GB2629809A

GB2629809A - Method, apparatus and computer program

Info

Publication number: GB2629809A
Application number: GB2306926.3A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chaoub Abdelaali; Biatek Thibaud; Goix Laurent
Original assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
Priority date: 2023-05-10
Filing date: 2023-05-10
Publication date: 2024-11-13
Also published as: GB202306926D0; WO2024231335A1

Abstract

An apparatus comprising: means for receiving information about a planned route for the apparatus; means for sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to a network function; means for receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service QoS Indicators for the planned route; means for providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to a media stream player that is configured to travel with the apparatus along the planned route. The media stream player uses the information about the planned route and the QoS indicators for the planned route as input for a QoS media streaming algorithm.

Description

METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

FIELD

The subject application relates to a method, apparatus, system and computer program.

BACKGROUND

A communication system can be seen as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities such as user terminals, base stations and/or other nodes by providing carriers between the various entities involved in the communications path. A communication system can be provided for example by means of a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. The communication sessions may comprise, for example, communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, video, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia and/or content data and so on. Non-limiting examples of services provided comprise two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services and access to a data network system, such as the Internet.

In a wireless communication system, at least a part of a communication session between at least two stations occurs over a wireless link. Examples of wireless systems comprise public land mobile networks (PLMN), satellite-based communication systems and different wireless local networks, for example wireless local area networks (WLAN). Some wireless systems can be divided into cells, and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.

A user can access the communication system by means of an appropriate communication device or terminal. A communication device of a user may be referred to as user equipment (UE) or user device. A communication device is provided with an appropriate signal receiving and transmitting apparatus for enabling communications, for example enabling access to a communication network or communications directly with other users. The communication device may access a carrier provided by a station, for example a base station of a cell, and transmit and/or receive communications on the carrier.

The communication system and associated devices can operate in accordance with a given standard or specification which sets forth what the various entities associated with the system are permitted to do and how that should be achieved. Communication protocols and/or parameters which are to be used for the connection can also be defined.

SUMMARY

According to a first example, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving information about a planned route for the apparatus; means for sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to a network function; means for receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; means for providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

According to some examples, the information about the planned route comprises at least one of: a list of network area identifiers; a list of waypoints; a list of Tracking Area identifiers; or a list of cell identifiers.

According to some examples, the information about the planned route comprises at least one of: expected arrival times; or expected departure times.

According to some examples, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving, from the media stream player or an application on a User Equipment, a trigger for Network Assistance from the network function; means for sending a request to create a Network Assistance session to the network function; means for receiving a Network Assistance session identifier from the network function; wherein the means for sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to the network function sends the information about the planned route for the apparatus to the network function with the Network Assistance session identifier; wherein means for sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the media stream player sends the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the media stream player with the Network Assistance session identifier.

According to some examples, the means for providing is configured to send the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route via an interface.

According to some examples, wherein the means for providing is configured to send the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators to a media stream player that is configured to travel with the apparatus along the planned route According to some examples, the media stream player uses the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route as input for a Quality of Service media streaming algorithm.

According to a second example, there is provided a method comprising: receiving information about a planned route for an apparatus; sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to a network function; receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

According to some examples, the apparatus comprises: receiving, from the media stream player or any application on a UE, a trigger for Network Assistance from the network function; sending a request to create a Network Assistance session to the network function; receiving a Network Assistance session identifier from the network function; wherein the means for sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to the network function sends the information about the planned route for the apparatus to the network function with the Network Assistance session identifier; wherein sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the media stream player sends the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the media stream player with the Network Assistance session identifier.

According to some examples, the providing comprises sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route via an interface.

According to some examples, the providing comprises sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators to a media stream player that is configured to travel with the apparatus along the planned route According to some examples, the media stream player uses the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route as input for a Quality of Service media streaming algorithm.

According to a third example, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: receiving information about a planned route for the apparatus; sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to a network function; receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

According to some examples, the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: receiving, from the media stream player or any application on a UE, a trigger for Network Assistance from the network function; sending a request to create a Network Assistance session to the network function; receiving a Network Assistance session identifier from the network function; wherein the means for sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to the network function sends the information about the planned route for the apparatus to the network function with the Network Assistance session identifier; wherein sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the media stream player sends the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the media stream player with the Network Assistance session identifier.

According to a fourth example there is provided an apparatus comprising: circuitry for: receiving information about a planned route for the apparatus; sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to a network function; receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

According to a fifth example there is provided a computer program comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving information about a planned route for the apparatus; sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to a network function; receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

According to a sixth example there is provided a computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: receiving information about a planned route for an apparatus; sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to a network function; receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

According to a seventh example there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving information about a planned route for the apparatus; sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to a network function; receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

According to an eighth example there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: receiving information about a planned route for an apparatus; sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to a network function; receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

According to a ninth example there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; means for sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; means for receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; means for sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.

According to some examples, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving, from the user equipment, a request to create a Network Assistance session to the network function; means for creating a Network Assistance session having a Network Assistance session identifier; means for sending the Network Assistance session identifier to the user equipment; wherein the information about the planned route of the user equipment is received from the user equipment with the Network Assistance session identifier.

According to a tenth example there is provided a method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.

According to some examples, the method comprises: receiving, from the user equipment, a request to create a Network Assistance session to the network function; creating a Network Assistance session having a Network Assistance session identifier; sending the Network Assistance session identifier to the user equipment; wherein the information about the planned route of the user equipment is received from the user equipment with the Network Assistance session identifier.

According to an eleventh example there is provided an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.

According to some examples, the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform: receiving, from the user equipment, a request to create a Network Assistance session to the network function; creating a Network Assistance session having a Network Assistance session identifier; sending the Network Assistance session identifier to the user equipment; wherein the information about the planned route of the user equipment is received from the user equipment with the Network Assistance session identifier.

