Methods performed by a user device and a network node, user device, and network node

Description

/ 82 METHODS PERFORMED BY A USER DEVICE AND A NETWORK NODE, USER DEVICE, AND NETWORK NODE Cross-reference to related information.

[001] This application claims the benefit of priority application of United States of America 63 / 457.990 filed on April 7, 2023, entitled “EU-side STxMP with Shared Digital Ports”. Field

[002] The present description generally refers to systems and methods for pre-coding data channels and probing EU panels. Fundamentals of the Invention Numerology

[003] In the time domain, DL (downlink) and UL (uplink) NR (New Radio) transmissions are organized into equally sized subframes of 1 ms each. The subframe is further divided into multiple slots of equal duration. The slot length depends on the numerology (i.e., the SCS (Subcarrier Spacing) and the CP (Cyclic Prefix)). For 15 kHz SCS, there is only one slot per subframe. Overall, for 15·2μkHz SCS, where μE {0,1,2,3,4} is the SCS configuration, there are 2μslots per subframe. Each slot consists of 14 symbols (unless extended CP is configured, for which each slot consists of 12 symbols).

[004] In the frequency domain, a system bandwidth is divided into RBs (Resource Blocks), each corresponding to 12 contiguous subcarriers. A subcarrier during a symbol interval forms a RE (Resource Element), which is the smallest physical resource in NR. Carrier Aggregation

[005] NR (New Radio) supports CA (Carrier Aggregation) of up to carriers. The CA-capable UE (user equipment) can Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 101 / 196 / 82 transmit / receive on multiple carriers simultaneously, where different carriers may have different channel bandwidths. In FR1, channel bandwidths up to 100 MHz are supported. In FR2, channel bandwidths up to 400 MHz are supported.

[006] In the NR specification, a carrier is referred to as a cell. One of these cells is known as the PCell and is the cell to which the UE initially connects. After the UE is connected, one or more SCells can be additionally configured. Furthermore, these SCells can be dynamically (via MAC CE signaling) enabled / disabled. When CA is not configured, the UE will transmit / receive only on the PCell.

[007] The RBs in a cell (across the channel bandwidth) are known as CRBs and are numbered starting from 0. The first subcarrier in CRB 0 is known as reference point A, which is signaled to the UE as part of SIB1. Bandwidth Parts

[008] NR is designed to support very large channel bandwidths (up to 400 MHz), but not all UEs are capable of handling such a large channel bandwidth. For this reason, a UE can operate on a contiguous subset of the CRBs in a cell. This subset is called a BWP.

[009] The UE can be configured with up to four DL BWPs and up to four UL BWPs per service cell, where different numerologies can be configured for different BWPs. In the case of SUL, there can be up to four additional UL BWPs on the SUL carrier. The initial position and bandwidth of a BWP are configured by RRC. Only one DL BWP and one UL BWP can be active at the same time per service cell. For TDD, the active DL BWP and UL BWP must share the same center frequency. For FDD, this is not required. In DL, a UE does not Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 102 / 196 / 82 expects to receive, for example, PDCCH and / or PDSCH outside the active BWP. In the UL, a UE is not expected to transmit, for example, PUCCH and / or PUCCH outside the active BWP.

[0010] NW can switch the active BWP, for example, by means of DCI signaling. For example, DCI format 1_1 (used for scheduling DL transmissions) and DCI format 0_1 ​​(used for scheduling UL transmissions) include a “BWP indicator” field of up to 2 bits for switching BWP for DL ​​and UL transmissions, respectively.

[0011] RBs in a BWP are known as PRBs and are numbered starting from 0. When the NW schedules a transmission in DL or UL, a set of VRBs, which are mapped to PRBs, are signaled. In DL, both interleaved and non-interleaved mapping are supported. In UL, only non-interleaved mapping is supported, for which there is a one-to-one mapping between VRBs and CRBs. In what follows, unless otherwise stated, a one-to-one mapping can be assumed between VRBs and PRBs, and RBs are simply used to refer to both VRBs and CRBs. PUSH

[0012] The channel that carries data in NR is called PUSCH, and it can be dynamically or semi-statically scheduled. In NR, there are two possible waveforms that can be used for PUSCH: CP-OFDM and DFT-S-OFDM. The time-domain and frequency-domain resource allocation of said PUSCH is signaled by NW to UE. Furthermore, there are two transmission schemes specified for PUSCH: CB-based pre-coding and NCB-based pre-coding. Push scheduling

[0013] Data transmissions in UL can be dynamically scheduled by a DG (via DCI signaling) or semi-statically scheduled by a CG (via RRC signaling). Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 103 / 196 / 82

[0014] PUSCH Scheduling with DG: PUSCH transmissions can be dynamically scheduled by sending a DG from the NW to a UE via DCI in PDCCH. After DCI decoding, the UE transmits data (unless the temporary transmission storage is empty) via PUSCH according to the DG. The DG can be driven, for example, via DCI 0_1 format (non-fallback format) or DCI 0_0 format (fallback format). The non-fallback format supports all NR features but is larger in size compared to the fallback format, which offers limited functionality but with less overprocessing. Contents that are common to both non-fallback and fallback formats include, for example, BWP indication, frequency domain resource allocation, time domain resource allocation, transport block-related information (MCS, NDI, and RV), and PUSCH power control parameters.Content that is only in the non-fallback format (DCI 0_1 format) includes, for example, information related to multiple antennas.

[0015] PUSCH Scheduling with CG: NR supports two schemes for scheduling PUSCH transmissions without a DG. In CG type 1, the PUSCH transmission parameters, periodicity and offset, are configured by RRC and PUSCH is transmitted periodically. In CG type 2, the periodicity and offset of PUSCH are configured by RRC, but PUSCH transmission is enabled / disabled using dynamic signaling. With CG type 1, the PUSCH transmission parameters are configured by RRC (see IE ConfiguredGrantConfig in 3GPP TS 38.331). The periodicity and offset of PUSCH are also configured by RRC, which allows the NW to control when the UE should transmit PUSCH. With CG type 2, the periodicity and offset of PUSCH are configured by RRC. Push transmission activation / deactivation is, via PDCCH, mixed by CS-RNTI and the parameters of Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 104 / 196 5 / 82 Push transmissions are signaled by means of the DCI in said PDCCH (e.g., DCI format 0_0 or DCI format 0_l). Push pre-coding

[0016] For scheduled PUSCH by a DG, the NW configures the transmission scheme in RRC via the top-layer parameter txConfig in IE PUSCH-Config (see below snippet of the ASN code for 3GPP TS 38.331 version 17.2.0). Two transmission schemes are supported: CB-based pre-coding and NCB-based pre-coding. CB-based pre-coding can be used for uncalibrated UEs and / or for FDD (i.e., UL / DL reciprocity does not need to be maintained). NCB-based pre-coding, on the other hand, relies on UL / DL reciprocity and is therefore intended for TDD. PUSCH-Config :: = SEQUENCE { txConfig ENUMERATED {codebook, nonCodebook} OPTIONAL, — Need S codebookSubset ENUMERATED {fullyAndPartialAndNonCoherent, partialAndNonCoherent, noncoherent} OPTIONAL, -- Cond codebookBased maxRank INTEGER (1..4) OPTIONAL, -- Cond codebookBased} IE Push-Config Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 105 / 196 / 82 CB-Based Precoding

[0017] With CB-based pre-coding for the NR uplink, the NW configures the UE to transmit SRS through numerous UE antennas. Based on SRS-based channel measurements, the NW signals a TPMI, which indicates the transmission classification and pre-coder that the UE should apply through the UE antennas during PUSCH transmission. Pre-coder candidates are tabulated in Clause 6.3.1.5 of 3GPP TS 38.211.

[0018] CB-based PUSCH is enabled if the txConfig top-layer parameter in IE PUSCH-Config is set in the codebook. For dynamically scheduled PUSCH, CB-based PUSCH transmission can be summarized in the following steps.

[0019] First, the UE transmits SRS, configured in an SRS resource set using the top-layer parameter in IE SRSConfig set in the codebook. Up to two SRS resources (for testing up to two virtualizations / beams / panels), each with up to four ports, can be configured in the SRS resource set. gNB determines the number of layers (i.e., the classification) and a preferred pre-encoder (i.e., TPMI) of a codebook subset based on the SRS received from one of the SRS resources. The codebook subset is configured via the top-layer parameter codebookSubset in IE PUSCH-Config (see above snippet of the 3GPP TS 38.331 version 17.2.0 ASN code), based on the reported UE capacity, and is either fully coherent, partially coherent, or non-coherent.

[0020] Second, if two SRS resources are configured in the SRS resource set, gNB indicates the selected SRS resource via the 1-bit SRI field in the DCI schedule of the PUSCH transmission. If only one SRS resource is configured in the SRS resource set, the SRI field is not present in the DCI. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 106 / 196 / 82

[0021] Third, gNB indicates, via the DCI field “Precoding Layer Information and Number”, the number of layers and the TPMI. The maximum number of layers is limited by the maxRank top-layer parameter in IE PUSCH-Config (see above snippet of the 3GPP TS 38.331 version 17.2.0 ASN code). DMRS port(s) associated with the layer(s) are also indicated in DCI via the “Antenna Ports” field. Unless full power mode UL 1 is configured, the number of bits in DCI used to indicate the number of layers (if transform precoding is enabled, the number of PUSCH layers is limited to 1) and the TPMI is determined as follows: * 4, 5, or 6 bits if the number of antenna ports is 4, if pre-coding with transform is disabled, and if the maxRank top-layer parameter in IE PUSCH-Config is set to 2, 3, or 4 (see Table 1).

[0022] * 2, 4, or 5 bits if the number of antenna ports is 4, if precoding with transform is disabled or enabled, and if the maxRank top-layer parameter in IE PUSCH-Config is set to 1 (see Table 2).

[0023] 2 or 4 bits if the number of antenna ports is 2, if precoding with transform is disabled, and if the maxRank top-layer parameter in IE PUSCH-Config is set to 2 (see Table 3).

[0024] * 1 or 3 bits if the number of antenna ports is 2, if precoding with transform is disabled or enabled, and if the maxRank upper layer parameter in IE PUSCH-Config is set to 1 (see Table 4).

[0025] * 0 bit if 1 Antenna port is used for transmission of PUSCH.

[0026] Fourth, the UE performs PUSCH transmission through the antenna ports corresponding to the SRS ports in the indicated SRS resource.

[0027] Figures 1-4 give examples of pre-information Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 107 / 196 / 82 encoding. Figure 1 shows information and number of precoding layers, for 4 antenna ports, if precoding with transformation is disabled and maxRank = 2, 3 or 4 (reproduced from Table 7.3.1.1.2-2 of 3GPP TS 38.212 version 17.2.0). Figure 2 shows information and number of precoding layers, for 4 antenna ports, if precoding with transformation is disabled / enabled and maxRank = 1 (reproduced from Table 7.3.1.1.2-3 of 3GPP TS 38.212 version 17.2.0). Figure 3 shows information and number of precoding layers, for 2 antenna ports, if precoding with transform is disabled and maxRank = 2 (reproduced from Table 7.3.1.1.2-4 of 3GPP TS 38.212 version 17.2.0).Figure 4 shows information and number of pre-coding layers, for 2 antenna ports, if pre-coding with transformation is disabled / enabled and maxRank = 1 (reproduced from Table 7.3.1.1.2-5 of 3GPP TS 38.212 version 17.2.0). NCB-based pre-coding

[0028] NCB-based PUSCH is enabled if the txConfig upper-layer parameter in IE PUSCH-Config is set to no codebook and is intended for reciprocity-based UL transmission where SRS pre-coding is derived in a UE based on the CSI-RS received in the DL. Specifically, the UE measures the received CSI-RS and deduces a suitable precoder for SRS transmission(s), resulting in one or more (virtual) SRS ports, each corresponding to a spatial layer.

[0029] The UE can be configured with up to four SRS resources, each with a single (virtual) SRS port, in an SRS resource pool using the top-layer parameter in IE SRS-Config set in the codebook. The UE transmits the up to four SRS resources. The NW measures the UL channel based on the received SRS, selects the preferred SRS resource(s), and indicates the selection via the SRI field in DCI. The UE Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 108 / 196 9 / 82 uses this information to pre-encode PUSCH with a transmission rating that matches the number of SRS features indicated (and therefore the number of SRS ports).

[0030] PUSCH is: The size of the SRI field in DCI format that schedules the

[0031] Here, Nsrs is the number of SRS features and Lmax is the maximum number of layers. SRS

[0032] In NR, SRS is used to provide CSI for the NW in the UL. The use of SRS includes, for example, deriving the appropriate transmit / receive beams and / or performing link adaptation (i.e., adjusting the transmit classification and MCS), and determining PDSCH and PUSCH precoding matrices.

