Patent Description:
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various wireless communication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Some wireless communication networks provide for transmission of Ethernet data packets. Ethernet header compression (EHC) is a procedure for reducing the size of many Ethernet packets by compressing or suppressing a header portion of the packet.

<NPL>" defines the Stage <NUM> procedures and Network Function Services for the <NUM> system architecture which is described in the TS <NUM> and for the policy and charging control framework which is described in TS <NUM>.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a wireless communication device is provided as described in claim <NUM>.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a method as described in claim <NUM>.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a network component as described in claim <NUM>.

Some or all illustrated features may be omitted in a particular implementation within the scope of the present disclosure, and some illustrated features may not be required for implementation of all embodiments.

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

Aspects of the present disclosure provide various apparatus, methods, and systems to enable Ethernet Header Compression (EHC) for use with Ethernet data packets sent via a control plane of a wireless communication network. The control plane Ethernet data packets may be sent, for example, by user equipment (UE) handsets or other mobile devices. In this regard, a UE may be configured to request or otherwise negotiate with network components of the wireless communication network to use EHC for data sent via the control plane. Assuming the network components permit the use of EHC for Ethernet data packets sent via a control plane, the UE may then send data over the control plane within Ethernet data packets while using EHC to reduce the amount of data to be sent. This may serve to reduce data transfer latency or achieve other goals.

In illustrative examples, the UE notifies the wireless communication network that the UE supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane and then receives a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network likewise supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. The UE then sends a signal to the wireless communication network to request to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane. The UE sends the compressed Ethernet packets over the control plane only if the request is granted. Hence, in some examples, a two stage procedure is provided in which the UE first determines whether the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane and, if the EHC feature is supported, the UE then requests to use the EHC feature, before actually sending any compressed Ethernet packets with data over the control plane.

In another aspects, complementary EHC features or functions are provided within a network component of the wireless communication network. For example, the network component receives a notification from a UE that the UE supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane and sends a response to the UE indicating the wireless communication network also supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. Then the network component receives a signal from the UE requesting to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane. The network component authorizes the usage and then receives Ethernet packets with compressed headers from the UE over the control plane. The network component may also send Ethernet packets with compressed headers to the UE over the control plane. In some examples, the network component may include a mobility management function (AMF) and one or more session management functions (SMFs). Among other functions, the AMF selects a particular SMF, which then selects a field length for a context identification (ID) field for use with EHC for a protocol data unit (PDU) session for a particular Ethernet flow.

In the illustrative examples herein, the wireless communication network is configured in accordance with 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications, often referred to as <NUM>. The capability to transfer data over the control plane of a <NUM> network may also be referred to as control plane Internet-of-Things (IoT) optimization, or cellular IoT (CIoT) optimization, although it is not limited for use with IoT devices and is applicable to a wide variety of UEs or other wireless communication devices.

Before discussing EHC in greater detail, an overview of a wireless communication system in which one of more UEs may be used is provided. Referring now to <FIG>, as an illustrative example without limitation, a schematic illustration of a radio access network (RAN) <NUM> is provided. The RAN <NUM> may implement any suitable radio access technology (RAT) or RATs to provide radio access to a UE. As one example, the RAN <NUM> may operate according to 3GPP NR specifications, often referred to as <NUM>. In another example, the RAN <NUM> may operate according to both the LTE and <NUM> NR standards.

The geographic region covered by the RAN <NUM> may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a UE based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or base station. <FIG> illustrates macrocells <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and a small cell <NUM>, each of which may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same base station. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.

In general, a respective base station (BS) serves each cell. Broadly, a base station is a network element in a RAN responsible for radio transmission and reception in one or more cells to or from a UE. A BS may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a Node B (NB), an eNode B (eNB), a gNode B (gNB) or some other suitable terminology.

It is to be understood that the RAN <NUM> may include any number of wireless base stations and cells. The base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> provide wireless access points to a core network for any number of mobile apparatus.

In general, base stations may include a backhaul interface for communication with a backhaul portion (not shown) of the network. The backhaul may provide a link between a base station and a core network (not shown), and in some examples, the backhaul may provide interconnection between the respective base stations. The core network may be a part of a wireless communication system and may be independent of the radio access technology used in the RAN.

The RAN <NUM> is illustrated supporting wireless communication for multiple mobile apparatus. A mobile apparatus is commonly referred to as a UE in standards and specifications promulgated by 3GPP but may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal (AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE may be an apparatus that provides a user with access to network services. In examples where the RAN <NUM> operates according to both the LTE and <NUM> NR standards, the UE may be a eUTRAN-dual connectivity (EN-DC) UE that is capable of simultaneously connecting to an LTE base station and a NR base station to receive data packets from both the LTE base station and the NR base station.

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

Within the RAN <NUM>, the cells may include UEs that may be in communication with one or more sectors of each cell. For example, UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with base station <NUM>; UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with base station <NUM>; UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with base station <NUM> by way of RRH <NUM>; UE <NUM> may be in communication with base station <NUM>; and UE <NUM> may be in communication with mobile base station <NUM>. Here, each base station <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be configured to provide an access point to a core network (not shown) for all the UEs in the respective cells.

In another example, a mobile network node (e.g., quadcopter <NUM>) may be configured to function as a UE. In some aspects of the present disclosure, two or more UE (e.g., UEs <NUM> and <NUM>) may communicate with each other using peer to peer (P2P) or sidelink signals <NUM> without relaying that communication through a base station (e.g., base station <NUM>).

Wireless communication between a RAN <NUM> and a UE (e.g., UE <NUM> or <NUM>) may be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions over the air interface from a base station (e.g., base station <NUM>) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE <NUM> and <NUM>) may be referred to as downlink (DL) transmission. In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink may refer to a point-to-point transmission originating at a scheduled entity (e.g., UE <NUM>).

For example, DL transmissions may include unicast or broadcast transmissions of control information and/or traffic information (e.g., user data traffic) from a base station (e.g., base station <NUM>) to one or more UEs (e.g., UEs <NUM> and <NUM>), while UL transmissions may include transmissions of control information and/or traffic information originating at a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>). In addition, the uplink and/or downlink control information and/or traffic information may be time-divided into frames, subframes, slots, and/or symbols. As used herein, a symbol may refer to a unit of time that, in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) waveform, carries one resource element (RE) per sub-carrier. A slot may carry <NUM> or <NUM> OFDM symbols. A subframe may refer to a duration of <NUM>. Multiple subframes or slots may be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any suitable scheme for organizing waveforms may be utilized, and various time divisions of the waveform may have any suitable duration.

The air interface in the RAN <NUM> may utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of the various devices. For example, <NUM> NR specifications provide multiple access for UL or reverse link transmissions from UEs <NUM> and <NUM> to base station <NUM>, and for multiplexing DL or forward link transmissions from the base station <NUM> to UEs <NUM> and <NUM> utilizing OFDM with a cyclic prefix. In addition, for UL transmissions, <NUM> NR specifications provide support for discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (also referred to as single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes, and may be provided utilizing time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resource spread multiple access (RSMA), or other suitable multiple access schemes. Further, multiplexing DL transmissions from the base station <NUM> to UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be provided utilizing time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), OFDM, sparse code multiplexing (SCM), or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

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

In the RAN <NUM>, the ability for a UE to communicate while moving, independent of their location, is referred to as mobility. The various physical channels between the UE and the RAN are generally set up, maintained, and released under the control of an access and mobility management function (AMF), which may include a security context management function (SCMF) that manages the security context for both the control plane and the user plane functionality and a security anchor function (SEAF) that performs authentication. In various aspects of the disclosure, a RAN <NUM> may utilize DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to enable mobility and handovers (i.e., the transfer of a UE's connection from one radio channel to another). In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, a UE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell as well as various parameters of neighboring cells. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more of the neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds that from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE may undertake a handoff or handover from the serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, UE <NUM> may move from the geographic area corresponding to its serving cell <NUM> to the geographic area corresponding to a neighbor cell <NUM>. When the signal strength or quality from the neighbor cell <NUM> exceeds that of its serving cell <NUM> for a given amount of time, the UE <NUM> may transmit a reporting message to its serving base station <NUM> indicating this condition. In response, the UE <NUM> may receive a handover command, and the UE may undergo a handover to the cell <NUM>.

