Enhanced mechanism for processing operation requests for single / multi-connected devices

Abstract

A user equipment UE for a wireless communication system is described. The UE will signal to the wireless communication system information that enables a network entity of the wireless communication system to decide how to handle one or more incoming operation requests for the UE. In particular, a multi-SIM UE signals (400) to a network node of the system information of a part of a user preferred paging profile UPPP, which has conditions UPPPC for determining when and where the UE should be paged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of wireless communication systems or networks, and more particularly to the processing of operation requests of user equipment, such as UE. Embodiments relate to enhancing or improving the paging mechanism for single or multi-connected user equipment, such as single slim or multi-SIM devices. Background Art

[0002] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an example of a terrestrial wireless network 100, as shown in FIG1(a), including a core network 102 and one or more radio access networks RAN1, RAN2, ...RAN N Figure 1(b) shows the radio access network RAN n A schematic diagram of an example of a radio access network RAN n One or more base stations, gNB1 through gNB5, may be included, each serving a specific area around the base station, schematically represented by corresponding cells 1061 through 1065. A base station is provided to serve users within a cell. It should be noted that a base station may also operate multiple cells, i.e., two or more cells (not shown in Figure 1). Furthermore, if a base station operates multiple cells, adjacent cells may include cells operated by the same base station and / or cells operated by different base stations. In other words, adjacent cells may be different cells of the same base station or different cells of different base stations. One or more base stations may provide services to users in licensed and / or unlicensed frequency bands. The term base station (BS) refers to a gNB in a 5G network, an eNB in UMTS / LTE / LTE-A / LTE-APro, or a BS in other mobile communication standards. Users may be fixed or mobile devices. The wireless communication system may also be accessed by mobile or fixed IoT devices connected to a base station or user. Mobile devices or IoT devices may include physical devices, ground-based vehicles such as robots or cars, aerial vehicles such as manned or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the latter also known as drones, buildings and other objects or devices that have embedded electronics, software, sensors, actuators, etc., and network connectivity that enables these devices to collect and exchange data over existing network infrastructure. Figure 1(b) shows an exemplary view of five cells, however, RAN n More or fewer such cells may be included, and the RAN nIt may also include only one base station. Fig. 1(b) shows two users UE1 and UE2, also referred to as user equipment UE, which are in cell 1062 and served by base station gNB2. Another user UE3 is shown in cell 1064 served by base station gNB4. Arrows 1081, 1082 and 1083 schematically represent uplink / downlink connections for transmitting data from users UE1, UE2 and UE3 to base stations gNB2, gNB4 or for transmitting data from base stations gNB2, gNB4 to users UE1, UE2, UE3. This can be achieved on an authorized band or an unauthorized band. In addition, Fig. 1(b) shows two IoT devices 1101 and 1102 in cell 1064, which can be fixed or mobile devices. IoT device 1101 accesses the wireless communication system via base station gNB4 to receive and send data, as schematically represented by arrow 1121. IoT device 1102 accesses the wireless communication system via user UE3, as schematically represented by arrow 1122. The corresponding base stations gNB1 to gNB5 can be connected to the core network 102, for example via the S1 interface, via the respective backhaul links 1141 to 1145, which are schematically represented by arrows pointing to "core" in Fig. 1(b). The core network 102 can be connected to one or more external networks. In addition, some or all of the corresponding base stations gNB1 to gNB5 can be connected to each other, for example via the S1 or X2 interface or XN interface in NR, via the respective backhaul links 1161 to 1165, which are schematically represented by arrows pointing to "gNB" in Fig. 1(b).

[0003] For data transmission, a physical resource grid can be used. The physical resource grid can include a set of resource elements to which various physical channels and physical signals are mapped. For example, physical channels can include physical downlink, uplink, and sidelink shared channels (PDSCH, PUSCH, PSSCH) that carry user-specific data, also known as downlink, uplink, and sidelink payload data, a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) that carries, for example, a master information block (MIB) and system information blocks (SIB), and physical downlink, uplink, and sidelink control channels (PDCCH, PUCCH, PSSCH) that carry, for example, downlink control information (DCI), uplink control information (UCI), and sidelink control information (SCI). For the uplink, the physical channel can further include a physical random access channel (PRACH or RACH), through which the UE accesses the network once it is synchronized and has obtained the MIB and SIB. Physical signals can include reference signals or symbols (RS), synchronization signals, etc. The resource grid can include frames or radio frames that have a specific duration in the time domain and a given bandwidth in the frequency domain. A frame can have a certain number of subframes of a predetermined length, for example, 1 millisecond. Each subframe can include 12 or 14 OFDM symbols of one or more time slots, depending on the cyclic prefix (CP) length. A frame can also include a smaller number of OFDM symbols, for example, when using a shortened transmission time interval (sTTI) or a micro-slot / non-slot-based frame structure that includes only a few OFDM symbols.

[0004] The wireless communication system can be any single-tone or multi-carrier system that uses frequency-division multiplexing, such as an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system, an orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) system, or any other IFFT-based signal with or without CP, such as DFT-s-OFDM. Other waveforms, such as non-orthogonal waveforms for multiple access, can use, for example, filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), generalized frequency-division multiplexing (GFDM), or universal filtered multi-carrier (UFMC). The wireless communication system can operate, for example, according to the LTE-Advanced pro standard or 5G or NR, the new radio standard, or NU-U, the New Radio Unlicensed standard.

[0005] The wireless network or communication system depicted in FIG. 1 can be a heterogeneous network with different overlapping networks, such as a macro cell network, where each macro cell includes a macro base station, such as base stations gNB1 to gNB5, and small network cell base stations (not shown in FIG. 1), such as femto base stations or pico base stations.

[0006] In addition to the above-mentioned terrestrial wireless networks, there are non-terrestrial wireless communication networks, including spaceborne transceivers, such as satellites, and / or airborne transceivers, such as unmanned aerial vehicle systems. The non-terrestrial wireless communication network or system can operate in a manner similar to the terrestrial system described above with reference to FIG. 1, for example, according to the LTE-Advanced Pro standard or 5G or NR, the New Radio standard.

[0007] In a mobile communication system or network, such as those described above with reference to FIG. 1, for example, in an LTE or 5G / NR network, the corresponding entities can communicate using multiple frequency bands, also known as broadband operation. For example, in broadband operation, the base station gNB and / or the user equipment UE can transmit on multiple subbands. The subbands may have different bandwidths or the same bandwidth, such as 20 MHz. Some or all of the subbands can be unlicensed frequency bands. To communicate on an unlicensed subband, the gNB and UE perform Listen Before Talk (LBT) separately for each unlicensed subband, which may result in a situation where one or more subbands, also known as a subset of subbands, used for broadband operation are busy or occupied due to one or more other Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) or one or more other communication systems coexisting on the same frequency band, such as a system operating according to the IEEE 802.11 specification.

[0008] Note that the information in the above section is only for enhancing the understanding of the background of the present invention, and thus it may contain information that does not constitute prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0009] Starting from the prior art as described above, there may be a need to improve or enhance the handling of operation requests for single or multi-connection user equipment, such as single-thin or multi-SIM devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0011] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an example of a wireless communication system;

[0012] FIG. 2 shows a conventional paging mechanism;

[0013] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system, including a transmitter, such as a base station, and one or more receivers, such as a user equipment UE;

[0014] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the present invention, according to which the multi-SIM UE sends information to the wireless communication network, enabling the network or network entity to decide how to handle incoming paging messages;

[0015] Figure 5 shows an embodiment of the present invention, which uses a paging priority threshold to allow the network to determine whether to forward a certain paging message to the UE;

[0016] Figure 6 Shows an example of the RRC specification for the common control channel. The CCCH from the UE to the network includes an RRC piggyback request as a new UL-CCCH message type;

[0017] Figure 7 Shows an example of the RRC specification for the dedicated control channel. The DCCH from the UE to the network includes an RRC piggyback request as a new UL-DCCH message type;

[0018] Figure 8 Shows an example of the RRC specification for the dedicated control channel. The DCCH from the network to the UE includes an RRC piggyback request as a new DL-DCCH message type;

[0019] Figure 9 Shows the operation flowchart of a network entity operating according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as the above-mentioned AMF;

[0020] Figure 10 shows an embodiment for transmitting a UPPPC request or transmitting a UPPPC update request and related processes for a specific connection, such as Figure 4 and the first connection SIM_A of the multi-sim UE shown in Figure 5;

[0021] Figure 11 Shows an embodiment that allows the UE to disable the functions of the present invention; and

[0022] Figure 12 Shows an example of a computer system on which units or modules described according to the method of the present invention and steps of the method can be executed. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0023] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, where the same or similar elements have the same reference numerals.

[0024] In a wireless communication system or network, as described above with reference to FIG. 1, one or more mobile users, UEs, can be so-called multi-connected mobile users or multi-connected UEs. A multi-connected UE can include one or more transmitter (Tx) / receiver (Rx) chains, also referred to as radio frequency (RF) transceiver chains. The multi-connected UE shares the RF transceiver chain with two or more connections, which can also be referred to as independent or shared connections, such that only one connection can access the RF transceiver chain at a given point in time. In other words, at a given point in time, the UE is connected to a network entity via one of the current connections sharing the RF transceiver chain, and in the case of communicating via the Uu interface, this network entity can be a base station, or in the case of sidelink communication using, for example, the PC5 interface, it can be another UE. The current connection can also be referred to as being in a connected state. The other connections sharing the RF transceiver chain with the current connection are in a state where they do not have an active connection to the network entity. However, the other connections are capable of performing one or more operations in the respective operational scenarios. The network entity can be a different network entity from the network entity with which the current connection communicates. For example, when considering a wireless communication system, some base stations can operate according to a first standard, such as the GSM or LTE standard, while other base stations can operate according to another standard, such as the NR standard. Thus, a multi-connected UE can provide a first connection to a GSM network and a second connection to an NR network via a common RF transceiver chain, such that when the UE is connected to the GSM network via its current connection, this connection is in a connected state, while the second connection to the NR system is not active, for example, in an idle state or in a non-active state or in a DRX cycle. The corresponding network entities are not necessarily associated with different standards. On the contrary, the network entities can adopt the same standard. For example, the UE can provide two independent connections to two different network entities of the same network, such as an NR network. The entities can be operated by the same or different mobile network operators (MNOs).

