Paging carrier selection techniques based on coverage level

Abstract

Wireless communication systems and methods related to coverage level based paging carrier selection are provided. In some aspects, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment includes receiving, from a base station, a first indication of one or more paging carriers, the first indication indicating a coverage level supported by a paging carrier of the one or more paging carriers; and receiving, from the base station, a paging message via the paging carrier based on a match between the coverage level supported by the paging carrier and a coverage level of the user equipment.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 444,599, filed August 6, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 706,238, filed August 6, 2020, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference, as fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to wireless communication systems, and more specifically, to paging carrier selection based on coverage levels. Certain aspects can be implemented and provided with techniques that allow base stations and / or user equipment to select paging carriers (e.g., based on coverage levels associated with the user equipment) for improved paging communication, reduced system overhead, richer device performance, and enhanced user experience. 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 can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Wireless multiple access communication systems may include multiple base stations (BSs), each supporting communication with multiple communication devices (which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE)) simultaneously.

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

[0006] Improved latency, reliability, bandwidth, and / or throughput in NR enables various types of network deployments and / or services, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency Communication (URLLC), Internet of Things (IoT) communication, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) communication, machine type communication (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), etc. Different types of communication can have different traffic requirements (e.g., latency, bandwidth, reliability, and / or throughput). SUMMARY

[0007] The following presents a summary of some aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of the discussed technology. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated features of the present disclosure, and is not intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the present disclosure or to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in a summary form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0008] Aspects of the present disclosure provide improved paging for narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) devices, enhanced MTC (eMTC) devices, and other wireless communication devices. For example, aspects of the present disclosure provide coverage level based paging carrier selection, which can improve latency, reliability, efficiency, user satisfaction, and / or other parameters of paging communications in a wireless communication network. In some cases, different paging carriers are associated with one or more coverage levels. For example, using multiple coverage levels enables selection of a paging carrier for a particular wireless communication device from among paging carriers that support a coverage level of the wireless communication device.

[0009] In some aspects, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment includes receiving, from a base station, a first indication of one or more paging carriers, the first indication indicating a coverage level supported by a paging carrier of the one or more paging carriers; and receiving, from the base station, a paging message via the paging carrier based on a match between the coverage level supported by the paging carrier and a coverage level of the user equipment.

[0010] In some aspects, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment includes receiving, from a base station, a first indication of one or more paging carriers, the first indication indicating a coverage level supported by a paging carrier of the one or more paging carriers; and receiving, from the base station, a paging message via the paging carrier based on a match between the coverage level supported by the paging carrier and a coverage level of the user equipment.

[0011] In some aspects, a user equipment includes a transceiver configured to receive, from a base station, a first indication of one or more paging carriers, the first indication indicating a coverage level supported by a paging carrier of the one or more paging carriers for the paging carrier, and receive, from the base station, a paging message via the paging carrier based on a match between the coverage level supported by the paging carrier and a coverage level of the user equipment.

[0012] In some aspects, a base station includes a transceiver configured to transmit, to a user equipment, a first indication of one or more paging carriers, the first indication indicating a coverage level supported by a paging carrier of the one or more paging carriers for the paging carrier, and transmit, to the user equipment, a paging message via the paging carrier based on a match between the coverage level supported by the paging carrier and a coverage level of the user equipment.

[0013] Other aspects, features, and embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewing the following description of specific, exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying figures. While features may be discussed relative to certain embodiments and figures below, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein can be used in conjunction with any one or more of the embodiments and / or in various permutations thereof. In other words, although some embodiments may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that one or more of the advantageous features can be utilized in one or more combinations of any of the embodiments discussed herein. In an analogous manner, although exemplary embodiments may be discussed below as devices, systems or methods, it should be appreciated that such exemplary embodiments can be implemented in various types of devices, systems, and methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 A wireless communication network is shown in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2 A wireless communication network is shown in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0016] Figure 3 An association of coverage levels to paging carriers is shown in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0017] Figure 4 A flow diagram showing a coverage level based paging communication method in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5 An association of coverage levels to paging carriers is shown in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0019] Figure 6Association of coverage levels with paging carriers is shown in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0020] Figure 7 Association of coverage levels with paging carriers is shown in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0021] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating a coverage level based paging communication method in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0022] Figure 9 is a signaling diagram illustrating a coverage level based paging communication in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0023] Figure 10 is a signaling diagram illustrating a coverage level based paging communication in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0024] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a network element in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0025] Figure 12 is a block diagram of a base station (BS) in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0026] Figure 13 is a block diagram of a user equipment (UE) in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0027] Figure 14 is a flowchart of a communication method in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0028] Figure 15 is a flowchart of a communication method in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0029] Figure 16 is a flowchart of a communication method in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure.

[0030] Figure 17 is a flowchart of a communication method in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without

[0032] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems, also referred to as wireless communications networks. The techniques and apparatus can be used for wireless communication networks such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networks, fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, as well as other communications networks. As described herein, the terms“network” and“system” can be used interchangeably.

[0033] An OFDMA network can implement a radio technology such as evolved UTRA (E- UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS). In particular, long term evolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents provided from an organization named“3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP) and cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named“3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known or are being developed. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration between groups of telecommunications associations that aims to define a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phone specification. 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a project to improve the UMTS mobile phone standard to cope with future requirements. The 3GPP may

[0034] In particular, 5G networks contemplate diverse deployment scenarios and diverse spectrum utilization scenarios including: licensed, license-exempt, and shared spectrum. 5G NR can be implemented in an extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum, for example, a 60 GHz band. Communication networks of the future are expected to 2(1) providing coverage including massive machine-type communications (mMTC) with a large number of devices, ultra-low complexity (e.g., ~10s of bits / sec), ultra-low energy (e.g., ~10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage with the ability to reach challenging locations; (2) providing coverage including mission-critical control with strong security for protecting sensitive personal, financial, or confidential information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., ~99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., ~1 ms), and users with a wide range of mobility or lack thereof; and (3) providing coverage with enhanced mobile broadband including extremely high capacity (e.g., ~10 Tbps / km 2 ), extreme data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rate, 100+ Mbps user-experience rates), and deep awareness with improved discovery and optimization.

[0035] Some 5G NR networks can have various features and / or operational characteristics. For example, some deployments can be implemented to use an optimized OFDM-based waveform with scalable numerology and transmission time interval (TTI). Additionally or alternatively, some deployments can include a common, flexible framework to efficiently multiplex services and features with dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD) / frequency division duplex (FDD) design; and with improved wireless technologies such as massive

[0036] The scalable numerology of 5G NR facilitates a scalable TTI for different latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. Efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmissions to start at symbol boundaries. 5G NR also contemplates a self-contained, integrated subframe design with uplink / downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgements in the same subframe. The self-contained, integrated subframe supports communications in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrum, adaptive uplink / downlink that can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink and downlink to meet current traffic demands.

[0037] Various other aspects and features of the disclosure are further described below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms and that any specific structure, function, or both being disclosed herein is merely representative and not limiting. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein can be implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or more aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, an apparatus can be implemented or a method can be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, such an apparatus can be implemented or such a method can be practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein. For example, a method can be implemented as part of a system, device, apparatus, and / or as instructions stored on a computer readable medium for execution on a processor or computer. Furthermore, one aspect can comprise at least one element of a claim.

[0038] In some cases, more than one paging carrier can be supported in a cell for narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) communications and enhanced MTC (eMTC) communications. For example, a paging carrier used in the present disclosure can include a NB-IoT paging carrier, an eMTC paging narrowband, and / or other types of paging carriers. A deterministic method for selecting one paging carrier for a UE from a set of paging carriers supported in a cell can be defined. In some cases, the same paging carrier can be available for use by any of the UEs in a cell regardless of the coverage level of the UE. This can result in UEs in better coverage areas (e.g., NB-IOT devices at coverage level 1 and / or eMTC devices at coverage enhancement (CE) mode A) and UEs in extreme or poor coverage areas (e.g., NB-IOT devices at coverage level 3 and / or eMTC devices at CE mode B) sharing the same paging carrier. Likewise, UEs with higher or prioritized service levels and UEs with lower or secondary service levels can share the same paging carrier. As a result, UEs in better coverage areas and / or with high / prioritized service levels can have a paging delay (despite having good coverage and / or high / prioritized service levels) because repetitions are applied to paging message transmissions to page UEs in poor coverage areas and / or UEs with lower / secondary service levels but using the same paging carrier. This can result in inefficient use of network resources, poor latency, undesirable delays, and / or user dissatisfaction.

[0039] Aspects of the present disclosure can provide improved paging techniques. These techniques can be used for many types of communication networks and devices. A number of particular examples include, but are not limited to, NB-IoT devices, eMTC devices, reduced-capability devices, and other wireless communication devices. Aspects of the paging techniques of the present disclosure provide coverage level based paging carrier selection for communications between a device and a communication network over a wireless channel. In some aspects, the coverage level based paging carrier selection includes a UE selecting a paging carrier from a plurality of paging carriers based on a value of a coverage level of the UE, where each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers is associated with one or more coverage levels corresponding to a condition of the wireless channel, the condition of the wireless channel being measured by, for example, a reference signal received power (RSRP) value or the like. Deployment and use of the techniques discussed herein can improve latency, reliability, efficiency, user satisfaction, and / or other parameters of paging communications in a wireless communication network.

[0040] The paging techniques discussed herein can include paging carrier and / or coverage level aspects. In some cases, different paging carriers can be associated with one or more coverage levels. The association with coverage levels enables selection of a paging carrier for a wireless communication device from a paging carrier that supports a coverage level of the wireless communication device. This can provide improved paging performance for UEs in better coverage areas.

[0041] Coverage levels (alternatively referred to as coverage enhancement (CE) levels or CE modes) refer to a plurality of levels or modes defined for CE operation of UEs. CE operation is a mode of UE operation designed or configured for environments or situations where challenging coverage conditions (e.g., high path loss) can occur for the network and / or UE, non-limiting examples of which include eMTC or NB-IoT devices in places where network signals are difficult to reach, such as basements. CE can be implemented via repetition techniques, where transmissions can be repeated multiple times (e.g., from tens to thousands) when a UE is operating in a CE mode to improve the chances of transmission success (e.g., as opposed to standard LTE / 5G operation where transmissions are typically sent once or a very limited number of times). For eMTC devices, two CE modes (Mode A and Mode B) have been defined, where Mode A is designed for moderate coverage conditions and the latter is designed for extreme coverage conditions. For NB-IoT devices, three CE levels (CE levels 1, 2, and 3) have been defined corresponding to good, moderate, and poor coverage conditions, respectively.

[0042] CE modes and / or CE levels can be defined based on metrics related to path loss or generally based on conditions of the wireless channel, such as but not limited to CINR, signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), reference signal received power (RSRP), etc. For example, Mode B has been defined for carrier to interference and noise ratio (CINR) < -6 dB to -18 dB, while Mode A has been defined for higher CINR values. As another example, a highest RSRP value for a UE can be associated with a lowest CE level (CE level 1 (alternatively referred to as CL1 for coverage level 1)), while a lowest RSRP value for a UE can be associated with a lowest CE level (CE level 3 (alternatively referred to as CL3 for coverage level 3)), with a moderate RSRP value for a UE being associated with CE level 2 (alternatively referred to as CE level CL2 for coverage level 2). A UE can measure its downlink received signal power to determine the CE level it belongs to.

[0043] Different transmission repetition numbers can be assigned to different CE modes or levels, with increased transmission repetition numbers assigned to CE modes and levels associated with poor or challenging coverage conditions or high path loss (as compared to those modes associated with better coverage conditions). For example, in LTE, Mode A can be associated with no or small repetition for PRACH, while Mode B can be associated with medium or large repetition for PRACH. Similarly, the transmission repetition number assigned to CL3 can be greater than that of CL2, which can be greater than that of CL1. In addition, different CE modes or levels can also be characterized by other parameters, such as but not limited to PRACH resources of transmission, start time, frequency location, number of subcarriers, etc. It will be understood that the above CE mode / level definitions are non-limiting illustrative examples, and any number of modes / levels can be defined, and associated transmission repetition numbers can be assigned to CE modes or levels to improve the chances of transmission success in that mode / level.

