Operations in air dedicated spectrum

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. Generally, the described techniques provide for maximizing the potential of resources dedicated to airborne user equipment (UE). In one example, a UE can receive signaling indicating that a cell supports communications exclusively with airborne UEs. The signaling can be used to prohibit non-airborne UEs from accessing the cell and to reserve resources for communications with airborne UEs. In another example, a UE can receive signaling identifying one or more frequency bands dedicated to airborne UEs. The UE can then communicate on the one or more frequency bands. In yet another example, a UE can receive signaling indicating a set of airborne access classes supported by a cell. The signaling can be used to reserve resources for high priority airborne UEs (e.g., airborne UEs used for law enforcement purposes).

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 083,745, entitled “OPERATION IN AERIAL DEDICATED SPECTRUM”, filed September 25, 2020, by Rico Alvarino et al.; and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 468,081, entitled “OPERATION IN AERIAL DEDICATED SPECTRUM”, filed September 7, 2021, by Rico Alvarino et al.; each of these patent applications is assigned to the assignee of this application. Technical Field

[0003] The following content pertains to wireless communications, including operations in the dedicated spectrum over the air. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcasting. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems (such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, Advanced LTE (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-APro systems) and fifth-generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems can employ technologies such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), or Discrete Fourier Transform Spread Spectrum Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM).

[0005] Wireless multiple access communication systems may include a number of base stations (BSs) or network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication with multiple communication devices (which may also be referred to as user equipment (UEs)). In some wireless communication systems, UEs may include airborne UEs, which can be devices capable of flight or maneuvering in the air. An example of an airborne UE is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which may also be referred to as an unmanned aircraft. In some cases, it may be appropriate to define a spectrum dedicated to airborne UEs, within which airborne UEs can communicate with one or more cells (e.g., uplink or downlink communication) or communicate with each other (e.g., sidelink communication). Summary of the Invention

[0006] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses supporting operation in dedicated airborne spectrum. Generally, the described techniques provide the potential to maximize resources dedicated to airborne user equipment (UE). In one example, the UE may receive signaling instructing a cell to support communication exclusively with an airborne UE. This signaling can be used to block access to the cell for non-airborne UEs and reserve resources for communication with airborne UEs. In another example, the UE may receive signaling identifying one or more frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to an airborne UE. The UE can then communicate on one or more frequency bands and / or cells. In yet another example, the UE may receive signaling indicating a set of airborne access categories supported by a cell. This signaling can be used to reserve resources for high-priority airborne UEs (e.g., airborne UEs for law enforcement purposes).

[0007] A method for wireless communication at an airborne UE is described. The method may include receiving a signal or channel from a cell, determining, based on the signal or channel, that the cell supports communication specifically for the airborne UE, establishing a connection with the cell based on this determination, and communicating with the cell over the established connection.

[0008] An apparatus for wireless communication at an over-the-air UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions can be executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to receive a signal or channel from a cell, determine based on the signal or channel that the cell supports communication specifically for the over-the-air UE, establish a connection with the cell based on this determination, and communicate with the cell over the established connection.

[0009] Another apparatus for wireless communication at an airborne UE is described. The apparatus may include components for: receiving a signal or channel from a cell, determining based on the signal or channel that the cell supports communication specifically for the airborne UE, establishing a connection with the cell based on the determination, and communicating with the cell over the established connection.

[0010] A non-transitory computer-readable medium is described, storing code for wireless communication at an airborne UE. The code may include processor-executable instructions for: receiving a signal or channel from a cell; determining, based on the signal or channel, that the cell supports communication specifically for the airborne UE; establishing a connection with the cell based on that determination; and communicating with the cell over the established connection.

[0011] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE based on a signal or channel may include: operations, features, components or instructions for determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE based on a signal or channel including a primary synchronization sequence (PSS) reserved for the cell to support dedicated communication with an airborne UE or a secondary synchronization sequence (SSS) reserved for the cell to support dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0012] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE based on a signal or channel may include: operations, features, components or instructions for determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE based on a signal or channel including a Master Information Block (MIB) reserved for supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0013] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE based on a signal or channel may include: operations, features, components or instructions for determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE based on a signal or channel including a scrambling sequence of a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) reserved for a cell to support dedicated communication with an airborne UE or a PBCH sequence of a Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) reserved for a cell to support dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0014] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE based on a signal or channel may include: operations, features, components or instructions for determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE based on receiving a signal or channel on a grid frequency reserved for the cell to support dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0015] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, determining that a cell supports communication specifically with an airborne UE based on a signal or channel may include: an operation, feature, component or instruction for determining that a first prohibition flag in the signal or channel for all UEs may be set to a first value indicating that all UEs may be prohibited from connecting to the cell, and for determining that a second prohibition flag in the signal or channel for airborne UEs may be set to a second value indicating that airborne UEs may be allowed to connect to the cell.

[0016] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving a set of air access categories supported by a cell in a signal or channel and determining that the air access category of an air UE may be within the set of air access categories supported by the cell, wherein establishing a connection may also be based on determining that the air access category of the air UE may be within the set of air access categories supported by the cell.

[0017] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for determining the mission state of an air UE and identifying a mapping from the mission state of the air UE to the air access category of the UE, wherein determining the air access category of the UE may be based on identifying a mapping within a set of air access categories supported by the cell.

[0018] A method for wireless communication at a cell is described. The method may include sending a signal or channel to one or more UEs indicating that the cell supports communication specifically with air UEs, establishing a connection with at least one air UE based on sending the signal or channel, and communicating with at least one air UE over the established connection.

[0019] An apparatus for wireless communication at a cell is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions, executable by the processor, cause the apparatus to transmit a signal or channel to one or more UEs indicating that the cell supports communication specifically with air UEs, establish a connection with at least one air UE based on transmitting the signal or channel, and communicate with at least one air UE over the established connection.

[0020] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a cell is described. The apparatus may include components for: transmitting to one or more UEs a signal or channel indicating that the cell supports communication specifically with airborne UEs; establishing a connection with at least one airborne UE based on transmitting the signal or channel; and communicating with at least one airborne UE over the established connection.

[0021] A non-transitory computer-readable medium is described, storing code for wireless communication at a cell. The code may include instructions executed by a processor for: sending a signal or channel to one or more UEs indicating that the cell supports communication specifically with air UEs; establishing a connection with at least one air UE based on sending the signal or channel; and communicating with at least one air UE over the established connection.

[0022] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a signal or channel indicating that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE may include: operations, features, components or instructions for transmitting a signal or channel having a PSS reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE or an SSS reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0023] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a signal or channel indicating that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE may include operations, features, components or instructions for transmitting a signal or channel having a MIB reserved for supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0024] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a signal or channel indicating that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE may include: operations, features, components or instructions for transmitting a signal or channel having a PBCH scrambling sequence reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE or a DMRS PBCH sequence reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0025] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a signal or channel indicating that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE may include operations, features, components or instructions for transmitting the signal or channel on a grid frequency reserved for a cell that supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0026] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting a signal or channel indicating that a cell supports communication specifically with an airborne UE may include: an operation, feature, component or instruction for setting a first prohibition flag in the signal or channel for all UEs to a first value indicating that all UEs may be prohibited from connecting to the cell, and setting a second prohibition flag in the signal or channel for airborne UEs to a second value indicating that airborne UEs may be allowed to connect to the cell.

[0027] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for transmitting in a signal or channel a set of air access categories supported by a cell and determining that the air access category of at least one air UE may be within the set of air access categories supported by the cell, wherein establishing a connection may also be based on determining that the air access category of at least one air UE may be within the set of air access categories supported by the cell.

[0028] A method for wireless communication at a first airborne UE is described. The method may include communicating on a first frequency band allocated to the airborne UE and non-airborne UEs, receiving system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE, and communicating on a second frequency band based on the second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE.

[0029] An apparatus for wireless communication at a first airborne UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions can be executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to communicate on a first frequency band allocated to the airborne UE and non-airborne UEs, receive system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE, and communicate on a second frequency band based on the second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE.

[0030] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a first airborne UE is described. The apparatus may include components for: communicating on a first frequency band allocated to the airborne UE and non-airborne UEs; receiving system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE; and communicating on a second frequency band based on the second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE.

[0031] A non-transitory computer-readable medium is described, storing code for wireless communication at a first airborne UE. The code may include instructions executable by a processor for: communicating on a first frequency band allocated to the airborne UE and non-airborne UEs; receiving system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE; and communicating on a second frequency band based on the second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE.

[0032] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving system information identifying a second frequency band may include: operations, features, components or instructions for receiving the system information including a list of frequency bands allocated to air-to-air UEs and non-air-to-air UEs and frequency bands dedicated to air-to-air UEs, wherein the frequency bands dedicated to air-to-air UEs include the second frequency band.

[0033] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving an indication having a frequency band in a frequency band list, indicating whether that frequency band can be allocated to an air UE and a non-air UE, or dedicated to an air UE. In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list.

[0034] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, receiving system information identifying a second frequency band may include operations, features, components, or instructions for receiving system information including a first frequency band list allocated to an air-to-air UE and a second frequency band list dedicated to an air-to-air UE, wherein the second frequency band list includes the second frequency band. In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list, and the second frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list for an air-to-air UE or a sidelink frequency information list for an air-to-air UE.

[0035] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for selecting a cell that supports communication on a second frequency band and establishing a connection with the selected cell. In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, system information further identifies cells that support communication on a second frequency band with which an airborne UE can establish a connection.

[0036] A method for wireless communication at a base station is described. The method may include communicating with an air UE on a first frequency band allocated to both an air UE and a non-air UE, identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the air UE, and transmitting system information identifying the second frequency band dedicated to the air UE.

[0037] An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions can be executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to communicate with an air UE on a first frequency band allocated to both air UE and non-air UE, identify a second frequency band dedicated to the air UE, and transmit system information identifying the second frequency band dedicated to the air UE.

[0038] Another apparatus for wireless communication at a base station is described. This apparatus may include components for: communicating with an airborne UE on a first frequency band allocated to both an airborne UE and a non-airborne UE; identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE; and transmitting system information identifying the second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE.