In a network configured for UL-based mobility, UL reference signals from each UE may be utilized by the network to select a serving cell for each UE. In some examples, the base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>/<NUM> may broadcast unified synchronization signals (e.g., unified Primary Synchronization Signals (PSSs), unified Secondary Synchronization Signals (SSSs) and unified Physical Broadcast Channels (PBCH)). The UEs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may receive the unified synchronization signals, derive the carrier frequency and subframe/slot timing from the synchronization signals, and in response to deriving timing, transmit an uplink pilot or reference signal. The uplink pilot signal transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) may be concurrently received by two or more cells (e.g., base stations <NUM> and <NUM>/<NUM>) within the RAN <NUM>. Each of the cells may measure a strength of the pilot signal, and the RAN (e.g., one or more of the base stations <NUM> and <NUM>/<NUM> and/or a central node within the core network) may determine a serving cell for the UE <NUM>. As the UE <NUM> moves through the RAN <NUM>, the network may continue to monitor the uplink pilot signal transmitted by the UE <NUM>. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signal measured by a neighboring cell exceeds that of the signal strength or quality measured by the serving cell, the RAN <NUM> may handover the UE <NUM> from the serving cell to the neighboring cell, with or without informing the UE <NUM>.

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

In order for transmissions over the RAN <NUM> to obtain a low block error rate (BLER) while still achieving very high data rates, channel coding may be used. That is, wireless communication may generally utilize a suitable error correcting block code. In a typical block code, an information message or sequence is split up into code blocks (CBs), and an encoder (e.g., a CODEC) at the transmitting device then mathematically adds redundancy to the information message. Exploitation of this redundancy in the encoded information message can improve the reliability of the message, enabling correction for any bit errors that may occur due to the noise.

In early <NUM> NR specifications, user data traffic is coded using quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (LDPC) with two different base graphs: one base graph is used for large code blocks and/or high code rates, while the other base graph is used otherwise. Control information and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) are coded using Polar coding, based on nested sequences. For these channels, puncturing, shortening, and repetition are used for rate matching.

However, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented utilizing any suitable channel code. Various implementations of base stations and UEs may include suitable hardware and capabilities (e.g., an encoder, a decoder, and/or a CODEC) to utilize one or more of these channel codes for wireless communication.

In some examples, access to the air interface may be scheduled, wherein a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) allocates resources (e.g., time-frequency resources) for communication among some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. That is, for scheduled communication, UEs or scheduled entities utilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity.

In other examples, sidelink signals may be used between UEs without necessarily relying on scheduling or control information from a base station. For example, UE <NUM> is illustrated communicating with UEs <NUM> and <NUM>. In some examples, the UE <NUM> is functioning as a scheduling entity or a primary sidelink device, and UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may function as a scheduled entity or a non-primary (e.g., secondary) sidelink device. In still another example, a UE may function as a scheduling entity in a device-to-device (D2D), peer-to-peer (P2P), or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, and/or in a mesh network. In a mesh network example, UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may optionally communicate directly with one another in addition to communicating with the scheduling entity <NUM>. The radio protocol architecture for a RAN, such as the RAN <NUM> shown in <FIG>, may take on various forms depending on the particular application.

Exemplary protocol stacks or radio protocol architectures for the user and control planes for <NUM> are illustrated in <FIG>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the protocol architecture <NUM> for the UE and the base station includes three layers: Layer <NUM>, Layer <NUM>, and Layer <NUM>. Layer <NUM> (L1 layer) <NUM> is the lowest layer and implements various physical layer signal processing functions. Layer <NUM> will be referred to herein as the physical layer <NUM>. Layer <NUM> (L2 layer) <NUM> is above the physical layer <NUM> and is responsible for the link between the UE and base station over the physical layer <NUM>. In the user plane, the L2 layer <NUM> includes a media access control (MAC) sublayer <NUM>, a radio link control (RLC) sublayer <NUM>, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) <NUM> sublayer, and a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) sublayer <NUM>, which are terminated at the base station on the network side. Although not shown, the UE may have several upper layers above the L2 layer <NUM> including at least one network layer (e.g., IP layer and user data protocol (UDP) layer) that is terminated at the User Plane Function (UPF) on the network side.

The SDAP sublayer <NUM> provides a mapping between a <NUM> core (5GC) QoS flow and a data radio bearer and performs QoS flow ID marking in both downlink and uplink packets. The PDCP sublayer <NUM> provides packet sequence numbering, in-order delivery of packets, retransmission of PDCP protocol data units (PDUs), and transfer of upper layer data packets to lower layers. The PDCP sublayer <NUM> also provides header compression for upper layer data packets to reduce radio transmission overhead, security by ciphering the data packets, and integrity protection of data packets. The RLC sublayer <NUM> provides segmentation and reassembly of upper layer data packets, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), and sequence numbering independent of the PDCP sequence numbering. The MAC sublayer <NUM> provides multiplexing between logical and transport channels. The MAC sublayer <NUM> is also responsible for allocating the various radio resources (e.g., resource blocks) in one cell among the UEs and for HARQ operations. The physical layer <NUM> is responsible for transmitting and receiving data on physical channels (e.g., within slots).

In the control plane, the radio protocol architecture for the UE and base station is substantially the same for the physical layer <NUM> and the L2 layer <NUM> with the exception that in many systems there is no header compression function for the control plane. As will be explained, systems and methods for negotiating and performing Ethernet header compression within the control plane are provided herein. The control plane of <FIG> also includes a radio resource control (RRC) sublayer <NUM> in Layer <NUM> (layer <NUM>) <NUM>. The L3 layer <NUM> also includes non-access stratum (NAS) components <NUM>. The RRC sublayer <NUM> is responsible for establishing and configuring signaling radio bearers (SRBs) and data radio bearers (DRBs) between the bases station the UE, paging initiated by the 5GC or NG-RAN, and broadcast of system information related to Access Stratum (AS) and NAS <NUM>. The RRC sublayer <NUM> is further responsible for QoS management, mobility management (e.g., handover, cell selection, inter-RAT mobility), UE measurement and reporting, and security functions. The user plane portion of L3 <NUM> may also include internet protocol (IP) components not shown.

