BACKGROUND

The 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) has developed an architecture for machine-type communication (MTC). The 3GPP architecture for MTC may include a number of entities, including MTC Wireless Transmit/Receive Units (MTC WTRUs), such as MTC User Equipment (MTC UE), MTC Inter-Working Function (MTC-IWF), a Services Capability Server (SCS), and an Application Server (AS). An MTC WTRU may communicate with other MTC WTRUs or with SCS(s) via a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) and may host one or more MTC WTRU applications. The SCS may connect to the 3GPP network to communicate with MTC WTRU applications and MTC-IWF(s) or a Short Message Service-Service Center (SMS-SC) for device triggering. The AS may interface with SCS(s), a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN), or a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) and may host one or more AS MTC applications that interact with SCSs, WTRU MTC applications, and other AS MTC applications.

SUMMARY

Systems, methods, and instrumentalities are disclosed to implement service-based discovery in a network, such as discovery of a service available via an access network and/or a 3GPP or 3GPP2 network. A Discovery Server may be queried to find services offered by the network, as well as services offered by entities that interface with the network. The Discovery Server may support queries based on, for example, the type of MTC entity, the type of services hosted on the entity, the availability times of the entity, types of protocols supported, levels of Quality of Service (QoS) supported, and MTC-IWF services, and the like. The network may pass situational context and defined policies to the Discovery Server so that the Discovery Server can provide context-aware and policy-based discovery services.

A service offered by a network that interfaces with entities or by an entity that interfaces with the network may be discovered. A Discovery Server may be accessed. Situational context information or policy information, or both, may be communicated to the Discovery Server. The Discovery Server may be used to control which of the entities that interface with the network can discover one another.

Service-based discovery may be provided, for example, by receiving context information relating to an M2M device. The M2M device may be available via an access network. Policy information relating to at least one of the M2M device or the access network may be received. A query for a service may be received. It may be determined that the M2M device is capable of providing the service and that the access network is available to provide access to the M2M device. A response to the query may be sent that indicates that the M2M device is capable of providing the service.