[0039] A non-transitory computer-readable medium is described, storing code for wireless communication at a base station. The code may include instructions executable by a processor for: communicating with an air UE on a first frequency band allocated to both an air UE and a non-air UE; identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the air UE; and transmitting system information identifying the second frequency band dedicated to the air UE.

[0040] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting system information identifying a second frequency band may include: operations, features, components or instructions for transmitting the system information including a list of frequency bands allocated to air-to-air UEs and non-air-to-air UEs and frequency bands dedicated to air-to-air UEs, wherein the frequency bands dedicated to air-to-air UEs include the second frequency band.

[0041] Some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may also include operations, features, components, or instructions for transmitting an indication having a frequency band in a frequency band list, indicating whether that frequency band can be allocated to an air UE and a non-air UE, or an indication dedicated to an air UE. In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list.

[0042] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses and nontransitory computer-readable media described herein, transmitting system information identifying a second frequency band may include operations, features, components or instructions for transmitting system information including a first frequency band list assigned to an airborne UE and a second frequency band list dedicated to an airborne UE, wherein the second frequency band list includes the second frequency band.

[0043] In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list, and the second frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list for an air-to-air UE. In some examples of the methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, system information further identifies cells with which the air-to-air UE can establish a connection for communication on the second frequency band. Attached Figure Description

[0044] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system supporting operation in a dedicated over-the-air spectrum is shown, according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0045] Figure 2 An example of a radio aspect of air user equipment (UE) communication according to the aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0046] Figures 3-6 An example of a wireless communication system supporting operation in a dedicated over-the-air spectrum is shown, according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0047] Figure 7 and Figure 8 A block diagram of an apparatus supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0048] Figure 9 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0049] Figure 10 A diagram of a system including equipment supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum, according to aspects of this disclosure, is shown.

[0050] Figure 11 and Figure 12 A block diagram of an apparatus supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0051] Figure 13 A block diagram of a communication manager supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0052] Figure 14 A diagram of a system including equipment supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum, according to aspects of this disclosure, is shown.

[0053] Figures 15 to 18 The illustration shows a flowchart of a method for supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0054] Some wireless communication systems can support airborne user equipment (UEs), which can be devices capable of flying or maneuvering through the air. In such systems, it may be appropriate to define a spectrum dedicated to airborne UEs, within which they can communicate. This dedicated spectrum can be used for uplink and downlink communication between the airborne UE and one or more cells (e.g., on the Uu interface), or for sidelink communication between airborne UEs (e.g., on the PC5 interface). Uplink and downlink communication can support various applications such as video, remote command and control (C2), and sidelink communication can support various applications such as collision control, remote identification, and remote control. In some cases, maximizing the potential of dedicated spectrum may be challenging if allocated to airborne UEs. For example, preventing non-airborne UEs from camping in cells dedicated to airborne UEs may be challenging, as may enabling airborne UEs to identify cells dedicated to them.

[0055] As described herein, wireless communication systems can support efficient techniques for maximizing the potential of resources dedicated to airborne UEs. In one example, the UE may receive signaling instructing the cell to support communication exclusively with airborne UEs. This signaling can be used to block access to the cell for non-airborne UEs and reserve resources for communication with airborne UEs. In another example, the UE may receive signaling identifying one or more frequency bands dedicated to airborne UEs. The UE can then communicate on one or more frequency bands. In yet another example, the UE may receive signaling indicating a set of airborne access categories supported by the cell. This signaling can be used to reserve resources for high-priority airborne UEs (e.g., airborne UEs for law enforcement purposes).

[0056] The aspects of this disclosure described above are presented below within the context of a wireless communication system. Examples of procedures and signaling exchange supporting operation in the dedicated air spectrum are then described. These aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts related to operation in the dedicated air spectrum.

[0057] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting operation in a dedicated over-the-air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an Advanced LTE (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communication, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communication, low-latency communication, communication with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0058] Base station 105 can be distributed across a geographical area to form wireless communication system 100, and can be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Base station 105 and UE 115 can communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 can provide a coverage area 110 over which UE 115 and base station 105 can establish one or more communication links 125. Coverage area 110 can be an example of a geographical area over which base station 105 and UE 115 can support communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies.

[0059] UE 115 can be distributed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 can be fixed or mobile, or fixed and mobile at different times. UE 115 can be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Some example UE 115s are shown in... Figure 1The UE 115 described herein can be used with various types of devices (such as, e.g., ...). Figure 1 The other UEs 115, base station 105 or network equipment (e.g., core network nodes, relay equipment, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network equipment) shown in the diagram communicate with each other.

[0060] Base station 105 may communicate with core network 130, or with each other, or both. For example, base station 105 may interface with core network 130 via one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). Base station 105 may communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via core network 130) or both on backhaul links 120 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces). In some examples, backhaul link 120 may be or include one or more radio links.

[0061] One or more of the base stations 105 described herein may include, or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as, base transceiver station, radio base station, access point, radio transceiver, node B, e-node B (eNB), next-generation node B or gigabit node B (any of which may be referred to as gNB), home node B, home e-node B, or other suitable terms.

[0062] UE 115 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or some other suitable term, wherein “device” may also be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, among other examples. UE 115 may also include or be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer, laptop computer, or personal computer. In some examples, UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, Internet of Things (IoT) device, Internet of Things (IoE) device, or machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various objects, such as appliances, vehicles, meters, and other examples.

[0063] The UE 115 described in this article can be used with various types of devices, such as Figure 1 The other UEs 115 shown can sometimes act as repeaters, as well as base stations 105 and network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, and other examples, communicate with each other.

[0064] UE 115 and base station 105 can wirelessly communicate with each other via one or more communication links 125 on one or more carriers. The term "carrier" can refer to a collection of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting communication link 125. For example, a carrier for communication link 125 may include a portion of the radio spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth portion (BWP)) operating according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling coordinating the operation of the carrier, user data, or other signaling. Wireless communication system 100 can use carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation to support communication with UE 115. UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation can be used in conjunction with both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers.

[0065] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), the carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling to coordinate the operation of other carriers. The carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (EARFCN)) and can be located according to a channel grid for discovery by UE 115. The carrier can operate in standalone mode, in which initial acquisition and connection can be performed by UE 115 via the carrier, or the carrier can operate in non-standalone mode, in which different carriers (e.g., the same or different radio access technologies) are used to anchor the connection.

[0066] The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication network 100 may include uplink transmission from UE 115 to base station 105, or downlink transmission from base station 105 to UE 115. The carrier may carry downlink or uplink communication (e.g., in FDD mode), or may be configured to carry downlink or uplink communication (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0067] The signal waveform transmitted on a carrier can consist of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques, such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread spectrum OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM, a resource element can consist of one symbol period (e.g., the duration of a modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element can depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Therefore, the more resource elements UE 115 receives and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate can be for UE 115. Wireless communication resources can refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, temporal resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers can also increase the data rate or data integrity used for communication with UE 115.

[0068] The time interval used for base station 105 or UE 115 can be expressed as a multiple of a basic time unit, such as T. s =1(Δf max ·N f The sampling period is ) seconds, where Δf max This can represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and N f This can represent the maximum supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. The time interval of the communication resources can be organized according to radio frames, each with a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame can be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0069] Each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or time slots, and each subframe or time slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may also be divided into multiple time slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of time slots, and the number of time slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot may include a number of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix appended to each symbol period). In some wireless communication systems 100, time slots may be further divided into multiple time slots containing one or more symbols. In addition to the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may contain one or more (e.g., N) symbols. f (Number) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period can depend on the subcarrier spacing or the operating frequency band.

[0070] A subframe, time slot, smaller time slot, or symbol can be the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., in the time domain) and can be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the duration of the TTI (e.g., the number of symbol periods in the TTI) can be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 can be dynamically selected (e.g., in a burst of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0071] Physical channels can be multiplexed on a carrier using various techniques. For example, one or more of Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques can be used to multiplex physical control channels and physical data channels on a downlink carrier. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) for physical control channels can be defined by multiple symbol periods and can be extended across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESET) can be configured as a set for UE 115. For example, one or more UEs in UE 115 can monitor or search control regions for control information based on one or more search space sets, and each search space set can include one or more control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. The aggregation level for control channel candidates can refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with coded information in a control information format having a given payload size. The search space set may include a common search space set configured to send control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set configured to send control information to a specific UE 115.

[0072] Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells (e.g., macro cells, small cells, hotspots, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof). The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with base station 105 (e.g., on a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier used to distinguish neighboring cells (such as a Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID), or others). In some examples, a cell may also refer to a geographic coverage area 110 or a portion of geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) on which a logical communication entity operates. Depending on various factors such as the capabilities of base station 105, such cells may range from smaller areas (e.g., structures, subsets of structures) to larger areas. For example, a cell may be or include buildings, subsets of buildings, or external space between or overlapping geographic coverage areas 110, among other examples.

[0073] Macro cells typically cover a relatively large geographical area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and allow unrestricted access by UE 115 with a service subscription to a network provider supporting the macro cell. In contrast, small cells can be associated with a lower-power base station 105 and can operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed or unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells can provide unrestricted access to UE 115 with a service subscription to a network provider, or restricted access to UE 115 associated with a small cell (e.g., UE 115 in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), or UE 115 associated with a user in a home or office). Base station 105 can support one or more cells and can also support communication on one or more cells using one or more component carriers.

[0074] In some examples, a carrier can support multiple cells, and different cells can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)), which can provide access for different types of devices.

[0075] In some examples, base station 105 may be mobile, and therefore provide communication coverage for mobile geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. Wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network, wherein different types of base stations 105 use the same or different radio access technologies to provide coverage for respective geographic coverage areas 110.

[0076] Wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable communication or low-latency communication, or various combinations thereof. For example, wireless communication system 100 can be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) or mission-critical communication. UE 115 can be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or mission-critical functions (e.g., mission-critical functions). Ultra-reliable communication may include private or group communication and can be supported through one or more mission-critical services (such as Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk (MCPTT), Mission-Critical Video (MCVideo), or Mission-Critical Data (MCData)). Support for mission-critical functions may include service prioritization, and mission-critical services may be used for public safety or general business applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission-critical, and ultra-reliable low-latency are used interchangeably herein.