[0044] By using coverage level considerations in paging operations, paging performance improvements can be brought about. For example, if there are many UEs (e.g., smart meters or other NB-IoT / eMTC devices that are stationary and tend to maintain consistent coverage levels) in a cell with good coverage, these UEs can benefit from using one or more sets of paging carriers reserved for UEs with good coverage (e.g., NB-IoT devices at coverage level 1 and / or eMTC devices at coverage enhancement (CE) mode A). Additionally or alternatively, these UEs can avoid the delays associated with paging (or attempting to page) UEs with poor coverage (e.g., NB-IoT devices at coverage level 3 and / or eMTC devices at CE mode B).

[0045] Additional coverage level features bring about improved paging operations. Some aspects of the present disclosure can provide mechanisms for identifying which coverage level(s) are supported by each paging carrier. Additionally or alternatively, some aspects of the present disclosure can also provide mechanisms for UEs and / or BSs to select paging carriers for UEs based on the UEs' coverage levels and / or other parameters (e.g., DRX cycles, service levels, etc.).

[0046] Figure 1A wireless communication network 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The network 100 can be a 5G network. The network 100 includes a plurality of base stations (BSs) 105 (labeled as 105a, 105b, 105c, 105d, 105e, and 105f respectively) and other network entities. A BS 105 can be a station that communicates with UEs 115 and can also be referred to as an evolved node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, and the like. Each BS 105 can provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to this particular geographic coverage area of a BS 105 and / or a BS subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used.

[0047] BSs 105 can provide communication coverage for a macro cell, or a small cell, such as a pico cell or a femto cell, and / or other types of cells. A macro cell can generally cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., 5 km in radius) and can allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell can also generally cover a relatively small geographic area and can allow restricted access by UEs, such as UEs in an associated closed subscriber group (CSG). A BS for a macro cell can be referred to as a macro BS. A BS for a small cell can be referred to as a small cell BS, a pico BS, a femto BS, or a home BS. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the BSs 105d and 105e can be macro BSs for the macro cells 110d and 110e, respectively, while the BSs 105a-c can be small cell BSs for the small cells 110a-c, respectively. A BS can support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells. Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG. 1, the BSs 105d and 105e can be macro BSs for macro cells 110d and 110e, respectively, while the BSs 105a-c can be small cell BSs for small cells 110a-c, respectively. A BS can support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells.

[0048] The network 100 can support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the BSs can have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs can be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the BSs can have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs can not be aligned in time.

[0049] The UEs 115 are dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 115 can be stationary or mobile. A UE 115 can also be referred to as a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. A UE 115 can be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, etc. In one aspect, a UE 115 can be a device that includes a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). In another aspect, a UE 115 can be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, a UE that does not include a UICC can also be referred to as an IoT device, or an Internet of Everything (IoE) device. UEs 115a-115d are examples of mobile smart phone-type devices accessing network 100 A UE 115 can also be a machine specifically configured for connected communication, including machine type communication (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and the like. UEs 115e-115k are examples of various machines configured for communication that access the network 100 A UE 115 can be able to communicate with any type of the BSs, whether macro BS, small cell, or the like. In Figure 1 In general, a lightning bolt (e.g., communication link) indicates wireless transmission between a UE 115 and a serving BS 105 (which is the BS designated to serve the UE 115 on the downlink and / or uplink), or desired transmission between BSs, and backhaul transmission between BSs.

[0050] In operation, BSs 105a-105c can serve UEs 115a and 115b using 3D beamforming and coordinated spatial techniques, such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity. Macro BS 105d can perform backhaul communications with BSs 105a- 105c as well as small cell (BS 105f). Macro BS 105d can also transmit multicast services which are received by UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services can include mobile television or stream video, or can include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber alerts or gray alerts.

[0051] The BSs 105 can also communicate with a core network. The core network can provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC), which can include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) and at least one user plane entity that routes packets to and from user equipment (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW) a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). The control plane entity can manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for UEs 115 served by base stations 105 associated with the core network. User IP packets can be transferred through the user plane entity, which can provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity can be connected to the network operators IP services. The operators IP services can include the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), or a packet- switched streaming service. At least some of the BSs 105 (e.g., which can be an example of a gNB or an access node controller (ANC)) can interface with the core network through backhaul links (e.g., NG-C, NG-U, etc.) and can perform radio

[0052] The network 100 can also utilize ultra-reliable and redundant communication links for task-critical devices, such as UE 115e, which can be an unmanned aerial vehicle. Redundant communication links with UE 115e can include links from macro BSs 105d and 105e and from a small cell BS 105f. Other machine type devices, such as UE 115f (e.g., a thermometer), UE 115g (e.g., a smart meter), and UE 115h (e.g., a wearable device) can communicate through the network 100 either directly with BSs, such as small cell BS 105f, and macro BS 105e, or in multi-hop configurations by communicating with another user device which relays their information to the network, such as UE 115f communicating temperature measurement information to the smart meter (UE 115g), which is then reported to the network by the small cell BS 105f. The network 100 can also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD / FDD communications, such as in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications.

[0053] In some implementations, the network 100 utilizes OFDM-based waveforms for communications. An OFDM-based system can partition the system BW into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as subcarriers, tones, bins, or the like. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In some instances, the subcarrier spacing can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can be dependent on the system BW. The system BW can also be partitioned into subbands. In other instances, the subcarrier spacing and / or the duration of TTIs can be scalable.

[0054] In one embodiment, the BSs 105 can assign or schedule time- resources (e.g., in the form of time-frequency resource blocks (RBs)) for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) transmissions in the network 100. DL refers to the transmission direction from a BS 105 to a UE 115, whereas UL refers to the transmission direction from a UE 115 to a BS 105. The communication can be in the form of wireless frames. A wireless frame can be partitioned into a plurality of subframes or slots, for example, about 10. Each slot can be further partitioned into mini-slots. In a FDD mode, simultaneous UL and DL transmissions can occur in different frequency bands. For example, each subframe includes a UL subframe in a UL frequency band and a DL subframe in a DL frequency band. In a TDD mode, UL and DL transmissions occur at different time periods using the same frequency band. For example, a subset of the subframes (e.g., DL subframes) in a wireless frame can be used for DL transmissions and another subset of the subframes (e.g., UL subframes) in the wireless frame can be used for UL transmissions.

[0055] The DL subframes and the UL subframes can be further divided into several regions. For example, each DL or UL subframe can have pre-defined regions for transmission of reference signals, control information, and data. Reference signals are pre-defined signals that facilitate the communications between the BSs 105 and the UEs 115. For example, a reference signal can have a particular pilot pattern or structure, where pilot tones can span across the operational BW or frequency band, each positioned at a pre-defined time and a pre-defined frequency. For example, a BS 105 can transmit cell-specific reference signals (CRS) and / or channel state information - reference signals (CSI-RS) to enable a UE 115 to estimate a DL channel. Similarly, a UE 115 can transmit sounding reference signals (SRS) to enable a BS 105 to estimate a UL channel. Control information can include resource assignments and protocol

[0056] In one embodiment, the network 100 can be an NR network deployed over a licensed spectrum. The BSs 105 can transmit synchronization signals (e.g., including a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)) in the network 100 to facilitate synchronization. The BSs 105 can broadcast system information associated with the network 100 (e.g., including a master information block (MIB), remaining system information (RMSI), and other system information (OSI)) to facilitate initial network access. In some instances, the BSs 105 can broadcast the PSS, the SSS, and / or the MIB in the form of synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) over a physical broadcast channel (PBCH) and can broadcast the RMSI and / or the OSI over a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0057] In one embodiment, a UE 115 attempting to access the network 100 can perform an initial cell search by detecting a PSS from a BS 105. The PSS can enable synchronization of period timing and can indicate a physical layer identification value. The UE 115 can then receive an SSS. The SSS can enable synchronization of a radio frame and can provide a cell identification value that can be combined with the physical layer identification value to identify a cell. The PSS and the SSS can be located in a center portion of a carrier or in any suitable frequency within the carrier.

[0058] After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 can receive a MIB. The MIB can include system information for initial network access and scheduling information for RMSI and / or OSI. After decoding the MIB, the UE 115 can receive RMSI and / or OSI. The RMSI and / or OSI can include Radio Resource Control (RRC) information related to Random Access Channel (RACH) procedures, paging, Control Resource Sets (CORESETs) for Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring, Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), power control, and SRS.

[0059] After obtaining the MIB, RMSI, and / or OSI, the UE 115 can perform a random access procedure to establish a connection with the BS 105. In some examples, the random access procedure can be a four-step random access procedure. For example, the UE 115 can transmit a random access preamble and the BS 105 can respond with a random access response. The random access response (RAR) can include a detected random access preamble identifier (ID) corresponding to the random access preamble, timing advance (TA) information, an UL grant, a temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI), and / or a backoff indicator. Upon receiving the random access response, the UE 115 can transmit a connection request to the BS 105 and the BS 105 can respond with a connection response. The connection response can indicate a contention resolution. In some examples, the random access preamble, the RAR, the connection request, and the connection response can be referred to as message 1 (MSG 1), message 2 (MSG 2), message 3 (MSG 3), and message 4 (MSG 4), respectively. In some examples, the random access procedure can be a two-step random access procedure in which the UE 115 can transmit a random access preamble and a connection request in a single transmission and the BS 105 can respond by transmitting a random access response and a connection response in a single transmission. The combined random access preamble and connection request in the two-step random access procedure can be referred to as message A (MSG A). The combined random access response and connection response in the two-step random access procedure can be referred to as message B (MSG B).

[0060] After a connection is established, the UE 115 and the BS 105 can move to a normal operation stage, where operational data can be exchanged. For example, the BS 105 can schedule the UE 115 for UL and / or DL communications. The BS 105 can transmit UL and / or DL scheduling grants to the UE 115 via a PDCCH. The BS 105 can transmit a DL communication signal to the UE 115 via a PDSCH in accordance with a DL scheduling grant. The UE 115 can transmit a UL communication signal to the BS 105 via a PUSCH and / or PUCCH in accordance with a UL scheduling grant. The connection can be referred to as an RRC connection. The UE 115 is in an RRC connected state when it is actively exchanging data with the BS 105.

[0061] In one example, after establishing a connection with the BS 105, the UE 115 can initiate an initial network attach procedure with the network 100. The BS 105 can coordinate with various network entities or fifth generation core (5GC) entities, such as an access and mobility function (AMF), a serving gateway (SGW), and / or a packet data network gateway (PGW), to complete the network attach procedure. For example, the BS 105 can coordinate with network entities in the 5GC to identify the UE, authenticate the UE, and / or authorize the UE to send and / or receive data in the network 100. Further, the AMF can assign a set of tracking areas (TAs) to the UE. Once the network attach procedure is successful, a context is established in the AMF for the UE 115. After successfully attaching to the network, the UE 115 can move around a current TA. For a tracking area update (TAU), the BS 105 can request the UE 115 to periodically update the network 100 with the location of the UE 115. Alternatively, the UE 115 can only report the location of the UE 115 to the network 100 when entering a new TA. The TAU allows the network 100 to quickly locate and page the UE 115 when an incoming data packet or call is received for the UE 115. A registration area can have one or more tracking areas. A tracking area can have one or more cells. Further, a tracking area identity (TAI) is an identifier used to track a tracking area. The TAI can be constructed from a PLMN identity to which the tracking area belongs and a tracking area code (TAC) of the tracking area.

[0062] In one embodiment, the network 100 can operate over a system BW or a component carrier BW. The network 100 can partition the system BW into multiple BWPs (e.g., portions). The BSs 105 can dynamically assign the UEs 115 to operate over a particular BWP (e.g., a particular portion of the system BW). The assigned BWP can be referred to as the active BWP. The UEs 115 can monitor the active BWP for signaling information from the BSs 105. The BSs 105 can schedule the UEs 115 for UL or DL communications in the active BWP. In some embodiments, the BSs 105 can assign a pair of BWPs within a component carrier to a UE 115 for UL and DL communications. For example, the BWP pair can include one BWP for UL communications and one BWP for DL communications.