[0033] SRS is configured via RRC signaling, where parts of the configuration can be updated (for reduced latency) via MAC CE signaling. The RRC configuration includes, for example, the allocation of the SRS resource (the physical mapping and sequence to use), as well as the time-domain behavior (aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic). For aperiodic SRS transmission, the RRC configuration does not activate an SRS transmission from the UE, but instead, a dynamic activation trigger is transmitted from the NW, via the DCI, in the PDCCH, which instructs the UE to transmit the SRS once, at a predetermined time. SRS configuration

[0034] During SRS transmission configuration, gNB configures, via IE SRS-Config, a list of SRS resources and a list of SRS resource sets (see below 3GPP ASN snippet). Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 109 / 196 10 / 82 TS 38.331 version 17.2.0): SRS-Config ::= SEQUENCE { srs-ResourceSetToReleaseList SEQUENCE (SIZE(1. .maxNrofSRS-ResourceSets) ) OF SRSResourceSetld OPTIONAL, -- Need N srs-ResourceSetToAddModList SEQUENCE (SIZE(1. .maxNrofSRS-ResourceSets) ) OF SRSResourceSet OPTIONAL, -- Need N srs-ResourceToReleaseList SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..maxNrofSRS-Resources) ) OF SRS-Resourceld OPTIONAL, — Need N srs-ResourceToAddModList SEQUENCE (SIZE(1. .maxNrofSRS-Resources) ) OF SRS-Resource OPTIONAL, — Need N} IE SRS-Config

[0035] The SRS resource(s) will be transmitted as part of an SRS resource set, where each SRS resource set contains one or more SRS resources. NR supports configuration of up to 16 SRS resource sets and 64 SRS resources per BWP. Furthermore, NR supports periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic SRS transmissions: * Periodic SRS (p-SRS): SRS resource sets and SRS resources are configured by RRC. The SRS resource configuration includes periodicity and slot offset, which determines SRS transmission occasions.

[0036] * Semi-persistent SRS (sp-SRS): SRS feature sets Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 110 / 196 / 82 and SRS resources are configured by RRC. The SRS resource configuration includes periodicity and slot offset, and SRS transmissions are enabled / disabled using MAC CE signaling.

[0037] * Aperiodic SRS (ap-SRS): SRS feature sets and SRS resources are configured by RRC. The feature set configuration includes slot offset, and SRS transmissions are dynamically triggered via the 2-bit “SRS request” field in DCI (e.g., in DCI Format 0_1 ​​or DCI Format 1_1).

[0038] All SRS resources in an SRS resource set must share the same time-domain behavior. In summary, the configuration of the SRS resource set determines, for example, SRS usage, power control parameters, and slot offset for ap-SRS. The configuration of the SRS resource determines, for example, SRS time and frequency allocation, SRS sequence, periodicity, and offset for p-SRS / sp-SRS. SRS Resource Set Configuration

[0039] An SRS feature set is configured as shown in Figure 5 in RRC (see ASN code in 3GPP TS 38.331 version 17.2.0). An SRS feature set is configurable with respect to several factors. For example, for ap-SRS, the slot offset is configured by the upper-layer parameter slotOffset and adjusts the delay from the PDCCH trigger reception at the start of SRS transmission. Resource usage, which is configured by the upper-layer parameter usage, adjusts restrictions and considerations on resource properties (see 3GPP TS 38.214 for further details). SRS feature sets can be configured with one of four different uses: antennaSwitching, codebook, no codebook, or beamManagement. An SRS feature set that is configured with antennaSwitching usage is used for reciprocity-based DL pre-coding (i.e., used for probing). Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 111 / 196 / 82 the channel on the UL so that gNB can use reciprocity to adjust appropriate DL precoders). The UE is expected to transmit one SRS port per UE antenna port. An SRS resource set that is configured using codebooks is used for CB-based UL transmission (i.e., used to probe the different UE antennas and help gNB determine / signal an appropriate UL precoder, transmission classification, and MCS for PUSCH transmission). There are up to two SRS resources in a codebook-based SRS resource set. How the SRS ports are mapped to the UE antenna ports, however, is up to the UE implementation and is not known to gNB. A set of SRS features that is configured without the use of a codebook is used for NCB-based UL transmission.Specifically, the UE transmits an SRS resource per candidate beam (suitable candidate beams are determined by the UE based on CSI-RS measurements on the DL, and therefore reciprocity needs to be maintained). The gNB can then, by indicating a subset of these SRS resources, determine which UL beam(s) the UE should apply for push transmission. One UL layer will be transmitted per indicated SRS resource. Note that how the UE maps SRS ports to antenna ports is up to the UE implementation and is not known to the gNB. A set of SRS resources that is configured using beamManagement is used (primarily for frequency bands above 6 GHz (i.e., for FR2)) to evaluate different analog UE beams (e.g., panels). The UE transmits an SRS resource per analog beam, and the gNB will perform an RSRP measurement per transmitted SRS resource and, in this way, determine a suitable UE beam that is reported to the UE.

[0040] The associated CSI-RS (this setting is only applicable for NCB-based UL transmission) can be adjusted for each of the possible resource types. For ap-SRS, the associated CSI-RS resource is Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 112 / 196 / 82 determined by the top-layer parameter csi-RS. For p-SRS / sp-SRS, the associated CSI-RS resource is determined by the top-layer parameter associatedCSI-RS.

[0041] Power control parameters, for example, alpha and p0, are used to adjust the SRS transmission power. SRS has its own UL power control scheme in NR (see 3GPP TS 38.213 for further details), which specifies how the UE should divide the available output power between two or more SRS ports during an SRS transmission occasion (an SRS transmission occasion is a time window in a slot in which SRS transmission is performed). SRS Resource Configuration

[0042] Each SRS resource is configured as shown in Figure 6 in RRC (see 3GPP TS 38.331 version 17.2.0 ASN code). An SRS resource is configurable with respect to several factors. For example, the number of SRS ports (1, 2, or 4), which is configured by the top-layer parameter nrofSRS-Ports. The transmission comb (i.e., mapping for each 2a or 4a subcarrier), configured by the top-layer parameter transmissionComb, which includes a comb offset and a CS. The comb offset, configured by the top-layer parameter combOffset, is specified (i.e., which of the combs should be used). The CS, configured by the top-layer parameter cyclicShift, which configures a (port-specific, for multiport SRS resources) CS for the Zadoff-Chu sequence that is used for SRS.The use of CSs allows for the multiplexing of SRS ports within the same comb offset, but there is a limit on how many CSs can be used per comb offset (8 for comb 2 and 12 for comb 4).

[0043] Another variable is the position in the time domain at a given slot, configured with the top-layer parameter resourceMapping, which includes: Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 113 / 196 / 82 * The starting position in the time domain, which is limited to being one of the last 6 symbols, is configured by the top-layer parameter startPosition.

[0044] * The number of symbols for the SRS feature (which can be set to 1, 2, or 4), configured by the top-layer parameter nrofSymbols.

[0045] * The repetition factor (which can be set to 1, 2, or 4), configured by the top-layer parameter repetitionFactor. When the repetition factor is greater than 1, the same frequency resources are used multiple times through symbols, used to improve coverage, as this allows more energy to be collected by the receiver.

[0046] Other variables are the polling bandwidth, position and offset in the frequency domain, and frequency hopping pattern of an SRS resource (i.e., what portion of the transmission bandwidth is occupied by the SRS resource) is adjusted through the upper-layer parameters freqDomainPosition, freqDomainShift, and the parameters freqHopping c-SRS, b-SRS, and b-hop. The smallest possible polling bandwidth is 4 RBs. The upper-layer parameter resourceType determines whether the SRS resource is transmitted as periodic, aperiodic (single transmission triggered by DCI), or semi-persistent (same as periodic, except that the start and end of periodic transmission are controlled via MAC-CE signaling instead of RRC signaling). The upper-layer parameter sequenceId specifies how the SRS sequence is initialized.The top-layer parameter spatialRelationInfo configures the spatial relationship for the SRS beam relative to another SRS (which can be another SRS, an SSB, or a CSI-RS). If an SRS resource has a spatial relationship with another SRS resource, then this SRS resource must be transmitted with the same beam (i.e., virtualization) as the indicated SRS resource.

[0047] In NR Rel-17 transmission, comb 8 is supported for which the Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 114 / 196 / 82, the number of CSs per comb offset is 6 (see upper layer parameter transmissionComb-n8-r17). In NR Rel-16, an SRS resource can occupy any of the 14 symbols in a slot, but the number of symbols per SRS resource is limited to 4 (see upper layer parameter resourceMapping-r16). In NR Rel-17, the number of symbols per SRS resource is up to 14 (see upper layer parameter resourceMapping-r17).

[0048] An illustration of how an SRS resource can be allocated in time and frequency in a slot (note that semi-persistent / periodic SRS resources typically span multiple slots) is provided in Figure 7 for NR Rel-15 / Rel-16. Push Multi-TRP Repetition Rel-17

[0049] Multi-TRP PUSCH repetition with single DCI was introduced in NR Rel-17. With this scheme, a PUSCH is transmitted, in two or more different slots in the TDM manner, to two different TRPs. Both CB-based and NCB-based operations are supported, and the same number of PUSCH layers (up to four) will be transmitted in a separate beam in each of the slots. To enable such PUSCH repetition, a UE can be configured with up to two sets of SRS resources (with the same number of SRS resources and SRS ports) with the same usage. Here, each set of SRS resources is associated with a different TRP (and therefore a different beam). The two beams are mapped to different slots either with a cyclic mapping pattern (see Figure 8) or with a sequential mapping pattern (see Figure 9).Since the path loss for different TRPs can be significantly different, power control per TRP can be configured (i.e., separate power control for each set of SRS features).

[0050] Dynamic switching between single TRP PUSCH transmission and multi-TRP repetition is supported. To enable such dynamic switching, a Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 115 / 196 / 82: A new 2-bit “SRS feature set indicator” field is introduced in DCI 0_1 format (and DCI 0_2 format). The following excerpt from 3GPP TS 38.212 describes this new field: * SRS feature set indicator - 0 or 2 bits a. 2 bits according to Table 7.3.1.1.2-36 if i. txConfig = no codebook, and there are two sets of SRS resources configured by srs-ResourceSetToAddModList and associated with the value 'no codebook', or ii. txConfig = codebook, and there are two sets of SRS resources configured by srs-ResourceSetToAddModList and associated with the value 'codebook'; b. 0 bits in other circumstances.

[0051] Figure 10 shows the code points (indices) of the new field “SRS Feature Set Indicator” (an indication of the SRS feature set (reproduced from Table 7.3.1.1.2-36 in 3GPP TS 38.212)). Here, the first two indices correspond to a single PUSCH transmission for a first and a second TRP (i.e., for a first and a second SRS feature set) and the last two indices correspond to a repeated PUSCH for both TRPs. The difference between the last two states is the mapping of SRS feature sets to a first and a second “SRS Feature Indicator” field and / or a first and a second “Information and Number of Pre-encoding Layers” field, i.e., in which order the SRS feature sets should be transmitted. The SRS feature set with the lower ID is the first SRS feature set, and the other feature set SRS is the second set of SRS features. Push multi-TRP repetition based on CB

[0052] For CB-based operation, different TPMIs may be specified for PUSCH transmission towards different TRPs. From Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 116 / 196 / 82 In fact, it is unlikely that the same pre-encoder would be suitable for transmission to different TRPs.

[0053] For single PUSCH TRP, the information and number of pre-coding layers are indicated by means of a single “Information and number of pre-coding layers” field in DCI.

[0054] For multi-TRP PUSCH repetition, since the number of layers in the direction of each TRP must be the same, it is sufficient to specify the number of layers for only one of the SRS feature sets: For one of the SRS resource sets, the legacy "information field and number of pre-coding layers" will be used.

[0055] For the other set of SRS resources, it is sufficient to indicate only the pre-coder for a given number of layers, which reduces overprocessing. The new field “second pre-coding information” is introduced for this purpose. The size of this field varies between 0-5 bits, depending on the number of antenna ports, UE coherence, etc.

[0056] Figure 11 shows an example of the “second pre-coding information” field for the case where, if the number of antenna ports per PUSCH transmission is 2, if pre-coding with transformation is disabled and if the maximum classification is set to 2 (reproduced from Table 7.3.1.1.2-4B of 3GPP TS 38.212). Note that the length of this field is 1-3 bits, depending on the UE coherence and the number of layers, which is indicated in a first “pre-coding information and number of layers” field, which is less than the 2-4 bits needed to conduct both classification and pre-coding (see Figure 3). NCB-based multi-TRP PUSCH repetition

[0057] Para_NCB, different SRS resources may be indicated for PUSCH transmission towards different TRPs. For this reason, a “Second SRS Resource Indicator” field is added to the DCI. Already Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 117 / 196 / 82, states that the number of layers must be the same for the second set of SRS features and for the first set of SRS features, the second SRI field may be shorter than the first SRI field. In fact, the number of SRS features indicated can be inferred from the first SRI field (see, for example, Clause 7.3.1.1.2 of 3GPP TS 38.212 for details). Simultaneous Transmission Rel-18 from Multiple Panels (STxMP)

[0058] In NR up to Rel-17, discussions regarding UL transmission for FR2 were primarily for a UE with single-panel transmission (transmission from a single UE panel in each time instance). In NR-Rel 18, it was agreed to specify support for up to two UE panels in simultaneous transmission.

[0059] It was agreed that SDM (for which different layers of the same transmission are transmitted from different panels) and SFN (for which the same layers are transmitted from different panels) will be supported for single DCI STxMP (a single DCI can schedule simultaneous transmission from both EU panels to both TRPs).

[0060] For single STxMP DCI, it was agreed that two sets of SRS features (one per panel) will be configured. Furthermore, it was agreed that there will be one SRI and / or TPMI field per set of SRS features (depending on whether CB-based PUSCH or NCB-based PUSCH is configured). This holds true for both SDM and SFN. For SFN, transmission classification is driven only by the first SRI / TPMI field.

[0061] Furthermore, it was agreed that dynamic switching (via the “SRS Feature Set Indicator” field in DCI) between SDM transmission and sTRP transmission, as well as between SFN transmission and sTRP transmission, will be supported. This implies that the UE does not know when Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 118 / 196 / 82 transmit SRS if the SRS ports belonging to one or both sets of SRS resources are used to conduct the PUSCH.

