Paging Enhancement Function for New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) LIGHT

Abstract

A wireless communication system and method involve performing a paging operation in a shared radio frequency band (e.g., in a shared spectrum or an unlicensed spectrum) while improving paging reliability. A first user equipment (UE) determines a hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within the shared radio frequency band. The first UE monitors a paging message from a base station (BS) in the POW, wherein the monitoring includes: hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the hopping pattern.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority and rights under U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 249,173, filed on February 22, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 990,799, filed on March 17, 2020. The entire disclosures of the above two U.S. patent applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to performing paging operations in a shared radio frequency band (e.g., in shared spectrum or unlicensed spectrum) with improved paging reliability. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, and so on. These systems can be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). A wireless multi - access communication system can include multiple base stations (BSs), each BS simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may otherwise be referred to as user equipment (UEs).

[0005] To meet the growing demand for extended mobile broadband connectivity, wireless communication technologies are evolving from Long - Term Evolution (LTE) technology to the next - generation New Radio (NR) technology, which can be referred to as the fifth - generation (5G). For example, NR is designed to provide lower latency, higher bandwidth or higher throughput, and higher reliability compared to LTE. NR is designed to operate over a wide range of spectrum bands, e.g., from low - frequency bands below about 1 gigahertz (GHz) and mid - frequency bands from about 1 GHz to about 6 GHz, to high - frequency bands such as millimeter wave (mmWave). NR is also designed to operate across different spectrum types, from licensed spectrum to unlicensed spectrum and shared spectrum. Spectrum sharing enables operators to opportunistically aggregate spectrum to dynamically support high - bandwidth services. Spectrum sharing can extend the benefits of NR technology to operating entities that may not have access to licensed spectrum.

[0006] One way to avoid collisions when communicating in a shared spectrum or unlicensed spectrum is to use a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure to ensure that the shared channel is idle before transmitting a signal on the shared channel. For example, a transmitting node can perform LBT to determine if there is an active transmission in the channel. If the LBT results in an LBT pass, the transmitting node can transmit a preamble to reserve a Channel Occupancy Time (COT) on the shared channel and can communicate with a receiving node during the COT. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Some aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below to provide a basic understanding of the technologies discussed. This summary is not an extensive overview of all the expected features of the present disclosure and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects of the present disclosure nor to describe the scope of any aspect or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in a general form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0008] For example, in one aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless communication method includes: determining, by a first User Equipment (UE), a hopping pattern for a Paging Opportunity Window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band; and monitoring, by the first UE, a paging message from a Base Station (BS) within the POW, wherein the monitoring includes: hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the hopping pattern.

[0009] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of wireless communication includes: determining, by a Base Station (BS), a hopping pattern for a Paging Opportunity Window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band; and performing a paging operation, by the BS, for at least a first User Equipment (UE) within the POW, wherein performing the paging operation includes: hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the hopping pattern.

[0010] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a first User Equipment (UE) includes a processor configured to: determine a hopping pattern for a Paging Opportunity Window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band; and monitor a paging message from a Base Station (BS) within the POW, wherein the monitoring includes: hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the hopping pattern.

[0011] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a base station (BS) includes a processor configured to: determine, by the base station (BS), a hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band; and perform a paging operation for at least a first user equipment (UE) in the POW, wherein the processor configured to perform the paging operation is further configured to: hop from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the hopping pattern.

[0012] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code including code for causing a first user equipment (UE) to determine a hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band; and code for causing the first UE to monitor for a paging message from a base station (BS) in the POW, wherein the monitoring includes: hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the hopping pattern.

[0013] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code including code for causing a base station (BS) to determine, by the base station (BS), a hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band; and code for causing the BS to perform a paging operation for at least a first user equipment (UE) in the POW, wherein the code for causing the BS to perform the paging operation is further configured to: hop from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the hopping pattern.

[0014] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a first user equipment (UE) includes: a unit for determining a hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band; and a unit for monitoring for a paging message from a base station (BS) in the POW, wherein the monitoring includes: hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the hopping pattern.

[0015] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a base station (BS) includes: a unit for determining, by the base station (BS), a hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency subbands within a shared radio frequency band; and a unit for performing a paging operation for at least a first user equipment (UE) in the POW, wherein the unit for performing the paging operation is further configured to: hop from at least a first frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands based on the hopping pattern.

[0016] Other aspects, features, and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art when reviewing the following description of specific, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. While the features of the present invention may be discussed with respect to certain embodiments and figures below, all embodiments of the present invention may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with the various embodiments of the present invention discussed herein. In a similar manner, while the exemplary embodiments are discussed below as device, system, or method embodiments, it should be understood that such exemplary embodiments may be implemented in various device, system, and method implementations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 Illustrates a wireless communication network in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2 Is a paging scheme illustrating some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 Is a block diagram of a user equipment (UE) in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 4 Is a block diagram of an exemplary base station (BS) in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 5 Is a paging scheme with short-term frequency hopping in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 6 Is a signaling diagram of an idle mode UE offloading method in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 7 Is a signaling diagram of an idle mode UE offloading method in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 8It is a flowchart of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 9 It is a flowchart of a wireless communication method according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation

[0026] The detailed implementation described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is only intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. To provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the detailed implementation includes specific details. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0027] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems (also referred to as wireless communication networks). In various embodiments, the techniques and apparatuses can be used in wireless communication networks such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, global system for mobile communications (GSM) networks, fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, and other communication networks. As used herein, the terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably.

[0028] OFDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). In particular, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization called the "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), and CDMA2000 is described in documents from an organization called the "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a writing among telecommunications association groups aimed at defining globally applicable third-generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. 3GPP Long-Term Evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project aimed at improving the UMTS mobile phone standard. 3GPP can define specifications for next-generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. This disclosure relates to the evolution of wireless technologies from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, and beyond, which uses a new and different set of radio access technologies or radio air interfaces to share access to the wireless spectrum among networks.

[0029] 5G networks envision various deployments, various spectrums, and various services and devices that can be implemented using a unified OFDM-based air interface. To achieve these goals, in addition to the development of new radio technologies for 5G NR networks, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to provide: (1) coverage for massive Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-high density (e.g., ~1M nodes / km 2 ), ultra-low complexity (e.g., ~10s of bits / second), ultra-low power consumption (e.g., ~10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage with the ability to reach challenging locations; (2) coverage including mission-critical control with strong security for protecting sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., ~99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., ~1ms), and users with a wide range of mobility or lack of mobility; and (3) providing enhanced mobile broadband including ultra-high capacity (e.g., ~10 Tbps / km 2 ), extreme data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+ Mbps user experience rate), and improved discovery and optimized depth perception.

[0030] 5G NR can be implemented to use an optimized OFDM-based waveform with scalable numerology and transmission time intervals (TTIs); have a common flexible framework to efficiently multiplex services and features using dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) designs; and have advanced radio technologies such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmission, advanced channel coding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of the numerology in 5G NR (with the extension of subcarrier spacing) can efficiently address the operation of various services across various spectrums and various deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments with less than 3 GHz FDD / TDD implementations, such as at bandwidths (BW) of 5, 10, 20 MHz, etc., the subcarrier spacing can occur at 15 kHz. For various other outdoor and small cell coverage deployments with TDD greater than 3 GHz, the subcarrier spacing can occur at 30 kHz at 80 / 100 MHz BW. For various other indoor broadband implementations using TDD in the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, the subcarrier spacing can occur at 60 kHz at 160 MHz BW. Finally, for various deployments with mmWave components transmitting with TDD at 28 GHz, the subcarrier spacing can occur at 120 kHz at 500 MHz BW.

[0031] The scalable numerology of 5G NR facilitates scalable TTIs for various latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. The efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmissions to start at symbol boundaries. 5G NR also envisions a self-contained integrated subframe design that has UL / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgments in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communication in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrums, and can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between UL and downlink to meet current traffic demands for adaptive UL / downlink.

[0032] Various other aspects and features of the present disclosure are further described below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein can be embodied in many forms and that any particular structure, function, or both disclosed herein are merely representative and not restrictive. Based on the teachings herein, those skilled in the art should understand that the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, or two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number of the aspects set forth herein can be used to implement an apparatus or practice a method. Additionally, such an apparatus can be implemented or such a method can be practiced using other structures, functions, or both structures and functions in addition to or different from one or more of the aspects set forth herein. For example, a method can be implemented as part of a system, device, apparatus, and / or as instructions stored on a computer-readable medium to be executed on a processor or computer. Further, one aspect can include at least one element of a claim.

[0033] The deployment of NR in the unlicensed band can be referred to as NR-U. Some deployments may deploy a lighter version of NR-U with lower complexity and / or reduced functionality (e.g., for narrowband operation, Internet of Things (IoT) applications, and / or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications). Some examples of IIoT applications can include industrial equipment automation, smart meters, smart power, smart sensors, etc. The lighter version of NR-U can be referred to as NR-U light. To facilitate narrowband operation, the NR-U light deployment can divide the unlicensed band into multiple frequency channels or frequency sub-bands. For example, an NR-U light deployment operating on an 80 megahertz (MHz) unlicensed band can divide the 80 MHz band into approximately four frequency sub-bands, each 20 MHz. The BS can perform Listen Before Talk (LBT) in each frequency sub-band to compete for a transmission opportunity and can communicate with the UE in the frequency sub-band where successful LBT occurs. Interference can have a greater impact in narrowband compared to in broadband (e.g., approximately 80 MHz or 100 MHz). For example, narrowband interference may affect a small portion of the broadband, but may block a large portion of the narrowband. When the BS operates on a frequency sub-band (e.g., with a bandwidth of approximately 20 MHz) and the frequency sub-band is affected by continuous interference, the BS may not be able to pass LBT. To provide ultra-reliability, e.g., for IIoT, the BS can apply frequency hopping to mitigate interference.

[0034] In some NR-U light deployments, the BS may apply frequency hopping to the initial BWP, where the BS may broadcast synchronization signals and / or system information signals to assist the UE in network access. Additionally, the BS may perform paging operations on the initial BWP. Paging is a mechanism that enables the BS to notify a UE when the BS has a paging message for an idle-mode UE. An idle-mode UE may refer to a UE that does not have an ongoing active data communication with the BS and may operate in a paging cycle or a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle. The DRX cycle may determine how often the UE can wake up to monitor paging messages from the BS. Upon detecting a paging message, the UE may decode the content of the paging message and initiate any applicable process for handling the content. Although the BS may apply frequency hopping to the initial BWP, the frequency hopping may be long-term frequency hopping. For example, compared to the duration of a paging occasion (e.g., approximately 0.5 ms or approximately 1 ms), the dwell time for each frequency hop for the initial BWP may be long (e.g., dozens of milliseconds (ms)). In other words, within the duration of a paging occasion, the BS may operate in the same frequency subband without switching to another frequency subband. Therefore, long-term frequency hopping cannot solve paging occasions blocked by interference.

[0035] This application describes mechanisms for performing paging in a shared radio frequency band (e.g., in shared spectrum or unlicensed spectrum) with improved paging reliability. The band can be divided into multiple sub-bands. The BS can perform paging operations with idle-mode UEs by hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among multiple frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the multiple frequency sub-bands. The frequency hopping can include short-term frequency hopping within a paging occasion or paging occasion window (POW) and long-term initial BWP hopping. The POW can include multiple PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging. Each PDCCH monitoring occasion can be associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB). For example, a subset of the PDCCH monitoring occasions in the POW can be associated with the SSB of index 0, while another subset of the PDCCH monitoring occasions in the POW can be associated with the SSB of index 1. The short-term frequency hopping can include a frequency offset pattern that can be applied to each subset of the PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a certain SSB. The frequency offset pattern can include a frequency sub-band offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion within a subset of multiple PDDCH monitoring occasions associated with a specific SSB. The frequency sub-band offset can be added to the initial BWP. For example, the initial BWP hopping pattern can be represented by c(k), where k represents the k-th initial BWP hopping, and the paging frequency offset pattern can be represented by p(i), where i represents the i-th PDCCH monitoring occasion associated with a specific SSB in the POW. Thus, the BS can determine the frequency sub-band for the i-th PDCCH monitoring occasion in the subset of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a specific SSB within the POW by adding p(i) to c(k). In some aspects, the paging frequency offset pattern can be predetermined. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern c(k) can be cell-specific or UE-specific, and the paging frequency offset pattern p(i) can be common to a group of UEs within the POW.

[0036] In some aspects, the BS can indicate (e.g., by signaling a system information block (SIB)) to idle-mode UEs to enable or disable short-term paging frequency hopping within the POW. In some aspects, the idle-mode UE can monitor paging messages from the BS by hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among multiple frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the multiple frequency sub-bands according to the paging frequency offset pattern p(i) and the initial BWP hopping pattern c(k). For example, the idle-mode UE can determine the frequency sub-band for the i-th PDCCH monitoring occasion in the subset of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a specific SSB within the POW by adding p(i) to c(k). In some aspects, the UE can terminate paging monitoring early in the POW. For example, once a paging PDCCH, a paging message, or a paging PDCCH indicating a paging stop indication is detected in the second frequency sub-band, the UE can avoid performing additional frequency hopping.

[0037] In some aspects, the BS may offload or allocate idle-mode UEs to different frequency sub-bands in a shared radio frequency band. When a UE is in the connected mode, the BS may configure, for example, via UE-specific signaling, a first initial BWP and a corresponding first initial BWP hopping pattern for offloading. In some aspects, the BS may determine the first initial BWP and / or the corresponding first initial BWP pattern based on a UE group ID associated with a group of UEs including the connected-mode UE. In some cases, the BS may determine a new initial BWP hopping pattern for offloading. In some cases, the BS may determine the first initial BWP hopping pattern for offloading by adding a UE-group-dependent frequency sub-band offset to a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. The UE may switch to the first initial BWP before entering the idle mode. When the UE reselects to a new cell while operating in the idle mode, the UE may monitor paging in the new cell or the target cell based on an initial BWP hopping pattern broadcast in the target cell (e.g., via SIB signaling).