[0063] In one embodiment, the UE 115 can enter an idle mode when there is no ongoing data transmission between the UE 115 and the network 100, for example, to conserve power at the UE 115. When the UE 115 is in the idle mode, the UE 115 can monitor for paging messages from the network 100, for example, at predetermined times configured by the network 100, and can be in a sleep mode at other times to conserve power. For example, the BSs 105 can configure the UE 115 to operate in a DRX cycle that includes an on duration and an off duration. The UE 115 can monitor for paging messages from the BSs 105 during the on duration of the DRX cycle. The BSs 105 can page the UE 115 during the on duration of the DRX cycle. In some aspects, the UE 115 is an NB-IoT device, an eMTC device, or any other wireless communication device that operates over a narrowband, and the network 100 can utilize multiple paging carriers to page UEs 115 in the network 100. Different paging carriers can be associated with different coverage levels and / or different DRX cycles. The BSs 105 and / or the UE 115 can select a paging carrier based on a coverage level of the UE 115 and / or a DRX cycle of the UE 115 for paging message communications. Mechanisms for coverage level based paging communications are described in more detail herein.

[0064] Figure 2A wireless communication network 200 is shown in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. The BSs 105 can provide different levels of coverage to UEs (e.g., UEs 115a, 115b, and 115g) in a cell. The coverage level for a particular UE can depend on proximity to the BS, environmental factors (e.g., obstructions, interference, etc.), operating parameters of the UE (e.g., available transmit power, battery level, service level, etc.), or other factors. In some cases, two to sixty-four different levels of coverage can be defined, with two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, etc. levels of coverage used in some cases. In some cases, a deterministic algorithm or formula can be utilized to determine the coverage level for a UE. In some cases, the deterministic algorithm / formula for determining the coverage level utilizes factors such as reference signal received power (RSRP), a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold (e.g., for NB-IoT devices), a physical random access channel (PRACH) threshold (e.g., for eMTC devices), a network coverage limit, a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle length, a UE identification number, and / or other factors. In some cases, the UEs 115a, 115b, and 115g are at different coverage levels (e.g., UE 115g is at coverage level 1, UE 115a is at coverage level 2, and UE 115b is at coverage level 3).

[0065] In some aspects of the disclosure, paging-specific coverage level determination can be made. In some cases, a paging-specific coverage level algorithm or formula can be used to determine the coverage level for a particular UE (e.g., UEs 115a, 115b, or 115g) that is different from other coverage level algorithms / formulas. In this way, the coverage level for paging can be different from other coverage levels and tailored to provide optimal network performance for paging. For example, a list of RSRP thresholds associated with different paging coverage levels can be provided as RSRP-ThresholdsPCCH-InfoList-NB-r17 ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..k)) OF RSRP-Range, where each entry in the sequence corresponds to a boundary of a coverage level and k is a positive integer greater than 1 (and can be different from the number of entries for NPRACH). In some cases, the paging-specific coverage level algorithm / formula does not consider or utilize UE transmit power capability in determining the coverage level, as the reception capability of a UE is not affected by the maximum transmit power supported by the UE.

[0066] In some aspects, the coverage level of a UE for paging purposes can be determined based on a coverage level algorithm / formula used for other purposes (e.g., unrelated to paging). For example, existing coverage level determinations for NB-IoT devices (e.g., NPRACH coverage levels 1, 2, and / or 3) and / or existing coverage level determinations for eMTC devices (PRACH coverage enhancement (CE) mode A and / or B) can be used. For example, for NB-IoT devices, a list of RSRP thresholds associated with different NPRACH coverage levels can be provided as RSRP-ThresholdsNPRACH-InfoList-NB-r13 ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..2)) OF RSRP-Range, where each entry in the sequence corresponds to a boundary of a coverage level. Thus, in the example provided with two entries, three different coverage levels can be defined (e.g., greater than the value of the first entry, between the first entry and the second entry, and less than the value of the second entry). For UEs with lower maximum transmit power (e.g., UEs with a maximum transmit power of ~14 dBm or less), the measured RSRP can be adjusted to account for the UE having lower transmit power and potentially needing more repetitions (as compared to UEs supporting higher maximum transmit power (e.g., UEs with a maximum transmit power of ~20 dBm or more)). This can result in lower power UEs being determined to be in a worse coverage level (e.g., coverage level 3) as compared to higher power UEs, where the same measured RSRP is determined to be in a better coverage level (e.g., coverage level 2).

[0067] Figure 3 An association 300 of coverage levels to paging carriers is shown in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. As shown, a system bandwidth 302 can include a plurality of paging carriers 310 (e.g., PI, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6). Each of the paging carriers 310 occupies a range of frequencies of the system bandwidth 302. The paging carriers 310 can occupy adjacent portions of the system bandwidth 302 (e.g., PI and P2), be spaced apart from each other across the system bandwidth 302 (e.g., P3 and P4), and / or combinations thereof. In some cases, each of the paging carriers 310 occupies the same band size. In other cases, one or more of the paging carriers 310 occupies a different band size (e.g., occupies a larger or smaller band) than one or more of the other paging carriers.

[0068] As Figure 3As shown, each of the paging carriers 310 is associated with one or more coverage levels. Specifically, some of the paging carriers 310 (e.g., PI and P4) are associated with coverage level 1, some of the paging carriers 310 (e.g., P2 and P5) are associated with coverage level 2, and some of the paging carriers 310 (e.g., P3 and P6) are associated with coverage level 3. As discussed above, larger (or fewer) coverage levels can be provided and associated with the paging carriers 310. In some cases, each available coverage level is associated with at least one paging carrier 310. In some cases, a paging carrier 310 supports only one associated coverage level (e.g., PI supports coverage level 1, P2 supports coverage level 2, P3 supports coverage level 3, etc.). In some cases, additionally or alternatively, a paging carrier 310 supports one or more coverage levels. For example, each paging carrier 310 can support an associated or assigned coverage level and any coverage levels that are better than the associated / assigned coverage level (e.g., PI supports coverage level 1, P2 supports coverage levels 1 and 2, P3 supports coverage levels 1, 2, and 3). Similarly, each paging carrier 310 can support one or more coverage levels that are specifically associated with or assigned to the paging carrier 310, not necessarily including coverage levels that are better than the associated / assigned coverage levels. As discussed below with respect to FIGS. 4-6, the paging carriers 310 can be configured to support one or more coverage levels in a variety of ways. Figures 4-7 As discussed, aspects of the present disclosure provide mechanisms for indicating which coverage level(s) are associated with or assigned to different paging carriers 310 (e.g., PI, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, etc.) of a cell.

[0069] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a coverage level based paging communication method 400, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method 400 can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuit, and / or other suitable component) of a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE 115) or other suitable means for performing the steps. As illustrated, the method 400 includes a number of enumerated aspects, but the method 400 can include additional steps before, after, and in between the enumerated aspects. In some cases, one or more of the enumerated aspects can be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0070] At block 410, a UE (e.g., UE 115) can receive an indication of a plurality of paging carriers. The indication can contain one or more dynamic information elements configured to indicate various operational parameters. In some deployments, the UE can be a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) device, or other wireless communication device. The UE can receive the indication of the plurality of paging carriers for a cell from a BS (e.g., BS 105). In some cases, the indication received from the BS is to indicate one or more paging coverage levels for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers for the cell (e.g., as discussed above with respect to Figure 3 In some aspects, the paging coverage levels for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers includes one or more paging coverage levels. The indication can also include one or more values to indicate the paging coverage levels supported by the paging carriers, as discussed below with respect to Figures 5-7 In some cases, the indication includes a bit for each paging coverage level to indicate whether each paging coverage level is supported or not supported by the paging carriers, as discussed below with respect to Figure 6 In some cases, each paging carrier supports a single paging coverage level. In some aspects, the UE receives the indication from the BS via a system information block (SIB) (e.g., SIB2-NB (e.g., for an anchor carrier), SIB22-NB (e.g., for a non-anchor carrier), SIB24-NB, or other appropriate SIB), a downlink common configuration message, and / or a paging control channel (PCCH) configuration message.

[0071] In some cases, the UE receives the indication of the multiple paging carriers by receiving an information element that indicates a coverage level based on a value of an information element of the message. For example, in cases where each coverage level corresponds to an RSRP threshold in RSRP-ThresholdsNPRACH-InfoList-NB-r13 (with three coverage levels), the indication can be provided by the following information element or similar indication: [[pcch-CoverageLevel-r17 ENUMERATED{CL1, CL2}]]. Thus, the indication can be CL1 for coverage level 1, CL2 for coverage level 2, and no indication for coverage level 3 (or, alternatively, CL3 for coverage level 3). As another example, in cases where each coverage level corresponds to an RSRP threshold in RSRP-ThresholdsPCCH-InfoList-NB-r17 (with a predefined number of paging coverage levels) or other paging-specific threshold determination, the indication can be provided by the following information element or similar indication: [[pcch-CoverageLevel-r17 ENUMERATED{PAGE-CL1, PAGE-CL2,...}]]. Thus, the indication can be PAGE-CL1 for coverage level 1, PAGE-CL2 for coverage level 2, and so on. No indication can be provided for coverage level k (or, alternatively, PAGE CLk can be indicated for coverage level k).

[0072] To allow aspects of the present disclosure to be backwards compatible with legacy UEs that can not be configured for coverage level based paging carrier selection, at least one of the multiple paging carriers (e.g., an anchor carrier or other suitable carrier) can be configured to support all coverage levels. Further, a list of paging carriers with supported coverage levels can be provided (e.g., via SIB24-NB) to indicate to UEs with coverage level based paging carrier selection capabilities the coverage levels supported by the paging carriers. For example, the list of paging carriers can be provided as:

[0073] dl-ConfigList-r17 DL-ConfigCommonList-NB-r17 OPTIONAL,--Need OR

[0074] wherein:

[0075]

[0076] In some cases, the list of paging carriers can be provided by adding pcch-CoverageLevel-r17 to PCCH-Config-NB-r14 as follows:

[0077]

[0078] Since PCCH-Config-NB-r14 can be used within both legacy paging carrier list (DL-ConfigCommon-NB-r14) and new paging carrier list (DL-ConfigCommon-NB-r17), there is only pcch-CoverageLevel-r17 in the instance of PCCH-Config-NB-r14 if that instance appears in DL-ConfigCommon-NB-r17. If the instance of PCCH-Config-NB-r17 appears in DL-ConfigCommon-NB-r14 (e.g., legacy carrier list), legacy UEs can ignore PCCH-Config-NB-r17 because legacy UEs will not understand this information element. However, UEs that enable coverage level based paging carrier selection (e.g., Rel-17 UEs) can understand the PCCH-Config-NB-r17 information element. Thus, in some cases, a "COND PCCH-COVERAGE" field is provided to indicate that the PCCH-Config-NB-r17 information element can be included if and only if PCCH-Config-NB-r14 is included in DL-ConfigCommon-NB-r17 (e.g., new paging carrier list).

[0079] While the above-provided example of coding indication shows a coverage level corresponding to an NPRACH RSRP threshold, the same or similar indication type can be used for other coverage level methods discussed in detail herein and any other appropriate coverage level determination.

[0080] At block 420, the UE determines its coverage level. As shown, the UE can determine its coverage level and select a paging carrier based on one or more of the following: NPRACH / PRACH RSRP 422, PCCH RSRP 424, network input 426, and / or other factors.

[0081] In some aspects, as indicated by block 422, the UE determines its coverage level based on a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold and reference signal received power (RSRP) (e.g., for NB-IoT devices). For example, the UE can determine a coverage level based on RSRP-ThresholdsNPRACH-InfoList-NB-r13 ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..2)) OF RSRP-Range.

[0082] In some aspects, as indicated by block 422, the UE determines a coverage level based on a physical random access channel (PRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP) (e.g., for eMTC devices). For example, the UE can determine a coverage level based on determining a CE mode for eMTC devices.

[0083] In some aspects, as indicated by block 424, the UE determines a coverage level based on a paging (e.g., paging control channel (PCCH)) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP). For example, the UE can determine a coverage level based on RSRP-ThresholdsPCCH-InfoList-NB-r17 ::= SEQUENCE (SIZE (1..k)) OF RSRP-Range.

