Terminal device and network access node

Abstract

A terminal device and network access node are provided. A method of operating a terminal device and a plurality of network access nodes, wherein the method comprises establishing first activation signalling configuration information for a first network access node; establishing second activation signalling configuration information for a second network access node; and monitoring for signalling transmitted by the first network access node in accordance with the first activation signalling format and monitoring for signalling transmitted by the second network access node in accordance with the second activation signalling format, and in response to detecting activation signalling in accordance with the first activation signalling format or the second activation signalling format, attempting to decode a subsequent paging message.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the Chinese national phase application of PCT application filed on November 15, 2018, with international application number PCT / EP2018 / 081383 and invention title "Reducing Power Consumption of All Types of Terminal Devices". The Chinese national phase application entered the Chinese national phase on April 29, 2020, with application number 201880071040.1. Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to telecommunications equipment and methods. Background Technology

[0003] The “background” description provided herein is intended to provide a general context for this disclosure. To the extent described in this background section, the work of the currently named inventors and aspects of the description that may not be considered prior art at the time of filing are neither explicitly nor implicitly considered to be prior art to this invention.

[0004] Third- and fourth-generation mobile telecommunications systems (e.g., mobile telecommunications systems based on the UMTS and LTE architectures defined by 3GPP) are capable of supporting more complex services than the simple voice and messaging services offered by previous generations of mobile telecommunications systems. For example, through the improved radio interface and enhanced data rates provided by LTE systems, users can enjoy high-data-rate applications such as mobile video streaming and mobile video conferencing, which were previously only available via fixed-line data connections. Therefore, the demand for deploying such networks is significant, and the coverage area (i.e., the geographical locations where network access is possible) is expected to increase rapidly.

[0005] Future wireless communication networks are expected to routinely and efficiently support communication with a wider range of devices than currently optimized for, and these devices are associated with a broader range of data traffic profiles and types. For example, future wireless communication networks are expected to efficiently support communication with devices including reduced-complexity devices, machine-type communication (MTC) devices, high-resolution video displays, virtual reality headsets, and so on. Some of these different types of devices can be deployed in large numbers, for example, low-complexity devices to support the “Internet of Things”, and can typically be associated with the transmission of smaller amounts of data with higher latency tolerance.

[0006] In view of this, it is expected that future wireless communication networks (e.g., those that may be referred to as 5G or New Radio (NR) systems / New Radio Access Technology (RAT) systems) and future iterations / releases of existing systems will effectively support a variety of devices with different operating characteristics, such as in terms of communication frequency and low power usage requirements.

[0007] One example area of ​​current interest in this area includes the so-called “Internet of Things”, or simply IoT. In its 13th edition, 3GPP proposed developing technologies to support narrowband (NB) IoT and so-called enhanced MTC (eMTC) operation using LTE / 4G radio access interfaces and radio infrastructure. More recently, these ideas have been proposed to build upon this framework, utilizing so-called NB-IoT (eNB-IoT) and further enhanced MTC (feMTC) in the 14th edition of the 3GPP specification, and so-called further enhanced NB-IoT (feNB-IoT) and even further enhanced MTC (efeMTC) in the 15th edition. See, for example, [1], [2], [3], [4]. It is anticipated that at least some devices utilizing these technologies will be low-complexity and inexpensive devices requiring relatively infrequent communication with low bandwidth data. Low power consumption may be a particularly important consideration for these types of devices, for example, because they are small devices with correspondingly small batteries, or because they are located away from external power sources and do not rapidly draw upon them. While low power consumption may be a particularly important consideration for this type of device compared to other devices, it should be understood that methods to help reduce power consumption are useful for all types of terminal devices. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The relevant aspects and features of this disclosure are defined in the appended claims.

[0009] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary of the present technology and not limiting. The described embodiments and further advantages will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0010] A more complete understanding of this disclosure and its many accompanying advantages will readily be obtained when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, by referring to the following detailed description, wherein, in several views, the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts, and in the drawings:

[0011] Figure 1 This schematically illustrates some aspects of an LTE-type wireless telecommunications system that can be configured to operate according to certain embodiments of this disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2 This schematically illustrates some aspects of a novel Radio Access Technology (RAT) wireless telecommunication system that can be configured to operate according to certain embodiments of this disclosure;

[0013] Figure 3 and Figure 4An example timeline illustrating the relationship between paging timings in a wireless telecommunications system;

[0014] Figure 5 An example format of activation (wake-up) signaling (WUS) that may be used in some embodiments of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 6 The illustration schematically depicts some aspects of a wireless telecommunications system according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0016] Figure 7 and Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating some operational aspects of a wireless telecommunications system according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, specifically a signaling ladder diagram (message sequence diagram). Detailed Implementation

[0017] Figure 1 A schematic diagram is provided illustrating some basic functions of a mobile telecommunications network / system 100, which typically operates based on LTE principles but may also support other wireless access technologies and may be adapted to implement the embodiments of this disclosure described herein. Figure 1 Certain aspects of the various components and their corresponding operating modes are well known and defined in relevant standards managed by the 3GPP (RTM) organization, and described in many books on the subject, such as Holma H. ​​and Toskala A[5]. It should be understood that the operational aspects of telecommunications networks not specifically described herein (e.g., regarding specific communication protocols and physical channels used for communication between different components) can be implemented according to any known technology, such as modifications and additions to relevant standards and known proposals for relevant standards.

[0018] Network 100 includes multiple base stations 101 connected to core network 102. Each base station provides a coverage area 103 (i.e., a unit) within which data can be communicated with terminal device 104. Data is transmitted from base station 101 to terminal device 104 within its corresponding coverage area 103 via a radio downlink. Data is transmitted from terminal device 104 to base station 101 via a radio uplink. Core network 102 routes data to and from terminal device 104 via the respective base station 101 and provides functions such as authentication, mobility management, and accounting. Terminal device may also be referred to as mobile station, user equipment (UE), user terminal, mobile radio, communication device, etc. A base station is an example of network infrastructure equipment / network access node and may also be referred to as transceiver station / nodeBe-nodeB, g-nodeB, etc. In this respect, different terms are often associated with different generations of wireless telecommunication systems to provide elements with broadly comparable functions. However, some embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented equivalently in different generations of wireless telecommunication systems, and for simplicity, certain terminology may be used regardless of the underlying network architecture. That is, the use of specific terminology associated with a particular example implementation is not intended to imply that these implementations are limited to the specific generation of networks most relevant to that specific terminology.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the network architecture of a new RAT wireless mobile telecommunications network / system 300 based on previously proposed methods, which can also be adapted to provide functionality according to the disclosed embodiments described herein. Figure 2 The new RAT network 300, as shown in the diagram, includes a first communication cell 301 and a second communication cell 302. Each communication cell 301, 302 includes control nodes (centralized units) 321, 322 that communicate with the core network component 310 via corresponding wired or wireless links 351, 352. Each control node 321, 322 also communicates with multiple distributed units (wireless access nodes / remote transmit and receive points (TRPs)) 311, 312 within its corresponding unit. These communications can also be made via corresponding wired or wireless links. Distributed units 311, 312 are responsible for providing wireless access interfaces to terminal devices connected to the network. Each distributed unit 311, 312 has coverage areas (wireless access coverage areas) 341, 342, which collectively define the coverage area of ​​the corresponding communication cell 301, 302. Each distributed unit 311, 312 includes transceiver circuits 311a, 312a for transmitting and receiving wireless signals, and processor circuits 311a, 311b configured to control the respective distributed unit 311, 312.

[0020] In terms of a wide range of top-tier features, Figure 2The core network component 310 of the new RAT telecommunications system shown can be broadly considered to correspond to Figure 1 The core network 102 shown, and the corresponding control nodes 321, 322 and their associated distributed units / TRPs 311, 312 can be broadly considered to provide corresponding... Figure 1 The function of a base station. The term network infrastructure equipment / access node can be used for these elements that comprise wireless telecommunications systems and more traditional base station type elements. Depending on the application at hand, the responsibility for scheduling transmissions on the radio interface between the corresponding distributed unit and terminal device may lie with the control node / centralized unit and / or distributed unit / TRP.

[0021] exist Figure 2 In this context, terminal device 400 is represented within the coverage area of ​​the first communication cell 301. Terminal device 400 can therefore exchange signaling with the first control node 321 in the first communication cell 301 via a distributed unit 311 associated with it. In some cases, communication for a given terminal device is routed through only one distributed unit; however, it is understood that in some other implementations, such as in soft handover scenarios and others, communication associated with a given terminal device can be routed through more than one distributed unit. The specific distributed unit through which the terminal device is currently connected to the associated control node can be referred to as the active distributed unit of the terminal device. Therefore, the active subset of the distributed units of the terminal device may include one or more distributed units (TRPs). Control node 321 is responsible for determining which distributed unit 311 across the first communication cell 301 is responsible for radio communication with terminal device 400 at any given time (i.e., which distributed unit is currently the active distributed unit of the terminal device). Typically, this is based on measurements of the radio channel conditions between terminal device 400 and the corresponding distributed unit 311. In this regard, it should be understood that the subset of distributed units currently effective for the terminal device within the unit will depend at least in part on the location of the terminal device within the unit (because this clearly contributes to the radio channel conditions between the terminal device and the corresponding distributed unit).

