Paging Reception of User Equipment in Idle and Inactive States

Abstract

A network device (e.g., a user equipment (UE), a new radio NB (gNB), or other network components) may process or generate a one-step paging reception or a two-step paging reception based on a sub-state in the idle mode. The UE may enter the idle state to achieve reduced power consumption of the battery, and further reduce the power consumption by only monitoring the PDCCH in response to operating in the state of camping on any cell, and eliminate the processing of paging messages when in the state of camping on any cell.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 737,671, filed on Sep. 27, 2018, entitled “PAGING RECEPTION FOR USER EQUIPMENT IN IDLE AND INACTIVE STATE”, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] This disclosure relates to wireless technology, and more particularly to paging reception in idle and inactive states. BACKGROUND ART

[0004] Mobile communications have made significant progress in the past two decades: from the rise of early voice systems and transformation into today's highly sophisticated integrated communication platforms. The next-generation wireless communication system 5G or New Radio (NR) is about to provide ubiquitous connectivity and access to information and the ability to share data globally. NR is expected to be a unified framework that will aim to meet a wide range of sometimes conflicting performance criteria and serve extremely diverse application areas, ranging from enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) to massive machine-type communication (mMTC) and ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), to name just a few. Generally, NR will evolve based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced technology and additional enhanced radio access technologies (RATs) to achieve seamless and faster wireless connectivity solutions.

[0005] One of the major enhancements to LTE in Rel-13 is the operation of cellular networks in unlicensed spectrum via Licensed-Assisted Access (LAA). Since then, 3GPP has been considering access to unlicensed spectrum as one of the promising solutions to cope with the increasing wireless data traffic. One of the important considerations for LTE to operate in unlicensed spectrum is to ensure fair coexistence with existing systems such as Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), which has been the main focus of the LAA standardization work since Rel 13.

[0006] In line with the trend of LTE enhancement, research on NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) has been ongoing since 3GPP Release (Rel)-15. The channel access mechanism is one of the fundamental building blocks for the NR-U deployment option. In addition to meeting regulatory requirements, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) (referred to as Listen Before Talk (LBT) in the context of LTE-based LAA systems) is also crucial for achieving fair coexistence with neighboring systems sharing the unlicensed spectrum. To provide a global solution with a unified framework, NR-based unlicensed access will also use an LBT-based channel access mechanism. Since wideband operation is one of the key building blocks for enabling NR-U operation, it is essential to support mechanisms that will facilitate wideband operation by effectively utilizing dynamic bandwidth adaptation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a user equipment (UE) and a gNB or access node in a network having network components that may be used in conjunction with various embodiments (aspects) described herein.

[0008] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system that may be employed at a UE or gNB according to various embodiments described herein.

[0009] Figure 3 is another block diagram illustrating two-step or one-step paging reception based on UE sub-states according to various embodiments described herein.

[0010] Figure 4 is another block diagram illustrating sub-state transitions in the idle and inactive states according to various embodiments described herein.

[0011] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary process flow for power reduction in the idle mode according to various embodiments described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used throughout to refer to like elements, and in which the structures and devices shown are not necessarily drawn to scale. As used herein, the terms "component", "system", "interface", etc. are intended to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, software (e.g., in execution), and / or firmware. For example, a component can be a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a controller, or other processing device), a process running on the processor, a controller, an object, an executable, a program, a storage device, a computer, a tablet, and / or a user device with a processing device (e.g., a mobile phone, etc.). By way of example, an application running on a server and the server can also be a component. One or more components can reside in a process, and components can be located on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. Element collections or other component collections may be described herein, where the term "collection" can be interpreted as "one or more".

[0013] In addition, these components can be executed from various computer-readable storage media on which various data structures are stored, such as, for example, using modules. Components can communicate, for example, via local and / or remote processes according to a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacts with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and / or across a network such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a similar network of other systems via the signal).

[0014] As another example, a component can be a device having a specific function provided by a mechanical component operated by an electrical or electronic circuit, where the electrical or electronic circuit can be operated by a software application or a firmware application executed by one or more processors. One or more processors can be inside or outside the device and can execute at least a portion of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component can be a device that provides a specific function through electronic components without mechanical components; the electronic components can include one or more processors therein to execute at least a portion of the software and / or firmware that gives the electronic components their function.

[0015] The use of the term "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a concrete manner. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any natural inclusive permutation. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing instances. Additionally, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless otherwise specified or clearly apparent from the context to be referring to the singular form. Further, to the extent that the terms "comprising," "including," "having," "has," "with," or variants thereof are used in the detailed description and claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "including." Additionally, in the case of discussing one or more numbered items (e.g., "first X," "second X," etc.), generally, the one or more numbered items can be different or they can be the same, but in some cases, the context may indicate that they are different or indicate that they are the same.

[0016] As used herein, the term "circuit" may refer to, be part of, or include: an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), or an associated memory (shared, dedicated, or group) operatively coupled to the circuit that executes one or more software or firmware programs, combinatorial logic circuitry, or other suitable hardware components that provide the recited functionality. In some embodiments, the circuit may be implemented in one or more software or firmware modules, or the functionality associated with the circuit may be implemented by one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, the circuit may include logic components that operate at least in part in hardware.