[0038] In some other aspects, the BS may offload or allocate idle-mode UEs to different frequency sub-bands by, for example, configuring the UE to autonomously switch to the first initial BWP in the first initial BWP hopping pattern according to a UE group ID associated with the UE. Thus, the UE may autonomously switch to the first initial BWP before entering the idle mode. The UE may determine the first initial BWP and the first initial BWP hopping pattern based on the UE group ID. When the UE reselects to a new cell while operating in the idle mode, the UE may ignore the initial BWP hopping pattern broadcast in the target cell and continue to use the first UE-group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for idle-mode operation in the new cell. For example, the source BS may coordinate with the target BS in the new cell such that the target BS may perform idle-mode operations based on the first UE-group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern.

[0039] Aspects of the present disclosure may provide several benefits. For example, increasing short-term paging hopping within the POW may increase the opportunity for the BS to send paging messages to idle-mode UEs via LBT in the frequency sub-bands of the shared radio frequency band. Offloading idle-mode UEs to different initial BWPs with different initial BWP hopping patterns may allow the BS to support a larger number of idle-mode UEs. Additionally, offloading may reduce interference, thereby improving network reliability.

[0040] Figure 1FIG. 100 shows a wireless communication network 100 in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. The network 100 may be a 5G network. The network 100 includes a plurality of base stations (BSs) 105 (labeled 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, and 105f, respectively) and other network entities. The BS 105 may be a station that communicates with the UE 115 and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next-generation eNB (gNB), an access point (e.g., an IEEE 802.11 AP), etc. Each BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a specific geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" may refer to this specific geographic coverage area of the BS 105 and / or the BS subsystem of the serving coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0041] The BS 105 may provide communication coverage for a macro cell or a small cell (e.g., a pico cell or a femto cell and / or other types of cells). A macro cell typically covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs having a service subscription with the network provider. A small cell such as a pico cell typically covers a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs having a service subscription with the network provider. A small cell such as a femto cell typically also covers a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a residence), and in addition to unrestricted access, may provide restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in a home, etc.). The BS for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. The BS for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In Figure 1 the example shown in FIG. 100, BSs 105d and 105e may be conventional macro BSs, while BSs 105a - 105c may be macro BSs enabled with one of three-dimensional (3D) MIMO, full-dimensional (FD) MIMO, or massive MIMO. The BSs 105a - 105c may utilize their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to increase coverage and capacity by using 3D beamforming in both elevation and azimuth beamforming. The BS 105f may be a small cell BS, which may be a home node or a portable access point. The BS 105 may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0042] The network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the BSs may have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different BSs may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the BSs may have different frame timings, and transmissions from different BSs may not be aligned in time.

[0043] UEs 115 are spread throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed or mobile. A UE 115 can also be referred to as a terminal, mobile station, user unit, station, etc. A UE 115 can be a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, tablet computer, laptop computer, cordless phone, wireless local loop (WLL) station, IEEE 802.11 terminal station (STA), etc. In one aspect, a UE 115 can be a device that includes a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). In another aspect, a UE can be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, a UE 115 that does not include a UICC can also be referred to as an IoT device or an Internet of Everything (IoE) device. UEs 115a - 115d are examples of mobile smart phone type devices that access the network 100. A UE 115 can also be a machine specifically configured for connected communications, including machine type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc. UEs 115e - 115h are examples of various machines configured for communications that access the network 100. UEs 115i - 115k are examples of vehicles equipped with wireless communication devices configured for communications that access the network 100. A UE 115 can be capable of communicating with any type of BS, whether it is a macro BS, small cell, or others. In Figure 1 it, lightning (e.g., communication link) indicates a wireless transmission between a UE 115 and a serving BS 105 (which is a BS designated to serve the UE 115 on the downlink (DL) and / or uplink (UL)), a desired transmission between BSs 105, a backhaul transmission between BSs, or a sidelink transmission between UEs 115.

[0044] In operation, BSs 105a - 105c can use 3D beamforming and cooperative spatial techniques, such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity, to serve UEs 115a and 115b. The macro BS 105d can perform backhaul communications with BSs 105a - 105c and the small cell BS 105f. The macro BS 105d can also send multicast services subscribed to and received by UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services can include mobile TV or streaming video, or can include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts (e.g., Amber Alert or Gray Alert).

[0045] BS 105 can also communicate with the core network. The core network can provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. At least some of the BSs 105 in BS 105 (e.g., which can be an example of a gNB or an access node controller (ANC)) can interface with the core network via a backhaul link (e.g., NG-C, NG-U, etc.) and can perform radio configuration and scheduling to communicate with UE 115. In various examples, BS 105s can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the core network) via backhaul links (e.g., X1, X2, etc.) (which can be wired or wireless communication links).

[0046] Network 100 can also support mission-critical communications for mission-critical devices (such as UE 115e which can be a drone) using ultra-reliable and redundant links. The redundant communication links to UE 115e can include links from macro BS 105d and BS 105e, as well as links from small cell BS 105f. Other machine type devices (e.g., UE 115f (such as a thermometer), UE 115g (such as a smart meter), and UE 115h (such as a wearable device)) can communicate directly with a BS (e.g., small cell BS 105f and macro BS 105e) via Network 100, or communicate in a multi-hop configuration by communicating with another user equipment that relays its information to the network (e.g., UE 115f transmits temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g, and then the temperature measurement information is reported to the network via small cell BS 105f). Network 100 can also provide additional network efficiency via dynamic, low-latency TDD / FDD communication, such as V2V, V2X, C-V2X communication between UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and other UEs 115, and / or vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication between UE 115i, 115j, or 115k and BS 105.

[0047] In some implementations, Network 100 communicates using an OFDM-based waveform. An OFDM-based system can divide the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, and orthogonal subcarriers are typically also referred to as subcarriers, tones, frequency bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In some instances, the subcarrier spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system BW. The system BW can also be divided into subbands. In other instances, the subcarrier spacing and / or the duration of the TTI can be scalable.

[0048] In some aspects, in network 100, BS 105 can allocate or schedule transmission resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks (RBs)) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions. DL refers to the transmission direction from BS 105 to UE 115, and UL refers to the transmission direction from UE 115 to BS 105. The communication can have the form of a radio frame. The radio frame can be divided into multiple subframes or time slots, e.g., approximately 10. Each time slot can be further divided into mini-slots. In the FDD mode, simultaneous UL and DL transmissions can occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes a UL subframe in the UL frequency band and a DL subframe in the DL frequency band. In the TDD mode, UL and DL transmissions using the same frequency band occur in different time periods. For example, a subset of subframes in a radio frame (e.g., DL subframes) can be used for DL transmissions, and another subset of subframes in the radio frame (e.g., UL subframes) can be used for UL transmissions.

[0049] The DL subframes and UL subframes can be further divided into several regions. For example, each DL or UL subframe can have predefined regions for transmitting reference signals, control information, and data. The reference signal is a predefined signal that facilitates communication between BS 105 and UE 115. For example, the reference signal can have a specific pilot pattern or structure, where the pilot tones can span the operating BW or frequency band, all at predefined times and predefined frequencies. For example, BS 105 can send a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and / or a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) so that UE 115 can estimate the DL channel. Similarly, UE 115 can send a sounding reference signal (SRS) so that BS 105 can estimate the UL channel. The control information can include resource allocation and protocol control. The data can include protocol data and / or operational data. In some aspects, BS105 and UE 115 can communicate using self-contained subframes. A self-contained subframe can include a portion for DL communication and a portion for UL communication. The self-contained subframe can be DL-centric or UL-centric. A DL-centric subframe can include a longer duration for DL communication compared to UL communication. A UL-centric subframe can include a longer duration for UL communication compared to DL communication.

[0050] In some aspects, network 100 may be an NR network deployed on licensed spectrum. BS 105 may send synchronization signals (e.g., including a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS)) in network 100 to facilitate synchronization. BS 105 may broadcast system information associated with network 100 (e.g., including a Master Information Block (MIB), Remaining System Information (RMSI), and Other System Information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some instances, BS 105 may broadcast the PSS, SSS, and / or MIB in the form of a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) on the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), and may broadcast the RMSI and / or OSI on the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0051] In some aspects, a UE 115 attempting to access network 100 may perform an initial cell search by detecting the PSS from BS 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of periodic timing and may indicate a physical layer identity value. Then, UE 115 may receive the SSS. The SSS may enable radio frame synchronization and may provide a cell identity value, which may be combined with the physical layer identity value to identify the cell. The PSS and SSS may be located in the central portion of the carrier, respectively, or may be at any suitable frequency within the carrier.

[0052] After receiving the PSS and SSS, UE 115 may receive the MIB. The MIB may include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for the RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, UE 115 may receive the RMSI and / or OSI. The RMSI and / or OSI may include Radio Resource Control (RRC) information related to the Random Access Channel (RACH) procedure, paging, Control Resource Set (CORESET) for Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring, Physical UL Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical UL Shared Channel (PUSCH), power control, and SRS.

[0053] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI, and / or OSI, the UE 115 may perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a four-step random access procedure. For example, the UE 115 may send a random access preamble, and the BS 105 may respond with a random access response. The random access response (RAR) may include a detected random access preamble identifier (ID) corresponding to the random access preamble, timing advance (TA) information, UL grant, temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and / or a backoff indicator. Upon receiving the random access response, the UE 115 may send a connection request to the BS 105, and the BS 105 may respond with a connection response. The connection response may indicate contention resolution. In some examples, the random access preamble, RAR, connection request, and connection response may be referred to as Message 1 (MSG1), Message 2 (MSG2), Message 3 (MSG3), and Message 4 (MSG4), respectively. In some examples, the random access procedure may be a two-step random access procedure, where the UE 115 may send the random access preamble and the connection request in a single transmission, and the BS 105 may respond by sending the random access response and the connection response in a single transmission.

[0054] After establishing the connection, the UE 115 may initiate an initial network attachment procedure with the network 100. When there is no active data communication between the UE 115 and the BS 105 after network attachment, the UE 115 may return to the idle state (e.g., RRC idle mode). Alternatively, the UE 115 and the BS 105 may enter an operational state or an active state, where operational data may be exchanged (e.g., RRC connected mode). In the connected mode, the BS 105 may schedule the UE 115 for UL and / or DL communication. The BS 105 may send UL and / or DL scheduling grants to the UE 115 via the PDCCH. The scheduling grant may be sent in the form of DL control information (DCI). The BS 105 may send a DL communication signal (e.g., carrying data) to the UE 115 via the PDSCH according to the DL scheduling grant. The UE 115 may send a UL communication signal to the BS 105 via the PUSCH and / or PUCCH according to the UL scheduling grant.

[0055] In some aspects, BS 105 may communicate with UE 115 using HARQ techniques to improve communication reliability, e.g., to provide URLLC services. BS 105 may schedule UE 115 for PDSCH communication by sending DL grants in the PDCCH. BS 105 may send DL data packets to UE 115 according to the scheduling in the PDSCH. The DL data packets may be sent in the form of transport blocks (TBs). If UE 115 successfully receives the DL data packet, UE 115 may send a HARQ ACK to BS 105. Conversely, if UE 115 fails to successfully receive the DL transmission, UE 115 may send a HARQ NACK to BS 105. Once receiving the HARQ NACK from UE 115, BS 105 may retransmit the DL data packet to UE 115. The retransmission may include DL data of the same coding version as the initial transmission. Alternatively, the retransmission may include DL data of a different coding version from the initial transmission. UE 115 may apply soft combining to combine the coded data received from the initial transmission and the retransmission for decoding. BS 105 and UE 115 may also apply HARQ to UL communication using a mechanism substantially similar to DL HARQ.

[0056] In some aspects, network 100 may operate on the system BW or a component carrier (CC) BW. Network 100 may divide the system BW into multiple BWPs (e.g., parts). BS 105 may dynamically allocate for UE 115 to operate on a certain BWP (e.g., a certain part of the system BW). The allocated BWP may be referred to as the active BWP. UE 115 may monitor the active BWP for signaling information from BS 105. BS 105 may schedule UE 115 for UL or DL communication in the active BWP. In some aspects, BS 105 may allocate a pair of BWPs within a CC to UE 115 for UL and DL communication. For example, the BWP pair may include one BWP for UL communication and one BWP for DL communication.

[0057] In some aspects, network 100 can operate on a shared channel, which may include a shared frequency band and / or an unlicensed frequency band. For example, network 100 can be an NR-U network operating on an unlicensed frequency band. In such an aspect, BS 105 and UE 115 can be operated by multiple network operation entities. To avoid collisions, BS 105 and UE 115 can employ a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to monitor for transmission opportunities (TXOPs) in the shared channel. A TXOP can also be referred to as a COT. For example, a transmitting node (e.g., BS 105 or UE 115) can perform LBT before transmitting in the channel. When LBT passes, the transmitting node can continue with the transmission. When LBT fails, the transmitting node can avoid transmitting in the channel.

