An access node of a radio access network (RAN) supports one or more network slices, each of the network slices providing a designated service within a public land mobile network (PLMN). The access node comprises processor circuitry and transmitter circuitry. The processor circuitry is configured to generate system information comprising a list of one or more PLMN identifiers and an association of each of the PLMN identifiers with corresponding network slice cell barring information. The network slice cell barring information comprises one or more network slice identifiers of network slices for which the cell is barred. The transmitter circuitry is configured to transmit the system information to a cell.

A wireless communication network serves a wireless User Equipment (UE) over a working network slice and a protect network slice. In the wireless communication network, the UE transfers UE capability data to a network control-plane that indicates the working network slice and the protect network slice. The network control-plane generates UE context for the working network slice and the protect network slice. The network control-plane signals the UE context to the UE and to a network user-plane. The UE and network user plane exchange user data over the working network slice based on the UE context. The UE determines when the performance of the working network slice triggers a slice switch based on the UE context. In response to the slice switch, the UE stops using the working network slice. The UE and network user-plane exchange user data over the protect network slice based on the UE context.

A card-transfer slice switching method, a device and a storage medium are disclosed. The card-transfer slice switching method may include: acquiring a card-transfer slice switching signal (S1000); obtaining a switchable slice according to the card-transfer slice switching signal, an application network usage status of a current card and a preset slice database, the slice database including matching information between the application network usage status and the switchable slice of a target card to be transferred to (S2000); and, performing card-transfer slice switching according to the switchable slice (S3000).

Embodiments of this application disclose a cell measurement method and a related apparatus. The method includes: A first access network device sends first measurement control information to a terminal device through a first serving cell. The first measurement control information indicates the terminal device to measure quality of a downlink reference signal of a virtual cell. A center frequency of a downlink reference signal of the first serving cell is the same as a center frequency of the downlink reference signal of the virtual cell, a frequency range of the virtual cell is included in a frequency range of a second serving cell, and the frequency range of the second serving cell overlaps with a frequency range of the first serving cell. The first access network device receives a first measurement report from the terminal device, where the first measurement report indicates the quality of the downlink reference signal of the virtual cell. The first access network device migrates the terminal device to a third serving cell when the quality of the downlink reference signal of the virtual cell is higher than quality of the downlink reference signal of the first serving cell. Near-far interference to the terminal device can be avoided by using the method.

A disclosure of the present specification provides a method for performing, by a first RAN node, communication related to a network slice. The method may comprise the steps of: receiving, from an AMF, a PDU session resource establishment request message including information regarding a second PDU session; on the basis of the first RAN node not supporting a second network slice, determining to move UE to a second RAN node that supports the second network slice; and on the basis of being determined to move the UE to the second node, transmitting a PDU session resource establishment response message to the AMF.

A method of optimizing traffic steering (TS) radio resource management (RRM) decisions for handover of individual user equipment (UE) in Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) includes: providing an O-RAN-compliant near real time RAN intelligent controller (near-RT RIC) configured to interact with O-RAN nodes; and utilizing an artificial intelligence (AO-based TS application xApp in the near-RT RIC to optimize TS handover control and maximize UE throughput utility. The TS xApp is configured utilizing a virtualized and simulated environment for O-RAN, which virtualized and simulated environment for O-RAN is provided by ns-O-RAN platform. The optimization problem to be solved is formulated as a Markov Decision Process (MDP), and a solution to the optimization problem is derived by using at least one reinforcement learning (RL) technique.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for transmitting RAN (Radio Access Network) slice-related information, and discloses a user equipment including: a transceiver configured to receive individual control information provided individually for each RAN slice from a network node, and to perform a random access procedure using resources individually configured for each RAN slice based on the individual control information; and a processor for controlling reception of the individual control information, and the random access procedure. Such a user equipment provides an effect of being able to separately transmit control information including, for example, system information for each slice for RAN slicing.

Provided is a communication system configuring a plurality of network slices, the communication system including a plurality of user apparatuses including first and second user apparatuses belonging to a same slice change group, and one or more core network nodes configured to control switching of a network slice to which the user apparatus belongs, the first user apparatus being configured to, in response to detection of a trigger to transition from a first network slice to a second network slice, transmit to the core network node a switching request message requesting switching to the second network slice, and transmit to the second user apparatus change information indicating that transition to the second network slice is to be performed.

The embodiments of the present application disclose a random access method, a terminal device, and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The random access method comprises: the terminal device performs random access based on required first network slice information.

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for preserving source host context when firewall policies are applied to traffic in an enterprise network fabric. A data packet to a destination host from a source host can be received at a first border node instance in an enterprise network fabric as part of network traffic. The data packet can include a context associated with the source host. Further, the data packet can be sent to a firewall of the enterprise network fabric and can be received at a second border node instance after the firewall applies a firewall policy to the data packet. The data packet can then be selectively encapsulated with the context associated with the source host at the second border node instance for applying one or more policies to control transmission of the network traffic through the enterprise network fabric.