Wireless signal generation for testing a base station supporting new radio and narrowband Internet of Things signals

Abstract

A test configuration for a BS to generate wireless signals for testing the BS's compliance with one or more criteria. The BS supports NB-IoT signals and NR signals and is configured to support multiple carriers and operations within the RF bandwidth. The test configuration includes: an NB-IoT test signal placed at one or both edges of the RF bandwidth as the outermost carrier but not within the new radio minimum protection band, where for NB-IoT operations within the new radio band, the NB-IoT test signal is placed within 15 kHz plus the NR transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge as the outermost resource block but not within the NR minimum protection band; and one or more additional test signals, including NR signals in the RF bandwidth. A test configuration for the BS to transmit wireless signals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to wireless networks and communications, and more particularly to testing base stations in a wireless network. Background Art

[0002] This section is intended to provide background or context for the present invention disclosed below. The description in this section may include concepts that could be pursued, but are not necessarily concepts that have been previously conceived, implemented, or described. Thus, unless otherwise expressly stated herein, the content described in this section is not prior art to the description in this application and cannot be admitted as prior art merely by virtue of being included in this section. Abbreviation definitions that may be found in the specification and / or drawings are at the beginning of the detailed description section below.

[0003] The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the rapidly growing network of connected objects that are able to collect and exchange data using, for example, embedded sensors. For example, thermostats, cars, lights, refrigerators, and other appliances can be connected to the IoT. For example, lights can be programmed to turn on or off, change color, dim, or perform other functions at specific times. As another example, an oven or a sous vide machine can be programmed to turn on and reach a specific temperature at a specific time.

[0004] Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) is a standards-based low-power wide-area (LPWA) technology that has been developed to enable a wide range of new IoT devices and services. IoT devices as NB-IoT can significantly improve the power consumption, system capacity, and spectral efficiency of user equipment.

[0005] Therefore, NB-IoT has been identified as one of the key projects by many different groups. The NB-IoT base station (BS) core and test requirements were completed in 3GPP RAN4 in 2016. One of the main tasks in specifying the test requirements is to define the test configuration (TC) to be used in the tests. See, for example, the following: 3GPP TS 36.141 V13.6.0 (2016-12), "The 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Base Station (BS) Conformance Testing (Release 13)" and 3GPP TS 37.141 V13.5.0 (2016-12), "The 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; E-UTRA, UTRA and GSM / EDGE; Multi-Standard Radio (MSR) Base Station (BS) Conformance Testing (Release)".

[0006] Currently, the coexistence of NB-IoT and New Radio (NR) is being studied in 3GPP RAN4 as part of an ongoing work item (WI) on additional enhancements to NB-IoT. See RP-190757, Huawei, "WI Amendment: Additional Enhancements for NB-IoT" in the 3GPP TSG RAN 83rd meeting in Shenzhen, China, from March 18th to 21st, 2019. Testability applicable to radio frequency (RF) is listed as one of the objectives; here, one of the main tasks is to define the (multiple) TCs to be used in the tests. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] This section is intended to include examples and not intended to be limiting.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, a method is disclosed that includes generating a test configuration of wireless signals for testing a base station for compliance with one or more criteria, where the base station supports narrowband Internet of Things signals and New Radio signals. The base station is configured to support multiple carriers and support operations within a radio frequency bandwidth. The test configuration includes: a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed at one or both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth as the outermost carrier, but not within the New Radio minimum protection band, where for narrowband Internet of Things operations within the New Radio band, the narrowband Internet of Things test signal is placed within 15 kHz of the New Radio transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge as the outermost resource block, but not within the New Radio minimum protection band. The test configuration further includes one or more additional test signals, including New Radio signals in the radio frequency bandwidth. The method includes transmitting the test configuration of wireless signals from the base station.

[0009] Another exemplary embodiment includes a computer program that includes code for performing the method of the previous paragraph when the computer program runs on a processor. According to the computer program of this paragraph, where the computer program is a computer program product including a computer-readable medium that bears the computer program code for use with a computer embodied therein. Another example is the computer program according to this paragraph, where the program is directly loadable into the internal memory of the computer.

[0010] An exemplary apparatus includes one or more processors and one or more memories including computer program code. The one or more memories and the computer program code are configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: generate a test configuration of a wireless signal for testing whether a base station complies with one or more criteria, the base station supporting narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) signals and new radio (NR) signals, the base station being configured to support multiple carriers and support operations within a radio frequency (RF) bandwidth, wherein the test configuration includes: an NB-IoT test signal placed as an outermost carrier at one or both edges of the RF bandwidth but not within the NR minimum protection band, wherein for NB-IoT operations within the NR band, the NB-IoT test signal is placed as an outermost resource block within 15 kHz of the NR transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge but not within the NR minimum protection band; and one or more additional test signals including NR signals in the RF bandwidth; and transmit the test configuration of the wireless signal from the base station.

[0011] An exemplary computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium carrying computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer. The computer program code includes: code for generating a test configuration of a wireless signal for testing whether a base station complies with one or more criteria, the base station supporting narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) signals and new radio (NR) signals, the base station being configured to support multiple carriers and support operations within a radio frequency (RF) bandwidth, wherein the test configuration includes: an NB-IoT test signal placed as an outermost carrier at one or both edges of the RF bandwidth but not within the NR minimum protection band, wherein for NB-IoT operations within the NR band, the NB-IoT test signal is placed as an outermost resource block within 15 kHz of the NR transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge but not within the NR minimum protection band; and one or more additional test signals including NR signals in the RF bandwidth; and code for transmitting the test configuration of the wireless signal from the base station.

[0012] In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes components for performing the following: generating a test configuration of a wireless signal for testing whether a base station complies with one or more criteria, the base station supporting narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) signals and new radio (NR) signals, the base station being configured to support multiple carriers and support operations within a radio frequency (RF) bandwidth, wherein the test configuration includes: an NB-IoT test signal placed as an outermost carrier at one or both edges of the RF bandwidth but not within the NR minimum protection band, wherein for NB-IoT operations within the NR band, the NB-IoT test signal is placed as an outermost resource block within 15 kHz of the NR transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge but not within the NR minimum protection band; and one or more additional test signals including NR signals in the RF bandwidth; and transmitting the test configuration of the wireless signal from the base station. Description of the Drawings

[0013] In the drawings:

[0014] Figure 1 is a block diagram of one possible and non - limiting exemplary system in which exemplary embodiments can be implemented;

[0015] Figure 2 shows a test configuration according to an exemplary embodiment, the test configuration including a power - boosted in - band NB - IoT PRB placed at one edge of the BS RF bandwidth, while a power - boosted in - band NB - IoT is placed at the other edge of the BS RF bandwidth;

[0016] Figure 3 shows a test configuration according to an exemplary embodiment, the test configuration including a power - boosted in - band NB - IoT PRB placed at one edge of the BS RF bandwidth, while one or more NR carriers are placed at the other edge of the BS RF bandwidth;

[0017] Figure 4 shows a test configuration according to an exemplary embodiment, the test configuration including a power - boosted in - band NB - IoT PRB placed at each edge of the BS RF bandwidth, while one or more NR carriers are placed in the middle of the BS RF bandwidth;

[0018] Figure 5 shows a test configuration according to an exemplary embodiment, the test configuration including a stand - alone NB - IoT carrier placed at one edge of the BS RF bandwidth, while one or more NR carriers are placed at the other edge of the BS RF bandwidth;

[0019] Figure 6 shows a test configuration according to an exemplary embodiment, the test configuration including a stand - alone NB - IoT carrier placed at each edge of the BS RF bandwidth, while one or more NR carriers are placed in the middle of the BS RF bandwidth;