[0062] Currently, there are certain challenges. The following working consideration regarding dynamic switching between the STxMP SDM scheme and the sTRP scheme comes from the 3GPP RAN1#112 meeting. Working consideration: for dynamic switching between the STxMP SDM scheme and sTRP transmission, the following is supported: * For sTRP transmission: The maximum number of sTRP transmission layers is configured by maxRank (or Lmax) as in the current specification (i.e., Option 1) * For SDM scheme: you configure a single maximum number of layers (separate from maxRank (or Lmax) for sTRP) which is applied to the first set of SRS features and the second set of SRS features separately (i.e., Alt1) * FFS: If / how to enable that the total number of PUSCH antenna ports used for SDM and sTRP is the same.

[0063] * Note: This corresponds to the case where digital ports are shared between panels.

[0064] * Note: RAN1 supports both implementations where digital ports are shared or separated between panels.

[0065] The FFS in the work consideration exposed refers to how to support UE architectures for which there is a dedicated / separate set of digital ports per UE panel (SRS Resource Set) and / or UE architectures for which there is a set of shared digital ports that can be redistributed between panels, depending on whether SDM sTRP or STxMP transmission has been dynamically specified.

[0066] In Figure 12, a UE is illustrated with separate digital ports (left side of the figure) and shared digital ports (right side of the figure). Figure 12 shows a UE STxMP with Nsep=4 separate digital ports per panel. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 119 / 196 / 82 (left) and UE with shared Nsh4 digital ports on two panels (right). In the case where the UE has 4 separate ports for each panel (up to 8 SRS ports can be active at the same time), the UE can transmit PUSCH through all SRS ports belonging to one or both sets of SRS resources at the same time. In the case where the UE has 4 shared ports between panels (up to 4 SRS ports can be active at the same time), the UE can only transmit PUSCH through a maximum of 4 SRS ports at the same time. The shared ports can be mapped to one or more UE panels, and the mapping can be different at different points in time. Summary

[0067] An embodiment of the present description comprises a method performed by an UE for pre-coding data channels and probing UE panels. The method comprises receiving an indication on a downlink control channel that identifies an uplink data channel transmission from one or more SRS resource sets; and transmitting an uplink data channel in accordance with the indication, where the uplink data channel is transmitted over one or more SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more SRS resource sets and the subset containing Mi <Ni das Ni portas de SRS no i-ésimo conjunto de recursos de SRS pode ser dinamicamente indicado por uma rede para o UE usando DCI.

[0068] Another embodiment of the present description comprises a method performed by an UE to pre-code data channel and probe UE panels. The method comprises receiving an indication on a downlink control channel that identifies an uplink probe signal transmission from one or more configured SRS resource sets; and transmitting an uplink probe signal in accordance with the indication. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 120 / 196 / 82

[0069] Another embodiment of the present description comprises a method implemented by a network node to configure a UE to pre-encode data channel and / or probe UE panels. The method comprises sending an indication on a downlink control channel that identifies an uplink data channel transmission from one or more SRS resource sets; and receiving an uplink data channel in accordance with the indication, where the uplink data channel is transmitted by one or more SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more SRS resource sets and the subset containing Mi <Ni das Ni portas de SRS no i-ésimo conjunto de recursos de SRS pode ser dinamicamente indicado por uma rede para o UE usando DCI.

[0070] Another embodiment of the present description comprises a method employed by a network node to configure or communicate with a UE to pre-encode data channel and / or probe UE panels. The method comprises sending an indication on a downlink control channel that identifies an uplink probe signal transmission from one or more configured SRS resource sets; and receiving an uplink probe signal in accordance with the indication.

[0071] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form which are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential characteristics of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an indication of the scope of the claimed subject matter. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0072] For a fuller understanding of the present description, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which: Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 121 / 196 22 / 82 Figure 1 illustrates a table of information and number of pre-coding layers, for 4 antenna ports, if pre-coding with transformation is disabled and maxRank = 1.3 or 4; Figure 2 illustrates a table of information and number of pre-coding layers, for 4 antenna ports, if pre-coding with transformation is disabled / enabled and maxRank = 1; Figure 3 illustrates a table of information and number of pre-coding layers, for 2 antenna ports, if pre-coding with transformation is disabled and maxRank = 2; Figure 4 illustrates a table of information and number of pre-coding layers, for 2 antenna ports, if pre-coding with transformation is disabled / enabled and maxRank = 1; Figures 5A-5B illustrate an example of how a set of SRS features is configured in RRC; Figure 5B illustrates an example of how a set of SRS features is configured in RRC; Figures 6A-6B illustrate an example of how a set of SRS features is configured in RRC; Figure 6B illustrates an example of how a set of SRS features is configured in RRC; Figure 7 illustrates an example of how an SRS resource can be allocated in time and frequency in a slot in NR Rel-15 / Rel-16; Figure 8 illustrates a multi-TRP PUSCH repeat with a cyclic mapping pattern; Figure 9 illustrates multi-TRP PUSCH repetition with a sequential mapping pattern; Figure 10 illustrates a table indicating the set of SRS features; Figure 11 illustrates a table of the second piece of information and number. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 122 / 196 / 82 of pre-coding layers, for 2 antenna ports, if pre-coding with transformation is disabled and maxRank = 2; Figure 12 illustrates an UE STxMP with Nsep=4 separate digital ports per panel and a UE with Nsh=4 digital ports shared across two panels; Figure 13 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of the method described herein; Figure 14 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of the method described herein; Figure 15 illustrates an UE with two four-port panels (each consisting of a pair of two-port subarrays) located on the left and right sides of the UE, with two sets of SRS features being mapped to different panels; Figure 16 illustrates an UE with four two-door panels located on the left, top, right, and bottom sides of the UE, with two sets of SRS features being mapped to different pairs of panels; Figure 17 illustrates an example of mapping between PUSCH layers (and associated DMRS ports) to SRS feature sets and mapping between SRS feature sets and UE panels; Figure 18 illustrates an example of a UE transmitting through all 4 SRS ports belonging to the SRS 1 resource set; faded / dashed lines indicate that SRS ports are not conducting push; Figure 19 illustrates an example of UE transmitting through SRS ports from each of the SRS resource set 1 and the SRS resource set 2; faded / dashed lines indicate that SRS ports are not conducting push; Figure 20 illustrates an SRI indication table for Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 123 / 196 / 82 PUSCH transmission based without codebook; Figure 21 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of the method described herein; Figure 22 illustrates a flowchart of one embodiment of the method described herein; Figure 23 shows a schematic representation of one mode of the communication system described herein; Figure 24 shows a schematic representation of a type of user equipment as described herein; Figure 25 shows a schematic representation of a network node modality of the present description; Figure 26 shows a schematic representation of a host modality of the present description; Figure 27 shows a schematic representation of a virtualization environment modality of the present description; and Figure 28 shows a schematic representation of a communication modality between nodes, hosts, and user equipment of the present description. Detailed Description

[0073] Before describing in detail various embodiments of the present description, it should be understood that this description is not limited to the parameters of the systems, methods, apparatus, products, processes and / or kits particularly exemplified, which may, of course, vary. Thus, although certain embodiments of the present description are described in detail with respect to configurations, parameters, components, specific elements, etc., the descriptions are illustrative and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the claimed embodiments. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the embodiments, and is not intended to necessarily limit the scope of the embodiments. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 124 / 196 / 82 claimed. In what follows, the term “UE STxMP” is used to refer to a UE that is capable of UL transmission through multiple sets of SRS features (e.g., mapped to different UE panels) on the same transmission occasion (i.e., on the same OFDM symbol). Furthermore, “STxMP scheme” may refer to either the SDM STxMP scheme or the SFN STxMP scheme. Also, in what follows, up to two sets of SRS features and up to four SRS ports per set of SRS features are considered (as was the case in NR Rel-18). However, embodiments described below may be extended / generalized to more than two sets of SRS features and more than four SRS ports per set of SRS features.

[0074] Currently, there are certain challenges in the previous technology, as described above. As further explained below, pre-coding indication for the STxMP SDM (and SFN) scheme for a UE with shared digital ports requires special consideration / solution compared to UEs with separate ports per panel.

[0075] Certain aspects of the description and its embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Embodiments of the present description include methods for pre-coding data channels and probing UE panels for UE with a limited number of shared digital ports across multiple UE panels.

[0076] Certain embodiments of the present description include various methods and systems. One embodiment, shown in Figure 13, comprises a method 1500 performed by a UE to pre-encode data channel(s) and probe UE panel(s). Step 1510 is to receive an indication on a downlink control channel that identifies a UL data channel transmission from one or more SRS resource sets. SRS resource sets can be distinguished in that one of the following conditions applies: Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 125 / 196 / 82 * (All SRS ports in an SRS resource set can be used for the sTRP scheme) If transmission from only one SRS resource set is indicated, up to all of the Ni SRS ports in the i-th SRS resource set can be active (i.e., one or more PUSCH layer(s) is / are mapped to said port) in the same OFDM symbol.

[0077] * (Only a subset of SRS ports in an SRS resource set can be used for the STxMP scheme) If transmission from more than one SRS resource set is indicated, only a subset containing Mi <Ni das Ni portas de SRS no i-ésimo conjunto de recursos de SRS pode ficar ativo (isto é, uma ou mais camada(s) PUSCH é(são) mapeada(s) para a dita porta) em um mesmo símbolo OFDM.

[0078] A etapa 1520 é transmitir um canal de dados UL de acordo com a indicação. Por exemplo, o canal de dados UL pode ser distinguido em que o mesmo é transmitido por um subconjunto de portas de SRS pertencentes a um ou mais dos conjuntos de recursos de SRS e em que o subconjunto compreende todas as Ni portas de SRS de um conjunto de recursos de SRS, se um único conjunto de recursos de SRS for indicado, ou inclui no máximo Mi < Ni das portas de SRS do i-ésimo conjunto de recursos de SRS, se múltiplos conjuntos de recursos de SRS forem indicados.In some embodiments, the 1500 method can be performed by a UE capable of simultaneously transmitting through SRS ports associated with a plurality of SRS resource sets, where different SRS resource sets are mapped to different subsets of UE antenna ports (different UE panels). The PUSCH can be transmitted from all ports belonging to the same panel or from only a subset of ports belonging to different panels at the same time. The 1500 method may comprise multiple variations and embodiments and / or additional and / or alternative steps. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 126 / 196 / 82

[0079] Another embodiment, shown in Figure 14, comprises a 1700 method performed by a UE to pre-encode data channel(s) and probe UE panel(s). In the 1700 method, SRS can be transmitted from all ports belonging to the same panel at the same time, but SRS cannot be transmitted from different panels at the same time. Step 1710 is to receive an indication from a downlink control channel that identifies a UL probe signal transmission from one or more of the configured SRS resource sets and to which one of the following conditions applies: * (All SRS ports in an SRS resource set can be probed at the same time) Up to all of the Ni SRS ports belonging to the i-th SRS resource set can be probed / transmitted on the same OFDM symbol.

[0080] * (SRS ports originating from more than one SRS resource set cannot be probed at the same time) None of the Nj SRS ports belonging to the j-th SRS resource set, where jfi, can be probed / transmitted in an OFDM symbol, where one or more of the Ni SRS ports belonging to the i-th SRS resource set are probed / transmitted.

[0081] Step 1720 is to transmit the UL sounding signal as indicated. Method 1700 may comprise multiple variations and modalities and / or additional and / or alternative steps.

[0082] Methods 1500 and 1700 may include a variety of additional or alternative steps.

[0083] In one example (the subset of ports per panel is not fixed for the STxMP scheme), method 1500 can be implemented in such a way that the UL data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to more than one set of SRS resources and the subset containing Mi <Ni das Ni portas de SRS no i-ésimo conjunto de recursos de SRS Petition 870250120941, dated 29 / 12 / 2025, p. 127 / 196 / 82 can be dynamically indicated by the NW to the EU using DCI.

[0084] In another example (where UE only supports NC precoders for the STxMP scheme, but can additionally support PC and FC precoders for the sTRP scheme), method 1500 or 1700 can be implemented in such a way that, for CB-based operation, the port and precoder subset for each SRS feature set is indicated by NW to UE via a TPMI field in DCI, and where set A of valid precoder candidates in said TPMI field is a subset of set B of valid precoder candidates for the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to an SRS feature set.

[0085] In another example (where UE PC must use NC precoders for the STxMP scheme), A is the set of NC precoders and B is the set of NC+PC precoders for Ni ports, respectively. In some variations (where UE PC can use NC+PC precoders for the STxMP scheme, but only for rank 1), the number of SRS ports and the rank indicated for the i-th set of SRS features is 4 and 1, respectively, for which A is the set of NC+PC precoders (for rank > 1, A is still the set of NC precoders).

[0086] In another variation, for example, where the UE FC must use NC+PC precoders for the STxMP scheme, A may comprise the set of NC precoders and B is the set of NC+PC+FC precoders for Ni ports, respectively. In a similar variation, where the UE FC may use NC+PC precoders for the STxMP scheme, but only for rank 1, the number of SRS ports and rank indicated for the i-th set of SRS features is 4 and 1, respectively, for which A is the set of NC+PC precoders. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 128 / 196 / 82 (for classification > 1, A is still the set of NC pre-coders).

[0087] In other possible variations, such as using a new codebook for the SDM scheme, the subset of ports and pre-encoder for each SRS feature set is indicated by the NW for the UE for CB-based operation via a TPMI field in DCI and the CB (the set of pre-encoder candidates) is different compared to the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through the SRS ports belonging to an SRS feature set.