According to a twelfth example there is provided an apparatus comprising circuitry for: receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.

According to a thirteenth example there is provided a computer program comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.

According to a fourteenth example there is provided a computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.

According to a fifteenth example there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.

According to a sixteenth example there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.

According to an example, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method according to any of the preceding examples.

In the above, many different examples have been described. It should be appreciated that further examples may be provided by the combination of any two or more of the examples described above.

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Some examples will now be described, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying Figures in which: FIG. 1 shows an example system; FIG. 2 shows an example message flow; FIG. 3 shows an example message flow; FIG. 4 shows a method flow diagram according to some examples; FIG. 5 shows a method flow diagram according to some examples; FIG. 6 shows an example apparatus; FIG. 7 shows an example apparatus; and FIG. 8 shows a schematic representation of a non-volatile memory medium storing instructions which when executed by a processor allow a processor to perform one or more of the steps of the methods disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following certain examples are explained with reference to mobile communication devices configured to communicate via a wireless cellular system and mobile communication systems serving such mobile communication devices.

Some examples may relate to delivery of multimedia services/experiences. These may include streaming services (e.g., live or on-demand). The delivery can occur during mobility and transport scenarios.

Example use cases may include, but are not limited to: public transport, Automotive Navigation Systems (ANS), Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flights, and Unmanned Ground System (UGS) routes.

Public transport may include a range of options, including but not limited to: train, metro, bus, ship, and/or flight. These systems can be available to the general public, and therefore may be widely used. Public transport typically runs at scheduled times and operates on established routes. In some examples, public transport may be characterized by recurrent itineraries. Examples of media streaming services that may be used on public transport include, but are not limited to: social media feeds, video on demand, live events, and so forth.

ANS may be implemented within a range of options, including but not limited to: car, truck, camper, driverless taxi, and/or ambulance. ANS may be integrated into a device, or could be purchased as a portable unit or installed as an app. ANS typically relies on can utilize digital maps and allows users to add more or newer maps for better navigation. ANS uses established points of interest (e.g., waypoints). Examples of media streaming services that may be used with ANS include, but are not limited to: live TV, video-enabled remote operations, and so forth.

UAV flights may follow authorized flight plans. The path can be planned and set beforehand.

A UAV may be configured to fly through a plurality of waypoints. Examples of media streaming services that may be used with a UAV include surveillance, security, remote site management, remote measurement, search and rescue missions, and so forth.

UGS routes may follow designated ground-based routes. Like UAV flights plans, the routes can be planned and set beforehand. A UGS may be configured to traverse through a plurality of waypoints. Examples of media streaming service that may be used with a UGS include surveillance, security, remote site management, remote measurement, search and rescue missions, and so forth.

According to certain examples, one or more UE may be associated with each of the aforementioned use cases (e.g., public transport, ANS, UAV, UGS). For instance, the respective vehicle(s) may be equipped with (e.g., partially integrated, removably attached, fully integrated) one or more UE. Additionally or alternatively, a UE may follow the path of a passenger and/or or electronic accessory of such passenger riding the respective vehicle(s). Users on the same public transport can watch a similar (popular) live event such as a football game, olympic games, online (e.g. Netflix/Amazon) series and music concerts.

Each of the above use cases are characterized by: 1) known or predictable UE path and expected time of arrival/departure enabling a proactive behaviour of the network, and 2) high likelihood that multiple UEs consume the same service at the same time resulting in cost efficiency. As a result, users are expected to get improved Quality of Experience (QoE), whereas mobile network operators (MN0s), transportation operators and apps providers can also improve their business profitability. It is useful to expand existing data collection, reporting and analytics frameworks in mobile networks to include functionalities that exploit the available prior knowledge about the itinerary to support Quality of Service (QoS) prediction. Such services include both entertainment-related (e.g., live TV, video on demand) as well as safety-related applications (e.g., medical care, video surveillance).

Within media streaming architecture (e.g., 5G media streaming (5GMS) architecture) the network assistance framework is currently specified in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) TS 26.501 to enable a UE that is configured to receive an uplink or downlink media stream to improve the QoS of the media streaming session. The network provides assisting functions to the 5GMS Client and Media Player in the form of two distinct facilities: bit rate recommendation (e.g., throughput estimation) and delivery boost. Throughput estimation enables the UE to start an uplink or a downlink streaming session at the most appropriate bit rate for the network conditions at hand, or to obtain a recommendation from the network for an upcoming nominal time period during a media streaming session. The 5GMS Client may be configured to use the delivery boost function to indicate to the network that a temporary boost, e.g., a temporary increase of network throughput for this client, would be needed in order to avoid the risk of media playback stalling due to buffer under-run, or to shorten the time to start media playback, giving a better experience for the user. The 5GMS Application Function (AF) may be configured to convert the Network Assistance API calls and responses carried in interface M5 into API calls to the Session Management Policy Control Service, as specified in 3GPP TS 29.514.

However, throughput estimation and delivery boost do not support QoS prediction for a future time or location. Thus, the predictive and proactive nature of some kind of popular use cases, such as mobility and transport scenarios, cannot be exploited to sustain, for example, a constant QoS metric throughout the whole trip.

Various examples described herein provide network assistance to QoS prediction. Some examples increase QoS of the UE by ensuring that the appropriate network resources will be deployed in a proactive and predictive manner to serve the future streaming session needs and decrease the starvation probability.

Certain examples provide a Network Assistance framework for media streaming architecture (e.g., for 5GMS), which provides QoS prediction for a forthcoming time or geographical location (e.g., for QoS improvement in mobility scenarios).