<FIG> also provides a protocol stack diagram <NUM> illustrating the communication between corresponding protocol stack components of a UE <NUM> and a gNB <NUM> within the user plane. As shown via protocol stack diagram <NUM>, the various user plane components of layers L1 and L2 of the UE <NUM> may communicate with corresponding components of the gNB <NUM> over the user plane. <FIG> also provides a protocol stack diagram <NUM> illustrating the communication between components of the UE <NUM>, the gNB <NUM> and an NG core component <NUM> within the control plane. As shown, the various control plane components of layers L1 and L2 of the UE <NUM> may communicate with corresponding components of the gNB <NUM> over the control plane. Additionally, a Layer <NUM> NAS component of the UE <NUM> may communicate with a corresponding NAS component of the NG core <NUM>, while bypassing the gNB <NUM>. An exemplary NAS core component is a core access and mobility management function (AMF) component, which will be described next with reference to <FIG> and <FIG>. For the purposes of <FIG>, it is noteworthy that a UE may communicate directly with NG core components via NAS control layer signaling within L3. This may include transfer of Ethernet packets via the control plane using EHC, as will be further explained.

<FIG> and <FIG> are diagrams illustrating an example of a network architecture <NUM> of a next generation (e.g., <NUM> or NR) communication network. The network architecture <NUM> may include one or more UE <NUM>, a next generation (e.g., <NUM> or NR) wireless RAN <NUM>, and a next generation (e.g., <NUM> or NR) core network <NUM>. In these examples, any signal path between the UE <NUM> and the core network <NUM> is presumed to be passed between these entities via the RAN <NUM>, as represented by an illustrated signal path crossing the RAN <NUM>. Here, the RAN <NUM> may be the RAN <NUM> described above and illustrated in <FIG>. In the description that follows, when reference is made to the RAN <NUM> or actions performed by the RAN <NUM>, it may be understood that such reference refers to one or more network nodes (e.g., gNBs) in the RAN <NUM> that is or are communicatively coupled to the core network <NUM> e.g., via one or more backhaul connections.

Both user plane and control plane functionality may be supported by the UE <NUM>, the RAN <NUM> and the core network <NUM>. The user plane carries the user data traffic, while the control plane primarily carries the signaling. As described in detail below, at least some Ethernet packet data traffic may be carried in the control plane with Ethernet data compression. In <FIG> and <FIG>, control plane signaling is indicated by dashed lines, while user plane connections are indicated by solid lines. Control plane signaling between the RAN <NUM> and the core network <NUM> is illustrated via a control plane node <NUM>, which may be implemented, for example, in a RAN network node (e.g., a gNB) or distributed across two or more RAN network nodes (e.g., gNBs).

The wireless RAN <NUM> may be, for example, a <NUM> RAN, such as a NR RAN, or Evolved E-UTRAN (i.e., an E-UTRAN enhanced to natively connect to the next generation core network <NUM> with the same interface as the NR RAN). In other examples, the RAN <NUM> may be a next generation Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a next generation fixed broadband Internet access network or other type of next generation radio access network that utilizes a next generation RAT to access the next generation core network <NUM>.

The core network <NUM> may include, for example, an AMF <NUM>, a session management function (SMF) <NUM>, a policy control function (PCF) <NUM>, an application function (AF) <NUM>, a user plane infrastructure <NUM>, and a UPF <NUM>. In some examples, the AF <NUM> may be located outside of the core network <NUM>, i.e., within the application service provider's network. The AMF <NUM> provides mobility management, authentication, and authorization of UEs <NUM>, while the SMF <NUM> processes signaling related to protocol data unit (PDU) sessions involving UEs <NUM> and allocates IP addresses to UEs <NUM>. Each PDU session may include one or more data flows (e.g., IP, Ethernet and/or unstructured data flows), each associated with a particular application. The AF <NUM> provides information on data flows to the PCF <NUM>, which is responsible for policy control, in order to support a respective QoS for each data flow. Thus, the AF <NUM> and PCF <NUM> may provide flow information defining the data flow and policy information (e.g., QoS information) associated with the data flow to the SMF <NUM> to configure one or more QoS flows within each PDU session.

The user plane infrastructure <NUM> facilitates routing of PDUs to and from UEs <NUM> via the RAN <NUM>. PDUs may include, for example, IP packets, Ethernet frames and other unstructured data (i.e., Machine-Type Communication (MTC)). The UPF <NUM> is connected to the user plane infrastructure <NUM> to provide connectivity to external data networks <NUM>. In addition, the UPF <NUM> may communicatively couple to the SMF <NUM> to enable the SMF <NUM> to configure the user plane connection over the core network <NUM>.

To establish a PDU session with an external data network (DN) <NUM> via the next generation (<NUM>) core network <NUM> and the next generation RAN <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may transmit a PDU session establishment request message to the next generation core network <NUM> via the next generation RAN <NUM>. The PDU session establishment request message may include a set of capabilities of the UE <NUM>. In some examples, the set of capabilities may include Ethernet header compression capabilities of the UE.

The AMF <NUM> and/or SMF <NUM> may process the PDU session establishment request message based on the set of capabilities, a UE profile, network policies, flow information, and other factors. The AMF <NUM> and/or SMF <NUM> may then establish a PDU connection for the PDU session between the UE <NUM> and an external data network (DN) <NUM> over the RAN <NUM> and core network <NUM> via the user plane infrastructure <NUM>. The PDU session may include one or more data flows and may be served by one or more UPFs <NUM> (only one of which is shown for convenience). Examples of data flows include, but are not limited to, IP flows, Ethernet flows and unstructured data flows.

The AMF <NUM> and/or SMF <NUM> may further use one or more of the set of capabilities, the UE profile, network policies, flow information, and other factors to select a QoS to be associated with one or more data flows within the PDU session. For example, the AMF <NUM> and/or SMF <NUM> may select one or more QoS parameters (e.g., Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR) and/or specific QoS Class Identifiers (QCIs)) for one or more data flows within a PDU session.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example of an example of communication utilizing multiple PDU sessions between a UE <NUM> and one or more external data networks <NUM>. In the example shown in <FIG>, the UE <NUM> is actively engaged in two PDU sessions 402a and 402b. Each PDU session 402a and 402b is a logical context in the UE <NUM> that enables communication between a local endpoint in the UE (e.g., a web browser) and a remote endpoint (e.g. a web server in a remote host) and each PDU connection may include one or more data flows (e.g., IP, Ethernet and/or unstructured data flows).

In the example shown in <FIG>, PDU Session 402a is served by UPF 320a and includes two IP flows 404a and 404b, each terminated at a first external data network 322a (External Data Network <NUM>) associated with a different IP address (IP1 and IP2) of the UE <NUM>. PDU Session 402b also includes two IP flows 404c and 404d, each associated with a different IP address (IP3 and IP4) of the UE <NUM>. However, IP flow 404c is served by UPF 320b and terminated at a second external data network 322b (External Data Network <NUM>), while IP flow 404d is served by a local UPF 320c and terminated at a local endpoint of the second external data network 322c (Local External Data Network <NUM>). The session management context (e.g., leveraging software defined networking (SDN) and signaling routing) for PDU Session 402a and PDU session 402b is provided in the SMF <NUM>. The user plane context (e.g., QoS, tunneling, etc.) for PDU Session 402a is provided in the UPF 320a, while the user plane context for PDU Session 402b is provided in both UPF 320b and local UPF 320c.

Further information regarding a core network and its components may be found in ETSI TS <NUM><NUM> V15. <NUM> (<NUM>-<NUM>) <NUM>, Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) protocol for <NUM> System (5GS), Stage <NUM> (3GPP TS <NUM> version <NUM>. <NUM> Release <NUM>). It is noted that the core network described therein does not provide for data transfer over a control plane while also providing EHC, a feature described herein.