[0022] In at least some implementations, the participation of distributed units in routing communication from the terminal device to the control node (control unit) is transparent to the terminal device 400. That is, in some cases, the terminal device may not know which distributed unit is responsible for routing communication between the terminal device 400 and the control node 321 of the communication cell 301 in which the terminal device is currently operating. In this case, the terminal device only sends uplink data to and receives downlink data from the control node 321, and the terminal device is unaware of the participation of distributed unit 311. However, in other implementations, the terminal device may know which distributed units are involved in its communication. The switching and scheduling of one or more distributed units can be performed at the network control node based on measurements of the distributed units of the terminal device's uplink signals or measurements performed by the terminal device, and reported to the control node via one or more distributed units.

[0023] exist Figure 2 In the example, for simplicity, two communication cells 301 and 302 and one terminal device 400 are shown, but it is of course understood that in practice, the system may include a large number of communication cells serving a large number of terminal devices (each communication cell is supported by a corresponding control node and multiple distributed units).

[0024] It should also be understood that Figure 2 This is merely an example of a proposed architecture for a new RAT telecommunications system, in which methods based on the principles described herein can be employed, and the functionality disclosed herein can also be applied to wireless telecommunications systems with different architectures.

[0025] Therefore, certain embodiments of this disclosure discussed herein can be implemented according to various different architectures (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 2 The example architecture shown is implemented in a wireless telecommunications system / network. Therefore, it should be understood that a particular wireless telecommunications architecture in any given implementation is not of primary significance to the principles described herein. In this regard, certain embodiments of this disclosure can be generally described in the context of communication between network infrastructure devices / access nodes and terminal devices, wherein the specific properties of the network infrastructure devices / access nodes and terminal devices will depend on the network infrastructure to be implemented. For example, in some cases, the network infrastructure devices / access nodes may include base stations, such as… Figure 1 The illustrated LTE-type base station 101 is suitable for providing functionality according to the principles described herein, and in other examples, network infrastructure equipment may include... Figure 2 Control units / control nodes 321, 322 and / or TRPs 311, 312 of the type shown are adapted to provide functionality in accordance with the principles described herein.

[0026] As is well known, various wireless telecommunications networks (e.g., Figure 1 The LTE-based network shown Figure 2 The NR-based network shown can support different Radio Resource Control (RRC) modes for terminal devices, typically including: (i) RRC Idle mode (RRC_IDLE); and (ii) RRC Connected mode (RRC_CONNECTED). RRC Connected mode is typically used when a terminal device transmits data. On the other hand, RRC Idle mode is used for terminal devices that are registered to the network (EMM-REGISTERED) but are currently in an inactive communication state (ECM-IDLE). Therefore, generally, in RRC Connected mode, the terminal device is connected to the radio network access node (e.g., an LTE base station), meaning it can exchange user plane data with the radio network access node. Conversely, in RRC Idle mode, the terminal device is not connected to the radio network access node, meaning it cannot use the radio network access node to transmit user plane data. In Idle mode, the terminal device can still receive some communication from the base station, such as reference signaling for cell reselection purposes and other broadcast signaling. The RRC connection establishment process from RRC Idle mode to RRC Connected mode can be referred to as connecting to the cell / base station. Besides these Idle and Connected modes, other RRC modes are also suggested, such as the so-called RRC_INACTIVE mode. A terminal device in RRC_INACTIVE mode is not in an active RRC connection mode with the Radio Access Network (RAN), but from the perspective of the CN (core network), it is considered an RRC-connected terminal device. Therefore, it can send data without CN-level paging, but paging is performed at the RAN level to cause / trigger the terminal device to restore the RRC connection (enter RRC-connected mode). The advantage of this approach is that it allows the terminal device to enter a more power-efficient state while reducing signaling between the CN and RAN. The entire process allows the RAN to take over the responsibility of paging the terminal device, effectively hiding RRC state transitions and mobility from the CN, so the CN can send data directly as if the terminal device were still connected in the same cell.

[0027] For a terminal device in RRC idle mode, the core network knows that the terminal device exists in the network, but the RAN portion (including wireless network infrastructure equipment, e.g., Figure 1 Base station 101 and / or Figure 2The core network knows the location of idle-mode terminal devices at the paging tracking area level, but not at the individual transceiver entity level. The core network typically assumes the terminal device is located within the tracking area associated with the transceiver entity most recently used to communicate with it, unless the terminal device subsequently provides a specific Tracking Area Update (TAU) to the network. (Conventionally, idle-mode terminal devices typically need to send a TAU when they detect they have entered a different tracking area to allow the core network to track their location.) Because the core network tracks terminal devices at the tracking area level, it is generally impossible for the network infrastructure to know which specific transceiver entities (wireless network nodes) are used when attempting to initiate contact with a terminal device in idle mode. Therefore, the paging procedure is used when the core network needs to connect to an idle-mode terminal device.

[0028] In a typical currently deployed network, terminal devices not connected to the network (i.e., not in RRC_CONNECTED mode) periodically monitor paging messages. This occurs for terminal devices operating in Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mode when the terminal device is activated during a DRX wake-up time. Paging signals for a specific terminal device are transmitted in defined frames (paging frames) / subframes (paging opportunities), which, for a given terminal device, can be derived from the paging-related DRX parameters established from the terminal device's International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and system information transmitted within the network.

[0029] In conventional systems, the terminal device therefore receives and examines the contents of a specific subframe (paging opportunity) within a specific frame (paging frame) to look for paging signaling. For example, according to the process described in 3GPP TS 36.304 Release 14.2.0 [6], a paging frame (PF) is a downlink radio frame that may contain one or more paging opportunities (PO), wherein the paging opportunity is a subframe in which a paging message can be addressed by transmitting a P-RNTI on the PDCCH (or, depending on the equivalent channel implemented, such as MPDCCH or NB-IOT on NPDCCH). The paging message is transmitted on the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) on the resources identified in the allocation message from addressing to the Paging Radio Network Temporary Identifier (P-RNTI) and on the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). P-RNTI is a universal identifier for all terminal devices (e.g., set in hexadecimal in FFFE for the standard defined in 3GPP TS 36.321 Release 13.5.0 [7]). All terminal devices check whether the PDCCH of the specific PF / PO configured for their use includes the P-RNTI. If a PDSCH allocation addressed to the P-RNTI exists in the relevant subframe, the terminal device continues to attempt to receive and decode the paging message transmitted on the resource allocated on the PDSCH. The terminal device then checks the list of IDs contained in the paging record list in the received paging message to determine whether the list contains an ID corresponding to itself (e.g., P-TMSI or IMSI), and if so, initiates a paging response.

[0030] While the above description summarizes existing exemplary LTE paging procedures, it is anticipated that a broadly similar principle may be employed for future wireless telecommunications networks based on newer Radio Access Technologies (RATs), such as 5G networks. The above description of the paging procedure refers to specific channel names commonly used in LTE, such as PDCCH and PDSCH, and for convenience, these terms will be used throughout the description. It should be understood that different channel names may be more common in some implementations. For example, in an environment with wireless telecommunications systems having dedicated channels for communicating with certain types of terminal devices (e.g., MTC devices), it is anticipated that the corresponding channel names may be modified. For instance, the physical downlink control channel dedicated to MTC devices may be called MPDCCH, while the corresponding physical downlink shared channel for MTC devices may be called MPDSCH.

[0031] In the proposed method for eNB-IoT and feMTC according to 3GPP Release 14, the terminal device of DRX in idle mode decodes the PDCCH (or the equivalent downlink control channel for the specific implementation at hand) to identify whether resources are scheduled on the PDSCH (or the equivalent downlink shared channel for the specific implementation at hand) for the paging message during the paging opportunity when the terminal device may receive the paging message.

[0032] Figure 3 This schematically illustrates the timeline of paging opportunities for terminal devices operating in a wireless telecommunications system. Figure 3 The example shown illustrates a paging timing, extending from time t1 to t2. Given the terminal device's currently configured DRX cycle, the terminal device's paging timing will typically occur according to a fixed repetition schedule. Different terminal devices may have different DRX cycle lengths, and therefore different times between paging timings. For terminal devices with longer DRX cycles / times between paging timings, the terminal device may lose synchronization with the wireless network infrastructure equipment of the telecommunications system to some extent during the paging period. Therefore, it may be helpful for the terminal device to activate before the paging timing to allow it to synchronize with the wireless telecommunications system before the paging timing. Figure 3 The diagram illustrates an example of this scenario, where the terminal device is activated at time t0, allowing it to synchronize with the wireless telecommunications system during the period between times t0 and t1, thus enabling monitoring / detection of the PDCCH during the paging timing configuration between t1 and t2. At this point, the synchronization process may in some cases only require fine-tuning of the frequency and / or time tracking loop based on the detection of the CRS (cell-specific reference symbol), for example, when the DRX period (time between paging timings) is short, or when a greater degree of synchronization is required, for example, by detecting the PSS / SSS (primary synchronization signal / secondary synchronization signal) and using the CRS for resynchronization, for example, when the DRX period (time between paging timings) is long (causing the terminal device's frequency and time to deviate significantly relative to the frequency and time of the wireless network infrastructure).