[0058] LBT can be based on energy detection (ED) or signal detection. For ED-based LBT, the LBT result passes when the signal energy measured from the channel is below a threshold. Conversely, the LBT result fails when the signal energy measured from the channel exceeds the threshold. For signal-detection-based LBT, the LBT result passes when no channel reservation signal (e.g., a predetermined preamble signal) is detected in the channel. Additionally, LBT can have multiple modes. The LBT mode can be, for example, Category 4 (CAT4) LBT, Category 2 (CAT2) LBT, or Category 1 (CAT1) LBT. CAT1 LBT is referred to as the no-LBT mode, where LBT is not performed before transmission. CAT2 LBT refers to LBT without a random backoff period. For example, a transmitting node can determine the channel measurement values in a time interval and determine whether the channel is available based on the comparison of the channel measurement values with the ED threshold. CAT4 LBT refers to LBT with a random backoff and a variable contention window (CW). For example, a transmitting node can draw a random number and back off for a period of time based on the drawn random number with a specific time unit.

[0059] In some aspects, network 100 can be an NR-U network operating on broadband (e.g., with a BW of approximately 100 MHz). BS 105 can configure broadband UE 115 to monitor the PDCCH search space across the 100 MHz broadband. The PDCCH search space can refer to a set of time-frequency resources where BS 105 can send downlink control information (DCI). The DCI can include UL scheduling grants and / or DL scheduling grants that respectively schedule UE 115 for UL and / or DL communication. In some aspects, BS 105 can divide the 100 MHz broadband into approximately five LBT sub-bands, each sub-band being approximately 20 MHz. BS 105 can perform LBT in each LBT sub-band and can communicate with UE 115 in the LBT sub-band that passes LBT. UE 115 can monitor each LBT sub-band for communication from BS 105 (e.g., PDCCH scheduling grants). Dividing the broadband into multiple sub-bands can provide robustness against sub-band interference. For example, if one sub-band is blocked, BS 105 can communicate with UE 115 in another sub-band that is not blocked by interference.

[0060] In some aspects, network 100 can be an NR-U light network or any network operating on narrowband frequency sub-bands or channels. For example, network 100 can divide the system bandwidth into multiple frequency sub-bands. To mitigate sub-band interference, BS 105 can apply long-term frequency hopping to the initial BWP. The long-term frequency hopping can have a per-hop dwell time on the order of tens of milliseconds (e.g., 10 milliseconds, 20 milliseconds, 30 milliseconds, 40 milliseconds or more). The initial BWP can refer to the BWP where BS 105 can send system information signals (e.g., PSS, SSS, PBCH, and / or MIB) to assist UE 115 in accessing network 100, performing random access procedures (e.g., exchanging MSG1, MSG2, MSG3, and / or MSG4), and / or for paging of idle mode UE 115. For initial BWP operation, the BS can hop across multiple sub-bands. To further mitigate sub-band interference for paging, BS 105 can apply short-term frequency hopping during the duration of the paging occasion. For example, the short-term frequency hopping can have a per-hop dwell time of less than approximately 2 ms (e.g., approximately 0.5 ms to approximately 1 ms). The mechanism for applying short-term frequency hopping for paging operations is described in more detail herein.

[0061] Figure 2FIG. 200 shows a paging scheme according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Scheme 200 may be adopted by a BS (such as BS 105) and a UE (such as UE 115) in a network (such as network 100). Specifically, the BS may perform paging operations with idle-mode UEs in a shared radio frequency band (e.g., in shared spectrum or unlicensed spectrum), as shown in Scheme 200. In Figure 2 FIG. 2, the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary unit, and the y-axis represents frequency in some arbitrary unit.

[0062] In Scheme 200, the shared radio frequency band 201 is divided into a plurality of sub-channels or frequency sub-bands 202 (shown as 202 S(0) 、202 S(1) 、202 S(2) 、202 S(3) ). The band 201 may be at any suitable frequency (e.g., around 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz or higher), and may have any suitable bandwidth (e.g., around 80 MHz, 100 MHz or higher). In some aspects, the band 201 may have a BW of about 80 MHz and may be divided into about four frequency sub-bands 202 S(0) 、202 S(1) 、202 S(2) 、202 S(3) , each sub-band having a BW of about 20 MHz. The band 201 may be shared by multiple network operating entities of the same radio access technology (RAT) or different RATs. For example, the band 201 may be shared by NR-U, NR-U light, IEEE802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) or WiFi and / or licensed assisted access (LAA).

[0063] A BS (e.g., BS 105) can establish a connection with a UE (e.g., UE 115) and communicate with the UE through the established connection. When the UE has no active data communication with the BS, the UE can enter the idle mode. The UE can turn off some front-end components during the idle mode to save power and can wake up during the paging occasion to monitor paging messages from the BS. The BS can configure a DRX cycle or a paging cycle for the UE. Each DRX cycle can include a paging occasion. The BS can configure a set of PDCCH monitoring occasions for the UE for each paging occasion. If the BS receives data for the UE when the UE is in the idle mode, the BS can send a paging message to the UE during the paging occasion of the UE. The BS can perform LBT before sending the paging message and can send the paging message based on the result of LBT. If the UE detects a paging message from the BS, the UE can decode the content of the paging message and initiate any applicable process to handle the content. To page the UE, the BS can send a PDCCH with a paging signature during the PDCCH monitoring occasion within the paging occasion. The paging signature can be a pre-determined sequence, and the PDCCH can be scrambled with the pre-determined sequence. In the context of NR, the paging signature can be referred to as a paging radio network temporary identifier (P-RNTI). The paging PDCCH can indicate that the scheduling grant in the PDCCH is for paging.

[0064] In Solution 200, the BS can configure one or more paging occasions for the UE in the initial BWP. The BS can configure the initial BWP in any frequency sub-band 202. For example, the BS can configure the initial BWP in the frequency sub-band 202 S(0) . Each paging occasion can include a POW 204. Each paging occasion or POW 204 can include a set of consecutive PDCCH monitoring occasions 210 (shown as 210a1, 210b1, 210a2, 210b2, 210a3, and 210b3). Each PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 can be associated with an SSB (e.g., including PSS, SSS, PBCH signals). In some aspects, the paging occasion or POW 204 can include S×X consecutive PDCCH monitoring occasions 210, where S represents the number of SSBs sent by the BS, and X represents the number of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with each SSB. In the context of NR, the BS can send a system information block type 1 (SIB1) that includes an ssb-PositionInBurst parameter field indicating the value of the S parameter. The BS can also configure a numPDCCHMonitoringOccasionPerSSB parameter field indicating the value of the X parameter for the UE. If the X parameter is not configured for the UE, the UE can set the parameter X to the numerical value 1.

[0065] In Figure 2 the example shown, S can have a value of 2, and X can have a value of 3. For example, PDCCH monitoring occasions 210a1, 210a2, and 210a3 are associated with the SSB of index 0 sent by the BS. PDCCH monitoring occasions 210b1, 210b2, and 210b3 are associated with the SSB of index 1 sent by the BS. The SSB of index 0 can be referred to as SSB 0. The SSB of index 1 can be referred to as SSB1. In some aspects, for example, when the BS operates in the sub-6GHz band or the millimeter wave band, the BS can send SSB 0 in the first spatial direction or beam direction, and can send SSB 1 in a second spatial direction different from the first spatial direction. Thus, according to the spatial direction of the SSB associated with the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210, the BS can send the PDCCH in the spatial direction during the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210. Therefore, according to the spatial direction of the SSB associated with the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210, the UE can monitor the PDCCH from the BS in the spatial direction during the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210. For example, if the BS sends a paging PDCCH during PDCCH monitoring occasions 210a1, 210a2, or 210a3, the BS can send the paging PDCCH in the spatial direction corresponding to the spatial direction of the sent SSB 0. The UE can perform PDCCH monitoring during PDCCH monitoring occasions 210a1, 210a2, and / or 210a3 in the spatial direction corresponding to the spatial direction in which the BS sent SSB 0.

[0066] In some aspects, for example, when detecting data for the UE, the BS can determine to page the UE when the UE is in the idle mode. The BS can page the UE by sending a paging message to the UE in a configured paging occasion (e.g., POW 204). The BS can perform LBT before the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 in POW 204 (e.g., at time T0 before PDCCH monitoring occasion 210a1). If LBT passes, the BS can send the PDCCH (e.g., with P-RNTI) during the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 to indicate the paging message transmission schedule. If LBT fails, the BS can avoid sending in the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210. The BS can perform another LBT in the subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 (e.g., PDCCH monitoring occasion 210b1).

[0067] In some cases, the frequency sub-band 202 S(0) (where the initial BWP is configured) may be affected by interference 220. The interference 220 can occupy the frequency sub-band 202 S(0)Most of it can be persistent, for example, lasting for the entire duration of POW 204. Thus, in POW 204, for all the PDCCH monitoring occasions 210a1, 210b1, 210a2, 210b2, 210a3, and 210b3 respectively, the LBT of the BS at times T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 may fail (indicated by the cross symbol "X").

[0068] Although the BS can apply frequency hopping to the initial BWP (e.g., frequency sub - band 202 S(0) ) to avoid interference 220, the initial BWP hopping can be long - term frequency hopping. Long - term frequency hopping can refer to frequency hopping where each frequency hop can have a duration greater than a specific time threshold (e.g., about 10 ms). For example, each frequency hop in long - term frequency hopping can have a duration on the order of tens of milliseconds (e.g., about 10 ms, 20 ms, 30 ms, 40 ms, or more). Thus, even if frequency hopping is applied to the initial BWP, the duration of each frequency hop (which can be referred to as the dwell time per frequency hop) may be much longer compared to the duration of POW 204 (whose length can be less than about 2 milliseconds). Therefore, in Figure 2 the example of, for paging within POW 204, the benefit of frequency hopping to avoid interference 220 is not achieved. In other words, long - term initial BWP frequency hopping may not solve the problem that POW 204 is blocked by persistent interference 220. Additionally, missing a paging occasion or POW 204 introduces a delay of at least one DRX cycle because the BS may not page the UE until the next DRX cycle.

[0069] Therefore, the present disclosure provides techniques for improving paging reliability by applying short - term frequency hopping within a POW.

[0070] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary UE 300 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. UE 300 can be the UE 115 discussed above in Figure 1 As shown, UE 300 can include a processor 302, a memory 304, a paging module 308, a transceiver 310 (which includes a modem subsystem 312 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 314), and one or more antennas 316. These elements can be coupled to each other. The term "coupled" can refer to being directly or indirectly coupled or connected to one or more intermediate elements. For example, these elements can communicate with each other directly or indirectly via one or more buses.

[0071] Processor 302 may include a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. Processor 302 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such architecture.

[0072] Memory 304 may include a cache memory (e.g., a cache memory of processor 302), random access memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), read only memory (ROM), programmable read only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid state memory devices, hard disk drives, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In one aspect, memory 304 includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Memory 304 may store instructions 306, or instructions 306 may have been recorded thereon. Instructions 306 may include instructions that, when executed by processor 302, cause processor 302 to perform the operations described herein with reference to UE 115 in connection with aspects of the present disclosure (e.g., Figure 1-2 and Figure 5-8 aspects). Further, instructions 306 may also be referred to as program code. The program code may be used to cause the wireless communication device to perform these operations, e.g., by causing one or more processors (such as processor 302) to control or command the wireless communication device to do so. The terms "instructions" and "code" should be construed broadly to include any type of computer-readable statement. For example, the terms "instructions" and "code" may refer to one or more programs, routines, sub-routines, functions, procedures, etc. "Instructions" and "code" may include a single computer-readable statement or multiple computer-readable statements.

[0073] The paging module 308 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the paging module 308 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 306 stored in memory 304 and executed by processor 302. In some cases, the paging module 308 may be integrated within the modem subsystem 312. For example, the paging module 308 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the modem subsystem 312.

[0074] The paging module 308 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, e.g.,Figure 1-2 and Figure 5-8 multiple aspects. For example, the paging module 308 is configured to determine a hopping pattern for POW in multiple frequency subbands within a shared radio frequency band, and monitor for a paging message from a BS (e.g., BS 105) in the POW by hopping from at least a first frequency subband among the multiple frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the multiple frequency subbands based on the hopping pattern.

[0075] In some aspects, the paging module 308 is configured to determine the hopping pattern by determining the hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset pattern for multiple PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. In some aspects, the frequency subband offset pattern includes a frequency subband offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of the multiple PDCCH monitoring occasions, wherein the subset of the multiple PDCCH monitoring occasions is associated with an SSB. In some aspects, the frequency subband offset pattern is pre-determined. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern, and the frequency subband offset pattern for the multiple PDCCH monitoring occasions is common to a group of UEs including the UE 300. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group ID associated with a group of UEs including the UE 300. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset associated with the UE group ID.

[0076] In some aspects, the paging module 308 is configured to receive at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern from the BS (e.g., via RRC signaling, dedicated UE signaling, and / or SIB signaling).

[0077] In some aspects, the paging module 308 is further configured to monitor for the paging message by: monitoring for the paging message in a first frequency subband during a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among the multiple PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with paging within the POW, and monitoring for the paging message in a second frequency subband during a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the multiple PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. In some aspects, the first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first SSB, and the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. In some aspects, the paging module 308 is further configured to further monitor for the paging message by: monitoring for the paging message in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion, and monitoring for the paging message in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion.

[0078] In some aspects, the paging module 308 is further configured to: determine a first frequency sub-band for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions by adding a first frequency sub-band offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion to a third frequency sub-band corresponding to an initial BWP among a plurality of frequency sub-bands. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion may be associated with a first SSB. The paging module 308 may also be configured to: determine a second frequency sub-band for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions by adding a second sub-band offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion to the third frequency sub-band corresponding to the initial BWP.

[0079] In some aspects, the paging module 308 is further configured to early terminate paging monitoring in the POW. For example, the paging module 308 is configured to avoid performing additional frequency hopping once a paging PDCCH, a paging message, or a paging PDCCH indicating a paging stop indication in the POW is detected.

