US 12,477,316 B2
Network slice local switching at a distributed unit
Alessio Casati, West Molesey (GB)
Assigned to Nokia Technologies Oy, Espoo (FI)
Appl. No. 18/247,251
Filed by NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY, Espoo (FI)
PCT Filed Sep. 30, 2020, PCT No. PCT/FI2020/050644
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 29, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/069788, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 7, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0379687 A1, Nov. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. H04W 8/08 (2009.01); H04W 48/18 (2009.01); H04W 68/02 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 8/08 (2013.01) [H04W 48/18 (2013.01); H04W 68/02 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
receiving, from a distributed unit of a next generation node base station at a centralized unit control plane part of a next generation node base station, an indication that the distributed unit of the next generation node base station supports network slices providing local switching at the distributed unit of the next generation node base station;
indicating, from the centralized unit control plane part of the next generation node base station to an access and mobility management function (AMF), that the distributed unit of the next generation node base station supports network slices providing local switching at the distributed unit of the next generation node base station;
receiving, by the centralized unit control plane part of the next generation node base station, a user equipment context from the AMF, for a user equipment providing a request for local switching at the distributed unit of the next generation node base station, the request including an indication the user equipment is allowed to use at least one of the network slices providing local switching at the distributed unit of the next generation node base station;
configuring, by the centralized unit control plane part of the next generation node base station, for each of the network slices providing local switching at the distributed unit of the next generation node base station, at least one data transmission context at the distributed unit such that the user plane of the user equipment is terminated at the distributed unit of the next generation node base station and a protocol data unit session associated with the data transmission context becomes available to the user equipment for local switching at the distributed unit of the next generation node base station;
configuring, by the centralized unit control plane part of the next generation node base station, for each of the network slices providing local switching at the distributed unit of the next generation node base station at least one data transmission context at the user equipment such that the user equipment can use the protocol data unit session for local switching at the distributed unit of the next generation node base station; and
instantiating, by the centralized unit control plane part of the next generation node base station, termination points at the distributed unit of the next generation node base station for the user equipment when the user equipment becomes connected to the distributed unit of the next generation node base station.