[0025] Thus, a multi-connected UE can share a transceiver between two or more connections using the same transceiver chain, such that on any transceiver chain, when the UE wants to transmit or receive on a current one connection, the UE does not transmit or receive on the other connections. Other multi-connected UEs may have multiple or at least two transceiver chains and allow receiving simultaneously on current connections of different transceiver chains, but for transmitting on current connections of different transceiver chains, the UE will use at least two transceiver chains multiplexing the transmission with at least two connections to one or more wireless communication systems, such that when the UE wants to transmit on one of the current connections of one transceiver chain, the UE does not transmit on one of the current connections of another transceiver chain.

[0026] Thus, in the scenario described above, the current connection is in a connected state, also known as the RRC connected state. In this state, data transfer between the UE and the network is possible. The RRC context is established. A core network connection is also established and network-controlled mobility is enabled. On the other hand, other connections are in an inactive state, such as in the idle state, also known as the RRC idle state. In this state, no data transfer is possible, there is no RRC context, and there is no core network connection. However, device-controlled mobility is enabled. According to the NR method, a new RRC state is introduced, called the RRC inactive state. As is known from the LTE standard, this state can be considered to be, to some extent, between the RRC idle state and the RRC connected state. The RRC inactive state allows the UE to receive certain control messages and send a limited set of control messages in order to more easily track the moving UE within the cell, for example, in the case of an in-vehicle UE, also known as a V-UE. Thus, the connection of a UE that shares the RF transceiver chain with another connection and is in an inactive state may also be in an inactive state, such as the RRC inactive state just mentioned. During the RRC inactive state, data transfer is not possible, however, the RRC context and the core network connection have been established, and device-controlled mobility has also been enabled. In addition, the inactive connection may be in the DRX state, where the UE is RRC connected but does not receive any data from the network during the duration of the DRX cycle.

[0027] A multi-connected UE can provide an identification of the connection(s) to one or more wireless communication systems or entities thereof. For example, the corresponding connections sharing the RF transceiver chain of the UE can be identified by one or more subscriber identity modules SIM cards in the UE, and each SIM card is associated with one of the connections. The connection(s) can also be identified by one or more of the following:

[0028] · One or more universal subscriber identity modules USIM cards, each USIM card being associated with one of the said connections,

[0029] · One or more integrated circuit cards ICC, each ICC being associated with one of the said connections,

[0030] · One or more embedded subscriber identity modules eSIM, each eSIM being associated with one of the said connections,

[0031] · One or more certificates, each certificate being associated with one connection,

[0032] · One or more pairs of username and password, each pair of username and password being associated with one of the said connections,

[0033] · One or more International Mobile Station Equipment Identifiers (IMEIs), each associated with one of the connections,

[0034] · One or more Mobile Equipment Identifiers (MEIDs), each associated with one of the connections.

[0035] Thus, when considering a multi-connected UE as described above, the corresponding connections sharing an RF transceiver chain, which are associated with corresponding identifiers, can be regarded from the network's perspective as separate UEs served by corresponding network entities. These connections can be associated with the same or different network operators.

[0036] In the multi-connected UE as described above, certain operations can also be referred to as certain time instances on certain occasions and are performed on the corresponding connections sharing the RF transceiver chain. However, sharing the RF transceiver chain among one or more connections results in the situation where it may be possible to only use these connections to serve the UE, making the UE unreachable using other connections. Therefore, operations can be performed only on the current connection on certain occasions, while other operations on non-current connections in the inactive state may not be performed. As a result, operations on non-current connections may be missed by the UE. On the other hand, if it is implemented such that other connections become active on the occasions when their corresponding operations are to be performed, this will lead to service interruption of the current connection connected to the network entity currently serving the UE via the current connection.

[0037] The above operations can include various different operations performed between the UE and the network at different time points. For example, the operations can include one or more of the following:

[0038] · Receiving a Radio Access Network (RAN)-based Notification Area (RNA) update,

[0039] · Reading the paging channel during a paging occasion (PO),

[0040] · Reading a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion (MO).

[0041] Regarding the reading of the paging channel during a paging occasion (PO), there are some problems with the corresponding operations occurring at certain occasions on different shared connections, where one is in the connected state while the others are in the idle state or in the inactive state. Paging is the process in which an idle-mode UE wakes up periodically based on Discontinuous Reception (DRX) during a paging occasion to read the paging channel. If the UE discovers relevant information in the paging channel, the UE will transition to the connected mode. Otherwise, the UE continues to monitor subsequent paging occasions (POs).

[0042] Figure 2 illustrates a traditional paging mechanism. Figure 2(a) shows multiple paging opportunities POs existing within a certain time period. Figure 2(b) shows the behavior of the UE at such paging opportunities. The UE can monitor each paging opportunity PO1 to PO3 to listen for possible paging signals for the UE, that is, the UE periodically listens for possible paging signals associated with the UE at the paging opportunities PO1, PO2, and PO3 shown in Figure 2(a). In the example depicted in Figure 2, it is assumed that no paging message or paging signal for the UE is sent at paging opportunities PO1 and PO3. However, at paging opportunity PO2, the UE identifies a paging message or paging signal for the UE and continues to listen for the paging signal. Thus, according to the traditional method, the UE periodically waits and listens for possible paging signals, and in the case where a paging signal arrives, the UE listens for the paging. More particularly, in the case where a paging signal arrives, the UE continues to receive until the paging signal is completely received. Thus, in the case where a dual / multi-connected UE receives a paging message on one connection, such as at paging opportunity PO2, it results in a longer service suspension or interruption on another connection compared to the interruptions at paging opportunities PO1 and PO3.

[0043] In other words, one problem in a multi-connected UE with a single RF transceiver chain or sharing one of its RF transceiver chains between at least two connections is that each connection needs to monitor the corresponding paging channel, which may lead to overlaps in paging opportunities, and in turn may cause delays or data loss on any connection. In other words, at least some connections may be associated with simultaneously occurring or overlapping paging opportunities, such that when connected via the current connection to read the paging channel, the paging information on another paging channel for a non-current connection that occurs substantially simultaneously cannot be read by the UE and is lost. Thus, data may be lost because another connection does not know to send data via this connection, or at least there will be a delay in receiving data until this paging channel can be read by another connection.

[0044] Another problem regarding multi-connected UEs is the service interruption described above. For example, when considering a network entity that is currently connected to a UE in the RRC connected state, and in cases where other connections also need to monitor their paging occasions or monitor system information, then the UE may suddenly detach from the network entity to which it is currently connected, and the current network entity that provides services to the UE via the current connection. The detachment may include: the UE using another connection in the shared connection to connect to another network entity in order to perform paging or system information update using another connection in the connections that share the RF transceiver chain of the multi-connected UE with the current connection. This results in a service interruption on the current connection, which in turn may cause undesirable behavior in the network.

[0045] In other words, when an operation is performed on another connection that is not the current connection at a certain operation opportunity, the UE detaches from the current connection to be in an active state or in a state of being connected to another network entity via another connection, so as to allow a specific operation to be performed at the operation occasion or time. This can also be referred to as the UE temporarily detaching from the current connection and returning to the current connection after completing the operation on the other connection.

[0046] Service interruption may lead to an unexpected error situation in the network entity because the UE is using one of the other non-current connections for the time to satisfy the service or operation, which usually causes an error situation in the serving network entity because the serving network entity does not know the UE process and the operation type of using other connections. Therefore, the network entity may continue to schedule resources for the temporarily suspended connection due to the detachment, which results in waste of resources and cannot be used for connections with other UEs in the wireless system, and may also lead to unexpected behaviors because the current connection may not include some control information from the UE, such as PUCCH, and / or data transmission, such as PUSCH. For example, if the UE does not transmit PUCCH, the previously transmitted HARQ state remains unknown. In the worst-case scenario, the gNB may erroneously detect a PUCCH transmission including HARQ feedback and interpret it as an incorrect acknowledgment for the previous transmission.

[0047] As described above, the above problems may occur not only when reading the paging channel of the corresponding system or network to which the connection accessing the shared RF transceiver chain is connected, but also in the operations where one or more other connections that need to be in the idle state or the inactive state are connected to the entity serving the UE via the corresponding connections to obtain information or data. That is, in some occasions where certain operations need to be performed on different connections of the shared RF transceiver chain in the UE, it may lead to an overlapping situation of the corresponding occasions, such that only one connection can receive information and / or may cause service interruption of the current operation.

[0048] In the above description, reference has been made to dual / multi-connected user equipment. However, for a UE that includes one or more transceiver chains, also referred to as a full-duplex transceiver, and also for a single-connected user equipment, such as a single-SIM UE, it is allowed to receive and transmit simultaneously on one or more connections to one or more wireless communication systems. For example, such a UE that executes all operation requests issued by the wireless communication network where the UE is located may be undesirable. For example, there may be specific cases where a single-SIM UE does not wish to receive at least some operation requests from the network, regardless of whether the UE is in the RRC_IDLE / RRC_INACTIVE state or in the RRC_CONNECTED state. The operation requests may be related to those operations mentioned above, and when considering, for example, the paging mechanism, the UE has to monitor all paging occasions independently of, for example, its battery state, and ultimately the need to continuously monitor the paging occasions will drain the battery. According to other examples, the user of the UE may be in a certain situation, such as in a working environment, where the user does not wish the UE to process some operation requests from the network, and he wishes to receive these operation requests only when not in the working environment. The drawback of the traditional method is that neither a single-SIM UE nor a dual / multi-SIM UE allows suppressing some operation requests from the network, such as paging messages, to improve energy efficiency and / or limit the operations required by the UE functions during a specific period of time.