FIG. 1 shows a general example of 5GMS architecture. Some examples may be applicable for 5G (NR) technologies, as well as other technologies (e.g., 6G, etc.). A UE 100 comprises a 5GMS Client comprising a Media Stream Handler (e.g., a Media Player) 101 and a Media Session Handler 103. Both of these entities may be configured to communicate with a 5GMS Aware application 107. 5GMS Aware application 107 may be considered to comprise an application in UE 100, provided by the 5GMS Application Provider 109, that includes service logic of the 5GMS application service, and interacts with other 5GMS Client and Network functions via the interfaces and APIs defined in the 5GMS architecture.

5GMS Application Provider 109 may communicate with 5GMS AF 105 and 5GMS AS 111. 5GMS AF 105 may communicate with Policy Control Function (PCF) 117 and Network Exposure Function (NEF) 115. NEF 115 is used as an entry point for other network functions.

5GMS Application Provider 109, 5GMS AF 105 and 5GMS AS 111 may each be part of a Data Network 103. 5GMS AF 105 may communicate with Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) 119.

Some examples enable prediction capabilities in media streaming services. The Network Assistance API in TS 26.512 specify six operations: 1) create a Network Assistance Session resource, 2) fetch a Network Assistance Session resource, 3) update a Network Assistance Session resource, 4) request a bit rate recommendation, 5) request a delivery boost, and 6) terminate Network Assistance Session. The Network Assistance API can include an operation that requests QoS prediction for a given network assistance session. The operation may, in some examples, be called {naSessionId}/qos-prediction for a given network assistance session having a unique identifier nasessionld and established between a 5GMS client (e.g., 5GMS client 113) and a 5GMS AF (e.g., 5GMS 105) -see Table 1.

The Network Assistance Session resource NetworkAssistanceSession is specified in TS 26.512 may be implemented to include six properties: 1) nasessionld (e.g. unique identifier for the ongoing Network Assistance Session), 2) serviceDataFlowInformation (e.g. the application flows for the ongoing media streaming session), 3) polio yTemplateId (e.g. the policy in force for the ongoing media streaming session), 4) requestedQoS (e.g. the requested QoS parameters), re commendedQoS (e.g. the QoS parameters recommended by the 5GMS AF), and 6) notificationURL (e.g. the URL to the MQTT channel used to send notifications for the ongoing session). Some examples described herein upgrade Network Assistance Session resources to include an added parameter and an updated definition of an existing parameter to support QoS prediction. The added parameter identifies a planned route as a series of waypoints and the corresponding travel times, and the updated parameter embraces additional properties to reflect the QoS parameters predicted by the NWDAF and transmitted by the 5GMS AF to the Media Session Handler. The first added parameter may, in some examples, be called requiredQoSInformation and the second updated parameter may reuse the existing parameter called recommendedQoS (see Table 2). The requiredQoSInformation parameter is of type an Array of M5ReqQoSInformation, the latter is a type that has been introduced to describe the planned route and it can evolve to include any other information requested by the network to enable QoS prediction in different usecases (see Table 3). An example of attributes that the new M5ReqQoSInformation type may embrace is: 1) waypoint (e.g. an identifier of the location area to which the prediction will be applied), 2) arriveBy (e.g. the expected arrival time to the location area to which the prediction will be applied), and 3) departAt (e.g. the expected departure time from the location area to which the prediction will be applied). The requiredQoSInformation parameter may be updated in each waypoint. The idea is that in each waypoint (e.g. a transport stop), the UE can upload the most up-to-date route plan (e.g. from the transport provider) that will take into account any updates or changes to the route schedule (e.g. expected delays). Accordingly, when the UE reaches a given waypoint, the schedule of the rest of the route plan (e.g. the time periods corresponding to the remaining waypoints) will be updated in requiredQoSInformationand thus the media player or any application on a UE would trigger a new QoS-prediction Network Assistance request using the updated route plan in requiredQoSInformation as input to get an updated QoS prediction. The recommendedQoS parameter, as specified in TS 26.512, is of type M5QoSSpecification, the latter is a predefined type (in the same TS) used to describe the following properties: 1) marBwD1BitRate (e.g. maximum requested bit rate for the Downlink), 2) marBwUlBitRate (e.g. maximum requested bit rate for the Uplink), 3) rainDesBwD1BitRate (e.g. minimum desired bit rate for the Downlink), 4) minDesRwUlBitRate (e.g. minimum desired bit rate for the Uplink), 5) mirBwD1BitRate (e.g. minimum requested bit rate for the Downlink), 6) mirBwUlBitRate (e.g. minimum requested bandwidth for the Uplink), 7) desLatency (e.g. desired latency), and 8) desLcss (e.g. desired loss rate). An example of the subject disclosure first, updates and generalizes the existing recommendedQoS parameter to be an Array of M5QoSSpecification to be able to support a route plan; and second, enhances the M5QoSSpecification type to be able to describe the predicted QoS (by the network) at a given waypo int of the route plan (see Table 6). An example of properties that can be added to preNumAhReD1Q0SFlows (e.g. predicted number of abnormally released QoS flows for the Downlink), 4) preNumAbReUlQoSFlows (e.g. predicted number of abnormally released QoS flows for the Uplink), 5) conDiPredict (e.g. confidence of the predicted QoS KR for the Downlink), and 6) conUlPredict (e.g. confidence of the predicted QoS KR for the Uplink).