[0020] Figure 7 shows a test configuration according to an exemplary embodiment, the test configuration including one or more stand - alone NB - IoT carriers placed as outermost carriers at one edge of the BS RF bandwidth, while one or more NR carriers are placed at the other edge of the BS RF bandwidth; and

[0021] Figure 8is a logic flow diagram for testing a base station that supports New Radio (NR) and Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) signals, and shows operations of one or more exemplary methods according to an exemplary embodiment, execution results of computer program instructions embodied on a computer-readable memory, functions executed by logic implemented in hardware, and / or interconnected components for performing the functions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following abbreviations, which can be found in the specification and / or the drawings, are defined as follows:

[0023] 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

[0024] 5G: Fifth Generation

[0025] 5GC: 5G Core Network

[0026] AMF: Access and Mobility Management Function

[0027] BS: Base Station

[0028] CU: Central Unit

[0029] DC: Direct Current

[0030] DL: Downlink

[0031] DU: Distributed Unit

[0032] eNB (or eNodeB): Evolved Node B (e.g., an LTE base station)

[0033] EN-DC: E-UTRA-NR Dual Connectivity

[0034] en-gNB or En-gNB: A node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination towards the UE and acts as a secondary node in EN-DC

[0035] E-UTRA: Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access, i.e., LTE radio access technology

[0036] gNB (or gNodeB): A base station for 5G / NR, i.e., a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination towards the UE and is connected to the 5GC via the NG interface

[0037] I / F: Interface

[0038] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0039] MAC: Media Access Control

[0040] MME: Mobility Management Entity

[0041] NB-IoT: Narrow Band Internet of Things

[0042] ng or NG: Next Generation

[0043] ng-eNB or NG-eNB: Next Generation eNB

[0044] NR: New Radio

[0045] N / W or NW: Network

[0046] OFDM: Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0047] PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol

[0048] PHY: Physical Layer

[0049] PRB: Physical Resource Block

[0050] PSD: Power Spectral Density

[0051] RAN: Radio Access Network

[0052] RAN4: Radio Access Network Working Group 4

[0053] Rel: Release

[0054] RF: Radio Frequency

[0055] RLC: Radio Link Control

[0056] RRH: Remote Radio Head

[0057] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0058] RS: Reference Signal

[0059] RU: Radio Unit

[0060] Rx: Receiver

[0061] SC: Subcarrier

[0062] SDAP: Service Data Adaptation Protocol

[0063] SGW: Serving Gateway

[0064] SMF: Session Management Function

[0065] TC: Test Configuration

[0066] TS: Technical Specification

[0067] Tx: Transmitter

[0068] UE: User Equipment (e.g., wireless, typically a mobile device)

[0069] UL: Uplink

[0070] UPF: User Plane Function

[0071] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0072] UTRA: UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access

[0073] WI: Work Item

[0074] The term "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration". Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or superior to other embodiments. All embodiments described in this "Detailed Description" are exemplary embodiments provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention defined by the claims.

[0075] Exemplary embodiments herein describe techniques for testing a base station that supports New Radio and Narrowband Internet of Things (IoT) signals. After describing the system in which the exemplary embodiments can be used, additional descriptions of these techniques are presented.

[0076] Turning Figure 1 , the figure shows a block diagram of one possible and non - limiting exemplary system in which the exemplary embodiments can be practiced. A user equipment (UE) 110, a radio access network (RAN) node 170, and one or more network elements 190 are shown. In Figure 1In this, a user equipment (UE) 110 communicates wirelessly with a wireless network 100. The UE is wireless and is typically a mobile device that can access the wireless network. The UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected by one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver Rx 132 and a transmitter Tx 133. The one or more buses 127 can be address, data, or control buses and can include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fibers, or other optical communication devices. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The UE 110 includes a control module 140, and the control module 140 includes one or both of parts 140-1 and / or 140-2, and the control module 140 can be implemented in a variety of ways. The control module 140 can be implemented in hardware as the control module 140-1, such as being implemented as part of one or more processors 120. The control module 140-1 can also be implemented as an integrated circuit or by other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the control module 140 can be implemented as the control module 140-2, and the control module 140-2 is implemented as computer program code 123 and executed by one or more processors 120. For example, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123 can be configured to cause the user equipment 110 to perform one or more operations as described herein together with one or more processors 120. The UE 110 communicates with a RAN node 170 via a wireless link 111.

[0077] The RAN node 170 is a network (e.g., access) node such as a base station (BS), which provides access to the wireless network 100 through wireless devices such as the UE 110. The RAN node 170 can be, for example, a base station for 5G (also known as New Radio (NR)). In 5G, the RAN node 170 can be an NG-RAN node, which is defined as a gNB or an ng-eNB. A gNB is a node that provides NR user plane and control plane protocol termination towards the UE and is connected to the 5GC (e.g., (multiple) network elements 190) via the NG interface. An ng-eNB is a node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol termination towards the UE and is connected to the 5GC via the NG interface. The NG-RAN node can include multiple gNBs, and the gNB can also include a Central Unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and (multiple) Distributed Units (DU) (gNB-DU), and the DU195 is shown therein. Note that the DU can include or be coupled to and control a Radio Unit (RU). The gNB-CU is a logical node that hosts the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP protocols of the gNB or the RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB, and controls the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates the F1 interface connected to the gNB-DU. The F1 interface is shown as reference numeral 198, although reference numeral 198 also shows the link between the remote element and the centralized element of the RAN node 170, such as the link between the gNB-CU 196 and the gNB-DU195. The gNB-DU is a logical node that hosts the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partially controlled by the gNB-CU. One gNB-CU supports one or more cells. One cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the F1 interface 198 connected to the gNB-CU. Note that the DU 195 is considered to include a transceiver 160, for example, as part of the RU, but some of its examples can make the transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, for example, under the control of the DU 195 and connected to the DU 195. The RAN node 170 can also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station for LTE (Long-Term Evolution) or any other suitable base station.

[0078] The RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces ((multiple) N / W I / F) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected by one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver Rx 162 and a transmitter Tx 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The CU 196 may include (multiple) processors 152, the memory 155, and the network interface 161. Note that the DU 195 may also include its own one / multiple memories and (multiple) processors and / or other hardware, but these are not shown.

[0079] The RAN node 170 includes a control module 150, and the control module 150 includes one or both of parts 150-1 and / or 150-2. The control module 150 can be implemented in a variety of ways. The control module 150 can be implemented in hardware as the control module 150-1, such as being implemented as part of one or more processors 152. The control module 150-1 can also be implemented as an integrated circuit or implemented by other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the control module 150 can be implemented as the control module 150-2, and the control module 150-2 is implemented as computer program code 153 and executed by one or more processors 152. For example, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to cause the RAN node 170 to perform one or more operations as described herein together with one or more processors 152. Note that the functions of the control module 150 can be distributed, such as being distributed between the DU 195 and the CU 196, or only implemented in the DU 195.

[0080] One or more network interfaces 161 communicate via a network, such as via links 176 and 131. Two or more RAN nodes 170 communicate using, for example, the link 176. The link 176 can be wired or wireless or both, and can implement, for example, the Xn interface for 5G, the X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards.

[0081] One or more buses 157 can be address, data, or control buses and can include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fibers or other optical communication devices, wireless channels, etc. For example, one or more transceivers 160 can be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195 for LTE or a distributed unit (DU) 195 implemented for a gNB in 5G, while other elements of the RAN node 170 may be physically located in a different position from the RRH / DU, and one or more buses 157 can be partially implemented as, for example, an optical fiber cable or other suitable network connection that connects other elements of the RAN node 170 (e.g., a central unit (CU), gNB-CU) to the RRH / DU 195. Reference numeral 198 also indicates these (multiple) suitable network links.