[0080] In some aspects, the paging module 308 is further configured to: receive an indication from the BS to enable or disable a frequency sub-band offset mode (e.g., in an SIB such as SIB1), and based on the instruction, apply the frequency sub-band offset mode to paging PDCCH monitoring within the POW.

[0081] In some aspects, the paging module 308 is further configured to: autonomously switch to an initial BWP based on a UE group ID associated with a group of UEs including the first UE before entering the idle mode. In some aspects, the paging module 308 is further configured to: receive an indication of the initial BWP from the BS when the UE 300 is in the connected mode, and switch to the indicated initial BWP before entering the idle mode, where the initial BWP is based on a UE group ID associated with a group of UEs including the first UE.

[0082] In some aspects, the paging module 308 is further configured to: perform cell reselection to a target cell according to an initial BWP and / or an initial BWP hopping pattern, and perform idle mode operations (e.g., including paging PDCCH monitoring) in the target cell. In some aspects, for example, when the paging module 308 is configured to autonomously switch to a UE group-specific initial BWP before entering the idle mode, the paging module 308 is further configured to: perform cell reselection to the target cell according to the UE group-specific initial BWP mode rather than the initial BWP hopping of the target cell, and perform idle mode operations (e.g., including paging PDCCH monitoring) in the target cell. Mechanisms for performing idle mode and / or paging operations are described in more detail herein.

[0083] As shown in the figure, the transceiver 310 may include a modem subsystem 312 and an RF unit 314. The transceiver 310 may be configured to communicate bidirectionally with other devices (such as the BS 105). The modem subsystem 312 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data from the memory 304 and / or the paging module 308 according to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) (e.g., low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding scheme, turbo coding scheme, convolutional coding scheme, polar coding scheme, digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 314 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) the modulated / encoded data (e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH) from the modem subsystem 312 on an outward transmission or a transmission originating from another source (such as the UE 115 or the BS 105). In addition, the RF unit 314 may also be configured to perform analog beamforming in combination with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in the transceiver 310, the modem subsystem 312 and the RF unit 314 may be separate devices that are coupled together at the UE 115 to enable the UE 115 to communicate with other devices.

[0084] The RF unit 314 may provide the modulated and / or processed data (e.g., data packets (or more generally, data messages containing one or more data packets and other information)) to the antenna 316 for transmission to one or more other devices. The antenna 316 may also receive data messages sent from other devices. The antenna 316 may provide the received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 310. The transceiver 310 may provide the demodulated and decoded data (e.g., RRC configuration, PDSCH, PDCCH, SIB, SSB, RRC UE-specific message, initial BWP hopping pattern, paging hopping pattern, paging hopping enable / disable instruction, paging PDCCH, paging message) to the paging module 308 for processing. The antenna 316 may include multiple antennas with similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links. The RF unit 314 may configure the antenna 316.

[0085] In some aspects, the processor 302 is coupled to the memory 304 and is configured to: determine a hopping pattern for paging opportunities (POWs) in multiple frequency subbands within a shared radio frequency band, and based on the hopping pattern, monitor for paging messages from a BS (such as the BS 105) in the POWs by hopping from at least a first frequency subband among the multiple frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the multiple frequency subbands.

[0086] In one aspect, the UE 300 may include multiple transceivers 310 that implement different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the UE 300 may include a single transceiver 310 that implements multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the transceiver 310 may include various components, and different combinations of the components may implement different RATs.

[0087] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary BS 400 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The BS 400 may be the BS 105 in the network 100 as discussed above in Figure 1 As shown, the BS 400 may include a processor 402, a memory 404, a paging module 408, a transceiver 410 (which includes a modem subsystem 412 and an RF unit 414), and one or more antennas 416. These elements may be coupled to each other. The term "coupled" may refer to being directly or indirectly coupled or connected to one or more intermediate elements. For example, these elements may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0088] The processor 402 may have various features of a specific type of processor. For example, these may include a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 402 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, the combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0089] The memory 404 may include a cache (e.g., a cache of the processor 402), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory devices, one or more hard disk drives, a memristor-based array, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some aspects, the memory 404 may include non-transitory computer-readable media. The memory 404 may store instructions 406. The instructions 406 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 402, cause the processor 402 to perform the operations described herein (e.g., Figure 1-2 , Figure 5-7 and Figure 9 aspects). The instructions 406 may also be referred to as code, which may be broadly interpreted to include any type of computer-readable statement, as discussed above with respect to Figure 3 .

[0090] The paging module 408 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the paging module 408 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 406 stored in the memory 404 and executed by the processor 402. In some instances, the paging module 408 may be integrated within the modem subsystem 412. For example, the paging module 408 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the modem subsystem 412.

[0091] The paging module 408 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure. For example, Figure 1-2 , Figure 5-7 and Figure 9 aspects of. For example, the paging module 408 is configured to: determine a hopping pattern of POW in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band, and, based on the hopping pattern, perform a paging operation for at least a first UE (e.g., UE 115 and / or 300) in the POW by hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands.

[0092] In some aspects, the paging module 408 is configured to: determine the hopping pattern by determining the hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset pattern for a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. In some aspects, the frequency sub-band offset pattern includes a frequency sub-band offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions, wherein the subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is associated with an SSB. In some aspects, the frequency sub-band offset pattern is pre-determined. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern, and the frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is common to a group of UEs including the first UE. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group ID associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset associated with the UE group ID.

[0093] In some aspects, the paging module 408 is configured to: send at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern from the BS (e.g., via RRC signaling, dedicated UE signaling, and / or SIB signaling).

[0094] In some aspects, the paging module 408 is further configured to perform a paging operation by performing a first LBT in a first frequency subband of a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW, and performing a second LBT in a second frequency subband of a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions. In some aspects, the first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first SSB, and the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. In some aspects, the paging module 408 is further configured to perform a paging operation by performing a first LBT for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB and performing a second LBT for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB.

[0095] In some aspects, the paging module 408 is further configured to determine a first frequency subband for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions by adding a first subband offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion to a third frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands corresponding to the initial BWP. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion may be associated with a first SSB. The paging module 308 may also be configured to determine a second frequency subband for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions by adding a second subband offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion to the third frequency subband.

[0096] In some aspects, the paging module 408 is further configured to send an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency subband offset mode (e.g., in an SIB such as SIB1).

[0097] In some aspects, the paging module 408 is further configured to: offload or allocate idle-mode UEs to different frequency sub-bands in a shared radio frequency band. For example, the paging module 408 may configure a first initial BWP and a corresponding first initial BWP hopping pattern for a UE for offloading when the UE is in the connected mode, e.g., via UE-specific signaling. In some aspects, the paging module 408 is further configured to: determine the first initial BWP and / or the corresponding first initial BWP pattern based on a UE group ID associated with a group of UEs including the connected-mode UE. In some cases, the paging module 408 is further configured to: determine a new initial BWP hopping pattern for offloading. In some cases, the paging module 408 is further configured to: determine the first initial BWP hopping pattern for offloading by adding a UE-group-dependent frequency sub-band offset to a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. In some cases, the paging module 408 is further configured to: broadcast the initial BWP hopping pattern in the SIB and perform paging operations with a group of UEs using a UE-group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern different from the initial BWP hopping pattern, where the UE-group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern is used to offload idle-mode UEs to different frequency sub-bands. Mechanisms for performing idle-mode and / or paging operations are described in more detail herein.

[0098] As shown, the transceiver 410 may include a modem subsystem 412 and an RF unit 414. The transceiver 410 may be configured to communicate bi-directionally with other devices (such as UE 115 and / or 300 and / or another core network element). The modem subsystem 412 may be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to an MCS (e.g., LDPC coding scheme, turbo coding scheme, convolutional coding scheme, polar coding scheme, digital beamforming scheme, etc.). The RF unit 414 may be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, etc.) the modulated / encoded data (e.g., RRC configuration, PDSCH, PDCCH, SIB, SSB, RRC UE-specific message, initial BWP hopping pattern, paging hopping pattern, paging hopping enable / disable instruction, paging PDCCH, paging message) from the modem subsystem 412 on an outward transmission or a transmission originating from another source (such as UE 115 and / or UE 300). In addition, the RF unit 414 may also be configured to perform analog beamforming in combination with digital beamforming. Although shown as being integrated together in the transceiver 410, the modem subsystem 412 and / or the RF unit 414 may be separate devices that are coupled together at the BS 105 to enable the BS 105 to communicate with other devices.

[0099] The RF unit 414 may provide modulated and / or processed data (e.g., data packets (or more generally, data messages containing one or more data packets and other information)) to the antenna 416 for transmission to one or more other devices. For example, this may include: transmitting information to complete attachment to the network and communicate with the resident UE 115 or 300 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The antenna 416 may also receive data messages sent from other devices and provide the received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 410. The transceiver 410 may provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH) to the paging module 408 for processing. The antenna 416 may include multiple antennas with similar or different designs to maintain multiple transmission links.

[0100] In some aspects, the processor 402 is coupled to the memory 404 and is configured to: coordinate with the paging module 408 to determine a hopping pattern for POW in multiple frequency subbands within a shared radio frequency band, and, based on the hopping pattern, monitor for paging messages from the BS (e.g., BS 105) in the POW by hopping from at least a first frequency subband among the multiple frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the multiple frequency subbands.

[0101] In one aspect, the BS 400 may include multiple transceivers 410 implementing different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the BS 400 may include a single transceiver 410 implementing multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one aspect, the transceiver 410 may include various components, and different combinations of the components may implement different RATs.

[0102] Figure 5 A paging scheme 500 with short-term frequency hopping according to some aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The scheme 500 may be adopted by BSs (e.g., BS 105 and 400) and UEs (e.g., UE 115 and 300) in a network (such as network 100). Specifically, the BS may configure short-term frequency hopping for the UE for paging as shown in the scheme 500. In Figure 5 which, the x-axis represents time in some arbitrary unit. For simplicity, a frequency subband configuration similar to that in the scheme 200 is used to describe the scheme 500, and the same reference numerals as in Figure 2 may be used.

[0103] To improve paging reliability, the BS (e.g., BS 105 and / or 400) may configure the UE (e.g., UE 115 and / or 300) with short-term frequency hopping for paging in addition to long-term initial BWP hopping. The short-term frequency hopping may refer to the following frequency hopping: wherein each frequency hopping may have a duration less than a specific time threshold (e.g., approximately 10 ms). In some aspects, each frequency hopping in the long-term frequency hopping may have a duration on the order of tens of milliseconds (e.g., approximately 10 ms, 20 ms, 30 ms, 40 ms or more), while each frequency hopping in the short-term frequency hopping may have a duration shorter than about 2 ms (e.g., about 0.5 ms or 1 ms). In some aspects, the short-term frequency hopping pattern may be in the form of a frequency subband offset for multiple PDCCH monitoring occasions 210 within the POW 204 (e.g., added to the current frequency subband 202 where the initial BWP is located). Each frequency subband offset may represent several frequency subbands 202 added to the current initial BWP for short-term frequency hopping. For example, a frequency subband offset value of 1 may refer to adding one frequency subband 202 to the current initial BWP hop, a frequency subband offset value of 2 may refer to adding two frequency subbands 202 to the current initial BWP hop, a frequency subband offset value of 3 may refer to adding 3 frequency subbands 202 to the current initial BWP hop, and so on. Thus, the application of the short-term frequency offset pattern allows the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 to be located in different frequency subbands 202 within the duration of the POW 204, which will be discussed more fully below.

[0104] In some aspects, the BS may configure a short-term subband offset pattern for different PDCCH monitoring occasions 210 associated with a specific SSB. The frequency subband offset pattern may include a set of frequency subband offsets represented by p(i), where i may correspond to the i-th PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 for a specific SSB within the POW 204 (e.g., the SSB of index j, where j may be 0, 1, 2,...). For example, if the initial BWP is configured in the frequency subband 202 S(0) then the frequency subband offset pattern p(i) with {0,1,2} for SSB 0 may correspond to having, respectively, in the frequency subband 202 S(0) 、the frequency subband 202 S(1) (by adding one frequency subband 202 to the initial BWP) and the frequency subband 202 S(2)(By adding two frequency sub-bands 202 to the initial BWP), the PDCCH monitoring opportunities 210a1, 210a2, and 210a3 are as shown in the figure. Similarly, if the frequency sub-band offset mode {0, 1, 2} is applied to the PDCCH monitoring opportunities 210b1, 210b2, and 210b3 associated with SSB 1, the PDCCH monitoring opportunities 210b1, 210b2, and 210b3 can be located in the frequency sub-bands 202 S(0) , 202 S(1) , 202 S(2) as shown in the figure.

[0105] As can be seen, although the initial BWP (e.g., the frequency sub-band 202 S(0) ) is affected by the interference 220 for the entire duration of the continuous POW 204, the short-term paging hopping enables the PDCCH monitoring opportunity 210a2 associated with SSB 0 and the PDCCH monitoring opportunity 210b2 associated with SSB 1 that jumps to the frequency sub-band 202 S(1) to avoid the interference 220. Therefore, at time T2, the BS can perform LBT in the frequency sub-band 202 S(1) for the PDCCH monitoring opportunity 210a1 (shown by the checkmark). After passing the LBT, the BS can send the paging PDCCH 550a (e.g., with P-RNTI) in the frequency sub-band 202 S(1) during the PDCCH monitoring opportunity 210a2. The paging PDCCH 550a can indicate the scheduling authorization for the paging message 540 in the frequency sub-band 202 S(1) . According to the paging PDCCH 550a, the BS can send the paging message 540 in the frequency sub-band 202 S(1) . Similarly, at time T3, the BS can perform LBT (shown by the checkmark) in the frequency sub-band 202 S(1) for the PDCCH monitoring opportunity 210a2. The BS can send the paging PDCCH 550b and the corresponding paging message 540 in the frequency sub-band 202 S(1) .

