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EP-4487596-B1 - NETWORK NODE AND METHODS FOR HANDLING X2-C CONNECTION SETUPS IN A MULTI OPERATOR RADIO ACCESS NETWORK SYSTEM

EP4487596B1EP 4487596 B1EP4487596 B1EP 4487596B1EP-4487596-B1

Inventors

  • MATEKOVIC, Domagoj
  • RAZOV, Mirjana
  • HEDÉN, Karin

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220301

Claims (10)

  1. A method performed by a first network node (111) for handling X2-C connection setups in a Multi Operator Radio Access Network, MORAN, system of a wireless communications network (100), which first network node (111) is operating in the MORAN system, wherein the MORAN system is represented by a MORAN on single baseband system, the method comprising: when receiving (401) an Automatic Neighbour Relation, ANR, initiated report, from a UE (120), which report comprises one or more identifiers identifying respective one or more neighbouring cells (116, 117) of a first cell (115) provided by the first network node (111), unlocking, or creating and unlocking (402) one or more network node termination point Manage Objects, MOs, based on the respective identifier out of the one or more identifiers, and based on the unlocked, or created and unlocked one or more network node termination point MOs, initiating (403) X2-C interface connection setups between the first network node (111) and the respective one or more neighbouring nodes (112,113) serving the respective identified one or more neighbouring cells (116,117), which X2-C interface connections are setup only for one X2-C configuration out of all supported X2-C configurations on the MORAN system based on the one or more identifiers, and which X2-C interface connections are related to each of the respective one or more neighbouring nodes (112,113); wherein the network node termination point MOs are represented by termination point to the neighbouring nodes (112,113) MOs; and wherein the unlocking, or creating and unlocking, (402) of the one or more network node termination point MOs is performed when a match is found related to the MORAN system, of one or more Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN Identifiers, IDs, of the first cell (115) provided by the first network node (111), with an active PLMN IDs of the one or more neighbouring cells (116,117)
  2. The method according to any of the claim 1, wherein the identifiers are represented by respective Physical Cell Identifiers, PCIs.
  3. The method according to any of the claim 2, wherein all the supported X2-C configurations on the MORAN system related to each of the respective one or more neighbouring nodes (112, 113) comprise any one one or more configuration out of: (A) A MORAN on single baseband network node towards a dedicated neighbouring network node of the same or another vendor, (B) A MORAN on single baseband network node towards a shared neighbouring network node of the same or other vendor, or neighbouring network node of another vendor with a shared Multi Operator Core Network, MOCN, cell, (C) A MORAN on single baseband network node towards another MORAN on single baseband neighbouring network node, wherein the first network node (111) is represented by the MORAN on single baseband network node, and wherein the one or more neighbouring network nodes (112,113) are represented by any one or more out of: (A) the dedicated neighbouring network node or the neighbouring network node of the other vendor, (B) the shared neighbouring network node, or another vendor neighbouring network node with a shared MOCN cell, and/or (C) another MORAN on single baseband neighbouring network node.
  4. The method according to any of the claims 1-2, wherein the initiating (403) of the X2-C interface connection setups between the first network node (111) and the respective one or more neighbouring nodes (112,113) comprises sending a X2-C connection setup request to the one or more neighbouring nodes (112,113).
  5. A computer program (770) comprising instructions, which when executed by at least one processor (750) of a first network node, cause the at least one processor (750) to perform actions according to any of the claims 1-4.
  6. A carrier (780) comprising the computer program (770) of claim 5, wherein the carrier (780) is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.
  7. A first network node (111) configured to handling X2-C connection setups in a Multi Operator Radio Access Network, MORAN, system of a wireless communications network (100), which first network node (111) is operable in the MORAN system, wherein the MORAN system is adapted to be represented by a MORAN on single baseband system, the first network node (111) further being configured to: when receiving an Automatic Neighbour Relation, ANR, initiated report, from a UE (120), which report comprises one or more identifiers identifying respective one or more neighbouring cells (116, 117) of a first cell (115) provided by the first network node (111), unlock, or create and unlock one or more network node termination point Manage Objects, MOs, based on the respective identifier out of the one or more identifiers, and based on the unlocked, or created and unlocked one or more network node termination point MOs, initiate X2-C interface connection setups between the first network node (111) and the respective one or more neighbouring nodes (112,113) serving the respective identified one or more neighbouring cells (116,117), which X2-C interface connections are adapted to be setup only for one X2-C configuration out of all supported X2-C configurations on the MORAN system based on the one or more identifiers, and which X2-C interface connections are related to each of the respective one or more neighbouring nodes (112,113), wherein the network node termination point MOs are adapted to be represented by termination point to the neighbouring nodes (112,113) MOs; and wherein the first network node is further being configured to: perform the unlocking, or creating and unlocking of the one or more network node termination point MOs when a match is found related to the MORAN system, of one or more Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN Identifiers, IDs, of the first cell (115) provided by the first network node (111), with an active PLMN IDs of the one or more neighbouring cells (116,117).
  8. The first network node (111) according to any of the claim 7, wherein the identifiers are adapted to be represented by respective Physical Cell Identifiers, PCIs.