[0084] In some aspects, as indicated by block 426, the UE can determine a coverage level. These determinations can be based on a number of factors or considerations. For example, in some particular deployments, these determinations can be based on a coverage limit of the UE and / or other network inputs. Additionally or alternatively, the UE can be configured (e.g., by the network) to limit its coverage level to one or more coverage levels. For example, the UE can be configured to only operate at coverage level 1. If the UE leaves coverage level 1 (e.g., goes to coverage level 2 or 3), the UE can exit service until it returns to coverage level 1 (in the same or a different cell). In some cases, legacy coverage level limit mechanisms can also be used for paging carrier selection limits. For example, a BS can broadcast information to limit RxLevel, where UEs configured with limited coverage levels can consider suitable cells and / or coverage levels up to RxLevel. In some cases, the BS and / or core network configures the UE with a coverage level for paging carrier selection. In some cases, the UE can determine its coverage level by receiving an indication of its coverage level from the BS and / or core network.

[0085] A network component, such as a base station, can also participate in coverage level determination or operation. For example, in some cases, the BS determines a coverage level of a UE in a similar manner as the UE (e.g., using the same or similar parameters in the context of the same or similar algorithms). In some cases, the BS receives an indication of a coverage level of a UE from the UE. In some cases, the BS or associated core network determines one or more coverage level limits for a UE based on a service level of the UE, operating parameters / features of the UE, network traffic levels, and / or other aspects of the UE and / or network.

[0086] At block 430, the UE selects a paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers based on its coverage level (as determined at block 420). In some cases, the UE identifies a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support the UE’s coverage level, and selects a particular paging carrier from the subset of paging carriers that support the UE’s coverage level. For example, referring again to Figure 3 If the UE determines its coverage level to be coverage level 1 at block 420, the UE can select paging carrier PI or P4 from the paging carriers 310, since paging carriers PI and P4 support coverage level 1. That is, in some cases, the UE can select a paging carrier (e.g., PI or P4) that has a coverage level that matches the UE’s coverage level (e.g., coverage level 1). And in some cases, the UE can then use the selected paging carrier to receive a paging message from the base station. In some cases, the UE follows a traditional paging carrier selection scheme to select among the paging carriers that support its coverage level. For example, in a traditional paging carrier selection scheme, the BS can configure the UE with weighting factors (e.g., related to a distribution of paging load among the paging carriers) for selecting a paging carrier from the paging carriers. The paging carrier selection can be based on multiple factors or considerations. In some deployments, the BS and / or UE can select a paging carrier based at least in part on a UE identifier (ID) and a paging weight factor. Other non-limiting examples of different factors or considerations for determining, selecting, or assigning a paging carrier for a UE include carrier power boost information (e.g., a downlink power boost applied to the carrier), whether the carrier is a non-anchor or anchor carrier, whether the carrier is in-band, a guard band, or standalone, UE class / capability (e.g., uplink and downlink transmission reception capability), history of the UE (e.g., type of service the UE typically needs), UE differentiation information (e.g., battery indication, traffic profile, stationary indication, periodic communication pattern, etc.), current load situation on the downlink carrier, current distribution of one or more UEs on the carrier, and so forth.

[0087] As shown, in some aspects, the UE can select a paging carrier based on UE operation. As shown, at block 430, the paging carrier selection can be based on a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the UE. The DRX cycle of the UE can be configured or assigned to the UE by the BS. In some aspects, the UE receives an indication from the BS of one or more DRX cycle lengths supported by each of the plurality of paging carriers. The indication of the DRX cycle lengths can be received by the UE as part of the indication of the plurality of paging carriers (received at block 410) or as a separate indication. In some cases, to reduce paging delay for UEs in better coverage levels (e.g., coverage level 1 and / or CE mode A), it can be beneficial to set different paging DRX cycles for paging carriers that support better coverage levels. Thus, in some cases, the following information element or similar information element can be included in each paging carrier configuration, such that a paging carrier-specific DRX cycle can be configured: cl-SpecificPagingCycle-r17 ENUMERATED {rf32, rf64, rf128, rf256, rf512, rf1024}. In this way, the UE can identify the paging carrier that supports the coverage level of the UE as well as the DRX cycle of the UE, and select the corresponding paging carrier. In some cases, the paging carrier that supports the DRX cycle of the UE can have a DRX cycle that has approximately the same on-duration as the on-duration of the DRX cycle of the UE.

[0088] At block 440, the UE can monitor the paging carrier selected at block 430 for a paging message from the base station. For example, the UE can tune the receiver chain of its transceiver unit (e.g., transceiver 1310 in FIG. 13) to the paging carrier to search for a paging message from the base station. Figure 13

[0089] Figure 5 An association 500 of coverage levels to paging carriers is shown in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. The association 500 shows an example of an indication of one or more paging coverage levels for each of a plurality of paging carriers for a cell (e.g., as discussed above with respect to FIG. 4). Specifically, Figure 3 and Figure 4 Figure 5 ​​Examples of show explicit indication of each coverage level supported by a paging carrier. For example, association 500 shows that paging carrier 510 can be associated with coverage levels 512 including coverage levels 1 and 2, as indicated by CL1 and CL2. Association 500 also shows that paging carrier 520 can be associated with coverage levels 522 including coverage levels 2 and 3, as indicated by CL2 and CL3. Thus, paging carrier 510 supports coverage levels 1 and 2 (and not coverage level 3), while paging carrier 520 supports coverage levels 2 and 3 (and not coverage level 1). In some aspects, association 500 can be encoded as:

[0090] [[pcch-CoverageLevel-r17 ENUMERATED{CL1,CL2}]].

[0091] Figure 6 Association 600 shows an example of indication of one or more paging coverage levels for each of a plurality of paging carriers for a cell, in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure (e.g., as discussed above with respect to Figure 3 and Figure 4 . Specifically, Figure 6 Examples of show explicit indication of each coverage level supported by a paging carrier via associated bits. For example, association 600 shows that paging carrier 610 can be associated with coverage levels 612 including coverage levels 1 and 2, as indicated by bits b0 and bl being set to 1 and bit b2 being set to 0. Association 600 also shows that paging carrier 620 can be associated with coverage levels 622 including coverage levels 2 and 3, as indicated by bits bl and b2 being set to 1 and bit b0 being set to 0. Thus, paging carrier 610 supports coverage levels 1 and 2 (and not coverage level 3), while paging carrier 620 supports coverage levels 2 and 3 (and not coverage level 1). In some aspects, association 600 can be encoded as:

[0092] [[pcch-CoverageLevel-r17 ENUMERATED{PAGE-CL1,PAGE-CL2,...}]].

[0093] Figure 7 Association 700 shows an example of indication of one or more paging coverage levels for each of a plurality of paging carriers for a cell, in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure (e.g., as discussed above with respect to Figure 3 and Figure 4 . Specifically, Figure 7Examples of the association 700 show a single coverage level indication for each paging carrier. In some cases, each paging carrier supports a single paging coverage level, such that the indicated paging coverage level is the only coverage level supported by that paging carrier. For example, the association 700 shows that the paging carrier 710 can be associated with a coverage level 712 that includes coverage level 1, as indicated by CL1. The association 700 also shows that the paging carrier 720 can be associated with a coverage level 722 that includes coverage level 2, as indicated by CL2. Thus, if the paging carriers 710 and 720 support only a single paging carrier, then the paging carrier 710 supports coverage level 1 (and not coverage levels 2 and 3), and the paging carrier 720 supports coverage level 2 (and not coverage levels 1 and 3). In some aspects, the association 700 can be encoded as:

[0094] [[pcch-CoverageLevel-r17 ENUMERATED{CL1,CL2}]].

[0095] In some cases, each paging carrier supports the indicated paging coverage level and any higher (better) coverage levels. In the context of the association 700, the paging carrier 710 supports coverage level 1 (and not coverage levels 2 and 3) based on the CL1 indication, and the paging carrier 720 supports coverage levels 1 and 2 (and not coverage level 3) based on the CL2 indication. Figure 7 In the context of the association 700, the paging carrier 710 supports coverage level 1 (and not coverage levels 2 and 3) based on the CL1 indication, and the paging carrier 720 supports coverage levels 1 and 2 (and not coverage level 3) based on the CL2 indication.

[0096] Figure 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a coverage level based paging communication method 800 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method 800 can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuit, and / or other suitable component) of a wireless communication device (e.g., a UE 115) or other suitable means for performing the steps. As illustrated, the method 800 includes a number of enumerated aspects, but the method 800 can include additional steps before, after, and in between the enumerated aspects. In some cases, one or more of the enumerated aspects can be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0097] At block 802, the UE receives a reference signal from a BS (e.g., the BS 105). The reference signal can be one or more of a PBCH signal, a SIB signal, a DMRS, or any predetermined waveform sequence. In some aspects, the UE can receive the reference signal on an anchor carrier. In some aspects, the UE can receive the reference signal on a non-anchor carrier.

[0098] At block 804, the UE determines a reference signal received power (RSRP) based on the reference measurement signal received at block 802. In some cases, the RSRP can be determined by measuring signal energy based on a predetermined time and / or frequency location at which the BS transmits the reference signal.

[0099] At block 806, the UE determines whether the RSRP satisfies a coverage level 1 (CL1) threshold. If the RSRP satisfies the coverage level 1 (CL1) threshold, the method 800 proceeds to block 808, where the UE identifies a subset of paging carriers from the plurality of paging carriers for the cell that support coverage level 1. If the RSRP does not satisfy the coverage level 1 (CL1) threshold at block 806, the method 800 proceeds to block 810.

[0100] At block 810, the UE determines whether the RSRP satisfies a coverage level 2 (CL2) threshold. If the RSRP satisfies the coverage level 2 (CL2) threshold, the method 800 proceeds to step 812, where the UE identifies a subset of paging carriers from the plurality of paging carriers for the cell that support coverage level 2. If the RSRP does not satisfy the coverage level 2 (CL2) threshold at block 810, the method 800 proceeds to step 814. At block 814, the UE identifies a subset of paging carriers from the plurality of paging carriers for the cell that support coverage level 3.

[0101] At block 816, the UE selects a paging carrier from the subset of paging carriers identified at block 808, 812, or 814. In some cases, the UE follows a conventional paging carrier selection scheme to select from the subset of paging carriers that support its coverage level. For example, in a conventional paging carrier selection scheme, the BS can configure the UE with a weighting factor (e.g., related to a distribution of paging load between paging carriers) for selecting a paging carrier from the paging carriers. The BS and / or the UE can select the paging carrier based at least in part on a UE identifier (ID) and the paging weight factor.

[0102] In some aspects, at block 816, the UE selects a paging carrier from the subset of paging carriers based on a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the UE. In some cases, the UE can identify paging carriers that support the coverage level of the UE and the DRX cycle of the UE. The UE can then select a paging carrier that supports the coverage level and the DRX cycle. In selecting a paging carrier that supports the coverage level, in some cases, the UE can select a paging carrier that has a coverage level that matches the coverage level of the UE. And in some cases, the UE can then receive a paging message from the base station using the selected paging carrier.

[0103] While the method 800 is described in the context of three coverage levels, these concepts are equally applicable to other numbers of coverage levels, including but not limited to 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc.

[0104] Figure 9 FIG. 9 is a signaling diagram illustrating coverage level based paging communications 900, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, aspects of the coverage level based paging communications 900 can be performed by a UE 115, a BS 105, and / or a core network 902. The core network 902 can include components such as the MME and AMF discussed above with respect to Figure 1 In some aspects, the coverage level based paging communications 900 provide a coverage restriction to the UE, which in turn can limit the paging carriers that the UE can utilize.

[0105] At 904, the UE 115 establishes communications with the BS 105. In some cases, the UE establishes communications with the BS 105 by initiating a random access procedure with the BS and establishing an RRC connection with the BS. In some cases, at 904, the UE performs a tracking area update (TAU update). For example, the UE can be operating in idle mode and has moved to a new tracking area due to mobility. As a result, according to aspects of the present disclosure, in conjunction with the TAU update, the UE can select a paging carrier based on its coverage level. Figure 9

[0106] At 906, the UE 115 can transmit an attach request and / or a TAU request to the BS 105 and / or the core network 902. In some cases, the attach request and / or TAU request can indicate that the UE supports a restriction on the use of enhanced coverage.

[0107] At 908, the UE 115 can receive an attach accept and / or TAU accept from the BS 105 and / or the core network 902. In some cases, the attach and / or TAU accept can indicate to the UE 115 that a restriction on the use of enhanced coverage is enabled. For example, the UE 115 can receive an indication that “restrict CE” is enabled or activated.