[0033] Once the terminal device resynchronizes with the network, it monitors the PDCCH to determine if a paging message is present. If so, it continues decoding the PDSCH carrying the paging message in the usual manner. If the terminal device does not have a paging message, it returns to sleep (low-power mode) until the next paging opportunity. For some types of terminal devices, such as MTC devices, paging can be expected to occur relatively infrequently (e.g., once a day for smart meters). Therefore, in many cases, even when the terminal device does not actually have a paging message, it can activate and synchronize with the network to monitor the PDCCH by blindly decoding the paging message. This represents an undesirable "waste" of resources for the terminal device, such as battery power.

[0034] According to 3GPP Release 15, the proposed methods for eNB-IoT and feMTC share several common objectives, one of which is to reduce power consumption associated with monitoring paging messages. One proposal for this is to introduce a so-called activation signal (WUS) (e.g., the type described by C. Hambeck et al. in “A 2.4 μW Wake-up Receiver for wireless sensor nodes with -71 dBm sensitivity” in IEEE Proceeding International Symposium of Circuits and Systems (ISCAS) 2011, pp. 534-537 [8]. The proposed WUS is carried on a new physical channel and is designed to allow the terminal device to determine whether it needs to actually decode the PDCCH during the upcoming paging time. That is, while according to previously proposed techniques, the terminal device decodes the PDCCH during each paging time to determine if a paging message exists, and if so, decodes the PDSCH to determine if the paging message addresses the terminal device, the WUS is designed to indicate to the terminal device whether the next paging time contains a paging message that the terminal device should decode. Sending a WUS at a predetermined / derivative time before the scheduled paging time allows the terminal device to know when it is attempting to receive the WUS, and it can contain less information, allowing for faster decoding (compared to the blind decoding required for PDCCH). For example, in some implementations, the WUS may include a one-bit indication of whether a paging message will be sent at the upcoming paging time. In some implementations, the indication provided by the WUS may be based on the presence of WUS signaling.

[0035] If the WUS indicates that the upcoming paging time does indeed include a paging message, any terminal device to which the paging time applies can normally continue decoding the paging message to determine if the paging message is addressed. If the WUS indicates that the upcoming paging time does not include any paging message, any terminal device to which the paging time applies can thus determine that it does not need to monitor the paging message during the upcoming paging time and can therefore, for example, return to a low-power mode. In some implementations, the WUS may include an identifier of the terminal device to be paged during the paging time. This identifier may identify a single terminal device or a group of terminal devices. The WUS may include multiple identifiers for multiple terminal devices / groups. Terminal devices that determine that the WUS is associated with the identifier applied to it can continue decoding the paging message normally. Conversely, terminal devices that determine that the WUS is not associated with the identifier applied to it can thus determine that it does not need to monitor the paging message during the upcoming paging time and can, for example, return to a low-power mode. WUS can also be encoded in a format that allows for low-power decoding (e.g., WUS can be a narrow-bandwidth signal that can be decoded at low power using a low-sampling-rate receiver), and it can also be transmitted in a format that allows for reliable decoding even under poor synchronization conditions.

[0036] Figure 4 This schematically illustrates the timeline of paging opportunities for a terminal device operating in a wireless telecommunications system that employs WUS in conjunction with 3GPP Release 15. Figure 4 In the example shown, the paging timing extends from time u2 to u3. Conventionally, paging timing will typically occur based on a fixed repetition schedule that takes into account the DRX cycle currently configured for the terminal device.

[0037] like Figure 4As illustrated, a WUS is sent at a predetermined / derivative time u1 prior to the paging timing to indicate the presence of a PDCCH paging message transmission for the terminal device indicated by the identifier associated with the WUS. This identifier can identify a single terminal device or a group of terminal devices. If the paging timing is not scheduled to include a PDCCH paging message transmission for a terminal device, no WUS identifying that terminal device is sent. Therefore, the terminal device can be configured to attempt to detect the WUS associated with its identifier before the upcoming paging timing. If the terminal device detects the WUS associated with its own identifier, it can (if necessary) continue to fine-tune its frequency and time tracking loop and blindly detect the PDCCH between times u2 and u3, subsequently decoding the PDSCH carrying the paging message between times u3 and u4 in the usual manner. However, if the terminal device fails to detect the WUS associated with its identifier, it can assume that there will be no paging message for the terminal device at the upcoming paging timing and can therefore return to sleep (low-power mode) and not decode the PDCCH during the paging timing. As mentioned above, in some other implementations, WUS may not include any indication of any particular terminal device / group, but may simply include an indication of whether the upcoming paging time includes any paging message; that is, WUS can actually be considered applicable to all terminal devices associated with the relevant paging time (which would effectively limit power saving to paging times when no paging terminal device is paging). Either way, by using WUS, terminal devices can expect to consume less power because it helps avoid unnecessary monitoring / blind decoding of the PDCCH (or its equivalent, depending on the specific implementation at hand). It should be understood that WUS can also be used in RRC_INACTIVE and RRC_CONNECTED modes when using DRX.

[0038] If the terminal device is configured for long DRX cycles (i.e., a longer time between paging events), the terminal device may lose synchronization with the radio access network to some extent and cannot decode WUS without first resynchronizing with the radio access network. Figure 4 The diagram schematically illustrates an example of this approach, whereby a terminal device configured for a longer DRX cycle can be configured to activate at time u0 to allow it time to synchronize with the radio access network before u1, thereby enabling it to detect any WUS signaling.

[0039] Figure 5This schematically illustrates an example format of the Activation Signal (WUS), comprising a signature sequence (preamble) and an information portion (information). The preamble includes signaling for the terminal device to identify the signaling as WUS, and in some implementations, also for synchronization with the network (i.e., with the wireless network infrastructure equipment transmitting the WUS). The information portion includes indications of one or more terminal devices to which the WUS is applied, such as a terminal device identifier and / or a group of terminal device identifiers. The terminal device / group identifier can be a network-assigned identifier for the terminal device (e.g., a Wireless Network Temporary Identifier RNTI) or any other suitable identifier, such as one based on the terminal device's IMSI. It should be understood that the format of the activation signaling may not conform to... Figure 5 The format shown may vary in other implementations. For example, activation signaling could have a format where it includes a preamble (signature sequence) without a separate information section. Instead, the preamble itself could contain an indication of the identity of the terminal device for which the activation signaling indicates that a paging message will subsequently be sent, for example, with a specific WUS preamble (sequence / pattern) configured for a particular terminal device / group of terminal devices.

[0040] Figure 6 Some aspects of a telecommunications system 500 configured to support communication between a terminal device 508 and network access nodes 504, 506, according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure, are illustrated schematically. Many aspects of the operation of the telecommunications system / network 500 are known and understandable, and will not be described in detail herein for the sake of brevity. The architectural and operational aspects of the telecommunications system 500 not specifically described herein can be implemented according to any previously proposed techniques, such as those based on current 3GPP standards and other proposals for operating wireless telecommunications systems / networks. For convenience, network access nodes 504, 506 are sometimes referred to herein as base stations 504, 506. It should be understood that this terminology is used for simplicity and does not imply that any network access node should conform to any particular network architecture; rather, it can correspond to any network infrastructure device / network access node that can be configured to provide the functionality described herein. In this sense, it should be understood that the specific network architecture that can implement embodiments of the present disclosure is not important to the principles described herein.

[0041] Telecommunication system 500 includes a core network portion (evolved packet core) 502 coupled to the wireless network portion. The wireless network portion includes wireless network access nodes 504 and 506 and terminal devices 508. It should be understood that, in practice, the wireless network portion may include more than two network access nodes, serving multiple terminal devices on various communication cells. However, for simplicity... Figure 6Only two network access nodes and one terminal device are shown in the image.

[0042] Similar to conventional mobile wireless networks, terminal device 508 is configured to communicate data with network access nodes (base stations / transceiver stations) 504 and 506. Typically, the terminal device is operable to connect to one network infrastructure element at a time (i.e., to exchange user plane data with one network infrastructure element), thus allowing it to move in and out of the coverage area of ​​different network access nodes as it moves within the network. Network access nodes 504 and 506 are communicatively connected to a Serving Gateway (S-GW) (not shown) in the core network portion, which is configured to perform routing and management of mobile communication services for terminal devices in the telecommunications system 500 via network access nodes 504 and 506. To maintain mobility management and connectivity, the core network portion 502 also includes a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 520, which manages Enhanced Packet Service (EPS) connections with terminal devices operating in the communication system based on user information stored in the Home Subscriber Server (HSS). Other network components in the core network (not shown for simplicity) include the Policy Accounting and Resource Function (PCRF) and the Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN-Gateway), which provides connectivity from the core network portion 502 to external packet data networks (e.g., the Internet). As described above, modifications have been made to provide functionality according to the embodiments of this disclosure discussed herein. Figure 6 The operation of the various components of the communication system 500 shown can be based on known technologies.