One or more examples add a facility to Network Assistance framework of 5GMS to predict QoS for a forthcoming time or geographical location. This prediction can be used for QoS improvement in mobility scenarios. Some examples utilize an NWDAF (e.g., NWDAF 119) configured to provide on demand analytics to consumers (e.g., the 5GMS AF 105). The 5G system (5GS) architecture allows any 5G Core (5GC) Network Function (NF) to request network analytics information from NWDAF). The NWDAF can, in some examples, belong to the same Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) as the 5GC NF that consumes the analytics information. As specified in TS 23.288, the Nnwdaf interface is defined for 5GC NFs, and can be used to request subscription to network analytics delivery for a particular context, to cancel subscription to network analytics delivery and to request a specific report of network analytics for a particular context. A request to subscribe to analytics from the NWDAF can be implemented as Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSubscription_Subscribe or Nnwdaf Analyticslnfo Request. The type of analytics used from the NWDAF may be implemented as QoS Sustainability analytics, where the consumer of QoS Sustainability analytics may request the NWDAF analytics information regarding the QoS change statistics the M5QoSSpecification type to describe the QoS predicted by the network is: 1) preAveRwD1BitRate (e.g. predicted average bit rate for the Downlink), 2) preAveBwUlBitRate (e.g. predicted average bit rate for the Uplink), 3) for an Analytics target period (e.g., in the past of a certain area) or the likelihood of a QoS change for an Analytics target period (e.g., in the future of a certain area). The NWDAF outputs the QoS Sustainability analytics towards the 5GMS AF 105, the latter reverts back to the Media Session Handler 103 with the output as follows: the list of the waypoints (e.g. Cell IDs) with the corresponding time periods, the corresponding QoS sustainability analytics as well as the confidence interval for each analytic.

With respect to the detailed operations of the 5GS Network Assistance described in clause 11.6 of 3GPP TS 26.512, the following is introduced in some of the examples described herein: * a QoS prediction facility within the Network Assistance framework of the 5GMS architecture.

* information about the planned route of the UE to be added to the NetworkAssistanceSession resource. This information includes a list of network area identifiers or waypoints, and some time-related information such as expected arrival/departure times. Such information is provided by the 5GMS AF as request parameters to the NWDAF.

* information related to the predicted QoS along the planned route defined above, to be added to the NetworkAssistanceSession resource and provided by the NWDAF in response to the 5GMS AF. This information can include a plurality of predicted QoS KPIs (e.g., QoS flow Retainability, RAN UE Throughput) along the planned route.

* a method for the 5GMS AF to interact with the NWDAF to request QoS-related analytics along the provided planned route.

* updated behaviour of the 5GMS Client and the 5GMS AF accordingly to support the newly defined QoS prediction.

An example of operations that can be supported by the Network Assistance API is shown in Table 1. Table 1 below specifies the operations and the corresponding HTTP methods that are supported by this API. In each case, the sub-resource path specified in the second column of the table can be appended to the URL base path.

According to some examples, media adaptation may comprise taking into account the transmission, reception, and processing of the media streams according to the planned route and QoS predicted by the AF (e.g., SUMS). From the perspective of the UE, this may include at least one of: * Fully loading a UE buffer or cache before a location on the planned route where the predicted QoS is below a threshold; * Adjusting the media encoding rate at a location on the route according to the expected QoS for a location on the route; * Applying an adaptive QoS adaptive algorithm depending on the predicted QoS for each location on the route.

(NOTE: Network Assistance API is accessible via the following URL base path: rapiRootk3gpp-m5/{apiVersion}/network-assistance/).

Throughout the following tables, it is considered that the features shown in bold could be added to technical standards (e.g., 3GPP TSs).

Operation Subresource path Allowed Description

HTTP

method(s) Create Network Assistance Session resource POST Provision a new Network Assistance Session.

If the operation succeeds, the URL of the created Network Assistance Session resource shall be returned in the Location header of the response.

Fetch a Network Assistance Session resource MaSession101 GET Fetch the properties of an existing Network Assistance Session.

Update a Network Assistance Session resource {naSessionld} PUT, PATCH Update the properties of an existing Network Assistance Session.

Request a bit rate recommendation {naSession/Crecommendation GET Obtain a bit rate recommendation for the next recommendation window.

Request a delivery boost {naSessionld}/boost-request POST Request a delivery boost for the next recommendation window.

Request a QoS prediction inaSessionldThos-prediction GET Request a QoS prediction for the planned route.

Terminate Network Assistance Session MaSession101 DELETE Terminate a Network Assistance session.

Table 1: Operations supported by the Network Assistance API An example of a NetworkAssistanceSession resource is given in Table 2 below.

Property name Type Card Usage Description

inalit y naSessionld Resourceld 1..1 C: RO Unique identifier for this Network Assistance Session. R: RO U: RO

seryiceDataFlowInfo rmation Array(ServiceDataF lownescription) 0..1 C: RW Identification of the application flows for the media streaming session for which Network Assistance is to be used, e.g. 2-tuple (IP addresses) or 5-tuple (IP Addresses, protocol and ports). R: RO U: RW

policyTemplateld ResourceId 0..1 C: RW Identification of the policy that is in force for the media streaming session. R: RO U: RW

requested0oS M5QoSSpecif icat ion 0..1 C: RW The requested QoS parameters. R: RO U: RW

recommendedOoS Array(M5QoSSpecific ation) 0..1 C: RO The QoS parameters currently recommended by the 5GMS AF. In case of a QoS prediction request, this may reflect the QoS parameters currently predicted by the NWDAF and transmitted by the 5GMS AF to the Media Session Handler. R: RO U: RO

notificationURL Url 0..1 C: RO A URL to the MQTT channel over which notifications are to be sent by the 5GMS AF for this session. When set, the Media Session Handler shall subscribe to this channel. The notification messages shall be in the form of the M5QoSSpecification data type. R: RO U: RO

requiredQoSlnform Array (M5ReqQoSInf o 0..1 Identification of the ation nation) transport trip defined as a series of waypoints and the corresponding travel times.

Table 2: NetworkAssistanceSession resource As shown above, a NetworkAssistanceSession resource may comprise an information element (e.g., "requiredQoSlnformation') identifying a transport trip defined as a series of waypoints and corresponding travel times. The NetworkAssistanceSession resource may also comprise an information element (e.g., "recommendedQog) that includes QoS parameters currently predicted by an NWDAF at one or more points along the transport trip.