[0106] In some aspects, SSB 0 can be associated with a first spatial direction or beam direction, and SSB 1 can be associated with a second spatial direction different from the first spatial direction, as referred to Figure 2As discussed in Scenario 200. Thus, the BS can use a transmission beam pointing to the first spatial direction to send a paging PDCCH 550a and the corresponding paging message 540 in the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210a2 associated with SSB 0. Similarly, the BS can use a transmission beam pointing to the second spatial direction to send a paging PDCCH 550b and the corresponding paging message 540 in the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210b2 associated with SSB 1.

[0107] Therefore, the UE can monitor the paging PDCCH in multiple PDCCH occasions 210 according to the paging frequency sub-band offset pattern p(i). In other words, the UE can monitor the paging PDCCH from the BS in frequency sub-band 202 during the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210a1 (in the spatial direction of SSB 0). S(0) The UE can monitor the paging PDCCH from the BS in frequency sub-band 202 during the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210b1 (in the spatial direction of SSB 1). S(0) The UE can jump to frequency sub-band 202 S(1) and monitor the paging PDCCH from the BS in frequency sub-band 202 during the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210a2 (in the spatial direction of SSB 1), and so on. S(1)

[0108] In some aspects, once the UE detects a PDCCH scrambled with P-RNTI, a paging message, and / or a paging PDCCH including a paging stop indication in frequency sub-band 202, it can stop applying the short-term paging frequency sub-band offset pattern. In other words, once the UE detects a PDCCH scrambled with P-RNTI, a paging message, and / or a paging PDCCH including a paging stop indication, it can avoid performing additional short-term paging frequency hopping. Referring to Figure 5 the example shown in, once detecting the PDCCH 540a scrambled with P-RNTI, the PDCCH 540b scrambled with P-RNTI, the paging message 540 associated with the PDCCH 540a, the paging message 540 associated with the PDCCH 540b, the paging stop indication in the PDCCH 540a, or the paging stop indication in the PDCCH 540b, the UE can also stop monitoring the paging message. For example, the UE can skip jumping to frequency sub-band 202 S(2) to monitor the paging PDCCH in the PDCCH monitoring occasions 210a3 and 210b3.

[0109] In some aspects, the BS may send a paging PDCCH and the corresponding paging message once per SSB in all PDCCH monitoring occasions 210 within the POW 204. In other words, after the BS has sent the paging PDCCH 550a in the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210a2 and the corresponding paging message 540, the BS may not send another paging PDCCH or paging message in the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 associated with the SSB 0 in the POW 204. Similarly, after the BS has sent the paging PDCCH 550b in the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210b2 and the corresponding paging message 540, the BS may not send another paging PDCCH or paging message in the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 associated with the SSB 1 in the POW 204. As shown in the figure, the BS may not jump to the frequency sub-band 202 S(2) to perform another LBT at time T4 or T5 in the frequency sub-band 202 S(2)

[0110] In some aspects, the paging frequency sub-band offset pattern may be a predefined pattern known to the BS and the UE in the network. In some aspects, the predefined frequency sub-band offset pattern may be common among a group of UEs in the same paging occasion or POW 204. For example, the frequency sub-band offset pattern may be defined as p(i)=i. In other words, for each subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion 210, the frequency sub-band offset may be incremented. If adding p(i) to the initial BWP exceeds the highest frequency sub-band 202 in the frequency band 201, the modulo operation M may be used to keep the frequency sub-band hopping within the frequency band 201, where M represents the number of frequency sub-bands 202 in the frequency band 201. In Figure 5 the shown example, M is 4. If the initial BWP is configured in the frequency sub-band 202 S(0) the i-th PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 with a frequency sub-band offset p(i)=5 may correspond to the i-th PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 located at S(1)

[0111] In some aspects, the starting frequency position of the initial BWP with a long-term frequency hopping pattern or sequence, denoted as c(k), may be represented by where k represents the k-th hop, and for a sequence of K hops, it may vary between 0 and K. For example, the frequency band 201 may be divided into multiple resource blocks (RBs) in frequency. Each RB may include multiple frequency sub-carriers, which may be used to carry information data. may indicate the RB index for the first hop, may indicate the RB index for the second hop, and so on. For example, the c(k) values 0, 1, 2, or 3 may respectively correspond to the frequency sub-band 202​​S(0) and 202 S(1) and 202 S(2) and 202 S(3) 。The dwell time for each hop c(k) can have a duration on the order of tens of milliseconds. In one example, each hop c(k) can have a dwell time of approximately 10 ms. In some aspects, the BS can configure the long-term hopping pattern or sequence c(k) via RRC configuration. For example, the BS can broadcast SIB1 for indicating the long-term hopping pattern c(k) for initial BWP hopping.

[0112] Using an additional paging frequency offset pattern p(i), where the starting position of the BWP representing the i-th PDCCH monitoring paging occasion 210 can be indicated by . The modulo operation M restricts the frequency sub-band hopping within the frequency band 201. In some aspects, the BS can configure different long-term initial BWP hopping patterns c(k) for each UE, but can configure a common short-term paging hopping or offset pattern p(i) for all UEs. In other words, the long-term initial BWP hopping pattern c(k) is UE-specific. Using a common short-term paging hopping or offset pattern p(i) can avoid hopping conflicts. In addition, the BS can configure the same paging message payload content on POW 204. In other words, the content of the paging message 540 sent by the BS in the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210a2 can be the same as the content of the paging message 540 sent by the BS in the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210b2.

[0113] In some aspects, the long-term initial BWP hopping pattern c(k) can be cell-specific. For example, the long-term initial BWP hopping pattern c(k) can be determined based on the physical cell identifier of the cell. In some aspects, the long-term initial BWP hopping pattern c(k) can be UE-group-specific. For example, a group of UEs (e.g., UE 115 and / or 300 can be identified by a UE group ID, and the long-term initial BWP hopping pattern c(k) for this group of UEs can be determined based on the UE group ID). In some cases, the UE group ID can be determined by a hash function of the UE ID (e.g., the 5G shortened version of the temporary mobile subscriber identity (5G-S-TMSI)). In some aspects, the long-term initial BWP hopping pattern c(k) can be determined by adding a frequency sub-band offset to the cell-specific long-term initial BWP hopping pattern. In some cases, the frequency sub-band offset can be determined based on the UE group ID. In some other aspects, different long-term initial BWP hopping patterns c(k) can be assigned to different UE groups.

[0114] In some aspects, the BS may signal in SIB1 a short-term hopping pattern or a frequency sub-band offset pattern p(i) for POW 204. The BS may indicate an instruction for enabling or disabling the short-term hopping pattern for paging. When the UE performs cell reselection to a new cell, the UE may read the SIB1 of the new cell and utilize the short-term hopping pattern indicated by the SIB1 for frequency sub-band hopping in POW 204, which will be discussed more fully below in Figure 6 and Figure 7 .

[0115] Although Figure 5 is shown with four frequency sub-bands 202 and three PDCCH monitoring occasions 210 for each of the two SSBs in POW 204, the solution 500 may alternatively be configured to include a greater number (e.g., about 5, 6, 7 or more) or a smaller number (e.g., about 2 or 3) of frequency sub-bands 202, a greater number (e.g., about 4, 5, 6 or more) or a smaller number (e.g., about 2) of per-SSB PDCCH monitoring occasions 210, a greater number (e.g., about 3, 4 or more) or a smaller number (e.g., 1) of SSBs related to the PDCCH monitoring occasion 210 in POW 204.

[0116] In some aspects, for NR-U light, a BS (e.g., BS 105 and / or 400) operating in a wideband (e.g., having a BW of about 80 MHz, 100 MHz or greater) may offload or allocate some idle-mode UEs (e.g., UE 115 and / or 30) to different frequency sub-bands 202. Offloading idle-mode UEs to different frequency sub-bands 202 may allow the BS to support a greater number of idle-mode UEs without being limited by a single frequency sub-band 202. Additionally, offloading idle-mode UEs to different frequency sub-bands 202 may improve network reliability. As described above, if one frequency sub-band 202 is affected by interference (e.g., interference 220), the BS may be able to page idle-mode UEs in other frequency sub-bands 202. If no hopping is applied to the initial BWP, UE reselection to a new cell may be limited to monitoring paging messages in the frequency sub-band indicated by the SIB1 broadcast in the new cell. Initial BWP hopping may allow different paging occasions (e.g., POW 204) to be located in different frequency sub-bands 202. Additional short-term paging hopping may further allow different paging PDCCH monitoring occasions of a single paging occasion to be located in different frequency sub-bands 202. Thus, the solution 500 may mitigate the impact of sub-band interference on paging and increase paging reliability (e.g., comparable to wideband UE paging reliability).

[0117] Figure 6is a signaling diagram of an idle mode UE offloading method 600 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Method 600 may be implemented between two BSs 602a and 602b (e.g., BS 105 and / or 400) and a UE 604 (e.g., UE 115 and / or 300). BS 602a may serve cell A, and BS 602b may serve cell B. Cell A and cell B may be neighboring cells. Method 600 may employ similar mechanisms to those in scheme 200 and / or scheme 500 discussed above with reference to Figure 2 and Figure 5 respectively. As shown, method 600 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but embodiments of method 600 may include other steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order. At a high level, in method 600, BS 602a may allocate a new initial BWP with a different hopping pattern to UE 604 based on a UE group ID associated with UE 604, e.g., in order to offload or distribute idle mode UEs to different frequency subbands (e.g., frequency subband 202).

[0118] At action 605, BS 602a and UE 604 establish a connection. The connection may be an RRC connection. BS 602a and UE 604 may establish the connection by performing a random access procedure as discussed above with reference to Figure 1 After the connection establishment is completed, UE 604 may operate in a connected mode (e.g., RRC connected mode). Thus, UE 604 may be referred to as a connected mode UE and may exchange operational user data with BS 602a. In some cases, BS 602a may utilize one or more components, such as processor 402, paging module 408, transceiver 410, modem 412, and / or one or more antennas 416, to establish the connection. UE 604 may utilize one or more components, such as processor 302, paging module 308, transceiver 310, modem 312, and / or one or more antennas 316, to establish the connection.

[0119] At action 610, BS 602a transmits UE group-specific initial BWP configuration A. Configuration A may indicate the initial BWP and the corresponding initial BWP hopping pattern (e.g., c(k)). BS 602a may assign the initial BWP and the corresponding initial BWP hopping pattern to a UE group including UE 604 in cell A. BS 602a may assign a UE group ID to the UE group. BS 602a may transmit the initial BWP configuration A via an RRC message. In some cases, the RRC message may be a dedicated UE message to UE 604. The BS may determine the initial BWP hopping pattern based on the UE group ID. In some cases, BS 602a may determine the initial BWP hopping pattern according to the UE group ID. If UE 604 determines to enter the idle mode, UE 604 may use the initial BWP hopping pattern. The initial BWP and / or the corresponding initial BWP hopping pattern may be different from the initial BWP and / or the initial BWP hopping pattern currently configured at UE 604. For example, BS 602a may transmit UE group-specific initial BWP configuration A to offload idle-mode UEs to a different frequency subband. In some cases, BS 602a may utilize one or more components, such as processor 402, paging module 408, transceiver 410, modem 412, and / or one or more antennas 416, to transmit UE group-specific initial BWP configuration A.

[0120] At action 615, UE 604 switches to the initial BWP based on the initial BWP hopping pattern indicated by the UE group-specific initial BWP configuration A. For example, UE 604 may determine that there is no active data to be transmitted to BS 602a and thus may determine to enter the idle mode to save power. In some cases, UE 604 may utilize one or more components, such as processor 302, paging module 308, transceiver 310, modem 312, and / or one or more antennas 316, to switch to the initial BWP. Switching to the initial BWP may include switching one or more components (e.g., filters, mixers, and / or clocks) at the RF front end (e.g., RF unit 314) of UE 604 to operate in the initial BWP.

[0121] At action 620, after switching to the initial BWP, UE 604 enters the idle mode (e.g., RRC idle mode). In some cases, UE 604 may power off one or more RF components of UE 604 to save power in the idle mode. UE 604 may configure a sleep-wake cycle based on, for example, the DRX cycle or paging cycle configured by BS 602a, such that UE 604 can wake up (e.g., activate the powered-off components) to monitor paging from BS 602a. In some cases, UE 604 may enter the idle mode using one or more components such as processor 302, paging module 308, transceiver 310, modem 312, and / or one or more antennas 316.

[0122] At action 625, BS 602a and UE 604 may perform idle mode operations based on the UE group-specific initial BWP configuration A. The idle mode operations may include, for example, paging having long-term initial BWP hopping and short-term paging frequency hopping as discussed in scenario 500 above with reference to Figure 5 In addition, UE 604a may monitor reference signals and SSB signals from the current serving cell A, and may determine the received signal measurement values (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP) and / or reference signal received quality (RSRQ)) of the current cell A according to the received reference signals and / or SSB signals. UE 604a may determine whether the received signal measurement values of the current serving cell A satisfy a specific threshold. If UE 604a determines that the received signal measurement values of the current serving cell A fail to satisfy the specific threshold, then UE 604a may start performing cell search and monitor SSB and / or SIB signals from other cells. In some cases, BS 602a may employ one or more components, such as processor 402, paging module 408, transceiver 410, modem 412, and / or one or more antennas 416, to perform idle mode operations. In some cases, UE 604 may employ one or more components, such as processor 302, paging module 308, transceiver 310, modem 312, and / or one or more antennas 316, to perform idle mode operations.