[0017] The embodiments described herein can be implemented into a system or network device using any appropriately configured hardware and / or software. Figure 1FIG. 100 shows the architecture of a system 100 of a network according to embodiments herein. The illustrated system 100 includes user equipment (UE) 101 and UE 102. As used herein, the term “user equipment” or “UE” may refer to a device having radio communication capabilities and may describe a remote user of network resources in a communication network. In addition, the term “user equipment” or “UE” may be considered synonymous with and may be referred to as: client, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. In addition, the term “user equipment” or “UE” may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device including a wireless communication interface. In this example, UEs 101 and 102 are shown as smart phones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as consumer electronic devices, cellular phones, smart phones, feature phones, tablets, wearable computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless handheld devices, desktop computers, laptop computers, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument clusters (IC), head-up display (HUD) devices, on-board diagnostic (OBD) devices, dashtop mobile equipment (DME), mobile data terminals (MDT), electronic engine management systems (EEMS), electronic / engine electronic control units (ECU), electronic / engine electronic control modules (ECM), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems (EMS), networked or “smart” appliances, machine type communication (MTC) devices, machine-to-machine (M2M), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc.

[0018] In some embodiments, either of UE 101 and UE 102 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine type communication (MTC) to exchange data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), proximity-based services (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. The M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) having short-lived connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connections to the IoT network.

[0019] UE 101 and UE 102 may be configured to connect to or communicatively couple with a radio access network (RAN) 110. The RAN 110 may be, for example, an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a next-generation RAN (NG-RAN), or some other type of RAN. UE 101 and UE 102 utilize connections (or channels) 103 and 104, respectively, where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface or layer (discussed further below). As used herein, the term "channel" may refer to any tangible or intangible transmission medium for conveying data or a data stream. The term "channel" may be synonymous and / or equivalent to "communication channel", "data communication channel", "transmission channel", "data transmission channel", "access channel", "data access channel", "link", "data link", "carrier", "radio frequency carrier", and / or any other similar term denoting a path or medium through which data is conveyed. Additionally, the term "link" may refer to a connection for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information between two devices via a radio access technology (RAT). In this example, connections 103 and 104 are shown as air interfaces to enable communicative coupling and may conform to cellular communication protocols such as the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network protocol, Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, Cellular PTT protocol (POC), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, 3GPP Long-Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, Fifth Generation (5G) protocol, New Radio (NR) protocol, etc.

[0020] In this embodiment, UEs 101 and 102 may also directly exchange communication data via the ProSe interface 105. The ProSe interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface including one or more logical channels, including but not limited to the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH). In various specific implementations, the SL interface 105 may be used for vehicle applications and communication technologies, which are generally referred to as V2X systems. V2X is a communication mode in which UEs (e.g., UEs 101, 102) communicate directly with each other through the PC5 / SL interface 105, and may occur when UEs 101, 102 are served by RAN nodes 111, 112 or when one or more UEs are outside the coverage area of the RAN 110. V2X can be divided into four different types: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-network (V2N), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P). These V2X applications can use "cooperative awareness" to provide smarter services for end users. For example, vehicle UEs (vUEs) 101, 102, RAN nodes 111, 112, application server 130, and pedestrian UEs 101, 102 can collect knowledge of their local environment (e.g., information received from other vehicles or nearby sensor equipment) to process and share this knowledge in order to provide smarter services such as cooperative collision warning, autonomous driving, etc. In these specific implementations, UEs 101, 102 may be implemented as / used as vehicle embedded communication systems (VECS) or vUEs.

[0021] It shows that UE 102 is configured to access an access point (AP) 106 (also referred to as "WLAN node 106", "WLAN 106", "WLAN termination 106", or "WT 106", etc.) via connection 107. Connection 107 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 106 will include Wi-Fi Router. In this example, it is shown that AP 106 is connected to the Internet without being connected to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various embodiments, UE 102, RAN 110, and AP 106 may be configured to utilize LTE-WLAN Aggregation (LWA) operations and / or WLAN LTE / WLAN radio-level operations integrated with an IPsec tunnel (LWIP). LWA operations may involve RAN nodes 111, 112 configuring a UE 102 in the RRC_CONNECTED state to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP operations may involve UE 102 authenticating and encrypting packets (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP) packets) sent through connection 107 using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 107) via an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) protocol tunnel. IPsec tunnel transport may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0022] RAN 110 may include one or more access nodes enabling connections 103 and 104. As used herein, terms such as "access node", "access point", etc. may describe equipment that provides radio baseband functionality for data and / or voice connections between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as base stations (BS), Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), RAN nodes, roadside units (RSU), etc., and may include terrestrial stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographical area (e.g., a cell). The term "roadside unit" or "RSU" may refer to any transportation infrastructure entity implemented in or by a gNB / eNB / RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, where the RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", and the RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU". RAN 110 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, such as macro RAN node 111, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells with a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to a macrocell), such as low-power (LP) RAN node 112.

[0023] Either RAN node 111 or RAN node 112 may terminate the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for UEs 101 and 102. In some embodiments, either of RAN nodes 111 and 112 may fulfill various logical functions of RAN 110, including but not limited to, functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0024] According to some embodiments, UEs 101 and 102 may be configured to communicate with each other or with either of RAN nodes 111 and 112 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as but not limited to, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communication) or single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this regard. OFDM signals may include a plurality of orthogonal sub-carriers.

[0025] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmission from either of RAN node 111 and RAN node 112 to UEs 101 and 102, and uplink transmission may utilize a similar technique. The grid may be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resources in the downlink in each time slot. For OFDM systems, such time-frequency plane representation is a common practice, which makes radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM sub-carrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid includes a plurality of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block includes a set of resource elements. In the frequency domain, this may represent the smallest amount of resources that can currently be allocated. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0026] The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) can carry user data and high-layer signaling to UEs 101 and 102. The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) can carry information regarding the transmission format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. It can also notify UEs 101 and 102 of the transmission format, resource allocation, and Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (H-ARQ) information related to the uplink shared channel. Generally, downlink scheduling (allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to UEs 102 within a cell) can be performed on either of the RAN nodes 111 and 112 based on the channel quality information fed back from either of UEs 101 and 102. Downlink resource allocation information can be sent on the PDCCHs used for (e.g., allocated to) each of UEs 101 and 102.

