5.44.1 General

Personal IoT Network (PIN) provides local connectivity between PINEs, i.e. UEs and/or non-3GPP devices. PINEs communicate using PIN direct communication, PIN indirect communication and the PIN-DN communication. The management of the PIN direct communication is out of the scope of this specification. For the PIN indirect communication and PIN-DN communication, the data traffic and PIN management traffic pass via a PEGC. With the support of the PEGC registered to 5G network, the PINEs have access to the 5G network services and may communicate with other PINEs within the PIN or with the DN via 5G network. A PEGC may support multiple PINs. For each PIN, a dedicated (DNN, S-NSSAI) combination shall be configured.

PIN and PINEs are managed by specific PEMC with support of an AF, if AF (Application Server and PIN server as specified in TS 23.542 [181]) is deployed. A PIN includes at least one PEGC and at least one PEMC. The management of the PIN (i.e. the management of PIN creation, deletion and update) and PINE (including the management role distribution between PEMC and AF) is out of the scope of this specification.

The PEGC is a UE with subscription data related to PIN within the 5GS (i.e. dedicated (DNN, S-NSSAI) combination(s) for PIN) and shall register to 5G network as UE in order to support PIN indirect communication and PIN-DN communication via dedicated PDU session. The UE acting as PEMC does not have subscription data related to PIN within the 5GS and behaves as normal UE if it is registered in 5GS.

An AF for PIN may be deployed to support the PIN service. The AF for PIN may communicate with PINEs, including PEMC and PEGC, via application layer for management of the PIN which is transported as user plane data transparently to 5G network and the AF for PIN may communicate with the 5GC via NEF.

The PEMC can manage a PIN via PIN direction communication or PIN indirect communication with the other PINEs of the PIN or via PIN-DN communication with an AF for PIN which enables the exchange of information with 5GC.

The 5GC is enhanced to support the delivery of UE policy related to PIN service for PEGC (as specified in clause 5.44.2) and to support the PDU session management for PIN service (as specified in clause 5.44.3).

See information in Annex P for the relation between PIN and 5GS. The PINE, PEMC and PEGC application layer functionalities are defined in TS 23.542 [181] and are transparent in 5G network.

The support of PIN by 5G-RG and FN-RG is not specified.

Redundant PDU session for URLLC is not supported in conjunction with PIN.