[0082] The wireless network 100 can include one or more network elements 190, which can include core network functions and provide a connection to other networks (such as a telephone network and / or a data communication network (e.g., the Internet), etc.) via one or more links 181. Such core network functions in 5G can include one or more access and mobility management functions (AMF) and / or user plane functions (UPF) and / or one or more session management functions (SMF). Such core network functions in LTE can include MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functions. These are merely example functions that the one or more network elements 190 can support, and note that 5G and LTE functions can be supported. The RAN node 170 is coupled to the network element 190 via the link 131. The link 131 can be implemented as, for example, an NG interface for 5G, or an S1 interface for LTE, or other suitable interfaces for other standards. The network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / W I / F) 180 interconnected by one or more buses 185. One or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. One or more memories 171 and the computer program code 173 are configured to cause the network element 190 to perform one or more operations together with one or more processors 175.

[0083] The computer-readable memories 125, 155, and 171 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The computer-readable memories 125, 155, and 171 can be components for performing storage functions. The processors 120, 152, and 175 can be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and, by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The processors 120, 152, and 175 can be components for performing functions such as controlling the UE 110, the RAN node 170, and other functions described herein.

[0084] A suitable but non-limiting technical content for the practice of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention has thus been introduced, and the exemplary embodiments will now be described more specifically.

[0085] Note that the RAN node 170 is hereinafter referred to as the base station (BS) 170. However, this is for ease of reference, and other RAN nodes as described above can be used.

[0086] The only problem in testing a BS that supports NR and NB-IoT (compared to a BS that supports E-UTRA and NB-IoT) is that NB-IoT is based on the E-UTRA air interface, where the in-band and guard-band NB-IoT operation modes are designed assuming the presence of a hosting E-UTRA carrier. Therefore, when the hosting E-UTRA carrier migrates to NR, two compatibility issues need to be addressed to test the BS RF of NR and NB-IoT carriers:

[0087] 1) Different from the E-UTRA air interface, there are no subcarriers (SCs) reserved for direct current (DC) in the NR downlink (DL), and the same SC grid is used in the uplink (UL) and DL of NR. Therefore, there is no 7.5 kHz offset between the UL and DL SC grids in NR.

[0088] 2) There are differences in the control signal design in NR compared to the control signal design in E-UTRA. For example, for reference symbols (RS), some of the control signals that exist in the control signals of the hosting E-UTRA carrier will not exist when the hosting E-UTRA carrier migrates to NR.

[0089] There is no existing solution to this problem because the TC for testing a BS that supports NR and NB-IoT has not yet started in 3GPP RAN4.

[0090] In 2016, three NB-IoT operation modes were specified in 3GPP RAN4, namely (see 3GPP TS36.141 V13.6.0 (2016-12)):

[0091] 1) NB-IoT in-band operation: When NB-IoT utilizes (multiple) resource blocks within a normal E-UTRA carrier, NB-IoT operates in-band.

[0092] 2) NB-IoT guard band operation: When NB-IoT uses (multiple) unused resource blocks within the guard band of an E-UTRA carrier, NB-IoT operates in the guard band.

[0093] 3) NB-IoT stand-alone operation: NB-IoT operates independently when using its own spectrum, such as the spectrum currently used by the GERAN system as a replacement for one or more GSM carriers, and the scattered spectrum for potential IoT deployments.

[0094] To handle the two compatibility issues listed above, 3GPP RAN4 has recently agreed to specify two additional operation modes for NB-IoT operating within the NR channel bandwidth (see "Proposals on definitions of in-band, guard band and stand-alone operations when NB-IoT is located within NR channel bandwidth" by Nokia, Nokia ShanghaiBell in R4-1910486 of the 3GPP TSG-RAN WG4 (Radio) Meeting #92 in Ljubljana, Slovenia from August 26th to 30th, 2019):

[0095] 1) NB-IoT operation within NR in-band: When NB-IoT is located within 15 kHz plus the NR transmission bandwidth configuration at each edge but not within the NR minimum guard band GB Channel , NB-IoT operates in-band.

[0096] 2) NB-IoT operation within the NR guard band: When NB-IoT is located within the NR BS channel bandwidth, NB-IoT operates in the guard band instead of in-band operation.

[0097] Note that, considering traditional deployments, even if an NB-IoT 15kHz SC will operate in the NR guard band, this case is still considered NB-IoT operation within the NR band, which will be 15kHz narrower than NB-IoT operation within the E-UTRA band including DC SC. More specifically, since NR does not have DC subcarriers, the in-band width of an NR carrier will be 15kHz smaller than the bandwidth of an equivalent (same bandwidth, same spectral efficiency) LTE carrier. Therefore, 15kHz is added to the NR in-band width for NB-IoT operation within the NR band, such that an NB-IoT carrier operating at the in-band edge of an LTE carrier will still be classified as NB-IoT operation within the NR band, even if the 15kHz of the NB-IoT carrier extends beyond the NR in-band width. This additional 15kHz is a major issue to be addressed in testing.

[0098] It should be noted that E-UTRA PRBs are defined in Section 5.2.3 of 3GPP TS 36.211 (e.g., 3GPP TS36.211V15.7.0 (2019-09)), and NR PRBs are defined in Section 4.4.4 of 3GPP TS 38.211 (e.g., 3GPP TS 38.211V15.7.0 (2019-09)). These sections can be used to define the different structures of PRBs between E-UTRA and NR.

[0099] Each NB-IoT carrier has a width of 180kHz and contains twelve 15kHz or forty-eight 3.75kHz tones. Additionally, to support enhanced downlink coverage for NB-IoT, it was specified in 3GPP RAN4 in 2016 (see, for example, the following: 3GPP TS36.141V13.6.0 (2016-12)) that the NB-IoT BS 170 should support at least a 6dB power boost for physical resource blocks (PRBs) within the E-UTRA band or 180kHz within the E-UTRA guard band (for E-UTRA channel bandwidths greater than or equal to 5MHz) compared to the average power over all carriers (both E-UTRA and NB-IoT).

[0100] For NB-IoT operation in NR in-band, 3GPP RAN4 has recently agreed to specify a power boost of at least 6 dB for NB-IoT PRBs within at least the central 90% of the NR channel bandwidth. See "WF on power boosting requirement for NB-IoT operation in NR in-band" by Nokia et al. of R4-1912998 at 3GPP TSG-RAN WG4 Meeting#92bis in Chongqing, China from October 14th to 18th, 2019. That is, the NB-IoT PRB power boost was first specified in the first release of NB-IoT using LTE in 2016 and is currently also specified for NB-IoT using NR operation in 2019.

[0101] The inventors have realized that the power boost is useful for testing the base station as if the (multiple) NB-IoT PRBs were placed closer to other signals, which makes transmission and / or reception more challenging. More specifically, the inventors of the present application have recognized that when testing the base station, in order to limit the number of test signals used, it is desirable to use test signals that provide challenging test conditions. In addition, NB-IoT signals are not limited to a specific radio spectrum and can therefore be transmitted over the entire radio frequency bandwidth of a base station that supports multiple carriers. Therefore, when testing the compliance of the base station in transmitting these signals, it is not sufficient to test each individual carrier. The inventors have recognized that signals transmitted near the edge of the radio frequency bandwidth are more challenging for the base station to transmit and receive while still meeting the required compliance criteria. In transmission, bandwidth signals near the edge can create potential problems of leakage into adjacent channels, while in reception, the bandwidth characteristics of the receiver filter can be a problem near the edge of the bandwidth supported by the base station.

[0102] Therefore, there is a need for a test scheme that is both rigorous and not overly burdensome and uses a test configuration algorithm that generates challenging signals. Therefore, the inventors have selected test signals near either edge of the entire radio frequency bandwidth of the base station because if the criteria for these signals are to be met, it is likely that the criteria will be met for most possible operating conditions.