[0027] The PDCCH can use Control Channel Elements (CCEs) to convey control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruples, and then can be permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to a set of four physical resource elements out of nine, called a Resource Element Group (REG). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the Downlink Control Information (DCI) and the channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. There can be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L = 1, 2, 4, 8, etc.).

[0028] Some embodiments can use a concept for resource allocation of control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some embodiments can utilize an Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more Enhanced Control Channel Elements (ECCEs) can be used to transmit the EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE can correspond to a set of four physical resource elements out of nine, called an Enhanced Resource Element Group (EREG). In some cases, an ECCE can have other numbers of EREGs.

[0029] RAN 110 is shown communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 120 via an S1 interface 113. In an embodiment, the CN 120 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a next-generation packet core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment, the S1 interface 113 is divided into two parts: an S1-U interface 114, which carries traffic data between RAN nodes 111 and 112 and a serving gateway (S-GW) 122; and an S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface 115, which is a signaling interface between RAN nodes 111 and 112 and the MME 121. Embodiments herein are also applicable to 5G system architectures in a new radio (NR) access network, as also mentioned in TS 23.501.

[0030] In this embodiment, the CN 120 includes an MME 121, an S-GW 122, a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) 123, and a home subscriber server (HSS) 124. The MME 121 can be functionally similar to the control plane of a traditional serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN). The MME 121 can manage aspects of mobility in access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 124 can include a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the handling of communication sessions by network entities. Depending on the number of mobile subscribers, the capacity of the devices, the organization of the network, etc., the CN120 can contain one or several HSSs 124. For example, the HSS 124 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, name / address resolution, location dependency, etc.

[0031] The S-GW 122 can terminate the S1 interface 113 towards the RAN 110 and route data packets between the RAN 110 and the CN 120. Additionally, the S-GW 122 can be a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handovers and can also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities can include lawful interception, charging, and enforcement of certain policies.

[0032] The P-GW 123 can terminate the SGi interface towards the PDN. The P-GW 123 can route data packets between the EPC network 120 and an external network such as a network including an application server 130 (alternatively referred to as an Application Function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface 125. Generally speaking, the application server 130 can be an element of an application that provides IP bearer resources for use with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Service (PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). In this implementation, the P-GW 123 is shown communicatively coupled to the application server 130 via an IP communication interface 125. The application server 130 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Internet Protocol voice (VoIP) session, Push-to-Talk (PTT) session, group communication session, social network service, etc.) for the UEs 101 and 102 via the CN 120.

[0033] The P-GW 123 can also be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 126 is a policy and charging control element of the CN 120. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with the Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session of the UE. In a roaming scenario with local traffic breakout, there may be two PCRFs associated with the IP-CAN session of the UE: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in the Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 126 can be communicatively coupled to the application server 130 via the P-GW 123. The application server 130 can signal the PCRF 126 to indicate a new service flow and select appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF 126 can provide the rules to the Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) using an appropriate Traffic Flow Template (TFT) and QoS Class Identifier (QCI) as specified by the application server 130, which starts QoS and charging.

[0034] See Figure 2, which shows a block diagram of a system / device 200 that can be employed at a UE (e.g., UE 101 / 102) or another network device (e.g., gNB / eNB 111 / 112) to facilitate one or more aspects / implementations herein. The system 200 can include: one or more processors 210 (e.g., one or more baseband processors, such as one or more baseband processors discussed in connection with other figures), including processing circuitry and associated interfaces; transceiver circuitry 220 (e.g., including part or all of an RF circuit, which may include a transmitter circuit (e.g., associated with one or more transmit chains) and / or a receiver circuit (e.g., associated with one or more receive chains), and the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit may employ common circuit elements, different circuit elements, or a combination thereof); and a memory 230 (which can include any of a variety of storage media and can store instructions and / or data associated with one or more of the processor 210 or the transceiver circuitry 220).

[0035] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the device 200 can transition to the RRC_Idle state (also known as the idle mode), in which it is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc.; or alternatively transition to the RRC_INACTIVE state, in which it monitors paging messages with a previous communication configuration stored in a previous connection (RRC_CONNECTED). The UE can also monitor paging in the RRC_INACTIVE state. The main difference between the idle and inactive states is that the UE stores the previous configuration (and this is not necessarily mainly the paging configuration) and the RNA update process. The device 200 enters a very low power state and it performs paging reception, in which the device wakes up periodically again to listen for the network and then enters the low power state again. The device 200 cannot receive data in this state, and in order to receive data, it must transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0036] The RRC_IDLE state and RRC_INACTIVE state tasks can be subdivided into three processes: PLMN selection; cell selection and reselection; and location registration and radio access network (RAN)-based notification area (RNA) update. PLMN selection, cell reselection process, and location registration are common to both the RRC_IDLE state and the RRC_INACTIVE state. RNA update is only applicable to the RRC_INACTIVE state. When the UE 101 selects a new PLMN, for example, the UE 101 transitions from RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_IDLE.

