Enhanced measurement reporting for user equipment

Abstract

According to an aspect, there is provided a terminal device comprising means for: measuring a signal quality (300) of a non-serving cell (232); determining a beam for the non-serving cell based on the signal quality (310); if the non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell to the multicarrier connection with the serving cell, determining a first antenna gain available for the non-serving cell with the beam (320); information about the determined first antenna gain is transmitted to a base station of the serving cell (330).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to beam configuration. Some embodiments relate to correcting for the effects of changes in beam configuration. Background Art

[0002] A node of a radio telecommunication network, such as a radio terminal or a base station, may use a variable antenna configuration to communicate in the radio telecommunication network. In some examples, a node may select between spatially diverse antenna panels or antennas. In some examples for performing beamforming, a node may selectively use or controllably use different antenna elements within an antenna array of an antenna panel, for example, using different weights for antenna elements. In some examples, an antenna configuration at a radio terminal may be at least partially controlled by the radio terminal. Summary of the invention

[0003] According to an aspect, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. The protective scope for the individual embodiments is stated by the independent claims.

[0004] The embodiments and features described in this specification that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims, if any, may be construed as examples useful for understanding the various embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] In the following, some embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0006] Figure 1 An example of the subject matter described herein is shown;

[0007] Figure 2 An example of the subject matter described herein is shown;

[0008] Figure 3 An example of the subject matter described herein is shown;

[0009] Figure 4 An example of the subject matter described herein is shown;

[0010] Figure 5 An example of the subject matter described herein is shown;

[0011] Figure 6 An example of the subject matter described herein is shown;

[0012] Figure 7 An example of the subject matter described herein is shown;

[0013] Figure 8 An example of the subject matter described herein is shown; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The following embodiments are examples. Although the specification may refer to "one", "an" or "some" embodiments in several places, this does not necessarily mean that each such reference refers to the same embodiment, or that a feature applies to only a single embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments. In addition, the words "comprising" and "including" should be understood as not limiting the described embodiments to consist only of those features that have been mentioned, and such embodiments may also include features / structures that have not been specifically mentioned.

[0015] In the following, different exemplary embodiments will be described using radio access architectures based on Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A) or New Radio (NR, 5G) or 6G as examples of access architectures to which the embodiments may be applied, without however limiting the embodiments to such architectures. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, by appropriately adjusting the parameters and procedures, the embodiments may also be applied to other kinds of communication networks with appropriate means. Some examples of other options for suitable systems are Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Radio Access Network (UTRAN or E-UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE, same as E-UTRA), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN or WiFi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Personal Communications Service (PCS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), systems using Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, sensor networks, mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or any combination thereof.

[0016] Figure 1 An example of a simplified system architecture is depicted showing only some elements and functional entities which are all logical units, the implementation of which may differ from what is shown. Figure 1 The connections shown in are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the system typically includes in addition to Figure 1 Other functions and structures than those shown.

[0017] However, the embodiments are not limited to the systems given as examples, but a person skilled in the art may apply the solution to other communication systems equipped with the necessary characteristics.

[0018] Figure 1 The example of FIG. 1 shows a portion of an exemplary radio access network.

[0019] Figure 1Terminal devices or user equipment 100, 101 and 102 are shown, which are configured to be wirelessly connected to an access node (such as (e / g)NodeB) 104 providing the cell on one or more communication channels in the cell. (e / g)NodeB refers to eNodeB or gNodeB as defined in the 3GPP specification. The physical link from the user equipment to the (e / g)NodeB is called an uplink or reverse link, and the physical link from the (e / g)NodeB to the user equipment is called a downlink or forward link. It should be understood that the (e / g)NodeB or its functions can be implemented by using any node, host, server or access point entity suitable for such purpose.

[0020] The communication system usually includes more than one (e / g)NodeB, in which case the (e / g)NodeB can also be configured to communicate with each other through wired or wireless links designed for this purpose. These links can be used not only for signaling purposes, but also for routing data from one (e / g)NodeB to another. (e / g)NodeB is a computing device configured to control the radio resources of the communication system to which it is coupled. NodeB can also be referred to as a base station, access point, access node, or any other type of interface device including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment. (e / g)NodeB includes or is coupled to a transceiver. A connection from the transceiver of the (e / g)NodeB to an antenna unit is provided, which establishes a bidirectional radio link to a user equipment. The antenna unit may include multiple antennas or antenna elements. (e / g)NodeB is also connected to a core network 110 (CN or next generation core NGC). Depending on the system, the counterpart on the CN side may be a serving gateway (S-GW, routing and forwarding user data packets) for providing connection of user equipment (UE) to an external packet data network, a packet data network gateway (P-GW), or a mobility management entity (MME), etc.