[0088] In another variation, such as where the subset of ports per panel is fixed for the STxMP scheme, the UL data channel is transmitted through the SRS ports belonging to more than one set of SRS resources and the subset containing Mi <Ni das Ni portas de SRS é fixo e de conhecimento tanto do UE quanto da NW.

[0089] In another variation, such as where the gate subset comprises different polarizations of the same antenna element, for Ni=4, the SRS gate subset comprises the first and third SRS gates in the SRS feature set. In another variation, such as where the gate subset comprises the same polarization of a different antenna element, for Ni=4, the SRS gate subset comprises the first and second SRS gates in the SRS feature set.

[0090] In other variations, such as where there is a fixed subset of SRS features for NCB-based STxMP scheme, for NCB-based precoding, the NW can indicate to the UE via an SRI field in DCI only Mi <Ni dos Ni recursos de SRS no i-ésimo conjunto de recursos de SRS.

[0091] In some possible variations, such as where the SRI field size is different for sTRP and STxMP schemes, Nsrs = Mi can be used to determine the SRI field size for the i-th set of Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 129 / 196 / 82 SRS resources for the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to more than one SRS resource set and NSRS=Ni is used to determine the SRI field size for the i-th SRS resource set for the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to only one SRS resource set.

[0092] In certain other possible variations, such as where there is a restriction on valid SRI code points, NSRS = Ni can be used to determine the size of the SRI field for the i-th set of SRS resources for the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to more than one set of SRS resources, but the NW can indicate to the UE only a subset of the code points in said SRI field.

[0093] In other embodiments, such as where the TPMI field size is different for sTRP and STxMP schemes, for CB-based pre-coding, the NW may indicate to the UE by means of a TPMI field in DCI a port pre-coder Mi for the i-th set of SRS resources for the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to more than one set of SRS resources and a port pre-coder Ni for the i-th set of SRS resources for the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to only one set of SRS resources.

[0094] In certain embodiments, such as with a restriction on valid TPMI code points, for CB-based pre-encoding, the NW may indicate to the UE by means of a TPMI field in DCI a port pre-encoder Ni for the i-th set of SRS resources in the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to more than one set of SRS resources, but the NW may indicate to the UE only a subset of the code points in said SRI field. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 130 / 196 / 82

[0095] In other modalities, such as where the UE indicates whether digital ports are shared or separate, the UE explicitly indicates by means of UE capacity signaling whether digital ports are shared or separate between panels.

[0096] In other embodiments, such as where UE signals separate coherence capability for sTRP and STxMP schemes, for CB-based precoding where UE indicates by means of UE capability signaling a first UE coherence capability for the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to more than one set of SRS resources and a second UE coherence capability for the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to only one set of SRS resources.

[0097] In other variations, such as where the UE signals support for probing multiple sets of SRS resources at the same time, the UE indicates whether more than one set of SRS resources using a 'codebook' and / or 'no codebook' can be transmitted at the same time. In the case where the UE does not have shared digital ports between panels, SRS ports Ni and Nj belonging to the i-th and j-th sets of SRS resources, respectively, can be probed / transmitted on the same OFDM symbol.

[0098] Certain modes may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. With certain modes, the NW can configure pre-coding and channel probing for the UE with shared digital ports, in such a way that the number of SRS ports carrying the PUSCH does not exceed the UE capacity. Furthermore, the proposed UE capacity signaling allows the NW to distinguish whether the UE has shared or separate digital ports, ensuring that the UE can be configured with appropriate pre-coder / channel probing for each case.

[0099] Some of the modalities contemplated here will now be Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 131 / 196 / 82, described more fully in relation to the attached drawings. Modalities are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the matter to those skilled in the art. EU with Shared / Separate Ports Between Panels

[00100] The mapping between SRS feature sets for UE panels is the UE's responsibility and is transparent to the NW. In Figure 15 and Figure 16, two examples are provided of what such a mapping might look like at a given point in time for a UE 1900, 2100 with two four-port panels (Figure 15) and four two-port panels (Figure 16). In the figures, each (sub)array P1, ..., P4 has two antenna ports, such that the number of SRS ports per SRS feature set is four. Figure 15 shows a UE 1900 with two four-port panels 1910 (each consisting of a pair of two-port subarrays) located on the left and right sides of the UE 1900. Two sets of SRS features 1920, 1930 are mapped to different panels 1910. Figure 16 shows a UE 2100 with four two-port panels 2110 located on the left, top, right, and bottom sides of the UE 2100.Two sets of SRS 2120 and 2130 features are mapped to different pairs of 2110 panels.

[00101] Figure 17 shows a 2300 mapping embodiment of PUSCH layers 2310, 2320 (with DMRS ports) to two sets of four-port SRS features 2335, 2345 mapped to different SRS ports 2315, 2325, and UE (sub)arrays P1, P2, P3, P4. In this example, each (sub)array P1, P4 has four dual-polarization antenna elements and two antenna ports (one per polarization). Here, W1 indicates the UE precoder for the first set of SRS 2335 features and W2 indicates the UE precoder for the second set of SRS 2345 features. Figure 17 shows an example of both mapping between PUSCH layers 2310, 2320 (and associated DMRS ports 2315, 2325) to the Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 132 / 196 / 82 resource sets of SRS 2335, 2345 as well as the mapping between resource sets of SRS 2335, 2345 and EU panels with (sub)arrays P1...P4.

[00102] For a PUSCH transmission from a UE with four separate / dedicated digital ports for each of the two SRS resource sets, the pre-encoding indication becomes relatively simple: the pre-encoder for the first SRS resource set does not depend on the pre-encoder for the second SRS resource set, and both pre-encoders can be fully connected (i.e., PUSCH layers can be mapped to all SRS ports across the two SRS resource sets).

[00103] For a PUSCH transmission from a UE with four digital ports that are shared across two sets of SRS resources, on the other hand, the following conditions must be maintained.

[00104] For the sTRP scheme (an example is provided in Figure 18): up to four PUSCH 2510, 2520 layers (with DMRS ports) are mapped to up to four SRS 2515, 2525 ports (where the number of SRS ports is greater than or equal to the number of PUSCH layers) belonging to the same SRS 2535, 2545 resource set (i.e., only one of the two SRS resource sets configured for the UE). Figure 18 shows an example where a UE transmits through all four SRS 2515 ports belonging to the SRS 1 2535 resource set. Here, the faded / dashed lines indicate that the SRS 2525 ports are not conducting PUSCH. W1 and W2 are pre-encoders.

[00105] For the STxMP scheme (an example is provided in Figure 19): up to four PUSCH 2710, 2720 layers (with DMRS ports) are mapped to up to four SRS 2715, 2725 ports (where the number of SRS ports is greater than or equal to the number of PUSCH layers) via two sets of SRS 2735, 2745 features (i.e., both sets Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 133 / 196 34 / 82 of SRS resources configured for the UE). At most two PUSCH layers are mapped to at most two SRS ports 2715, 2725 per SRS resource set 2735, 2745 (that is, at least two SRS ports per SRS resource set do not conduct PUSCH layers). In Figure 19, the UE transmits through two SRS ports 2715, 2725 from each SRS resource set 1 2735 and SRS resource set 2 2745. Here, the faded / dashed lines indicate which SRS ports are not conducting PUSCH.

[00106] The trivial solution that would enable a CB-based STxMP scheme for a UE with shared digital ports is for the UE's STxMP to report NC capability in such a way that pre-encoder candidates are limited to antenna-select pre-encoders. For example, for the CB-based STxMP scheme, the UE with shared digital ports might be indicated to use the following two pre-encoders (corresponding to TPMI indices 1 and 2 in Table 6.3.1.5-5 in 3GPP TS 38.211): 0 = °U 10 1 ,0 u. u tv =0 u20 0 ,0 1.

[00107] Note that, with the exposed choice of Wi and W2, four PUSCH layers are mapped to only four SRS ports across the two sets of SRS features, which adheres to the exposed conditions. However, it can be shown that this trivial solution can result in significantly degraded performance (compared to embodiments in the present description). This performance degradation is due to the UE needing to use the NC pre-encoder as well for the sTRP scheme even if Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 134 / 196 / 82 that supports NC+PC or NC+PC+FC pre-encoders. Therefore, the trivial solution results in a loss in pre-encoding gain for the sTRP scheme. And also, by virtue of a UE that supports up to two layers per SRS feature set for the STxMP scheme needing to use an NC pre-encoder even if configured with rank 1, for which a PC pre-encoder will also satisfy the conditions set out. Therefore, the trivial solution results in a loss in pre-encoding gain for the STxMP scheme. UL Transmission / Pre-coding

[00108] Certain modes may include UL Transmission / Precoding via a subset of SRS ports per SRS feature for the STxMP SDM and / or SFM scheme, but not for the sTRP scheme. In one mode, for CB-based transmission, a UE with shared digital ports may be configured with a different / smaller subset of precoders for an STxMP transmission (i.e., via more than one set of SRS features) compared to an sTRP transmission (i.e., via one set of SRS features).

[00109] In one embodiment, an FC UE (i.e., a UE that has signaled support for the NC+PC+FC pre-coder subset) that is configured to transmit PUSCH through a single SRS resource set can map the PUSCH layers to up to all SRS ports belonging to the individual SRS resource set using FC, PC, or NC pre-coders. However, during switching to STxMP via the “SRS resource set indicator” field in DCI, two possibilities can occur, depending on whether the UE indicates that its digital ports are shared or separate. If the UE has separate ports per panel, it can use all FC+PC+NC pre-coders. On the other hand, if the UE has shared ports between panels, then the UE is limited to using NC pre-coders (and, Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 135 / 196 / 82 possibly, PC, depending on the classification). For example, in the case where the UE has four shared ports and is configured with STxMP transmission with two layers from an SRS resource set, only NC pre-coders can be selected for said SRS resource set, since such pre-coders map up to two PUSCH layers to up to two SRS ports and therefore the number of SRS ports through two SRS resource sets cannot exceed four, which, in this example, corresponds to the number of shared digital ports.In one embodiment, if the UE has four shared ports and is configured with STxMP transmission with one layer likely from an SRS feature set, only NC+PC precoders can be selected for said SRS feature set, since such precoders map one PUSCH layer to up to two SRS ports, and therefore the number of SRS ports across two SRS feature sets cannot exceed four, which in this example corresponds to the number of shared digital ports. In an alternative embodiment, if the UE has four shared ports and is configured with STxMP transmission, it must use NC precoders, regardless of classification.

[00110] In another embodiment, a PC UE (i.e., a UE that has signaled support for the NC+PC pre-coder subset) that is configured to transmit PUSCH through a single SRS resource set can map PUSCH layers to up to all SRS ports belonging to the individual SRS resource set using PC or NC pre-coders. However, during switching to STxMP via the “SRS resource set indicator” field in the DCI, two possibilities can occur, depending on whether the UE indicates that its digital ports are shared or separate. If the UE has separate ports per panel, it can utilize all PC+NC pre-coders. On the other hand Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 136 / 196 / 82, states that if the UE has shared ports between panels, then the UE is limited to the use of NC pre-encoders (and possibly PC, depending on the classification). For example, in the case where the UE has four shared ports and is configured with STxMP transmission with two layers originating from an SRS resource set, only NC pre-encoders can be selected for said SRS resource set, since such pre-encoders map up to two PUSCH layers to up to two SRS ports and therefore the number of SRS ports across two SRS resource sets cannot exceed four, which in this example corresponds to the number of shared digital ports.In one embodiment, if the UE has four shared ports and is configured with STxMP transmission with a layer originating from an SRS resource set, only NC+PC precoders can be selected for said SRS resource set, since such precoders map a PUSCH layer to up to two SRS ports, and therefore the number of SRS ports across two SRS resource sets cannot exceed four, which in this example corresponds to the number of shared digital ports. In an alternative embodiment, if the UE has four shared ports and is configured with STxMP transmission, it must use NC precoders regardless of classification.

[00111] In one embodiment, for CB-based transmission, the UE can be configured with a different / new codebook of precoders for STxMP transmission (i.e., through more than one set of SRS features), compared to the legacy codebook, which is used for sTRP transmission (i.e., through one set of SRS features).

[00112] In one embodiment, a UE with shared digital ports that has been instructed to perform an STxMP transmission. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 137 / 196 / 82 (i.e., through more than one set of SRS resources) will map PUSCH layers via a designated M-port pre-encoder to a subset (fixed and known to both the UE and the NW) of the N > M SRS ports in at least one of more than one set of SRS resources. If the same UE has been instructed to perform an sTRP transmission (i.e., through a set of SRS resources), it will map PUSCH layers via a designated pre-encoder to all N SRS ports in the designated set of SRS resources.

[00113] In one embodiment, for a 4-port SRS resource set in a collection of more than one SRS resource set through which an STxMP transmission was indicated, a 2-port pre-encoder is mapped to two of the four SRS ports in said set.

[00114] In one embodiment, the 2-port pre-encoder is mapped to the 2 SRS ports in the SRS feature set that has the lowest port index.

[00115] In an alternative embodiment, the 2-port precoder is mapped to the lowest and third-lowest port indexes in the SRS feature set. In this case, in a related embodiment, a shared-port UE that supports four PC Tx precoders for the sTRP case can be implicitly understood to support two FC Tx precoders for the STxMP case. The reason for this is that the first and third (and second and fourth) SRS ports are considered mutually coherent for a partially coherent 4-port precoder. Therefore, they can also be considered coherent for a fully coherent 2-port precoder mapped to the first and third SRS ports.