[0043] When communicating with network access nodes 504 and 506, terminal device 508 is adapted to support operation according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In this example, it is assumed that terminal device 508 is an MTC terminal device. Terminal device 508 may be a dedicated MTC terminal device, such as a wearable technology project, or it may be a general-purpose terminal device running applications that rely on MTC data exchange, such as a smartphone terminal device. Nevertheless, it should be understood that the principles disclosed herein can also be applied to other types of terminal devices (i.e., devices that can be considered MTC devices). Terminal device 508 includes transceiver circuitry 508a (also referred to as a transceiver / transceiver unit) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals and processor circuitry 508b (also referred to as a processor / processor unit) configured to control terminal device 508. Processor circuitry 508b may include various sub-units / sub-circuits for providing the desired functionality, as further explained herein. These sub-units may be implemented as discrete hardware elements or as appropriately configured functions of the processor circuitry. Therefore, processor circuitry 508b may include circuitry appropriately configured / programmed to provide the desired functionality described herein using conventional programming / configuration techniques for devices in a wireless telecommunications system. For ease of illustration, transceiver circuitry 508a and processor circuitry 508b are... Figure 6 These are schematically shown as individual components. However, it should be understood that the functionality of these circuit elements can be provided in various different ways, for example, using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers, or one or more appropriately configured application-specific integrated circuits / circuit systems / chips / chipsets. It should be understood that terminal device 508 will typically include various other components associated with its operational functions, such as power supplies, user interfaces, etc., but for simplicity, these components are not shown in the diagram. Figure 6 As shown in the image.

[0044] Network access nodes 504 and 506 each include transceiver circuits 504a and 506a (also referred to as transceiver / transceiver units) and processor circuits 504b and 506b (also referred to as processors / processor units) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals. The processor circuits 504b and 506b are configured to control the operation of the respective network access nodes 504 and 506 according to the embodiments of this disclosure described herein. Therefore, the processor circuits 504b and 506b of each network access node 504 and 506 may include circuitry appropriately configured / programmed to provide the desired functionality described herein using conventional programming / configuration techniques for devices in a wireless telecommunications system. For ease of illustration, for each network access node 504 and 506, the transceiver circuits 504a and 506a and the processor circuits 504b and 506b are... Figure 6These are schematically shown as individual elements. However, it should be understood that the functionality of these circuit elements can be provided in a variety of different ways, for example, using one or more appropriately programmed programmable computers or one or more appropriately configured application-specific integrated circuits / circuit systems / chips / chipsets. It should be understood that each of the network access nodes 504, 506 will typically include various other elements associated with its operational functions, such as a scheduler. For example, although not shown in [the diagram / illustration] for simplicity... Figure 6 As shown, however, processor circuit 504b may include scheduling circuitry, that is, processor circuit 504b may be configured / programmed to provide scheduling functionality to network access nodes.

[0045] Network access nodes 504 and 506 are operable to communicate with terminal device 508 via corresponding radio communication links 512 and 514 (when within coverage area). Network access nodes 504 and 506 are also operable to communicate with each other to share information via communication link 210. In some network architectures, network nodes can communicate directly with each other, such as... Figure 6 This is an illustrative representation, whereas in other network architectures, network nodes can communicate indirectly with each other, for example, via the core network section 502.

[0046] As described above, WUS includes a predefined signature sequence / preamble that a terminal device can easily detect, for example, when in Power Saving Mode (PSM). The specific signature sequence / preamble used in a given implementation may be referred to as a WUS sequence / preamble / mode, or more generally as a WUS format, for WUS signaling. Wireless network communication systems can be configured such that different radio access nodes are associated with different WUS formats, for example, to help avoid interference from neighboring cells. More generally, different radio access nodes may be associated with different WUS configurations, for example, with different periods and relative offsets depending on the timing of the WUS signal and the associated paging timing, as well as the different WUS signaling formats (WUS modes). Therefore, the network access node to which the terminal device is attached can provide the terminal device with cell-specific WUS configuration information, so that when the terminal device enters Power Saving Mode, it has the necessary information to attempt to detect WUS signaling from the network access node. The inventors have recognized a potential problem for terminal devices with a degree of mobility within a telecommunications system: when in power-saving mode, they may move from a coverage area associated with a first network access node to a coverage area associated with a second network access node. This could be because the terminal device is physically mobile, or because it is physically stationary but moves between cells due to changing cell conditions (e.g., so-called hopping at cell edges). It is anticipated that the terminal device will not perform measurements in power-saving mode (except for attempting to detect WUS signaling), and therefore will not be aware that it has moved from the coverage area of ​​the first network access node to the coverage area of ​​the second network access node. Consequently, the terminal device will continue searching for WUS signaling based on the configuration information received from the first network access node. This means the terminal device becomes non-contestable because it cannot receive WUS signaling from the first network access node due to coverage issues, and cannot receive WUS signaling from the second network access node because there is no proper WUS configuration (i.e., it is searching for the wrong WUS format, possibly at the wrong time). One way to overcome this problem is to use the WUS process only for static / relatively fixed terminal devices. However, the inventors have realized that if mobile terminal devices can also utilize the WUS process, it is still possible to have power savings that are useful to mobile terminal devices (by changing the cell coverage).

[0047] Therefore, certain embodiments of this disclosure provide a terminal device that can be simultaneously configured with multiple WUS configurations in a wireless telecommunications system, for example, different WUS configurations for at least some of multiple network access nodes. Thus, the terminal device can establish first activation signaling configuration information including an indication of a first activation signaling format for a first network access node and second activation signaling configuration information including an indication of a second activation signaling format for a second network access node. This can be established, for example, based on information received from the first network access node, for example, using SIB (System Information Broadcast) signaling or RRC (Radio Resource Control) signaling. After this information is established, the terminal device is thus able to monitor cell-specific WUS signaling transmitted by either the first or second network access node and respond accordingly (e.g., attempt to decode subsequent paging messages associated with the WUS signaling). Therefore, if the terminal device is initially configured for WUS operation when connected to the first network access node, but subsequently moves from the coverage area of ​​the first network access node to the coverage area of ​​a second, different network access node, the terminal device can still detect and respond to the WUS signaling. Regarding the detection and response to WUS signaling, it should be understood that certain embodiments of this disclosure represent developments of previously proposed WUS schemes, and, for example, aspects and features of the methods according to embodiments of this disclosure that correspond to aspects and features of existing WUS proposals in determining when to send WUS signaling, the specific WUS format to be used, and WUS signaling detection techniques may be based on existing proposals.

[0048] Therefore, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, a terminal device in a wireless telecommunications system using cell-specific WUS signaling can still use WUS for paging even when moving from the coverage area of ​​one cell to the coverage area of ​​another. It should be understood that a terminal device can establish WUS configuration information for more than two network access nodes, thereby enabling paging using WUS in more than two cells. In principle, a terminal device can establish WUS configuration information for each network access node operating in the network, making WUS accessible regardless of its location within the network. However, in practice, this may not be optimal because detecting WUS signaling may require numerous decoding attempts and time. Therefore, if the terminal device is physically fixed near the boundary between two adjacent radio access nodes but tends to hop between them (moving between coverage areas due to changes in radio conditions), the terminal device can configure WUS configuration information only for a limited number of radio access nodes, for example, for two adjacent radio access nodes. More generally, a trade-off can be made between the ability to use WUS to paging terminal devices over a larger area and the complexity involved in managing and attempting to decode multiple WUS configurations. For example, the terminal device can be configured with WUS settings for network access nodes in a tracking area that includes network access nodes attached when multiple WUS configurations are established. If the terminal device moves to a location not covered by a radio access node with a WUS configuration, a separate recovery mechanism can be used. For example, if the terminal device determines that no paging has exceeded a threshold time, i.e., a time that can be considered the validity period of the WUS configuration information for at least one radio access node, the terminal device can be configured to perform a cell selection / reselection procedure.

[0049] Figure 7 The above references are schematically illustrated according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 6 Ladder diagrams illustrating some operational aspects of the wireless telecommunications system 500 discussed. Specifically, according to certain embodiments of this disclosure, the diagrams show some operations and signaling exchanges associated with terminal device 508, network access node 504 (which may be referred to herein as first network access node 504 (eNB1) for convenience), network access node 506 (which may be referred to herein as second network access node 506 (eNB2) for convenience), and MME 520 in core network 502.

[0050] Figure 7The processing begins in step S1, where the first network access node and the second network access node exchange WUS configuration information, such that the first network access node knows the WUS configuration information of the second network access node, and the second network access node knows the WUS configuration information of the first network access node. For convenience, the WUS configuration information of the first network access node can be referred to as the first WUS configuration information, and the WUS configuration information of the second network access node can be referred to as the second WUS configuration information. If the WUS configuration information is relatively static, conventional techniques for exchanging information between network access nodes (e.g., via the X2 interface) can be used, such as exchanging WUS configuration information between the respective network access nodes during the X2 establishment process.

[0051] As shown in step S2, for Figure 7 In the scenario shown, terminal device 508 is initially in RRC_IDLE mode and is configured for discontinuous reception (DRX) operation mode of network access node 504 by using activation signaling (i.e., providing the terminal device with an indication of whether an upcoming paging opportunity will include a paging message that may be directed to the terminal device). This can typically be based on previously proposed techniques, but is modified according to embodiments of this disclosure discussed further herein.

[0052] As schematically indicated in step S3, the first network access node sends WUS configuration information, which is received by the terminal device 508. The WUS configuration information includes WUS configuration information for the first network access node and WUS configuration information for the second network access node (established by the first network access node in step S1 based on signaling received from the second network access node). In this example, the WUS configuration information is sent as a System Information Broadcast (SIB) message sent by the first network access node. Therefore, in step S2, the terminal device 508 establishes activation signaling (WUS) configuration information for the first network access node 504 and the second network access node 506 covering the current location of the terminal device 508. According to certain embodiments of this disclosure, the activation signaling configuration information for each network access node includes an indication of a corresponding WUS format (signature sequence) for paging the terminal device via the respective network access node.