[0123] Cell B can be a neighbor cell of Cell A. At action 630, BS 602b can broadcast an SIB signal for providing system information associated with Cell B. The SIB signal can include an initial BWP configuration B. Configuration B can indicate an initial BWP hopping pattern for Cell B (e.g., c(k)). The initial BWP hopping pattern can be a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern used by Cell B. In some aspects, Cell A and Cell B can have different numbers of frequency subbands (e.g., frequency subband 202) and can have different initial BWP hopping patterns. In some cases, BS 602b can employ one or more components, such as processor 402, paging module 408, transceiver 410, modem 412, and / or one or more antennas 416, to broadcast the SIB signal.

[0124] At action 635, UE 604 performs cell reselection. For example, UE 604 can determine that the received signal measurement of the current serving Cell A is below a certain threshold (e.g., a cell reselection threshold) and the SIB signal from Cell B meets a specific threshold (e.g., a cell selection threshold). Accordingly, UE 604 can reselect to Cell B. Cell B can be referred to as the target cell. In some cases, UE604 can employ one or more components, such as processor 302, paging module 308, transceiver 310, modem 312, and / or one or more antennas 316, to reselect to Cell B.

[0125] At action 640, after reselecting to Cell B, UE 604 can perform idle mode operations with BS 602b of Cell B according to the initial BWP configuration B broadcast by BS 702b. The idle mode operations can include paging operations and cell measurements similar to those discussed above at action 625. UE 604 can perform PDCCH monitoring for paging according to the initial BWP of Cell B, and / or perform the initial BWP hopping pattern of Cell B according to the initial BWP configuration B. In some cases, BS 602b can employ one or more components, such as processor 402, paging module 408, transceiver 410, modem 412, and / or one or more antennas 416, to perform the idle mode operations. In some cases, UE 604 can employ one or more components, such as processor 302, paging module 308, transceiver 310, modem 312, and / or one or more antennas 316, to perform the idle mode operations.

[0126] Figure 7is a signaling diagram of an idle mode UE offloading method 700 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The method 700 may be implemented between two BSs 702a and 702b (e.g., BS 105, 400, and / or 602) and a UE 704 (e.g., UE 115, 300, and / or 604). BS 702a may serve cell A, while BS 702b may serve cell B. Cell A and cell B may be neighboring cells. The method 700 may employ similar mechanisms to those of the schemes 200 and / or 500 discussed above with reference to Figure 2 and Figure 5 respectively, and the method 600 discussed above with reference to Figure 6 As shown, the method 700 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but embodiments of the method 700 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order. The method 700 may be substantially similar to the method 600. However, in the method 700, the UE 702 may autonomously switch to a new initial BWP and / or a corresponding initial BWP hopping mode.

[0127] Generally, in many aspects, the method 700 includes features similar to those of the method 600. For example, actions 705, 720, 730, and 735 are respectively similar to actions 605, 620, 630, and 635. Therefore, for the sake of brevity, the details of those actions will not be repeated here.

[0128] At action 705, the BS 702a of the UE 704 establishes a connection, for example, by employing a similar mechanism discussed at action 605.

[0129] At operation 715, UE 704 autonomously switches to an initial BWP with an initial BWP hopping pattern (e.g., c(k)). The initial BWP hopping pattern can be dedicated to a group of UEs including UE 704. The UE group-dedicated initial BWP hopping pattern can be known to BS 702a and a group of UEs including UE 704. In some cases, UE 704 can determine the initial BWP hopping pattern based on a UE group ID. In some cases, BS 702a can configure UE 704 to determine the initial BWP and / or the initial BWP hopping pattern based on specific rules. UE 704 can determine to switch to the initial BWP before transitioning to the idle mode. In some cases, UE 704 can employ one or more components such as processor 302, paging module 308, transceiver 310, modem 312, and / or one or more antennas 316 to switch to the initial BWP. In some cases, UE704 can configure one or more components (e.g., filters, mixers, and / or clocks) at the RF front-end (e.g., RF unit 314) of UE 704 to operate in the initial BWP.

[0130] At operation 720, after switching to the initial BWP, UE 704 enters the idle mode by, for example, employing a similar mechanism as discussed at operation 620.

[0131] At operation 725, BS 702a and UE 704 can perform idle mode operations according to the UE group-dedicated initial BWP hopping pattern (to which UE 704 autonomously switches at operation 715). The idle mode operations can be substantially similar to the idle mode operations discussed at operation 625.

[0132] Cell B can be a neighbor cell of Cell A. At operation 730, BS 702b can broadcast an SIB signal for providing system information associated with Cell B. The SIB signal can include an initial BWP configuration B. Configuration B can indicate the initial BWP hopping pattern (e.g., c(k)) for Cell B. BS 702b can broadcast the SIB signal using a mechanism substantially similar to that discussed at operation 630.

[0133] At operation 735, UE 704 performs cell reselection by, for example, employing a similar mechanism as discussed at operation 635.

[0134] At operation 740, after reselecting to cell B, UE 704 may also perform idle mode operations with BS 702b of cell B. BS 702b may know the UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern to which UE 704 autonomously switched at operation 715 (e.g., via coordination with BS 702a). UE 704 and BS 702b may perform idle mode operations according to the UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern to which the autonomous handover occurred. In other words, UE 704 may ignore or disregard the initial BWP hopping pattern broadcast by BS 702b in the SIB and adopt the UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern that was autonomously switched in the target cell B. BS702b and UE 704 may perform idle mode operations by adopting a mechanism similar to that discussed at operation 625. For example, according to the UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern that was autonomously switched, BS 702b may send a paging message to UE 704 in the initial BWP.

[0135] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method 800 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of method 800 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuitry, and / or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable unit for performing the steps. For example, a wireless communication device (such as, UE 115, 300, 604, and / or 704) may utilize one or more components (such as processor 302, memory 304, paging module 308, transceiver 310, modem 312, and one or more antennas 316) to perform the steps of method 800. Method 800 may employ mechanisms similar to those of scheme 200 and / or 500 discussed above with reference to Figure 2 and / or Figure 5 and / or mechanisms similar to those of method 600 and / or 700 discussed above with reference to Figure 6 and / or Figure 7 respectively. As shown, method 800 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but aspects of method 800 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0136] At block 810, a first UE (e.g., UE 115, 300, 604, and / or 704) determines a hopping pattern for a POW (e.g., POW 204) within a plurality of frequency sub-bands (e.g., frequency sub-band 202) in a shared radio frequency band (e.g., shared radio frequency band 201). In some cases, the first UE may utilize one or more components (such as processor 302, paging module 308, transceiver 310, modem 312, and / or one or more antennas 316) to determine the hopping pattern for the POW within the plurality of frequency sub-bands in the shared radio frequency band.

[0137] In some aspects, for example, as shown in scenario 500 discussed above with reference to Figure 5 determining the hopping pattern includes: determining the hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern (e.g., c(k)) and a frequency sub-band offset pattern (e.g., p(i)) for a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions (e.g., PDCCH monitoring occasion 210) within the POW. In some aspects, the frequency sub-band offset pattern includes a frequency sub-band offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions, wherein the subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is associated with an SSB (e.g., SSB0 or SSB1). In some aspects, the frequency sub-band offset pattern is pre-determined. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE, and the frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is shared among a group of UEs including the first UE. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group ID associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset associated with the UE group ID. In some aspects, at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern is received from a BS (e.g., BS 105, 400, 602a, 602b, 702a, and / or 702b) via, for example, RRC signaling, dedicated UE signaling, and / or SIB signaling.

[0138] At block 820, based on the frequency hopping pattern, the first UE monitors for a paging message (e.g., paging message 540) from the BS in the POW by hopping from at least a first frequency subband among a plurality of frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands. In some cases, the first UE may employ one or more components, such as processor 302, paging module 308, transceiver 310, modem 312, and / or one or more antennas 316, to monitor for a paging message from the BS in the POW. In some cases, the first UE may hop from the first frequency subband to the second frequency subband by configuring one or more components (e.g., filters, mixers, clocks) tuned to the second frequency subband at the RF front end (e.g., RF unit 314) of the first UE.

[0139] In some aspects, monitoring for the paging message further includes: monitoring for the paging message in the first frequency subband during a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with paging within the POW. The monitoring for the paging message may further include: monitoring for the paging message in the second frequency subband during a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. In some aspects, the first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first SSB. The second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. In some aspects, monitoring for the paging message further includes: monitoring for the paging message in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion. The monitoring for the paging message may further include: monitoring for the paging message in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion.

[0140] In some aspects, the first UE may further determine a first frequency subband for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a first subband offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion and a third frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands. The third frequency subband may correspond to an initial BWP. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion may be associated with a first SSB. The first UE may further determine a second frequency subband for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a second subband offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion and the third frequency subband. The second PDCCH monitoring occasion may be associated with a second SSB. In one example, the first UE may determine the first frequency subband by adding the first subband offset to the initial BWP, and may determine the second frequency subband by adding the second subband offset to the initial BWP.

[0141] In some aspects, the monitoring of paging messages at block 810 further includes: autonomously switching to an initial BWP based on a UE group ID associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. For example, the first UE may configure the RF front end (e.g., RF unit 314) to switch to tune to the initial BWP. In some aspects, the monitoring of paging messages at block 810 further includes: switching to the initial BWP according to an indication of the initial BWP received from the BS, where the initial BWP is based on a UE group ID associated with a group of UEs including the first UE.

[0142] In some aspects, the first UE may also perform cell reselection to a first cell associated with the BS, e.g., as shown in method 600 discussed above with reference to Figure 6 The first UE may also receive from the BS a SIB including an indication of at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern. The monitoring of paging messages at block 820 may further include: switching to the initial BWP based on at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern in the received SIB.

[0143] In some other aspects, the first UE may also perform cell reselection to a first cell associated with the BS, e.g., as shown in method 700 discussed above with reference to Figure 7 The first UE may also receive from the BS a SIB including an indication of a second initial BWP hopping pattern. The monitoring of paging messages at block 820 may further include: avoiding performing frequency hopping based on the second initial BWP hopping pattern (indicated in the received SIB), and monitoring paging messages based on the UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern.

[0144] In some aspects, the first UE may also receive from the BS an indication of enabling or disabling the frequency sub-band offset mode, e.g., in a SIB such as SIB1.

[0145] In some aspects, according to the monitoring at block 820, in response to detecting a paging message in the second frequency sub-band, a PDCCH associated with paging in the second frequency sub-band, or a PDCCH including a paging termination indication in the second frequency sub-band, the first UE may avoid performing additional frequency hopping in the POW.

[0146] Figure 9is a flowchart of a wireless communication method 900 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of method 900 may be performed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuitry, and / or other suitable components) of a wireless communication device or other suitable unit for performing the steps. For example, a wireless communication device (such as BS 105, 400, 602, and / or 702) may utilize one or more components (such as processor 402, memory 404, paging module 408, transceiver 410, modem 412, and one or more antennas 416) to perform the steps of method 900. Method 900 may employ mechanisms similar to those in scheme 200 and / or 500 discussed above with reference to Figure 2 and / or Figure 5 respectively, and method 600 and / or 700 discussed above with reference to Figure 6 and / or Figure 7 respectively. As shown, method 1200 includes a plurality of enumerated steps, but aspects of method 1200 may include additional steps before, after, and between the enumerated steps. In some aspects, one or more of the enumerated steps may be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0147] At block 910, the BS determines a hopping pattern for POW in a plurality of frequency subbands within a shared radio frequency band.

[0148] In some aspects, determining the hopping pattern includes: determining the hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern (e.g., c(k)), and a frequency subband offset pattern (e.g., p(i)) for a plurality of PDCCH monitoring opportunities (e.g., PDCCH monitoring opportunity 210) within the POW, e.g., as shown in scheme 500 discussed above with reference to Figure 5 In some aspects, the frequency subband offset pattern includes: a frequency subband offset for each PDCCH monitoring opportunity in a subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring opportunities, where the subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring opportunities is associated with an SSB (e.g., SSB0 or SSB1). In some aspects, the frequency subband offset pattern is pre-determined. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for a first UE, and the frequency subband offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring opportunities is common to a group of UEs including the first UE. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group ID associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. In some aspects, the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset associated with the UE group ID.

[0149] At block 920, based on the frequency hopping pattern, the BS performs a paging operation in the POW for at least a first user equipment (UE) in the POW by hopping from at least a first frequency subband among a plurality of frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands.

[0150] In some aspects, performing the paging operation further includes: performing a first LBT in the first frequency subband for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. Performing the paging operation may further include: performing a second LBT in the second frequency subband for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions. In some aspects, the first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first SSB, and the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. In some aspects, performing the paging operation further includes: the BS performing a first LBT in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion. Performing the paging operation may further include: performing a second LBT in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion. In some aspects, performing the paging operation may further include: based on the first LBT, sending a first paging message in the first frequency subband during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion, or, based on the second LBT, sending a second paging message in the second frequency subband during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion.

[0151] In some aspects, the BS may further determine a first frequency subband for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a first subband offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion and a third frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands. The third frequency subband may correspond to an initial BWP. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion may be associated with a first SSB. The BS may further determine a second frequency subband for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a second subband offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion and the third frequency subband. The second PDCCH monitoring occasion may be associated with a second SSB. In one example, the BS may determine the first frequency subband by adding the first subband offset to the initial BWP, and may determine the second frequency subband by adding the second subband offset to the initial BWP.