[0021] User equipment (also referred to as UE, user equipment, user terminal, terminal device, etc.) shows a type of device to which resources on the air interface are allocated and assigned, and therefore any features described herein using user equipment can be implemented using corresponding devices such as relay nodes. An example of such a relay node is a layer 3 relay (self-backhaul relay) towards a base station.

[0022] User equipment generally refers to a portable computing device, which includes wireless mobile communication devices that operate with or without a subscriber identity module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of devices: mobile stations (mobile phones), smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices, devices using wireless modems (alarm or measurement devices, etc.), laptop and / or touch screen computers, tablet computers, game controllers, notebooks, and multimedia devices. It should be understood that user equipment can also be a device that is almost only used for uplink, an example of which is a camera or video camera that loads images or video clips to a network. User equipment can also be a device with the ability to operate in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, which is a scenario in which objects are provided with the ability to transmit data on the network without human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. User devices can also utilize the cloud. In some applications, a user device may include a small portable device with a radio part (such as a watch, headphones, or glasses), and the calculation is performed in the cloud. The user device (or in some embodiments, a layer 3 relay node) is configured to perform one or more of the user device design functions. A user device may also be called a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, or user equipment (UE), to mention just a few names or devices.

[0023] The various techniques described herein may also be applied to cyber-physical systems (CPS) (systems of computing elements that coordinate control of physical entities). CPS enables the implementation and utilization of a large number of interconnected devices (sensors, actuators, processors microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects at different locations. Mobile cyber-physical systems, where the physical systems in question have inherent mobility, are a subcategory of cyber-physical systems. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robots and electronic devices transported by humans or animals.

[0024] Additionally, although the apparatus has been depicted as a single entity, different units, processors and / or memory units (in Figure 1 Not all are shown) can be implemented.

[0025] 5G allows the use of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in collaborative operation with smaller stations, and the adoption of various radio technologies depending on service needs, use cases and / or available spectrum. 5G mobile communications support a wide range of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of sharing data and various forms of machine-type applications (such as (massive) machine-type communications (mMTC)), including vehicle safety, different sensors and real-time control. 5G is expected to have multiple radio interfaces, namely 6GHz, cmWave and mmWave and below, and also be able to integrate with existing legacy radio access technologies, such as LTE. At least in the early stages, integration with LTE can be implemented as a system in which macro coverage is provided by LTE and 5G radio interface access is achieved by small cell aggregation to LTE. In other words, 5G is planned to support both inter-RAT operability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below 6GHz-cmWave, below 6GHz-cmWave-mmWave). One of the concepts considered to be used in 5G networks is network slicing, in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual subnetworks (network instances) can be created within the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements for latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0026] The current architecture in LTE networks is completely distributed in the radio and is usually completely concentrated in the core network. Low-latency applications and services in 5G require content to be close to the radio, which leads to local interruptions and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G enables analysis and knowledge generation to occur at the data source. This method requires the use of resources that may be discontinuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smart phones, tablet computers and sensors. MEC provides a distributed computing environment for application and service hosting. It also has the ability to store and process content near cellular subscribers to obtain faster response times. Edge computing covers a wide range of technologies, such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data collection, mobile signature analysis, collaborative distributed peer-to-peer self-organizing networking and processing, which can also be classified as local cloud / fog computing and grid computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, cloud gathering, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomous self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (large-scale connectivity and / or latency-critical), critical communications (autonomous vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analysis, time-critical control, medical applications).

[0027] The communication system can also communicate with other networks, such as the public switched telephone network or the Internet 112, or utilize services provided by them. The communication network can also support the use of cloud services, for example, at least a portion of the core network operations can be performed as a cloud service (this is in the Figure 1 114). The communication system may also include a central control entity or the like, which provides facilities for networks of different operators to collaborate, for example in spectrum sharing.

[0028] By leveraging Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN), edge cloud can be brought into the Radio Access Network (RAN). Using edge cloud can mean that access node operations are at least partially performed in a server, host or node that is operatively coupled to a remote radio head or base station including the radio part. Node operations may also be distributed among multiple servers, nodes or hosts. The application of cloud RAN architecture enables RAN real-time functions to be performed on the RAN side (in distributed units, DU 105) and non-real-time functions to be performed in a centralized manner (in centralized units, CU 108).

[0029] It should also be understood that the functional distribution between core network operations and base station operations may be different from that of LTE, or even non-existent. Some other technological advances that may be used are big data and all-IP, which may change the way networks are being constructed and managed. 5G (or New Radio, NR) networks are being designed to support multiple layers, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and the base station or Node B (gNB). It should be understood that MEC can also be applied to 4G networks.