[0053] As shown in step S4, after receiving the first WUS configuration information and the second WUS configuration information in step S3, the terminal device 508 can enter a power-saving mode. In this mode, the terminal device 508 monitors the signaling sent by the first network access node that matches the first activation signaling format and the signaling sent by the first network access node that matches the first activation signaling format (simultaneously or in a time-multiplexed manner, as further discussed herein).

[0054] for Figure 7The example implementation shown assumes that steps S5 to S9 are performed when the terminal device remains within the coverage area of ​​the first network access node.

[0055] In step S5, the MME determines that a paging terminal device is required. The reason for paging the terminal device is not important to the principles described herein. For example, there may be data that needs to be transmitted to the terminal device, or it may be desirable to trigger the terminal device to transmit data to the network.

[0056] In steps S6 and S7, the MME 520 sends corresponding paging request messages to the first network access node 504 and the second network access node 506. These paging request messages can be routine. At this point, it is understood that, in any given situation, the overall paging strategy (e.g., which network access nodes to request paging of the terminal device, when to do so, and how many attempts to make) is not important to the principles described herein.

[0057] In step S8, the first network access node 504 uses the WUS procedure to page the terminal device 508. That is, the first network access node 504 sends the WUS according to the first WUS format and time defined in the first WUS configuration information sent to the terminal device in step S3, and subsequently sends a paging message at the relevant paging time. Figure 7 This aspect of the processing can be performed using the paging technology previously proposed using WUS.

[0058] As shown in step S9 of this scenario, suppose the paging strategy causes the second network access node 506 to also attempt to page the terminal device 508 using the WUS process in parallel with the first network access node in step S8. That is, the second network access node 506 sends WUS according to the second WUS format and time defined in the second WUS configuration information sent to the terminal device in step S3, and subsequently sends a paging message at the relevant paging timing. However, although the relevant WUS configuration information has been provided to the terminal device 508 to receive WUS signaling from the second network access node, the paging in step S9 fails because, in this example scenario, it is assumed that the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the second network access node 506.

[0059] As schematically indicated in step S10, and in response to the successful receipt of the paging message sent by the first network access node using WUS in step S8, the terminal device responds to the paging message in a normal manner. After any further signaling associated with the paging reason is completed, the terminal device may return to a power-saving mode, in which it continues to monitor WUS signaling for any further paging events. When the terminal device returns to RRC_IDLE mode (which was already in RRC_CONNECTED mode) in response to the paging message, it may, for example, continue using the existing WUS configuration information from step S3, or use new / updated WUS configuration information. The new / updated WUS configuration information may be received, for example, in an RRC message, such as when in RRC_CONNECTED mode in response to the paging message, or during cell selection / reselection after returning to RRC_IDLE mode, in an RRC connection release message.

[0060] Therefore, the processing of steps S5 to S10 indicates that the paging event of the terminal device 508 was successfully completed via WUS through the first network access node 504, that is, the terminal device has not moved out of the coverage area of ​​its most recently connected network access node.

[0061] However, in Figure 7 In the example processing shown, it is assumed that in step S11, the terminal device is moved out of the coverage area of ​​the first network access node 504 and into the coverage area of ​​the second network access node 506. This may occur due to physical movement of the terminal device or due to changes in radio conditions affecting the coverage area of ​​the respective network access node. Because the terminal device operates in a power-saving mode without cell measurement, the terminal device is unaware that it has moved out of the coverage area of ​​the first network access node and into the coverage area of ​​the second network access node, and therefore neither the MME nor any other network infrastructure element is aware of this.

[0062] In step S12, the MME determines that the terminal device needs to be paged again. The reason for the terminal device to page again is also irrelevant to the principles described herein.

[0063] In the same manner as steps S6 and S7 described above, in steps S13 and S14, the MME 520 sends corresponding paging request messages to the first network access node 504 and the second network access node 506. These paging request messages can also be conventional.

[0064] In step S15, the first network access node 504 attempts to page the terminal device 508 using the WUS procedure. That is, the first network access node 504 sends a WUS according to the first WUS format and time defined in the first WUS configuration information sent to the terminal device in step S3, and subsequently sends a paging message at the relevant paging time. However, the paging attempt by the first network access node in step S15 fails because, in this example scenario, it is assumed that the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the first network access node 506, which has already moved to the coverage area of ​​the second network access node in step S11.

[0065] As shown in step S16, and as described above, in this example implementation, the paging strategy causes the second network access node 506 to also attempt to page the terminal device 508 using the WUS procedure in parallel with the attempt made by the first network access node in step S15. Therefore, in step S16, the second network access node 506 sends a WUS according to the second WUS format and time defined in the second WUS configuration information sent to the terminal device in step S3, and subsequently sends a paging message at the relevant paging time. Because the terminal device 508 has already configured the relevant WUS configuration information to receive WUS signaling from the second network access node (in step S3), and because it has moved into the coverage area of ​​the second network access node (in step S11), in step S16, the terminal device is able to successfully detect the WUS signaling from the second network access node and receive the relevant paging message at the relevant paging time.

[0066] In step S17, the terminal device responds to the paging message received in step S16 in a normal manner, and after any further signaling associated with the paging reason is completed, the terminal device can return to a power-saving mode in which it continues to monitor WUS signaling. As part of step S17, the terminal device can be configured to decode System Information Broadcast (SIB) signaling sent by the second network access node to facilitate a response to the paging message, for example, even if the terminal device needs to obtain cell-specific information associated with the second network access node to use the second network access node to respond to the paging message. When the terminal device returns to RRC_IDLE, which has already entered RRC_CONNECTED mode, in response to the paging message, the terminal device can, for example, continue to use the existing WUS configuration information from step S3, or use new / updated WUS configuration information. New / updated WUS configuration information can be received from the second network access node, for example, in an RRC message, such as when in RRC_CONNECTED mode in response to a paging message, or in an RRC connection release message during cell selection / reselection after returning to RRC_IDLE mode.

[0067] Therefore, the processing of steps S12 to S17 indicates that the paging event of the terminal device using WUS has been successfully completed, even though the terminal device has moved out of the coverage area of ​​the network access node configured to receive WUS signaling.

[0068] Therefore, the method described above for configuring multiple WUS configurations for a terminal device allows the terminal device to recover from a situation where it would become inaccessible.

[0069] It should be understood that Figure 7 The processing described in this example only illustrates some of the steps involved, and for simplicity and ease of representation, some steps performed according to this example implementation are not included. Figure 7 The steps can be shown or combined into fewer steps.

[0070] Furthermore, it will be understood that various modifications can be made to the process described in this article based on other example implementations.

[0071] For example, although the above reference Figure 7 The processing discussed pertains to terminal devices in RRC_IDLE mode (as shown in step S2), but the same method can be used for terminal devices starting in RRC_INACTIVE mode.

[0072] Furthermore, despite Figure 7 In step S3, the WUS configuration information from the first network access node is provided to the terminal device in the form of a System Information Broadcast (SIB) message. However, the WUS configuration information can also be provided to the terminal device in other ways, such as by Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling at an earlier time when the terminal device is in RRC_CONNECTED mode.

[0073] Furthermore, despite Figure 7 The example illustrates an aspect of two network access nodes sharing their WUS configuration information, such as for a terminal device that moves frequently between them. However, the same approach can be used for more network access nodes to share their WUS configuration information, such as for a terminal device that moves frequently between more than two network access nodes or between a defined set of network access nodes (e.g., a set of network access nodes in a tracking area).

[0074] Although Figure 7 In the example, the first network access node and the second network access node share WUS configuration information in step S1, enabling the first network access node to provide the second network access node's WUS configuration information to the terminal device in step S3. However, in other examples, there are other ways for the terminal device to obtain the relevant configuration information, such as... Figure 8 As shown.

[0075] Figure 8 The above reference is an illustrative representation of certain other embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 6 Ladder diagrams for some operational aspects of the wireless telecommunications system 500 under discussion. Figure 8 Similar to various aspects Figure 7 The corresponding aspects, and from Figure 7 The corresponding aspects of understanding. However, Figure 8 Indicates to Figure 7 The method described in the text is modified, in which the terminal device establishes WUS configuration information for multiple network access nodes in different ways.

[0076] according to Figure 8 The general approach described herein allows the MME to be configured as an establishment identifier for each of a different subset of terminal devices registered with the MME, and to be paged using WUS according to the principles described herein. The way terminal devices are grouped, the number of groups, and the number of terminal devices within each group are not critical to the principles described herein. For example, the MME could define only ten groups, where terminal devices are placed in groups based on the last digit of their unique terminal device identifier (e.g., IMSI). However, in other approaches, for example, considering other characteristics, terminal devices can be grouped such that terminal devices that can be expected to be paged simultaneously (e.g., smart meters belonging to a specific utility company) are grouped together. Thus, each group can be associated with a so-called WUS Global ID, which can essentially be a simple index / group number. In principle, each group can include a single terminal device, but in practice, grouping multiple terminal devices together simplifies scheme management (e.g., reduces the number of different WUS Global IDs and WUS signature sequences required).

