Some embodiments provide a method of performing control plane operations in a radio access network (RAN). The method deploys several machines on a host computer. On each machine, the method deploys a control plane application to perform a control plane operation. The method also configures on each machine a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) SDK to serve as an interface between the control plane application on the same machine and a set of one or more elements of the RAN. In some embodiments, the RIC SDK on each machine includes a set of network connectivity processes that establish network connections to the set of RAN elements for the control plane application. These RIC SDK processes allow the control plane application on their machine to forego having the set of network connectivity processes. In some embodiments, the set of network connectivity processes of each RIC SDK of each machine establishes and maintains network connections between the machine and the set of RAN elements used by the control plane application of the machine, and handles data packet transport to and from the set of RAN elements for the control plane application.

Some embodiments provide a method for performing radio access network (RAN) functions in a cloud at a medium access control (MAC) scheduler application that executes on a machine deployed on a host computer in the cloud. The method receives data, via a RAN intelligent controller (RIC), from a first RAN component. The method uses the received data to generate a MAC scheduling output. The method provides the MAC scheduling output to a second RAN component via the RIC.

Some embodiments provide a method of performing control plane operations in a radio access network (RAN). The method deploys several machines on a host computer. On each machine, the method deploys a control plane application to perform a control plane operation. The method also configures on each machine a RAN intelligent controller (RIC) SDK to serve as an interface between the control plane application on the same machine and a set of one or more elements of the RAN. In some embodiments, the RIC SDK on each machine includes a set of network connectivity processes that establish network connections to the set of RAN elements for the control plane application. These RIC SDK processes allow the control plane application on their machine to forego having the set of network connectivity processes. In some embodiments, the set of network connectivity processes of each RIC SDK of each machine establishes and maintains network connections between the machine and the set of RAN elements used by the control plane application of the machine, and handles data packet transport to and from the set of RAN elements for the control plane application.

To provide a low latency near RT RIC, some embodiments separate the RIC's functions into several different components that operate on different machines (e.g., execute on VMs or Pods) operating on the same host computer or different host computers. Some embodiments also provide high speed interfaces between these machines. Some or all of these interfaces operate in non-blocking, lockless manner in order to ensure that critical near RT RIC operations (e.g., datapath processes) are not delayed due to multiple requests causing one or more components to stall. In addition, each of these RIC components also has an internal architecture that is designed to operate in a non-blocking manner so that no one process of a component can block the operation of another process of the component. All of these low latency features allow the near RT RIC to serve as a high speed IO between the E2 nodes and the xApps.

Disclosed in the present application is a network connection method, a terminal device, and a network device, the method comprising: when a request for tracking area updating from a terminal device to a network device fails, the terminal device sends a cell re-registration request message to the network device, said terminal device supporting a dual connection mode and establishing a connection with the network device by means of a first network, and said cell re-registration request message being used for the network device to learn the ability of the terminal device to connect to a second network; and the terminal device receives a network connection mode configured by the network device.

A communication technique for establishing communication among an access point, an electronic device, and a radio node in a cellular-telephone network is described. In this communication technique, the electronic device is pre-provisioned by the radio node with an identifier of the cellular-telephone network. Moreover, the access point may advertise support for one or more LWA protocols in beacons. In response to a query from the electronic device, the access point may provide identifiers of the one or more cellular-telephone networks supported by the access point. If one of these identifiers matches the identifier, the electronic device may associate with the access point. Then, the access point may receive LWA traffic from the radio node and may forward the LWA traffic to the electronic device.

Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed for steering the traffic of the multi-access data connection over a plurality of steering connections. One apparatus includes a includes a transceiver and a processor that sends a first message to establish a multi-access data connection over a first access network and a second access network, where the first message indicates that the apparatus supports a first type of steering functionality that creates a plurality of steering connections over each of access networks. The processor receives a second message including rules indicating how to route a first data packet across the first and second access networks and how to route the first data packet across a plurality of steering connections. The processor establishes a plurality of steering connections over each access network in response to the second message and applies the rules for steering traffic of the multi-access data connection.

Disclosed herein is a method for implementing conditional packet forwarding control rules, performed by User Plane Function (UPF). The method comprises: receiving, from a Control Plane Function (CPF) a packet forwarding control rule comprising one or more rule enforcement conditions; and applying the packet forwarding control rule according to the rule enforcement condition(s).

A data traffic control device for controlling different data traffic includes: a first access interface; a data memory; and at least one control unit. The at least one control unit is configured to: store, on the data memory, first data traffic in a first transmission queue, second data traffic in a second transmission queue and third data traffic in a third transmission queue, wherein different priorities are assigned to the first, second and third transmission queues; read out the first data traffic, the second data traffic and the third data traffic stored on the data memory according to the priorities assigned to the first, second and third transmission queues; and transmit, via the first access interface, the first data traffic, the second data traffic and the third data traffic in an order as read out.

A method for wireless communication network control includes (1) receiving, at an information technology (IT) device, a first steering policy from an application manager remote from the IT device, the first steering policy specifying a first allocation of data among a plurality of wireless communication links available to the IT device; and (2) sending uplink or downlink data from a first application client on the IT device to a mobility manager remote from the IT device over at least one of the plurality of wireless communication links available to the IT device, according to the first allocation of data.