Dual-connectivity support for user equipment in a hybrid cell virtualized radio access network architecture

One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, comprising:

• obtaining, by a node of a mobile network via a first cell of a radio access network, a request for a user equipment to connect to the mobile network via a first radio frequency (RF) connection with the first cell, wherein the radio access network comprises a plurality of radio units in which each radio unit of the plurality of radio units provides a shared cell that is shared with at least one other radio unit of the plurality of radio units and each radio unit of the plurality of radio units provides a unique cell that is not shared with any other radio units of the plurality of radio units;
• determining, through authentication of the user equipment for connection to the mobile network, that the user equipment is allowed for dual-connectivity operation for RF connections involving the shared cell and at least one unique cell;
• and
• based on determining that the user equipment is allowed for dual-connectivity operation, providing a user equipment route selection policy (URSP) to the user equipment, wherein the URSP identifies, for each of a plurality of applications, one of a shared cell operating mode or a unique cell operating mode that the user equipment is to utilize for RF connections for each of the plurality of applications and identifies beam resource information indicating beam resources to be utilized for the shared cell operating mode or the unique cell operating mode, and the URSP is to enable the user equipment to establish a first session via the first RF connection utilizing the shared cell operating mode or the unique cell operating mode and a beam resource for operating a first application of the plurality of applications.

A system comprising:

• at least one memory element for storing data;
• and
• at least one processor for executing instructions associated with the data, wherein executing the instructions causes the system to perform operations, comprising:
• obtaining, by a node of a mobile network via a first cell of a radio access network, a request for a user equipment to connect to the mobile network via a first radio frequency (RF) connection with the first cell, wherein the radio access network comprises a plurality of radio units in which each radio unit of the plurality of radio units provides a shared cell that is shared with at least one other radio unit of the plurality of radio units and each radio unit of the plurality of radio units provides a unique cell that is not shared with any other radio units of the plurality of radio units;
• determining, through authentication of the user equipment for connection to the mobile network, that the user equipment is allowed for dual-connectivity operation for RF connections involving the shared cell and at least one unique cell;
• and
• based on determining that the user equipment is allowed for dual-connectivity operation, providing a user equipment route selection policy (URSP) to the user equipment, wherein the URSP identifies, for each of a plurality of applications, one of a shared cell operating mode or a unique cell operating mode that the user equipment is to utilize for RF connections for each of the plurality of applications and identifies beam resource information indicating beam resources to be utilized for the shared cell operating mode or the unique cell operating mode, and the URSP is to enable the user equipment to establish a first session via the first RF connection utilizing the shared cell operating mode or the unique cell operating mode and a beam resource for operating a first application of the plurality of applications.