<FIG> is a flow chart <NUM> of a method for use by a UE or other wireless communication device in the network of <FIG> where the core network is configured to permit Ethernet packet transmission through its control plane.

Beginning at block <NUM>, the UE initiates a registration procedure with an AMF of the network by sending a mobility management registration request message that includes a bit set to indicate support by the UE for EHC for data transfer over the control plane of the wireless communication network. For <NUM> mobility management (5GMM), the registration request message may include an information element (IE) that specifies capabilities and a bit within the IE may be set to one value (e.g., <NUM>) to indicate the UE has EHC capability and set to another value (e.g. <NUM>) to indicate that the UE has no EHC capability. Here it is noted that a separate bit (not shown) within the IE of the registration request message also may be set to indicate support for header compression of IP packets (IPHC). Hence, in one example, <NUM> MM standards may be drafted or revised to define a modified IE that includes both a legacy IPHC capability bit and a new EHC capability bit.

At block <NUM>, the UE receives a registration acceptance message (assuming registration is accepted) from the AMF that includes an indicator to indicate the wireless communication core network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane (assuming, also, that the network does indeed support EHC for data transfer over the control plane). For <NUM> MM, the IE of the registration acceptance message may include a bit set by the AMF to indicate EHC capability. (Again, a separate bit, not shown, within the IE may be set to indicate support for header compression of IP packets.

At block <NUM>, the UE initiates a PDU session management (SM) procedure with the SMF of the network by sending a PDU session establishment/modification request message to the SMF that requests to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane and includes a request for a field length for an EHC Context ID field of either <NUM> or <NUM> bits. For <NUM> SM, the Context ID may be a parameter associated with each compressed data flow that identifies the compressed header of a packet stream. During actual transference of compressed data, the Context ID is transmitted instead of the compressed headers. In one example, the <NUM> SM standards may be drafted or revised to define a new IE in the PDU session establishment/modification request message for the UE to request EHC for the PDU session and to request a specific Context ID field length. If the session management function SMF accepts EHC for the PDU session, it responds with the Context ID length in the PDU session establishment/modification acceptance/command message.

At block <NUM>, the UE receives a PDU session management response generated by the SMF that includes an indication of acceptance to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane that includes a selected (negotiated) field length for the Context ID field of either <NUM> or <NUM> bits. It is note that the indication of acceptance is for a particular Ethernet flow, where a particular Ethernet flow refers to Ethernet packet exchanges between a particular Ethernet source-destination address pair.

At block <NUM>, the UE then transfers data over the control plane of the core network for a particular Ethernet flow using Ethernet packets while performing EHC using Context ID fields of the selected (negotiated) length of either <NUM> or <NUM> bits. Referring back to <FIG>, the Ethernet packets may be sent, for example, from the UE <NUM> through the AMF <NUM> and the SMF <NUM> to at UPF <NUM> and then to an external network <NUM>. In other examples, the Ethernet packets may be sent from the UE <NUM> through the AMF <NUM> to a control plane node <NUM>. A different Context ID is used for each particular Ethernet flow.

<FIG> is a flow chart <NUM> of a method for use by the core network of <FIG> to permit Ethernet packet transmission through the control plane by the UE.

Beginning at block <NUM>, an AMF receives a mobility management registration request from the UE that includes a bit set to indicate support by the UE for EHC for data transfer over the control plane of the wireless communication network. As explained above with reference to <FIG>, the bit may be set with an IE of the mobility management registration request.

At block <NUM>, the AMF selects an SMF procedure for use with the request and then sends a registration acceptance message (assuming registration is accepted) to the UE that includes an indicator to indicate the wireless communication core network supports EHC for data transfer over its control plane (assuming, again, that the core network does indeed support EHC for data transfer over its control plane).

At block <NUM>, the SMF of the core network receives a request from the UE for PDU session management (via a PDU session establishment/modification request message) where the request message includes a request to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane and includes a request for a field length for an EHC Context ID field of either <NUM> or <NUM> bits.

At block <NUM>, the SMF selects a particular Context ID field length (either <NUM> or <NUM> bits) and sends a PDU session management response to the UE that includes an indication of acceptance to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane that includes the selected (negotiated) field length for the Context ID field.

At block <NUM>, the AMF, SMF or other control plane components or nodes of the core network receive data from the UE over the control plane for a particular Ethernet flow in Ethernet packets with compresses or suppressed headers in accordance with the selected (negotiated) Context ID field length of either <NUM> or <NUM> bits. As noted, a different Context ID is used for each particular Ethernet flow.

<FIG> is a signaling or timing diagram <NUM> illustrating exemplary signaling for announcing and negotiating EHC for a PDU session. At <NUM>, a UE <NUM> may generate and transmit a mobility management registration request message that includes a bit set to announce that the UE has EHC capability for data transmission over the control plane. The mobility management registration request message may be routed through the RAN <NUM> to the AMF <NUM>. At <NUM>, the AMF <NUM> responds by selecting an SMF and then, at <NUM>, sends a mobility management registration request acceptance that includes a bit set to confirm that the AMF and other components of the core network have EHC capability. At <NUM>, the UE <NUM> generates and sends a PDU session establishment request message with a request for a length of an EHC Context ID field. As noted, the request for the length may be within an IE of the PDU session establishment request message. The PDU session establishment request message may be routed through the RAN <NUM> and the AMF <NUM> to the selected SMF <NUM>.

At <NUM>, the SMF <NUM> responds by choosing a length for the Context ID field (e.g. either <NUM> bits or <NUM> bits) and then, at <NUM>, sends a PDU session establishment acknowledgment to the UE <NUM> that includes the selected length for the Context ID field. The PDU session establishment acknowledgment may be routed through the AMF <NUM> and the RAN <NUM> to the UE <NUM>. At <NUM>, the UE <NUM> sends Ethernet packets over control plane of the core network while employing EHC and while using the selected EHC Context ID field length for the Context ID provided with the packets. In the example of <FIG>, the Ethernet packets are sent over control plane of the core network while employing EHC and while using the selected EHC Context ID field length for the Context ID provided with the packets. In the example of <FIG>, the Ethernet packets are sent to a UPF <NUM> (via the RAN <NUM>, the AMF <NUM>, and the selected SMF <NUM>), which may forward the packets to an external network (such as an external network <NUM> of <FIG>). In other examples, the Ethernet packets may be sent to other components of the core network. Note that additional components of the core network <NUM> of <FIG> may be involved in the establishment and processing of PDU sessions. <FIG> is intended to highlight various functions and operations that are particularly relevant to EHC negotiation, while omitting other details of a practical core network.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary <NUM> MM capability IE <NUM> that includes a bit <NUM> that may be set by the UE to announce to the MM components of the core network (such as the AMF <NUM> of <FIG>) that the UE is configured for EHC of data transmitted over the control plane of the core network. The bit is referred to in the figure as an "EHC CP" bit, since it indicates UE support for EHC for control plane data packet transmissions. In the particular example of <FIG>, a third bit within octet <NUM> of the IE is <NUM> used as the EHC CP bit (with the applicable 3GPP <NUM> MM standards specified so the core network recognizes the bit as indicating UE support for control plane EHC), but other bit locations within the IE <NUM> may instead be designated within the standards. In some examples, an IE with the bit set to "<NUM>" may be included in a <NUM> MM registration request sent from the UE to the AMF <NUM> at <NUM> of <FIG>. The various other portions of the IE <NUM>, such as its <NUM> MM capability IE indicator (IEI), may be the same as in predecessor versions of the corresponding 3GPP <NUM> MM standards.