[0077] In some examples, UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UE 115 on a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., using peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocols). One or more UE 115s utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105. Other UE 115s in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of base station 105 or may not be able to receive transmissions from base station 105 for other reasons. In some examples, the group of UE 115s communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE 115 transmits to every other UE 115 in the group. In some examples, base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication occurs between UE 115s without the involvement of base station 105.

[0078] In some systems, the D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel such as a sidelink communication channel between vehicles (e.g., UE 115). In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or some combination thereof. Vehicles may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal control, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information related to the V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure (such as roadside units), or communicate with the network via one or more network nodes (e.g., base station 105) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communication, or communicate with both.

[0079] Core network 130 can provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Core network 130 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), and may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management function (AMF)) managing access and mobility, and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or user plane function (UPF)) routing packets or interconnections to external networks. The control plane entity can manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for UE 115 served by base station 105 associated with core network 130. User IP packets can be transmitted through the user plane entity, which can provide IP address allocation and other functions. The user plane entity can connect to one or more network operator IP services 150. IP service 150 may include access to the Internet, intranet, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or packet-switched streaming services.

[0080] Some network devices (such as base station 105) may include sub-components such as access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with UE 115 through one or more other access network transport entities 145 (which may be referred to as a radio headend, smart radio headend, or transmit / receive point (TRP)). Each access network transport entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio headends and ANCs) or combined into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0081] Wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands (typically in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz). The region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is often referred to as the Very High Frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelength range extends from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves can be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, but these waves can penetrate structures sufficiently to enable macrocells to serve UE 115 located indoors. Compared to transmissions using smaller frequencies and longer wavelengths in the lower 300 MHz portion of the spectrum in the High Frequency (HF) or Very High Frequency (VHF) regions, UHF transmissions can be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100 km).

[0082] Wireless communication system 100 can utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio spectrum bands. For example, wireless communication system 100 can employ Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), LTE Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in unlicensed frequency bands (such as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band). When operating in unlicensed radio spectrum bands, devices such as base station 105 and UE 115 can employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation in unlicensed frequency bands can be based on carrier aggregation configurations (e.g., LAA) that combine component carriers operating in licensed frequency bands. Operation in unlicensed spectrum can include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, etc.

[0083] Base station 105 or UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that can be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. The antennas of base station 105 or UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which can support MIMO operation or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be located at the same antenna assembly (such as an antenna tower). In some examples, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with base station 105 may be located in different geographical locations. Base station 105 may have an antenna array with multiple rows and columns of antenna ports, which base station 105 can use to support beamforming for communication with UE 115. Similarly, UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, antenna panels may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted via antenna ports.

[0084] Beamforming (which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception) is a signal processing technique used at a transmitting or receiving device (e.g., base station 105, UE 115) to shape or control an antenna beam (e.g., transmit beam, receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting and receiving devices. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antenna elements of an antenna array, such that some signals propagating relative to a specific azimuth of the antenna array experience constructive interference, while others experience destructive interference. Adjustments to signals transmitted via antenna elements can include applying amplitude offset, phase offset, or both to the signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device by the transmitting or receiving device. The adjustment associated with each antenna element can be defined by a set of beamforming weights associated with a specific azimuth (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting or receiving device, or relative to some other azimuth).

[0085] Some of the UEs 115 in the wireless communication system 100 may be airborne UEs 115 capable of flying or maneuvering through the air. Such airborne UEs 115 may support uplink or downlink communication with one or more cells, or sidelink communication with each other. The wireless communication system 100 may support efficient techniques for maximizing the potential of resources dedicated to airborne UEs 115. In one example, UE 115 may receive signaling indicating that a cell associated with base station 105 supports dedicated communication with airborne UE 115. This signaling may be used to prevent non-airborne UEs 115 from accessing the cell and to reserve resources for communication with airborne UE 115. In another example, UE 115 may receive signaling identifying one or more frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to airborne UE 115. If UE 115 is an airborne UE 115, then UE 115 may then communicate on one or more frequency bands and / or cells. In yet another example, UE 115 may receive signaling indicating a set of air access categories supported by cells associated with base station 105. This signaling can be used to reserve resources for high-priority air UE115 (e.g., air UE115 for law enforcement purposes).

[0086] Figure 2 An example of radio aspect 200 for over-the-air UE communication according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Figure 2In the example, air UE 205-a can establish a connection 225 with cell 210 (e.g., a Uu connection), and air UE 205-a can communicate with cell 210 to support different applications (e.g., video, remote C2, etc.). In some cases, some aspects of uplink or downlink communication already present in LTE can be ported to NR, and may have some new aspects. Air UE 205-a can also establish a connection 230 with another air UE 205-b (e.g., a PC5 connection), and air UE 205-a can communicate with air UE 205-b to support other applications. Examples of such applications include User-to-Everything (U2X) detection and avoidance (U2X-DAA) applications and other applications primarily for collision control (e.g., using broadcast messages). In some examples, air UE 205-b can also (e.g., on connection 235 such as the PC5 connection) interact with law enforcement 215 or services for identification or other purposes. As an example, the airborne UE 205-b can interact with law enforcement personnel 215 or services used for U2X identification (ID) (e.g., remote identification), and the airborne UE 205-b can identify or receive flight information from law enforcement personnel 215 or services (e.g., using broadcast messages). In other examples, the airborne UE 205-b can establish a connection 240 with a remote controller 220 for remote command and control (e.g., up to 10 km). Connection 240 can be referred to as a U2X-C2 connection and can be, for example, a PC5, bidirectional connection.

[0087] To improve the quality of service experience for the airborne UE 115, the wireless communication system 100 may support a spectrum dedicated to the airborne UE 115, within which only the airborne UE 115 can communicate (e.g., prohibiting non-airborne UE 115). However, enabling technologies (e.g., NR) to operate in the dedicated airborne spectrum can be challenging in some situations. In one example, it may be challenging for the airborne UE 115 to identify a given cell or frequency band reserved for it and prevent other non-airborne UEs from camping on that cell. In another example, effectively moving the UE 115 across different frequency bands (e.g., attempting to keep the airborne UE 115 camping on a dedicated airborne frequency band) may be challenging. In yet another example, indicating that a given sidelink frequency band is reserved for the airborne UE 115 may be challenging. In yet another example, implementing access control for the airborne UE 115 may be challenging. The wireless communication system 100 may support efficient technologies to overcome these challenges and maximize the potential of resources dedicated to the airborne UE 115.

[0088] As described above, an airborne UE 115 can be a UE 115 capable of flying or maneuvering through the air. While an airborne UE 115 is capable of flight, it does not need to be in the air to access resources or cells reserved for it. For example, it might be equally important for a ground-based drone (e.g., an airborne UE 115) to access resources or cells reserved for it. Furthermore, a non-airborne UE 115 may not correspond to an airborne UE 115 that is not currently in the air. Instead, a non-airborne UE 115 could be a UE 115 that is not configured as an airborne UE 115.

[0089] In the examples described herein, communication dedicated to the air UE 115 may be referred to as air communication, and air communication may include uplink or downlink communication between the air UE 115 and one or more cells (e.g., base station 105) or sidelink communication between air UEs 115. Additionally, a cell dedicated to supporting air communication may be referred to as an air cell. Furthermore, spectrum, bands, carriers, or resources dedicated to the air UE 115 may be specifically allocated for air communication and may be referred to as air-only or air-only UE spectrum, bands, carriers, or resources.

[0090] Figure 3 An example of a wireless communication system 300 supporting operation in a dedicated over-the-air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 300 includes an over-the-air UE 305, an over-the-air cell 310, and a non-over-the-air UE 315. Figure 3 In the example, wireless communication system 300 can instruct cell 310 to be used only by airborne UEs, thereby preventing non-airborne UEs from camping on cell 310. Therefore, airborne UE 305 may be able to establish a connection 320 with cell 310, but non-airborne UE 315 may not be able to establish a connection 325 with cell 310. Although older UEs 115 may not understand the instruction sent by cell 310 instructing that cell 310 is for airborne UEs only, the techniques described herein can prevent these older UEs 115 from camping on cell 310.

[0091] In some aspects, the wireless communication system 300 may introduce variations in the synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted by cell 310 to indicate that cell 310 is used only for air communication. The SSB may be an example of a signal or channel and may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a primary information block (MIB), a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) transmitted with the PBCH (DMRS PBCH).

[0092] In one example, cell 310 may modify the PSS sequence or SSS sequence in the SSB, or the relative placement (e.g., position) of the PSS and SSS in the time domain of the SSB, to indicate that cell 310 supports dedicated communication with air UE 115 (e.g., uplink, downlink, or sidelink communication with air UE 115). For example, cell 310 may send an SSB with a cell-reserved PSS sequence or SSS sequence for supporting dedicated communication with the air UE, and air UE 305 may determine that cell 310 supports dedicated communication with the air UE based on the PSS sequence or SSS sequence in the SSB. Additionally or alternatively, cell 310 may send an SSB with a PSS sequence or SSS sequence such that the placement of the PSS sequence or SSS sequence in the time domain of the SSB indicates that cell 310 supports dedicated communication with the air UE. Air UE 305 may then determine that cell supports dedicated communication with the air UE based on the placement of the PSS sequence or SSS sequence in the time domain of the SSB.

[0093] Because only air UE 115 can be configured to decode an SSB with a PSS or SSS sequence reserved for cell communication specifically for air UEs, non-air UE 115 may not be able to access cell 310. Similarly, because only air UE 115 can be configured to decode an SSB with a PSS or SSS sequence placed at a predetermined position in the time domain reserved for cell communication specifically for air UEs, non-air UE 115 may not be able to access cell 310.