[0049] The present invention solves the problems discussed above and provides improvements and enhancements for the operation of multi-connected UEs within one or more wireless communication systems or networks.

[0050] Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in a wireless communication system depicted in FIG. 1, including a base station and users, such as mobile terminals or IoT devices. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system, including a transmitter 300, such as a base station, and one or more receivers 302 and 304, such as user equipment UEs. The transmitter 300 and the receivers 302, 304 may communicate via one or more wireless communication links or channels 306a, 306b, such as radio links. The transmitter 300 may include one or more antennas ANT T or an antenna array having multiple antenna elements, a signal processor 300a, and a transceiver 300b. The receivers 302, 304 include one or more antennas ANT ROr an antenna array having multiple antennas, signal processors 302a, 304a, and transceivers 302b, 304b. The base station 300 and UEs 302, 304 can communicate via respective first wireless communication links 306a and 306b, such as radio links using the Uu interface, while the UEs 302, 304 can communicate with each other via a second wireless communication link 308, such as a radio link using the PC5 interface. When the UEs are not served by the base station and are not connected to the base station, for example, they are not in the RRC connected state, or more generally, when the base station does not provide SL resource allocation configuration or assistance, the UEs can communicate with each other via the sidelink. The system, one or more UEs 302, 304, and the base station 300 can operate according to the inventive teachings described herein.

[0051] User Equipment

[0052] The present invention provides a User Equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system, wherein the UE will signal to the wireless communication system information that enables a network entity of the wireless communication system to determine how to handle one or more incoming operation requests for the UE.

[0053] The present invention provides a User Equipment (UE) for one or more wireless communication systems, the UE comprising:

[0054] One or more transceiver chains,

[0055] wherein the UE will share at least one transceiver chain with at least two connections to one or more wireless communication systems, and

[0056] wherein the UE will signal to the wireless communication system information that enables a network entity of the wireless communication system to determine how to handle one or more incoming operation requests for the UE.

[0057] According to an embodiment, the UE provides an identification of the respective connection(s) to the one or more wireless communication systems, such as a unique identification or ID, the identification comprising one or more of the following:

[0058] - One or more Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, each SIM card being associated with one of the connections,

[0059] - One or more Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) cards, each USIM card being associated with one of the connections,

[0060] - One or more Integrated Circuit Card (ICC), each ICC being associated with one of the connections,

[0061] - One or more Embedded Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM), each eSIM being associated with one of the connections,

[0062] - One or more certificates, each certificate being associated with one of the connections,

[0063] - One or more pairs of username and password, each pair of username and password being associated with one of the connections,

[0064] - One or more International Mobile Station Equipment Identifiers (IMEIs), each associated with one of the connections,

[0065] - One or more Mobile Equipment Identifiers (MEIDs), each associated with one of the connections.

[0066] According to an embodiment, the network entity to which the UE will send / receive using the corresponding connection belongs to the same Mobile Network Operator (MNO) or different Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).

[0067] According to an embodiment, the UE signals information about one or some or all of the connections.

[0068] According to an embodiment, the UE signals the information when one, some or all of the connections are in the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0069] According to an embodiment, the UE signals information for one, some or all of the connections in the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0070] According to an embodiment, the UE signals information for one, some or all of the connections in the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0071] According to an embodiment, the operation request involves an operation including one or more of the following:

[0072] - Receiving a Radio Access Network (RAN)-based Notification Area (RNA) update,

[0073] - Reading the paging channel during a paging occasion (PO),

[0074] - Reading a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) Monitoring Occasion (MO).

[0075] According to an embodiment, in order to process an incoming operation request for the UE, the network entity will allow or block sending the incoming operation request to the UE.

[0076] According to an embodiment, the information indicates one or more conditions based on which the network entity is to process an incoming operation request for the UE.

[0077] According to an embodiment, the one or more conditions indicate that only certain operation requests are forwarded to the UE, such as operation requests defined by the UE or emergency paging messages.

[0078] According to an embodiment, the one or more conditions include one or more of the following:

[0079] - Applied Quality of Service (QoS),

[0080] - Applied priority,

[0081] - Traffic type, such as data, voice call, SMS, emergency,

[0082] - Traffic direction, such as UL or DL.

[0083] According to an embodiment, when the UE is in a specific state, such as a power saving state, the UE will signal the information.

[0084] According to an embodiment, the information includes one or more user profiles, such as the UE user preferred paging profile (UPPP), and / or profile conditions, such as the UPPP condition (UPPPC).

[0085] According to an embodiment, the one or more user profiles include a work profile indicating one or more first operations to be accepted or rejected during a first time period, such as the working hours of the UE's user, and an off - work profile indicating one or more second operations to be accepted or rejected during a second time period, such as the time when the UE's user gets off work, and the first and second operations are at least partially different.

[0086] According to an embodiment, the information will be stored in the wireless communication system as UE - specific information. For example, as part of the UE context information, this part can be stored in a network entity using, for example, the Unstructured Data Storage Function (UDSF).

[0087] According to an embodiment, the UE will send the information to a network entity via non - access stratum (NAS) signaling or via access stratum (AS) signaling.

[0088] According to an embodiment, the network entity includes the Access and Mobility Function (AMF) or the Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the core network of the wireless communication system.

[0089] According to an embodiment, the UE will update the information at any time via, for example, NAS signaling.

[0090] According to an embodiment, if the time period since the last update is less than a configured or pre - configured threshold time period, the UE will not update the information via, for example, NAS signaling.

[0091] According to an embodiment, when the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state or the RRC_IDLE state, the UE will piggyback the information in an RRC message sent by the UE, for example, as part of a 4-step random access RA procedure or a 2-step RA procedure.

[0092] According to an embodiment, the UE will use a specific RRC message type to signal the information, thereby allowing a receiver, such as a base station, to determine that no RRC-related change is required and that the message only includes piggybacked information to be processed at the receiver or forwarded to the core network of the wireless communication system.

[0093] According to an embodiment, when the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE will piggyback the information in an uplink message, such as a ULInformationTransfer message on signaling radio bearer 1 SRB1 or signaling radio bearer 2 SRB2.

[0094] According to an embodiment, in response to sending the information, the UE will receive signaling indicating whether the wireless communication system accepts or rejects the requested processing of the operation request for the UE.

[0095] According to an embodiment, if, in response to sending the information, the UE does not receive acceptance of the requested processing of the operation request for the UE, the UE will maintain the current settings or profile, if any, regarding the processing of the operation request for the UE.

[0096] According to an embodiment, the UE will receive a configuration message that indicates updated settings for the processing of the operation request by the wireless communication system.

[0097] According to an embodiment, in the case where the wireless communication system rejects the requested processing of the operation request for the UE, the UE will receive a rejection reason, for example, an indication that the requested processing of the operation request is not allowed at all, such as the network does not support this operation, or it is not possible within a certain time period after which the operation request cannot be requested for processing again.

[0098] Network entity

[0099] The present invention provides a network entity for a wireless communication system that includes one or more user equipment UEs, wherein the network entity will determine how to process one or more incoming operation requests for one or more user equipment UEs.

[0100] According to an embodiment, the network entity is to receive information from one or more of the following, the information enabling the network entity to determine how to process the one or more incoming operation requests for the UE:

[0101] - UE,

[0102] - Another network entity of a wireless communication system,

[0103] - Network entities of different wireless communication systems,

[0104] - Storage, such as an unstructured data storage function, UDSF.

[0105] According to an embodiment, the network entity signals to the source of the information whether a request or an update for the processing of one or more incoming operation requests for the UE is accepted.

[0106] According to an embodiment, in the case where the network entity does not accept the request or the update, the network entity will send to the source of the request:

[0107] - No acknowledgment message, or

[0108] - Unacknowledged message,

[0109] - Unacknowledged message and the reason for non-acceptance, for example, indicating that the requested or updated processing is not allowed at all or is not possible within a specific time period after which it may be requested for processing again within a specific time period.

[0110] According to an embodiment, the network entity autonomously decides on the processing of incoming operation requests for the UE.

[0111] According to an embodiment, in response to an incoming operation request for the UE, depending on the received information, the network entity will allow or block the incoming operation request from being sent to the UE.

[0112] According to an embodiment, the network entity checks the conditions of the incoming operation request and, if the conditions are met, forwards the incoming operation request, or if the conditions are not met, does not forward the incoming operation request.

[0113] According to an embodiment, the network entity signals to the source of the incoming operation request whether the incoming operation request is forwarded to the UE.

[0114] According to an embodiment, in the case where the network entity does not forward the incoming operation request to the UE, the network entity will send to the source of the incoming operation request:

[0115] - No acknowledgment message, or

[0116] - Unacknowledged message,

[0117] - Reasons for unconfirmed messages and non - forwarding operation requests, e.g., indicating that the requested or updated processing is not allowed at all or is not possible within a specific time period after which the forwarding may be performed again.

[0118] According to an embodiment, the UE includes the UE of the present invention.

[0119] According to an embodiment, the network entity includes a base station of the core network of a wireless communication system, such as a gNB, or a core network entity, such as an Access and Mobility Function (AMF), or a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

[0120] According to an embodiment, the network entity includes a core network entity, and wherein the core network entity is configured to receive the information from the UE via a base station, and

[0121] - Process an operation request for the UE using the received information,

[0122] - Provide the received information to other network functions, such as a Service Management Function (SMF), or a Policy Control Function (PCF),

[0123] - Store the received information as part of the UE context, e.g., in an Unstructured Data Storage Function (UDSF).

[0124] According to an embodiment, during an active window, the network entity will deliver some or all operation requests to the UE, and outside the active window, the network entity will decide how to respond on behalf of it to the incoming operation requests of the UE, and.

[0125] According to an embodiment, the active window is configured or pre - configured by the network.

[0126] According to an embodiment, the active window is initiated in response to a specific condition, such as initiating communication or an operation request transmitted according to the information or the UE initiating communication.