<FIG> also illustrates an exemplary <NUM> SM capability IE <NUM> that includes a bit <NUM> that may be set by the UE to announce to the SM components of the core network (such as the SMF <NUM> of <FIG>) that the UE is configured for EHC of data transmitted over the control plane of the core network and that the UE is requesting a field length for the EHC Context ID (of either <NUM> or <NUM> bits). The bit is referred to in the figure as an "EHC FL CP" bit, since it serves to request a field length (FL) for the Context ID for EHC for control plane (CP) data packet transmissions. In this example, by requesting the SMF to provide a field length for the Context ID for EHC, the UE is thus also signaling to the SMF that it is requesting to use EHC (since, otherwise, no EHC Context ID would be needed). In this manner, the UE does not have to provide within its request for session management both an indicator requesting to use EHC and a separate indicator requesting the field length for the Context ID for EHC.

In the particular example of <FIG>, a third bit within octet <NUM> of the IE is <NUM> used as the EHC FL CP bit (with the applicable 3GPP <NUM> SM standards specified so the core network recognizes the bit as indicating UE support for control plane EHC and that the UE is requesting the Context ID field length), but other bit locations within the IE <NUM> may instead be designated within the standards. In some examples, an IE with the bit set to "<NUM>" may be included in a <NUM> SM PDU session establishment request sent from the UE to the SMF <NUM> at <NUM> of <FIG>. The various other portions of the IE <NUM>, such as its <NUM> MM capability IE indicator (IEI), may be the same as in predecessor versions of the corresponding 3GPP <NUM> SM standards. As already explained, if the SMF <NUM> agrees to enable EHC for data packets sent over the control plane of the core network, the SMF <NUM> responds to the PDU session establishment request from the UE with by choosing the length for the Context ID field and then sending a PDU session establishment acknowledgment to the UE that includes the selected (negotiated) length for the Context ID field.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary format for an initial full (uncompressed) Ethernet packet <NUM> sent by a UE over the control plane of the core network, where the initial packet includes an uncompressed Ethernet header. The initial packet may be, for example, the first packet of a sequence of packets for a current PDU session for a particular Ethernet flow. The full (uncompressed) packet <NUM> includes an F/C bit <NUM> within its first octet that indicates whether the packet is full or uncompressed. Since packet <NUM> is a full packet, the bit may be set to indicate a full packet by, for example, setting the bit value to "<NUM>. " Packet <NUM> also includes a Context ID for control plane EHC, which may be either <NUM> or <NUM> bits (as selected by the SMF). If the field length for the Context ID for control plane EHC is <NUM> bits, then the entire Context ID <NUM> is stored or encoded with remaining seven bits of the first octet. If the field length for the Context ID for control plane EHC is <NUM> bits, then the remainder of the Context ID for control plane EHC <NUM> is stored or encoded with eight bits of the second octet. The control plane Ethernet packet header <NUM> is then provided, followed by a first portion of the control plane Ethernet packet payload <NUM> being transmitted for the particular Ethernet Flow (e.g. data), along with any padding that might be included.

<FIG> also illustrates an exemplary format for a subsequent compressed Ethernet packet <NUM> sent by a UE over the control plane of the core network, where the subsequent packet omits the Ethernet header (thereby compressing or suppressing the header). The subsequent packet may be, for example, a second packet of a sequence of packets for a current PDU session for a particular Ethernet flow. The compressed packet format <NUM> again includes an F/C bit <NUM> within its first octet that indicates whether the packet is full or uncompressed. Since packet <NUM> is a compressed packet, the bit may be set to indicate a compressed packet by, for example, setting the bit value to "<NUM>. " Packet <NUM> also includes the same Context ID for control plane EHC as the initial uncompressed packet <NUM>. Again, if the field length for the Context ID for control plane EHC is <NUM> bits, the entire Context ID <NUM> is stored or encoded with remaining seven bits of the first octet of the packet. If the field length for the Context ID is <NUM> bits, the remainder of the Context ID <NUM> is stored or encoded with eight bits of the second octet. The control plane Ethernet packet header <NUM> is then omitted. Instead, the next portion <NUM> of the packet <NUM> provides the next (second) portion of the control plane Ethernet packet payload being transmitted for the particular Ethernet Flow (e.g. data), along with any padding that might be included.

<FIG> also illustrates an exemplary format for a subsequent return or feedback Ethernet packet <NUM> sent back to the UE over the control plane of the core network. The feedback packet may be, for example, sent (by a receiving device) in reply to the first packet <NUM> of the sequence of packets for a current PDU session for a particular Ethernet flow, so as to acknowledge receipt of the first packet <NUM>. The feedback packet format <NUM> includes a return bit (R) <NUM> within its first octet that indicates that the packet is a feedback packet. Packet <NUM> also includes the same Context ID for control plane EHC as the forward packet <NUM>. Again, if the field length for the Context ID for control plane EHC is <NUM> bits, the entire Context ID <NUM> is stored or encoded within remaining seven bits of the first octet of the packet. If the field length for the Context ID is <NUM> bits, the remainder of the Context ID <NUM> is stored or encoded with eight bits of the second octet. For a return packet, no headers and no payload are included.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a core network <NUM> employing a processing system <NUM>. For example, the core network may correspond to a network that includes the AMF and SMF components shown and described above in reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, and/or <NUM>.

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

In this example, the processing system <NUM> may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the bus <NUM>. The bus <NUM> may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system <NUM> and the overall design constraints. The bus <NUM> links together various circuits including one or more processors (represented generally by the processor <NUM>), a memory <NUM>, and computer-readable media (represented generally by the computer-readable medium <NUM>). The bus <NUM> may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface <NUM> provides an interface between the bus <NUM> and a network interface <NUM> (or wireless communication interface or transceiver). The network interface <NUM> provides a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium, such as UEs. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user interface <NUM> (e.g., keypad, display, touch screen, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided. Of course, such a user interface <NUM> is optional, and may be omitted in some examples.

Software should be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

The computer-readable medium <NUM> may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way of example, a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip), an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may reside in the processing system <NUM>, external to the processing system <NUM>, or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system <NUM>. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. In some examples, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may be part of the memory <NUM>. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor <NUM> may include circuitry configured for various functions. In some core networks, different functions may be performed by different components or nodes within the network, and so separate processors may be provided within the different nodes for performing different functions. For convenience and generality, the processor <NUM> of <FIG> is shown as having a set of processing components or circuits, such as both mobility management and session management components. In a practical system, these processing components or circuits may be provided within separate nodes.

In the example of <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may include mobility management circuitry <NUM> configured for use with control plane EHC. The mobility management circuitry <NUM> may be configured to receive and process a mobility management registration request received from a UE, wherein the request includes an indication that the UE is configured for control plane EHC. Among other tasks, the mobility management circuitry <NUM> may select a particular SMF for use with the UE. The mobility management circuitry <NUM> may further be configured to execute mobility management software <NUM> included on the computer-readable medium <NUM> to implement one or more functions described herein, including functions supporting mobility management for control plane EHC.