The requiredQoSlnformation information element is an array of information used to describe the planned route. This information may comprise a novel M5ReqQoSInformation information type, which is shown in Table 3 below. M = mandatory, C = conditional and 0 = optional.

Attribute name Data type P Cardinality Description Applicability waypoint LocationArea5 G M 1 Identification(s) of location area to which the prediction will be applied.

arriveBy DateTime 0 0..1 Represents the start time of the observation period corresponding to the location area to which the prediction will be applied (e.g., the expected arrival time to the location area).

departAt DateTime 0 0..1 Represents the end time of the observation period corresponding to the location area to which the prediction will be applied (e.g., the expected departure time from the location area).

Table 3: Novel M5Req0oSIn formation information type In some other example, the information representing the start and end time of the observation period may be provided as two TimeWindow attributes, e.g., to reflect a tolerance with respect to the exact start and/or end time. In another example, the information representing the start and end time of the observation period may be provided as a single attribute (e.g., stayDuring) as TimeWindow data type including both exact start and end times.

The recommendedQoS information element is an array of information used to describe the recommended and/or predicted QoS. This information may comprise an updated M50oSSpecification information type, which is shown in Table 6.

FIG. 2 shows an example method flow for a Network Assistance session using the predicted QoS information.

A 5GMS client comprises media stream player 201 and media session handler 203. At 202, Network Assistance is triggered by media stream player 201, which sends an indication of the trigger to media session handler 203. Although Figure 2 shows the trigger for Network Assistance from media stream player 201, any application of a UE could trigger the Network Assistance.

At 204, media session handler 203 is configured to create a Network Assistance session with 5GMS AF 205. In some examples, this can performed using a POST method. 3GPP 26.512 section 11.6.4 describes the POST method is described. It shows that 5GS Client creates a session with 5GS AF using the POST methods.

At 206, 5GMS AF 205 is configured to create and populate a resource for the Network Assistance session. In some examples, 5GMS AF 205 populates the Network Assistance session resource with the service data flow information and optionally the policy template identifier that are valid for the media streaming session for which Network Assistance operations are to be performed. It should be noted that populated parameters in FIG. 2 are indicated in bold type. AF 205 may be configured to use this information to execute Network Assistance operations in the 5GC.

At 208, if session setup was successful, AF 205 returns a Network Assistance session identifier. Otherwise, an error code is utilized without a Network Assistance session identifier. The 5GMS Client uses a Network Assistance session resource identifier (e.g., naSessionld) provided by AF 205 to refer all subsequent API calls to the AF 205 applicable to that Network Assistance session.

The 5GMS Client is further configured to use the GET method with the Network Assistance Session resource identifier to retrieve a Network Assistance Session resource from 5GMS AF 205 at 210. At 212, AF 205 is configured to return the Network Assistance Session resource based on a successful retrieval, otherwise an appropriate error code is returned without the session resource in case of failure.

At 210, the 5GMS Client may further be configured to use the GET method with the sub-resource path specified in Table 1 to request a bit rate recommendation from 5GMS AF 205. The SGMSd AF can be configured to return the recommended bit rate in an HTTP response body of type M5QoSSpecification based on an obtained bit rate recommendation, otherwise an appropriate HTTP error code can then be returned with no response body.

* For a downlink media streaming session, the recommended minimum and maximum downlink bit rates can be indicated in the properties mirBwDIBitRate and marBwDIBitRate respectively. The SGMSd Client can be configured to ignore the mandatory properties related to uplink streaming (e.g., mirBwUlBitRate and marBwUlBitRate).

* For an uplink media streaming session, the recommended minimum and maximum uplink bit rates can be indicated in the properties mirBwUlBitRate and marBwUlBitRate, respectively. The 5GMSu Client can further be conFIG. to ignore the mandatory properties related to downlink streaming (e.g., mirBwDIBitRate and marBwDIBitRate).

If a unique recommendation is provided by the 5GMS AF 205, then this recommended bit rate can be set in both of these properties. The optional properties minDesBwDIBitRate, minDesBwUlBitRate, desLatency and desLoss can, in some examples, not be included (e.g., omitted) in the response.

At 214a, media session handler 203 interacts with 5GMS-Aware application 207 to request a planned route for the 5GMS client. The planned route may be for a UE hosting the 5GMS client. The planned route may comprise a list of waypoints. The way points may comprise location identifiers and/or coordinates. In some examples, the planned route may comprise a list of Tracking Areas (TAs) or Cell IDs. The 5GMS Client can be configured to interact with the 5GMS-Aware Application 207 based on (e.g., using) the service data flow information to retrieve the planned route (214a and 214b in FIG. 2). The latter information can be leveraged by Media Session Handler 203 to populate the Network Assistance session resource with the planned route information (e.g., requiredQoSlnformation parameter in Table 2) described as a mapping between a list of waypoints (e.g., TAs or Cell IDs) that identify the planned route and the corresponding time periods expected to be spent by the transport within these waypoints (e.g., TAs or Cells) respectively, considering any expected transport delay (214c in FIG. 2).

At 216, media session handler 203 may be configured to send an update of the Network Assistance Session resource to 5GMS AF 205, to update requiredOoSInformation in the NetworkAssistanceSession information with the planned route. When this is successfully performed, AF 205 is configured to send an indication of the successful update to media session handler 203 at 218.

At 220, media session handler 203 is configured to send, to 5GMS AF 205, a request for a QoS prediction for a given planned route. This may be performed using a GET method with the sub-resource path specified in Table 1.

At 222, 5GMS AF 205 is configured to request NWDAF analytics information regarding likelihood of a QoS change for an Analytics target period (e.g., in the future of a certain area). This can be performed using the reguiredOoSInformation resource. An example method performed at 222 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 3 in 222a to 222d.