[0108] At 910, the UE 115 receives first system information from the BS 105. The first system information can be received by the UE as a SIB (e.g., SIB1-NB) and includes a coverage level restriction (e.g., Qoffset authorization ​In some cases, the coverage level restriction can indicate what coverage levels the UE 115 is able to utilize. In some aspects, for eMTC devices or other devices, when the use of enhanced coverage is restricted, the UE can limit enhanced coverage operation to CE mode A and can not configure additional thresholds via SIB.

[0109] At 912, the UE 115 receives second system information from the BS 105. The second system information can be received by the UE 115 as a SIB (e.g., SIB2-NB, SIB22-NB, SIB24-NB, etc.) and includes an indication of a plurality of paging carriers. The indication of the plurality of paging carriers can provide a list of supported coverage levels and / or supported DRX cycle lengths for each paging carrier.

[0110] At 914, the UE 115 and / or the BS 105 can select a paging carrier based on the coverage authorization for the UE 115 and the coverage level associated with each of the paging carriers of the cell. For example, the UE 115 can determine an RxLev corresponding to the coverage level of its authorization (e.g., as indicated at 910) as: RxLev authorized = RxLev measured - Qoffset authorization . The UE 115 can then determine or select a coverage level supported by the determined RxLev. In some cases, the UE 115 can determine or select the supported coverage level by referencing the list RSRP-ThresholdsNPRACH-InfoList[i] <= RxLev authorizied , where i is an integer >= 0. The UE 115 can then identify a subset of paging carriers that support its coverage level. If no paging carriers support its coverage level, the UE 115 can utilize a legacy paging carrier selection procedure. In some cases, the UE 115 further restricts the subset of paging carriers to those that support the UE’s DRX cycle (e.g., paging carriers that support a DRX cycle that is the same as or greater than the UE’s DRX cycle). The UE 115 then selects a paging carrier from the subset of paging carriers that support its coverage level and / or DRX cycle. In some cases, the UE follows a legacy paging carrier selection scheme to select from the subset of paging carriers that support its coverage level and / or DRX cycle. For example, in a legacy paging carrier selection scheme, the BS can configure the UE with a weighting factor (e.g., related to a distribution of paging load between paging carriers) for selecting a paging carrier from the paging carriers. The BS and / or the UE can select the paging carrier based at least in part on a UE identifier (ID) and the paging weight factor.

[0111] At 916, the UE 115 monitors the paging carrier selected at 914. In some cases, the UE 115 monitors the paging carrier while operating in an idle mode. Further, in some cases, the UE monitors for paging based on a DRX cycle. For example, the BS 105 can configure the UE 115 with a UE-specific DRX cycle to be used for monitoring the paging carrier. In some cases, to monitor the selected paging carrier, the UE can tune a receiver chain of its transceiver unit (e.g., transceiver 1310 in FIG. 13) to the selected paging carrier (e.g., to monitor for a paging message from a base station). Figure 13

[0112] At 918, the core network 902 can transmit a paging request message to the BS 105, for example, based on arrival of data for the UE 115 at the core network 902. The paging request message from the core network 902 can include an indication that use of enhanced coverage is restricted for the UE 115. Similarly, the core network 902 can include an indication in a UE-RadioPaginglnfo-NB information element (for NB-IoT devices) and / or a UE-RadioPaginglnfo information element (e.g., for eMTC devices) that use of enhanced coverage is restricted and / or that coverage level paging is supported. In some cases, the BS 105 can receive the UE-RadioPaginglnfo(-NB) information element with the paging request message from the core network 902.

[0113] At 920, the BS 105 transmits a paging message to the UE 115 on the paging carrier selected at 914. In some aspects, the BS 105 can select the paging carrier for paging the UE 115 upon receiving the paging request from the core network 902, and can utilize the indication (restrict use of enhanced coverage) indicated by the paging request for the paging carrier selection. As a result of monitoring the selected paging carrier, the UE 115 can receive the paging message from the BS 105. The UE 115 can respond to the paging message according to normal paging procedures. That is, in some cases, the UE can select a paging carrier having a coverage level that matches the coverage level of the UE, and use the selected paging carrier to receive the paging message from the base station.

[0114] Figure 10 FIG. 10 is a signaling diagram illustrating coverage level based paging communications 1000, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, aspects of the coverage level based paging communications 1000 can be performed by a UE 115, a BS 105, and / or a core network 902.

[0115] ​At 1002, the UE 115 establishes communication with the BS 105. In some cases, the UE establishes communication with the BS 105 by initiating a random access procedure with the BS and establishing an RRC connection with the BS. In some cases, at 1002, the UE performs a tracking area update (TAU update). For example, the UE can be operating in idle mode and has moved to a new tracking area due to mobility. As a result, the UE can select a paging carrier based on its coverage level in connection with the TAU update in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 10

[0116] At 1004, the UE 115 can transmit an attach request and / or a TAU request to the BS 105 and / or the core network 902. In some cases, the attach request and / or the TAU request can indicate that the UE supports coverage level based paging carrier selection.

[0117] At 1006, the UE 115 can receive an attach accept and / or a TAU accept from the BS 105 and / or the core network 902. In some cases, the attach and / or TAU accept can indicate to the UE 115 that coverage level based paging carrier selection is enabled. For example, the UE 115 can receive an indication of the coverage levels that the UE 115 can use for paging. In some cases, the UE 115 receives an indication of the maximum coverage level that the UE can use for paging. In some cases, the UE 115 receives an indication of each coverage level that the UE 115 can use for paging. Thus, the UE 115 can receive an indication of whether the UE 115 is authorized to use each of the available coverage levels for paging.

[0118] At 1008, the UE 115 receives second system information from the BS 105. The second system information can be received by the UE 115 as a SIB (e.g., SIB2-NB, SIB22-NB, SIB24-NB, etc.) and includes an indication of a plurality of paging carriers. The indication of the plurality of paging carriers can provide a list of supported coverage levels and / or supported DRX cycle lengths for each paging carrier.

[0119] ​At 1010, the UE 115 and / or the BS 105 can select a paging carrier based on the UE 115’s configured coverage level and the coverage level associated with each of the paging carriers of the cell. The UE 115 can then identify a subset of paging carriers that support its coverage level. In some cases, the UE 115 can identify paging carriers that support the indicated maximum coverage level (e.g., from 1006) and any worse coverage levels. For example, if the UE 115 receives an indication that its maximum coverage level is coverage level 2, the UE 115 can select paging carriers that support coverage levels 2 and 3. In such a case, paging carriers that only support coverage level 1 can not have enough repetition to reach a UE in coverage level 2, but paging carriers that support up to coverage level 3 can be used to reach UEs in any coverage level up to coverage level 3, including UEs in coverage levels 1 and 2. In some cases, the UE can select only paging carriers that support the indicated coverage level (e.g., from 1006) for paging. For example, if the UE 115 receives an indication that its coverage level is coverage level 2, the UE 115 can select only paging carriers that support coverage level 2. If no paging carriers support its coverage level, the UE 115 can utilize a traditional paging carrier selection procedure. In some cases, the UE 115 also limits the subset of paging carriers to those that support the UE’s DRX cycle (e.g., paging carriers that support a DRX cycle that is the same as or greater than the UE’s DRX cycle). The UE 115 then selects a paging carrier from the subset of paging carriers that support its configured coverage level and / or DRX cycle. In some cases, the UE follows a traditional paging carrier selection scheme to select from the subset of paging carriers that support its configured coverage level and / or DRX cycle. For example, in a traditional paging carrier selection scheme, the BS can configure the UE with a weighting factor (e.g., related to a distribution of paging load between paging carriers) for selecting a paging carrier from the paging carriers. The BS and / or the UE can select a paging carrier based at least in part on the UE identifier (ID) and the paging weight factor.

[0120] At 1012, the UE 115 monitors the paging carriers selected at 1010. In some cases, the UE 115 monitors the paging carriers while operating in an idle mode. Also, in some cases, the UE monitors for paging based on a DRX cycle. For example, the BS 105 can configure the UE 115 with a UE-specific DRX cycle to be used for monitoring the paging carriers. In some cases, the UE monitors the paging carriers by tuning a receiver chain of its transceiver unit (e.g., transceiver 1310 in FIG. 13) to the selected paging carriers. Figure 13

[0121] ​At 1014, core network 902 may send a paging request message to BS105. The paging request message from core network 902 may include an indication that UE 115 supports coverage-level paging carrier selection and / or an indication of the maximum coverage level for paging UE 115 (similar to the indication for UE 115 at 1006). In some aspects, BS105 may select a paging carrier to paging UE 115 upon receiving a paging request from core network 902, and may utilize the indication (maximum coverage level for paging) given in the paging request for paging carrier selection.

[0122] At position 1016, BS105 sends a paging message to UE 115 on the paging carrier selected at position 1010. As a result of monitoring the selected paging carrier, UE 115 can receive the paging message from BS105. UE 115 can respond to the paging message according to the normal paging procedure.

[0123] In some aspects, BS105 can base paging message transmission on the coverage level of the paging carrier used for paging UE 115 (in Figure 9 920 locations and / or Figure 10 The BS105 can use a lower number of repetitions when the paging carrier is for coverage level 1 (good coverage) compared to when the paging carrier is for coverage level 3 (poor or deep coverage). In one example, the BS105 can apply 1 repetition for coverage level 1, 2 repetitions for coverage level 2, and 64 repetitions for coverage level 3. In some cases, any appropriate number of repetitions between 1 and 2048 (or higher) can be used for each coverage level, including 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, or other numbers. Therefore, associating different paging carriers with different coverage levels allows the BS105 to apply a repetition number appropriate for a specific coverage level, rather than always applying a high number of repetitions to provide deep coverage. Furthermore, using a lower number of repetitions for UEs in good coverage allows the BS to utilize shorter DRX cycles. Therefore, coverage level-based paging communication can improve paging efficiency, resource utilization efficiency, and paging latency.

[0124] Figure 11 This is a block diagram of network unit 1100 according to some aspects of this disclosure. Network unit 1100 may be as described above. Figure 9 and Figure 10The core network components discussed in the figure are such as the core network 902. As shown, network unit 1100 may include processor 1102, memory 1104, paging module 1108, and transceiver 1110, which includes modem subsystem 1112 and front-end unit 1114. These components may communicate with each other directly or indirectly, for example, via one or more buses.

[0125] Processor 1102 may have various features as a particular type of processor. For example, these may include a CPU, DSP, ASIC, controller, FPGA device, another hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. Processor 1102 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0126] Memory 1104 may include cache memory (e.g., cache memory of processor 1102), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory devices, one or more hard disk drives, memristor-based arrays, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or combinations of different types of memory. In some embodiments, memory 1104 may include non-transitory computer-readable media. Memory 1104 may store instructions 1106. Instructions 1106 may include, when executed by processor 1102, causing processor 1102 to perform aspects of this document in conjunction with the present disclosure (including...). Figures 2-10 The instructions 1106 refer to the operations described in the core network (e.g., core network 902). Instructions 1106 may also be referred to as program code. Program code can be used to cause a wireless communication device to perform these operations, for example, by causing one or more processors (such as processor 1102) to control or command the wireless communication device to do so. The terms "instruction" and "code" should be interpreted broadly to include any type of computer-readable statement. For example, the terms "instruction" and "code" can refer to one or more programs, routines, subroutines, functions, procedures, etc. "Instructions" and "code" can include a single computer-readable statement or multiple computer-readable statements.

[0127] The paging module 1108 can be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the paging module 1108 can be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 1106 stored in memory 1104 and executed by processor 1102. The paging module 1108 can be used in various aspects of this disclosure, such as... Figures 2-10Aspects of the UE 115 can additionally include the components, functions, and functionality of the UE 115 described above in connection with FIGs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. For instance, the paging module 1108 can be configured to perform network attach procedures and / or TAU procedures with one or more BSs; determine coverage level restrictions for one or more BSs; determine configured coverage levels for one or more BSs; transmit a paging request to a BS; and / or other functionality of a UE associated with the coverage level based paging carrier selection techniques of the present disclosure.