The processor <NUM> may also include session management circuitry <NUM> configured for use with control plane EHC. The session management circuitry <NUM> may be configured to receive and process a PDU session establishment request message from a UE. The PDU session establishment request message may contain a set of capabilities of the UE. The set of capabilities may include, for example, an indication that the UE is configured for control plane EHC. The PDU session establishment request message may also include a request for a field length of a Context ID for use with control plane EHC. The session management circuitry <NUM> may process the PDU session establishment request message based on the UE capabilities, a UE profile (maintained at a particular core network node or retrieved from another core network node), UE subscription information, network policies, flow information, and other factors. The session management circuitry <NUM> may then establish a PDU connection between the UE and an external data network over the NG RAN via an NG core network that permits and supports EHC. The session management circuitry <NUM> may further be configured to execute session management software <NUM> included on the computer-readable medium <NUM> to implement one or more functions described herein, including functions supporting session management for control plane EHC.

The processor <NUM> may further include control plane Ethernet header compression/decompression circuitry <NUM> configured to compress at least some Ethernet packets sent by the core network <NUM> via the control plane and/or decompress at least some Ethernet packets received by the core network <NUM>. The Ethernet header compression/decompression circuitry <NUM> may further be configured to execute Ethernet header compression/decompression software <NUM> included on the computer-readable medium <NUM> to implement one or more functions described herein, including functions supporting compression/decompression of Ethernet headers within Ethernet packets transmitted via the control plane of the core network. To facilitate EHC, the control plane Ethernet header compression/decompression circuitry <NUM> may store context IDs <NUM> within a portion of memory <NUM> for various Ethernet flows.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an exemplary UE <NUM> employing a processing system <NUM> that includes one or more processors <NUM>. For example, the UE may correspond to any of the UEs illustrated in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and/or <NUM>.

The overall architecture of the processing system <NUM> may be similar to the processing system <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>, including a bus interface <NUM>, a bus <NUM>, memory <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, and a computer-readable medium <NUM>. Furthermore, the UE <NUM> may include a user interface <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM> for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium (e.g., an air interface for communicating with base stations). The processor <NUM>, as utilized in a UE <NUM>, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes described herein.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor <NUM> may include circuitry configured for various functions. For example, the processor <NUM> may include mobility management circuitry <NUM> configured for use with control plane EHC. The mobility management circuitry <NUM> may be configured to generate and send a mobility management registration request to a core network node, such as core network <NUM> of <FIG>, wherein the request includes an indication that the UE is configured for control plane EHC. The mobility management circuitry <NUM> may further be configured to execute mobility management software <NUM> included on the computer-readable medium <NUM> to implement one or more functions described herein, including functions supporting mobility management for control plane EHC.

The processor <NUM> may also include session management circuitry <NUM> configured for use with control plane EHC. The session management circuitry <NUM> may be configured to generate and send a PDU session establishment request message to a core network node, such as core network <NUM> of <FIG>. As explained above, the PDU session establishment request message may contain a set of capabilities of the UE such as an indication the UE is configured for control plane EHC. The PDU session establishment request message may also include a request for a field length of a Context ID for use with control plane EHC. The session management circuitry <NUM> may process a PDU session establishment acknowledgement received from the core network that acknowledges the establishment of a PDU connection between the UE and an external data network over the NG RAN via an NG core network that permits and supports EHC. The session management circuitry <NUM> may further be configured to execute session management software <NUM> included on the computer-readable medium <NUM> to implement one or more functions described herein, including functions supporting session management for control plane EHC.

The processor <NUM> may further include control plane Ethernet header compression/decompression circuitry <NUM> configured to compress at least some Ethernet packets sent over the control plane and/or decompress at least some Ethernet packets received over the control plane of the core network. The Ethernet header compression/decompression circuitry <NUM> may further be configured to execute Ethernet header compression/decompression software <NUM> included on the computer-readable medium <NUM> to implement one or more functions described herein, including functions supporting compression/decompression of Ethernet headers within Ethernet packets transmitted via the control plane of the core network. To facilitate EHC, the control plane Ethernet header compression/decompression circuitry <NUM> may store context IDs <NUM> within a portion of memory <NUM> for various Ethernet flows.

<FIG> is a flow chart <NUM> of a method for use by a network component of a wireless communication network. In some examples, the method may be performed by the core network <NUM> described above and illustrated in <FIG>, by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable means for carrying out the described functions. In some examples, the network component is in communication with a UE, such as the UE <NUM> of <FIG>. In some examples, the network component includes separate individual components or nodes (such as separate AMF and SMF nodes) and at least some of the functions, procedures or operations of <FIG> may be performed by different components or nodes of the overall network component referred to in <FIG>.

At block <NUM>, the network component obtains a signal from a wireless communication device via a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane. (Herein, "obtain" broadly covers, e.g., generate, acquire, receive, retrieve, or perform any other suitable corresponding actions. ) At block <NUM>, the network component sends a response to the wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. At block <NUM>, the network component performs data transfer of Ethernet packets with the wireless communication device over the control plane while performing EHC.

In some aspects, the network component referred to in <FIG> is a mobility management component (e.g. an AMF) and the signal obtained from the wireless communication device is a mobility management registration request message from a UE that includes an indication of support by the UE for EHC for data transfer over the control plane of the wireless communication network. In some aspects, the response indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane is a mobility management registration acceptance message sent by an AMF to the UE. In some aspects, the network component is a session management component (e.g. an SMF) and the signal obtained from the wireless communication device is a session establishment request from a UE that includes an indication of support by the UE for EHC for data transfer over the control plane of the wireless communication network. In some aspects, the response indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane is a session establishment acknowledgement message sent by an SMF to the UE.

In some aspects, the SMF performs various session management operations to initiate a data transfer, such as selecting a field length for a Context ID field. The data transfer of the Ethernet packets over the control plane while performing EHC may then be performed once a data transfer session is established with the selected field length.

<FIG> is a flow chart <NUM> of a method for use by a wireless communication device of a wireless communication network. In some examples, the method may be performed by the UE <NUM> described above and illustrated in <FIG>, by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable means for carrying out the described functions. In some examples, the wireless communication device is in communication with a wireless network component, such as the one shown in <FIG> that includes a core network with separate individual components or nodes (such as separate AMF and SMF nodes).

At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device sends a signal to a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane. At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device obtains a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device performs data transfer of Ethernet packets with the wireless communication network over the control plane while performing EHC.