[0127] System

[0128] The present invention provides a wireless communication system, comprising one or more UEs, and one or more network entities, wherein one or more of the UEs include the UEs of the present invention, and / or one or more of the network entities include the network entities of the present invention.

[0129] According to an embodiment,

[0130] The UE includes one or more of a mobile terminal, or a fixed terminal, or a cellular IoT-UE, or a vehicle-mounted UE, or a vehicle group leader (GL) UE, IoT or narrowband IoT, NB-IoT device, or a ground-based vehicle, or an aircraft, or a drone, or a mobile base station, or a roadside unit, or a building, or any other item or device having network connectivity enabling an item / device to communicate using a wireless communication network, such as a sensor or an actuator, and / or

[0131] The network entity includes one or more of a macro cell base station, or a small cell base station, or a central unit of a base station, or a distributed unit of a base station, or a roadside unit, or a UE, or a group leader (GL), or a relay, or a remote radio head, or an AMF, or an SMF, or a core network entity, or a mobile edge computing entity, or a network slice in the context of NR or 5G core, or a transmit / receive point (TRP) of any item or device enabling communication using a wireless communication network, where the item or device is provided with network connectivity to communicate using the wireless communication network.

[0132] Method

[0133] The present invention provides a method for operating a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

[0134] Sending, by a user equipment (UE), information to the wireless communication system, the information enabling a network entity of the wireless communication system to determine how to process one or more incoming operation requests for the UE,

[0135] wherein the UE is a single-connected UE or a multi-connected UE, the multi-connected UE including one or more transceiver chains, wherein at least one transceiver chain is shared by at least two connections to one or more wireless communication systems.

[0136] The present invention provides a method for operating a wireless communication system, the method comprising:

[0137] Determining, by a network entity of the wireless communication system, how to process one or more incoming operation requests for one or more user equipments (UEs) of the wireless communication system.

[0138] Computer program product

[0139] The present invention provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to execute one or more methods according to the present invention.

[0140] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the paging mechanism employed in a wireless communication system, similar to that described with reference to FIG. 1. However, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to such a paging mechanism. On the contrary, the method of the present invention described in detail below can equally be applied to handle any other operation requests, such as requests associated with the operations described above.

[0141] To address the problems and drawbacks in the conventional method that require a user equipment to continuously monitor certain operation requests from the network, such as paging requests, according to the present invention, the network is capable of handling one or more incoming operation requests for a UE. For example, the UE may signal to the network that for one or more incoming operation requests, the network will decide how to handle such incoming requests, such as an incoming paging message. In other words, according to the method of the present invention, the transmission of operation requests to the UE, such as paging messages, can be restricted or reduced to a certain extent, e.g., as defined by the UE. On the network side, if an operation request, such as a certain paging message, is received, depending on the requirements or profile defined for the UE, the network side decides whether to actually forward the operation request, such as a paging request, to the UE. This avoids the above problems, such as undesirably detaching a multi-SIM UE from the current connection to another connection in which a paging message is received and listened for over an extended period of time, as shown in FIG. 2(b). In other words, the method of the present invention avoids extending the detachment time of a multi-SIM UE from the current connection to another connection, and the detachment time can be limited to the times when paging opportunities PO1, PO2, and PO3 occur. When considering FIG. 2, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the UE may signal that a certain paging message will not be forwarded by the network to the UE, such that in addition to FIG. 2(b), at paging opportunity PO2, the UE on other connections still monitors the paging opportunity but does not receive the paging message, and thus the length of time the UE is tuned to a different connection is reduced to the monitoring length of the paging opportunity. In a similar manner, a multi-SIM UE or a single-SIM UE can reduce the number of paging messages to be processed at the UE by avoiding forwarding the paging message or paging signal to the UE, thereby avoiding the need to process the signal and decide whether any action is required on the UE side, and thus reducing the power consumption associated with processing the received paging signal. In other words, in response to information indicating a desired profile, such as a user profile, the handling of whether to forward a paging signal to the UE is transferred from the UE to the network.

[0142] Therefore, the present invention is advantageous as it allows for a more flexible use of the user equipment, whether it is multi-SIM or single-SIM, reducing the handover time from the current connection to another connection to the monitoring time for monitoring a certain paging occasion in the case of a multi-SIM UE, allowing the UE to operate according to certain user needs or user expectations, and allowing for reduced power consumption if needed. In other words, according to the present invention, in order to enhance the operation handling at the UE, such as enhancing the paging mechanism for single / multi-SIM UEs, the network, such as the corresponding network entity, can make a decision on how to handle the incoming requests of the UE, such as incoming paging messages.

[0143] Figure 4 An embodiment of the present invention is shown, according to which a multi-SIM UE sends information to a wireless communication network, enabling the network or network entity to make a decision on how to handle incoming paging messages. Figure 4 A multi-SIM UE 400 is shown, which in the depicted embodiment includes two connections or SIM cards SIM_A and SIM_B. However, the principles described subsequently that form the basis of the present invention are equally applicable to single-SIM UEs or multi-SIM UEs having more than two connections. Additionally, it is assumed that the UE 400 is connected to a first radio network NTW_A via a first connection SIM_A and to a second network NTW_B via a second connection SIM_B. Initially, at a time before t1, the multi-SIM UE is connected to the second network NTB_B via its second connection SIM_B. At time t1, the multi-SIM UE hands over from the second connection SIM_B to the first connection SIM_A, such that starting from time t2, the multi-SIM UE uses its first connection SIM_A to connect to the first network NTW_A. According to an embodiment of the present invention, when connected to the first network NTW_A using the first connection SIM_A, the multi-SIM UE 400 can send information to the network to enable the network entity of the first network NTW_A to make a decision on how to handle the incoming paging messages directed to the multi-SIM UE. According to the embodiments described in more detail below, the multi-SIM UE can send a profile indicating operation requests and / or conditions to allow the network NTW_A to handle the corresponding incoming requests accordingly.

[0144] For example, when considering an embodiment for solving the paging mechanism, at 400, the multi-SIM UE may send a user-preferred paging profile UPPP, along with the corresponding user-preferred paging profile condition UPPPC, as discussed in more detail below. According to a further embodiment, the network NTW_A may send a UPPPC confirmation 402 to the multi-SIM UE. Thus, once the profile is received at the network NTW_A, the network NTW_A is able to evaluate whether to forward any incoming requests for certain operations, such as an incoming paging request or an incoming paging message for the first connected SIM_A, to the multi-SIM UE or not.

[0145] In Figure 4 the embodiment depicted in, at time t3, the multi-SIM UE detaches from the first connected SIM_A and re-attaches to the second connected SIM_B so that, at time t4, the multi-SIM UE is again connected to the second network NTW_B via the second connected SIM_B. At a later time t5, the multi-SIM UE may again detach from the second connected SIM_B and return to the first connected SIM_A to monitor the paging opportunity POSIM_A for potential paging signals or paging messages directed to the first connected SIM_A of the multi-SIM UE between times t6 and t7. Based on the information 400, the network NTW_A is able to check incoming paging messages during the paging opportunity POSIM_A to see if it matches the information received at 400, e.g., if it matches a certain profile or a certain condition such as a user-preferred paging profile condition. If the incoming paging message matches a certain profile or condition, the network NTW_A blocks the incoming paging message from being transmitted to the multi-SIM UE. Thus, despite the fact that from the network, by signaling to the network not to forward such a message to the UE, a paging message is provided for the first connected SIM_A of the multi-SIM UE, the situation shown in Fig. 2(b) is avoided at the paging opportunity PO2, and only a short detachment time for monitoring the paging opportunity of the first connected SIM_A from t6 to t7 occurs instead of the longer time period required to listen for the actual paging message to be received. Thus, when implementing the method of the present invention, the detachment time before the multi-SIM UE can return to the second connected SIM_B after time t7 is significantly reduced.

[0146] In reference Figure 4In the described embodiments, information regarding the handling of operation requests for a UE by the network is received by the UE. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. According to other embodiments, this information may be provided by other sources or may be configured in the system to allow network entities to autonomously, i.e., without communicating with the UE or other network entities, how to handle one or more incoming operation requests for the UE. According to an embodiment, a network entity may receive information from another network entity of a wireless communication system, or a network entity forming a different wireless communication system, or receive information from a memory such as an unstructured data storage function UDSF. In other words, a network entity may decide to use information it already has available, e.g., from a memory that stored information when the UE was connected at an earlier time, or from the same or a different network operator based on information received / negotiated with another network entity. According to a further embodiment, the network may use existing information, e.g., knowledge that certain sim cards belong to the same device. According to a further embodiment, the network may monitor traffic patterns to / from the UE to make a decision regarding the handling of operation requests, e.g., not to forward low-priority requests when traffic is high, i.e., above a configured or pre-configured threshold. According to other embodiments, the network may make a decision based on the transmit power received from the UE, e.g., if the value is low, the UE is at the cell edge and may not need to be burdened with unnecessary information, such as low-priority requests.

[0147] As described above, the decision in the network or network entity may be based on information for the UE, such as a preferred user profile selected for the UE and transmitted to the network or network entity, e.g., via signaling 400. According to an embodiment, in addition to the profile, conditions related to the user profile may also be included in the signaling 400. According to an embodiment, the profile may indicate what operation requests, such as paging requests or paging messages, will be sent to the UE to indicate. For example, certain operation requests from certain entities associated with certain services or applications will not be forwarded from the network to the UE, i.e., during a period of time, only operation requests from a certain set of operation requests will be forwarded while in a second period of time operation requests from another set of operation requests will be forwarded. For example, the different periods of time may be the time when the user of the UE is at work and the time when the user of the UE is off work.

[0148] Further, corresponding conditions may be associated with the profile. An example of such a condition may be to consider a paging priority threshold, which may be derived, for example, based on the received quality of service QoS and the priority of the applications running on the UE. This may be communicated to the network, and based on this criterion / threshold, the network may decide to send a paging signal to the UE only if the priority of an incoming paging message is greater than the threshold set by the UE, e.g., in the profile. The criteria based on which it may be decided to forward a certain message, such as a paging message, to the UE may be based on one or more of the following:

[0149] - Quality of service of applications run by the UE,

[0150] - Priority of applications run by the UE,

[0151] - Traffic type, such as traffic related to data transmission,

[0152] - Traffic related to calls, traffic related to short message services, or traffic related to emergencies,

[0153] - Direction of the traffic, such as uplink traffic or downlink traffic.