[0077] Figure 8 The processing begins at step T1, where terminal device 508 is in RRC_IDLE and configured for discontinuous reception (DRX) operation mode of network access node 504 using activation signaling. This can typically be based on previously proposed techniques, but can be modified according to embodiments of this disclosure discussed further herein.

[0078] In step T2, the MME sends signaling to the terminal device to indicate the WUS global ID of the group that the MME has assigned to the terminal device. In this example, when the terminal device is in RRC_IDLE mode, this information is provided via SIB signaling through the first network access node; however, the indication of the relevant WUS global ID assigned to the terminal device by the MME can also be transmitted in any of a variety of different ways. For example, the WUS global ID information can also be provided to the terminal device via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling from an earlier time when the terminal device is in RRC_CONNECTED mode.

[0079] In step T3, the terminal device derives cell-specific first and second WUS signaling formats for the first network access node (serving network access node) and the second network access node (neighboring network access node), respectively. For example, the cell-specific WUS signaling format (and other relevant WUS configuration information) can be derived from a predefined function based on a predefined lookup table. This predefined function takes the terminal device's WUS global ID as one input and the cell ID of the relevant network access node as a second input. The terminal device knows its WUS global ID from the signaling received in step T2 and can determine the cell IDs of its serving cell and neighboring cells in a typical manner (e.g., from the neighboring cell list sent by the first network access node to which the terminal device initially connects). Therefore, the terminal device can determine which WUS signaling format to receive from various network access nodes based on this information and the predefined mapping function / lookup table (e.g., predefined by a standard).

[0080] As shown in step T4, after exporting the first WUS configuration information and the second WUS configuration information in step T3, the terminal device 508 can enter the power saving mode. In this mode, the terminal device 508 monitors the signaling sent by the first network access node that matches the first activation signaling format and the signaling sent by the first network access node that matches the first activation signaling format (simultaneously or in a time-multiplexed manner, as further discussed herein).

[0081] for Figure 7 The example implementation shown in the figure assumes that steps T5 to T12 are performed when the terminal device remains within the coverage area of ​​the first network access node.

[0082] In step T5, the MME determines that a paging terminal device is required. The reason for paging the terminal device is not important to the principles described herein. For example, there may be data that needs to be transmitted to the terminal device, or it may be desirable to trigger the terminal device to transmit data to the network.

[0083] In steps T6 and T7, the MME 520 sends corresponding paging request messages to the first network access node 504 and the second network access node 506. These paging request messages may be based on conventional paging request messages, but according to embodiments of this disclosure, they are modified to include an indicator of the WUS global ID associated with the terminal device that the MME wishes to paging.

[0084] In steps T8 and T9, the respective network access nodes use the same predefined mapping function / lookup table used by the terminal device in step T3 to derive their own cell-specific WUS signaling format. This format can be standardized within the network or otherwise determined and shared among relevant elements of the network, for example, through MME coordination. The respective network access nodes know the relevant WUS global ID to use from the paging request messages received in steps T6 and T7, and also know their own cell ID, thus allowing them to derive the relevant WUS signaling format they should all use. As stated above, it is understood that, in any given situation, the overall paging strategy (e.g., which network access nodes are requested to page the terminal device, when this should be done, and how many attempts should be made) is not important to the principles described herein.

[0085] In step T10, the first network access node 504 uses the WUS process paging terminal device 508. That is, the first network access node 504 sends a WUS according to the first WUS format derived in step T8, and subsequently sends a paging message at the relevant paging time. Figure 8 This aspect of the processing can be performed based on the previously proposed paging technology using WUS. That is, for this implementation, what is important is the different ways in which the network access node derives the specific WUS signaling format to be used from its own cell ID and the identification information received from the MME associated with the paging message, rather than the specific way of transmitting WUS signaling.

[0086] As shown in step T11 of this scenario, assume that the paging strategy causes the second network access node 506 to also attempt to page the terminal device 508 using a WUS process that runs in parallel with the first network access node. That is, the second network access node 506 sends a WUS according to the second WUS format derived in step T9, and subsequently sends a paging message at the relevant paging time. Figure 8 This aspect of the processing can again be performed using the paging technology previously proposed with WUS.

[0087] As mentioned above, for Figure 8 The example scenario shown assumes that the terminal device remains within the coverage area of ​​the first network access node, and similarly, in step T10, WUS signaling and subsequent paging messages from the first network access node are detected. Therefore, as... Figure 8 As shown, the attempt to page the terminal device in step T11 fails because the terminal device is not within the coverage area of ​​the second network access node. However, it should be understood that if the terminal device has moved from the coverage area of ​​the first network access node to the second network access node, it will receive a paging message in step T11, although no paging message will be received in step T10. That is, as described above, due to the support for multiple WUS configurations, the terminal device will use WUS to remain pageable regardless of whether it moves between cells.

[0088] As schematically indicated in step T12, and in response to having successfully received a paging message sent by the first network access node using WUS in step T10, the terminal device responds to the paging message in a conventional manner, and after any further signaling associated with the paging reason is completed, the terminal device may return to a power-saving mode in which the terminal device continues to monitor WUS signaling for any further paging events.

[0089] Therefore, to summarize some aspects of certain embodiments of this disclosure, the UE can be configured with multiple WUS configurations, such as configurations associated with multiple neighboring cells. The WUS configuration of a neighboring cell may include, for example, an indication of a WUS sequence, radio resources for WUS signaling (in time and frequency), WUS signaling location (e.g., an indication of narrowband over a wider network frequency range and the periodicity of WUS signaling), the number of WUS signaling repetitions (e.g., if different cells support different coverage extensions), and a potential WUS validity timer (i.e., the duration for which the associated WUS configuration is considered valid, and after which, for example, by performing a cell selection / reselection procedure, the UE should seek new / updated WUS configuration information).

[0090] Therefore, in addition to the specific WUS settings of the serving cell, the UE can also be configured with WUS settings for one or more neighboring cells. As described herein, the network may not know when the UE has moved cells; therefore, providing the UE with the WUS configurations of neighboring cells can help the UE detect the WUS used by the cell without having to read the cell's SIB and reconfigure it, which in some cases consumes a significant amount of battery power. This approach can thus help the UE save power (by not reading the SIB in the new cell). In some implementations, the UE can check (i.e., monitor / attempt to detect) more than one WUS sequence before each paging event, which may help limit the number of WUS sequences that the terminal device is configured to attempt blind decoding at a given paging event, thereby reducing UE complexity.

[0091] In some cases where it may be particularly desirable to further reduce UE complexity, for example, by employing an approach where the terminal device is not required to blindly decode multiple (or at least more than a threshold number) WUS sequences / formats at at least some paging times. In one example, this can be achieved by having multiple network access nodes adopt the same WUS configuration, allowing the terminal device to be configured and attempt to blindly decode only a single WUS signaling format / sequence. In this case, the MME entity can be configured to indicate the WUS signaling format that the network access node should use in association with paging request messages sent to the network access node. In some examples, this can be explicitly signaled, which would require some modifications to the MME, potentially undesirable from a network management perspective. Alternatively, the indication of which WUS sequence to use for the paging message can be implicitly conveyed to the network access node. For example, it is well known that the MME includes a "Recommended Cell for Paging" information element in the paging request message sent to the network access node, which sequentially indicates the cells most recently accessed by the UE. The corresponding network access node can therefore be configured to select the WUS format to use, for example, based on which network access node is listed as most recently accessed / connected. The mapping between network access nodes and WUS formats can be statically defined within the network, or each network access node can choose its own WUS format and share it among other radio access nodes that may dynamically require information, for example, using X2 signaling, such as other network access nodes in its paging tracking area. In some examples, the WUS signaling format can allow network access nodes to convey a degree of additional information to the terminal device. For example, in addition to including a predefined WUS mode, the WUS signaling format can allow network access nodes to choose some additional data, such as in a properly configured preamble or the information portion associated with the preamble. The network access node can use this data to effectively provide the UE with an indication that it has moved to a different cell / network access node. That is, a neighboring cell can obtain information about the serving cell's WUS configuration and send an indication in the additional data of the WUS signaling to the serving cell's WUS to indicate that the WUS signaling is not from the initial serving radio access node (e.g., this could be a network access node identifier). The UE can be configured to respond to this by performing a cell reselection or by re-acquiring an updated WUS configuration from a new cell (i.e., the cell it has moved to).

[0092] In another example, to help reduce the blind decoding requirements for the UE, the UE can be configured with at least two WUS configurations as described above, but can attempt blind decoding for each of them at different paging times in a time-division multiplexed manner. That is, compared to the total number of WUS sequences already configured for it, the UE can attempt to decode fewer WUS sequences at each paging time, for example, in some cases only one WUS sequence.