[0103] It should be noted that signals near the edge of the radio frequency bandwidth can be signals at the outermost positions within the communication portion of the bandwidth, or can be signals in the guard band, or can be signals slightly offset from the edge of the radio frequency bandwidth. In all cases, they are signals within the outermost 10%, preferably 5%, frequency range that constitutes the radio frequency bandwidth.

[0104] At least one of the test signals is an NB-IoT test signal, i.e., a test signal having the same configuration / encoding and bandwidth as any other NB-IoT signal. This signal will mimic these signals and provide an indication as to whether the transmission or reception of these signals meets the required criteria. Thus, the test signal may be encoded using OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) and will have a bandwidth of 180 KHz.

[0105] The base station supports multiple carriers, and each carrier is transmitted or received on a specific channel having a specific frequency bandwidth reserved for that channel. All of these carriers are transmitted or received respectively within the transmission or reception radio frequency bandwidth of the base station that includes all the corresponding channels. The NB-IoT signal is not limited to a specific carrier but can be located at any point within the bandwidth. Thus, testing these signals near the edge can mimic real signals, although it is challenging.

[0106] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned one additional test signal includes one of the following: an NB-IoT test signal, and a test signal including a physical resource block (PRB) of one of the multiple carriers.

[0107] There may be two test signals located near either edge of the radio frequency bandwidth. In some cases, they may both be NB IoT signals, and in such cases, the problems caused by such signals may be tested at either edge of the bandwidth. In other cases, one of the test signals is an NB IoT signal and the other is a test signal of one of the carriers supported by the base station located near the edge of the radio frequency bandwidth. It is known that the base station supports multiple carriers as well as NB IoT signals. Thus, testing by combining the NB IoT signal with a test signal that mimics the signal transmitted by the base station from one of the carriers can provide an indication of problems caused by interference such as intermodulation distortion between signals, and can also show how each signal affects the base station's compliance with the required criteria.

[0108] The criteria that the base station needs to meet for compliance are related to both transmission and reception. On the reception side, the receiver on the base station needs to be able to receive the NB-IoT signal, regardless of its position within the spectrum of the radio frequency bandwidth in which the signal is transmitted, and in the presence of interfering signals. Thus, when testing the receiver in addition to the test signals near the edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, additional interfering signals are transmitted, and the receiver's ability to receive and decode the test signals in the presence of such interference is tested.

[0109] In addition to receiving a radio frequency bandwidth, the base station will be configured to transmit within a transmission radio frequency bandwidth that is different from the received bandwidth to reduce interference between the transmitted signal and the received signal. The transmission bandwidth must meet predetermined criteria in order for the base station to comply with certain requirements, and these requirements typically relate to leakage to adjacent bandwidths that may affect the operation of other base stations.

[0110] To avoid or at least reduce leakage of signals into adjacent frequency bands, the base station has a transmission filter that reduces signal transmission outside the operating bandwidth. For signals close to the edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, this filter requires a steeper rolloff, and thus these signals are the most challenging when the criteria are to be met. Therefore, selecting test signals that are at or near the edge of the operating bandwidth allows signal leakage into adjacent channels in order to test for challenging operating conditions.

[0111] To make the test signals more challenging, their power can be increased, as this may increase leakage to adjacent channels. The NB-IoT test signal can be a signal selected for power increase because in the case where such an increased-power signal meets the compliance requirements, the base station is likely to be able to operate over its entire radio frequency bandwidth while meeting the criteria. It should be noted that typically during transmission, the base station splits its power among the signals it transmits. Increasing the power of one test signal can allow challenging tests to be performed.

[0112] With the narrower bandwidth (180 kHz) and power increase (6 dB) of the NB-IoT carrier, it is expected that the power spectral density (PSD) of the NB-IoT carrier will be higher than that of the remaining NR carriers. Higher PSD carriers at the edge of the BS RF bandwidth in the TC generally represent a TC with higher requirements for emission tests (e.g., unwanted emissions in the operating band), because the RF transmission filter design needs to provide a steeper rolloff to meet the emission requirements near the edge of the RF bandwidth.

[0113] Therefore, the inventors have realized and propose herein to define a TC for testing a BS that supports NR and NB-IoT, where the NB-IoT carrier (for in-band operation with power increase) is placed as the outermost carrier at one or both edges of the BS RF bandwidth (but not within the NR minimum protection band). For NB-IoT operation within the NR band, the in-band PRBs with power increase should be placed as the outermost RBs within 15 kHz of the NR transmission bandwidth configuration at each edge, but not within the NR minimum protection band. Several of these test configurations are provided in the following description.

[0114] Furthermore, the inventors have realized and propose herein to configure the NB-IoT E-UTRA guard band operation mode when the E-UTRA carrier is not hosted in the TC during testing. This can avoid the need to transmit in-band E-UTRA control signals during testing, as well as the limitations of NB-IoT stand-alone operation (e.g., allowed NB-IoT carrier offsets and 100 kHz guard bands). Note that 3GPP RAN4 has agreed (see "WF on coexistence of NB-IoT with NR" by Huawei et al. in R4-1907809 of 3GPP TSG-RAN WG4 Meeting #91 in Reno, USA, from May 13th to 17th, 2019) that NB-IoT operation in the NR guard band is treated as an implementation issue and RF requirements are not specified in Rel-15 (nor in Rel-16 unless new Rel-16 features make it necessary), so NB-IoT operating in the NR guard band mode will not be configured during testing.

[0115] More specifically, the NB-IoT operation mode is currently configured in the E-UTRA signaling, see clause 6.7.2 of 3GPP TS 36.331 (e.g., 3GPP TS 36.331 V15.7.0 (2019-09)):

[0116] operationModeInfo

[0117] Deployment scenario (in-band / guard band / stand-alone) and related information. See TS 36.211

[21]

[0118] and TS 36.213

[23] .

[0119] Inband-SamePCI indicates in-band deployment, and the NB-IoT and LTE cells share the same physical cell ID and have the same number of NRS and CRS ports.

[0120] Inband-DifferentPCI indicates in-band deployment, and the NB-IoT and LTE cells have different physical cell IDs.

[0121] Guardband indicates guard band deployment.

[0122] Standalone indicates stand-alone deployment.

[0123] Now, when NB-IoT operates within the NR band, there may not be any actual E-UTRA carrier to host the NB-IoT in-band or guard band. However, it is still necessary to configure the BS into one of the NB-IoT operation modes to generate the NB-IoT carrier (during testing and even during actual on-site deployment). As mentioned above, configuring the BS as in-band or stand-alone (in terms of E-UTRA signaling) is problematic, and if such a configuration is required, the BS should be configured into the NB-IoT guard band operation mode.

[0124] Figures 2 to 7 Exemplary test configurations are shown. These test configurations are used to solve base station testing.

[0125] In one embodiment, turning Figure 2 to, test configuration 200-1 is shown as including a power-boosted in-band NB-IoT PRB 210-1, which is placed at an edge 230-1 of the BS RF bandwidth 220, while a power-boosted in-band NB-IoT PRB 210-2 is placed at the other edge 230-2 of the BS RF bandwidth. These are illustrations of NB-IoT operations within the NR bands 260-1, 260-2. Each NB-IoT PRB 210-1, 210-2 is placed at the outermost RB within the region 270-1, 270-2 which is 15 kHz plus the NR transmission bandwidth configuration at each corresponding edge 230-1, 230-2, but not within the corresponding NR minimum guard bands 280-1, 280-2. The additional 15 kHz regions are denoted by reference numerals 250-1, 250-2. The NB-IoT operations 260-1 and 260-2 within the NR bands also include the corresponding NR PRBs 240-1, 240-2. 15 kHz is the minimum width of an NR subcarrier (referred to as the lowest subcarrier spacing in the 3GPP specification). The NR minimum guard bands 280 are specified in Table 5.3.3-1 of 3GPP TS38.104 for each NR channel bandwidth and subcarrier spacing. These guard bands 280 are the ranges where subcarriers should not be located, i.e., when it enters the minimum guard band, the additional 15 kHz region cannot be applied.