[0094] In another example, cell 310 can use a different Master Information Block (MIB) in the SSB to indicate that cell 310 supports communication specifically with air UE 115. For example, cell 310 can send an SSB with an MIB reserved for supporting communication specifically with air UE 115, and air UE 305 can determine that cell 310 supports communication specifically with air UE based on the MIB in the SSB. As an example, cell 310 can use an extension in the Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) to indicate that cell 310 supports communication specifically with air UE 115. For example, the messageClassExtension is as follows:

[0095] BCCH-BCH-MessageType::=CHOICE{

[0096] mib MIB,

[0097] messageClassExtension SEQUENCE{}

[0098] }

[0099] Because only air UE 115 can be configured to decode the cell-reserved MIB to support communication specifically with air UE 115, non-air UE 115 may not be able to access cell 310.

[0100] In another example, cell 310 can use different PBCH scrambling or DMRS PBCH sequences in the SSB to indicate that cell 310 supports communication specifically with air UE 115. For example, cell 310 can send an SSB with a cell-reserved PBCH scrambling sequence or DMRS PBCH sequence for supporting communication specifically with air UEs, and air UE 305 can determine that cell 310 supports communication specifically with air UEs based on the PBCH scrambling sequence or DMRS PBCH sequence in the SSB. Because only air UE 115 can be configured to decode an SSB with a cell-reserved PBCH scrambling sequence or DMRS PBCH sequence for supporting communication specifically with air UEs, non-air UE 115 may not be able to access cell 310.

[0101] In another example, cell 310 can use different grid frequencies for SSBs to indicate that cell 310 supports communication specifically with air UE 115. For example, cell 310 can transmit SSBs at grid frequencies reserved for cells supporting communication specifically with air UEs, and air UE 305 can determine that cell 310 supports communication specifically with air UEs based on the grid frequencies at which it receives SSBs. Because only air UE 115 can be configured to receive and decode SSBs at grid frequencies reserved for cells supporting communication specifically with air UEs, non-air UE 115 may not be able to access cell 310.

[0102] In the example above, the technique of modifying the SSB to indicate that cell 310 is only for over-the-air communication may be invisible to older UE 115. That is, even if a change to the SSB can be introduced for the over-the-air cell, the operation of older UE 115 may not change. Instead, older UE 115 may be unable to access the over-the-air cell at all because it may be unable to receive or decode the SSB sent by the over-the-air cell. Therefore, these older UEs 115 can be prevented from camping on the over-the-air cell. However, since the SSB sent by the over-the-air cell can be modified, upon receiving an SSB, the over-the-air UE can be configured to assume decoding the SSB between the over-the-air cell and other cells (e.g., for PBCH decoding or PSS / SSS detection). As a result, complexity may increase at these over-the-air UEs 115.

[0103] In other respects, to limit complexity at the airborne UE 115, cell 310 may indicate in its system information that cell 310 is for airborne communication only. In these respects, the system information may be an example of a signal or channel. Specifically, the system information may include a first prohibition flag for all UEs 115, and cell 310 may set the first prohibition flag to a value indicating that all UEs 115 are prohibited from connecting to the cell. The system information may also include a second prohibition flag for airborne UEs 115, and cell 310 may set the second prohibition flag to a value indicating that airborne UEs are allowed to connect to the cell. Because the first prohibition flag may already be included in the system information, older UEs 115 may be able to read and interpret the first prohibition flag. Therefore, non-airborne UEs 115 may receive the first prohibition flag and determine to avoid attempting to access cell 310. Although the first prohibition flag may initially be used to prohibit all UEs 115 from accessing cell 310, the second prohibition flag may override the first prohibition flag (e.g., for airborne UE 115), and airborne UEs 115 may use the second prohibition flag to determine whether to access cell 310.

[0104] Figure 4 An example of a wireless communication system 400 supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 400 includes an air UE 405, a non-air cell 410, and an air cell 415. Since air cells may not be available everywhere, the air UE 405 may initially connect to the non-air cell 410. However, as described herein, it may be beneficial to move the air UE 405 to the air cell 415 as soon as possible within a given area (e.g., once the air UE 405 has moved to an area covered by the air cell 415). To facilitate movement to the air cell 415, the non-air cell 410 may be configured to notify the air UE 405 of the presence of the air cell including the air cell 415 on connection 420. The air UE 405 can then establish a connection 425 with the air cell 415 for subsequent communication.

[0105] In some examples, non-airborne cell 410 may send an indication in the system information of the airborne cell or frequency band assigned to airborne communication. Specifically, the system information may include a set of neighboring cells (or frequencies) in which the airborne UE 405 can find the cell, and non-airborne cell 410 may additionally indicate whether these cells are airborne cells or other cells.

[0106] In some aspects, non-airborne cell 410 can transmit, and airborne UE 405 can receive, a list of frequency bands (e.g., carriers or carrier frequencies) and / or cells (e.g., in system information), which includes frequency bands and / or cells allocated to airborne and non-airborne UEs, as well as frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to airborne UEs. That is, non-airborne cell 410 can indicate a single list of frequency bands and / or cells allocated to airborne and non-airborne UEs, as well as frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to airborne UEs. This single list may be referred to as an inter-frequency carrier list (e.g., interFreqCarrierFreqList). In such aspects, non-airborne cell 410 can also transmit, and airborne UE 405 can receive, an indication of whether a given frequency band (or carrier frequency) and / or cell is available only for airborne use. Therefore, airborne UE 405 is able to identify frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to airborne UEs, and airborne UE 405 can communicate on at least one of the frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to airborne UEs.

[0107] In other aspects, non-airborne cell 410 can transmit, and airborne UE 405 can receive, a first list of frequency bands and / or cells allocated to airborne and non-airborne UEs and a second list of frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to airborne UEs. That is, non-airborne cell 410 can use different lists to distinguish between frequency bands and / or cells allocated to airborne and non-airborne UEs and those dedicated to airborne UEs. Therefore, the second list can be hidden from older UEs, as these older UEs may not recognize the second list in the system information. The first list may be referred to as an inter-frequency carrier list (e.g., interFreqCarrierFreqList), while the second list may be referred to as an inter-frequency carrier list for airborne UEs (e.g., interFreqCarrierFreqList-UAV). Therefore, airborne UE 405 is able to identify frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to airborne UEs, and airborne UE 405 can communicate on at least one of the frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to airborne UEs.

[0108] In some examples, the terms cell and carrier can be used interchangeably because a cell can be configured to communicate on a predetermined carrier. However, in some cases, multiple cells can be configured to communicate on a single carrier, or a single cell can be configured to communicate on multiple carriers. In this case, non-airborne cell 410 can indicate the specific cell (e.g., airborne cell 415) with which airborne UE 405 will communicate within a frequency band, rather than simply indicating the frequency band (e.g., the granularity of the indication of the frequency band on which airborne UE 405 will communicate can be finer).

[0109] Figure 5An example of a wireless communication system 500 supporting operation in a dedicated airborne spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 500 includes airborne UEs 505-a, 505-b, and 505-c and a cell 510 (e.g., an airborne or non-airborne cell). Airborne UEs 505 may be connected via one or more sidelinks (e.g., PC5) connection 520, and cell 510 may communicate with one or more of the airborne UEs 505 via connection 515. To enable communication between the airborne UEs 505 using dedicated sidelink spectrum, cell 510 may (e.g., in system information such as a system information block) indicate one or more frequency bands and / or cells specifically allocated to the airborne UEs for airborne communication. The airborne UEs 505 may receive indications of one or more frequency bands and / or cells, and the airborne UEs 505 may communicate with each other on one or more frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to the airborne UEs.

[0110] In some aspects, cell 510 may transmit, and air UE 505 may receive (e.g., in system information) a list of frequency bands and / or cells (e.g., carriers or carrier frequencies), including frequency bands and / or cells allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs, as well as frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to air UEs. That is, cell 510 may indicate a single list of frequency bands and / or cells allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs, as well as frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to air UEs. This single list may be referred to as a sidelink frequency information list (e.g., sl-FreqInfoList). In such aspects, cell 510 may also transmit, and air UE 505 may receive, an indication of whether a given frequency band (or carrier frequency) and / or cell is available only to air UEs. Therefore, air UE 505 is able to identify frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to air UEs, and air UE 505 may communicate with other air UEs 505 on at least one of the frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to air UEs.

[0111] In other aspects, cell 510 can transmit, and air UE 505 can receive, a first list of frequency bands and / or cells allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs, and a second list of frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to air UEs. That is, cell 510 can use different lists to distinguish between frequency bands and / or cells allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs and those dedicated to air UEs. Therefore, the second list can be hidden from older UEs, as these older UEs may not recognize the second list in the system information. The first list may be referred to as a sidelink frequency list (e.g., sl-FreqInfoList), while the second list may be referred to as a sidelink frequency list for air UEs (e.g., sl-FreqInfoList-UAV). Therefore, air UE 505 can identify frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to air UEs, and air UE 505 can communicate with other air UEs 505 on at least one of the frequency bands and / or cells dedicated to air UEs.

[0112] Figure 6 An example of a wireless communication system 600 supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The wireless communication system 600 includes air UEs 605-a and 605-b and a cell 610 (e.g., an air or non-air cell) and may support an access control mechanism for the air UEs. As part of the access control mechanism, cell 610 may indicate in system information the air access category (or mission state) that allows access to the cell at a given time. For example, cell 610 may transmit, and each air UE 605 may receive, a set of air access categories supported by cell 610. Air UE 605-a may determine that its air access category is within the set of air access categories supported by cell 610, and air UE 605-a may establish a connection 615 with cell 610. Alternatively, the air UE 605-b may determine that its air access class is not within the set of air access classes supported by cell 610, and the air UE 605-b may be unable to establish (or avoid establishing) a connection 620 with cell 610.

[0113] Using the access control mechanism described above, cell 610 can prohibit certain airborne UEs from accessing cell 610. In one example, in an emergency, a frequency band reserved for airborne UEs may be reserved for public safety use (e.g., for police use), and it may be appropriate for airborne UEs to move to a different cell for non-emergency situations. In another example, the set of airborne access categories supported by cell 610 may include access categories for airborne mission-critical purposes. In some cases, the airborne access category of an airborne UE may depend on the state of the airborne UE (e.g., whether the airborne UE is in flight or on the ground). In this case, the airborne UE may be on the ground and in an active state (e.g., monitoring a drone), so the state of the airborne UE may be "active drone" rather than "flying drone". Furthermore, the airborne UE may support other additional states (e.g., ready to take off, ready to land, etc.). The aforementioned airborne access categories may be separate from another (e.g., an older) set of access categories supported by cell 610 (e.g., designated airborne access categories).