[0154] For example, when considering the traffic type, in some cases, such as when the user wishes not to be disturbed, such as at work, only data transmission and emergency messages can be forwarded to the UE. At other times, such as during lunch breaks or after work, traffic associated with calls can also be forwarded. Additionally, according to an embodiment, traffic associated with emergencies can always be forwarded.

[0155] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the present invention that uses a paging priority threshold to allow the network to determine whether to forward a certain paging message to the UE. In FIG. 5, those elements already described Figure 4 have been assigned the same reference numerals and are not described again, but rather refer to Figure 4The above description. Again, assume that the multi-SIM UE has two connections, SIM_A and SIM_B, where the second connection SIM_B is in the RRC_CONNECTED state for the second network NTW_B, and the first connection SIM_A is in the RRC_IDLE state. Between time t2 and t3 and between time t6 and t7, the UE detaches from the RRC_CONNECTED connection SIM_B to the first connection SIM_A to allow the UE to signal via the first connection, for example, in the manner described in more detail below, to notify information 400 about paging messages that are not to be forwarded to the first connection. According to an embodiment of the present invention, such information or signaling at 400 can be performed when the first connection is in the RRC_IDLE state. In the embodiment of FIG. 5(a), the information 400 signals to the network NTW_A a certain paging priority threshold X, which is stored in the network and used by the network to evaluate incoming paging messages to see if their paging priority is greater than or equal to or less than the priority. There is a paging message to be forwarded to the first connection at the next paging occasion POSIM_A of the first connection SIM_A, and since the second network NTW_A determines that the paging threshold of the incoming paging message is greater than the threshold X, the actual paging signal 404 is forwarded to the first connection SIM_A of the multi-SIM UE, such that the multi-SIM UE uses the first connection at the paging occasion PO2 to listen for the paging signal in the manner shown in FIG. 2(b).

[0156] FIG. 5(b) shows threshold checking at different paging occasions and starts at time t6, assuming that the network NTW_A has been notified by the first connection SIM_A about the priority threshold of the paging message. FIG. 5(b) shows two paging occasions PO_1SIM_A and PO_2SIM_A between time t6 and t7 and between time t10 and t11, during which it is assumed that the network NTW_A monitors the paging priority threshold of any incoming paging messages for the first connection SIM_A. In the embodiment of FIG. 5(b), assume that at the first paging occasion PO_1SIM_A, the network NTW_A determines that the paging priority of the incoming message is less than the threshold, and thus, as shown, no signaling occurs from the network NTW_A to the first connection SIM_A, thereby reducing the detachment time to the paging occasion duration at paging occasions PO1 and PO3, as shown in FIG. 2(b). On the other hand, at the paging occasion PO_2SIM_A, the network NTW_A determines that the incoming message has a paging priority greater than the threshold, and thus during this period, in a manner similar to that depicted in FIG. 5(a), the paging signal 404 is sent to the first connection SIM_A.

[0157] Figure 5(c) shows a further embodiment employing a paging priority threshold, according to which the initial threshold is updated. In Figure 5(c), in a manner similar to Figure 5(a), the paging priority threshold X is initially signaled from the first connected SIM_A to the first network NTW_A between times t2 and t3, during which the multi-SIM UE moves from the RRC_CONNECTED connected SIM_B to the RRC_IDLE connected SIM_A. During the next period between times t6 and t7, during which the multi-SIM UE moves again from the second connected SIM_B to the first connected SIM_A, the multi-SIM UE may send an update message 406 forwarding the updated threshold, such as a new paging priority threshold Y, to the network NTW_A so that during the paging occasion POSIM_A between times t10 and t11, the first connection monitors the paging occasion and the network NTW_A may send an incoming paging signal 404 because its threshold is greater than the updated threshold Y.

[0158] As shown in Figure 5, by restricting paging messages to the first connected SIM_A in the RRC_IDLE state, the overall service interruption time of the second connected SIM_B in the RRC_CONNECTED state can be kept to a minimum. Thus, in addition to existing or conventional methods, according to current 3GPP specifications, even if the UE ultimately chooses to prioritize other SIM cards or connections in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE is authorized to handle paging messages, and according to the present invention, an increase in the total interruption time experienced in conventional methods is avoided. The UE may request the network to forward only certain paging messages that meet specific criteria to the UE, thereby introducing the number of paging messages received by the UE and thus reducing the overall interruption time.

[0159] As described above, according to an embodiment, the information 400 (e.g., see Figure 4 ) forwarded by the single / multi-SIM UE to the radio communication network indicating how to handle incoming paging messages for the UE may be in the form of a user-preferred profile, such as a user-preferred paging profile associated with a corresponding condition referred to as the UPPP condition UPPPC. Hereinafter, based on an embodiment employing a user-preferred paging profile, the signaling of sending such information to the network, such as described at 400 above with reference to Figure 4 and Figure 5, is described in more detail. However, note that the present invention is not limited to a user-preferred paging profile, but rather, if desired, any user profile indicating a preferred handling of certain operation requests received on the network is used together with further conditions associated with the profile.

[0160] An information or configuration file, such as UPPPC, after being received by a network, such as network NTW_A, can be stored as UE-specific information, for example as part of UE context information. The UE context information can be stored in a network entity of the core network of the radio communication system, for example by adopting an unstructured data storage function UDSF.

[0161] According to an embodiment, UPPPC can be sent by a UE to the network via non-access stratum NAS signaling to allow a UE, such as a single-sim UE in the RRC_IDLE state or RRC_INACTIVE state, or a multi-sim UE in the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state, to send information or a configuration file or a configuration file condition to the network without switching to the RRC_CONNECTED state. For example, UPPPC can be sent by a UE to the network via non-access stratum NAS signaling, for example to the access and mobility function AMF of the 5G core network 5GC, or to the mobility management entity MME of the evolved packet core, EPC. For example, in the case of 5GC, the AMF may receive UPPPC. Then, the AMF can use the information provided by UPPPC, which it can provide to other network functions, such as the service management function SMF or the policy control function PCF, for these functions to use, or it can store the information UPPCC provided by UPPPC as part of the UE context in USDSF. According to other embodiments, UPPPC can be sent by a UE to the network via access stratum AS signaling.

[0162] As described above, UPPPC can be dynamic in nature and can be updated at any time, for example via NAS or AS signaling. According to an embodiment, in order to prevent a UE from requesting a change to UPPPC too frequently, an update may be allowed only within a certain time period after the expiration of the last update, for example once a blocking timer expires. The blocking timer can be set to a certain value, and during the blocking timer, the UE is not allowed to request any change to UPPPC. The blocking timer can be implemented on the UE side so that the UE already knows that an update is not possible, or it can be implemented on the network side so that a network entity receiving a UPPPC update message can check whether an update has been allowed, and if not, maintain the current configuration file and optionally notify the UE accordingly.

[0163] For example, when an update is requested within the duration of a blocking timer, the UE may receive a non-acknowledgment message from the network indicating that the update has not been accepted, so that the UE knows that the currently used non-updated profile is still valid. According to other embodiments, in response to an update, the network may not send back any signal to the UE, instead of signaling the rejection or non-acknowledgment of the update, and the UE expects to receive an acknowledgment or acceptance of the update. Once this is not received within a specific time period, it knows that the update has not been accepted and thus also knows that the currently used non-updated profile is maintained. On the other hand, in the case where the update is accepted by the network, an acknowledgment or acceptance message may be sent to the UE so that the UE knows that the new updated profile is valid.

[0164] Note that when sending a profile of profile conditions to the network for the first time, the process just described for providing information about the profile from the network to the UE can also be adopted. The network can explicitly signal an acknowledgment or non-acknowledgment to inform the UE whether the profile / profile conditions are accepted or not. In other embodiments, the network may only send an acknowledgment so that the UE knows that the requested profile / conditions are not accepted and used on the network side once it does not receive an acknowledgment within a predefined time period.

[0165] According to an embodiment, when considering 5GC, the overall link between the AMF and the UE is referred to as the N1 interface. If the UE, i.e., a single SIM UE, or one of the connections of a multi-SIM UE is in the RRC_IDLE state, in order to implement NAS signaling, dedicated NAS information can be piggybacked on the RRC message sent by the UE to the gNB. This dedicated NAS information is transparent to the lower layers below the NAS layer of the UE and the gNB and can be forwarded to the core network, e.g., forwarded to the AMF. According to such an embodiment, the information or UPPPC is the dedicated NAS information included in the RRC message. The message containing the RRC and the piggybacked NAS information can be part of a four-step random access RA process or a two-step RA process. According to a further embodiment, in the case where the connection of the UE or multi-SIM UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the above NAS information, i.e., the information about handling incoming operation requests, can be piggybacked using an uplink message, such as by UL information transfer messages on SRB1 / SRB2.

[0166] Since information regarding handling incoming operation requests, such as incoming paging messages, is piggybacked via RRC messages, according to current specifications, such as 3GPP specifications, the UE can also request RRC level changes, such as setup request / setup complete, resume request / resume complete, reestablishment request, or system information request on SRB0 / SRB1. However, current specifications do not allow RRC messages that do not include any RRC level changes. In other words, it is not possible to perform NAS level changes using only the current set of existing RRC message types, i.e., NAS level changes indicating handling of incoming operation requests for a specific UE or a specific connection in a multi-sim UE as described above. Therefore, according to a further embodiment, a new RRC message type is provided, which can be referred to as RRC piggybacking. When the UE sends this RRC piggybacking message via NAS signaling, the receiver, the corresponding entity in the gNB or 5GC, recognizes that no RRC-related changes are required, and only the piggybacked information or data related to handling incoming operation requests is included for the gNB to process itself or forward to 5GC.