[0126] As a further detail, the NR transmission bandwidth configuration 270-1 is 15 kHz smaller than the "equivalent" E-UTRA transmission bandwidth configuration for in-band operation. The NB-IoT PRB (even though it is called NR in-band) is allowed 15 kHz outside the NR transmission bandwidth configuration 270-1. The total bandwidth of the NR PRB is (NR transmission bandwidth configuration plus 15 kHz) minus (BW of the NB-IoT PRB plus 15 kHz). Due to this additional 15 kHz, there is a gap between the NB-IoT PRB and the NR PRB, but it is still considered to meet its criteria (compared to E-UTRA PRB operation where the NB-IoT carrier is adjacent to the E-UTRA PRB). Note that if the minimum guard band condition is initiated to prevent adding the additional 15 kHz to the NR transmission bandwidth configuration, the 15 kHz gap may not exist. This note is also true for the various embodiments described further below.

[0127] Note that the power boost is at least 6 dB or 3 dB. Considering that NR has a higher spectral efficiency compared to E-UTRA, for a channel bandwidth greater than 10 MHz, a 3 dB power boost is specified for the NB-IoT PRB at the edge of the NR transmission bandwidth configuration.

[0128] In a further embodiment, in Figure 3 a further test configuration 200-2 is shown, which includes a power-boosted in-band NB-IoT PRB 210-1 located at one edge 230-1 of the BS RF bandwidth 220, while one or more NR carriers 360 are placed at the other edge 230-2 of the BS RF bandwidth. The outermost NB-IoT PRB 210-1 is placed at the outermost RB within the region 250-1 which is the NR transmission bandwidth configuration 270-1 at one edge plus 15 kHz, but not within the NR minimum guard bands 280-1, 280-2. The NR transmission bandwidth configuration 370 is shown without the additional 15 kHz region for NB-IoT operation within the NR band, so the NR PRB 240-3 can extend all the way to the edge 230-2 of the RF bandwidth 220.

[0129] In another exemplary embodiment, as Figure 4As shown, another test configuration 200-3 is shown. The test configuration 200-3 includes a power-boosted in-band NB-IoT PRB 210-1, 210-2, which are placed at each edge 230-1, 230-2 together with the corresponding NR PRBs 240-1, 240-2 of the BS RF bandwidth 230, while one or more additional NR carriers 360-1 are placed in the middle 230-3 of the BS RF bandwidth (illustrated as NR PRB 240-3 in the NR transmission bandwidth configuration 370-1). In addition, each NB-IoT PRB 210-1, 210-2 is placed outermost at the outermost RB within the region 250-1, 250-2 at each edge which is the NR transmission bandwidth configuration 270-2, 270-2 plus 15 kHz, but not within the NR minimum guard band 280-1, 280-2.

[0130] In another exemplary embodiment, as Figure 5 shown, yet another test configuration 200-4 is shown. The test configuration 200-4 includes a standalone NB-IoT carrier (e.g., NB-IoT PRB 210-3) placed at one edge 230-1 of the BS RF bandwidth 220, as shown by the NB-IoT standalone operation 560 (also see the NB-IoT transmission bandwidth configuration 570), while one or more NR carriers 360 are placed (represented by the NR PRB 240-5) at the other edge 230-2 of the BS RF bandwidth 220, as shown by the NR transmission bandwidth configuration 370. The minimum guard bands 280-1, 280-2 are also shown. Note that this is NB-IoT standalone operation, not limited to the NR channel bandwidth, so there is no need to consider the minimum guard band and the additional 15 kHz. However, in 3GPP TS 36.141, 100 kHz can be specified as the minimum gap from the standalone NB-IoT carrier to the BS RF bandwidth edge 230-1. See Table 5.6-3A in TS 36.141 for reference, and note that the 200 kHz offset mentioned here is measured from the center of the NB-IoT carrier, so the RF requirements apply to 100 kHz outside the NB-IoT carrier, and the NB-IoT carrier itself is 200 kHz wide (i.e., the requirements apply to 110 kHz outside the edge of the NB-IoT 180 kHz PRB). In other embodiments herein, this 100 kHz minimum gap can also be applied to the standalone NB-IoT carrier.

[0131] In another exemplary embodiment, as Figure 6As shown, another test configuration 200-5 is shown. In this test configuration, there is an independent NB-IoT carrier (each represented by corresponding NB-IoT PRBs 210-3, 210-4) placed in corresponding NB-IoT transmission bandwidth configurations 570-1, 570-2 at each edge 230-1, 230-2 of the BS RF bandwidth 220 and in NB-IoT independent operations 560-1, 560-2. At the same time, for the NR transmission configuration bandwidth 370-1, one or more NR carriers 360-1 are placed (shown by NR PRBs 240-6) in or around the middle 230-3 of the BS RF bandwidth 220. Also shown are the minimum guard bands 280-1, 280-2.

[0132] Note that there is no power boost requirement specified for independent operation because there may be no NR carrier used as a power reference. However, in the test, the same power is assigned to each NB-IoT or NR carrier. Thus, in practice, the NB-IoT PRB has a power boost compared to the NR PRB because the NR carrier has a wider bandwidth covered with the same power, i.e., the NB-IoT PRB has the power of NRB multiplied by NR PRN, where NRB is the number of RBs in the NR carrier. This results in a power boost of the independent NB-IoT PRB being indeed greater than 6 dB because there are more than four RBs in the NR carrier covered with the same power. For example, see clause 4.10.7 in 3GPP TS 36.141, which partly stipulates that the power of each carrier should be set to the same level such that the sum of the carrier powers equals the rated total output.

[0133] In another possible embodiment, as Figure 7 shown, an additional test configuration 200-6 is shown. The test configuration 200-6 includes one or more independent NB-IoT carriers (illustrated as NB-IoT PRB 210-3 in NB-IoT independent operation 560-1), which are placed as the outermost carriers at one edge 230-1 of the BS RF bandwidth 220 that is part of the NB-IoT transmission bandwidth configuration 570-1, while one or more NR carriers 360 are placed (shown by NR PRBs 240-7) at the other edge 230-2 of the BS RF bandwidth 220 for the NR transmission bandwidth configuration 370. Also shown are the minimum guard bands 280-1, 280-2. This test configuration verifies the BS performance in an actual deployment where the configured bandwidth is less than the maximum supported bandwidth. For example, this may occur when an operator chooses to operate the BS with a bandwidth of the BS 220 that is lower than its maximum RF bandwidth because older radio technologies such as GSM still use part of the spectrum.

[0134] Turning to Figure 8, the figure is a logic flow diagram for testing a base station that supports New Radio (NR) and Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) signals. The figure also shows the operations of one or more exemplary methods according to an exemplary embodiment, the execution results of computer program instructions embodied on a computer-readable memory, the functions executed by logic implemented in hardware, and / or the interconnected components for performing the functions. It is assumed that Figure 8 Most of the boxes in are executed by network nodes such as BS170, for example, at least partially under the control of the control module 150.

[0135] In block 810, BS 170 selects the test configuration 200 to be used from the test configurations 200-1 to 200-6 in Figures 2 to 7 . In block 820, BS 170 generates a test configuration of a wireless test signal with the selected test configuration. This generation can be performed, for example, by a signal generator that is part of the transmitter 163. As shown in block 830, the test configuration includes: 1. A Narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed at one or both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth as the outermost carrier but not within the New Radio minimum protection band, where for Narrowband Internet of Things operation within the New Radio band, the Narrowband Internet of Things test signal is placed as the outermost resource block within 15 kHz of the New Radio transmission bandwidth configuration where the Narrowband Internet of Things test signal has been placed at the edge but not within the New Radio minimum protection band; and 2. One or more additional test signals in the radio frequency bandwidth, the additional test signal including a New Radio signal. In block 840, BS 170 transmits the set of wireless test signals from the selected test configuration. This transmission can be performed by the transmitter 163.

