base station (<NUM>, <NUM>), the apparatus comprising a broker (<NUM>) for requesting and delivering information, the apparatus comprising at least one processor (<NUM>) and at least one memory (<NUM>) including computer program code (<NUM>), the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
interface with at least a first radio access network function comprising a central unit user plane (<NUM>) or a control unit control plane (<NUM>) of the base station and a second radio access network function comprising a distributed unit (<NUM>) of the base station;
send a first message (<NUM>) to the first radio access network function and a second message (<NUM>) to the second radio access network function, the first message and the second message comprising a request to report information based on at least one criterion, wherein the at least one criterion comprises a level of detail of requested information, wherein the level of detail comprises at least one of: information per slice, information per transmitter, information per user equipment, information per group of slices, information per a group of transmitters or information per group of user equipment;
receive the reported information (<NUM>, <NUM>) from the first radio access network function and the second radio access network function; and
group the reported information and provide the grouped information to a plurality of radio access network optimization algorithms for monitoring a service level and performing actions based on the monitored service level, wherein grouping the reported information comprises selecting information from the reported information that is needed by each radio access network optimization algorithm of the radio access network optimization algorithms.