US 11,910,258 B2 · Radio access network node, radio terminal, core network node, and method therefor

Abstract

In response to receiving from a source RAN node (2), on a direct interface (101), a message requesting a handover of a radio terminal (1) from a first network to a second network, a target RAN node (3) receives at least one of slice information and flow information from a core network (5), and controls communication of the radio terminal (1) based on at least one of the slice information and the flow information. The slice information relates to a network slice in the second network. The flow information relates to at least one session to be established in the second network, serving as a bearer-less network, in order to transfer at least one packet flow of the radio terminal (1). It is thus possible, for example, to provide an Inter-RAT handover procedure involving transfer of handover signaling messages on a direct inter-base-station interface.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A target radio access network (RAN) node, comprising:

at least one memory;
and
at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to:
receive a Handover Request message on a direct interface from a source RAN node, during a handover of a radio terminal from the source RAN node, which connects to a Fifth Generation Core (5G Core) network, to the target RAN node, which connects to the 5G Core network;
and
receive a Path Switch Request Acknowledge message including slice information and information related to a PDU session directly from a control plane node in the 5G core network, without involving the source RAN node, in a handover completion phase after receiving the Handover Request message and after the radio terminal connects to the target RAN node, wherein
the slice information includes information which identifies network slice, the network slice being a logical network, and
the information related to the PDU session includes identification information.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Radio access network node, radio terminal, core network node, and method therefor

Life of this patent

Radio access network node, radio terminal, core network node, and method therefor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16