[0037] When the UE is powered on, a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) is selected by the Non-Access Stratum (NAS). For the selected PLMN, the associated Radio Access Technology (RAT) can be set as indicated in 3GPP TS 23.122. The NAS provides the Access Stratum (AS) with an equivalent PLMN list for cell selection and cell reselection (if available). With cell selection, the UE 101 searches for a suitable cell of the selected PLMN, selects the cell to provide available services, and monitors its control channels. This process is referred to as or defined as "camping / camped on the cell / a cell".

[0038] Then the UE 101 can register its presence in the tracking area of the selected cell through the NAS registration process. As a result of a successful location registration, the selected PLMN then becomes the registered PLMN according to 3GPP TS 23.122.

[0039] If the UE 101 finds a more suitable cell, it reselects to and camps on that cell according to the cell reselection criteria. If the new cell does not belong to at least one of the tracking areas to which the UE is registered, a location registration is performed. In the RRC_INACTIVE state, if the new cell does not belong to the configured RNA, an RNA update process is performed.

[0040] The UE 101 can search for higher-priority PLMNs at regular time intervals as described in 3GPP TS 23.122 and search for suitable cells when another PLMN has been selected by the NAS. UEs with only the ability to provide services that do not require registration (e.g., 101, 102) do not perform registration. Although the UE 101 is used for the discussion in this article, any UE or UE 102 can also be mentioned or applicable, and the implementation / descriptive aspects of this article are not necessarily limited to, for example, any one UE or, similarly, any one base station gNB or eNB (e.g., 111).

[0041] There are four purposes for the UE to camp on a cell in the RRC_IDLE state and the RRC_INACTIVE state: a) to enable the UE to receive system information from the PLMN; b) when registered and if the UE wishes to establish an RRC connection or resume a suspended RRC connection, the UE can do so by accessing the network initially on the control channel of the cell on which the UE camps; c) if the network needs to send a message or deliver data to the registered UE, it knows (in most cases) the set of tracking areas (in the RRC_IDLE state) or RNA (in the RRC_INACTIVE state) in which the UE 101 camps (note: it can then send a "paging" message for the UE 101 on the control channels of all cells in the corresponding area set, and the UE subsequently receives the paging message on these control channels and can respond); and d) it enables the UE to receive ETWS and CMAS notifications.

[0042] When the UE 101 is in the RRC_IDLE state, the following three levels of services are provided: - Limited service (emergency calls, ETWS, and CMAS on acceptable cells); - Normal service (for public use on suitable cells); - Operator service (only for the operator on reserved cells). When the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the following two levels of services are provided: - Normal service (for public use on suitable cells); - Operator service (only for the operator on reserved cells).

[0043] When transitioning from the RRC_CONNECTED state to the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE 101 attempts to camp on a suitable cell, for example, according to the redirectedCarrierInfo (if included in the RRCRelease message used for this transition). If the UE 101 cannot find a suitable cell, the UE 101 can camp on any suitable cell of the indicated RAT. This can also occur during power-on, not just when transitioning from Connected to IDLE / INACTIVE. If the RRCRelease message does not contain redirectedCarrierInfo, the UE shall attempt to select a suitable cell on an NR carrier. If a suitable cell cannot be found according to the above methods, the UE shall perform cell selection using the stored information to find a suitable cell to camp on.

[0044] When the UE moves from the state of camping on any cell to the RRC_CONNECTED state and then returns to the RRC_IDLE state, the UE shall attempt to camp on an acceptable cell according to the redirectedCarrierInfo (if included in the RRCRelease message). If the UE fails to find an acceptable cell, the UE is allowed to camp on any acceptable cell of the indicated radio access technology (RAT). If the RRCRelease message does not contain redirectedCarrierInfo, the UE 101 may attempt to select an acceptable cell on the NR frequency. If no acceptable cell is found according to the above method, the UE continues to search for an acceptable cell of any PLMN in any cell selection state.

[0045] When the UE in the idle and inactive states receives a paging, it first receives the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) downlink control information (DCI) for radio resource allocation of the radio resource control (RRC) paging message, and then receives the RRC paging message in the physical data channel or the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) through the allocated radio resources. Power saving of the UE 101 in the idle and inactive states is important for enhancing power saving or reducing power consumption during paging reception, which is the objective of the embodiments herein.

[0046] The behavior of the UE in the idle and inactive states (modes) is defined in 3GPP specification TS 38.304. The idle state and the inactive state are UE power saving states. The sub-states of the UE in the idle state / mode and the inactive state / mode can be defined as "normal camping state" or "camping on any cell / state". INACTIVE is not in the "camping on any cell state". For example, if the UE fails to find a suitable cell (a cell of a PLMN in which the UE can successfully register) according to the UE's subscription, the UE is in the camping on any cell state in an acceptable cell. From the RF perspective, the suitable cell must also be acceptable. Additionally, in both cases (i.e., the normal camping state and the camping on any cell state), the UE 101 receives paging, for example, because paging reception includes two steps (i.e., PDCCH DCI reception through the allocated radio resources and the associated PDSCH reception). However, according to the embodiments herein, based on the sub-state, the UE only has to perform one-step reception or two-step reception.

[0047] When in normal residence (normal residence / being in the normal residence state), UE 101 performs the following tasks: - Monitor the paging channel of the cell according to the information broadcast in System Information Block SIB1 as specified in Clause 7; - Monitor the relevant system information as specified in TS 38.331; - Perform necessary measurements for the cell reselection evaluation process; - Perform the cell reselection evaluation process on the following occasions / triggers: 1) UE internal trigger to meet the performance specified in TS 38.133; 2) When the information on the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) for the cell reselection evaluation process has been modified.