In some aspects, the wireless communication network referred to in <FIG> includes a mobility management component (e.g. an AMF) and the signal sent to the wireless communication network is a mobility management registration request message that includes an indication of support by a UE for EHC for data transfer over the control plane of the wireless communication network. In some aspects, the response obtained from the wireless communication network indicating the network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane is a mobility management registration acceptance message received from the AMF by the UE. In some aspects, the wireless communication network includes a session management component (e.g. an SMF) and the signal sent to the wireless communication network is a session establishment request that includes an indication of support by the UE for EHC for data transfer over the control plane of the wireless communication network. In some aspects, the response obtained from the wireless communication network is a session establishment acknowledgement message sent by an SMF to the UE. In some aspects, the wireless communication device relies on the SMF to perform session management operations to initiate a data transfer, such as selecting a field length for a Context ID field. Data transfer of Ethernet packets over the control plane while performing EHC may be performed once a data transfer session is established with the selected field length.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a network component <NUM> of a wireless communication network. The network component <NUM> includes a network interface <NUM> (such as a wireless communication interface or transceiver) and a processor <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is configured to or equipped to: obtain a signal from a wireless communication device (such as a UE) indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane; send a response to the wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane; and perform data transfer of Ethernet packets with the wireless communication device over the control plane while performing EHC.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication device <NUM> for use in a wireless communication network. The wireless communication device <NUM> includes a transceiver <NUM> and a processor <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is configured to or equipped to: send a signal to a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports Ethernet header compression (EHC) for data transfer over a control plane; obtain a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane; and perform data transfer of Ethernet packets with the wireless communication network over the control plane while performing EHC.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating components of a core network <NUM> of a wireless communication network. The core network <NUM> includes a network interface <NUM> (e.g. a wireless transceiver) and various processing components or controllers connected or coupled to the network interface <NUM> and/or to one another. A receive component or controller <NUM> is configured to receive and decode a signal from a wireless communication device (such as a UE) that includes an indicator to indicate the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane of the wireless communication network. A response component or controller <NUM> is configured to generate and send a response to the wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane of the wireless communication network (assuming the wireless communication network indeed supports EHC for control plane data transfer). A data transfer component or controller <NUM> is configured to perform or control data transfer of Ethernet packets with the wireless communication device over the control plane of the wireless communication network while performing EHC.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating components of a wireless communication device <NUM> such as a UE. The wireless communication device <NUM> includes a wireless transceiver <NUM> and various processing components or controllers connected or coupled to the wireless transceiver <NUM> and/or to one another. A capability announcement component or controller <NUM> is configured to generate and send a signal to a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane of the wireless communication network. A receive component or controller <NUM> is configured to receive and decode a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. A data transfer component or controller <NUM> is configured to perform or control data transfer of Ethernet packets with the wireless communication network over the control plane of the wireless communication network while performing EHC.

In some aspects, means are provided for performing the various functions described herein. By way of example, an apparatus may be provided that includes: means (such as receive component <NUM>) for obtaining a signal from a wireless communication device via a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane; means (such as AMF <NUM>, mobility management circuitry <NUM>, or response component <NUM>) for sending a response to the wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane; and means (such as control plane Ethernet header compression/decompression circuitry <NUM> or data transfer component <NUM>) for performing data transfer of Ethernet packets with the wireless communication device over the control plane while performing EHC.

As another example, an apparatus may be provided that includes: means (such as capability announcement component <NUM>) for sending a signal to a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane; means (such as mobility management circuitry <NUM> or receive component <NUM>) for obtaining a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane; and means (such as control plane Ethernet header compression/decompression circuitry <NUM> or data transfer component <NUM>) for performing data transfer of Ethernet packets with the wireless communication network over the control plane while performing EHC.

<FIG> is a flow chart <NUM> of a method for use by a wireless communication device of a wireless communication network. In some examples, the method may be performed by the UE <NUM> described above and illustrated in <FIG>, by the wireless communication device <NUM> described below and illustrated in <FIG>, by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable means for carrying out the described functions. In some examples, the wireless communication device is in communication with a wireless network component, such as the one shown in <FIG> or the one shown in <FIG>, discussed below.

At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device sends a signal to a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane. In some aspects, this is achieved by sending a mobility management registration request message that includes an indication of support for EHC for data transfer over the control plane. At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device obtains a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. In some aspects, this is achieved by receiving an indication of support for EHC within a mobility management registration acceptance message. At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device communicates with the wireless communication network over the control plane using EHC. In some aspects, the wireless communication device communicates with the wireless communication network over the control plane using EHC by sending at least one Ethernet packet compressed using EHC to the wireless communication network over the control plane. In some aspects, the wireless communication device communicates with the wireless communication network over the control plane using EHC by receiving at least one Ethernet packet compressed using EHC to the wireless communication network over the control plane. As explained above, and as summarized in <FIG>, discussed below, before the wireless communication device communicates with the wireless communication network over the control plane using EHC, the wireless communication device, in some aspects, requests to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device sends a mobility management registration request message to a wireless communication network that includes an indication of support for EHC for data transfer over the control plane. At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device receives a mobility management registration acceptance message from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device sends a request signal to the wireless communication network within a PDU session establishment request message or PDU session modification message that includes a request to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane. At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device obtains an indication of acceptance to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane from an SMF of the wireless communication network. At block <NUM>, the wireless communication device communicates with the wireless communication network over the control plane using EHC by sending or receiving Ethernet packets compressed using EHC.

<FIG> is a flow chart <NUM> of a method for use by a network component of a wireless communication network. In some examples, the method may be performed by the core network <NUM> described above and illustrated in <FIG>, by the network component <NUM> described below and illustrated in <FIG>, by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable means for carrying out the described functions. In some examples, the network component is in communication with a UE or other wireless communication device, such as the UE <NUM> of <FIG> or the wireless communication device <NUM> of <FIG>, discussed below.

At block <NUM>, the network component obtains a signal from a wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane. In some aspects, the signal is a mobility management registration request message that includes an indication of support for EHC for data transfer over the control plane. At block <NUM>, the network component sends a response to the wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. In some aspects, the response is sent within a mobility management registration acceptance message. At block <NUM>, the network component communicates with the wireless communication device over the control plane using EHC. In some aspects, the network component communicates with the wireless communication device over the control plane using EHC by sending at least one Ethernet packet compressed using EHC to the wireless communication device over the control plane. In some aspects, the network component communicates with the wireless communication device over the control plane using EHC by receiving at least one Ethernet packet compressed using EHC to the wireless communication device over the control plane. As explained above, and as summarized in <FIG>, discussed below, before the network component communicates with the wireless communication network over the control plane using EHC, the wireless communication device, in some aspects, requests to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

At block <NUM>, the network component receives a mobility management registration request message from a wireless communication device that includes an indication of support for EHC for data transfer over the control plane. At block <NUM>, the network component sends a mobility management registration acceptance message to the wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. At block <NUM>, the network component obtains a signal from the wireless communication device within a PDU session establishment request message or a PDU session modification message that includes a request to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane. At <NUM>, the network component sends an indication of acceptance to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane to the wireless communication device, which may be generated by an SMF of the wireless communication network. At block <NUM>, the network component communicates with the wireless communication device over the control plane using EHC by sending or receiving Ethernet packets compressed using EHC.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network component <NUM> employing a processing system <NUM>. For example, the network component may correspond to a component of a network that includes the AMF and SMF components shown and described above in reference to <FIG>, <FIG>, and/or <NUM>.

The network component <NUM> may be implemented with a processing system <NUM> that includes one or more processors <NUM>. Examples of processors <NUM> include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSPs, FPGAs, PLDs, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the network component <NUM> may be configured to perform any one or more of the network component functions described herein. That is, the processor <NUM>, as utilized in the network component <NUM>, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes and procedures described herein that pertain to the operation of a network component.

The overall architecture of the processing system <NUM> may be similar to the processing system <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>, including a bus interface <NUM>, a bus <NUM>, memory <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, and a computer-readable medium <NUM>. Furthermore, the network component <NUM> may include a user interface <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM> for communicating with various other apparatus (e.g., a UE) over a transmission medium. In <FIG>, the transceiver <NUM> is shown to include one or more receivers <NUM> and one or more transmitters, which are connected to one or more antennas <NUM>.

The computer-readable medium <NUM> may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may reside in the processing system <NUM>, external to the processing system <NUM>, or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system <NUM>. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. In some examples, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may be part of the memory <NUM>.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor <NUM> may include circuitry configured for various functions. In some network components, different functions may be performed by different components or nodes within the network, and so separate processors may be provided within the different nodes for performing different functions. For convenience and generality, the processor <NUM> of <FIG> is shown as having a set of processing components, controllers, or circuits.