[0167] Figure 6 An example of the RRC specification for the common control channel is shown. The CCCH from the UE to the network includes, as indicated at 410, the above-mentioned RRC piggybacking request as a new UL-CCCH message type. Otherwise, Figure 6 the RRC configuration in may correspond to traditional RRC specifications, such as those described in the RRC protocol specification - 36.331 for traditional LTE and 38.331 for 5G NR. According to Figure 6 an embodiment, the RRC piggybacking message type is included in the uplink common control channel message. However, according to other embodiments, it can also be included in the uplink dedicated control channel UL-DCCH, and Figure 7 an example of the RRC specification is shown for indicating the new message 410 in the uplink from the UE to the network using the DCCH.

[0168] In response to receiving an RRC message including piggybacked NAS information at the gNB, the gNB can also use an RRC message piggybacking the dedicated NAS information received by the gNB from 5GC to forward information regarding the handling of operation requests requested by the network. For example, the gNB can use an existing message type with RRC impact, or it can use the RRC piggybacking message type without RRC impact. Figure 8 An example of the RRC specification is shown, including a new message type 410 for messages sent from the network to the UE, e.g., in the downlink dedicated control channel DL-DCCH.

[0169] In response to receiving information about handling an incoming operation request regarding a UE or a multi-SIM UE, such as the UPPPC described above, the wireless communication system can determine how to handle the incoming request for the UE. Figure 9 The operation flowchart of a network entity operating according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, such as the AMF described above. The network entity determines in step S1 whether the UE has established a UPPPC at the entity, for example, by sending the corresponding information or message 400 described with reference to Figure 4 and FIG. 5. If it is determined in step S1 that such a UPPPC is set, then in step S2, the network entity determines whether an incoming request, such as an incoming paging message, satisfies the UPPPC. In the case where the incoming paging message satisfies the UPPPC, the network entity allows the incoming paging message to be sent to the UE, as indicated in case 1 in step S3. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S2 that the incoming paging message does not satisfy the UPPPC, the network entity blocks the incoming paging message from being sent to the UE, as indicated in case 2 at step S4. According to an embodiment, the network entity can also notify the network entity from which the incoming paging message originated of the reason for the rejection of the paging message, thereby allowing, for example, an application to react to such a situation, such as excluding the UE from its service, etc. For example, the application can attempt to provide service to the UE after a period of time that the application deems necessary, or can enable the application to provide the same service through non-3GPP access. If the network entity determines in S1 that no UPPPC is set at the entity, then all incoming paging messages are allowed to be sent to the UE, as shown in case 3 in step S5.

[0170] FIG. 10 shows an embodiment for transmitting a UPPPC request or transmitting a UPPPC update request and the related processes for a specific connection, such as Figure 4 the first connection SIM_A of the multi-SIM UE shown in FIG. 5. Naturally, the embodiments described subsequently are equally applicable to a single-SIM UE. In Figure 9 it, details related to the Figure 4 existing connection in FIG. 5, i.e., the second connection SIM_B, are not shown. In addition, FIG. 10 shows the processes related to 5CG. However, the method of the present invention is equally applicable to networks implemented in different ways, for example, for an EPC in which the AMF is replaced by an MME and the SMF is replaced by an S-GW (serving gateway). In FIG. 10, Figure 4 the first network NTW_A of FIG. 5 includes a base station gNB_A, an AMF_A, and an SMF_A, where AMF_A and SMF_A are part of the core network 5GC, while gNB_A and the connection SIM_A are part of the radio access network RAN.

[0171] FIG. 10(a) shows an embodiment of case 1 described above with reference to Figure 9 in step S3. For exampleFigure 4 The first connected SIM_A of the multi-SIM UE shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 sends an RRC message carrying a UPPPC request 410 to gNB_A, and gNB_A forwards 412 the UPPCC to the 5GC, more particularly, to AMF_A. AMF_A adds the user-preferred paging profile and the user-preferred paging profile conditions to the UE context, as shown at 414. Once AMF_A accepts the UPPPC request and adds the information to the UE context, AMF_A sends a UPPPC acceptance message to gNB_A at 416, and gNB_A forwards the UPPPC acceptance message to the SIM_A connection of the UE at 418, for example, by piggybacking the UPPPC acceptance information in the DL-DCCH using the above-mentioned RRC message. As described above, according to other embodiments, in the case where AMF_A does not accept the request, the signaling at 416 and 418 indicates the rejection or non-confirmation of the UPPPC request for SIM_A via gNB_A, and optionally, may include the reason for the rejection. According to yet another embodiment, the procedure steps 416 and 418 may be omitted in the case where AMF_A does not accept the UPPPC request, such that a UE that does not receive an acknowledgement or acceptance message within a predefined time period identifies that the user-preferred paging profile has not been added or is not used by the core network.

[0172] Once the system is set up in the above manner, later SMF_A may issue a paging request 420. AMF_A determines that the paging request satisfies the UPPPC, as shown at 422. In response to determining that the paging request satisfies the UPPPC, AMF_A correspondingly notifies SMF_A at 424, for example, by sending a message indicating that the paging request has been accepted. In addition, AMF_A sends paging information to gNB_A at 426, and in turn gNB_A sends a paging message to the first connected SIM_A, as shown at 428. gNB_A creates a paging message for forwarding to SIM_A in response to the paging information received from AMF_A at 426.

[0173] FIG. 10(b) shows in step S4 with reference to Figure 9Embodiment of Scenario 2 described above. Those procedure steps for establishing UPPPC at AMF_A, which have been described with reference to Fig. 10(a), are also shown but will not be described again. In Fig. 10(b), once the system is set up as described above with reference to Fig. 10(a), based on the received profile / profile condition, SMF_A issues a paging request evaluated at AMF_A at 420, and determines at 430 that the paging request does not meet the UPPPC. It is accordingly notified at 432 to SMF_A. More particularly, AMF_A sends a non-confirmation for the paging request, and optionally, the reason for sending the non-confirmation. As can be seen from the comparison between Fig. 10(a) and Fig. 10(b), there is no signaling regarding the paging request 420 from AMF_A to RAN, that is, preventing the sending of incoming paging messages to the UE.

[0174] Fig. 10(c) shows the process of Scenario 3 described with reference to Figure 9 step S5. In a manner similar to Fig. 10(a) and Fig. 10(b), the UE sends a UPPPC request to AMF_A via gNB_A, as shown at 410 and 412. However, in the embodiment depicted in Fig. 10(c), AMF_A decides not to allow this request and the user-preferred paging profile / condition is not added to the UE context, as shown at 434. According to the depicted embodiment, the UE is accordingly notified, and AMF_A sends a UPPPC rejection message to gNB_A at 436, using one of the RRC messages that piggyback the corresponding message from the gNB as described above. gNB_A in turn sends the UPPPC rejection and optionally the rejection reason to the UE or the UE's first connected SIM_A, as indicated at 438. According to other embodiments, as described above, when the profile / condition is not added to the UE context, as shown at 434, in response to a specific time period in which no confirmation for the request is received, no message is sent to the UE, knowing that the request has not been accepted and the profile / condition has not been added to the context. In this case, when SMF_A issues a paging request at 420, AMF_A does not perform any checks, as shown at 440, and confirms the paging request to SMF_A, as shown at 424. The paging information 426 is forwarded to gNB_A, and gNB_A creates and forwards a paging message 428 to the UE. Thus, in the case where the preferred paging profile / condition is not added to the UE context, all incoming paging requests or paging messages are ultimately sent to the UE.

[0175] Figure 10(d) shows an embodiment for updating a received configuration file including NAS acceptance. In Figure 10(d), the connected SIM_A of the UE sends a UPPPC update request, e.g., piggybacked in an RRC message in the above-described manner, as shown at 442. gNB_A forwards the received update request to AMF_A that allows the update at 444 and updates the UE context accordingly, as shown at 446. In response to the updated context, AMF_A sends a UPPPC acceptance message 448 to gNB_A, and gNB_A piggybacks this acceptance message with the RRC message in the above-described manner for transmitting it to the UE at 450.

[0176] Figure 10(e) shows an embodiment of UPPPC update with NAS rejection. In a similar manner to Figure 10(d), the UE requests an update at 442 and 444. However, AMF_A rejects the update and the UE context is not updated, as shown at 452. Without updating the UE context, AMF_A sends a UPPPC rejection message 454 to gNB_A, and gNB_A in turn piggybacks this message onto the RRC message and sends it to the UE using NAS signaling at 456. According to other embodiments, the signaling at 454 and 456 can be omitted, such that the UE does not receive an acknowledgement within a predetermined period after the update request identifies that the update is not accepted and the system continues to operate based on the existing non-updated configuration file.

[0177] According to an embodiment, the UE may signal the requested user profile together with the UPPPC messages described above with reference to Figure 10. In the sense of accepting or rejecting the profile, there may be no direct reply message from the network. However, different signaling paths from the network to the UE may inform the UE about the currently active UPPPC profile. For example, the AMF may reply to the request using the currently active UPPPC profile, which may be the requested profile or a different profile. According to other embodiments, the network may reply to the request, meaning that the current or default profile remains active. Additionally, the UE may also provide changes to the active UPPPC profile in the form of delta signaling within the judgment scope of the network in the manner shown in Figures 10(d) and 10(e).

[0178] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a so-called active window can be adopted. For example, whenever a UE initiates communication, such as when a single UE switches to the RRC_CONNECTED state, or when a connection in a multi-SIM UE switches to the RRC_CONNECTED state, or according to the requested conditions, in the case where a paging message is forwarded to the UE and received by the UE, the network may assume that the UE or a connection of the now-activated multi-SIM UE is active within a certain period of time. During this period of time, also referred to as the active window period, for example, the configuration file stored in the AMF may not be applied to allow some or all operation requests to be passed to the UE. The active window can be configured by the network or can be pre-configured. Once the active window is closed or expires, the network may apply the current UPPPC configuration file again.