[0048] The state of residing on any cell only applies to the RRC_IDLE state or the idle mode. In this state, UE performs the following tasks: - Monitor the paging channel of the cell according to the information broadcast in SIB1 as specified in Clause 7. There are different reasons for monitoring the paging channel for the normal residence state and the state of residing on any cell – for paging messages for incoming DL traffic (only for normal residence), and for indicating the presence of warning messages and system information changes (for both states). UE also performs the following tasks: - Monitor the relevant system information as specified in TS 38.331; - Perform necessary measurements for the cell reselection evaluation process; - Perform the cell reselection evaluation process on the following occasions / triggers: 1) UE internal trigger to meet the performance specified in TS 38.133; 2) When the information on the BCCH for the cell reselection evaluation process has been modified; - Periodically try all frequencies of all RATs supported by the UE to attempt to find a suitable cell. If a suitable cell is found, then UE 101 moves to the normal residence state.

[0049] In various embodiments of the present disclosure, paging reception can be enhanced according to the sub - states of the UE in the idle and inactive modes. When in the normal residence state, two - step paging reception (i.e., PDCCH DCI reception via the allocated radio resources and associated PDSCH reception) is applied in UE 101. When in the state of residing on any cell, one - step paging reception (i.e., only PDCCH DCI reception) is applied in UE 101. By applying one - step paging reception to the UE in the state of residing on any cell, the power consumed is less than the case where two - step paging reception is always applied in these two sub - states.

[0050] See Figure 3 , an exemplary process flow 300 for paging reception in the idle mode according to an embodiment is shown. At 302, UE 101 determines its sub - state in the idle and inactive states. Figure 4It also shows how to determine its sub - state, and this figure complies with the definitions of suitable cells and acceptable cells as defined in TS 38.304, where details of sub - clauses 5.2.3.2 and 5.3.1 can be referred to in 3GPP TS 38.304 version 15 or higher.

[0051] At 304, the UE 101 determines whether it is in the normal resident state. If it is, i.e., the UE is in the normal resident state, it can receive calls and transition to the connected state, thus monitoring whether it is paged or not. If so, the UE 101 receives and processes paging in two steps at 306 (i.e., first receive the paging PDCCH DCI, and then receive the paging message in the PDSCH via the resources allocated by the PDCCH DCI). If the UE 101 is not in the normal resident state sub - state, the UE 101 determines at 308 whether it is in the state of camping on any cell. If it is in the state of camping on any cell, the UE 101 selects a cell regardless of the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). This is the case where the UE 101 is not on the subscribed network cell, but uses any cell that can receive messages such as early warning messages (e.g., ETWS messages, CMAS messages, etc.) or indications of system information changes. Therefore, if the UE 101 is not in the normal resident state sub - state and the UE 101 is in the state of camping on any cell, the UE 101 receives paging in one step at 310 (i.e., only receive the paging PDCCH DCI). Here, the UE101 monitors at least one of the following cases of the PDCCH: indication of the presence of an early warning system message or indication of system information change in the PDCCH.

[0052] If the UE is neither in the normal resident state nor in the state of camping on any cell, the UE 101 processes the flow to 312, where the UE follows the specified behavior defined in 3GPP TS 38.304. To enable the one - step paging reception of the UE 101 in the state of camping on any cell at 310, the network (or eNB / gNB 111 or other network components) can ensure that there is no callback for the UE 101's initial emergency call, while the UE 101 is in the state of camping on any cell and all other required information is sent only via the paging PDCCH DCI.

[0053] Depending on the sub - states of the UE in idle and inactive states, two - step paging reception or one - step paging reception can be performed. Two - step paging reception can be carried out when the UE 101 is, for example, in the normal camping state, and one - step paging reception can be carried out when the UE 101 is in the state of camping on any cell. Two - step paging reception is performed as follows: first, the paging PDCCH DCI is received, and then the paging PDSCH is received through the allocated radio resources. One - step paging reception is carried out by only receiving the paging PDCCH DCI. In one - step reception, only one physical channel is monitored or evaluated. In two - step reception, two physical channels are monitored or evaluated when a communication message is received.

[0054] Similarly, the eNB or gNB 111 can partition the information that will be in the paging message and provide it in the PDCCH or the DCI of the PDCCH. For example, the paging message may include a UE identifier, while the PDCCH includes an indication of the presence of an early warning message (e.g., ETWS, CMAS, etc.) or a system information change indication. Thus, the eNB or gNB 111 can generate a PDCCH DCI based on or for a UE in the state of camping on any cell to only monitor the PDCCH and without having to evaluate the paging message. The paging message may still include the UE identifier, but when in the state of camping on any cell, the UE does not check or process it and only monitors the PDCCH.

[0055] See Figure 4 , an exemplary process flow 400 is shown, which demonstrates the sub - state transitions in idle and inactive states according to Section 5.2.6, version 15 or later, of TS 38.304.

[0056] Classify cells according to what services the cells provide: acceptable cells and suitable cells. An "acceptable cell" is a cell on which the UE can camp to obtain limited services (initiate an emergency call and receive ETWS and CMAS notifications). Such a cell can meet the following requirements, which are the minimum set of requirements for initiating an emergency call and receiving ETWS and CMAS notifications in the NR network: - The cell is not prohibited, see Sub - clause 5.3.1 of TS 38.304; - It meets the cell selection criteria, see Sub - clause 5.2.3.2 of TS 38.304.