[0152] In some aspects, the BS may also send an indication of at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern, for example, via RRC signaling, dedicated UE signaling, and / or SIB signaling. In some aspects, the BS may also send an SIB including an indication of a second initial BWP hopping pattern. The BS performing a paging operation at block 920 may include: avoiding performing frequency hopping based on the second initial BWP hopping pattern (indicated in the sent SIB), and performing the paging operation based on a UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern (e.g., for offloading idle-mode UEs to different frequency subbands).

[0153] In some aspects, the BS may also send an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency subband offset mode (e.g., in an SIB such as SIB1).

[0154] Other aspects of the present disclosure include a method of wireless communication. The wireless communication method includes: determining, by a first user equipment (UE), a hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency subbands within a shared radio frequency band. The wireless communication method further includes: monitoring, by the first UE, a paging message from a base station (BS) in the POW, wherein the monitoring includes: hopping from at least a first frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands based on the hopping pattern.

[0155] The method may further include one or more of the following features. For example, the method includes: wherein, the monitoring of the paging message further includes: a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with paging within a power of wake (POW) by a first user equipment (UE) to monitor a paging message in a first frequency subband; and a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW by the first UE to monitor a paging message in a second frequency subband. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. The monitoring of the paging message further includes: the first UE monitors the paging message in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion; and the first UE monitors the paging message in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion. The determination of the frequency hopping pattern includes: the first UE determines the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial bandwidth part (BWP) or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset pattern for a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The frequency subband offset pattern includes: a frequency subband offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB). The method may include: the first UE determines a first frequency subband for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a first subband offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion and a third frequency subband among a plurality of frequency subbands, the third frequency subband corresponding to the initial BWP, and the first PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the first SSB; and the first UE determines a second frequency subband for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a second subband offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion and the third frequency subband, the second PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the second SSB. The frequency subband offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is predetermined. The determination of the frequency hopping pattern includes: the first UE increments the frequency subband offset for each subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE, and wherein the frequency subband offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is shared among a group of UEs including the first UE. The method may include: the first UE receives a configuration including at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE from a base station (BS). The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE.The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset associated with a UE group ID. Monitoring for paging messages further includes: a first UE switching to an initial BWP based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. Monitoring for paging messages further includes: a first UE switching to an initial BWP based on a received indication. Monitoring for paging messages further includes: a first UE switching to an initial BWP based on at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern in a received SIB. Monitoring for paging messages further includes: a first UE avoiding performing frequency hopping based on a second initial BWP hopping pattern; and, a first UE monitoring for paging messages in a first cell based on a UE group-specific initial BWP frequency hopping pattern. The method may include: a first UE receiving an indication from a BS regarding enabling or disabling a frequency subband offset mode. Receiving an indication regarding enabling or disabling a subband offset mode in a POW includes: a first UE receiving a system information block (SIB) from a BS including an indication regarding enabling or disabling a subband offset mode. The method may include: a first UE avoiding performing additional frequency hopping in a POW in response to detecting a paging message in a second frequency subband according to monitoring. The method may include: a first UE avoiding performing additional frequency hopping in a POW in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with paging in a second frequency subband according to monitoring. The method may include: a first UE avoiding performing additional frequency hopping in a POW in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) including a paging termination indication in a second frequency subband according to monitoring.

[0156] Other aspects of the present disclosure include a method of wireless communication. The method of wireless communication includes: a base station (BS) determining a frequency hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency subbands within a shared radio frequency band. The method of wireless communication further includes: the BS performing a paging operation in the POW for at least a first user equipment (UE), wherein performing the paging operation includes: hopping from at least a first frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands based on the frequency hopping pattern.

[0157] The method may further include one or more of the following features. For example, the method includes: wherein, performing the paging operation further includes: the BS performing a first listen-before-talk (LBT) for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW in a first frequency sub-band; and the BS performing a second LBT for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions in a second frequency sub-band. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. Performing the paging operation further includes: the BS performing a first LBT for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB; and the BS performing a second LBT for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB. Performing the paging operation further includes at least one of the following: based on the first LBT, the BS sending a first paging message in the first frequency sub-band during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion; or the BS sending a second paging message on the second frequency sub-band during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion based on the second LBT. Determining the frequency hopping pattern includes: the BS determining the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial bandwidth part (BWP) or an initial BWP frequency hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset pattern of a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The frequency sub-band offset pattern includes a frequency sub-band offset of each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB). The method may include: the BS determining a first frequency sub-band for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a first sub-band offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion and a third frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands, the third frequency sub-band corresponding to the initial BWP, and the first PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with a first SSB; and the BS determining a second frequency sub-band for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a second sub-band offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion and the third frequency sub-band, the second PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with a second SSB. The frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is predetermined. Determining the frequency hopping pattern includes: the BS incrementing the frequency sub-band offset for each subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The initial BWP frequency hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for a first UE, and wherein the frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is shared among a group of UEs including the first UE.The method may include: sending, by the BS, a configuration including at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern to a first UE. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset associated with the UE group ID. The method may include: sending, by the BS, an indication of at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern to the first UE via dedicated UE signaling, where the at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. The method may include: sending, by the BS, a system information block (SIB) including an indication of at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern. Performing a paging operation includes: avoiding, by the BS, performing frequency hopping based on a second initial BWP hopping pattern; and performing, by the BS, a paging operation based on a UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. The method may include: sending, by the BS, an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency sub-band offset mode. Sending an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency sub-band offset mode in a POW includes: sending, by the BS, a system information block (SIB) including an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency sub-band offset mode.

[0158] A further aspect of the present disclosure includes: a first user equipment (UE) including a processor configured to determine a frequency hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a shared radio frequency band among a plurality of frequency sub-bands; and monitoring, in the POW, a paging message from a base station (BS), where the monitoring includes: hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the frequency hopping pattern.

[0159] The first UE may further include one or more of the following features. For example, the first UE, wherein the processor configured to monitor paging messages is configured to monitor paging messages in a first frequency sub-band during a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with paging within the POW; and monitor paging messages in a second frequency sub-band during a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. The processor configured to monitor paging messages is configured to: monitor paging messages in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion; and monitor paging messages in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion. The processor configured to determine a frequency hopping pattern is configured to: determine the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial bandwidth part (BWP) or an initial BWP frequency hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset pattern for a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The frequency sub-band offset pattern includes a frequency sub-band offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a first frequency sub-band for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a first sub-band offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion and a third frequency sub-band among a plurality of frequency sub-bands, the third frequency sub-band corresponding to the initial BWP, the first PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the first SSB; and determine a second frequency sub-band for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a second sub-band offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion and the third frequency sub-band, the second PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the second SSB. The frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is pre-determined. The processor configured to determine a frequency hopping pattern is configured to: increment the frequency sub-band offset for each subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE, and wherein the frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is shared among a group of UEs including the first UE. The first UE may include a transceiver configured to receive a configuration from the BS including at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE.The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset associated with a UE group ID. A processor configured to monitor paging messages is configured to switch to the initial BWP based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including a first UE. A processor configured to monitor paging messages is configured to switch to the initial BWP based on a received indication. The processor is further configured to perform cell reselection to a first cell associated with the BS; and receive, from the BS, a system information block (SIB) including an indication of at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern, wherein a processor configured to monitor paging messages is configured to switch to the initial BWP based on at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern in the received SIB. The processor is further configured to perform cell reselection to a first cell associated with the BS; and receive, from the BS, a system information block (SIB) including an indication of a second initial BWP hopping pattern, and wherein a processor configured to monitor paging messages is configured to avoid performing frequency hopping based on the second initial BWP hopping pattern; and monitor paging messages in the first cell based on a UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. The first UE may include a transceiver configured to receive, from the BS, an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency subband offset mode. A transceiver configured to receive, in the POW, an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency subband offset mode is configured to receive, from the BS, a system information block (SIB) including an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency subband offset mode. The processor is further configured to avoid performing additional frequency hopping in the POW in response to detecting a paging message in a second frequency subband according to monitoring. The processor is further configured to avoid performing additional frequency hopping in the POW in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with paging in a second frequency subband according to monitoring. The processor is further configured to avoid performing additional frequency hopping in the POW in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) including a paging termination indication in a second frequency subband according to monitoring.

[0160] A further aspect of the present disclosure includes a base station (BS) including a processor configured to determine, by the base station (BS), a hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency subbands within a shared radio frequency band; and perform a paging operation in the POW for at least a first user equipment (UE), wherein the processor configured to perform the paging operation is further configured to hop from at least a first frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands based on the hopping pattern.

[0161] The BS may also include one or more of the following features. For example, a BS, wherein a processor configured to perform a paging operation is further configured to: perform a first listen-before-talk (LBT) in a first frequency sub-band for a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within a power of wake (POW); and, for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions, perform a second LBT in a second frequency sub-band. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. The processor configured to perform a paging operation is further configured to: perform the first LBT in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion; and, perform the second LBT in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion. The processor configured to perform a paging operation is further configured to at least one of the following: based on the first LBT, transmit a first paging message in the first frequency sub-band during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion; or, based on the second LBT, transmit a second paging message in the second frequency sub-band during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion. The processor configured to determine a frequency hopping pattern is configured to: determine the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial bandwidth part (BWP) or the initial BWP and a frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The frequency sub-band offset pattern includes a frequency sub-band offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the processor is further configured to: determine a first frequency sub-band for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a first sub-band offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion and a third frequency sub-band among a plurality of frequency sub-bands, the third frequency sub-band corresponding to the initial BWP, the first PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the first SSB; and, determine a second frequency sub-band for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a second sub-band offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion and the third frequency sub-band, the second PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the second SSB. The frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is pre-determined. The processor configured to determine a frequency hopping pattern is configured to: increment the frequency sub-band offset for each subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for a first user equipment (UE), and wherein the frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is shared among a group of UEs including the first UE.The BS may include a transceiver configured to: send to a first UE a configuration including at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset associated with the UE group ID. The BS may include a transceiver configured to: send to the first UE an indication of at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern via dedicated UE signaling, where the at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. The BS may include a transceiver configured to send a system information block (SIB) including an indication of at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern. A processor configured to perform a paging operation is configured to: avoid performing frequency hopping based on a second initial BWP hopping pattern; and perform a paging operation based on a UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. The BS may include a transceiver configured to send an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency sub-band offset mode. A transceiver configured to send an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency sub-band offset mode in a POW is configured to: send a system information block (SIB) including an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency sub-band offset mode.

[0162] Other aspects of the present disclosure include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. The non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes: code for causing a first user equipment (UE) to determine a frequency hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a shared radio frequency band among a plurality of frequency sub-bands. The non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes: code for causing the first UE to monitor a paging message from a base station (BS) in the POW, where the code for causing the first UE to monitor the paging message is configured to: hop from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the frequency hopping pattern.

[0163] The non-transitory computer-readable medium may further include one or more of the following features. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the code for causing the first UE to monitor paging messages is configured to: monitor paging messages in a first frequency subband during a first physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with paging within the POW; and monitor paging messages in a second frequency subband during a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. The code for causing the first UE to monitor paging messages is configured to: monitor paging messages in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion; and monitor paging messages in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion. The code for causing the first UE to determine a frequency hopping pattern is configured to determine the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial bandwidth part (BWP) or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The frequency subband offset pattern includes: a frequency subband offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the program code further includes code for causing the first UE to determine a first frequency subband for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a first subband offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion and a third frequency subband among a plurality of frequency subbands, the third frequency subband corresponding to the initial BWP, the first PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the first SSB; and code for causing the first UE to determine a second frequency subband for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a second subband offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion and the third frequency subband, the second PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the second SSB. The frequency subband offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is predetermined. The code for causing the first UE to determine a frequency hopping pattern is configured to increment the frequency subband offset for each subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE, and wherein the frequency subband offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is shared among a group of UEs including the first UE.A non-transitory computer-readable medium may include code for causing a first UE to receive a configuration from a BS, the configuration including at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on the cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset associated with the UE group ID. Code for causing the first UE to monitor a paging message is configured to: switch to the initial BWP based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. Code for causing the first UE to monitor a paging message is configured to: switch to the initial BWP based on a received indication. Code for causing the first UE to monitor a paging message is configured to: switch to the initial BWP based on at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern in a received SIB. Code for causing the first UE to monitor a paging message is configured to: avoid performing frequency hopping based on a second initial BWP hopping pattern; and monitor a paging message in a first cell based on a UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. A non-transitory computer-readable medium may include: code for causing the first UE to receive an indication from the BS to enable or disable a frequency sub-band offset mode. Code for causing the first UE to receive an indication to enable or disable a sub-band offset mode in a POW is configured to: receive a system information block (SIB) from the BS including an indication to enable or disable a sub-band offset mode. A non-transitory computer-readable medium may include: code for causing the first UE to avoid performing additional frequency hopping in a POW in response to detecting a paging message in a second frequency sub-band according to monitoring. A non-transitory computer-readable medium may include code for causing the first UE to avoid performing additional frequency hopping in a POW in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with paging in a second frequency sub-band according to monitoring. A non-transitory computer-readable medium may include code for causing the first UE to avoid performing additional frequency hopping in a POW in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) including a paging termination indication in a second frequency sub-band according to monitoring.

[0164] Further aspects of the present disclosure include a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. The non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes: code for causing a base station (BS) to determine a frequency hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band. The non-transitory computer-readable medium further includes code for causing the BS to perform a paging operation in the POW for at least a first user equipment (UE) in the POW, wherein the code for causing the BS to perform the paging operation is configured to hop from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the frequency hopping pattern.