[00116] In one embodiment, for NCB-based pre-coding, a UE with shared digital ports that has received the indication to perform an STxMP transmission (i.e., through more than one set of Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 138 / 196 / 82 SRS resources) will map PUSCH layers through a subset (fixed and known to the UE and NW) of size M of SRS resources from a total of N > M SRS resources in at least one of more than one set of SRS resources. If the same UE has been instructed to perform an sTRP transmission (i.e., through a set of SRS resources), it will map PUSCH layers through a specified pre-encoder to up to all N SRS resources in the specified set of SRS resources.

[00117] In one embodiment, for NCB-based pre-coding, the size of the corresponding SRI field in DCI will be computed assuming NSRS = M SRS resources when STxMP transmission is indicated and assuming NSRS = N SRS resources when sTRP transmission is indicated.

[00118] In one embodiment, for NCB-based pre-coding, the size of the corresponding SRI field in DCI will be computed assuming NSRS = N SRS resources, regardless of whether STxMP or sTRP transmission is indicated. However, when STxMP is indicated, only a subset of code points in the SRI field is supported. An example is provided in Figure 20 for the case Nsrs = N = 2, 3, 4 and for the UE with four shared digital ports that must perform STxMP transmission through two sets of SRS resources with Nsrs = N = 2, 3, 4 single-port SRS resources each. Figure 20 shows the SRI indication for codebook-based PUSCH transmission (reproduced from Table 7.3.1.1.2-32 in 3GPP TS 38.212). Simultaneous EU Capacity Signaling and UL Survey

[00119] Some modes may include UE capacity signaling and UL probing from individual / multiple SRS resource sets simultaneously. In one mode, UE STxMP may indicate capacity that SRS ports belonging to a Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 139 / 196 / 82 plurality of SRS resource sets using 'codebook' or 'no codebook' may (or may not) be transmitted at the same time. Based on the exposed UE capacity signaling, NW can infer whether the UE STxMP has shared digital ports between panels or not.

[00120] In one embodiment, the UE signals new UE coherence capability for the STxMP SDM and / or SFN schemes that may differ from the legacy UE coherence capability. In this case, the legacy UE coherence capability will be used to determine a (sub)set of pre-coders for sTRP transmission across the individual SRS feature set, while the new UE coherence capability will determine a (sub)set of pre-coders for STxMP transmission across multiple SRS feature sets.

[00121] In one embodiment, regardless of UE coherence capability (e.g., UE signaled support for FC pre-coders), UE can only use NC pre-coders (for both sTRP and STxMP schemes) if configured with two sets of SRS features and with an SDM / SFN scheme.

[00122] In one embodiment, the UE signals support for STxMP during UE capability signaling, and wherein the UE capability message indicating support for STxMP contains one or more of the following indications (in one embodiment, one or more of the markers listed below belong to a separate UE capability message from the UE capability message indicating support for STxMP, however, when the markers are still associated with the STxMP operation): * Maximum number of SRS feature sets supported for STxMP (this can be used in the case where UE qSTxMP is supported for more than two UE panels in future NR or 6G editions, and Petition 870250120941, dated 29 / 12 / 2025, p. 140 / 196 / 82: the EU must indicate the maximum number of panels (i.e., SRS resource sets) that can be used for STxMP).

[00123] * Maximum number of SRS ports simultaneously transmitted across all SRS resource sets used for STxMP. This capability is used to indicate the maximum number of SRS ports used for STxMP that the UE can transmit simultaneously (i.e., on the same symbol). Assume that a UE reports that the “maximum number of SRS ports simultaneously transmitted across all SRS resource sets used for STxMP” is equal to 4. In this case, if the UE is configured with two SRS resource sets for STxMP (e.g., two SRS resource sets using 'codebook') and where each SRS resource set consists of a two-port SRS resource, then the UE can transmit both SRS resource sets on the same OFDM symbol, since the total number of SRS ports in the two sets is equal to four.However, if the UE is configured with two sets of SRS resources for STxMP, where each set of SRS resources consists of a four-port SRS resource, then the UE can only transmit one set of SRS resources per OFDM symbol (i.e., the transmission of the two sets of SRS resources needs to be transmitted in non-overlapping time instances). Please note that this capability can be used to implicitly indicate whether the UE has shared digital ports across UE panels, or whether the UE has separate digital ports per UE panel.For example, with regard to Figure 4, the case on the left with digital ports separated by EU panel can report a “maximum number of SRS ports simultaneously transmitted across all SRS resource sets used for STxMP” equal to 8, while the case on the right with digital ports shared across EU panels can only report a “maximum number of SRS ports simultaneously transmitted across all of them.” Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 141 / 196 / 82 sets of SRS resources used for STxMP” equal to four.

[00124] * Maximum number of SRS ports supported per feature SRS per SRS feature set for STxMP operation. This can be used, for example, to indicate whether the UE has UE panels with four TX ports (which would mean that the UE can be configured with up to four SRS ports per SRS feature set for STxMP), or UE panels with two TX ports (which would mean that the UE can be configured with up to two SRS ports per SRS feature set for STxMP).

[00125] * Maximum number of layers per feature set of SRS or a maximum number of layers applicable to all SRS feature sets for STxMP operation (which is different from the maximum rating in legacy specifications that is applicable for sTRP / Rel-17 mTRP repeat).

[00126] * The list of the maximum number of SRS ports supported per SRS feature set for STxMP operation, where different list entries correspond to different UE panels / or UE panel types (e.g., the UE might report a list with entries 2 and 4, which would then mean that the UE supports one (or more) SRS feature sets with up to four SRS ports per SRS feature set (which, for example, might correspond to a UE panel with four TX ports) and one (or more) SRS feature sets with up to two SRS ports per SRS feature set (which, for example, might correspond to a UE panel with two TX ports)).

[00127] * Indication of coherence capability, where coherence capability depends on the number of SRS ports that is configured per SRS resource per SRS resource set. For example, UE may report fully coherent capability for two SRS ports per SRS resource per SRS resource set, and non-coherent capability for four. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 142 / 196 / 82 SRS ports per SRS resource per SRS resource set. In this case, if the UE is configured with 4 SRS ports per SRS resource for an SRS resource set, the UE can only be indicated with non-consistent precoders during the STxMP operation associated with this SRS resource set, and in the case where the UE is configured with 2 SRS ports per SRS resource per SRS resource set, the UE can be indicated with fully consistent precoders (in addition to partially / non-consistent precoders according to Rel-15 rules).

[00128] Please note that one or more markers from the exposed list of EU capacity information related to STxMP may be indicated in one of the following ways: * or jointly for both “SDM / sTRP operation” (i.e., where the UE is configured for SDM STxMP operation and the NW can use the “SRS Feature Set Indicator” field in the DCI to indicate SDM or sTRP transmission) and for “SFN / sTRP operation” (i.e., where the UE is configured for SFN STxMP operation and the NW can use the “SRS Feature Set Indicator” field in the DCI to indicate SFN or sTRP transmission).

[00129] * separately for the “SDM / sTRP operation” and the “operation SFN / sTRP”.

[00130] * only for the “SDM / sTRP operation”.

[00131] * only for the “SFN / sTRP operation”.

[00132] Another possible embodiment of the method of the present description is shown in Figure 21. Method 2900 comprises a method performed by a network node to configure a UE to pre-encode data channel and / or probe UE panels. Step 2910 is to send an indication on a downlink control channel that identifies an uplink data channel transmission from one or more SRS resource sets. Step 2920 is to receive a link data channel. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 143 / 196 / 82 ascending according to the indication. In some embodiments, the ascending link data channel is distinguished in that the ascending link data channel is transmitted over a subset of SRS ports belonging to one or more of the SRS resource sets and in that the subset comprises all Ni SRS ports of an SRS resource set, if a single SRS resource set is indicated, or includes at most Mi < Ni of the SRS ports of the i-th SRS resource set, if multiple SRS resource sets are indicated. Method 2900 may comprise multiple variations and embodiments and / or additional and / or alternative steps.

[00133] Another possible embodiment of the method described herein is shown in Figure 22. Method 3100 comprises a method performed by a network node to configure or communicate with a UE to precode data channel and / or probe UE panels. Step 3110 is to send an indication on a downlink control channel that identifies an uplink probe signal transmission from one or more configured SRS resource sets. Step 3120 is to receive an uplink probe signal in accordance with the indication. Method 3100 may comprise multiple variations and embodiments and / or additional and / or alternative steps.

[00134] Figure 23 shows an example of a 2100 communication system according to some embodiments. In the example, the 2100 communication system includes a 2102 telecommunication network which includes a 2104 access network, such as a RAN, and a 2106 core network, which includes one or more 2108 core network nodes. The 2104 access network includes one or more access network nodes, such as 2110a and 2110b network nodes (one or more of which may generally be referred to as 2110 network nodes), or any other similar 3GPP (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The 2110 network nodes facilitate the Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 144 / 196 / 82 direct or indirect connection of the UE, such as by connecting UEs 2112a, 2112b, 2112c, and 2112d (one or more of which may generally be referred to as UEs 2112) to the core network 2106 via one or more wireless connections.

[00135] An example of wireless communication via a wireless connection includes transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conducting information without the use of wires, cables, or other conductive materials. Furthermore, in different modalities, the 1100 communication system may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in data and / or signal communication, whether through wired or wireless connections. The 2100 communication system may include and / or interface with any type of communication network, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio, and / or other similar type of system.

[00136] UEs 2112 can be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes 2110 and other communication devices. Similarly, network nodes 2110 are arranged, capable, configured and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UEs 2112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment on the telecommunications network 2102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration, on the telecommunications network 2102.

[00137] In the example shown, the central network 2106 connects the network nodes 2110 to one or more hosts, such as host 2116. These connections can be direct or indirect through one or more intermediate networks or devices. In still other examples, the network nodes can Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 145 / 196 / 82 to be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 2106 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 2108) that are structured with hardware and software components. The characteristics of these components may be substantially similar to those described in relation to UEs, network nodes and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are, in general, applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 2108.The nodes of the example core network include functions from one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Unveiling Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[00138] Host 2116 may be owned or controlled by a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 2104 and / or the telecommunications network 2102, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. Host 2116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieval and compilation of data under various environmental conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions to control or otherwise interact with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[00139] As a whole, the 2100 communication system in Figure 23 enables connectivity between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In this sense, the communication system can be configured to operate in Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 146 / 196 / 82 in accordance with predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards including, but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the 802.11 (WiFi) standards of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi and / or any low-power wide area network (LPWAN) standards, such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[00140] In some instances, the 2102 telecommunications network is a cellular network that implements features standardized by 3GPP. In this way, the 2102 telecommunications network can support network slicing to provide different logical networks for different devices that are connected to the 2102 telecommunications network. For example, the 2102 telecommunications network can provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while simultaneously providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive IoT services to still additional UEs.

[00141] In some examples, UEs 2112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the 2104 access network on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the 2104 access network. Additionally, a UE may be configured to operate in single-RAT, multi-RAT, or multi-pattern RAT mode. For example, a UE may Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 147 / 196 / 82 to operate with any one or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e., being configured for dual multi-radio connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[00142] In the example, concentrator 2114 communicates with access network 2104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 2112c and / or 2112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 2110b). In some examples, concentrator 2114 may be a controller, a router, a content and analytics source, or any of the other communication devices described herein in relation to the UEs. For example, concentrator 2114 may be a broadband router that enables access to the central network 2106 for the UEs. As another example, concentrator 2114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators on the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 2110, or by code, script, process, or other executable instructions on concentrator 2114.As another example, the 2114 concentrator can be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, can perform analysis or other data processing. As another example, the 2114 concentrator can be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a headset, display, speaker, or other VR media delivery device, the 2114 concentrator can retrieve assets, video, audio, or other VR media or sensory information-related data via a network node, which the 2114 concentrator then provides to the UE directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, the 2114 concentrator acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for UEs, particularly if one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pages 148 / 196 / 82

[00143] The 2114 concentrator can have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the 2110b network node. The 2114 concentrator can also allow a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the 2114 concentrator and the UEs (e.g., UE 2112c and / or 2112d), and between the 2114 concentrator and the 2106 central network. In other examples, the 2114 concentrator is connected to the 2106 central network and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Furthermore, the 2114 concentrator can be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via the 1104 access network and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs can establish a wireless connection with the 2110 network nodes while still being connected via the 2114 concentrator through a wired or wireless connection.In some embodiments, the 2114 concentrator may be a dedicated concentrator—that is, a concentrator whose primary function is to route communications to / from UEs originating from / to the 2110b network node. In other embodiments, the 2114 concentrator may be a non-dedicated concentrator—that is, a device that can operate to route communications between UEs and the 2110b network node, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[00144] Figure 24 shows a UE 2200 according to some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local area network phone, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, a game console or device, a music storage device, a playback application, a wearable terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a tablet, a laptop, embedded equipment. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 149 / 196 / 82 in laptop (LEE), a laptop-mounted device (LME), a smart device, a wireless consumer premises equipment (CPE), a vehicle-mounted or embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine-type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[00145] A UE can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing a 3GPP standard for side-link communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In still other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user, but which may not, or may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user, but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart energy meter).

