6.23 QoS monitoring

22.2613GPPRelease 18Service requirements for the 5G systemTS

6.23.1 Description

The QoS requirements specified for particular services such as URLLC services, vertical automation communication services, and V2X, mandate QoS guarantees from the network. However, the network cannot always guarantee the required QoS of the service. An example reason for this shortcoming is that the latency and/or packet error rate increase due to interference in a radio cell. In such cases, it is critical that the application and/or application server is notified in a timely manner. Hence, the 5G system should be able to support QoS monitoring/assurance for URLLC services, V2X and vertical automation.

For more information on QoS assurance see Annex F.

Vertical automation systems are locally distributed and are typically served by wired and wireless communication networks of different types and with different characteristics. If the operation of the system or one of its sub-processes does not work properly, there is a need for quickly finding and eliminating the related error or fault in order to avoid significant operation and thus financial losses. To that end, automation devices and applications implement diagnosis and error-analysis algorithms, as well as predictive maintenance features.

Due to their inherent challenges, wireless communication systems are usually under suspicion in case an error occurs in a distributed automation application. Therefore, diagnosis and fault analysis features for 5G systems are required. The 5G system needs to provide sufficient monitoring information as input for such diagnosis features.

QoS monitoring can be used for the following activities:

– assessing and assuring the dependability of network operation;

– assessing and assuring the dependability of the communication services;

– excluding particular communication errors;

– identifying communication errors;

– analysing the location of an error including the geographic location of the involved network component (UE; front-haul component; core node);

– activation of application-related countermeasures.

This section provides requirements for both functionality and service exposure. In addition, the service exposure requirements on QoS monitoring in 22.101 [6], clause 29.2 apply.

6.23.2 Requirements

The 5G system shall provide a mechanism for supporting real-time E2E QoS monitoring within a system.

NOTE 1: The end points in E2E are the termination points of the communication service within the boundary of the 5G system.

The 5G system shall support combined QoS monitoring for a group of UEs.

NOTE 1A: Combined monitoring stands for the monitoring of several UEs for which the monitoring results are reported together. An example for combined QoS monitoring is that the 5G networks monitors the service bit rates of all connections associated with the group of UEs.

The 5G network shall provide an interface to an application for QoS monitoring (e.g. to initiate QoS monitoring, request QoS parameters, events, logging information).

The 5G system shall be able to provide real time QoS parameters and events information to an authorized application/network entity.

NOTE 2: The QoS parameters to be monitored and reported can include latency (e.g. UL/DL or round trip), jitter, and packet loss rate.

The 5G system shall be able to log the history of the communication events.

NOTE 3: The communication history may include timestamps of communication events and position-related information. Examples of such information are the positions of UEs and of radio base stations associated with communication events. Communication events include instances when the required QoS is not met.

The 5G system shall support different levels of granularity for QoS monitoring (e.g. per flow or set of flows).

The 5G system shall be able to provide event notification upon detecting an error that the negotiated QoS level cannot be met/guaranteed.

The 5G system shall be able to provide information that identifies the type and the location of a communication error (e.g. cell ID).

The 5G system shall be able to provide notification of communication events to authorized entities per pre-defined patterns.

NOTE 4: An example for a communication event is that the service bit rate drops below a pre-defined threshold for QoS parameters. When such an event occurs, the authorized entity is notified, and the event is logged.

The 5G system shall support event-based QoS monitoring.

NOTE 5: An example for a triggering event is a position change of the pertinent UE. A position change can, for instance, be inferred from a 5G position service that tracks the UE.

The 5G system shall be able to respond to a request from an authorized entity to provide real-time QoS monitoring information within a specified time after receiving the request (e.g., within 5 s).

NOTE 6: The response time can be specified by the user.

The 5G system shall support an update/refresh rate for real time QoS monitoring with a specified value (e.g., at least one update per second).

The 5G system shall be able to provide statistical information of service parameters and error types while a communication service is in operation.

NOTE 7: The time span for collection and evaluation of statistical values can be specified by the user.

The 5G system shall provide information on the current availability of a specific communication service in a particular area (e.g. cell ID) upon request of an authorized entity.

The 5G system shall provide a means by which an MNO informs a third party of network events (failure of network infrastructure affecting UEs in a particular area, etc.).

Based on MNO policy, the 5G system shall provide a mechanism to automatically report service degradations, communications loss, and sustained connection loss in a specific geographic area (e.g., a cell sector, a cell or a group of cells) to a third party. 

NOTE 8: These reports use a standard format. The specific values, thresholds, and conditions upon which alarms occur can include the measured values for end-to-end latency, service bit rate, communication service availability, end-to-end latency jitter, etc. for a UE, the UE’s location, and the time(s) during which the degradation occurred.

The 5G system shall provide a mechanism for an authorised third party to report to an MNO service degradations, communication loss, and sustained connection loss.

NOTE 9: These reports use a standard format. The specific values, thresholds, and conditions upon which alarms occur can include the measured values for end-to-end latency, service bit rate, communication service availability, end-to-end latency jitter, etc. for a UE, the UE’s location, and the time(s) during which the degradation occurred.

NOTE 10: What the MNO does with such reports is out of scope of 3GPP.