[0136] In block 850, the test device determines whether the base station 170 meets a certain criterion regarding the transmitted set of wireless test signals. The structure of the test device can be similar to that of UE 110, such as having a processor, a memory, and a receiver. For example, such a criterion can be the spurious emission limit specified in the criterion or local regulations. The type of criterion, the type of test device, and how to determine whether the BS complies with the criterion are not within the scope of this document. It is worth noting that Rohde & Schwarz provides suitable base station test devices, such as the CMW500 broadband radio communication tester.

[0137] The following are additional examples.

[0138] Example 1. A method, including:

[0139] Generating a test configuration of a wireless signal for testing a base station for compliance with one or more criteria, the base station supporting Narrowband Internet of Things signals and New Radio signals, the base station being configured to support multiple carriers and support operations within a radio frequency bandwidth, where the test configuration includes:

[0140] A narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signal, placed as an outermost carrier at one or both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, wherein for NB-IoT operation within the new radio band, the NB-IoT test signal is placed as an outermost resource block within 15 kHz of the new radio transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge but not within the new radio minimum protection band; and

[0141] One or more additional test signals, including new radio signals within the radio frequency bandwidth; and

[0142] A test configuration for transmitting the wireless signal from the base station.

[0143] Example 2. The method according to Example 1, wherein the test configuration includes an NB-IoT test signal placed as an outermost carrier at both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and two additional test signals including the new radio signals within the radio frequency bandwidth, each of the two additional test signals being adjacent to a corresponding NB-IoT test signal but capable of being separated from the corresponding NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, and wherein each combination of the NB-IoT and an associated one of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

[0144] Example 3. The method according to Example 1, wherein the test configuration includes an NB-IoT test signal placed as an outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and two additional test signals including the new radio signals within the radio frequency bandwidth, one of the two additional test signals being adjacent to the NB-IoT test signal but capable of being separated from the NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, and the other of the two additional test signals being placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the other of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth, and the one of the two additional test signals and the NB-IoT test signal together have the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

[0145] Example 4. The method according to Example 1, wherein the test configuration includes a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signal placed as the outermost carrier at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and at least two additional signal tests including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, and at least one third additional test signal including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, each of the at least two additional test signals being adjacent to a corresponding narrowband Internet of Things test signal but capable of being separated from the corresponding narrowband Internet of Things test signal by a 15 kHz region, the at least one third additional test signal being placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth, and wherein the at least one third additional test signal has a first bandwidth, and each of the at least two additional test signals and the narrowband Internet of Things test signal together have the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

[0146] Example 5. The method according to Example 1, wherein the test configuration includes a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth.

[0147] Example 6. The method according to Example 1, wherein the test configuration includes narrowband Internet of Things test signals placed as the outermost carriers at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the edges, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, the one additional test signal being placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth.

[0148] Example 7. The method according to Example 1, wherein the test configuration includes a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the radio frequency bandwidth is less than the maximum supported bandwidth.

[0149] Example 8. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 7, wherein for the following narrowband Internet of Things test signals, there is a power boost compared to the average power over the new radio signal: at least any narrowband Internet of Things test signal adjacent to the new radio signal or separated from the new radio signal by at least 15 kHz.

[0150] Example 9. The method according to Example 8, wherein the power boost is at least 6 dB or one of at least 3 dB.

[0151] Example 10. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the method further comprises: in response to the narrowband Internet of Things signal needing to operate within the new radio band and there being no actual evolved universal terrestrial radio access carrier for hosting the narrowband Internet of Things in-band or guard band, configuring the base station in the narrowband Internet of Things guard band operation mode to generate a narrowband Internet of Things carrier for at least the duration of transmitting the test configuration.

[0152] Example 11. The method according to any one of Examples 1 to 10, further comprising determining whether the base station meets the one or more criteria based on the test configuration of the generated and transmitted wireless signals.

[0153] Example 12. A computer program comprising code for performing the method according to any one of Examples 1 to 11 when the computer program runs on a computer.

[0154] Example 13. The computer program according to Example 12, wherein the computer program is a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having embodied therein computer program code for use with the computer.

[0155] Example 14. The computer program according to Example 12, wherein the computer program is directly loadable into the internal memory of the computer.

[0156] Example 15. An apparatus comprising components for:

[0157] generating a test configuration of a wireless signal for testing a base station for compliance with one or more criteria, the base station supporting narrowband Internet of Things signals and new radio signals, the base station being configured to support multiple carriers and support operation within a radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the test configuration comprises:

[0158] a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as an outermost carrier at one or both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum guard band, wherein for narrowband Internet of Things operation within the new radio band, the narrowband Internet of Things test signal is placed as an outermost resource block within 15 kHz of the new radio transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge but not within the new radio minimum guard band; and

[0159] one or more additional test signals including new radio signals in the radio frequency bandwidth; and

[0160] A test configuration for transmitting the wireless signal from the base station.

[0161] Example 16. The apparatus according to Example 15, wherein the test configuration includes a NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signal placed as the outermost carrier at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the New Radio (NR) minimum protection band, and two additional test signals including the NR signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, each of the two additional test signals being adjacent to the corresponding NB-IoT test signal but capable of being separated from the corresponding NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, and wherein each combination of the NB-IoT and the associated additional test signal of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

[0162] Example 17. The apparatus according to Example 15, wherein the test configuration includes a NB-IoT test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the NR minimum protection band, and two additional test signals including the NR signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, one of the two additional test signals being adjacent to the NB-IoT test signal but capable of being separated from the NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, and the other of the two additional test signals being placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the other of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth, and the one of the two additional test signals and the NB-IoT test signal together have the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

[0163] Example 18. The apparatus according to Example 15, wherein the test configuration includes a NB-IoT test signal placed as the outermost carrier at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the NR minimum protection band, and at least two additional signal tests including the NR signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, and at least one third additional test signal including the NR signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, each of the two additional test signals being adjacent to the corresponding NB-IoT test signal but capable of being separated from the corresponding NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, the at least one third additional test signal being placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth, and wherein the at least one third additional test signal has a first bandwidth, and each of the two additional test signals and the NB-IoT test signal together have the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

[0164] Example 19. The apparatus according to Example 15, wherein the test configuration includes a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the New Radio (NR) signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth.

[0165] Example 20. The apparatus according to Example 15, wherein the test configuration includes NB-IoT test signals placed as the outermost carriers at both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the edges, and one additional test signal includes the NR signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, and the one additional test signal is placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth.

[0166] Example 21. The apparatus according to Example 15, wherein the test configuration includes a NB-IoT test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the NR signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, and wherein the radio frequency bandwidth is less than the maximum supported bandwidth.

[0167] Example 22. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 15 to 21, wherein for the NB-IoT test signals below, there is a power boost compared to the average power above the NR signal: at least any NB-IoT test signal adjacent to the NR signal or separated from the NR signal by at least 15 kHz.

[0168] Example 23. The apparatus according to Example 22, wherein the power boost is at least one of at least 6 dB or at least 3 dB.

[0169] Example 24. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 15 to 23, further comprising components for: in response to the NB-IoT signal needing to operate within the NR band and there being no actual evolved universal terrestrial radio access carrier for hosting the NB-IoT in-band or guard band, configuring the base station to generate an NB-IoT carrier in the NB-IoT guard band operation mode for at least the duration of transmitting the test configuration.

[0170] Example 25. The apparatus according to any one of Examples 15 to 24, further comprising components for determining whether the base station meets the one or more criteria based on the test configuration of the generated and transmitted wireless signals.