[0179] Therefore, according to the above embodiments, by adopting UPPPC, when one of the connections with the corresponding network is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the service interruption time in a multi-SIM UE can be reduced in case the UE needs to monitor the paging occasions of one or more other connections. However, the embodiments of the present invention are equally applicable to the case where all connections or SIM cards are in the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state. Similarly, the method of the present invention is equally applicable to the single-SIM device as described above. For example, when considering the case where a single-SIM device or a multi-SIM device has low power and needs to save battery, the UPPPC can be indicated to the network to only allow operation requests, such as paging messages, to be sent to the UE, which are considered necessary for the UE, or only allow emergency or important operation requests, such as emergency messages, etc. to reach the UE.

[0180] According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the UE can disable the function of the present invention when needed, and the network process can return to the situation 3 as described above in step S5 Figure 9 as described. Figure 11 An embodiment allowing the UE to disable the function of the present invention is shown. Figure 11 Similar to Figure 4 , and during the period between t2 and t3 when the multi-SIM UE detaches from the second connection SIM_B, the multi-SIM UE sends a disable message to the first network NTW_A, such as the user-preferred paging profile condition disable message 460, via NAS signaling, for example. Optionally, the network NTW_A can send a corresponding confirmation 462 to SIM_A. Due to the disable request at 460, during the next paging occasion POSIM_A between times t6 and t7, the network NTW_A no longer checks whether incoming paging messages are to be sent to the UE, but any incoming messages are forwarded to the UE, as in step S5, as described above Figure 9 in situation 3.

[0181] According to an embodiment, the above single-SIM or multi-SIM device further includes a device including one or more transceiver chains, which allows simultaneous reception and transmission on one or more connections to one or more wireless communication systems, also referred to as a full-duplex transceiver.

[0182] General

[0183] The above embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. Each embodiment and aspect can be implemented alone, or two or more embodiments or aspects can be combined and implemented.

[0184] Regarding the above embodiments in various aspects of the present invention, it should be noted that they are described in an environment where communication is carried out between a transmitter, such as a gNB or a UE, and a receiver, such as a UE and a gNB. However, the present invention is not limited to such communication. Instead, the above principles can equally be applied to device-to-device communication, such as D2D, V2V, V2X communication. In such a scenario, communication is carried out through a sidelink between individual devices. The transmitter is a first UE, and the receiver is a second UE that communicates using sidelink resources.

[0185] According to an embodiment, the wireless communication system may include a terrestrial network or a non-terrestrial network, or a network or network segment that uses an aerial vehicle or a spaceborne vehicle or a combination thereof as a receiver.

[0186] According to an embodiment, the receiver UE may include one or more of a mobile or fixed terminal, an IoT device, a ground-based vehicle, an aircraft, a drone, a building, or any other item or device provided with network connectivity that enables an item / device to communicate using the wireless communication system, such as a sensor or an actuator. According to an embodiment, the transmitter may include a macrocell base station, or a small cell base station, or a spaceborne vehicle such as a satellite or space, or an aerial vehicle such as an unmanned aerial vehicle system (UAS), such as a tethered UAS, a lighter-than-air UAS (LTA), a heavier-than-air UAS (HTA), and a high-altitude UAS platform (HAP), or any transmit / receive point (TRP) that enables an item or device provided with network connectivity to communicate using the wireless communication system.

[0187] Although certain aspects of the described concepts have been described in the context of an apparatus, it is evident that these aspects also represent a description of the corresponding method, where a block or device corresponds to a method step or a feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of method steps also represent a description of the corresponding block or item or feature of the corresponding apparatus.

[0188] The various elements and features of the present invention can be implemented in hardware using analog and / or digital circuits, in software by executing instructions with one or more common or dedicated processors, or as a combination of hardware and software. For example, embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in the environment of a computer system or another processing system. Figure 12 An example of a computer system 500 is shown. The steps of the units or modules and the methods performed by these units can be executed on one or more computer systems 500. The computer system 500 includes one or more processors 502, such as dedicated or general-purpose digital signal processors. The processor 502 is connected to a communication infrastructure 504, such as a bus or a network. The computer system 500 includes a main memory 506, such as random access memory (RAM), and an auxiliary memory 508, such as a hard disk drive and / or a removable storage drive. The auxiliary memory 508 can allow computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into the computer system 500. The computer system 500 can further include a communication interface 510 to allow the transfer of software and data between the computer system 500 and external devices. The communication can be from electronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals that can be processed by the communication interface. The communication can use wires or cables, optical fibers, telephone lines, cellular phone links, RF links, and other communication channels 512.

[0189] The terms "computer program medium" and "computer-readable medium" are generally used to refer to tangible storage media, such as removable storage units or hard disks installed in hard disk drives. These computer program products are devices for providing software to the computer system 500. The computer program, also known as computer control logic, is stored in the main memory 506 and / or the auxiliary memory 508. The computer program can also be received via the communication interface 510. When executed, the computer program enables the computer system 500 to implement the present invention. In particular, when executed, the computer program enables the processor 502 to implement the processes of the present invention, such as any of the methods described herein. Thus, such a computer program can represent the controller of the computer system 500. In the case of implementing the present disclosure using software, the software can be stored in a computer program product and loaded into the computer system 500 using a removable storage drive, an interface, etc., such as the communication interface 510.

[0190] The implementation of the hardware or software can be performed using digital storage media, such as cloud storage, floppy disks, DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, ROMs, PROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, or FLASH memories, on which electronically readable control signals are stored, which cooperate (or are capable of cooperating) with a programmable computer system to perform the corresponding methods. Thus, the digital storage media can be computer-readable.

[0191] Some embodiments according to the present invention include a data carrier having an electronically readable control signal, which is capable of cooperating with a programmable computer system to execute one of the methods described herein.

[0192] Generally, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented as a computer program product having program code that is operable to execute one of the methods when the computer program product is run on a computer. The program code may be stored, for example, on a machine-readable carrier.

[0193] Other embodiments include a computer program stored on a machine-readable carrier for executing one of the methods described herein. In other words, embodiments of the method of the present invention are thus computer programs having program code for executing one of the methods described herein when the computer program is run on a computer.

[0194] Therefore, a further embodiment of the method of the present invention is a data carrier (or digital storage medium, or computer-readable medium) including a computer program recorded thereon for executing one of the methods described herein. Therefore, a further embodiment of the method of the present invention is a data stream or signal sequence representing a computer program for executing one of the methods described herein. The data stream or signal sequence may be configured, for example, to be transmitted via a data communication connection, such as via the Internet. Further embodiments include a processing device, such as a computer or a programmable logic device, which is configured or adapted to execute one of the methods described herein. Further embodiments include a computer on which a computer program for executing one of the methods described herein is installed.

[0195] In some embodiments, a programmable logic device (such as a field programmable gate array) may be used to execute some or all of the functions of the methods described herein. In some embodiments, a field programmable gate array may cooperate with a microprocessor to execute one of the methods described herein. Generally, these methods are preferably executed by any hardware device.

[0196] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the principle of the present invention. It should be understood that modifications and variations of the arrangements and details described herein will be apparent to other technicians in the art. Therefore, the intention is only limited by the scope of the appended patent claims, rather than by the specific details presented in the description and explanation of the embodiments herein.

[0197] List of Acronyms and Symbols

[0198] BS Base Station

[0199] CBR Channel Busy Ratio

[0200] D2D Device-to-Device

[0201] EN Emergency Notification

[0202] eNB evolved Node B (Base Station)

[0203] FDM Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0204] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0205] PC5 Interface for D2D communication using sidelink channels

[0206] PPPP ProSe Per-packet Priority

[0207] PRB Physical Resource Block

[0208] ProSe Proximity Services

[0209] RA Resource Allocation

[0210] SCI Sidelink Control Information

[0211] SL Sidelink

[0212] sTTI Short Transmission Time Interval

[0213] TDM Time Division Multiplexing

[0214] TDMA Time Division Multiple Access

[0215] TPC Transmission Power Control / Transmission Power Command UE User Equipment (User Terminal)

[0216] URLLC Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication

[0217] V2V Vehicle-to-Vehicle

[0218] V2I Vehicle-to-Infrastructure

[0219] V2P Vehicle-to-Pedestrian

[0220] V2N Vehicle-to-Network

[0221] V2X Vehicle-to-Everything, i.e., V2V, V2I, V2P, V2N

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication system, wherein the UE signals information to the wireless communication system to transfer signal processing from the UE to a network entity of the wireless communication system, thereby enabling the network entity of the wireless communication system to determine how to process one or more incoming operation requests for the UE based on the information; Among them, the information indicates one or more conditions based on which the network entity is to process incoming operation requests for the UE; and wherein the one or more conditions include one or more of the following: - Quality of Service (QoS) of the application, - Priority of the application, - Traffic type, where the traffic includes data, call, SMS, emergency, - Traffic direction, including UL or DL.

2. A user equipment (UE) for one or more wireless communication systems, the UE comprising: one or more transceiver chains, wherein the UE shares at least one transceiver chain with at least two connections to one or more wireless communication systems, and wherein the UE signals information to the wireless communication system to transfer signal processing from the UE to a network entity of the wireless communication system, thereby enabling the network entity of the wireless communication system to determine how to process one or more incoming operation requests for the UE based on the information; wherein the information indicates one or more conditions based on which the network entity is to process incoming operation requests for the UE; and wherein the one or more conditions include one or more of the following: - Quality of Service (QoS) of the application, - Priority of the application, - Traffic type, where the traffic includes data, call, SMS, emergency, - Traffic direction, including UL or DL.

3. The user equipment UE according to claim 2, wherein, The UE provides an identification of the corresponding connection to the one or more wireless communication systems, including a unique identification or ID, the identification including one or more of the following: - One or more Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards, each SIM card associated with one of the connections, - One or more Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) cards, each USIM card associated with one of the connections, - One or more Integrated Circuit Cards (ICC), each ICC associated with one of the connections, - One or more Embedded Subscriber Identity Module (eSIM), each eSIM associated with one of the connections, - One or more certificates, each certificate associated with one of the connections, - One or more pairs of username and password, each pair of username and password associated with one of the connections, - One or more International Mobile Station Equipment Identities (IMEI), each IMEI associated with one of the connections, - One or more Mobile Equipment Identifiers (MEID), each MEID associated with one of the connections.