[0114] In some aspects, an N:1 mapping may exist between "task state" and "radio category used for access". In such aspects, the air UE 605 can determine its task state and identify the mapping from its task state to the air access category. The air UE 605 can then determine whether the air access category is within the set of air access categories supported by cell 610. Alternatively, the air UE 605 can determine whether its task state is within the set of task states supported by cell 610. If the air UE 605 determines that its air access category is within the set of air access categories supported by cell 610, or if the air UE 605 determines that its task state is within the set of task states supported by cell 610, then the air UE 605 can establish a connection with cell 610. Otherwise, the air UE 605 can avoid establishing a connection with cell 610.

[0115] Figure 7 A block diagram 700 of a device 705 supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 705 may be an example of an aspect of UE 115 described herein. Device 705 may include a receiver 710, a communications manager 715, and a transmitter 720. Device 705 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0116] Receiver 710 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to operation in the dedicated air spectrum). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 705. Receiver 710 can be a reference... Figure 10 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1020 described. The receiver 710 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0117] The communication manager 715 can receive signals or channels from a cell, determine based on the signals or channels that the cell supports dedicated communication with the air UE, establish a connection with the cell based on this determination, and communicate with the cell over the established connection. The communication manager 715 can also communicate on a first frequency band allocated to the air UE and non-air UEs, communicate on a second frequency band based on a second frequency band dedicated to the air UE, and receive system information identifying the second frequency band dedicated to the air UE. The communication manager 715 can be an example of an aspect of the communication manager 1010 described herein.

[0118] The communication manager 715 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the communication manager 715 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0119] The communication manager 715 or its subcomponents may be physically located at various locations, including distributed portions such that functional parts are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, according to various aspects of this disclosure, the communication manager 715 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components. In some examples, according to various aspects of this disclosure, the communication manager 715 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to: input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0120] Transmitter 720 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 705. In some examples, transmitter 720 can be co-located with receiver 710 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 720 can be a reference... Figure 10 Examples of aspects of the described transceiver 1020. The transmitter 720 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0121] By including or configuring the communication manager 715 according to the examples described herein, device 705 (e.g., a processor that controls or is otherwise coupled to receiver 710, transmitter 720, communication manager 715, or combinations thereof) can support techniques for more efficient use of communication resources. Specifically, because an air cell can prohibit non-air UEs from accessing the cell, or a cell can signal to an air UE a frequency band dedicated to an air UE, or a cell can support air access categories, an air UE can communicate with the cell on dedicated resources, thereby making more efficient use of communication resources (e.g., resources dedicated to an air UE).

[0122] Figure 8 A block diagram 800 of a device 805 supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 805 may be an example of aspect of device 705 or UE 115 described herein. Device 805 may include a receiver 810, a communications manager 815, and a transmitter 845. Device 805 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0123] Receiver 810 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to operation in the dedicated air spectrum). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 805. Receiver 810 can be a reference... Figure 10 Examples of aspects of the described transceiver 1020. The receiver 810 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0124] Communication manager 815 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 715 described herein. Communication manager 815 may include initial access manager 820, air cell manager 825, connection manager 830, data manager 835, and system information manager 840. Communication manager 815 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1010 described herein.

[0125] The initial access manager 820 can receive signals or channels from the cell. The air cell manager 825 can determine, based on the signals or channels, that the cell supports communication specifically with the air UE. The connection manager 830 can establish a connection with the cell based on this determination. The data manager 835 can communicate with the cell over the established connection.

[0126] Data Manager 835 can communicate on a first frequency band allocated to both airborne and non-airborne UEs. System Information Manager 840 can receive system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE. Data Manager 835 can then communicate on the second frequency band based on the second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE.

[0127] Transmitter 845 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 805. In some examples, transmitter 845 can be co-located with receiver 810 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 845 can be a reference... Figure 10 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1020 described. The transmitter 845 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0128] Figure 9 A block diagram 900 of a communications manager 905 supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The communications manager 905 may be an example of aspects of the communications manager 715, communications manager 815, or communications manager 1010 described herein. The communications manager 905 may include an initial access manager 910, an air cell manager 915, a connection manager 920, a data manager 925, an SSB manager 930, a system information manager 935, an access category manager 940, a mission status manager 945, and an air resource manager 950. Each of these modules may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0129] The initial access manager 910 can receive signals or channels from the cell. The air cell manager 915 can determine, based on the signals or channels, that the cell supports communication specifically for air-to-air UEs. In some examples, the air cell manager 915 can select cells that support communication on a second frequency band. The connection manager 920 can establish a connection with the cell based on this determination. In some examples, the connection manager 920 can establish a connection with the selected cell. The data manager 925 can communicate with the cell over the established connection. In some examples, the data manager 925 can communicate on a first frequency band allocated to both air-to-air UEs and non-air-to-air UEs. In some examples, the data manager 925 can communicate on a second frequency band based on a second frequency band dedicated to air-to-air UEs.

[0130] The system information manager 935 can receive system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to an airborne UE. In some examples, the system information manager 935 can determine that a first prohibition flag in a signal or channel for all UEs is set to a first value indicating that all UEs are prohibited from connecting to the cell. In some examples, the system information manager 935 can determine that a second prohibition flag in a signal or channel for an airborne UE is set to a second value indicating that an airborne UE is allowed to connect to the cell. In some cases, the system information also identifies the cell with which the airborne UE will establish a connection that supports communication on the second frequency band.

[0131] The SSB manager 930 can determine that a cell supports communication specifically for an air-to-UE based on signals or channels including a PSS sequence reserved for the cell to support communication specifically for an air-to-UE. In some examples, the SSB manager 930 can determine that a cell supports communication specifically for an air-to-UE based on signals or channels including a MIB reserved for the cell to support communication specifically for an air-to-UE. In some examples, the SSB manager 930 can determine that a cell supports communication specifically for an air-to-UE based on signals or channels including a PBCH scrambling sequence reserved for the cell to support communication specifically for an air-to-UE or a DMRS PBCH sequence reserved for the cell to support communication specifically for an air-to-UE. In some examples, the SSB manager 930 can determine that a cell supports communication specifically for an air-to-UE based on signals or channels received on a grid frequency reserved for the cell to support communication specifically for an air-to-UE.

[0132] Access category manager 940 can receive a set of air access categories supported by the cell in a signal or channel. In some examples, access category manager 940 can determine that the air access category of the air UE is within the set of air access categories supported by the cell, wherein connection establishment is further based on determining that the air access category of the air UE is within the set of air access categories supported by the cell. In some examples, access category manager 940 can identify a mapping from the air UE's mission state to the UE's air access category, wherein determining that the UE's air access category is within the set of air access categories supported by the cell is based on identifying the mapping.

[0133] The task status manager 945 can determine the task status of the air-to-air UE. The air resource manager 950 can receive a frequency band list from system information, including frequency bands allocated to the air-to-air UE and non-air-to-air UEs, as well as frequency bands dedicated to the air-to-air UE, wherein the frequency bands dedicated to the air-to-air UE include a second frequency band. In some examples, the air resource manager 950 can receive an indication of whether each frequency band in the frequency band list is allocated to the air-to-air UE and non-air-to-air UE or dedicated to the air-to-air UE. In some examples, the air resource manager 950 can receive system information including a first frequency band list allocated to the air-to-air UE and non-air-to-air UEs and a second frequency band list dedicated to the air-to-air UE, wherein the second frequency band list includes a second frequency band. In some cases, the frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list. In some cases, the first frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list, and the second frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list for the air-to-air UE.

[0134] Figure 10 A diagram of a system 1000 including device 1005 supporting operation in a dedicated airspace spectrum is shown according to aspects of this disclosure. Device 1005 may be an example of device 705, device 805, or UE 115 described herein, or a component including device 705, device 805, or UE 115. Device 1005 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1010, an I / O controller 715, a transceiver 1020, an antenna 1025, a memory 1030, and a processor 1040. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1045).

[0135] The communication manager 1010 can receive signals or channels from a cell, determine based on the signals or channels that the cell supports dedicated communication with the air UE, establish a connection with the cell based on this determination, and communicate with the cell over the established connection. The communication manager 1010 can also communicate on a first frequency band allocated to the air UE and non-air UEs, receive system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the air UE, and communicate on the second frequency band based on the second frequency band dedicated to the air UE.

[0136] I / O controller 1015 can manage input and output signals for device 1005. I / O controller 1015 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into device 1005. In some cases, I / O controller 1015 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, I / O controller 1015 can utilize an operating system, such as... Alternatively, it may be another known operating system. In other cases, the I / O controller 1015 may represent, or interact with, a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 1015 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 1005 via the I / O controller 1015 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 1015.

[0137] Transceiver 1020 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links as described above. For example, transceiver 1020 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1020 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0138] In some cases, device 1005 may include a single antenna 1025. However, in other cases, device 1005 may have more than one antenna 1025, which may be able to transmit or receive multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0139] Memory 1030 may include random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 1030 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1035, including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1030 may, among other things, contain a basic input / output system (BIOS) that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0140] Processor 1040 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1040 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1040. Processor 1040 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 1030) to cause device 1005 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting operations in a dedicated over-the-air spectrum).

[0141] Code 1035 may include instructions for implementing aspects of this disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1035 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium (such as system memory or other types of memory). In some cases, code 1035 may not be directly executable by processor 1040, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled or executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0142] By including or configuring the communication manager 1010 according to the examples described herein, device 1005 can support techniques for more efficient use of communication resources. Specifically, because an air cell can prohibit a non-air cell UE from accessing the cell, or a cell can signal an air cell UE to a frequency band dedicated to the air cell UE, or a cell can support air access categories, an air cell UE can communicate with the cell on dedicated resources, thereby making more efficient use of communication resources (e.g., resources dedicated to the air cell UE).