[0057] A cell is considered "suitable" if the following conditions are met: a) the cell is part of any of the following: - the selected PLMN, or: - the registered PLMN, or - a PLMN in the equivalent PLMN list; b) - the cell selection criteria are met, see subclause 5.2.3.2 of TS 38.304; According to the latest information provided by the NAS: - the cell is not prohibited, see subclause 5.3.1; the cell is part of at least one tracking area (TA) but not part of the list of "forbidden tracking areas" as defined in TS 22.261, which belongs to the PLMN that meets the first bullet item above.

[0058] If the UE has an ongoing emergency call, as a result of the sub - state determination, all acceptable cells of that PLMN are considered suitable for the duration of the emergency call. If the UE is in the normal camping sub - state 402, the UE101 receives paging in two steps (i.e., first receives the paging PDCCH DCI, and then receives the paging message in the PDSCH via the allocated resources through the PDCCH DCI). Then, the UE 101 in this state 402 can move from idle / inactive to the connected mode 404. A cell is a prohibited cell (if so indicated in the system information). A cell is a reserved cell (if so indicated in the system information).

[0059] If the UE 101 is not in the normal camping state sub - state and the UE is in the state 406 of camping on any cell, the UE 101 receives paging in one step (i.e., only receives the paging PDCCH DCI). If the UE 101 is neither in the normal camping state nor in the state of camping on any cell, the UE follows the specified behavior defined in 3GPP TS 38.304. Note that in order to enable one - step paging reception for the UE in the state of camping on any cell, the network should ensure that there is no callback for the UE's initial emergency call, while the UE is in the state of camping on any cell and all other required information is sent only via the paging PDCCH DCI.

[0060] In the case where no suitable cell is found and no acceptable cell is found, the UE state can move to any cell selection 408. If the UE is in the state 406 of camping on any cell, it can leave the idle state when initiating an emergency call at 410. If the UE 101 loses the coverage of the registered PLMN, it either automatically selects a new PLMN (automatic mode) or provides the user with an indication of the available PLMNs so that a manual selection can be performed (manual mode).

[0061] Table 1 presents the functional division between the UE non - access stratum (NAS) and the UE access stratum (AS) in the RRC_IDLE state and the RRC_INACTIVE state 。

[0062]

[0063] When the UE is in the RRC_IDLE state, the network provides the UE with the following three levels of services: limited services (emergency calls, ETWS, and CMAS on acceptable cells); normal services (for public use on suitable cells); and operator services (only for the operator on reserved cells).

[0064] When the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state, the network provides the UE with the following two levels of services: normal services (for public use on suitable cells); and operator services (only for the operator on reserved cells).

[0065] Cell selection is performed through one of the following two procedures: initial cell selection (without prior knowledge of which RF channels are NR carriers); and cell selection by using the stored information.

[0066] In the initial cell selection procedure (without prior knowledge of which RF channels are NR carriers), the UE scans all RF channels in the NR band according to its ability to find a suitable cell. At each carrier frequency, the UE only needs to search for the strongest cell. Once a suitable cell is found, that cell will be selected.

[0067] Cell selection by using the stored information requires information on the stored carrier frequencies and optionally also information on cell parameters from previously received measurement control information elements or from previously detected cells. Once the UE has found a suitable cell, the UE will select that cell. If no suitable cell is found, the initial cell selection procedure in a) will be started.

[0068] The cell selection criterion S within the normal coverage range is satisfied when Srxlev > 0 and Squal > 0, where Srxlev = Q rxlevmeas –(Q rxlevmin +Q rxlevminoffset )–P compensation -Qoffset temp and Squal = Q qualmeas –(Q qualmin +Q qualminoffset )-Qoffset temp .

[0069] Where:

[0070]

[0071]

[0072] As a result of the periodic search for higher priority PLMNs while normally resident in the VPLMN, the signalled value Q is applied only when evaluating cells for cell selection. rxlevminoffset and Q qualminoffset . During this periodic search for higher priority PLMNs, the UE may use parameter values stored from different cells of the higher priority PLMN to check the S criteria of cells.

[0073] There are two mechanisms that allow the operator to impose cell reservation or access restrictions. The first mechanism uses cell status and special reservation indications to control the cell selection and reselection processes. The second mechanism (referred to as unified access control TS 38.331) allows preventing UEs using a selected access category or access identity from sending an initial access message for load control reasons.

[0074] Cell status and cell reservation are indicated in the Master Information Block or System Information Block Type 1 (SIB1) message by the following three fields: i) cellBarred (IE type: "barred" or "not barred") indicated in the Master Information Block message (this field is common for all PLMNs indicated in the SIB1); cellReservedForOperatorUse (IE type: "reserved" or "not reserved") (indicated in the System Information Block Type 1 message. This field is specified per PLMN for the multiple PLMNs indicated in the SIB1); and cellReservedForOtherUse (IE type: "reserved" or "not reserved") indicated in the System Information Block Type 1 message (this field is common for all PLMNs indicated in the SIB1).

[0075] See Figure 5 , which shows an exemplary process flow 500 of a network device (e.g., a user equipment (UE), a new radio NB (gNB), a 5GC component / network device, etc.), which may process, generate, or monitor new radio (NR) communications via a 5G network system (5GS) to perform operations for reducing power consumption in a state of being resident on any cell.

[0076] At 502, the process flow begins to enter the idle mode to achieve reduced power consumption compared to being only in the standalone idle mode or compared to being in the normal resident state.

[0077] At 504, the process flow continues to perform two-step paging reception or one-step paging reception based on which sub-state of the idle mode the process is operating in.

