Systems, methods, and computer program products for delaying a user equipment paging operation in a network based on propagation channel characteristics

Abstract

A method of operating a network node includes receiving a request to trigger a paging procedure based on receipt of downlink data in a core network from an application server (AS) and determining, responsive to receiving the request to trigger the paging procedure, whether to delay paging of a user equipment (UE) based on characteristics of a propagation channel for data communication associated with the UE.

1 . A method of operating a network node, comprising:
 receiving a request to trigger a paging procedure based on receipt of downlink data in a core network from an application server, AS; and   determining, responsive to receiving the request to trigger the paging procedure, whether to delay paging of a user equipment, UE, based on characteristics of a propagation channel for data communication associated with the UE.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the propagation channel comprises a radio wave propagation model. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the characteristics of the propagation channel are based on information comprising:
 measurements of sounding reference symbols, SRS, transmitted from the UE, a random access channel, RACH, report that comprises a number of preambles used during an RACH attempt;   a radio link failure, RLF, report that comprises radio link failure information or cellular handover information associated with the UE;   a measurement report, logMeasReport, that comprises power and quality measurements on a radio access network, RAN, node that currently serves the UE; or   a history report, mobilityHistoryReport, that comprises information on UE movement between recently visited RAN nodes.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the characteristics of the propagation channel are associated with the RAN node that currently serves the UE. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the characteristics of the propagation channel are associated with a RAN node that has previously served the UE. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein at least some of the data communication channel information is received from the UE. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the network node comprises a radio access network, RAN, node or a core network node. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the core network node comprises an access and mobility management function, AMF, node. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the network node comprises a radio access network, RAN, node and a core network node; and
 wherein determining whether to delay paging of the UE is performed in part by the RAN node and in part by the core network node.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 sending an instruction to a user plane function, UPF, node to discard the downlink data from the AS responsive to a determination to delay paging of the UE.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 sending a notification to the AS of a determination to delay paging of the UE.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the notification comprises a timer value specifying a delay for use by the AS before re-sending the downlink data to the network node. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the notification is a first notification, the method further comprising:
 sending a second notification to the AS requesting re-sending of the downlink data.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the downlink data is associated with a delay tolerant service, the UE is a cellular Internet of Things, CIoT, device, the AS is configured with an API network based delayed paging interface, or the downlink data exceeds a defined size threshold associated with an energy consumption quantity by the UE in performing a download of the downlink data. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 initiating a page of the UE responsive to a determination not to delay paging of the UE based on the characteristics of the propagation channel associated with the UE; and.   transmitting a paging message from a radio access network, RAN, node that serves the UE to the UE responsive to initiating the page of the UE.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the network node comprises the RAN node that serves the UE. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the UE is in an RRC_inactive state;
 wherein the network node comprises a radio access network, RAN, node;   the method further comprising:   receiving the downlink data from the AS directly from a user plane function, UPF, node at the RAN node; and   wherein determining whether to page the UE is performed by the RAN node.   
     
     
         18 . A method of operating a core network node, comprising:
 receiving a request to page a user equipment, UE, from a session management function, SMF node, the SMF node having received Downlink Data Notification from a user plane function, UPF, node or having data stored thereon that was received from a network exposure function, NEF node, for downloading to the UE; and   determining, responsive to receiving the request to page the UE, whether to delay paging of the UE based on characteristics of a propagation channel for data communication associated with the UE.   
     
     
         19 . The method, of  claim 18 , wherein the characteristics of the propagation channel are based on information comprising:
 measurements of sounding reference symbols, SRS, transmitted from the UE,   a random access channel, RACH, report that comprises a number of preambles used during an RACH attempt;   a radio link failure, RLF, report that comprises radio link failure information or cellular handover information associated with the UE;   a measurement report, logMeasReport, that comprises power and quality measurements on a radio access network, RAN, node that currently serves the UE; or   a history report, mobilityHistoryReport, that comprises information on UE movement between recently visited RAN nodes.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the core network node comprises an access and mobility management function, AMF, node. 
     
     
         21 - 28 . (canceled)