At 222a, 5GMS AF 205 is configured to convert the Network Assistance QoE Prediction API call into API calls to the Nnwdaf AnalyticsSubscription service or the Nnwdaf Analyticslnfo service. 5GMS AF 205 can then request either to subscribe to notifications (e.g., a Subscribe-Notify model Nnwdaf AnalyticsSubscription Subscribe) or to a single notification (e.g., a Request-Response model Nnwdaf_Analyticslnfo_Request) and the request can include a number of parameters, for example: Analytics ID = "QoS Sustainability", 5G QoS Identifier (501) that can be inferred from the service data flow information, Location information in the area of interest format (e.g., TAIs or Cell IDs or geographical area) which represents the user itinerary (e.g., the list of waypoints provided in requiredQoSlnformation), and Analytics target period that indicates the time period for which the QoS Sustainability analytics is requested (e.g., the time periods corresponding to the list of waypoints provided in reguiredQoSInformation).

At 222b, NWDAF 219 is configured to collect the corresponding statistics information about the QoS KPI for the relevant 5Q1 of interest from Operations, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) 250. This statistics information may comprise, for example, the QoS flow Retainability (in case of a 5Q1 of GBR resource type) or the RAN UE Throughput (in case of a 5Q1 of nonGBR resource type) as illustrated in Table 4.

Information Source Description

RAN UE Throughput OAM Average UE bitrate in the cell TS 28.554 (Payload data volume on RLC level per elapsed time unit on the air interface, for transfers restricted by the air interface), per timeslot, per cell, per 5QI and per S-NSSAI.

QoS flow Retainability OAM Number of abnormally TS 28.554 released QoS flows during the time the QoS Flows were used per timeslot, per cell, per 501 and per S-NSSAI.

Table 4: Data collection for "QoS sustainability" ana ytics (3GPP TS 23.288) NWDAF 219 is configured to derive QoS Sustainability analytics for the planned route of interest at 222c and communicate this information to 5GMS AF 205 at 222d. In some examples, the "QoS Sustainability" predictions described in Table 5, reflect the expected QoS per each waypoint during the corresponding time period with a confidence interval for each analytic, can be of particular interest.

Information Description

List of QoS sustainability Analytics (1..max) >Applicable Area A list of TAIs or Cell IDs within the Location information that the analytics applies to.

>Applicable Time Period The time period within the Analytics target period that the analytics applies to.

>Crossed Reporting Threshold(s) The Reporting Threshold(s) that are met or exceeded or crossed by the statistics value or the expected value of the QoS KPI.

>Confidence Confidence of the prediction.

Table 5: "QoS Sustanability" predictions (TS 23.288) The 5GMSd AF may be configured to return the predicted QoS to the Media Session Handler 203 at 224. In some examples, this is returned in an HTTP response body of type an Array of M5QoSSpecification (see Table 6) if the QoS Sustainability analytics could be obtained from NWDAF 219, otherwise an appropriate HTTP error code can then be returned with no response body.

* For a downlink media streaming session, the predicted average downlink bit rate can be indicated in the property preAveBwDIBitRate in the case of a 5QI of non-GBR resource type. The predicted number of abnormally released downlink QoS flows can then be indicated in the property preNumAbReDIQoSFlows in the case of a 5QI of GBR resource type. The confidence of the prediction can be indicated in the property conD/Predict. The optional properties are not be included (e.g., omitted) in the response and the 5GMSd Client can then be configured to ignore the mandatory properties.

* For an uplink media streaming session, the predicted average uplink bit rate can be indicated in the property preAveBwUlBitRate in the case of a 5QI of non-GBR resource type. The predicted number of abnormally released downlink QoS flows can thus be indicated in the property preNumAbReUlOoSFlows in the case of a 5QI of GBR resource type. The confidence of the prediction can be indicated in the property conU/Predict. The optional properties are not be included (e.g., omitted) in the response and the 5GMSu Client can then be configured to ignore the mandatory properties.

Property name Data type Cardinality Usage Description marBwDIBitRate BitRate 1..1 Maximum requested bit rate for the Downlink.

marBwUlBitRate BitRate 1..1 Maximum requested bit rate for the Uplink.

minDesBwD/BitRate BitRate 0..1 Minimum desired bit rate for the Downlink.

minDesBwUlBitRate BitRate 0..1 Minimum desired bit rate for the Uplink.

mirBwD1BitRate BitRate 1..1 Minimum requested bit rate for the Downlink.

mirBwUlBitRate BitRate 1..1 Minimum requested bandwidth for the Uplink.

desLatency Integer 0..1 Desire Latency.

desLoss Integer 0..1 Desired Loss Rate.

preAveBwDlBitRate BitRate 0..1 Predicted average bit rate for the Downlink preAveBwUlBitRate BitRate 0..1 Predicted average bit rate for the Uplink preNumAbReDIQoSFIo ws RetainabilityThresh old 0..1 Predicted number of abnormally released QoS flows for the Downlink preNumAbReUIQoSFIo RetainabilityThresh 0..1 Predicted ws old number of abnormally released QoS flows for the Uplink conD/Predict Uinteger 0..1 Confidence of the predicted QoS KPI for the Downlink conUIPredict Uinteger 0..1 Confidence of the predicted QoS KPI for the Uplink

Table 6: Definition of type M5QoSSpecification

Media Session Handler 203 is configured to communicate the received predictions to Media Player 201 at 226. At 228, Media player 201 can use the received inputs to trigger appropriate QoS/QoE-adaptive media streaming algorithms (e.g., step 228 in FIG. 1). For example, QoS can be used to fully fill in the UE buffer or Cache before a location where the predicted QoS is bad, or for example adjust (e.g., increase or decrease) the media encoding rate according to the expected QoS KR.