[00146] The UE 2200 includes a set of processing circuits 2202 that is operatively coupled via a bus 2204 to an input / output interface 2206, a power supply 2208, a memory 2210, a communication interface 2212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 10. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another. Additionally, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 150 / 196 / 82 component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[00147] The 2202 processing circuitry is configured to process instructions and data, and can be configured to implement any operational sequential state machine to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in memory 2210. The 2202 processing circuitry can be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate embedded software; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors such as a microprocessor or a digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the 2202 processing circuitry may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[00148] In the example, the 2206 input / output interface can be configured to provide an interface or interfaces for an input device, an output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a loudspeaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, a transmitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information on the UE 2200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, an internet camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a ball mouse, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a sensor of Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 151 / 196 / 82 capacitive or resistive touch to perceive input from a user. The sensor can be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device can use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port can be used to provide both an input and an output device.

[00149] In some embodiments, the 2208 power supply is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power supplies, such as an external power supply (e.g., an electrical outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The 2208 power supply may additionally include a power circuit assembly to distribute power from the 2208 power supply itself, and / or an external power supply, to the various parts of the UE 2200 via the input circuit assembly or an interface, such as a power cable. The power distribution may be, for example, for charging the 2208 power supply. The power circuit assembly may perform any shaping, conversion, or other modification of the power from the 2208 power supply to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 2200 to which the power is supplied.

[00150] The 2210 memory may be, or be configured to include, memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the 2210 memory includes one or more Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 152 / 196 / 82 application programs 2214, such as an operating system, internet browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 2216. Memory 2210 may store, for use by UE 2200, any one of a variety of different operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[00151] The 2210 memory can be configured to include numerous physical units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, USB drive, pen drive, keychain, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smart card memory, such as a tamper-resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC), including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof.The UICC can be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly known as a 'SIM card'. The 2210 memory can allow the UE 2200 to access instructions, application programs, and the like, stored on transient or non-transient memory media, to download data, or to load data. A manufacturing article, such as one that uses a communication system, can be tangibly incorporated as or in the 2210 memory, which can be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[00152] The 2202 processing circuitry can be configured to communicate with an access network or another network using the 2212 communication interface. The 2212 communication interface can Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 153 / 196 / 82 comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 2222. The communication interface 2212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 2218 and / or a receiver 2220 suitable for providing network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Furthermore, the transmitter 2218 and the receiver 2220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 2222) and may share circuit components, software, or embedded software, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[00153] In the embodiment illustrated, the communication functions of the 2212 communication interface may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a location, another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in accordance with one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing (CDMA) access, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Network (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so on.

[00154] Regardless of the sensor type, an UE can provide an output of the data captured by its sensors through its interface. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 154 / 196 / 82 communication 2212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors in a UE can be communicated via a wireless connection to a network node through another UE. The output can be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports perceived temperature), random (e.g., to balance reporting loads from multiple sensors), in response to a trigger event (e.g., when humidity is detected, an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed from a patient).

[00155] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input, the states of the actuator, motor, or switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input, or a robotic arm that performs a medical procedure according to the received input.

[00156] The UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, can be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains including, but not limited to, wearable technology in the city, extended industrial application, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an IoT device are a device that is or is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robotic vacuum cleaner, a voice-controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a sensor of Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 155 / 196 / 82 flood / humidity, an electric door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system such as a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a climate monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smartwatch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable item for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal or item tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any type of medical device, such as a heart rate monitor or a remotely controlled surgical robot.The UE in the form of an IoT device comprises a set of circuits and / or software, depending on the intended application of the IoT device, in addition to the other components described in relation to the UE 2200 shown in Figure 10.

[00157] As yet another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE can, in this case, be an M2M device, which, in a 3GPP context, can be referred to as an MTC device. As a particular example, the UE can implement the NB-IoT 3GPP standard. In other scenarios, a UE can represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship, and an aircraft, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[00158] In practice, any number of UEs can be used together in relation to a single use case. For example, a first UE could be, or be integrated into, a drone and provide the drone's speed information. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 156 / 196 / 82 (obtained through a speed sensor) for a second UE which is a remote control that operates the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote control, the first UE can adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone's speed. The first and / or second UEs may also include more than one of the above-described functionalities. For example, a UE may understand the sensor and the actuator, and handle data communication for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[00159] Figure 25 shows a 3300 network node according to some embodiments. As used herein, a network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, B nodes, evolved B nodes (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)).

[00160] Base stations can be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmission power levels) and, therefore, depending on the amount of coverage provided, can be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station, such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna, such as an antenna-integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station can also be referred to as nodes. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 157 / 196 / 82 in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[00161] Other examples of network nodes include 5G access nodes with multiple transmission points (multi-TRP), multi-standard radio equipment (MSR), such as MSR BSs, network controllers, such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multi-broadcast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Mobile Local Service Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Drive Test Minimization (MDTs).

[00162] The 3300 network node includes a set of 3302 processing circuits, a 3304 memory, a 3306 communication interface, and a 3308 power supply. The 3300 network node may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), each of which may have its own respective components. In certain scenarios where the 3300 network node comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may, in some cases, be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the 1300 network node may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs).In such configurations, some components can be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 3304 for different RATs) and some components can be reused (e.g., the same antenna 3310 can be shared by different RATs). The network node 3300 can also include multiple sets of... Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 158 / 196 / 82 various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into the 1300 network node, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components in the 1300 network node.

[00163] The 3302 processing circuitry may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate arrangement, or any other device, feature, or combination of operable computing hardware, software, and / or coded logic suitable for providing, either individually or in conjunction with other components of the 3300 network node, such as the 3304 memory, for providing 3300 network node functionality.

[00164] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 3302 includes a system-on-a-chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 3302 includes one or more radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitries 3312 and baseband processing circuitries 3314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 3312 and the baseband processing circuitry 3314 may be on separate chips (or chip assemblies), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, parts or the entirety of the RF transceiver circuitry 3312 and the baseband processing circuitry 3314 may be on the same chip or chip assemblies, boards, or units.

[00165] Memory 3304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, but not limited to Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 159 / 196 / 82 limitations, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a flash drive, a Compact Disc (CD), or a Digital Video Disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transient, device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that can be used by the 3302 processing circuitry.Memory 3304 can store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 3302 and used by the network node 3300. Memory 3304 can be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuitry 3302 and / or any data received through the communication interface 3306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 3302 and memory 3304 are integrated.

[00166] The 3306 communication interface is used for wired or wireless signaling and / or data communication between a network node, an access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the 3306 communication interface comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 3316 for sending and receiving data, for example, to and from a network via a wired connection. The 3306 communication interface also includes the 3318 radio initial interface circuit set which can be coupled to, or in certain embodiments, to a part of, the antenna 3310. The 3318 radio initial interface circuit set comprises filters 3320 and amplifiers 3322. The 3318 radio initial interface circuit set can be Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 160 / 196 / 82 connected to an antenna 3310 and to the processing circuit assembly 3302. The initial radio interface circuit assembly can be configured to condition the signals communicated between the antenna 3310 and the processing circuit assembly 3302. The initial radio interface circuit assembly 3318 can receive digital data that must be sent to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The initial radio interface circuitry 3318 can convert digital data into a radio signal that has the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 3320 and / or amplifiers 3322. The radio signal can then be transmitted via antenna 3310. Similarly, during data reception, antenna 3310 can collect radio signals that are then converted into digital data by the initial radio interface circuitry 3318.Digital data can be passed to the 3302 processing circuitry. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[00167] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 3300 does not include a separate initial radio interface circuit assembly 3318; instead, the processing circuit assembly 3302 includes the initial radio interface circuit assembly and is connected to the antenna 3310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or parts of the RF transceiver circuit assembly 3312 are part of the communication interface 3306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 3306 includes one or more ports or terminals 3316, the initial radio interface circuit assembly 3318, and the RF transceiver circuit assembly 3312 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 3306 communicates with the baseband processing circuit assembly 3314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[00168] The 3310 antenna may include one or more antennas, or arrangements Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 161 / 196 / 82 of antennas, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 3310 can be coupled to the initial radio interface circuit assembly 3318 and can be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving wireless data and / or signals. In certain embodiments, antenna 3310 is separate from network node 3300 and is connectable to network node 3300 via an interface or port.

[00169] Antenna 3310, communication interface 3306 and / or processing circuitry 3302 can be configured to perform any reception operations and / or certain acquisition operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals can be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other networked equipment. Similarly, antenna 3310, communication interface 3306 and / or processing circuitry 3302 can be configured to perform any transmission operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals can be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other networked equipment.

[00170] The 3308 power supply provides power to the various components of the 3300 network node in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level required for each respective component). The 3308 power supply may additionally comprise, or be coupled to, a set of power management circuits to supply the components of the 3300 network node with the power to perform the functionality described herein. For example, the 3300 network node may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the mains power, an electrical outlet) via a set of circuits or an input interface, such as a power cord, whereby the external power supply supplies power to the power circuits from the 3308 power supply. As an example Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 162 / 196 / 82 additionally, the power supply 3308 may comprise a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack that is connected to, or integrated into, the power circuit assembly. The battery may provide backup power in case the external power supply fails.

[00171] Network node 3300 configurations may include additional components, beyond those shown in Figure 25, to provide certain aspects of network node functionality, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, network node 3300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into network node 3300 and to allow output of information from network node 3300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostics, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for network node 3300.

[00172] Figure 26 is a block diagram of a 4400 host, which may be an embodiment of the 2116 host of Figure 23, according to various aspects described herein. As used herein, the 4400 host may be or comprise various combinations of hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-deployed server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, a container, or processing resources in a server farm. The 4400 host may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[00173] The host 4400 includes a processing circuitry set 4402 which is operatively coupled via a bus 4404 to an input / output interface 4406, a network interface 4408, a power supply 4410 and a memory 4412. Other components may be included in other embodiments. The characteristics of these components may be substantially similar to those described in relation to the devices in the preceding figures, such as figures 24 and 25, such that the descriptions thereof are, in general, applicable to the Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 163 / 196 / 82 corresponding components of host 4400.

[00174] Memory 4412 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host application programs 4414 and data 4416, which may include user data, for example, data generated by a UE for host 4400 or data generated by host 4400 for a UE. Host 4400 modes may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. Host application programs 4414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture, and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., telephone sets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, alert monitor systems). Host application programs 4414 can also provide user authentication and licensing checks, and can periodically report the health, routes, and availability of content to a central node, such as a device on, or at the edge of, a central network. In this way, the host 4400 can select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. Host application programs 4414 can support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming Protocol (HLS), the Real-Time Messaging System Protocol (RTMP), the Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEGDASH), etc.

[00175] Figure 27 is a block diagram illustrating a 5500 virtualization environment in which the functions implemented by some Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 164 / 196 / 82 modalities can be virtualized. In the present context, virtualization means the creation of virtual versions of appliances or devices, which may include the virtualization of hardware platforms, storage devices, and network resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and refers to an implementation in which at least part of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components running on one or more virtual machines (VMs) deployed in one or more virtual environments hosted by one or more of the hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device operating as a network node, UE, core network node, or host.Additionally, in modes where the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (for example, a core network or host node), then the node can be fully virtualized.

[00176] 5502 applications (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual applications, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) run in the 5500 virtualization environment to implement some of the features, functions and / or benefits of some of the modalities described herein.

[00177] The 5504 hardware includes a set of processing circuits, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuits, and / or other hardware devices, as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. The software may be executed by the processing circuits to instantiate one or more 5506 virtualization layers (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide 5508a and 5508b VMs (one or more of which may generally be referred to as 5508 VMs), and / or perform Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 165 / 196 / 82 any of the functions, characteristics and / or benefits described in relation to some of the modalities described herein. The 5506 virtualization layer may present a virtual operating platform that appears as networked hardware for the 5508 VMs.

[00178] 5508 VMs comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual network or interface, and virtual storage, and can be run by a corresponding 5506 virtualization layer. Different instance modes of a virtual application 5502 can be implemented on one or more 5508 VMs, and the implementations can be done in different ways. Hardware virtualization is, in some contexts, referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV can be used to consolidate many types of networked equipment over industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches and physical storage, which may be located in data centers, and equipment on consumer premises.

[00179] In the context of NFV, a 5508 VM can be a software implementation of a physical machine that executes programs as if they were running on a non-virtualized physical machine. Each of the 5508 VMs, and the part of the 5504 hardware that runs this VM, whether it is the same hardware dedicated to this VM and / or hardware shared by this VM with other VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Also in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run on one or more 5508 VMs on top of the 5504 hardware and correspond to the 5502 application.

[00180] The 5504 hardware can be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The 5504 hardware can implement some functions through virtualization. Alternatively, the 5504 hardware can be part of a larger cluster. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 166 / 196 / 82 of hardware (for example, such as in a data center or CPE), where many hardware nodes work together and are managed through management and orchestration 5510, which, among other things, oversee the lifecycle management of applications 5502. In some embodiments, the hardware 5504 is coupled to one or more radio units, each of which includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes through one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station.In some embodiments, some signaling may be provided using a 5512 control system which can alternatively be used for communication between the nodes in hardware and the radio units.

[00181] Figure 28 shows a communication diagram of a host 6602 communicating via a network node 6604 with a UE 6606 through a partially wireless connection according to some embodiments. Example implementations, according to various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 2112a of Figure 23 and / or UE 2200 of Figure 24), of the network node (such as network node 2110a of Figure 23 and / or network node 3300 of Figure 25) and of the host (such as host 2116 of Figure 23 and / or host 4400 of Figure 26) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described in relation to Figure 28.