[0128] As shown, the transceiver 1210 can include a modem subsystem 1212 and a front-end unit 1214. The transceiver 1210 can be configured to communicate bi-directionally with other devices, such as the UE 115 and / or another core network element. The modem subsystem 1212 can be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to a MCS, e.g., a LDPC coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, etc. The front-end unit 1214 can include electrical-to-optical (E / O) components and / or optical-to-electrical (O / E) components that convert electrical signals to optical signals for transmission to the UE 115 and / or convert optical signals received from the UE 115 to electrical signals, respectively. The front-end unit 1214 can be configured to process (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion or digital-to-analog conversion, optical-to-electrical conversion or electrical-to-optical conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data from the modem subsystem 1212 (with respect to outbound transmissions) or modulated / encoded data originating from another source such as a back-end or core network. Although shown as integrated with the transceiver 1210, the modem subsystem 1212 and the front-end unit 1214 can be separate devices that are coupled together at the BS 1200 to enable the BS 1200 to communicate with other devices. The front-end unit 1214 can transmit optical signals carrying the modulated and / or processed data to other devices on an optical link. The front-end unit 1214 can also receive optical signals carrying data messages and provide the received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at the transceiver 1210.

[0129] Figure 12 is a block diagram of a base station (BS) 1200 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The BS 1200 can be a BS 105 as discussed above in connection with FIGs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. As shown, the BS 1200 can include a processor 1202, a memory 1204, a paging module 1208, a transceiver 1210 including a modem 1212 and a RF unit 1214, and one or more antennas 1216. These elements can be in direct or indirect communication with one another, for example via one or more buses. The BS 1200 can include additional components not shown in FIG. 12. Figure 1 , 2

[0130] ​The processor 1202 can have various features as a specific-type processor. For example, these can include a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, a FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 1202 can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0131] The memory 1204 can include cache memory (e.g., of the processor 1202), RAM, MRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid state memory devices, one or more hard disk drives, memristor-based arrays, other forms of volatile and non-volatile memory, or a combination of different types of memory. In some embodiments, the memory 1204 can include a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory 1204 can store instructions 1206. The instructions 1206 can include instructions that, when executed by the processor 1202, enable the processor 1202 to perform the operations described herein (including the aspects of Figures 2-10 and 15). The instructions 1206 can also be referred to as code, which can be broadly interpreted as including any type of computer-readable statement(s) as discussed above with regard to Figure 11

[0132] The paging module 1208 can be implemented via hardware, software, or combinations thereof. For example, the paging module 1208 can be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 1206 stored in the memory 1204 and executed by the processor 1202. In some examples, the paging module 1208 can be integrated within the modem 1212. For example, the paging module 1208 can be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the modem 1212.

[0133] The paging module 1208 can be used for various aspects of the present disclosure, e.g., the aspects of Figures 2-10 and 15. The paging module 1208 can be configured to cause the transceiver 1210 to transmit, to a UE (e.g., a narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) device, an enhanced machine type communications (eMTC) device, or other wireless communication device), an indication of a plurality of paging carriers. In some cases, the indication transmitted to the UE is to indicate a paging coverage level for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers for a cell (e.g., as discussed with regard to Figure 3 and 5 ​The paging module 1208 can be configured to select a paging carrier from a plurality of paging carriers based on a coverage level of the UE. In some cases, the paging module 1208 can be configured to select a paging carrier for the UE from a plurality of paging carriers by identifying a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support a coverage level of the UE and selecting a particular paging carrier from the subset of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the UE. In some cases, the paging module 1208 can be configured to select or determine a paging carrier based on a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the UE. In some cases, the paging module 1208 can be configured to cause the transceiver 1210 to transmit a paging message to the UE using the selected paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers. In some cases, the paging module 1208 can be configured to cause the transceiver 1210 to transmit an indication of a coverage limitation of the UE to the UE. In some cases, the paging module 1208 can be configured to receive a notification of a coverage limitation of the UE from a core network (e.g., the core network 902). In some aspects, the paging module 1208 can be configured to receive an indication that the UE supports coverage level based paging carrier selection and cause the transceiver 1210 to transmit an indication of a coverage level of the user equipment to the UE. The paging module 1208 can be configured to receive the indication that the UE supports coverage level based paging carrier selection from the UE (e.g., via an attach request and / or a TAU request) and / or a core network (e.g., via a paging request message). In some aspects, the paging module 1208 can be configured to transmit a first indication of one or more paging carriers to the UE, the first indication indicating a coverage level supported by each of the one or more paging carriers, and transmit a paging message to the UE via a paging carrier based on a match between the coverage level supported by the paging carrier and a coverage level of the user equipment.

[0134] As illustrated, transceiver 1210 can include modem 1212 and RF unit 1214. Transceiver 1210 can be configured to communicate bi-directionally with other devices, such as UEs 115 and / or core network 902. In some cases, transceiver 1210 can include multiple components, some of which are configured to communicate with UEs 115 and some of which are configured to communicate with core network 902. In some cases, a BS can include additional front-end components (e.g., RF, optical, and / or opto-electrical components) for communicating with core network 902. Modem 1212 can be configured to modulate and / or encode data according to a MCS (e.g., a LDPC coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc.). RF unit 1214 can be configured to process (e.g., perform analog to digital conversion or digital to analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data from modem 1212 (about outbound transmissions) or data received from another source such as a UE 115 or core network 902. RF unit 1214 can be further configured to perform analog beamforming in conjunction with the digital beamforming. Although shown as integrated together in transceiver 1210, modem 1212 and RF unit 1214 can be separate devices that are coupled together at BS 105 to enable BS 105 to communicate with other devices.

[0135] RF unit 1214 can provide the modulated and / or processed data, e.g. data packets (or, more generally, data messages that can contain one or more data packets and other information) to antenna 1216 for transmission to one or more other devices. This can include, for example, transmissions to complete attachment to a network and communications with UEs 115, according to aspects of the present disclosure. Antenna 1216 can also receive data messages transmitted from other devices and provide the received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at transceiver 1210. Transceiver 1210 can provide demodulated and decoded data (e.g., attachment requests, TAU requests, etc.) to paging module 1208 for processing. Antenna 1216 can include multiple antennas of similar or different designs in order to sustain multiple transmission links.

[0136] In one embodiment, the BS 1200 can include multiple transceivers 1210 implementing different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, the BS 1200 can include a single transceiver 1210 implementing multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, the transceiver 1210 can include various components, where different combinations of components can implement different RATs.

[0137] Figure 13 is a block diagram of a user equipment (UE) 1300 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The UE 1300 can be a UE 115 discussed above in FIGS. 1, 9, and 10. As illustrated, the UE 1300 can include a processor 1302, a memory 1304, a paging module 1308, a transceiver 1310 including a modem 1312 and a radio frequency (RF) unit 1314, and one or more antennas 1316. These elements can be in direct or indirect communication with each other, for example via one or more buses. The UE 1300 can include other components not shown in FIG. 13. Figure 1 , 2 The processor 1302 can include a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein. The processor 1302 can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0138] The memory 1304 can include a cache memory (e.g., of the processor 1302), random access memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable

[0139] Figures 2-10 ​The instructions 1306 can also be referred to as program code. The program code can be used by the wireless communication device to perform the operations described herein, for example, by causing one or more processors, such as the processor 1302, to control or command the wireless communication device to do so. The terms “instructions” and “code” should be interpreted broadly to include any type of computer-readable statement(s). For example, the terms “instructions” and “code” can refer to one or more programs, routines, sub-routines, functions, procedures, etc. “Instructions” and “code” can include a single computer-readable statement, or many computer-readable statements.

[0140] The paging module 1308 can be implemented via hardware, software, or combinations thereof. For example, the paging module 1308 can be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 1306 stored in the memory 1304 and executed by the processor 1302. In some examples, the paging module 1308 can be integrated within the modem 1312. For example, the paging module 1308 can be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within the modem 1312.

[0141] The paging module 1308 can be used in various aspects of the disclosure, for example, Figures 2-10 and aspects of FIGs. 14. The paging module 1308 can be configured to receive an indication of a plurality of paging carriers from a BS 105 (e.g., as discussed with respect to Figure 3 and 5 The paging module 1308 can be configured to select a paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers based on a coverage level of the user equipment. In some cases, the paging module 1308 is configured to select the paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers by identifying a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the UE and selecting the particular paging carrier from the subset of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the UE. In some cases, the paging module 1308 is configured to select the paging carrier based on a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the UE. In some cases, the paging module 1308 can be configured to monitor the selected paging carrier for a paging message from the base station.

[0142] In some cases, the paging module 1308 can be configured to determine a coverage level of the UE 1300. In some aspects, the paging module 1308 can be configured to determine the coverage level based on a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP) (e.g., for NB-IoT devices). In some aspects, the paging module 1308 can be configured to determine the coverage level based on a physical random access channel (PRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP) (e.g., for eMTC devices). In some aspects, the paging module 1308 can be configured to determine the coverage level based on a paging threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP). In some cases, the paging module 1308 can be configured to determine the coverage level based on a network coverage restriction of the UE 1300. In some cases, the paging module 1308 can be configured to cause the transceiver 1310 to transmit, to a network (e.g., the core network 902), an indication that the UE 1300 supports coverage level based paging carrier selection. In some aspects, the paging module 1308 can be configured to receive, from the BS 105 and / or the core network 902, an indication of a coverage level of the UE 1300. In some aspects, the paging module 1308 can be configured to receive, from the BS 105, a first indication of one or more paging carriers, the first indication indicating, for a paging carrier of the one or more paging carriers, a coverage level supported by the paging carrier, and receive, from the BS 105, a paging message via the paging carrier based on a match between the coverage level supported by the paging carrier and a coverage level of the user equipment.

[0143] As illustrated, transceiver 1310 can include modem 1312 and RF unit 1314. Transceiver 1310 can be configured to communicate bi-directionally with other devices, such as the BS 105. Modem 1312 can be configured to modulate and / or encode data from memory 1304 and / or paging module 1308 according to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), e.g., a low-density parity check (LDPC) coding scheme, a turbo coding scheme, a convolutional coding scheme, a digital beamforming scheme, etc. RF unit 1314 can be configured to process (e.g., perform analog to digital conversion or digital to analog conversion, etc.) modulated / encoded data from modem 1312 (for outbound transmissions) or transmissions originating from another source such as the BS 105 or another UE 115. RF unit 1314 can be further configured to perform analog beamforming in combination with digital beamforming. Although shown as integrated together in transceiver 1310, modem 1312 and RF unit 1314 can be separate devices that are coupled together at UE 115 to enable UE 115 to communicate with other devices.

[0144] RF unit 1314 can provide the modulated and / or processed data, e.g. data packets (or, more generally, data messages that can contain one or more data packets and other information), to antenna 1316 for transmission to one or more other devices. Antenna 1316 can further receive data messages transmitted from other devices. Antenna 1316 can provide the received data messages for processing and / or demodulation at transceiver 1310. Transceiver 1310 can provide demodulated and decoded data, e.g., RRC messages, SIB messages, DRX configurations, DCI messages, paging messages, paging configuration messages, attach accept, TAU accept, etc., to paging module 1308 for processing. Antenna 1316 can include multiple antennas of similar or different designs in order to sustain multiple transmission links. RF unit 1314 can configure antenna 1316.

[0145] In one embodiment, UE 1300 can include multiple transceivers 1310 implementing different RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, UE 1300 can include a single transceiver 1310 implementing multiple RATs (e.g., NR and LTE). In one embodiment, transceiver 1310 can include various components, where different combinations of components can implement different RATs.