[0078] In other embodiments, the process flow includes performing two-step paging reception in response to being in the normal resident state and performing one-step paging reception in response to being in the resident-on-any-cell state. The process flow includes monitoring only the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in response to operating in the resident-on-any-cell state of the idle mode. This includes processing the information of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) as one-step paging reception.

[0079] As used in this specification, the term "processor" may generally refer to any computing processing unit or device, including but not limited to a single-core processor; a single processor with software multi-threading execution capabilities; a multi-core processor; a multi-core processor with software multi-threading execution capabilities; a multi-core processor with hardware multi-threading technology; a parallel platform; and a parallel platform with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor may refer to an integrated circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a field-programmable gate array, a programmable logic controller, a complex programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions and / or processes described herein. A processor may utilize nanoscale architectures, such as but not limited to molecule- and quantum-dot-based transistors, switches, and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance the performance of a mobile device. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

[0080] An embodiment may include a subject matter, such as a method, an apparatus for performing the actions or blocks of the method, at least one machine-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a machine (e.g., a processor with a memory, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.), cause the machine to perform the actions of a method or an apparatus or a system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to the embodiments and examples described herein.

[0081] A first embodiment is an apparatus configured to be employed in a user equipment (UE) for new radio (NR) communication. The apparatus includes: one or more processors configured to: enter an idle mode to achieve reduced power consumption of the battery; and monitor only the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in response to operating in the resident-on-any-cell state of the idle mode. A radio frequency (RF) interface is configured to provide data for receiving NR communication to an RF circuit.

[0082] The second embodiment may include the first embodiment, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to enter the idle mode by entering the state of camping on any cell by selecting a cell regardless of the public land mobile network (PLMN) identity.

[0083] The third embodiment may include the first embodiment or the second embodiment, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether to perform two-step paging reception or one-step paging reception based on which sub-state of the idle mode the communication operation is in when being powered.

[0084] The fourth embodiment may include any one of the first to third embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform two-step paging reception in response to being in the normal camping state, and perform one-step paging reception in response to being in the state of camping on any cell.

[0085] The fifth embodiment may include any one of the first to fourth embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform two-step paging reception by: processing a first reception of a paging PDCCH and processing a second reception of a paging physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) based on the radio resources allocated by the downlink control information (DCI) of the PDCCH.

[0086] The sixth embodiment may include any one of the first to fifth embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform one-step paging reception only by processing the DCI of the PDCCH when receiving NR communication.

[0087] The seventh embodiment may include any one of the first to sixth embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to reduce the power in paging reception by monitoring the early warning system message and the presence of a system information change indication only in the PDCCH.

[0088] The eighth embodiment may include any one of the first to seventh embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, in response to being in the normal camping state, determine the UE identifier in the paging message in the PDSCH based on the DCI of the PDCCH.

[0089] The ninth embodiment is a computer-readable storage device storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a user equipment (UE) for new radio (NR) communication to perform operations. These operations include: entering the idle mode to achieve reduced power consumption; and performing two-step paging reception or one-step paging reception based on which sub-state of the idle mode the process is operating in.

[0090] The tenth embodiment may include the ninth embodiment, wherein these operations further include: performing two-step paging reception in response to being in the normal resident state; and performing one-step paging reception in response to being in the state of resident on any cell.

[0091] The eleventh embodiment may include any one of the ninth embodiment to the tenth embodiment, wherein these operations further include: monitoring only the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in response to operating in the state of resident on any cell in the idle mode.

[0092] The twelfth embodiment may include any one of the ninth embodiment to the eleventh embodiment, wherein these operations further include: processing the information of the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) as one-step paging reception.

[0093] The thirteenth embodiment may include any one of the ninth embodiment to the twelfth embodiment, wherein these operations further include: processing the information of the paging message of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and the information of the PDCCH as part of two-step paging reception.

[0094] The fourteenth embodiment may include any one of the ninth embodiment to the thirteenth embodiment, wherein the information of the PDCCH includes at least one of the following: an early warning system message or a system information change indication, and the early warning system message includes an earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS) message or a commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) message.

[0095] The fifteenth embodiment may include any one of the ninth embodiment to the fourteenth embodiment, wherein these operations further include: reducing power in the state of resident on any cell by monitoring only the early warning system message and the system information change indication in the PDCCH.

[0096] The sixteenth embodiment may include any one of the ninth embodiment to the fifteenth embodiment, wherein these operations further include: performing one-step paging reception by extracting only one of the following in response to not finding an acceptable cell: an early warning system message or a system information change indication from the PDCCH.

[0097] The seventeenth embodiment may include any one of the ninth embodiment to the sixteenth embodiment, wherein these operations further include: extracting one of the following: an early warning system message or a system information change indication from the PDCCH without processing the paging message.

[0098] The eighteenth embodiment is a device configured to be employed in a next-generation node B (gNB) for New Radio (NR) communication. The device includes: one or more processors configured to: generate a paging message for a UE in a normal resident state; and generate a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) that includes information enabling a UE in a state of residing on any cell to monitor only the PDCCH. A Radio Frequency (RF) interface is configured to provide to an RF circuit data for transmitting NR communication including one or more of: the paging message or the PDCCH.

[0099] The nineteenth embodiment may include the eighteenth embodiment, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: provide information from the paging message to the PDCCH to enable a UE in a state of residing on any cell to monitor only the PDCCH.

[0100] The twentieth embodiment includes any one of the eighteenth embodiment to the nineteenth embodiment, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: enable a UE to perform one-step paging reception based on the PDCCH in response to being in a state of residing on any cell.