[0143] Figure 11 A block diagram 1100 of an apparatus 1105 supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Apparatus 1105 may be an example of an aspect of base station 105 described herein. Apparatus 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a communications manager 1115, and a transmitter 1120. Apparatus 1105 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0144] Receiver 1110 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to operation in the dedicated air spectrum). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 1105. Receiver 1110 can be a reference... Figure 14 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1420 described. The receiver 1110 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0145] Communication manager 1115 can send signals or channels to one or more UEs indicating that the cell supports communication dedicated to air UEs, establish a connection with at least one air UE based on sending such signals or channels, and communicate with at least one air UE over the established connection. Communication manager 1115 can also communicate with air UEs on a first frequency band allocated to both air UEs and non-air UEs, identify a second frequency band dedicated to air UEs, and send system information identifying the second frequency band dedicated to air UEs. Communication manager 1115 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1410 described herein.

[0146] The communication manager 1115 or its sub-components may be implemented in hardware, processor-executable code (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in processor-executable code, the functionality of the communication manager 1115 or its sub-components may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure, discrete gate or transistor execution logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof.

[0147] The communication manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be physically located at various locations, including distributed portions such that functional parts are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, according to various aspects of this disclosure, the communication manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components. In some examples, according to various aspects of this disclosure, the communication manager 1115 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to: input / output (I / O) components, transceivers, network servers, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof.

[0148] Transmitter 1120 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1105. In some examples, transmitter 1120 may be co-located with receiver 1110 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1120 may be a reference... Figure 14 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1420 described. The transmitter 1120 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0149] By including or configuring the communication manager 1115 according to the examples described herein, device 1105 (e.g., a processor that controls or is otherwise coupled to receiver 1110, transmitter 1120, communication manager 1115, or a combination thereof) can support techniques for more efficient use of communication resources. Specifically, because an air cell can prohibit non-air UEs from accessing the cell, or a cell can signal to an air UE a frequency band dedicated to an air UE, or a cell can support air access categories, an air UE can communicate with the cell on dedicated resources, thereby making more efficient use of communication resources (e.g., resources dedicated to an air UE).

[0150] Figure 12A block diagram 1200 of a device 1205 supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Device 1205 may be an example of aspects of device 1105 or base station 105 described herein. Device 1205 may include receiver 1210, communication manager 1215, and transmitter 1245. Device 1205 may also include a processor. Each of these components may communicate with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0151] Receiver 1210 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to operation in the dedicated air spectrum). This information can be transmitted to other components of device 1205. Receiver 1210 can be a reference... Figure 14 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1420 described. The receiver 1210 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0152] Communication manager 1215 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1115 described herein. Communication manager 1215 may include initial access manager 1220, connection manager 1225, data manager 1230, over-the-air resource manager 1235, and system information manager 1240. Communication manager 1215 may be an example of an aspect of communication manager 1410 described herein.

[0153] The initial access manager 1220 can send signals or channels to one or more UEs indicating that the cell supports communication specifically for air UEs. The connection manager 1225 can establish a connection with at least one air UE based on the transmitted signals or channels. The data manager 1230 can communicate with at least one air UE over the established connection.

[0154] Data Manager 1230 can communicate with the air UE on a first frequency band allocated to both the air UE and non-air UEs. Air Resource Manager 1235 can identify a second frequency band dedicated to the air UE. System Information Manager 1240 can send system information identifying the second frequency band dedicated to the air UE.

[0155] Transmitter 1245 can transmit signals generated by other components of device 1205. In some examples, transmitter 1245 may be co-located with receiver 1210 in a transceiver module. For example, transmitter 1245 may be a reference... Figure 14 Examples of aspects of the transceiver 1420 described herein. The transmitter 1245 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0156] Figure 13A block diagram 1300 of a communication manager 1305 supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The communication manager 1305 may be an example of aspects of the communication manager 1115, communication manager 1215, or communication manager 1410 described herein. The communication manager 1305 may include an initial access manager 1310, a connection manager 1315, a data manager 1320, an SSB manager 1325, a system information manager 1330, an access category manager 1335, and an air resource manager 1340. Each of these modules may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0157] The initial access manager 1310 can send signals or channels to one or more UEs indicating that the cell supports communication specifically for air UEs. The connection manager 1315 can establish a connection with at least one air UE based on the transmitted signals or channels. The data manager 1320 can communicate with at least one air UE over the established connection. In some examples, the data manager 1320 can communicate with the air UE on a first frequency band allocated to both the air UE and non-air UEs.

[0158] System Information Manager 1330 can send system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to an airborne UE. In some examples, System Information Manager 1330 can set a first prohibition flag in a signal or channel for all UEs to a first value indicating that all UEs are prohibited from connecting to the cell. In some examples, System Information Manager 1330 can set a second prohibition flag in a signal or channel for airborne UEs to a second value indicating that an airborne UE is allowed to connect to the cell. In some cases, the system information also identifies the cell with which the airborne UE wants to establish a connection for communication on the second frequency band.

[0159] Air Resource Manager 1340 can identify a second frequency band dedicated to the air-to-air UE. In some examples, Air Resource Manager 1340 can transmit a frequency band list in system information, which includes frequency bands allocated to the air-to-air UE and non-air-to-air UEs, as well as frequency bands dedicated to the air-to-air UE, wherein the frequency bands dedicated to the air-to-air UE include the second frequency band. In some examples, Air Resource Manager 1340 can transmit an indication of whether each frequency band in the frequency band list is allocated to the air-to-air UE and non-air-to-air UE or dedicated to the air-to-air UE. In some examples, Air Resource Manager 1340 can transmit system information including a first frequency band list allocated to the air-to-air UE and non-air-to-air UEs and a second frequency band list dedicated to the air-to-air UE, wherein the second frequency band list includes the second frequency band. In some cases, the frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list. In some cases, the first frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list, and the second frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a sidelink frequency information list for the air-to-air UE.

[0160] SSB manager 1325 can transmit signals or channels having a PSS sequence reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE, or an SSS reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE. In some examples, SSB manager 1325 can transmit signals or channels having a MIB reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE. In some examples, SSB manager 1325 can transmit signals or channels having a PBCH scrambling sequence reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE, or a DMRS PBCH sequence reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE. In some examples, SSB manager 1325 can transmit signals or channels on a grid frequency reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0161] Access category manager 1335 can transmit a set of air access categories supported by the cell in a signal or channel. In some examples, access category manager 1335 can determine that the air access category of at least one air UE is within the set of air access categories supported by the cell, wherein connection establishment is further based on determining that the air access category of at least one air UE is within the set of air access categories supported by the cell.

[0162] Figure 14A diagram of a system 1400 including device 1405 supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum, according to aspects of this disclosure, is shown. Device 1405 may be an example of device 1105, device 1205, or base station 105 as described herein, or may include components of device 905, device 1005, or base station 105 as described herein. Device 1405 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communication manager 1410, a network communication manager 1415, a transceiver 1420, an antenna 1425, a memory 1430, a processor 1440, and an inter-station communication manager 1445. These components may be electrically connected via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1450).

[0163] The communication manager 1410 can send signals or channels to one or more UEs indicating that the cell supports dedicated communication with air UEs, establish a connection with at least one air UE based on sending the signals or channels, and communicate with at least one air UE over the established connection. The communication manager 1410 can also communicate with air UEs on a first frequency band allocated to both air UEs and non-air UEs, identify a second frequency band dedicated to air UEs, and send system information identifying the second frequency band dedicated to air UEs.

[0164] The network communication manager 1415 can manage communication with one or more core networks (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communication manager 1415 can manage the transmission of data communication for client devices (such as one or more UEs 115).

[0165] Transceiver 1420 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links as described above. For example, transceiver 1420 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 1420 may also include a modem for modulating packets and providing the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and for demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0166] In some cases, device 1405 may include a single antenna 1425. However, in other cases, device 1405 may have more than one antenna 1425, which may be able to transmit or receive multiple wireless transmissions simultaneously.

[0167] Memory 1430 may include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. Memory 1430 may store computer-readable code 1435 including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 1440), cause the device to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1430 may also contain a BIOS, among other things, which controls basic hardware and software operations (such as interaction with peripheral components or devices).

[0168] Processor 1440 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1440 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In some cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1440. Processor 1440 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 1430) to cause device 1405 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting operations in a dedicated over-the-air spectrum).

[0169] Inter-site communication manager 1445 can manage communication with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler that cooperates with other base stations 105 to control communication with UE 115. For example, inter-site communication manager 1445 can coordinate the scheduling of transmissions to UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, inter-site communication manager 1445 may provide an X2 interface within LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to facilitate communication between base stations 105.

[0170] Code 1435 may include instructions for implementing aspects of this disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1435 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other types of memory. In some cases, code 1435 may not be directly executable by processor 1440, but may enable a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0171] By including or configuring the communication manager 1410 according to the examples described herein, device 1405 can support techniques for more efficient use of communication resources. Specifically, because an air cell can prohibit a non-air cell UE from accessing the cell, or the cell can signal to an air cell UE that a frequency band is dedicated to the air cell UE, or the cell can support air access categories, an air cell UE can communicate with the cell on dedicated resources, thereby making more efficient use of communication resources (e.g., resources dedicated to the air cell UE).

[0172] Figure 15 A flowchart of a method 1500 supporting operation in a dedicated airspace spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The operation of method 1500 can be implemented by a UE 115 or its components described herein. For example, the operation of method 1500 can be implemented by reference to... Figures 7 to 10 The communication manager described above performs this function. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the UE's functional elements to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0173] At position 1505, the UE can receive signals or channels from the cell. The operation of position 1505 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of position 1505 can be derived from references. Figures 7 to 10 The initial access manager is used to execute this.

[0174] At point 1510, the UE can determine, based on a signal or channel, that the cell supports communication specifically for over-the-air UEs. The operation of point 1510 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of point 1510 can be derived from references... Figures 7 to 10 The aforementioned over-the-air cell manager performs this action.

[0175] At point 1515, the UE can establish a connection with the cell based on this determination. The operation at point 1515 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at point 1515 can be derived from references... Figures 7 to 10 The connection manager is used to execute this.

[0176] At point 1520, the UE can communicate with the cell over the established connection. The operation at point 1520 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at point 1520 can be derived from references... Figures 7 to 10 The data manager described above is used to execute this.