[00182] Like the 4400 host, the 6602 host modalities include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The 6602 host also includes software, which is stored on, or accessible by, the 6602 host and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 167 / 196 / 82 for a remote user, such as UE 6606, connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 6650 that extends between UE 6606 and host 6602. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data that is transmitted using the OTT connection 6650.

[00183] Network node 6604 includes hardware that enables it to communicate with host 6602 and UE 6606. The 6660 connection can be direct or pass through a core network (such as core network 2106 in Figure 23) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network could be a core network or the Internet.

[00184] The UE 6606 includes hardware and software, which is stored on, or accessible by, the UE 6606 and executable by the UE's processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as an internet browser or operator-specific "app," which may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user through the UE 6606 with the support of the 6602 host. On the 6602 host, a running host application may communicate with the running client application via the 6650 OTT connection terminating on the UE 6606 and the 6602 host. In providing the service to the user, the UE client application may receive request data from the host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The 6650 OTT connection may transfer both request data and user data.The UE client application can interact with the user to generate user data that the user provides to the host application via the OTT 6650 connection.

[00185] The OTT connection 6650 can be extended via a connection 6660 between host 6602 and network node 6604 and via a wireless connection 6670 between network node 6604 and UE 6606 to provide the Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 168 / 196 / 82 connection between host 6602 and UE 6606. Connection 6660 and wireless connection 6670, through which OTT connection 6650 can be provided, were abstractly designed to illustrate communication between host 6602 and UE 1606 via network node 6604, without explicit reference to any intermediate device or the precise routing of messages through these devices.

[00186] As an example of data transmission via the OTT 6650 connection, in step 6608, host 6602 provides user data, which can be accomplished by running a host application. In some embodiments, user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with UE 6606. In other embodiments, user data is associated with a UE 6606 that shares data with host 6602 without explicit human interaction. In step 6610, host 6602 initiates a transmission that carries user data toward UE 6606. Host 6602 may initiate the transmission in response to a request transmitted by UE 6606. The request may be caused by human interaction with UE 6606 or by the operation of the client application running on UE 6606. The transmission may pass through network node 6604, in accordance with the principles of the modalities described throughout this description.In this way, in step 6612, network node 6604 transmits to UE 6606 the user data that was carried in the transmission initiated by host 6602, according to the principles of the modalities described throughout this description. In step 6614, UE 6606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which can be done by a client application running on UE 6606 associated with the host application running on host 6602.

[00187] In some examples, UE 6606 runs a client application that provides user data to host 6602. User data may be provided in reaction to or in response to data received from Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 169 / 196 / 82 from host 6602. In this way, in step 6616, UE 6606 can provide user data, which can be done by running the client application. In the provision of user data, the client application may additionally consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of UE 6606. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, UE 6606 initiates, in step 6618, the transmission of user data towards host 6602 via network node 6604. In step 6620, in accordance with the principles of the modes described throughout this description, network node 6604 receives user data from UE 6606 and initiates the transmission of the received user data towards host 6602. In step 6622, host 6602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by UE 6606.

[00188] One or more of the various modes improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 6606 using the OTT 6650 connection, where the wireless 6670 connection forms the last segment. More precisely, the precepts of these modes can improve data rate, latency, and / or power consumption and thus provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time, relaxed file size restrictions, improved content resolution, better responsiveness, and / or extended battery life.

[00189] In one example scenario, factory state information can be collected and analyzed by host 6602. As another example, host 6602 can process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from a UE for use in map creation. As another example, host 6602 can collect and analyze real-time data to assist in vehicle congestion control (e.g., traffic light control). As another example, host 6602 can store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 170 / 196 / 82, for example, host 6602 can store or control access to media content, such as video, audio, VR, or AR, which it can transmit via broadcast, multicast, or unicast to UEs. As other examples, host 6602 can be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical electrical load to balance energy generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams, etc., from data collected from remote devices), or any other data collection, retrieval, storage, analysis, and / or transmission function.

[00190] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors that one or more modes improve. There may additionally be an optional network functionality to reconfigure the OTT 6650 connection between the 6602 host and the UE 6606 in response to variations in measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality to reconfigure the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the 6602 host and / or the UE 6606.In some embodiments, the sensors (not shown) may be implemented in, or in association with, other devices through which the OTT 6650 connection passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values ​​of the monitored quantities exemplified previously, or supplying values ​​of other physical quantities from which the software can compute or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT 6650 connection may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; reconfiguration need not directly alter the operation of the 6604 network node. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the technology. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates rate measurements. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 171 / 196 / 82 transfer, propagation times, latency and similar, by host 6602. Measurements can be implemented where the software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular, empty or 'simulated' messages, using the OTT 6650 connection while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[00191] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It should be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software necessary to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods described herein.The determination, calculation, acquisition, or similar operations described herein may be performed by the set of processing circuits, which may process the information, for example, by converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained or converted information with the information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained or converted information and, as a result of said processing, making a determination. Furthermore, although components are represented as individual boxes located in a larger box, or nested in multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that constitute a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned among separate components.For example, a communication interface can be configured to include any of the components described here, and / or the functionality of the components can be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of... Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 172 / 196 / 82 any of these components can be implemented in software or embedded software and computationally intensive functions can be implemented in hardware.

[00192] In certain embodiments, parts or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by the processing circuitry executing instructions stored in memory, which, in certain embodiments, may be a computer program product in the form of a nontransient, computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, parts or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing the instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a manner embedded in a hardware system. In either of these particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a nontransient, computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry may be configured to perform the described functionality.The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the individual processing circuitry or other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network in general.

[00193] It will be recognized that computer systems are increasingly taking on a wide variety of forms. In this description and the claims, the terms “controller,” “computer system,” or “computing system” are broadly defined as including any device or system—or combination thereof—that includes at least one physical and tangible processor and physical and tangible memory capable of having within it computer-executable instructions that can be executed by a processor. By way of example, and without limitation, Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 173 / 196 / 82, intends that the term "computer system" or "computing system," as used herein, include personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablets, handheld devices (e.g., cell phones, PDAs, pagers), microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronic components, minicomputers, mainframe computers, multiprocessor systems, networked PCs, distributed computing systems, data centers, message processors, routers, switches, and even devices that were not conventionally considered a computing system, such as wearable items (e.g., eyeglasses).

[00194] The computing system also has, within it, multiple structures often referred to as an “executable component.” For example, the memory of a computing system may include an executable component. The term “executable component” is the name for a structure that is well understood by those skilled in computing as being a structure that can be software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For example, when implemented in software, those skilled in the art will understand that the structure of an executable component may include software objects, routines, methods, and so forth, which may be executed by one or more processors in the computing system, whether such an executable component exists in the heap of a computing system, or whether the executable component exists on computer-readable storage media.The structure of the executable component exists on a computer-readable medium in a form such that it is operable, when executed by one or more processors of the computing system, to cause the computing system to perform one or more functions, such as the functions and methods described herein. Such a structure may be directly computer-readable by a processor—as is the case if the executable component is binary. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pages 174 / 196 / 82 Alternatively, the structure can be designed to be interpretable and / or compiled—either in a single stage or in multiple stages—to generate a binary that is directly interpretable by a processor.

[00195] The terms “component”, “service”, “engine”, “module”, “controller”, “generator” or similar terms may also be used in this description. As used in this description, and in this case also intended, these terms – whether expressed with or without a modifying clause – are synonymous with the term “executable component” and thus also have a structure that is well understood by those skilled in computing.

[00196] In terms of computer implementation, a computer is generally understood to comprise one or more processors or one or more controllers, and the terms computer, processor, and controller may be used interchangeably. When provided by a computer, a processor, or a controller, functions may be provided by a single dedicated computer or processor or controller, by a single shared computer or processor or controller, or by a plurality of individual computers or processors or controllers, some of which may be shared or distributed. Furthermore, the term "processor" or "controller" also refers to other hardware capable of performing such functions and / or executing software, such as the hardware example cited above.

[00197] In general, the various exemplary embodiments may be implemented in hardware or special-purpose chips, circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in embedded software or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, although the description is not limited to this. Although various aspects of the exemplary embodiments of this description may Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 175 / 196 / 82, to be illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that these blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented, as non-limiting examples, in hardware, software, embedded software, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controller, or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[00198] Although not all computer systems require a user interface, in some embodiments, a computer system includes a user interface for use in communicating information to / from a user. The user interface may include output mechanisms as well as input mechanisms. The principles described here are not limited to precise output or input mechanisms, as this would depend on the nature of the device. However, output mechanisms may include, for example, speakers, displays, tactile output, projections, holograms, and so forth. Examples of input mechanisms may include, for example, microphones, touch screens, projections, holograms, cameras, keyboards, stylus pens, mice, or other pointing input, sensors of any kind, and so forth. Abbreviations and Defined Terms

[00199] To aid in understanding the scope and content of this written description and the appended claims, certain selected terms are directly defined below. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this description relates.

[00200] The terms “approximately”, “about” and “substantially”, as used herein, represent an amount or close to the specific amount or condition stated that still achieves Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 176 / 196 / 82 a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example, the terms “approximately”, “about” and “substantially” may refer to a quantity or condition that deviates by less than 10%, or by less than 5%, or by less than 1%, or by less than 0.1%, or by less than 0.01% from a specifically stated quantity or condition.

[00201] Several aspects of the present description, including devices, systems, and methods, can be illustrated in relation to one or more embodiments or implementations, which are exemplary in nature. As used herein, the term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous in relation to other embodiments described herein. Furthermore, reference to an “implementation” of the present description or embodiments includes a specific reference to one or more embodiments thereof, and vice versa, and is intended to provide illustrative examples without limiting the scope of the present description, which is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the present description.

[00202] As used in the descriptive report, a word appearing in the singular encompasses its plural counterpart, and a word appearing in the plural encompasses its singular counterpart, unless implicitly or explicitly understood or stated otherwise. Thus, it will be noted that, as used in this descriptive report and the accompanying claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the”, and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, reference to a singular referent (e.g., “a widget”) includes one, two, or more referents, unless implicitly or explicitly understood or stated otherwise. Similarly, reference to a plurality of referents should be interpreted as comprising a single referent and / or a plurality of referents, unless the content and / or context clearly indicate otherwise. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 177 / 196 / 82 For example, reference to referents in the plural form (e.g., “widgets”) does not necessarily require a plurality of such referents. Instead, it will be recognized that, regardless of the number of referents inferred, one or more referents are contemplated herein, unless stated otherwise.

[00203] References in the descriptive report to “an embodiment,” “some embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is understood that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[00204] It should be understood that, although the terms first and second, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be called a second element, and similarly, a second element may be called a first element, without departing from the scope of exemplary modalities. As used herein, the term and / or includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms.

[00205] It will be further understood that the terms includes, comprising, has, having, includes and / or including, when used herein, specify the presence of declared characteristics, elements and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 178 / 196 / 82 one or more other resources, elements, components and / or combinations thereof. Conclusion

[00206] This description includes any novel feature or combination of features described herein, either explicitly or in any generalization thereof. Various modifications and adaptations to the exemplary embodiments set forth in this description may become apparent to those skilled in the art by the description set forth when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, any and all modifications shall still fall within the non-limiting scope and exemplary embodiments of this description.

[00207] It is understood that, for any given component or modality described herein, any of the possible candidates or alternatives listed for that component may, in general, be used individually or in combination with one another, unless implicitly or explicitly understood or stated otherwise. Additionally, it will be understood that any list of such candidates or alternatives is merely illustrative, not limiting, unless implicitly or explicitly understood or stated otherwise.

[00208] Furthermore, unless otherwise indicated, numbers expressing quantities, constituents, distances, or other measurements used in the descriptive report and claims should be understood as being modified by the term "approximately," as defined herein. Thus, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical parameters presented in the descriptive report and appended claims are approximations that may vary depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained from the material presented herein. At least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be interpreted in light of the number of digits. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 179 / 196 / 82 significant reported and by the application of ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters that establish the broad scope of the matter presented here are approximations, the numerical values ​​presented in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical values, however, inherently contain certain errors that necessarily result from the standard deviation verified in their respective test measurements.

[00209] All headings and subheadings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the description or the claims. The terms and expressions employed herein are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions to exclude any equivalents of the features shown and described or parts thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of this description. Thus, it is understood that although this description has been specifically described, in part, by certain embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts described herein may be undertaken by those skilled in the art, and such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this description.

[00210] It will also be recognized that systems, devices, products, kits, methods, and / or processes, according to certain embodiments of this description, may include, incorporate, or otherwise comprise properties or characteristics (e.g., components, members, elements, parts, and / or portions) described in other embodiments presented and / or described herein. In this way, the various characteristics of certain embodiments may be compatible with, combined with, included in, and / or incorporated into other embodiments of this description. Thus, the description of certain characteristics in relation to a specific embodiment of this description should not be interpreted as an application or inclusion. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 180 / 196 / 82, limiting the aforementioned characteristics in the specific modality. Instead, it will be recognized that other modalities may also include the aforementioned resources, members, elements, parts and / or portions that necessarily fall outside the scope of the present description.

[00211] Furthermore, unless a feature is described as requiring another feature in combination with it, any feature set forth herein may be combined with any other feature of the same or a different embodiment described herein. Moreover, several well-known aspects of illustrative systems, methods, apparatus and the like are not described herein in particular detail in order to avoid obscuring aspects of the exemplary embodiments. Such aspects, however, are also contemplated herein.