[0171] Example 26. A base station, comprising the apparatus according to any one of Examples 15 to 24.

[0172] Example 27. A wireless communication system, comprising the apparatus according to any one of Examples 15 to 24.

[0173] Example 28. An apparatus, comprising:

[0174] at least one processor; and

[0175] at least one memory, including computer program code,

[0176] the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform operations including:

[0177] generating a test configuration of a wireless signal for testing that a base station complies with one or more criteria, the base station supporting narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) signals and new radio (NR) signals, the base station being configured to support multiple carriers and support operations within a radio frequency (RF) bandwidth, wherein the test configuration includes:

[0178] an NB-IoT test signal, placed as an outermost carrier at one or both edges of the RF bandwidth but not within the NR minimum protection band, wherein for NB-IoT operations within the NR band, the NB-IoT test signal is placed as an outermost resource block within 15 kHz plus the NR transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge but not within the NR minimum protection band; and

[0179] one or more additional test signals, including NR signals in the RF bandwidth; and

[0180] transmitting the test configuration of the wireless signal from the base station.

[0181] Example 29. The apparatus according to Example 28, wherein the test configuration includes NB-IoT test signals placed as outermost carriers at both edges of the RF bandwidth but not within the NR minimum protection band, and two additional test signals including NR signals in the RF bandwidth, each of the two additional test signals being adjacent to a corresponding NB-IoT test signal but separable from the corresponding NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, and wherein each combination of NB-IoT and an associated one of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

[0182] Example 30. The apparatus according to Example 28, wherein the test configuration includes a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and two additional test signals including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, one of the two additional test signals being adjacent to the narrowband Internet of Things test signal but capable of being separated from the narrowband Internet of Things test signal by a 15 kHz region, and the other of the two additional test signals being placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the other of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth, and the one of the two additional test signals and the narrowband Internet of Things test signal together have the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

[0183] Example 31. The apparatus according to Example 28, wherein the test configuration includes narrowband Internet of Things test signals placed as the outermost carriers at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and at least two additional signal tests including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, and at least one third additional test signal including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, each of the two additional test signals being adjacent to a corresponding narrowband Internet of Things test signal but capable of being separated from the corresponding narrowband Internet of Things test signal by a 15 kHz region, the at least one third additional test signal being placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth, and wherein the at least one third additional test signal has a first bandwidth, and each of the two additional test signals and the narrowband Internet of Things test signal together have the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

[0184] Example 32. The apparatus according to Example 28, wherein the test configuration includes a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth.

[0185] Example 33. The apparatus according to example 28, wherein the test configuration includes a NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signal placed as the outermost carrier at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the edges, and one additional test signal includes the New Radio (NR) signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, and the one additional test signal is placed between two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth.

[0186] Example 34. The apparatus according to example 28, wherein the test configuration includes a NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the New Radio (NR) signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, and wherein the radio frequency bandwidth is less than the maximum supported bandwidth.

[0187] Example 35. The apparatus according to any one of examples 28 to 34, wherein for the NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signals below, there is a power boost compared to the average power over the New Radio (NR) signal: at least any NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signal adjacent to the New Radio (NR) signal or separated from the New Radio (NR) signal by at least 15 kHz.

[0188] Example 36. The apparatus according to example 35, wherein the power boost is at least one of at least 6 dB or at least 3 dB.

[0189] Example 37. The apparatus according to any one of examples 28 to 36, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform operations including: in response to the NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) signal needing to operate within the New Radio (NR) band and there being no actual evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) carrier for hosting the NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) band or guard band, configure the base station in the NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) guard band operation mode to generate a NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) carrier for at least the duration of transmitting the test configuration.

[0190] Example 38. The apparatus according to any one of examples 28 to 37, further comprising a test device configured to determine whether the base station meets the one or more criteria based on the test configuration of the generated and transmitted wireless signals.

[0191] Example 39. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable storage medium carrying computer program code embodied therein for use with a computer, the computer program code comprising:

[0192] Code for generating a test configuration for wireless signals for testing a base station for compliance with one or more criteria, the base station supporting narrowband Internet of Things signals and new radio signals, the base station being configured to support multiple carriers and support operation within a radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the test configuration includes:

[0193] A narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as an outermost carrier at one or both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, wherein for narrowband Internet of Things operation within the new radio band, the narrowband Internet of Things test signal is placed as an outermost resource block within 15 kHz of the edge in the new radio transmission bandwidth configuration but not within the new radio minimum protection band; and

[0194] One or more additional test signals, including new radio signals in the radio frequency bandwidth; and

[0195] Code for a test configuration for transmitting the wireless signals from the base station.

[0196] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0197] (a) Only hardware circuit implementations (e.g., only implementations in analog and / or digital circuitry), and

[0198] (b) Combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (where applicable): (i) combinations of (one or more) analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware, and (ii) any part of (one or more) hardware processors (including (one or more) digital signal processors), software, and memory that work together to cause a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions, and

[0199] (c) (One or more) hardware circuits and / or (one or more) processors, such as (one or more) microprocessors or a part of (one or more) microprocessors, which require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may be absent when not needed for operation.

[0200] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses implementations of only hardware circuits or processors (or one or more processors) or a part of a hardware circuit or processor and their (or its) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also encompasses (e.g., and if applicable to a particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0201] Embodiments herein can be implemented in software (executed by one or more processors), hardware (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit), or a combination of software and hardware. In an example embodiment, the software (e.g., application logic, instruction set) is maintained on any of a variety of conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, a "computer-readable medium" can be any medium or device that can contain, store, transmit, propagate, or transport instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device such as a computer. An example of a computer is depicted and described in Figure 1 . A computer-readable medium can include a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., memories 125, 155, 171, 71 or other devices), which can be any medium or device that can contain, store, and / or transport instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device such as a computer. A computer-readable storage medium does not include a propagated signal.

[0202] If desired, the different functions discussed herein can be performed in a different order and / or simultaneously with each other. Additionally, if desired, one or more of the above functions can be optional or can be combined.

[0203] Although the various aspects are set forth above, other aspects include other combinations of features from the described embodiments, not just the combinations described above.

[0204] It should also be noted herein that while example embodiments of the invention have been described above, these descriptions should not be regarded as limiting. On the contrary, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method of communication, comprising: generating a test configuration of wireless signals for testing that a base station complies with one or more criteria, the base station supporting narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) signals and new radio (NR) signals, the base station being configured to support multiple carriers and support operation within a radio frequency (RF) bandwidth, wherein the test configuration comprises: an NB-IoT test signal placed as an outermost carrier at one or both edges of the RF bandwidth but not within the NR minimum protection band, wherein for NB-IoT operation within the NR band, the NB-IoT test signal is placed as an outermost resource block within 15 kHz plus the NR transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge but not within the NR minimum protection band, and wherein the following NB-IoT test signals are power-boosted compared to the average power over the NR signal: NB-IoT test signals adjacent to the NR signal or at least any NB-IoT test signal separated from the NR signal by at least 15 kHz; and one or more additional test signals comprising NR signals within the RF bandwidth; and transmitting the test configuration of the wireless signals from the base station.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test configuration comprises NB-IoT test signals placed as outermost carriers at both edges of the RF bandwidth but not within the NR minimum protection band, and two additional test signals comprising NR signals within the RF bandwidth, each of the two additional test signals being adjacent to a corresponding NB-IoT test signal but capable of being separated from the corresponding NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, and wherein each combination of NB-IoT and an associated one of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test configuration comprises an NB-IoT test signal placed as an outermost carrier at one edge of the RF bandwidth but not within the NR minimum protection band, and two additional test signals comprising NR signals within the RF bandwidth, one of the two additional test signals being adjacent to the NB-IoT test signal but capable of being separated from the NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, and the other of the two additional test signals being placed at the other edge of the RF bandwidth, wherein the other of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth, and the one of the two additional test signals and the NB-IoT test signal together have the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test configuration includes a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signal placed as the outermost carrier at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and at least two additional test signals including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, and at least one third additional test signal including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, each of the at least two additional test signals being adjacent to a corresponding NB-IoT test signal but separable from the corresponding NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, the at least one third additional test signal being placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth, and wherein the at least one third additional test signal has a first bandwidth, and each of the at least two additional test signals together with the NB-IoT test signal has the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test configuration includes an NB-IoT test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test configuration includes NB-IoT test signals placed as the outermost carriers at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the edges, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, the one additional test signal being placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test configuration includes an NB-IoT test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the radio frequency bandwidth is less than the maximum supported bandwidth.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the power boost is at least 6 dB or at least 3 dB.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the method further comprises: Configuring the base station in an NB-IoT protection band operation mode to generate an NB-IoT carrier for at least the duration of transmitting the test configuration in response to the NB-IoT signal needing to operate within the new radio band and there being no actual evolved universal terrestrial radio access carrier available for hosting the NB-IoT band or the protection band.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 further includes determining whether the base station meets the one or more criteria based on a test configuration of the wireless signal that is generated and transmitted.