In some examples, the UE may be configured to request a better QoS for certain points in the planned route for better service. The 5GMS Client may, for instance, be configured to utilize the POST method with the sub-resource path specified in Table 1 to request a delivery boost from 5GMS AF 205, for certain use cases. This can result in an improvement to the received data quality (e.g.,video quality) in situations where short-term predicted QoS KPIs associated with a particular time and location of the planned route, such as a forthcoming waypoint of the planned route at future time T1, satisfy a given criteria. In certain examples, the Media Session Handler 203 or any application on a UE may be configured to trigger the delivery boost facility to request the network to deploy additional resources (e.g., a PDU session modification) to request an improved QoS (e.g., an enhanced capacity, throughput, etc.) for a forthcoming time and location of the planned route.

According to at least one example, the predicted QoS at a forthcoming time and location (e.g., T1, L1) of the planned route may be compared to an experienced QoS at a given time and location (e.g., at TO, LO) by the UE. In one example, the given criteria may be satisfied when the predicted QoS at the forthcoming time and location of the planned route exceeds the experienced QoS at the given time and location. Additionally or alternatively, the given criteria may be satisfied when the predicted QoS at the forthcoming time and location of the planned route exceeds the experienced QoS at the given time and location by a delta (e.g., predefined threshold, dynamic threshold based on network conditions, etc.) 5GMS AF 205 can then respond with the OperationSuccessResponse data type indicating whether or not the delivery boost will be attempted by the network within an upcoming nominal time period.

The 5GMS Client may be configured to use PUT or PATCH methods to replace the existing streaming session parameters with new settings. The 5GMS AF is configured to return the NetworkAssistanceSession resource with settings resulting from the PUT or PATCH update operation.

At 230, the 5GMS Client may be configured to use the DELETE method to terminate the indicated Network Assistance session. 5GMS AF 205 is configured to return an appropriate response code at 232 based on a successful termination, then any subsequent calls referring to the terminated session will result in the error 404 (Not Found). At 234, the Network Assistance ends.

In other examples, Observed Service Experience related network data analytics (e.g., defined in clause 6.4 of TS 23.288) and UE related analytics (e.g., defined clause 6.7 of TS 23.288) can also be provided by NWDAF 215 to the 5GMS AF 205 and can be used (e.g., instead of QoS Sustainability analytics) to provide QoS prediction to the final 5GMS users.

In an example, the 5G RTC technology can use the new QoS prediction facility to enhance its Network Assistance framework. Since the 5G RTC architecture is based on the 5GMS one, the operations and procedures previously defined for 5GMS may, for instance, remain the same for 5G RTC.

Table 7 shows a definition of type RetainabilityThreshold.

Attribute name Data type P Cardinality Description Applicability relFlowNum Uinteger C 0..1 Represents the number of abnormally released QoS flows. (NOTE) relTimeUnit TimeUnit C 0..1 Represents the unit for the session active time, are to be present if relFlowNum is present. (NOTE) relFlowRatio Sampling Ratio C 0..1 Represents the ratio of abnormally released QoS flows to the total released QoS flows, expressed in percentage. (NOTE) NOTE: Either "relFlowNum" and its associated "relTimeUnit" attributes or "relFlowRatio" attributes are to be provided. The "relFlowNum" and "relTimeUnit" attributes together represents the number of abnormally released QoS flows (e.g. relFlowNum) within the time unit (e.g. relTimeUnit).

Table 7: Definition of type RetainabilityThreshold (TS 29.520) Figure 4 shows an example method flow. The method may be performed, for example, by a UE as described herein. In some examples the method may be performed by a 5GMS client as described herein. In some examples, the method may be performed as a media session handler as described herein.

At 400, the method comprises receiving information about a planned route. According to some examples, the information may be received from a 5GMS aware application as described herein. At 402, the method comprises sending the information about the planned route to a network function.

At 404, the method comprises receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

At 406, the method comprises providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

Figure 5 shows an example method flow. The method may be performed, for example, by an AF as described herein. In some examples the method may be performed by a 5GMS AF as described herein.

At 500, the method comprises receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment.

At 502, the method comprises sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function.

At 504, the method comprises receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.

At 506, the method comprise sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a control apparatus 660 for controlling a network. The control apparatus may comprise at least one random access memory (RAM) 611a, at least on read only memory (ROM) 611b, at least one processor 612, 613 and an input/output interface 614. The at least one processor 612, 613 may be coupled to the RAM 611a and the ROM 611b.

The at least one processor 612, 613 may be configured to execute an appropriate software code 615. The software code 615 may, for example, allow the at least one processor 612, 613 to perform one or more steps of any method flow described herein. The software code 615 may be stored in the ROM 611 b. The control apparatus 600 may be interconnected with another control apparatus 600 controlling another function of the RAN or the core network.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a terminal 700, such as a UE. The terminal 700 may be provided by any device capable of sending and receiving radio signals. In some examples, the terminal may comprise a user equipment, a mobile station (MS) or mobile device, such as a mobile phone or what is known as a 'smart phone', a computer provided with a wireless interface card or other wireless interface facility (e.g., USB dongle), a personal data assistant (PDA) or a tablet provided with wireless communication capabilities, a machine-type communications (MTC) device, an Internet of things (loT) type communication device or any combinations of these or the like. The terminal 700 may provide, for example, communication of data for carrying communications. The communications may be one or more of voice, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia, data, machine data and so on.

The terminal 700 may be configured to receive signals over an air or radio interface 707 via appropriate apparatus for receiving and may transmit signals via appropriate apparatus for transmitting radio signals. In FIG. 7, transceiver apparatus is designated schematically by block 706. The transceiver apparatus 706 may be provided, for example, by means of a radio part and associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement may be arranged internally or externally to the mobile device.