  9. The first network node (111) according to any of the claim 8, wherein the all the supported X2-C configurations on the MORAN system are adapted to comprise any one or more configuration out of: (A) A MORAN on single baseband network node towards a dedicated neighbouring network node of the same or another vendor, (B) A MORAN on single baseband network node towards a shared neighbouring network node of the same or other vendor, or neighbouring network node of another vendor with a shared Multi Operator Core Network, MOCN, cell, (C) A MORAN on single baseband network node towards another MORAN on single baseband neighbouring network node, wherein the first network node (111) is adapted to be represented by the MORAN on single baseband network node, and wherein the one or more neighbouring network nodes (112,113) are adapted to be represented by any one or more out of: (A) the dedicated neighbouring network node or the neighbouring network node of the other vendor, (B) the shared neighbouring network node, or another vendor neighbouring network node with a shared MOCN cell, and/or (C) another MORAN on single baseband neighbouring network node.
  10. The first network node (111) according to any of the claims 7-9, further being configured to initiate of the X2-C interface connection setups between the first network node (111) and the respective one or more neighbouring nodes (112,113) by further sending a X2-C connection setup request to the one or more neighbouring nodes (112,113).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD Embodiments herein relate to a network node and methods therein. In some aspects, they relate to handling of X2-C connection setups in a Multi Operator Radio Access Network (MORAN) system of a wireless communications network. BACKGROUND In a typical wireless communication network, wireless devices, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and/or User Equipment (UE), communicate via a Wide Area Network or a Local Area Network such as a Wi-Fi network or a cellular network comprising a Radio Access Network (RAN) part and a Core Network (CN) part. The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cell areas or tracking areas or location areas, which may also be referred to as a beam or a beam group, with each service area or cell area being served by a radio network node such as a radio access node e.g., a Wi-Fi access point or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be denoted, for example, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), or gNnodeB (gNB) as denoted in Fifth Generation (5G) telecommunications. A service area or cell area is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over an air interface operating on radio frequencies with the wireless device within range of the radio network node. 3GPP is the standardization body for specification of standards for the cellular system evolution, e.g., including 3G, 4G, 5G and the future evolutions. Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS), also called a Fourth Generation (4G) network, have been completed within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). As a continued network evolution, the new releases of 3GPP specifies a 5G network also referred to as 5G New Radio (NR). US-20170339594-A1, Kungmin Park et al, December 12, 2014, relates to a method of transmitting a moving cell measurement report signal to a serving base station in a wireless communication system, where an X2 interface is established between the serving BS and the cell adjacent to the UE based on the transmitted moving cell measurement report signal and the establishment of the X2 interface is performed by the cell management server. MORAN MORAN is a RAN configuration in which network operators are sharing a network node such as a RAN node, e.g.an eNodeB. The resources of the RAN network node may be split for two or more network operators. In a MORAN system, each network operator has its own separate core network. MORAN on separate basebands is a system in which each network operator has its own baseband unit, e.g. a RAN backhaul terminating unit of a radio base station responsible for data processing and signaling. MORAN by using Multi Operator Core Network (MOCN) is a shared LTE RAN system in which operators share one baseband unit. The system setup enables shared cells to behave like non-shared dedicated cells. Shared cells are dedicated to a shared operator. The shared operator is the owner of an additional Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). The shared cells are dedicated to the sharing operator by broadcasting non-used primary PLMN as reserved in shared cells' System Information Block (SIB) 1 message, such as e.g., in Information Element (IE) Reserved For Operator Use (reserved ForOperatorUse). MORAN on single baseband is a system that allows propagation of Cell defined primary PLMN instead of Node defined primary PLMN. It provides a configuration that avoids broadcasting of non-used (reserved) primary PLMN in cells' SIB1 messages. A MORAN cell in MORAN on single baseband is configured with Cell defined primary PLMN which belongs to a sharing operator. By this configuration the Node defined primary PLMN of the system which belongs to a primary operator is overwritten in a new MORAN cell. The MORAN cell broadcasts in SIB1, only Cell defined primary PLMN for the shared operator and thus the shared operator has dedicated radio resources. The MORAN cell is seen from the RAN network as a cell belonging to a separate logical eNodeB as it has Global eNB ID constructed from Cell defined primary PLMN which is different from Global eNB ID constructed from the Node defined primary PLMN. For a logical eNodeB with the Global eNB ID constructed from the Cell defined primary PLMN, the functionality allows support for S1-C connectivity towards core network and X2-C connectivity towards a neighboring eNodeB. X2-C is the interface between RAN network nodes such as eNodeBs. An example scenario of MORAN on Single Baseband is depicted in Figure 1. Figure 1 depicts as a physical eNodeB 10 belonging to, e.g. owned by, a primary operator 0. The physical eNodeB 10 of the operator 0 is assigned a Global ENB ID being: plmn0+ and eNB ID 0. The node eNodeB 10 comprises a node defined primary PLMN of plmn0. The physical eNodeB 10 provides a MORAN cell 11. The MORAN cell 11 defines a Primary PLMN belonging to a shared operator 1, a System Information Block (SIB) 1