[0146] Figure 14is a flow diagram of a communication method 1400 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method 1400 can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuit, and / or other suitable component) in a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing the steps. For example, a wireless communication device such as a UE 115 or UE 1300 can utilize one or more components, such as the processor 1302, the memory 1304, the paging module 1308, the transceiver 1310, the modem 1312, and the one or more antennas 1316, to execute the steps of method 1400. The method 1400 can employ similar mechanisms as described above in Figures 2-10 , Figure 1 , 2 9 and / or 10. As illustrated, the method 1400 includes a number of enumerated aspects, but the method 1400 can include additional aspects before, after, and in between the enumerated aspects. In some cases, one or more of the enumerated aspects can be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0147] At block 1410, the method 1400 includes the UE (e.g., a narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) device, an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) device, or other wireless communication device) receiving, from a BS, an indication of a plurality of paging carriers. In some cases, the indication received from the BS indicates a paging coverage level for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers for a cell (e.g., as discussed with respect to Figure 3 and 5 -7). In some aspects, the paging coverage level for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers includes one or more paging coverage levels. In some cases, the indication can include a value indicating one or more paging coverage levels supported by the paging carrier (e.g., as shown in Figures 5-7 ). In some cases, the indication can include a bit for each paging coverage level to indicate whether each paging coverage level is supported or not supported by the paging carrier (e.g., as shown in Figure 6 ). In some cases, each paging carrier supports a single paging coverage level. In some aspects, the UE receives the indication from the BS via a system information block (SIB) (e.g., SIB2-NB, SIB22-NB, SIB24-NB, or other suitable SIB), a downlink common configuration message, and / or a paging control channel (PCCH) configuration message.

[0148] At block 1420, method 1400 includes the UE selecting a paging carrier from a plurality of paging carriers based on the coverage level of the user equipment. In some cases, the UE selects a paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers by identifying a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the UE, and selecting a specific paging carrier from the subset of the coverage levels supporting the UE. In some cases, the UE selects a paging carrier based on the UE's discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle. The UE's DRX cycle can be configured or assigned by the BS. In some aspects, the UE receives from the BS an indication of one or more DRX cycle lengths supported by each of the plurality of paging carriers. The indication of the DRX cycle length can be received by the UE as part of an indication of the plurality of paging carriers (received at block 1410) or as a separate indication.

[0149] At box 1430, method 1400 includes the UE monitoring a paging carrier selected from a plurality of paging carriers in response to a paging message from a base station (at box 1420). In some cases, the UE monitors its transceiver unit (e.g., Figure 13 The receiver chain of the transceiver 1310 in the system is tuned to the selected paging carrier (e.g., to monitor paging messages from the base station) to monitor the paging carrier. In some cases, method 1400 includes the UE determining its coverage level. In some aspects, the UE determines the coverage level based on a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold and reference signal received power (RSRP) (e.g., for NB-IoT devices). In some aspects, the UE determines the coverage level based on a physical random access channel (PRACH) threshold and reference signal received power (RSRP) (e.g., for eMTC devices). In some aspects, the UE determines the coverage level based on a paging threshold and reference signal received power (RSRP). In some cases, the UE determines the coverage level based on its coverage limitations.

[0150] In some cases, method 1400 includes the UE sending an indication to the network (e.g., core network 902) regarding UE support for coverage level-based paging carrier selection. In some aspects, the UE receives an indication of the coverage level for the user equipment from the network.

[0151] Figure 15is a flowchart of a communication method 1500 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method 1500 can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuit, and / or other suitable component) in a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing the steps. For example, a wireless communication device such as the BS 105 or the BS 1200 can utilize one or more components, such as the processor 1202, the memory 1204, the paging module 1208, the transceiver 1210, the modem 1212, and the one or more antennas 1216, to execute the steps of the method 1500. The method 1300 can employ similar mechanisms as described above in Figures 2-10 , Figure 1 , 2 , 9, and / or 10. The method 1500 can be implemented between the UE 115, the BS 105, and / or the core network 902 of ,

[0152] As shown, the method 1500 includes a number of enumerated aspects, but the method 1500 can include additional aspects preceding, following, and in between the enumerated aspects. In some cases, one or more enumerated aspects can be omitted or performed in a different order. Figure 3 5 At block 1510, the method 1500 includes the BS transmitting, to a UE (e.g., a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, an enhanced Machine Type Communications (eMTC) device, or other wireless communication device), an indication of a plurality of paging carriers. In some cases, the indication transmitted to the UE indicates a paging coverage level for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers for a cell (e.g., as discussed with respect to Figures 5-7 and Figure 6 In some aspects, the paging coverage level for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers includes one or more paging coverage levels. In some cases, the indication can include a value indicating one or more paging coverage levels supported by the paging carrier (e.g., as shown in

[0153] At block 1520, the method 1500 includes the BS selecting a paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers based on the coverage level of the UE. In some cases, the BS selects the paging carrier for the UE from the plurality of paging carriers by identifying a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the UE, and selecting the particular paging carrier from the subset of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the UE. In some cases, the BS selects or determines the paging carrier based on a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the UE. The DRX cycle of the UE can be configured or assigned by the BS. In some aspects, the BS transmits an indication of one or more DRX cycle lengths supported by each of the plurality of paging carriers to the UE. The indication of the DRX cycle lengths can be included as part of the indication of the plurality of paging carriers (transmitted at block 1510) or as a separate indication to the UE.

[0154] At block 1530, the method 1500 includes the BS transmitting a paging message to the UE using the paging carrier selected from the plurality of paging carriers (at block 1520).

[0155] In some aspects, the method 1500 includes the BS transmitting an indication of a coverage limit for the UE to the UE. In some cases, the BS receives a notification of the coverage limit for the UE from a core network (e.g., the core network 902).

[0156] In some aspects, the method 1500 includes the BS receiving an indication that the UE supports coverage level based paging carrier selection, and transmitting an indication of a coverage level of the user equipment to the UE. The BS can receive the indication that the UE supports coverage level based paging carrier selection from the UE (e.g., via an attach request and / or a TAU request) and / or a core network (e.g., via a paging request message).

[0157] Figure 16 FIG. 16 shows a flowchart of a communication method 1600 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method 1600 can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuit, and / or other suitable component) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing the steps. For example, a wireless communication device such as a UE 115 or the UE 1300 can utilize one or more components, such as the processor 1302, the memory 1304, the paging module 1308, the transceiver 1310, the modem 1312, and the one or more antennas 1316, to execute the steps of method 1600. The method 1600 can employ similar mechanisms as described above in FIGS. 15A-15B. The method 1600 can be implemented in a wireless communication device. Figures 2-10 Figure 1 、 2 ​implemented between a UE 115, a BS 105, and / or core network 902 of the 5G network 100 of FIGs. 1, 2, and / or 9 and / or 10. As illustrated, method 1600 includes a number of enumerated aspects, but method 1600 can include additional aspects before, after, and in between the enumerated aspects. In some cases, one or more of the enumerated aspects can be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0158] At block 1610, the method 1600 includes receiving, by a UE (e.g., a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, an enhanced Machine Type Communications (eMTC) device, or other wireless communication device), from a base station, a first indication of one or more paging carriers, the first indication indicating, for a paging carrier of the one or more paging carriers, a coverage level supported by the paging carrier.

[0159] At block 1620, the method 1600 includes receiving, by the UE from the base station via the paging carrier, a paging message based on a match between the coverage level supported by the paging carrier and a coverage level of the user equipment.

[0160] Figure 17 is a flow diagram of a communication method 1700 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Aspects of the method 1700 can be executed by a computing device (e.g., a processor, processing circuit, and / or other suitable component) of a wireless communication device or other suitable means for performing the steps. For example, a wireless communication device such as the BS 105 or the BS 1200 can utilize one or more components, such as the processor 1202, the memory 1204, the paging module 1208, the transceiver 1210, the modem 1212, and the one or more antennas 1216, to execute the steps of the method 1700. The method 1700 can employ similar mechanisms as those described above in Figures 2-10 Figure 1 , 2 implemented between a UE 115, a BS 105, and / or core network 902 of the 5G network 100 of FIGs. 1, 2, and / or 9 and / or 10. As illustrated, method 1700 includes a number of enumerated aspects, but method 1700 can include additional aspects before, after, and in between the enumerated aspects. In some cases, one or more of the enumerated aspects can be omitted or performed in a different order.

[0161] At block 1710, the method 1700 includes transmitting, by a BS to a user equipment, a first indication of one or more paging carriers, the first indication indicating, for a paging carrier of the one or more paging carriers, a coverage level supported by the paging carrier.

[0162] At block 1720, the method 1700 includes transmitting, by the BS to the user equipment via the paging carrier, a paging message based on a match between the coverage level supported by the paging carrier and a coverage level of the user equipment.​

[0163] In some cases, the method 1600 further includes receiving the first indication from the base station via a system information block (SIB). Moreover, the method 1600 includes receiving the first indication from the base station via at least one of a downlink common configuration message or a paging control channel configuration message.

[0164] In some cases, the method 1700 further includes transmitting the first indication to the user equipment via a system information block (SIB). Moreover, the method 1700 includes transmitting the first indication to the user equipment via at least one of a downlink common configuration message or a paging control channel configuration message.

[0165] In some cases, each of the plurality of paging carriers supports a single paging coverage level.

[0166] In some cases, the coverage level of the user equipment is based on a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP). In some cases, the coverage level of the user equipment is based on a physical random access channel (PRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP). In some cases, the coverage level of the user equipment is based on a paging threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP). In some cases, the coverage level of the user equipment is based on a coverage limitation of the user equipment.

[0167] In some cases, the method 1600 further includes transmitting a second indication to the base station, the second indication indicating that the user equipment supports coverage level based paging carrier selection, and receiving a third indication from the base station, the third indication indicating a coverage level of the user equipment.

[0168] In some cases, the method 1700 further includes receiving a second indication from the user equipment, the second indication indicating that the user equipment supports coverage level based paging carrier selection, and transmitting a third indication to the user equipment, the third indication indicating a coverage level of the user equipment.

[0169] In some cases, the paging carrier is one of a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that supports the coverage level of the user equipment. In some cases, the method 1600 further includes selecting the paging carrier from the subset of the plurality of paging carriers that supports the coverage level of the user equipment based on a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the user equipment. In some cases, the indication indicates a DRX cycle length for each of the plurality of paging carriers.

[0170] In some cases, the user equipment is a narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) device or an enhanced machine type communications (eMTC) device.

[0171] Description of Various Aspects of the Disclosure

[0172] Aspect 1 : A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment, the method comprising: receiving, from a base station, an indication of a plurality of paging carriers; selecting a paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers based on a coverage level of the user equipment; and monitoring the selected paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers for a paging message from the base station.

[0173] Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, wherein the receiving the indication comprises: receiving, from the base station, the indication indicating a paging coverage level for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers.

[0174] Aspect 3: The method of aspect 1 or 2, wherein the receiving the indication further comprises: receiving, from the base station, the indication via a system information block (SIB).

[0175] Aspect 4: The method of aspect 2 or 3, wherein the paging coverage level for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers comprises one or more paging coverage levels.

[0176] Aspect 5: The method of aspect 4, wherein the indication comprises a value indicating the one or more paging coverage levels that are supported.

[0177] Aspect 6: The method of aspect 4 or 5, wherein the indication comprises a bit for each paging coverage level to indicate whether each paging coverage level is supported or not supported.

[0178] Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 1-6, wherein the receiving the indication further comprises: receiving, from the base station, the indication via at least one of a downlink common configuration message or a paging control channel configuration message.

[0179] Aspect 8: The method of any of aspects 1-7, wherein each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers supports a single paging coverage level.

[0180] Aspect 9: The method of any of aspects 1-8, further comprising: determining the coverage level of the user equipment.

[0181] Aspect 10: The method of aspect 9, wherein the determining the coverage level comprises: determining the coverage level based on a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0182] Aspect 11 : The method of aspect 9 or 10, wherein the determining the coverage level comprises determining the coverage level based on a physical random access channel (PRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0183] Aspect 12: The method of any of aspects 9-11, wherein the determining the coverage level comprises determining the coverage level based on a paging threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0184] Aspect 13: The method of any of aspects 9-12, wherein the determining the coverage level comprises determining the coverage level based on a coverage limit of the user equipment.

[0185] Aspect 14: The method of any of aspects 1-13, further comprising: transmitting an indication to a network that the user equipment supports coverage level based paging carrier selection; and receiving an indication of the coverage level of the user equipment from the network.

[0186] Aspect 15: The method of any of aspects 1-14, wherein the selecting the paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers comprises: identifying a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the user equipment; and selecting the paging carrier from the subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the user equipment.

[0187] Aspect 16: The method of aspect 15, wherein the selecting the paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers further comprises: selecting the paging carrier from the subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the user equipment based on a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the user equipment.