In the example of <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may include circuitry <NUM> configured to receive and process a signal indicating a wireless communication device, such as a UE, supports EHC for data transfer over control plane. The processor <NUM> may also include circuitry <NUM> configured to generate and send a response indicating the wireless communication network (of which the network component <NUM> is a component) supports EHC for data transfer over control plane. The processor <NUM> may further include circuitry <NUM> configured to communicate with the wireless communication device using EHC for data transfer over the control plane (CP) by, for example, sending and receiving wireless signals using transceiver <NUM>. As already explained, the communication may include receiving Ethernet packets compressed using EHC from a UE and sending Ethernet packets compressed using EHC to the UE.

In some aspects, the circuitry <NUM> is a means for obtaining a signal indicating from a wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane, the circuitry <NUM> is a means for sending a response to the wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane, and the circuitry <NUM> is a means for communicating with the wireless communication device over the control plane using EHC.

In the example of <FIG>, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may include code <NUM> for receiving and processing a signal indicating a wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over control plane. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may also include code <NUM> for generating and sending a response indicating the wireless communication network (of which the network component <NUM> is a component) supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may further include code <NUM> for communicating with the wireless communication device using EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an exemplary wireless communication device <NUM> employing a processing system <NUM> that includes one or more processors <NUM>. For example, the wireless communication device may correspond to any of the UEs illustrated in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and/or <NUM>.

The overall architecture of the processing system <NUM> may be similar to the processing system <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>, including a bus interface <NUM>, a bus <NUM>, memory <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, and a computer-readable medium <NUM>. Furthermore, the wireless communication device <NUM> may include a user interface <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM> for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium (e.g., an air interface for communicating with a network component). The processor <NUM>, as utilized in a wireless communication device <NUM>, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes described herein that pertain to the operation of a wireless communication device.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor <NUM> may include circuitry configured for various functions. For example, the processor <NUM> may include circuitry <NUM> configured to send a signal to a wireless communication network, such as to the network component <NUM> of <FIG>, indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane. The circuitry <NUM> may be configured to obtain a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. The circuitry <NUM> may be configured to communicate with the wireless communication network over the control plane using EHC by, for example, sending and receiving wireless signals using transceiver <NUM>. As already explained, the communication may include sending Ethernet packets compressed using EHC to a network component and receiving Ethernet packets compressed using EHC from the network component.

In some aspects, the circuitry <NUM> is a means for sending a signal to a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane, the circuitry <NUM> is a means for obtaining a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane, and the circuitry <NUM> is a means for communicating with the wireless communication network over the control plane using EHC.

In the example of <FIG>, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may include code <NUM> for ending a signal to a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may also include code <NUM> for obtaining a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may further include code <NUM> for communicating with the wireless communication network using EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

The following provides an overview of examples of the present disclosure.

Example <NUM>: a wireless communication device comprises: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: send a signal to a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane; obtain a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane; and communicate with the wireless communication network over the control plane using EHC.

Example <NUM>: the wireless communication device of example <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to send the signal as a mobility management registration request message that includes an indication of support for EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: the wireless communication device of examples <NUM> or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the response from the wireless communication network within a mobility management registration acceptance message.

Example <NUM>: the wireless communication device of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to send a request signal to the wireless communication network that includes a request to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: the wireless communication device of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to send the request signal within a PDU session establishment request message.

Example <NUM>: the wireless communication device of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to send the request signal within a PDU session modification message.

Example <NUM>: the wireless communication device of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to send an Ethernet packet compressed using EHC over the control plane to communicate with the wireless communication network.

Example <NUM>: the wireless communication device of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to receive an Ethernet packet compressed using EHC over the control plane to communicate with the wireless communication network.

Example <NUM>: a method of wireless communication for use by a wireless communication device, the method comprising: sending a signal to a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane; obtaining a response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane; and communicating with the wireless communication network over the control plane using EHC.

Example <NUM>: the method of example <NUM>, wherein sending the signal comprises sending a mobility management registration request message that includes an indication of support for EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: the method of examples <NUM> or <NUM>, wherein obtaining the response from the wireless communication network comprises receiving an indication of support for EHC within a mobility management registration acceptance message.

Example <NUM>: the method of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, further comprising sending a request signal to the wireless communication network that includes a request to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: the method of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the request signal comprises a PDU session establishment request message.

Example <NUM>: the method of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the request signal comprises a protocol data unit (PDU) session modification message.

Example <NUM>: the method of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein communicating with the wireless communication network comprises sending an Ethernet packet compressed using EHC to the wireless communication network over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: the method of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein communicating with the wireless communication network comprises receiving an Ethernet packet compressed using EHC from the wireless communication network over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: a network component of a wireless communication network, the network component comprising: a network interface; and a processor coupled to the network interface, wherein the processor is configured to obtain a signal from a wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication device supports Ethernet header compression (EHC) for data transfer over a control plane; send a response to the wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane; and communicate with the wireless communication device over the control plane using EHC.

Example <NUM>: the network component of example <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the signal as a mobility management registration request message that includes an indication of support for EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: the network component of examples <NUM> or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to send the response to the wireless communication device within a mobility management registration acceptance message.

Example <NUM>: the network component of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain a request signal from the wireless communication device that includes a request to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: the network component of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the request signal within a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment request message.

Example <NUM>: the network component of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to obtain the signal including the request to use EHC for data transfer within a protocol data unit (PDU) session modification message.

Example <NUM>: the network component of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to send an Ethernet packet compressed using EHC over the control plane to communicate with the wireless communication device.

Example <NUM>: the network component of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein the processor is further configured to receive an Ethernet packet compressed using EHC over the control plane to communicate with the wireless communication device.

Example <NUM>: a method of wireless communication for use by a network component of a wireless communication network, the method comprising: obtaining a signal from a wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication device supports EHC for data transfer over a control plane; sending a response to the wireless communication device indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane; and communicating with the wireless communication device over the control plane using EHC.

Example <NUM>: the method of example <NUM>, wherein obtaining the signal comprises receiving a mobility management registration request message that includes an indication of support for EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: the method of examples <NUM> or <NUM>, further comprising obtaining a request signal from the wireless communication device that includes a request to use EHC for data transfer over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: the method of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, further comprising sending an indication of acceptance to use EHC to the wireless communication device.

Example <NUM>: the method of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein communicating with the wireless communication device over the control plane using EHC comprises sending an Ethernet packet compressed using EHC over the control plane.

Example <NUM>: the method of examples <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, wherein communicating with the wireless communication device over the control plane using EHC comprises receiving an Ethernet packet compressed using EHC over the control plane.

The apparatus, devices, and/or components illustrated in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> may be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps described herein. The algorithms described herein may also be implemented in software and/or embedded in hardware.

Claim 1:
A wireless communication device, comprising:
a transceiver; and
a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to:
send (<NUM>) a mobility management registration request signal to a wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication device supports Ethernet header compression, EHC, for data transfer over a control plane;
obtain (<NUM>) a mobility management registration response from the wireless communication network indicating the wireless communication network supports EHC for data transfer over the control plane;
send (<NUM>) a session establishment request signal to the wireless communication network comprising a request for a field length for an EHC Context ID;
obtain (<NUM>) a session establishment acknowledgement from the wireless communication network comprising an indicator of the field length for the EHC Context ID; and
send (<NUM>) data compressed using EHC to the wireless communication network over the control plane, the data comprising the EHC Context ID configured in accordance with the field length.