[0177] Figure 16 A flowchart of a method 1600 supporting operation in a dedicated air spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The operation of method 1600 can be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, the operation of method 1600 can be implemented by referring to... Figures 11 to 14 The communication manager described above performs this function. In some examples, the base station may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0178] At point 1605, the base station may send a signal or channel to one or more UEs indicating that the cell supports dedicated communication with over-the-air UEs. The operation of point 1605 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of point 1605 may be derived from references... Figures 11 to 14 The initial access manager is used to execute this.

[0179] At 1610, the base station can establish a connection with at least one air UE based on transmitted signals or channels. The operation of 1610 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1610 can be derived from references... Figures 11 to 14 The connection manager is used to execute this.

[0180] At point 1615, the base station can communicate with at least one over-the-air UE over the established connection. The operation of point 1615 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of point 1615 can be derived from references... Figures 11 to 14 The data manager described above is used to execute this.

[0181] Figure 17 A flowchart of a method 1700 supporting operation in a dedicated airspace spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 1700 can be implemented by a UE 115 or its components described herein. For example, operation of method 1700 can be implemented by reference to... Figures 7 to 10 The communication manager described above performs this function. In some examples, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control the UE's functional elements to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0182] At 1705, the UE can communicate on the first frequency band allocated to both airborne and non-airborne UEs. Operation at 1705 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation at 1705 can be derived from references... Figures 7 to 10 The data manager described above is used to execute this.

[0183] At 1710, the UE can receive system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to an airborne UE. Operation at 1710 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation at 1710 can be derived from references... Figures 7 to 10 The system information manager is used to execute this.

[0184] At point 1715, the UE can communicate on a second frequency band dedicated to airborne UEs. Operation at point 1715 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation at point 1715 can be derived from references... Figures 7 to 10 The data manager described above is used to execute this.

[0185] Figure 18 A flowchart of a method 1800 supporting operation in a dedicated airspace spectrum according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. The operation of method 1800 can be implemented by a base station 105 or its components as described herein. For example, the operation of method 1800 can be implemented by referring to... Figures 11 to 14 The communication manager described above performs this function. In some examples, the base station may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the base station to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0186] At point 1805, the base station can communicate with the air UE on the first frequency band allocated to both the air UE and the non-air UE. The operation of point 1805 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of point 1805 can be derived from references... Figures 11 to 14 The data manager described above is used to execute this.

[0187] At 1810, the base station can identify a second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE. Operation at 1810 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of operation at 1810 can be derived from references... Figures 11 to 14 The aforementioned air resource manager is used to execute this.

[0188] At point 1815, the base station can transmit system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the airborne UE. The operation at point 1815 can be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation at point 1815 can be derived from references... Figures 11 to 14 The system information manager is used to execute this.

[0189] The following provides an overview of aspects of this disclosure:

[0190] Aspect 1: A method for wireless communication at an airborne UE, comprising: receiving a signal or channel from a cell; determining, at least in part, based on the signal or channel, that the cell supports communication specifically for the airborne UE; establishing a connection with the cell, at least in part based on the determination; and communicating with the cell over the established connection.

[0191] Aspect 2: According to the method of aspect 1, wherein determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE is based at least in part on a signal or channel comprises: determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE is based at least in part on a signal or channel including a PSS sequence reserved for a cell to support dedicated communication with an airborne UE or an SSS sequence reserved for a cell to support dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0192] Aspect 3: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 2, wherein determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE is based at least in part on a signal or channel comprises: determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE is based at least in part on a signal or channel including a master information block (MIB) reserved for supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0193] Aspect 4: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE is based at least in part on a signal or channel comprises: determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE is based at least in part on a signal or channel including a PBCH scrambling sequence reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE or a DMRS PBCH sequence reserved for a cell supporting dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0194] Aspect 5: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 4, wherein determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE is based at least in part on a signal or channel comprises: determining that a cell supports dedicated communication with an airborne UE is based at least in part on receiving a signal or channel on a grid frequency reserved for the cell to support dedicated communication with an airborne UE.

[0195] Aspect 6: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein determining that a cell supports communication specifically with an airborne UE is based at least in part on a signal or channel comprises: determining that a first prohibition flag in the signal or channel for all UEs is set to a first value indicating that all UEs are prohibited from connecting to the cell; and determining that a second prohibition flag in the signal or channel for airborne UEs is set to a second value indicating that airborne UEs are allowed to connect to the cell.

[0196] Aspect 7: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 6 further includes: receiving a set of antenna access categories supported by the cell in a signal or channel; and determining that the air access category of the air UE is within the set of air access categories supported by the cell, wherein establishing a connection is further based on determining that the air access category of the air UE is within the set of air access categories supported by the cell.

[0197] Aspect 8: The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 7 further includes: determining the mission state of the air UE; and identifying a mapping from the mission state of the air UE to the air access class of the UE, wherein determining the air access class of the UE is at least partially based on the identification mapping within a set of air access classes supported by the cell.

[0198] Aspect 9: A wireless communication method for a cell, comprising: transmitting to one or more UEs a signal or channel indicating that the cell supports communication specifically with an air UE; establishing a connection with at least one air UE based at least in part on the transmitted signal or channel; and communicating with at least one air UE over the established connection.

[0199] Aspect 10: According to the method of aspect 9, wherein sending a signal or channel indicating that the cell supports dedicated communication with the air UE comprises: sending a signal or channel having a PSS sequence reserved for the cell supporting dedicated communication with the air UE or an SSS sequence reserved for the cell supporting dedicated communication with the air UE.

[0200] Aspect 11: The method according to any one of Aspects 9 to 10, wherein sending a signal or channel indicating that the cell supports dedicated communication with the air UE comprises: sending a signal or channel having a master information block (MIB) reserved for the cell to support dedicated communication with the air UE.

[0201] Aspect 12: The method according to any one of aspects 9 to 11, wherein transmitting a signal or channel indicating that the cell supports dedicated communication with the air UE comprises: transmitting a signal or channel having a PBCH scrambling sequence reserved for the cell supporting dedicated communication with the air UE or a DMRS PBCH sequence reserved for the cell supporting dedicated communication with the air UE.

[0202] Aspect 13: The method according to any one of Aspects 9 to 12, wherein transmitting a signal or channel indicating that the cell supports dedicated communication with the air UE comprises: transmitting the signal or channel on a grid frequency reserved for the cell to support dedicated communication with the air UE.

[0203] Aspect 14: The method according to any one of Aspects 9 to 13, wherein sending a signal or channel indicating that the cell supports communication specifically with an airborne UE comprises: setting a first prohibition flag in the signal or channel for all UEs to a first value indicating that all UEs are prohibited from connecting to the cell; and setting a second prohibition flag in the signal or channel for airborne UEs to a second value indicating that airborne UEs are allowed to connect to the cell.

[0204] Aspect 15: The method according to any one of Aspects 9 to 14 further includes: transmitting a set of antenna access categories supported by the cell in a signal or channel; and determining that the air access category of at least one air UE is within the set of air access categories supported by the cell, wherein establishing a connection is further based on determining that the air access category of at least one air UE is within the set of air access categories supported by the cell.

[0205] Aspect 16: A method for wireless communication at a first air UE, comprising: communicating on a first frequency band allocated to the air UE and a non-air UE; receiving system information identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the air UE; and communicating on a second frequency band at least in part based on the second frequency band dedicated to the air UE.

[0206] Aspect 17: According to the method of aspect 16, receiving system information identifying the second frequency band includes: receiving a list of frequency bands in the system information, which includes frequency bands allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs and frequency bands dedicated to air UEs, wherein the frequency bands dedicated to air UEs include the second frequency band.

[0207] Aspect 18: The method according to aspect 17 further includes: receiving an indication of whether each frequency band in the frequency band list is allocated to an air UE or a non-air UE or is dedicated to an air UE.

[0208] Aspect 19: The method according to any one of Aspects 17 to 18, wherein the frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a side-link frequency information list.

[0209] Aspect 20: The method according to any one of aspects 16 to 19, wherein receiving system information identifying the second frequency band includes: receiving system information including a first frequency band list allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs and a second frequency band list dedicated to air UEs, wherein the second frequency band list includes the second frequency band.

[0210] Aspect 21: According to the method of aspect 20, the first frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a side-link frequency information list, and the second frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list for an air UE or a side-link frequency information list for an air UE.

[0211] Aspect 22: The method according to any one of aspects 16 to 21 further includes: selecting a cell that supports communication on a second frequency band; and establishing a connection with the selected cell.

[0212] Aspect 23: According to the method of aspect 22, the system information further identifies a cell supporting communication on a second frequency band with which the air UE wants to establish a connection.

[0213] Aspect 24: A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: communicating with an air UE on a first frequency band allocated to an air UE and a non-air UE; identifying a second frequency band dedicated to the air UE; and transmitting system information identifying the second frequency band dedicated to the air UE.

[0214] Aspect 25: According to the method of aspect 24, wherein transmitting system information identifying the second frequency band includes: transmitting a frequency band list in the system information, which includes frequency bands allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs and frequency bands dedicated to air UEs, wherein the frequency bands dedicated to air UEs include the second frequency band.

[0215] Aspect 26: The method according to aspect 25 further includes: transmitting an indication of whether each frequency band in the frequency band list is allocated to an air UE or a non-air UE or is dedicated to an air UE.

[0216] Aspect 27: The method according to any one of Aspects 25 and 26, wherein the frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a side-link frequency information list.

[0217] Aspect 28: The method according to any one of aspects 24 to 27, wherein transmitting system information identifying the second frequency band includes: transmitting system information including a first frequency band list allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs and a second frequency band list dedicated to air UEs, wherein the second frequency band list includes the second frequency band.

[0218] Aspect 29: According to the method of aspect 28, wherein the first frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a side-link frequency information list, and the second frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list for an air UE or a side-link frequency information list for an air UE.

[0219] Aspect 30: The method according to any one of Aspects 24 to 29, wherein the system information further identifies the cell with which the air UE wants to establish a connection for communication on the second frequency band.

[0220] Aspect 31: An apparatus for wireless communication at an airborne UE, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 8.

[0221] Aspect 32: An apparatus for wireless communication at an airborne UE, comprising: at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 1 to 8.