11. A computer-readable medium comprising a computer program stored thereon, the computer program including code for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 when the computer program runs on a computer.

12. A device for communication, comprising components for performing the following: generating a test configuration of a wireless signal for testing that a base station complies with one or more criteria, the base station supporting narrowband Internet of Things signals and new radio signals, the base station being configured to support multiple carriers and support operation within a radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the test configuration comprises: a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as an outermost carrier at one or both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, wherein for narrowband Internet of Things operation within the new radio band, the narrowband Internet of Things test signal is placed as an outermost resource block within 15 kHz plus the new radio transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and wherein the narrowband Internet of Things test signal is power-boosted compared to the average power over the new radio signal: a neighboring new radio signal or at least any narrowband Internet of Things test signal separated from the new radio signal by at least 15 kHz; and one or more additional test signals, including new radio signals within the radio frequency bandwidth; and transmitting the test configuration of the wireless signal from the base station.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the test configuration comprises narrowband Internet of Things test signals placed as outermost carriers at both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and two additional test signals including the new radio signals within the radio frequency bandwidth, each of the two additional test signals being adjacent to a corresponding narrowband Internet of Things test signal but capable of being separated from the corresponding narrowband Internet of Things test signal by a 15 kHz region, and wherein each combination of narrowband Internet of Things and an associated one of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the test configuration includes a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and two additional test signals including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, one of the two additional test signals being adjacent to the narrowband Internet of Things test signal but capable of being separated from the narrowband Internet of Things test signal by a 15 kHz region, and the other of the two additional test signals being placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the other of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth, and the one of the two additional test signals and the narrowband Internet of Things test signal together have the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the test configuration includes narrowband Internet of Things test signals placed as the outermost carriers at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and at least two additional test signals including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, and at least one third additional test signal including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, each of the two additional test signals being adjacent to a corresponding narrowband Internet of Things test signal but capable of being separated from the corresponding narrowband Internet of Things test signal by a 15 kHz region, the at least one third additional test signal being placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth, and wherein the at least one third additional test signal has a first bandwidth, and each of the two additional test signals and the narrowband Internet of Things test signal together have the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the test configuration includes a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth.

17. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the test configuration includes narrowband Internet of Things test signals placed as the outermost carriers at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the edges, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, the one additional test signal being placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth.

18. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the test configuration includes a NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and another test signal includes the New Radio (NR) signal in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the another test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, and wherein the radio frequency bandwidth is less than the maximum supported bandwidth.

19. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the power boost is at least one of at least 6 dB or at least 3 dB.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein the component is further configured to perform: in response to the NB-IoT signal needing to operate within the NR band and there being no actual evolved universal terrestrial radio access carrier for hosting the NB-IoT band or guard band, configuring the base station in the NB-IoT guard band operation mode to generate an NB-IoT carrier for at least the duration of transmitting the test configuration.

21. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein the component comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the execution of the apparatus.

22. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 19, further comprising a component for determining whether the base station meets the one or more criteria based on the test configuration of the generated and transmitted wireless signals.

23. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein the apparatus comprises the base station or is included in the base station.

24. A base station comprising the apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

25. A wireless communication system comprising the apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 23.

26. A device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with at least one processor, cause the device to: generate a test configuration of a wireless signal for testing that a base station complies with one or more criteria, the base station supporting an NB-IoT signal and an NR signal, the base station being configured to support multiple carriers and support operation within a radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the test configuration includes: The narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) test signal is placed as the outermost carrier at one or both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band. For NB-IoT operation within the new radio band, the NB-IoT test signal is placed as the outermost resource block within the new radio transmission bandwidth configuration at the edge plus 15 kHz but not within the new radio minimum protection band. Among the following NB-IoT test signals, there is a power boost compared to the average power over the new radio signal: an NB-IoT test signal adjacent to the new radio signal or at least any NB-IoT test signal separated from the new radio signal by at least 15 kHz; and one or more additional test signals, including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth; and a test configuration for transmitting the wireless signal from the base station.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the test configuration includes an NB-IoT test signal placed as the outermost carrier at both edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and two additional test signals including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth. Each of the two additional test signals is adjacent to a corresponding NB-IoT test signal but can be separated from the corresponding NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, and each combination of the NB-IoT and an associated one of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

28. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the test configuration includes an NB-IoT test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and two additional test signals including the new radio signal in the radio frequency bandwidth. One of the two additional test signals is adjacent to the NB-IoT test signal but can be separated from the NB-IoT test signal by a 15 kHz region, and the other of the two additional test signals is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth. The other of the two additional test signals has a first bandwidth, and the one of the two additional test signals and the NB-IoT test signal together have the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

29. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the test configuration includes narrowband Internet of Things test signals placed as the outermost carriers at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the new radio minimum protection band, and at least two additional test signals including the new radio signals in the radio frequency bandwidth, and at least one third additional test signal including the new radio signals in the radio frequency bandwidth, each of the at least two additional test signals being adjacent to a corresponding narrowband Internet of Things test signal but separable from the corresponding narrowband Internet of Things test signal by a 15 kHz region, the at least one third additional test signal being placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth, and wherein the at least one third additional test signal has a first bandwidth, and each of the at least two additional test signals together with the narrowband Internet of Things test signal has the first bandwidth plus 15 kHz or the first bandwidth.

30. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the test configuration includes a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signals in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth.

31. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the test configuration includes narrowband Internet of Things test signals placed as the outermost carriers at two edges of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the edges, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signals in the radio frequency bandwidth, the one additional test signal being placed between the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth but not adjacent to the two ends of the radio frequency bandwidth.

32. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the test configuration includes a narrowband Internet of Things test signal placed as the outermost carrier at one edge of the radio frequency bandwidth but not within the first 100 kHz of the one edge, and one additional test signal includes the new radio signals in the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the one additional test signal is placed at the other edge of the radio frequency bandwidth, wherein the radio frequency bandwidth is less than the maximum supported bandwidth.

33. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the power boost is at least 6 dB or at least 3 dB.

34. The apparatus according to any one of claims 26 to 33, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform operations including: in response to the narrowband Internet of Things signal needing to operate within the new radio band and there being no actual evolved universal terrestrial radio access carrier for hosting the narrowband Internet of Things in-band or guard band, configure the base station in the narrowband Internet of Things guard band operation mode to generate a narrowband Internet of Things carrier for at least the duration of transmitting the test configuration.

35. The apparatus according to any one of claims 26 to 33, further comprising a test device configured to determine whether the base station meets the one or more criteria based on the test configuration of the generated and transmitted radio signals.

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