[0101] Furthermore, the various aspects or features described herein may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. As used herein, the term "article of manufacture" is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, a computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., EPROMs, cards, sticks, key drives, etc.). Additionally, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data. Additionally, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having one or more instructions or codes that are operable to cause a computer to perform the functions described herein.

[0102] A communication medium embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transmission mechanism, and includes any information delivery or transmission medium. The term "modulated data signal" or signal refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, a communication medium includes wired media such as a wired network or a direct wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media.

[0103] Exemplary storage media can be coupled to a processor such that the processor can read information from the storage media and write information to the storage media. In an alternative, the storage media can be integrated with the processor. Additionally, in some aspects, the processor and the storage media can reside in an ASIC. Further, the ASIC can reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and the storage media can reside in the user terminal as discrete components. Additionally, in some aspects, the processes and / or actions of a method or algorithm can reside on a machine-readable medium and / or a computer-readable medium as one or any combination or collection of code and / or instructions and can be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0104] In this regard, while the subject matter disclosed herein has been described in connection with various embodiments and the corresponding drawings, it should be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiments to perform the same, similar, alternative, or substitute functions of the disclosed subject matter without departing from the described embodiments. Accordingly, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein but should be construed in accordance with the breadth and scope of the following appended claims.

[0105] Particularly with respect to the various functions performed by the above-described components (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), unless otherwise specified, the terms used to describe such components (including references to “means”) are intended to correspond to any component or structure that performs the specified function of the component (e.g., functionally equivalent), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the functions in the exemplary specific implementations of the present disclosure shown herein. Additionally, although a particular feature has been disclosed with respect to only one of several specific implementations, for any given or particular application, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of one or more other specific implementations, which may be desirable and advantageous.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) for New Radio (NR) communication, the UE comprising: a radio frequency (RF) circuit, and one or more processors coupled to the RF circuit via an RF interface and configured to: enter an idle mode; monitor a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in response to operating in a state of camping on any cell or a normal camping state in the idle mode; determine whether to perform two-step paging reception or one-step paging reception based on which sub-state of the idle mode the communication operation is powered in; perform the two-step paging reception in response to being in the normal camping state by processing a first reception of a paging PDCCH and processing a second reception of a paging Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) based on radio resources allocated by the Downlink Control Information (DCI) of the PDCCH, and perform the one-step paging reception in response to being in the state of camping on any cell by only processing the DCI of the PDCCH when receiving the NR communication; and receive the NR communication via the RF interface according to the one-step paging reception or the two-step paging reception.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: enter the idle mode by entering the state of camping on any cell in response to selecting a cell regardless of the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: reduce power in paging reception by monitoring the presence of an Early Warning System message and a System Information change indication only in the PDCCH.

4. The UE according to claim 3, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine a UE identifier in a paging message in the PDSCH based on the DCI of the PDCCH in response to being in the normal camping state.

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: only monitor the PDCCH in response to operating in the state of camping on any cell in the idle mode.

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the information of the PDCCH includes at least one of the following: an Early Warning System message or a System Information change indication, and the Early Warning System message includes an Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) message or a Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) message.

7. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: perform the one-step paging reception by only extracting one of the following in response to not finding an acceptable cell: an Early Warning System message or a System Information change indication from the PDCCH.

8. A base station (BS) for New Radio (NR) communication, the BS comprising: a radio frequency (RF) circuit, and one or more processors coupled to the RF circuit via an RF interface and configured to: Generate a paging message for a UE in a state of camping on any cell or in a normal camping state; and Output the paging message to the RF circuit on a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) for the UE in a state of camping on any cell, where the paging message is for single-step paging transmission; or Output a PDCCH message to the RF circuit and output the paging message to the RF circuit on a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) associated with the PDCCH for the UE in a normal camping state, where the paging message is for two-step paging transmission.

9. The BS according to claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Provide information from the paging message to the PDCCH to enable the UE in the state of camping on any cell to monitor only the PDCCH.

10. The BS according to claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Enable the UE to perform single-step paging reception based on the PDCCH in response to being in the state of camping on any cell.

11. A baseband processor, the baseband processor comprising: a Radio Frequency (RF) circuit, and one or more processors configured to: Enter an idle mode; Monitor a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) in response to operating in a state of camping on any cell or in a normal camping state in the idle mode; Determine whether to perform two-step paging reception or single-step paging reception based on which sub-state of the idle mode the communication operation is powered in; Perform the two-step paging reception in response to being in a normal camping state by processing a first reception of a paging PDCCH and processing a second reception of a paging Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) based on radio resources allocated by the Downlink Control Information (DCI) of the PDCCH, and perform the single-step paging reception in response to being in the state of camping on any cell by only processing the DCI of the PDCCH when receiving the communication; and Receive communication according to the single-step paging reception or the two-step paging reception.

12. The baseband processor according to claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Enter the idle mode by entering the state of camping on any cell in response to selecting a cell regardless of the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identity.

13. The baseband processor according to claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Reduce power in paging reception by monitoring for the presence of an Early Warning System message and a System Information change indication only in the PDCCH.

14. The baseband processor according to claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Determine a User Equipment (UE) identifier in a paging message in the PDSCH based on the DCI of the PDCCH in response to being in a normal camping state.

15. The baseband processor according to claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: Monitor only the PDCCH in response to operating in the state of camping on any cell in the idle mode.

16. The baseband processor according to claim 11, wherein the information of the PDCCH includes at least one of the following: an early warning system message or a system information change indication, and the early warning system message includes an earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS) message or a commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) message.

Images