[0222] Aspect 33: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at an airborne UE, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method described according to any one of aspects 1 to 8.

[0223] Aspect 34: An apparatus for wireless communication in a cell, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of aspects 9 to 15.

[0224] Aspect 35: An apparatus for wireless communication in a cell, comprising: at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 9 to 15.

[0225] Aspect 36: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a cell, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to any one of aspects 9 to 15.

[0226] Aspect 37: An apparatus for wireless communication at a first airborne UE, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method according to any one of aspects 16 to 23.

[0227] Aspect 38: An apparatus for wireless communication at a first airborne UE, comprising: at least one component for performing the method according to any one of aspects 16 to 23.

[0228] Aspect 39: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a first airborne UE, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method according to any one of aspects 16 to 23.

[0229] Aspect 40: An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method described in any one of aspects 24 to 30.

[0230] Aspect 41: An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising at least one component for performing the method described in any one of aspects 24 to 30.

[0231] Aspect 42: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication at a base station, the code including instructions executable by a processor to perform the methods described in any one of aspects 24 to 30.

[0232] It should be noted that the methods described in this paper describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps can be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more methods can be combined.

[0233] While aspects of LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR systems may be described for illustrative purposes, and the terms LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR may be used in most of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the techniques described may be applicable to a variety of other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0234] The information and signals described herein can be represented using any of a wide variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0235] The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with this disclosure may be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any 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 incorporating a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0236] 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 on a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination of these. Features implementing the functions can also be physically located in various places, including being distributed such that different parts of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0237] Computer-readable media include non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, with communication media including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media can be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, disc-on-a-CD (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code components having instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Furthermore, any connection is properly referred to as computer-readable media. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable media. As used herein, discs and platters include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, digital multifunction discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where discs typically reproduce data magnetically, while platters optically reproduce data using lasers. Combinations of these are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0238] As used herein (including in the claims), the word "or" in a list of items (e.g., a list of items ending with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, such that a list of 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). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" could be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "at least partially based on".

[0239] In the accompanying drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference numerals. Furthermore, components of the same type can be distinguished by a dash following the reference numeral and a second reference numeral to differentiate similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any one of the similar components having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the second or other subsequent reference numerals.

[0240] The exemplary configurations described herein, illustrated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, are not representative of all achievable examples or examples within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," not "preferred" or "superior to other examples." "Detailed description" includes specific details intended to provide an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0241] The description provided herein enables those skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be given the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: One or more processors; One or more memories, said one or more memories being coupled to said one or more processors; as well as Instructions, which are stored in the one or more memories and are executable by the one or more processors, to cause the device to: Receive signals or channels from a cell, the signals or channels including a block of synchronization signals via a grid frequency reserved for supporting communications with an air user equipment (UE) associated with applications related to collision detection, collision avoidance, or both. After receiving the signal, a connection is established with the cell, at least in part, based on the cell's support for dedicated communication with the over-the-air UE; and Communicate with the cell via the established connection.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The cell supports communication with the air UE at least in part based on the signal or the channel, which includes a primary synchronization signal (PSS) sequence reserved by the cell for supporting communication with the air UE or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) sequence reserved by the cell for supporting communication with the air UE.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The cell supports communication with the air UE, at least in part, based on the signal or the channel, which includes a Master Information Block (MIB) reserved for the cell to support communication specifically with the air UE.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The community The communication with the air UE is supported at least in part based on the signal or the channel, which includes a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) scrambling sequence reserved by the cell for supporting communication with the air UE or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) physical broadcast channel (PBCH) sequence reserved by the cell for supporting communication with the air UE.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The cell supports communication specifically for airborne UEs, based at least in part on a first prohibition flag in the signal or channel for all UEs being set to a first value indicating that all UEs are prohibited from connecting to the cell, and a second prohibition flag in the signal or channel for airborne UEs being set to a second value indicating that airborne UEs are allowed to connect to the cell.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The instructions are also executable by the one or more processors to cause the device to: The device receives a set of air access classes supported by the cell in the signal or the channel, wherein the device's air access class is within the set of air access classes supported by the cell, and wherein the establishment of the connection is also based at least in part on the device's air access class being within the set of air access classes supported by the cell.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, The air access class of the device is at least partially based on a mapping of the device's mission state to the air access class within the set of air access classes supported by the cell.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The device is configured to operate an airborne UE and includes a transceiver configured to receive the signal or the channel and establish the connection.

9. A network node, comprising: One or more processors; transceiver; One or more memories, said one or more memories being coupled to said one or more processors; as well as Instructions, which are stored in the one or more memories and are executable by the one or more processors, to cause the network node to: The transceiver transmits signals or channels including synchronization signal blocks via grid frequencies reserved for supporting communications with over-the-air UEs, the communications being associated with applications related to collision detection, collision avoidance, or both. After transmitting the synchronization signal block via the grid frequency reserved for communication with the air user equipment (UE) in the cell, a connection is established with at least one air UE; and Communicate with at least one air UE via the established connection.

10. The network node according to claim 9, wherein, The instructions for transmitting the signal or the channel are executable by the one or more processors to enable the network node to: The transceiver transmits the signal or the channel having a primary synchronization signal (PSS) sequence reserved for the cell to support communication with the air UE or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS) sequence reserved for the cell to support communication with the air UE.

11. The network node according to claim 9, wherein, The instructions for transmitting the signal or the channel are executable by the one or more processors to enable the network node to: The transceiver transmits the signal or the channel having a Master Information Block (MIB) reserved for the cell to support communication specifically with the over-the-air UE.

12. The network node according to claim 9, wherein, The instructions for transmitting the signal or the channel are executable by the one or more processors to enable the network node to: The signal or the channel is transmitted via the transceiver having a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) scrambling sequence reserved for the cell to support communication with the airborne UE or a Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) sequence reserved for the cell to support communication with the airborne UE.

13. The network node according to claim 9, wherein, The instructions for transmitting the signal or the channel are executable by the one or more processors to enable the network node to: Set the first prohibition flag in the signal or channel for all UEs to a first value indicating that all UEs are prohibited from connecting to the network node; and Set the second prohibition flag for the air UE in the signal or the channel to a second value indicating that the air UE is allowed to connect to the network node.

14. The network node according to claim 9, wherein, The instructions are also executable by the one or more processors to cause the network node to: The transceiver transmits a set of air access classes supported by the network node in the signal or the channel, wherein the air access class of the at least one air UE is within the set of air access classes supported by the network node, and wherein the establishment of the connection is also based at least in part on the air access class of the at least one air UE being within the set of air access classes supported by the network node.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: One or more processors; One or more memories, said one or more memories being coupled to said one or more processors; as well as Instructions, which are stored in the one or more memories and are executable by the one or more processors, to cause the device to: Communication is achieved via a first frequency band allocated to both airborne and non-airborne UEs; Receive system information including a list of sidelink frequency information, the list of sidelink frequency information including a list of frequency bands, the list of frequency bands including a second frequency band dedicated to sidelink communication between UEs in the air, the sidelink communication being associated with applications related to collision detection, collision avoidance or both; as well as It communicates with the air user equipment (UE) via the second frequency band.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The instructions for receiving system information including the list of sidelink frequency information are executable by the one or more processors to enable the device to: The system receives a second frequency band list from the system information. The second frequency band list includes a third frequency band list allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs, and a frequency band list dedicated to air UEs. The third frequency band list allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs includes the first frequency band.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein, The instructions are also executable by the one or more processors to cause the device to: Receive an indication for each frequency band in the second frequency band list, indicating whether the frequency band is allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs or dedicated to air UEs.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein, The second frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a second side link frequency information list.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The instructions for receiving system information including the list of sidelink frequency information are executable by the one or more processors to enable the device to: The system information includes a second frequency band list allocated for sidelink communication between airborne UEs and non-airborne UEs.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, The second frequency band list includes a list of second side link frequency information.

21. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The instructions are also executable by the one or more processors to cause the device to: Select cells that support communication via the third frequency band; and Establish a connection with the selected community.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, wherein, The system information also identifies the cell to which the device wishes to establish the connection, which supports communication via the third frequency band.

23. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The device is configured to operate a second air UE and includes a transceiver configured to communicate via the first frequency band, receive system information, and communicate via the second frequency band.

24. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein, The system information includes an indication of whether the frequency bands in the frequency band list are allocated to both airborne UEs and non-airborne UEs, or only to airborne UEs.

25. A network node, comprising: One or more processors; transceiver; One or more memories, said one or more memories being coupled to said one or more processors; as well as Instructions, which are stored in the one or more memories and are executable by the one or more processors, to cause the network node to: Communicating with the airborne UE via a first frequency band allocated to the airborne user equipment (UE) and the non-airborne UE; and The transceiver transmits system information including a list of sidelink frequency information, which includes a list of frequency bands dedicated to sidelink communication between UEs over the air, the sidelink communication being associated with applications related to collision detection, collision avoidance, or both, wherein the list of frequency bands includes a second frequency band.

26. The network node according to claim 25, wherein, The instructions for sending the system information, including the list of sidelink frequency information, are executable by the one or more processors to enable the network node to: The system information is transmitted via the transceiver, and the second frequency band list includes a third frequency band list allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs and a frequency band list dedicated to air UEs, wherein the third frequency band list allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs includes the first frequency band.

27. The network node according to claim 26, wherein, The instructions are also executable by the one or more processors to cause the network node to: The transceiver transmits an indication for each frequency band in the second frequency band list, indicating whether the frequency band is allocated to air UEs and non-air UEs or dedicated to air UEs.

28. The network node according to claim 26, wherein, The second frequency band list includes an inter-frequency carrier list or a second side link frequency information list.

29. The network node according to claim 25, wherein, The instructions for sending the system information, including the list of sidelink frequency information, are executable by the one or more processors to enable the network node to: The system information, which includes a second frequency band list allocated for sidelink communication between airborne UEs and non-airborne UEs, is transmitted via the transceiver.

30. The network node according to claim 29, wherein, The second frequency band list includes a list of second side link frequency information.

31. The network node according to claim 25, wherein, The system information also identifies the cell with which the airborne UE wants to establish a connection for communication via a third frequency band.

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