RAN user-plane scheduling strategy steering

A Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP) of a radio access network (RAN) node operating in a communication network, the CU-CP communicatively coupled to a Distributed Unit (DU) and a Central Unit—User-Plane (CU-UP) of the RAN node, the CU-CP comprising:

• processing circuitry;
• and
• memory coupled to the processing circuitry and having instructions stored therein that are executable by the processing circuitry to cause the CU-CP to perform operations, the operations comprising:
• providing indication of one or more available UP paths to at least one network element, the at least one network element comprising one or more of:
• a user equipment (UE);
• the CU-UP of the RAN node;
• and/or the DU of the RAN node, and providing the indication of the one or more UP paths comprising providing a mapping of one or more data flows to one or more radio bearers;
• and
• providing indication of a scheduling strategy for data transmissions to the at least one network element.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP) of a radio access network (RAN) node operating in a communication network, whereby execution of the program code causes the CU-CP to perform operations, the CU-CP communicatively coupled to a Distributed Unit (DU) and a Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP) of the RAN node, the operations comprising:

• providing indication of one or more available UP paths to at least one network element, the at least one network element comprising one or more of:
• a user equipment, UE;
• the CU-UP of the RAN node;
• and/or the DU of the RAN node, and providing the indication of the one or more UP paths comprising providing a mapping of one or more data flows to one or more radio bearers;
• and
• providing indication of a scheduling strategy for data transmissions to the at least one network element.