[0093] For example, a UE may use (i.e., attempt to decode) a first WUS sequence associated with a first WUS configuration in a first time period, such as including the N1 continuous paging timing, and if the first WUS sequence is not detected in the first time period (i.e., for the N1 continuous WUS timing, where the WUS timing is the time when WUS might be sent), a second WUS configuration will be used in a second time period, such as including the N2 continuous paging timing, and if the second WUS sequence is not detected in the second time period (i.e., for the N2 continuous WUS timing), a third WUS sequence associated with a third WUS configuration (if any) can be used in a third period, and so on. Therefore, the criterion for switching from one WUS configuration to the next can be based on the amount of time (e.g., the values ​​of N1 and N2) spent using each WUS configuration without detecting WUS signaling. For example, the first WUS sequence may be cell-specific (e.g., associated with the cell that provides the UE with its configuration information), while the second WUS sequence may be a group-cell-specific WUS sequence (e.g., common to a group of neighboring cells sharing the same sequence, or the same sequence shared by TA areas). Therefore, the UE can begin using the first WUS sequence and switch to the second WUS sequence if it fails to detect WUS signaling during N1 consecutive WUS periods. The second WUS sequence can be associated with a larger periodicity than the first WUS sequence (i.e., a lower transmission frequency). Thus, the UE will initially use the first WUS sequence in its serving cell, and when it moves cells during power-saving mode (without the UE's awareness), it will be unable to detect the first WUS sequence, but will be able to detect it since the second WUS sequence is transmitted by a neighboring cell. The second WUS sequence can always be transmitted by a neighboring cell, or it can only be used when the MME indicates it to the cell according to its implementation. When all available WUS configurations for the UE have been tried and no WUS has been detected, the UE can, for example, perform a reselection and reacquire the WUS configuration in the new cell.

[0094] As described above, in some implementations, WUS configuration information may include an effective timer / period for each WUS sequence. In some examples, a UE with multiple WUS configurations may initially use a first WUS configuration until its effectiveness timer expires, after which a second WUS configuration may be available, and so on. That is, the termination criterion (which causes the UE to switch to the next WUS when met) can be the effectiveness timer for each WUS, with the effectiveness timer for a WUS sequence starting when the previous one expires (i.e., the timers run sequentially rather than in parallel). The duration of different effectiveness timers can be configured, for example, based on the coverage area of ​​the network access node using the corresponding WUS. For example, if the first WUS configuration is used within a single cell, such as the serving cell when the UE last performed cell selection, it may have a smaller effectiveness timer (i.e., expires faster) and a second WUS configuration shared by a group of cells covering a larger area, thus allowing for a larger effectiveness timer (based on the possibility that it may take the UE longer to move out of the coverage area of ​​the radio access node using the WUS sequence). In some cases, when any one or a selected set of effectiveness timers expires, the UE may perform cell reselection / connection in an attempt to obtain the latest WUS configuration. For example, if a UE is configured with four different WUS configurations, such as if the second and third WUS validity timers expire, the UE may only perform cell reselection / connection to update its WUS configuration.

[0095] While some of the examples above focus on approaches where the UE might attempt blind decoding of only one WUS sequence at a time (e.g., at each paging time) to reduce computational workload and associated power consumption and circuit complexity, it should be understood that other examples can reduce complexity by having the UE blind decode more than one WUS configuration for fewer than the total number of WUS configurations it has at each paging time. For example, a UE with five WUS configurations could attempt blind decoding of two different WUS configurations for each potential WUS time in a first time period, and after failing to decode WUS signaling in that time period (e.g., after an N1 attempt), the UE could switch to attempting blind decoding of the remaining three different WUS configurations for each potential WUS time in a second time period (i.e., the number of WUS sequences attempted for blind decoding can vary across different time periods). It should be understood that different criteria can be used to determine when to switch between searching for different WUS sequences. For example, a first group of one or more WUS sequences could be attempted for a given number of WUS time periods, followed by a second group of one or more WUS sequences, until a validity timer (defined collectively or individually for each configuration in the group) expires.

[0096] In some other examples, WUS signaling can indicate one or more other WUS configurations to be used. For example, a UE can be configured with three WUS configurations. The serving cell can use a first WUS configuration, and when the UE moves to a new cell (without realizing it), the UE will initially continue to attempt to detect the first WUS. This can be sent by the new (neighboring) cell (e.g., based on a request from the MME or from X2 signaling from the serving cell). In this case, the first WUS signaling sent by the new cell can include an indication (e.g., using the method of including additional data as described above) for the UE to switch to using a second WUS configuration. The UE can then continue using the second WUS configuration. That is, in this implementation, the WUS termination criteria are explicitly specified in the WUS.

[0097] Therefore, a method for operating a terminal device in a wireless telecommunications system including a terminal device and multiple network access nodes has been described, wherein the method includes: establishing first activation signaling configuration information for a first network access node, wherein the first activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a first activation signaling format sent by the first network access node before sending a paging message; establishing second activation signaling configuration information for a second network access node, wherein the second activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a second activation signaling format sent by the second network access node before sending a paging message; and monitoring signaling sent by the first network access node according to the first activation signaling format, and monitoring signaling sent by the second network access node according to the second activation signaling format, and attempting to decode a subsequent paging message in response to detecting activation signaling according to the first activation signaling format or the second activation signaling format.

[0098] A method for operating a first network access node in a wireless telecommunications system including a terminal device and multiple network access nodes is also described, wherein the method includes: establishing first activation signaling configuration information for the first network access node, wherein the first activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a first activation signaling format sent by the first network access node before sending a paging message; establishing second activation signaling configuration information for a second network access node, wherein the second activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a second activation signaling format sent by the second network access node before sending a paging message; and sending the first activation signaling configuration information and the indication of the second activation signaling configuration information to the terminal device.

[0099] It should be understood that although this disclosure focuses in some respects on implementations based on LTE and / or 5G networks for the purpose of providing specific examples, the same principles can be applied to other wireless telecommunications systems. Therefore, even though the terminology used herein is generally the same as or similar to that of the LTE and 5G standards, these teachings are not limited to the current versions of LTE and 5G and can be equally applied to any suitable setup not based on LTE or 5G and / or compatible with any other future versions of LTE, 5G, or other standards.

[0100] It should be noted that the various example methods discussed herein may rely on predetermined / predefined information, i.e., information known to both the base station and the terminal device. It should be understood that such predetermined / predefined information can typically be established, for example, through definitions in the operating standards of the wireless telecommunications system, or in signaling previously exchanged between the base station and the terminal device, such as in system information signaling, or associated with radio resource control setting signaling. That is, the specific manner in which relevant predefined information is established and shared among the various components of the wireless telecommunications system is not important to the operating principles described herein. It should also be noted that the various example methods discussed herein rely on information exchanged / communicated among the various components of the wireless telecommunications system, and it should be understood that such communication can typically be carried out according to conventional techniques, for example, according to a specific signaling protocol and the type of communication channel used, unless the context otherwise requires. That is, the specific manner in which relevant information is exchanged among the various components of the wireless telecommunications system is not important to the operating principles described herein.

[0101] Other specific and preferred aspects of the invention are set forth in the appended independent and dependent claims. It should be understood that the features of the dependent claims may be combined with the features of the independent claims in combinations other than those expressly set forth in the claims.

[0102] Therefore, the foregoing discussion has only disclosed and described exemplary embodiments of the invention. As those skilled in the art will understand, the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, this disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not to limit the scope of the invention and the other claims. This disclosure (including any readily identifiable variations taught herein) partially defines the scope of the foregoing claims, so that no inventive subject matter is exclusive to the public.

[0103] The various features of this disclosure are defined by the following numbered paragraphs:

[0104] Paragraph 1. A method for operating a terminal device in a wireless telecommunications system including a terminal device and multiple network access nodes, wherein the method includes: establishing first activation signaling configuration information for a first network access node, wherein the first activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a first activation signaling format sent by the first network access node before sending a paging message; establishing second activation signaling configuration information for a second network access node, wherein the second activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a second activation signaling format sent by the second network access node before sending a paging message; and monitoring signaling sent by the first network access node according to the first activation signaling format, and monitoring signaling sent by the second network access node according to the second activation signaling format, and attempting to decode a subsequent paging message in response to detecting activation signaling according to the first activation signaling format or the second activation signaling format.

[0105] Paragraph 2. According to the method described in paragraph 1, the terminal device establishes the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information by receiving instructions from the first network access node to receive the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information.

[0106] Paragraph 3. According to the method described in paragraph 2, wherein, in the System Information Broadcast (SIB) signaling sent by the first network access node, an indication of receiving first activation signaling configuration information and second activation signaling configuration information is received from the first network access node.

[0107] Paragraph 4. According to the method described in paragraph 2, wherein, in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling sent by the first network access node, an indication of receiving first activation signaling configuration information and second activation signaling configuration information is received from the first network access node.

[0108] Paragraph 5. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, wherein the terminal device establishes first activation signaling configuration information and second activation signaling configuration information based on a predefined mapping between different combinations of the identifier of the terminal device and the identifier of the corresponding network access node and different activation signaling configuration information.

[0109] Paragraph 6. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, wherein the terminal device establishes first activation signaling configuration information and second activation signaling configuration information when attached to the first network access node, and then, in response to detecting activation signaling according to the second activation signaling format, attempts to decode the System Information Broadcast (SIB) signaling sent by the second network access node.

[0110] Paragraph 7. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, wherein the terminal device establishes first activation signaling configuration information and second activation signaling configuration information when attached to the first network access node, and then performs a cell selection / reselection process in response to detecting activation signaling according to the second activation signaling format.