[0165] The non-transitory computer-readable medium may also include one or more of the following features. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the code for causing the BS to perform a paging operation is further configured to: perform a first listen-before-talk (LBT) in a first frequency subband for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW; and perform a second LBT in a second frequency subband for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. The code for causing the BS to perform a paging operation is further configured to: perform the first LBT in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion; and perform the second LBT in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion. The code for causing the BS to perform a paging operation is further configured to at least one of the following: transmit a first paging message in the first frequency subband during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion based on the first LBT; or transmit a second paging message in the second frequency subband during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion based on the second LBT. The code for causing the BS to determine a frequency hopping pattern is configured to determine the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial bandwidth part (BWP) or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset for a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The frequency subband offset pattern includes: a frequency subband offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the program code further includes: code for causing the BS to determine a first frequency subband for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a first subband offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion and a third frequency subband among a plurality of frequency subbands, the third frequency subband corresponding to the initial BWP, the first PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the first SSB; and code for causing the BS to determine a second frequency subband for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a second subband offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion and the third frequency subband, the second PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the second SSB. The frequency subband offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is pre-determined. The code for causing the BS to determine a frequency hopping pattern is configured to increment the frequency subband offset for each subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW.The initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for a first UE, and wherein a frequency sub-band offset pattern for a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is common for a group of UEs including the first UE. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include: code for causing the BS to send a configuration including at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset associated with the UE group ID. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include code for causing the BS to send an indication of at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern to the first UE via dedicated UE signaling, wherein the at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include code for causing the BS to send a system information block (SIB) including an indication of at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern. The code for causing the BS to perform a paging operation is configured to: avoid performing frequency hopping based on a second initial BWP hopping pattern; and perform a paging operation based on a UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. Wherein, at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID). The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include code for causing the BS to send an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency sub-band offset pattern. The code for causing the BS to send an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency sub-band offset pattern in the POW is configured to: send a system information block (SIB) including an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency sub-band offset pattern.

[0166] A further aspect of the present disclosure includes a first user equipment (UE) comprising: a unit for determining a frequency hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a shared radio frequency band among a plurality of frequency sub-bands. The first user equipment further includes: a unit for monitoring a paging message from a base station (BS) in the POW, wherein the unit for monitoring the paging message is configured to: hop from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the frequency hopping pattern.

[0167] The first UE may further include one or more of the following features. For example, the first UE, wherein the unit for monitoring paging messages is configured to: monitor paging messages in the first frequency sub-band during a first Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with paging within the Period of Wakefulness (POW); and monitor paging messages in the second frequency sub-band during a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), and wherein the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. The unit for monitoring paging messages is configured to: monitor paging messages in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion; and monitor paging messages in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion. The unit for determining the frequency hopping pattern is configured to determine the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial Bandwidth Part (BWP) or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The frequency sub-band offset pattern includes: a frequency sub-band offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB). The first UE may include: a unit for determining a first frequency sub-band for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a first sub-band offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion and a third frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands, the third frequency sub-band corresponding to the initial BWP, and the first PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the first SSB; and a unit for determining a second frequency sub-band for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a second sub-band offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion and the third frequency sub-band, the second PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the second SSB. The frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is pre-determined. The unit for determining the frequency hopping pattern is configured to increment the frequency sub-band offset for each subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE, and wherein the frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is shared among a group of UEs including the first UE. The first UE may include: a unit for receiving configuration from the BS, the configuration including at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE.The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset associated with the UE group ID. The unit for monitoring paging messages is configured to switch to the initial BWP based on the UE group identifier (ID) associated with the UE group including the first UE. The unit for monitoring paging messages is configured to switch to the initial BWP based on the received indication. The unit for monitoring paging messages is configured to switch to the initial BWP based on at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern in the received SIB. The unit for monitoring paging messages is configured to avoid performing frequency hopping based on a second initial BWP hopping pattern; and to monitor paging messages in the first cell based on the UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. The first UE may include: a unit for receiving an indication from the BS on enabling or disabling the frequency sub-band offset mode. The unit for receiving an indication on enabling or disabling the frequency sub-band offset mode in the POW is configured to receive a system information block (SIB) from the BS including an indication on enabling or disabling the frequency sub-band offset mode. The first UE may include: a unit for avoiding performing additional frequency hopping in the POW in response to detecting a paging message in the second frequency sub-band according to the monitoring. The first UE may include: a unit for avoiding performing additional frequency hopping in the POW in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with paging in the second frequency sub-band according to the monitoring. The first UE may include: a unit for avoiding performing additional frequency hopping in the POW in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) including a paging termination indication in the second frequency sub-band according to the monitoring.

[0168] A further aspect of the present disclosure includes a base station (BS) including: a unit for determining, by the base station (BS), a hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band. The base station further includes: a unit for performing a paging operation in the POW for at least a first user equipment (UE) in the POW, wherein the unit for performing the paging operation is configured to hop from a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the hopping pattern.

[0169] The BS may also include one or more of the following features. For example, in the BS, the unit that performs the paging operation is further configured to: for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW, perform a first listen-before-talk (LBT) in a first frequency sub-band; and for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions, perform a second LBT in a second frequency sub-band. The first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB. The unit for performing the paging operation is further configured to: perform the first LBT for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB; and perform the second LBT for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB. The unit for performing the paging operation is further configured to at least one of the following: based on the first LBT, send a first paging message in the first frequency sub-band during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion; or based on the second LBT, send a second paging message in the second frequency sub-band during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion. The unit for determining the frequency hopping pattern is configured to: determine the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial bandwidth part (BWP) or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset pattern for a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The frequency sub-band offset pattern includes: a frequency sub-band offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB), and the BS may include: a unit for determining a first frequency sub-band for a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a first sub-band offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion and a third frequency sub-band among a plurality of frequency sub-bands, the third frequency sub-band corresponding to the initial BWP, the first PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the first SSB; and a unit for determining a second frequency sub-band for a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a second sub-band offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion and the third frequency sub-band, the second PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with the second SSB. The frequency sub-band offset pattern for a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is predetermined. The unit for determining the frequency hopping pattern is configured to: increment the frequency sub-band offset for each subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW. The initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for a first UE or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern, and wherein the frequency sub-band offset pattern for a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is shared among a group of UEs including the first UE.The BS may include: a unit for sending to a first UE a configuration including at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs. The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset associated with the UE group ID. The BS may include: a unit for sending to the first UE, via dedicated UE signaling, an indication of at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern, where the at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE. The BS may include a unit for sending a system information block (SIB) including an indication of at least one of an initial BWP or an initial BWP hopping pattern. The unit for performing a paging operation is configured to: avoid performing frequency hopping based on a second initial BWP hopping pattern; and perform a paging operation based on a UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern. The BS may include: a unit for sending an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency subband offset mode. The unit for sending an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency subband offset mode in a POW is configured to: send a system information block (SIB) including an indication of enabling or disabling a frequency subband offset mode.

[0170] Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0171] Various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection with the present disclosure may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such architecture).

[0172] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored on or transmitted through a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination of these items. The features implementing the functions can also be physically located in multiple positions, including being distributed such that parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. Further, as used herein (including in the claims), the "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items that ends with phrases such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, such that, for example, the list [at least one of A, B, or C] means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0173] As those skilled in the art will now appreciate, and depending on the particular application in the field, many modifications, substitutions, and changes can be made to the materials, devices, structures, and methods of use of the devices of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. In view of this, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the scope of the specific embodiments shown and described herein (since the specific embodiments are only examples thereof), but rather should correspond exactly to the scope of the appended claims and their functional equivalents hereinafter.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: determining, by a first user equipment (UE), a hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band; and monitoring, by the first UE, for a paging message from a network entity in the POW, wherein the monitoring includes: hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the hopping pattern; wherein determining the hopping pattern includes: the first UE determining the hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial bandwidth part (BWP) or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset pattern for a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions within the POW.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The monitoring of the paging message further includes: monitoring, by the first UE, for the paging message in the first frequency sub-band during a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with paging within the POW; and monitoring, by the first UE, for the paging message in the second frequency sub-band during a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The first PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a first synchronization signal block (SSB), and wherein the second PDCCH monitoring occasion is associated with a second SSB.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The monitoring of the paging message further includes: monitoring, by the first UE, for the paging message in a first beam direction associated with the first SSB during the first PDCCH monitoring occasion; and monitoring, by the first UE, for the paging message in a second beam direction associated with the second SSB during the second PDCCH monitoring occasion.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The frequency sub-band offset pattern includes: a frequency sub-band offset for each PDCCH monitoring occasion in a subset of the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with a synchronization signal block (SSB), and the method further includes: the first UE determining the first frequency sub-band for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion based on a first sub-band offset for the first PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions and a third frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands, the third frequency sub-band corresponding to the initial BWP, the first PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with a first SSB; and the first UE determining the second frequency sub-band for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion based on a second sub-band offset for the second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions and the third frequency sub-band, the second PDCCH monitoring occasion being associated with a second SSB.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein The frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is pre-determined.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The determining the hopping pattern includes: The first UE increments a frequency sub-band offset for each subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasion within the POW.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein The initial BWP hopping pattern is at least one of a UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE, and wherein the frequency sub-band offset pattern for the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions is shared among a group of UEs including the first UE.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: The first UE receives, from the network entity, a configuration including at least one of the UE-specific initial BWP hopping pattern or the cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern for the first UE.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The initial BWP hopping pattern is based on a cell-specific initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset associated with the UE group ID.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein Performing the monitoring for the paging message further comprises: The first UE switches to the initial BWP based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first UE receives, via dedicated UE signaling, an indication of the initial BWP, the initial BWP being associated with the initial BWP hopping pattern, and the initial BWP hopping pattern being based on a UE group identifier (ID) associated with a group of UEs including the first UE, wherein performing the monitoring for the paging message further comprises: The first UE switches to the initial BWP based on the received indication.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first UE performs cell reselection to a first cell associated with the network entity; and The first UE receives, from the network entity, a system information block (SIB) including an indication of at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern, wherein performing the monitoring for the paging message further comprises: The first UE switches to the initial BWP based on at least one of the initial BWP or the initial BWP hopping pattern in the received SIB.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first UE performs cell reselection to a first cell associated with the network entity; The first UE receives, from the network entity, a system information block (SIB) including an indication of a second initial BWP hopping pattern, wherein performing the monitoring for the paging message further comprises: The first UE avoids performing frequency hopping based on the second initial BWP hopping pattern; and The first UE monitors for the paging message in the first cell based on a UE group-specific initial BWP hopping pattern.

16. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receive, by the first UE, an indication from the network entity on enabling or disabling the frequency sub-band offset mode.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The receiving of the indication on enabling or disabling the frequency sub-band offset mode includes: Receive, by the first UE, from the network entity, a system information block (SIB) including the indication on enabling or disabling the frequency sub-band offset mode.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Avoid, by the first UE, performing additional frequency hopping in the POW in response to detecting the paging message in the second frequency sub-band according to the monitoring.

19. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Avoid, by the first UE, performing additional frequency hopping in the POW in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with paging in the second frequency sub-band according to the monitoring.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Avoid, by the first UE, performing additional frequency hopping in the POW in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) including a paging termination indication in the second frequency sub-band according to the monitoring.

21. A first user equipment (UE) comprising: A memory; A transceiver; And A processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: Determine a frequency hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency sub-bands within a shared radio frequency band; and Monitor, in the POW, a paging message from a network entity, wherein the monitoring includes: hopping from at least a first frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands to a second frequency sub-band among the plurality of frequency sub-bands based on the frequency hopping pattern, Wherein the processor configured to determine the frequency hopping pattern is configured to: determine the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial bandwidth part (BWP) or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency sub-band offset mode for a plurality of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions within the POW.

22. The first UE according to claim 21, wherein, The processor configured to monitor the paging message is configured to: Monitor, during a first PDCCH monitoring occasion among a plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions associated with paging within the POW, for the paging message in the first frequency sub-band; And Monitor, during a second PDCCH monitoring occasion among the plurality of PDCCH monitoring occasions within the POW, for the paging message in the second frequency sub-band.

23. The first UE according to claim 21, wherein, The processor is further configured to: Avoid, in response to detecting the paging message in the second frequency sub-band according to the monitoring, performing additional frequency hopping in the POW.

24. The first UE according to claim 21, wherein, The processor is further configured to: Avoid, in response to detecting a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) associated with paging in the second frequency sub-band according to the monitoring, performing additional frequency hopping in the POW.

25. The first UE according to claim 21, wherein The processor is further configured to: In response to detecting a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) including a paging termination indication in the second frequency subband according to the monitoring, avoid performing additional frequency hopping in the POW.

26. A first User Equipment (UE) comprising: a unit for determining a frequency hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency subbands within a shared radio frequency band; and a unit for monitoring a paging message from a network entity in the POW, wherein the unit for monitoring the paging message is configured to: hop from at least a first frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands based on the frequency hopping pattern, wherein the unit for determining the frequency hopping pattern is configured to: determine the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial Bandwidth Part (BWP) or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset pattern for a plurality of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions within the POW.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising: code for causing a first User Equipment (UE) to determine a frequency hopping pattern for a paging occasion window (POW) in a plurality of frequency subbands within a shared radio frequency band; and code for causing the first UE to monitor a paging message from a network entity in the POW, wherein the code for causing the first UE to monitor the paging message is configured to: hop from at least a first frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands to a second frequency subband among the plurality of frequency subbands based on the frequency hopping pattern, wherein the code for causing the first UE to determine the frequency hopping pattern includes: code for causing the first UE to determine the frequency hopping pattern based on at least one of an initial Bandwidth Part (BWP) or an initial BWP hopping pattern and a frequency subband offset pattern for a plurality of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions within the POW.

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