4. The UE according to claim 2, wherein, The network entity to which the UE will send / receive using the corresponding connection belongs to the same Mobile Network Operator (MNO), or belongs to different Mobile Network Operators (MNO).

5. The user equipment UE according to claim 2, wherein, The UE signals information regarding one or some or all of the connections.

6. The user equipment UE according to claim 2, wherein, In the case where one or some or all of the connections are in the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state, the UE signals the information without having to transition to the RRC_CONNECTED state.

7. The user equipment UE according to claim 2, wherein, The UE signals information for one or some or all of the connections in the RRC_IDLE state or the RRC_INACTIVE state.

8. The user equipment UE according to claim 2, wherein, The UE signals information for one or some or all of the connections in the RRC_CONNECTED state.

9. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The operation request relates to an operation including one or more of the following: - Receiving a RAN-based notification area (RNA) update, - Reading a paging channel during a paging occasion PO, - Reading a PDCCH monitoring occasion MO.

10. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, To handle an incoming operation request for the UE, the network entity will allow or block sending the incoming operation request to the UE.

11. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The one or more conditions indicate that only certain operation requests are forwarded to the UE, including operation requests defined by the UE or emergency paging messages.

12. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, In the case where the UE is in a specific state, the state including a power saving state, the UE will signal the information.

13. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The information includes one or more user profiles, including a UE user preferred paging profile UPPP, and / or profile conditions, including a UPPP condition UPPPC.

14. The user equipment UE according to claim 13, wherein, The one or more user profiles include a work profile indicating one or more first operations to be accepted or rejected during a first time period, the work profile including the working hours of the user of the UE, and an off-work profile indicating one or more second operations to be accepted or rejected during a second time period, the off-work profile including the time when the user of the UE gets off work, the first and second operations being at least partially different.

15. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The information will be stored in the wireless communication system as UE-specific information, including as part of UE context information stored in a network entity using an unstructured data storage function UDSF.

16. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The UE will send the information to the network entity via non-access stratum NAS signaling or via access stratum AS signaling.

17. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the network entity includes an access and mobility function AMF or a mobility management entity MME of the core network of the wireless communication system.

18. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The UE will update the information via NAS signaling at any time.

19. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, In the case where a time period since the last update is less than a configured or pre-configured threshold time period, the UE will not update the information via NAS signaling.

20. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, In the case where the UE is in the RRC_INACTIVE state or the RRC_IDLE state, the UE will piggyback the information in an RRC message sent by the UE, as part of a 4-step random access RA process or a 2-step RA process.

21. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The UE will signal the information using an RRC message, allowing the receiver to determine that no RRC-related change is needed and that the message only includes piggyback information to be processed at the receiver or forwarded to the core network of the wireless communication system.

22. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, In the case where the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE will piggyback the information via an uplink message, the uplink message including a ULInformationTransfer message on signaling radio bearer SRB1 or signaling radio bearer SRB2.

23. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, In response to sending the information, the UE will receive signaling indicating whether the wireless communication system accepts or rejects the requested handling of the operation request for the UE.

24. The user equipment UE according to claim 23, wherein, If, in response to sending the information, the UE does not receive acceptance of the requested handling of the operation request for the UE, the UE will maintain the current settings or profile, if any, regarding the handling of the operation request for the UE.

25. The user equipment UE according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The UE will receive a configuration message indicating updated settings for the handling of the operation request by the wireless communication system.

26. The user equipment UE according to claim 25, wherein, In the case where the wireless communication system rejects the requested handling of the operation request for the user equipment UE, the user equipment UE will receive a rejection reason, the reason including an indication that the requested handling of the operation request is not allowed at all, the indication including that the network does not support this operation, or that the network is not possible for a certain period of time after which the handling of the operation request cannot be requested again.

27. A network entity for a wireless communication system, the wireless communication system including one or more user equipment UEs, in response to information sent by the user equipment UE that transfers signal processing from the UE to the network entity, enabling the network entity to determine, based on the information, how to handle one or more incoming operation requests for one or more user equipment UEs; Among them, the information indicating one or more conditions based on which the network entity is to handle incoming operation requests for the UE; and wherein the one or more conditions include one or more of the following: - The applied quality of service QoS, - The applied priority, - The traffic type, the traffic including data, call, SMS, emergency, - The traffic direction, including UL or DL.

28. The network entity according to claim 27, wherein the network entity will receive information from one or more of the following: - The UE, - Another network entity in the wireless communication system, - A network entity in a different wireless communication system, - Storage, including an unstructured data storage function, UDSF.

29. The network entity according to claim 28, wherein, The network entity signals to the source of the information whether the request or update for the handling of one or more incoming operation requests for the UE is accepted.

30. The network entity according to claim 29, wherein, In the case where the network entity does not accept the request or the update, the network entity will send to the source of the request: - No acknowledgment message, or - An unacknowledged message, or - Unacknowledged messages and reasons for non - acceptance, including indications that the requested or updated processing is not allowed at all or is not possible within a specific time period during which the subsequent processing may be requested again.

31. The network entity according to claim 27, wherein, The network entity autonomously decides on the handling of incoming operation requests for the UE.

32. The network entity according to claim 27, wherein, In response to an incoming operation request for the UE, depending on the received information, the network entity will allow or block the incoming operation request from being sent to the UE.

33. The network entity according to claim 27, wherein, The network entity checks the conditions of the incoming operation request and, if the conditions are met, forwards the incoming operation request, or if the conditions are not met, does not forward the incoming operation request.

34. The network entity according to claim 32, wherein The network entity signals to the source of the incoming operation request whether the incoming operation request is forwarded to the UE.

35. The network entity according to claim 34, wherein, In the case where the network entity does not forward the incoming operation request to the UE, the network entity will send to the source of the incoming operation request: - No acknowledgement message, or - An unacknowledged message, or - An unacknowledged message and the reason for not forwarding the operation request, including indications that the requested or updated processing is not allowed at all, or is not possible within a specific time period during which forwarding may be performed again later.

36. The network entity according to claim 27, wherein, The UE includes the UE according to any one of claims 1 to 28.

37. The network entity according to claim 27, wherein the network entity includes a base station of the core network of a wireless communication system, or a core network entity, wherein the base station includes a gNB, and the core network entity includes an Access and Mobility Function (AMF), or a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

38. The network entity according to claim 27, wherein the network entity includes a core network entity, and wherein the core network entity is used to receive the information from the UE via a base station, and - Use the received information to process operation requests for the UE, - Provide the received information to other network functions, the other network functions including a Service Management Function (SMF), or a Policy Control Function (PCF), - Store the received information as part of the UE context using an Unstructured Data Storage Function (UDSF).

39. The network entity according to claim 27, wherein, During the active window, the network entity will deliver some or all operation requests to the UE, and outside the active window, enable the network entity to decide how to respond on behalf of the UE to incoming operation requests for the UE.

40. The network entity according to claim 39, wherein, The active window is configured or pre - configured by the network.

41. The network entity according to claim 39, wherein the active window is initiated in response to a specific condition, the specific condition including initiating communication or an operation request transmitted according to the information or the UE initiating communication.

42. A wireless communication system, comprising: One or more UEs, and One or more network entities, wherein one or more UEs include the UE according to claim 1 or 2, and / or wherein one or more network entities include the network entity according to claim 27.

43. According to the wireless communication system of claim 42, wherein The UE includes one or more of a mobile terminal, or a fixed terminal, or a cellular IoT-UE, or a vehicle-mounted UE, or a vehicle-mounted group leader (GL) UE, IoT or narrowband IoT, an NB-IoT device, or a ground-based vehicle, or an aircraft, or a drone, or a mobile base station, or a roadside unit, or a building, or any other item or device provided with network connectivity that enables the item / device to communicate using a wireless communication network, where the item / device includes a sensor or an actuator, and / or The network entity includes one or more of a macro cell base station, or a small cell base station, or a central unit of a base station, or a distributed unit of a base station, or a roadside unit, or a UE, or a group leader (GL), or a relay, or a remote radio head, or an SMF, or a core network entity, or a mobile edge computing entity, or a network slice in the context of NR or 5G core, or a transmission / reception point (TRP) of any item or device that enables communication using a wireless communication network, where the item or device is provided with network connectivity to communicate using the wireless communication network.

44. A method for operating a wireless communication system, the method comprising: Sending, by a user equipment (UE), information to the wireless communication system to transfer signal processing from the UE to a network entity of the wireless communication system, thereby enabling the network entity of the wireless communication system to determine, based on the information, how to process one or more incoming operation requests for the UE, where the information indicates one or more conditions based on which the network entity is to process the incoming operation requests for the UE; and where the one or more conditions include one or more of the following: - Quality of Service (QoS) applied, - Priority applied, - Traffic type, where the traffic includes data, call, SMS, emergency, - Traffic direction, including UL or DL; where the UE is a single-connected UE or a multi-connected UE, and the multi-connected UE includes one or more transceiver chains, where at least one transceiver chain is shared by at least two connections to one or more wireless communication systems.

45. A method for operating a wireless communication system, the method comprising: Determining, by a network entity of the wireless communication system, how to process one or more incoming operation requests for one or more user equipment (UEs) of the wireless communication system, based on information sent by the user equipment (UE) to transfer signal processing from the user equipment (UE) to the network entity of the wireless communication system; where the information indicates one or more conditions based on which the network entity is to process the incoming operation requests for the user equipment (UE); and where the one or more conditions include one or more of the following: - Quality of Service (QoS) applied, - Priority applied, - Traffic type, where the traffic includes data, call, SMS, emergency, - Traffic direction, including UL or DL.

46. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform one or more of the methods according to claim 44 or 45.

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