The terminal 700 may be provided with at least one processor 701, at least one memory ROM 702a, at least one RAM 702b and other possible components 703 and 704 for use in software and hardware aided execution of tasks it is designed to perform, including control of access to and communications with access systems and other communication devices. The at least one processor 701 is coupled to the RAM 702b and the ROM 702a. The at least one processor 701 may be configured to execute an appropriate software code 708. The software code 708 may for example allow to perform one or more of steps of any method flow described herein.

The software code 708 may be stored in the ROM 702a.

The processor, storage and other relevant control apparatus can be provided on an appropriate circuit board and/or in chipsets. This example is denoted by reference 702. The device may optionally have a user interface, such as key pad 705, touch sensitive screen or pad, combinations thereof or the like. Optionally, one or more of a display, a speaker and a microphone may be provided depending on the type of the device.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic representation of non-volatile memory media 800a (e.g. computer disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD)) and 800b (e.g. universal serial bus (USB) memory stick) storing instructions and/or parameters 802 which when executed by a processor allow the processor to perform one or more of the steps of any method flow described herein.

It should be understood that the apparatuses may comprise or be coupled to other units or modules etc., such as radio parts or radio heads, used in or for transmission and/or reception.

Although the apparatuses have been described, in some examples as one entity, different modules and memory may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

It is noted that whilst some examples have been described in relation to 5G networks, similar techniques and/or mechanisms can be applied in relation to other networks and communication systems (e.g., 6G and beyond). Therefore, although certain examples were described above, by way of illustration with reference to certain example architectures for wireless networks, technologies and standards, other examples may be applied to any other suitable forms of communication systems than those illustrated and described herein.

It is also noted herein that while the above details various examples, there are several variations and modifications which may be made to any of the aforementioned example solutions without departing from the scope of the examples described herein.

As used herein, "at least one of the following: <a list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of <a list of two or more elements>" and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by "and" or "or", mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

In general, the various examples may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuitry, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some examples detailed in the subject disclosure may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device, although the subject disclosure is not limited thereto. While various aspects of the subject disclosure may be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following examples: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as, implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry) and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuit(s) with software/firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

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

The various examples detailed in the subject disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of the mobile device, such as in the processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or program, also called program product, including software routines, applets and/or macros, may be stored in any apparatus-readable data storage medium and they comprise program instructions to perform particular tasks. A computer program product may comprise one or more computer-executable components which, when the program is run, are configured to carry out one or more steps of any method flow described herein. The one or more computer-executable components may be at least one software code or portions of it.

Further in this regard it should be noted that any blocks of the logic flow as in the Figures may represent program steps, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, blocks and functions. The software may be stored on such physical media as memory chips, or memory blocks implemented within the processor, magnetic media such as hard disk or floppy disks, and optical media such as DVD and the data variants thereof, CD. The physical media may be implemented as a non-transitory media.

The term "non-transitory," as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (e.g., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

The memory may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The data processors may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may comprise one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), FPGA, gate level circuits and processors based on multi core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples.

Examples of the subject disclosure may be practiced in various components, such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is by and large a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available for converting a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design ready to be etched and formed on a semiconductor substrate.

The scope of protection sought for the various examples described herein is set out by the independent claims. The examples, if any, described herein that do not fall under the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding various

facets of the subject disclosure.

The foregoing description has provided by way of non-limiting examples to provide a full and informative description the subject disclosure. However, various modifications and adaptations may become apparent to those skilled in the relevant arts in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the claims.

However, all such and similar modifications of the teachings of this disclosure will still fall within the scope of the examples described herein. Indeed, there is a further example comprising a combination of one or more examples with any of the other example shapreviously described herein.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving information about a planned route for the apparatus; means for sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to a network function; means for receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; means for providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information about the planned route comprises at least one of: a list of network area identifiers; a list of waypoints; a list of Tracking Area identifiers; or a list of cell identifiers.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the information about the planned route comprises at least one of: expected arrival times; or expected departure times.
4. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus comprises: means for receiving, from the media stream player or an application on a User Equipment, a trigger for Network Assistance from the network function; means for sending a request to create a Network Assistance session to the network function; means for receiving a Network Assistance session identifier from the network function; wherein the means for sending the information about the planned route for the apparatus to the network function sends the information about the planned route for the apparatus to the network function with the Network Assistance session identifier; wherein means for sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the media stream player sends the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the media stream player with the Network Assistance session identifier.
5. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the means for providing is configured to send the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route via an interface.
6. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the means for providing is configured to send the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators to a media stream player that is configured to travel with the apparatus along the planned route
7. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the media stream player uses the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route as input for a Quality of Service media streaming algorithm.
8. A method comprising: receiving information about a planned route; sending the information about the planned route to a network function; receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route.
9. A computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: receiving information about a planned route; sending the information about the planned route to a network function; receiving, from the network function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; providing, for media adaptation, the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to a media stream player that is configured to travel along the planned route.
10. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; means for sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; means for receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; means for sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.
11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the information about the planned route comprises at least one of: a list of network area identifiers; a list of waypoints; a list of Tracking Area identifiers; or a list of cell identifiers.
12. An apparatus according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the information about the planned route comprises at least one of: expected arrival times; or expected departure times.
13. An apparatus according to any of claims 10 to 12, wherein the apparatus comprises: means for receiving, from the user equipment, a request to create a Network Assistance session to the network function; means for creating a Network Assistance session having a Network Assistance session identifier; means for sending the Network Assistance session identifier to the user equipment; wherein the information about the planned route of the user equipment is received from the user equipment with the Network Assistance session identifier.
14. A method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.
15. A computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: receiving, from a user equipment, information about a planned route of the user equipment; sending the information about the planned route of the user equipment to a network data analytics function; receiving, from the network data analytics function, two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route; sending the information about the planned route and the two or more Quality of Service Indicators for the planned route to the user equipment.20 25 30