[0188] Aspect 17: The method of aspect 16, wherein the receiving the indication of the plurality of paging carriers comprises: receiving the indication from the base station, the indication indicating a DRX cycle length for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers.

[0189] Aspect 18: The method of any of aspects 1-17, wherein the user equipment is a narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) device.

[0190] Aspect 19: The method of any of aspects 1-18, wherein the user equipment is an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) device.

[0191] Aspect 20: A method of wireless communication performed by a base station, comprising: transmitting, to a user equipment, an indication of a plurality of paging carriers; selecting a paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers based on a coverage level of the user equipment; and transmitting a paging message to the user equipment using the paging carrier selected from the plurality of paging carriers.

[0192] Aspect 21 : The method of aspect 20, wherein the transmitting the indication comprises: transmitting, to the user equipment, the indication indicating a paging coverage level for each of the plurality of paging carriers.

[0193] Aspect 22: The method of aspect 21, wherein the transmitting the indication further comprises: transmitting, to the user equipment, the indication via a system information block (SIB).

[0194] Aspect 23: The method of 21 or 22, wherein the paging coverage level for each of the plurality of paging carriers comprises one or more paging coverage levels.

[0195] Aspect 24: The method of aspect 23, wherein the indication comprises a value indicating the one or more paging coverage levels supported.

[0196] Aspect 25: The method of aspect 23 or 24, wherein the indication comprises a bit for each paging coverage level to indicate whether each paging coverage level is supported or not supported.

[0197] Aspect 26: The method of any of aspects 21 -25, wherein each of the plurality of paging carriers supports a single paging coverage level.

[0198] Aspect 27: The method of any of aspects 21 -26, wherein the transmitting the indication further comprises: transmitting, to the user equipment, the indication via at least one of a downlink common configuration message or a paging control channel configuration message.

[0199] Aspect 28: The method of any of aspects 21 -27, further comprising: transmitting, to the user equipment, an indication of a coverage limit for the user equipment.

[0200] Aspect 29: The method of aspect 28, further comprising: receiving a notification of the coverage limit for the user equipment from a core network.

[0201] Aspect 30: The method of any of aspects 20-29, further comprising: receiving an indication that the user equipment supports coverage level based paging carrier selection; and transmitting, to the user equipment, an indication of the coverage level of the user equipment.

[0202] Aspect 31 : The method of aspect 30, wherein the receiving the indication comprises: receiving the indication from the user equipment.

[0203] Aspect 32: The method of aspect 30 or 31, wherein the receiving the indication comprises: receiving the indication from a core network.

[0204] Aspect 33: The method of any of aspects 30-32, wherein the receiving the indication further comprises: receiving the indication via a paging request message from the core network.

[0205] Aspect 34: The method of any of aspects 20-33, wherein the selecting the paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers comprises: identifying a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the user equipment; and selecting the paging carrier from the subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the user equipment.

[0206] Aspect 35: The method of aspect 34, wherein the selecting the paging carrier from the plurality of paging carriers further comprises: selecting the paging carrier from the subset of the plurality of paging carriers that support the coverage level of the user equipment based on a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the user equipment.

[0207] Aspect 36: The method of aspect 35, wherein the transmitting the indication of the plurality of paging carriers comprises: transmitting, to the user equipment, the indication indicating a DRX cycle length for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers.

[0208] Aspect 37: A user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; a processor coupled to the memory; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, the UE configured to perform the method of aspects 1-19.

[0209] Aspect 38: A base station (BS), comprising: a memory; a processor coupled to the memory; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, the BS configured to perform the method of aspects 20-36.

[0210] Aspect 39: A user equipment (UE), comprising means for performing the method of aspects 1-19.

[0211] Aspect 40: A base station (BS) comprising means for performing the methods of aspects 20-36.

[0212] Aspect 41: A non-transitory computer-readable medium (CRM) having program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising code for causing a user equipment (UE) to perform the methods of aspects 1-19.

[0213] Aspect 42: A non-transitory computer-readable medium (CRM) having program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising code for causing a base station (BS) to perform the methods of aspects 20-36.

[0214] Aspect 43: A method of wireless communication, the method comprising: receiving, from a base station, a first indication of one or more paging carriers, the first indication indicating a coverage level supported by a paging carrier of the one or more paging carriers; and receiving, from the base station, a paging message via the paging carrier based on a match between the coverage level supported by the paging carrier and a coverage level of the user equipment.

[0215] Aspect 44: The method of aspect 43, further comprising: receiving the first indication from the base station via a system information block (SIB).

[0216] Aspect 45: The method of aspect 43 or 44, further comprising: receiving the first indication from the base station via at least one of a downlink common configuration message or a paging control channel configuration message.

[0217] Aspect 46: The method of any of aspects 43-45, wherein each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers supports a single paging coverage level.

[0218] Aspect 47: The method of any of aspects 43-46, wherein the coverage level of the user equipment is based on a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0219] Aspect 48: The method of any of aspects 43-47, wherein the coverage level of the user equipment is based on a physical random access channel (PRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0220] Aspect 49: The method of any of aspects 43-48, wherein the coverage level of the user equipment is based on a paging threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

[0221] Aspect 50: The method of any of aspects 43-49, wherein the coverage level of the user equipment is based on a coverage limitation of the user equipment.

[0222] Aspect 51: The method of any of aspects 43-50, further comprising: transmitting, to the base station, a second indication indicating that the user equipment supports coverage level based paging carrier selection; and receiving, from the base station, a third indication indicating the coverage level of the user equipment.

[0223] Aspect 52: The method of any of aspects 43-51, wherein the paging carrier is one of a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that supports the coverage level of the user equipment.

[0224] Aspect 53: The method of aspect 52, further comprising: selecting the paging carrier from the subset of the plurality of paging carriers that supports the coverage level of the user equipment based on a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle of the user equipment.

[0225] Aspect 54: The method of aspect 53, wherein the indication indicates a DRX cycle length for each of the plurality of paging carriers.

[0226] Aspect 55: The method of any of aspects 43-54, wherein the user equipment is a narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) device or an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) device.

[0227] Aspect 56: A user equipment (UE), comprising: a processor; and a transceiver coupled to the processor, the UE configured to perform the method of aspects 43-55.

[0228] Aspect 57: A user equipment (UE) comprising means for performing the method of aspects 43-55.

[0229] Aspect 58: A non-transitory computer-readable medium (CRM) having program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising code for causing a user equipment (UE) to perform the method of aspects 43-55.

[0230] Information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that can be referenced throughout the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0231] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein can be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0232] 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 over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described above can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions can also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed as discrete components or other means for performing the functions described herein, and may, accordingly, be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software. Moreover, as used herein including in the claims, "or" as used in a list of items prefaced by "comprising" or "including" to, for example, "at least one of A or B" means "A or B or both A and B." Further, as used herein, the expression "based on" shall not be construed as a strict limitation unless the words "exclusively based on" precede the term it is modifying. In other words, anything based on shall be presumed to be based on exclusive terms unless otherwise indicated.

[0233] As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the teachings herein, many modifications, substitutions and changes can be made in the materials, arrangements, configurations and use methods of the devices of the disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Accordingly, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments described herein (as such are merely examples of some embodiments) but can vary and be practiced in many ways. The scope of the disclosure is thus to be understood as encompassing all such variations and modifications, as falling within the purview of the following claims and their functional equivalents.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: outputting, for transmission, a mobility management request indicating that the UE supports coverage level based paging carrier selection; obtaining, based on the mobility management request, a first system information block (SIB) indicating one or more coverage levels that the UE is authorized to use; obtaining, based on the mobility management request, a second SIB indicating a plurality of paging carriers, a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle length for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers, and one or more coverage levels supported by the plurality of paging carriers; selecting, based on the one or more coverage levels indicated in the first SIB, the plurality of paging carriers indicated in the second SIB, a DRX cycle of the UE, and the DRX cycle length for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers in the second SIB, a first paging carrier from a subset of one or more paging carriers of the plurality of paging carriers, wherein the first paging carrier is associated with a first coverage level of the one or more coverage levels indicated in the first SIB, wherein the subset supports the first coverage level; and obtaining, based on the first coverage level, a paging message via the first paging carrier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers supports a single paging coverage level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first coverage level is based on a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first coverage level is based on a physical random access channel (PRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first coverage level is based on a paging threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first coverage level is based on a coverage limit of the user equipment.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining a first indication indicating the first coverage level.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first paging carrier is one paging carrier of a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that supports the first coverage level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, The user equipment is a narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) device or an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) device.

10. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory including instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to: output, for transmission, a mobility management request indicating that the apparatus supports coverage level based paging carrier selection; obtain, based on the mobility management request, a first system information block (SIB) indicating one or more coverage levels that the apparatus is authorized to use; obtain a second SIB indicating a plurality of paging carriers, a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle length for each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers, and one or more coverage levels supported by the plurality of paging carriers; selecting a first paging carrier from a subset of one or more of the plurality of paging carriers based on the one or more coverage levels indicated in the first SIB, the plurality of paging carriers indicated in the second SIB, a DRX cycle of the apparatus, and the DRX cycle length of each of the plurality of paging carriers in the second SIB, wherein the first paging carrier is associated with a first coverage level, wherein the subset supports the first coverage level; and obtaining a paging message via the first paging carrier based on the first coverage level.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, each of the plurality of paging carriers supports a single paging coverage level.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, the first coverage level is based on a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, the first coverage level is based on a physical random access channel (PRACH) threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, the first coverage level is based on a paging threshold and a reference signal received power (RSRP).

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, the first coverage level is based on a coverage limitation of the apparatus.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, the apparatus is further configured to: obtain a first indication from a base station, the first indication indicating the first coverage level.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, the first paging carrier is one of a subset of the plurality of paging carriers that supports the first coverage level.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, the apparatus is a narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) device or an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) device.

19. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising: at least one transceiver configured to transmit the mobility management request and receive the first SIB, the second SIB, and the paging message, wherein the apparatus is configured as a user equipment (UE).

20. A method of wireless communication performed at a base station, the method comprising: obtaining a mobility management request indicating that a user equipment (UE) supports coverage level based paging carrier selection; outputting, based on the mobility management request, a first system information block (SIB) for transmission to the UE, the first SIB indicating one or more coverage levels for which the UE is authorized to use; outputting, based on the mobility management request, a second SIB for transmission to the UE, the second SIB indicating a plurality of paging carriers, a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle length of each of the plurality of paging carriers, and one or more coverage levels for which the plurality of paging carriers supports; and output a paging message via a first paging carrier to the UE based on a first coverage level, wherein the first paging carrier is selected from a subset of one or more paging carriers of the plurality of paging carriers based on the one or more coverage levels indicated in the first SIB, the plurality of paging carriers indicated in the second SIB, a DRX cycle of the UE, and the DRX cycle length of each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers in the second SIB, wherein the first paging carrier is associated with the first coverage level, wherein the subset supports the first coverage level.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising: outputting a first indication to the UE, the first indication indicating the first coverage level.

22. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory including instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions and cause the apparatus to: obtain a mobility management request, the mobility management request indicating that a user equipment (UE) supports coverage level based paging carrier selection; based on the mobility management request, output a first system information block (SIB) to the UE, the first SIB indicating one or more coverage levels that the UE is authorized to use; based on the mobility management request, output a second SIB to the UE, the second SIB indicating a plurality of paging carriers, a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle length of each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers, and one or more coverage levels that the plurality of paging carriers support; and output a paging message via a first paging carrier to the UE based on a first coverage level, wherein the first paging carrier is selected from a subset of one or more paging carriers of the plurality of paging carriers based on the one or more coverage levels indicated in the first SIB, the plurality of paging carriers indicated in the second SIB, a DRX cycle of the UE, and the DRX cycle length of each paging carrier of the plurality of paging carriers in the second SIB, wherein the first paging carrier is associated with the first coverage level, wherein the subset supports the first coverage level.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein, the first coverage level is based on a reference signal received power (RSRP) and one of a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold, a narrowband physical random access channel (NPRACH) threshold, or a paging threshold.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising: at least one transceiver configured to receive the mobility management request and transmit the first SIB, the second SIB, and the paging message, wherein the apparatus is configured to be a network entity.

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