[00212] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that methods, devices, device elements, materials, procedures, and techniques other than those specifically described herein may be applied in the practice of the embodiments described, in the manner broadly described herein, without recourse to undue experimentation. It is intended that all known functional equivalents in the technology of methods, devices, device elements, materials, procedures, and techniques specifically described herein are covered by this present description.

[00213] When a group of materials, compositions, components, or compounds is described herein, it is understood that all individual elements of those groups and all subgroups thereof are described separately. When a Markush group or other grouping is used herein, it is intended that all individual elements of the group and all possible combinations and subcombinations of the group are individually included in the description.

[00214] The above-described modalities are examples only. Alterations, modifications, and variations may be made to the modalities. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 181 / 196 / 82, in particular by those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the description, which is defined exclusively by the appended claims. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 182 / 196

Claims

1 / 12 CLAIMS 1. A method implemented by a user equipment, UE (2200), for pre-coding data channels and / or probing UE panels, characterized in that the method comprises: receiving (1510) an indication on a downlink control channel identifying an uplink data channel transmission from one or more sets of Probing Reference Signal, SRS, features; and transmitting (1520) an uplink data channel in accordance with the indication, wherein the uplink data channel is transmitted over a subset of SRS ports belonging to one or more sets of SRS features, and wherein the subset is all Ni SRS ports of an SRS feature set if a single set of SRS features is indicated, or includes at most Mi < Ni of the SRS ports of the i-th set of SRS features if multiple sets of SRS features are indicated.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises indicating by means of UE capability signaling whether one or more SRS ports are shared or separated among one or more SRS resource sets; and / or all SRS ports of at least one of the one or more SRS resource sets can be used for single transmission point communication, sTRP; and / or only a subset of SRS ports of at least one of the one or more SRS resource sets can be used for Simultaneous Multi-Panel Transmission, STxMP.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, for codebook-based operation, a subset of ports and / or pre-encoders for each or more sets of SRS features is indicated by the network to the UE by means of an indicator field of Petition 870250120941, of 12 / 29 / 2025, p.89 / 196 2 / 12 transmission pre-encoder matrix, TPMI, in DCI, and wherein a set A of valid pre-encoder candidates in the TPMI field is a subset of set B of valid pre-encoder candidates for the case where the UL data channel is transmitted through one or more SRS ports belonging to one or more SRS feature sets; and / or A is a set of non-coherent pre-encoders, NC, and B is the set of NC and partially coherent pre-encoders, PC, for Ni ports, respectively; and / or the number of SRS ports and the indicated classification for the i-th SRS feature set are four and one, respectively, for which A is the set of NC + PC pre-encoders.

4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that A is a set of NC pre-coders and B is the set of NC and PC pre-coders and fully coherent, FC, for Ni ports, respectively; and / or the number of SRS ports and the rating indicated for the i-th set of SRS features are four and one, respectively, for which A is the set of NC + PC pre-coders and for rating > 1, A is the set of NC pre-coders;and / or a subset of ports and / or pre-encoders for each or more SRS feature sets is indicated by the network to the UE for codebook-based operation by means of a transmission pre-encoder array indicator field, TPMI, in DCI, and wherein a codebook that identifies a set of pre-encoder candidates is different compared to a case where the uplink data channel is transmitted over one or more SRS ports belonging to one or more SRS feature sets.

5. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the uplink data channel is transmitted by one or more SRS ports belonging to more than one of one or more SRS resource sets, and the subset containing Mi < Ni of the Ni SRS ports is fixed and known to both the UE and the network; and / or for Ni = 4, a subset of one or more SRS ports comprises a first and a third SRS ports in the respective one or more SRS resource sets; and / or for Ni = 4, a subset of one or more SRS ports comprises a first and a second SRS ports in the respective one or more SRS resource sets; and / or for codebook-less beamforming-based precoding, NCB, the network indicates to the UE via an SRS Feature Indicator, SRI, field in DCI, only Mi < Ni of the Ni SRS features in the i-th SRS feature set of one or more feature sets.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that NSRS = Mi is used to determine the size of the SRI field for the i-th set of SRS features from one or more sets of SRS features in the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted through any SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more sets of SRS features, and NSRS = Ni is used to determine the size of the SRI field for the i-th set of SRS features in the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted through any SRS ports belonging to only one of the one or more sets of SRS features; and / or NSRS = Ni is used to determine the size of the SRI field for the i-th set of SRS features in the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more sets of SRS features, but the network can indicate to the UE only a subset of the code points in the SRI field.Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 91 / 196 4 / 12.

7. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that for codebook-based precoding, the network can indicate to the UE, by means of a transmission precoder array indicator field, TPMI, in DCI, a port precoder Ni for the i-th SRS feature set of one or more feature sets, in the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted over any SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more SRS feature sets, but the network can indicate to the UE only a subset of the code points in the SRI field;and / or for codebook-based pre-coding, the UE indicates by means of the UE capability signaling a first UE coherence capability for the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted over any SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more SRS resource sets and a second UE coherence capability for the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted over any SRS ports belonging to only one of the one or more SRS resource sets; and / or the UE indicates whether more than one of the one or more SRS resource sets using 'codebook' and / or 'no codebook' can be transmitted at the same time.

8. Method implemented by a user equipment, UE (3200), for pre-coding data channel and / or probing UE panels, characterized in that the method comprises: receiving (1710) an indication from a network identifying an uplink probing signal transmission from one or more sets of configured probing reference signal resources, SRS; and transmitting (1720) an uplink probing signal in accordance with the indication. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 92 / 196 5 / 12 9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that it further comprises indicating by means of UE capability signaling whether one or more configured SRS sets are shared or separated among one or more SRS resource sets.

10. Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the SRS can be transmitted from all one or more ports belonging to one or more panels at the same time, but the SRS cannot be transmitted from more than one or more panels at the same time; and / or all SRS ports of one or more SRS resource sets can be probed at the same time; and / or SRS ports of more than one or more SRS resource sets cannot be probed at the same time.

11. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that up to all Ni SRS ports belonging to the i-th SRS feature set of one or more SRS feature sets can be transmitted in the same orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol; and / or none of the Nj SRS ports belonging to the j-th SRS feature set of one or more SRS feature sets, where j ^ i, can be transmitted in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol in which one or more of the Ni SRS ports belonging to the i-th SRS feature set of one or more SRS feature sets are transmitted.

12. Method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that, for codebook-based operation, a subset of ports and / or pre-encoders for each of one or more sets of SRS features is indicated by the network to the UE by means of a transmission pre-encoder array indicator field, Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p.93 / 196 6 / 12 TPMI, in DCI, and where a set A of valid pre-encoder candidates in the TPMI field is a subset of set B of valid pre-encoder candidates for the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted through one or more SRS ports belonging to one or more SRS feature sets; and / or A is a set of non-coherent pre-encoders, NC, and B is the set of NC and partially coherent pre-encoders, PC, for Ni ports, respectively; and / or the number of SRS ports and the indicated classification for the i-th SRS feature set are four and one, respectively, for which A is the set of NC + PC pre-encoders; and / or A is a set of NC pre-encoders and B is the set of NC and PC and fully coherent pre-encoders, FC, for Ni ports, respectively.

13. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that the number of SRS ports and the indicated classification for the i-th SRS feature set are four and one, respectively, for which A is the NC + PC pre-encoder set and for classification > 21, A is the NC pre-encoder set; and / or a subset of ports and / or pre-encoders for each of one or more SRS feature sets is indicated by the network to the UE for codebook-based operation by means of a transmission pre-encoder matrix indicator field, TPMI, in DCI, and wherein a code block identifying a pre-encoder candidate set is different compared to a case where the uplink data channel is transmitted over one or more SRS ports belonging to one or more SRS feature sets.

14. Method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that the uplink data channel is transmitted by one or more SRS ports belonging to more than one of one or more SRS resource sets, and the subset containing Mi < Ni of the Ni SRS ports is fixed and known to both the UE and the network; and / or for Ni = 4, a subset of one or more SRS ports comprises a first and a third SRS ports in the respective one or more SRS resource sets; and / or for Ni = 4, a subset of one or more SRS ports comprises a first and a second SRS ports in the respective one or more SRS resource sets; and / or for codebook-less beamforming-based precoding, NCB, the network indicates to the UE via an SRS Feature Indicator, SRI, field in DCI, only Mi < Ni of the Ni SRS features in the i-th SRS feature set of one or more feature sets.

15. Method according to claim 14, characterized in that NSRS = Mi is used to determine the size of the SRI field for the i-th set of SRS features from one or more sets of SRS features in the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted through any SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more sets of SRS features, and NSRS = Ni is used to determine the size of the SRI field for the i-th set of SRS features in the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted through any SRS ports belonging to only one of the one or more sets of SRS features; and / or NSRS = Ni is used to determine the size of the SRI field for the i-th set of SRS features in the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted through SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more sets of SRS features, but the network can indicate to the UE only a subset of the code points in the SRI field.Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p. 95 / 196 8 / 12.

16. Method according to any one of claims 8 to 15, characterized in that for codebook-based pre-coding, the network can indicate to the UE by means of a transmission pre-encoder array indicator field, TPMI, in DCI, a port pre-encoder Mi for the i-th SRS feature set of one or more feature sets in the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted through any SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more SRS feature sets and a port pre-encoder Ni for the i-th SRS feature set of one or more feature sets in the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted through any SRS ports belonging to only one of the one or more SRS feature sets;and / or for codebook-based precoding, the network may indicate to the UE via a transmission precoder array indicator field, TPMI, in DCI, a port precoder Ni for the i-th SRS feature set of one or more feature sets in the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted over any SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more SRS feature sets, but the network may indicate to the UE only a subset of the code points in the SRI field;and / or for codebook-based pre-coding, the UE indicates by means of the UE capability signaling a first UE coherence capability for the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted over any SRS ports belonging to more than one of the one or more SRS resource sets and a second UE coherence capability for the case where the uplink data channel is transmitted over any SRS ports belonging to only one of the one or more SRS resource sets; and / or the UE indicates whether more than one of the one or more SRS resource sets using 'codebook' and / or 'no codebook' can be transmitted at the same time.

17. Method performed by a network node (3300) to configure a user equipment, UE (3200), to pre-code data channel and / or probe UE panels, characterized in that the method comprises: sending (2910) an indication that identifies an uplink data channel transmission from one or more sets of Polling Reference Signal, SRS, features; and receiving (2920) an uplink data channel in accordance with the indication, wherein the uplink data channel is transmitted by a subset of SRS ports belonging to one or more sets of SRS features, and wherein the subset is all Ni SRS ports of an SRS feature set if a single set of SRS features is indicated, or includes at most Mi < Ni of the SRS ports of the i-th set of SRS features if multiple sets of SRS features are indicated.

18. Method according to claim 17, characterized in that it further comprises receiving an indication by means of UE capability signaling whether one or more SRS ports are shared or separated among one or more SRS resource sets; and / or all SRS ports of at least one of the one or more SRS resource sets can be used for Direct Path Communication, sTRP; and / or only a subset of SRS ports of at least one of the one or more SRS resource sets can be used for Simultaneous Multi-Panel Transmission, STxMP.

19. Method performed by a network node (3300) to configure a user equipment, UE (3200), to pre-encode data channel and / or probe UE panels, characterized in that the method Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, page 97 / 196 10 / 12 comprises: sending (3010) an indication that identifies an uplink probe signal transmission from one or more configured probe reference signal resource sets, SRS; and receiving (3020) an uplink probe signal in accordance with the indication.

20. Method according to claim 19, characterized in that it further comprises receiving an indication by means of EU capability signaling as to whether one or more configured SRS sets are shared or separated among one or more SRS resource sets.

21. Method according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that the SRS can be transmitted from all one or more ports belonging to one or more panels at the same time, but the SRS cannot be transmitted from more than one or more panels at the same time; and / or all SRS ports of one or more SRS resource sets can be probed at the same time; and / or SRS ports of more than one or more SRS resource sets cannot be probed at the same time.

22. Method according to claim 21, characterized in that up to all Ni SRS ports belonging to the i-th SRS feature set of one or more SRS feature sets can be transmitted in the same orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, OFDM symbol; and / or none of the Nj SRS ports belonging to the j-th SRS feature set of one or more SRS feature sets, where j ^ i, can be transmitted in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing, OFDM symbol, where one or more of the Ni SRS ports belonging to the i-th SRS feature set of one or more SRS feature sets are transmitted.

23. User equipment, UE (2200), for pre-coding data channel and / or probing UE panels, characterized in that it comprises: a processing circuitry set (2202) configured to perform any of the steps as defined in any of claims 1 to 16; and a power supply circuitry set (2208) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry set.

24. Network node (3300) for configuring a user equipment, UE (2200), for pre-coding data channel and / or probing UE panels, characterized in that the network node comprises: a processing circuit set (3302) configured to perform any of the steps as defined in any of claims 17 to 22; a power supply circuit set (3308) configured to supply power to the processing circuit set.

25. User equipment, UE (3200), for pre-coding data channel and / or probing UE panels, characterized in that the UE comprises: an antenna (3222) configured to send and receive wireless signals; initial radio interface circuitry (3212) connected to the antenna and to the processing circuitry and configured to condition the signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, p.99 / 196 12 / 12 processing circuitry (3202) configured to perform any of the steps as defined in any of claims 1 to 16; an input interface (3206) connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface (3206) connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery (3208) connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

26. Product, process, system, means, kit or use, characterized by the fact that it comprises one or more elements as described in the descriptive report and / or illustrated in the figures. Petition 870250120941, dated 12 / 29 / 2025, pp. 100 / 196

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