[0111] Paragraph 8. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 7, wherein monitoring signaling sent by the first network access node according to the first activation signaling format and monitoring signaling sent by the second network access node according to the second activation signaling format includes monitoring signaling sent by the first network access node according to the first activation signaling format during a first time period, but not monitoring signaling sent by the second network access node according to the second activation signaling format.

[0112] Paragraph 9. According to the method described in paragraph 8, during a second time period following the first time period, signaling sent by the second network access node according to the second activation signaling format is monitored.

[0113] Paragraph 10. According to the method described in paragraph 9, wherein the first time period ends in response to the terminal device receiving a signaling sent by the second network access node according to the first activation signaling format, indicating that the signaling comes from the second network access node rather than from the first network access node.

[0114] Paragraph 11. The method described in paragraph 9 or 10, wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period.

[0115] Paragraph 12. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 11 further includes performing a cell selection / reselection process after the terminal device has not detected activation signaling in either or both of the first time period and the second time period.

[0116] Paragraph 13. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 12, wherein monitoring of signaling sent by the first network access node according to the first activation signaling format and monitoring of signaling sent by the second network access node according to the second activation signaling format are performed simultaneously.

[0117] Paragraph 14. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 13, wherein the first activation signaling format is a dedicated activation signaling format for a first network access node, and the second activation signaling format is a common activation signaling format for a plurality of network access nodes including the second network access node.

[0118] Paragraph 15. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 14 further includes, after a period of monitoring signaling sent by the first network access node according to the first activation signaling format and monitoring signaling sent by the second network access node according to the second activation signaling format, determining that at least one of the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information is no longer valid, and establishing updated activation signaling configuration information in response thereto.

[0119] Paragraph 16. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 15, wherein determining that at least one of the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information is no longer valid includes determining that a predefined validity period of at least one of the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information has expired.

[0120] Paragraph 17. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 16, wherein determining that at least one of the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information is no longer valid includes receiving an indication from one of a plurality of network access nodes that a predefined validity period of at least one of the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information has expired.

[0121] Paragraph 18. The method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 17 further includes establishing additional activation signaling configuration information for at least one additional network access node, wherein the additional activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of at least one additional activation signaling format to be sent by a corresponding node among the at least one additional network access node before sending a paging message; and monitoring signaling sent by the at least one additional network access node according to at least one additional activation signaling format, and attempting to decode subsequent paging messages in response to detecting activation signaling according to at least one additional activation signaling format.

[0122] Paragraph 19. A terminal device for use in a wireless telecommunications system including a terminal device and multiple network access nodes, wherein the terminal device includes controller circuitry and transceiver circuitry configured to operate together such that the terminal device is operable to: establish first activation signaling configuration information for a first network access node, wherein the first activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a first activation signaling format sent by the first network access node before sending a paging message; establish second activation signaling configuration information for a second network access node, wherein the second activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a second activation signaling format sent by the second network access node before sending a paging message; and monitor signaling sent by the first network access node according to the first activation signaling format, and monitor signaling sent by the second network access node according to the second activation signaling format, and in response to detecting activation signaling according to the first activation signaling format or the second activation signaling format, attempt to decode a subsequent paging message.

[0123] Paragraph 20. A circuit for a terminal device used in a wireless telecommunications system including a terminal device and a plurality of network access nodes, wherein the circuit includes a controller circuit and a transceiver circuit configured to operate together such that the circuit is operable to: establish first activation signaling configuration information for a first network access node, wherein the first activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a first activation signaling format sent by the first network access node before sending a paging message; establish second activation signaling configuration information for a second network access node, wherein the second activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a second activation signaling format sent by the second network access node before sending a paging message; and monitor signaling sent by the first network access node according to the first activation signaling format, and monitor signaling sent by the second network access node according to the second activation signaling format, and in response to detecting activation signaling according to the first activation signaling format or the second activation signaling format, attempt to decode a subsequent paging message.

[0124] Paragraph 21. A method for operating a first network access node in a wireless telecommunications system including a terminal device and multiple network access nodes, wherein the method includes: establishing first activation signaling configuration information for the first network access node, wherein the first activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a first activation signaling format sent by the first network access node before sending a paging message; establishing second activation signaling configuration information for a second network access node, wherein the second activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a second activation signaling format sent by the second network access node before sending a paging message; and sending the first activation signaling configuration information and the indication of the second activation signaling configuration information to the terminal device.

[0125] Paragraph 22. According to the method described in paragraph 21, establishing second activation signaling configuration information for the second network access node includes an instruction to receive the second activation signaling configuration information from the second network access node.

[0126] Paragraph 23. The method described in paragraph 21 further includes an instruction to transmit first activation signaling configuration information to a second network access node.

[0127] Paragraph 24. The method according to paragraph 21 or 22, wherein the indication of the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information is sent to the terminal device in a System Information Broadcast (SIB) signaling sent by the first network access node.

[0128] Paragraph 25. The method according to any one of paragraphs 21 to 24, wherein the indication of the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information is sent to the terminal device in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling sent by the first network access node.

[0129] Paragraph 26. The method according to any one of paragraphs 21 to 25 further includes a first network access node receiving a paging request message for a terminal device from a mobility management entity of a wireless telecommunications system, activating signaling for the terminal device according to a first activation signaling format, and subsequently sending a paging message for the terminal device.

[0130] Paragraph 27. A first network access node for use in a wireless telecommunications system including a terminal device and multiple network access nodes, wherein the first network access node includes controller circuitry and transceiver circuitry configured to operate together such that the first network access node is operable to: establish first activation signaling configuration information for the first network access node, wherein the first activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a first activation signaling format sent by the first network access node before sending a paging message; establish second activation signaling configuration information for a second network access node, wherein the second activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a second activation signaling format sent by the second network access node before sending a paging message; and send the first activation signaling configuration information and the indication of the second activation signaling configuration information to the terminal device.

[0131] Paragraph 28. A circuit for a first network access node used in a wireless telecommunications system including a terminal device and a plurality of network access nodes, wherein the circuit includes a controller circuit and a transceiver circuit configured to operate together such that the circuit is operable to: establish first activation signaling configuration information for the first network access node, wherein the first activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a first activation signaling format sent by the first network access node before sending a paging message; establish second activation signaling configuration information for a second network access node, wherein the second activation signaling configuration information includes an indication of a second activation signaling format sent by the second network access node before sending a paging message; and send the first activation signaling configuration information and the indication of the second activation signaling configuration information to the terminal device.

[0132] References

[0133] [1]RP-161464, "Revised WID for Further Enhanced MTC for LTE," Ericsson, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #73, New Orleans, USA, September 19-22, 2016

[0134] [2]RP-161901, "Revised work item proposal:Enhancements ofNB-IoT", Huawei, HiSilicon, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #73, New Orleans, USA, September 19-22, 2016

[0135] [3]RP-170732, "New WID on Even further enhanced MTC for LTE," Ericsson, Qualcomm, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #75, Dubrovnik, Croatia, March 6-9, 2017

[0136] [4]RP-170852, "New WID on Further NB-IoT enhancements," Huawei, HiSilicon, Neul, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #75, Dubrovnik, Croatia, March 6-9, 2017

[0137] [5]Holma H.and Toskala A,“LTE for UMTS OFDMA and SC-FDMA based radioaccess”,John Wiley and Sons,2009

[0138] [6]3GPP TS 36.304version 14.2.0Release 14

[0139] [7]3GPP TS 36.321version 13.5.0Release 13

[0140] [8]C.Hambeck,et al.,“A 2.4μW Wake-up Receiver for wireless sensornodes with-71dBm sensitivity”,in IEEE Proceeding International Symposium ofCircuits and Systems(ISCAS),2011,pp.534-537。

Claims

1. A network access node for use in a wireless telecommunication system, the wireless telecommunication system comprising terminal devices and a plurality of network access nodes, wherein, The network access node comprises: circuitry configured to establish first activation signaling configuration information, wherein the first activation signaling configuration information comprises an indication of a first activation signaling format to be transmitted prior to transmission of a paging message; establish second activation signaling configuration information, wherein the second activation signaling configuration information comprises an indication of a second activation signaling format to be transmitted prior to transmission of a paging message; monitor, by the terminal device, signaling transmitted by a first network access node according to the first activation signaling format and monitoring signaling transmitted by a second network access node according to the second activation signaling format, and in response to detecting activation signaling according to the first activation signaling format or the second activation signaling format, attempting to decode a subsequent paging message; and transmit, to the terminal device, an indication of the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information.

2. The network access node of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to establish the second activation signaling configuration information based on an indication of the second activation signaling configuration information received from a second network access node.

3. The network access node of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit an indication of the first activation signaling configuration information to a second network access node.

4. The network access node of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit an indication of the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information to the terminal device in system information broadcast signaling transmitted by the network access node.

5. The network access node of claim 1, wherein the circuitry is configured to transmit an indication of the first activation signaling configuration information and the second activation signaling configuration information to the terminal device in radio resource control signaling transmitted by the network access node.

6. The network access node of claim 1, wherein, the circuitry is configured to: receive, from a mobility management entity for the wireless telecommunications system, a paging request message for the terminal device; and transmit activation signaling for the terminal device according to the first activation signaling format and subsequently transmit a paging message for the terminal device.

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