[0030] 5G can also make use of satellite communications to enhance or supplement the coverage of 5G services, for example by providing backhaul. Possible use cases are to provide service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or for passengers on vehicles, or to ensure service availability for critical communications and future railway, maritime and / or aviation communications. Satellite communications can make use of geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite systems, but can also make use of low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, in particular mega constellations (systems in which hundreds of (nano) satellites are deployed). Each satellite 109 in a mega constellation can cover several satellite-enabled network entities creating a ground cell. The ground cell can be created by a relay node on the ground or by a gNB located on the ground or in a satellite.

[0031] It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the depicted system is only an example of a part of a radio access system, and in practice the system may include multiple (e / g)NodeBs, a user equipment may access multiple radio cells, and the system may also include other devices, such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements. At least one of the (e / g)NodeBs may be a home (e / g)NodeB. Additionally, in a geographical area of ​​the radio communication system, a plurality of different kinds of radio cells as well as a plurality of radio cells may be provided. The radio cells may be macro cells (or umbrella cells), which are large cells (typically having a diameter of up to tens of kilometers) or smaller cells (such as micro, femto or pico cells). Figure 1 The (e / g)NodeB can provide any type of these cells. A cellular radio system can be implemented as a multi-layer network including several types of cells. Usually, in a multi-layer network, one access node provides one or more cells of one type, so multiple (e / g)NodeBs are needed to provide such a network structure.

[0032] In order to meet the needs of improving the deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of "plug and play" (e / g) NodeB has been introduced. Generally, a network that can use "plug and play" (e / g) NodeB includes a home (e / g) NodeB gateway or HNB-GW (in addition to the home (e / g) NodeB (H(e / g) NodeB)). Figure 1 (not shown). An HNB gateway (HNB-GW) usually installed in an operator's network can aggregate services from a large number of HNBs back to the core network.

[0033] 6G networks are expected to adopt flexible decentralized and / or distributed computing systems and architectures and ubiquitous computing, with local spectrum licensing, spectrum sharing, infrastructure sharing, and intelligent automated management supported by mobile edge computing, artificial intelligence, short packet communication, and blockchain technology. The key features of 6G will include management and control functions for intelligent connectivity, programmability, integrated sensing and communication, reduced energy footprint, trusted infrastructure, scalability, and affordability. In addition to these, 6G is also oriented to cover new use cases that integrate localization and sensing capabilities into system definitions to unify the user experience across the physical and digital worlds.

[0034] Mobile communications at mmW frequencies (e.g., FR2 around 28 GHz and 39 GHz and above 52.6 GHz) suffer from high path loss, e.g., 100 dB for 100 meters at 28 GHz (when calculated with a unit antenna the size of the wavelength). Additionally, power amplifiers with adequate transmit power at mmW are more challenging than FR1 operation, and larger bandwidths are used in FR2 and above, both of which reduce power spectral density. These effects severely threaten link budgets (i.e., reduce UE range / cell size).

[0035] In NR, higher path losses are mitigated by beamforming at the base station (gNB) and at the UE side in FR2, where panels are used to achieve beamforming gain, which compensates for link budget losses. Unfortunately, high beamforming gain also implies high spatial filtering, i.e., the higher the beamforming gain, the tighter / narrower the beam. Each panel on the UE may present a different antenna gain and radiated beamwidth. For example, different antenna array configurations may enable an active one patch of an antenna panel to exhibit a 90 degree half power beamwidth (HPBW), or an active two patches to exhibit a 45 degree HPBW, or an active four patches to exhibit a 22 degree HPBW. These are just a few non-limiting examples.

[0036] Figure 2 The operation of a cell in a radio communication network is shown, wherein a terminal device or user equipment (UE) 200 communicates with the radio communication network. The UE 200 comprises at least one antenna panel 220 and a communication circuit 240, the communication circuit 240 being configured to communicate in the radio telecommunication network via one or more of at least one antenna panel 210, 211, 212. Each antenna panel 210, 211, 212 may comprise a plurality of antenna elements 220. In this example, the UE 200 communicates with the cell 231 via the antenna panel 211 using a beam 241 towards the cell 231.

[0037] Beam 241 can be characterized as a narrow beam compared to a wide beam. A wide beam can be achieved, for example, by using a single antenna element in an array, while a narrow beam can be achieved by using, for example, all elements of an antenna array to achieve beamforming. In practice, more beam widths may be available for selection depending on the size of the antenna array and the number of active antenna elements. In addition, whether the UE uses the selected narrow beam to cover a single transmission / reception point (TRP) or multiple transmission / reception points (TRPs) may also depend on the UE orientation, because linear arrays have different spatial filtering in the azimuth and elevation planes, making the UE's decision not simple.

[0038] In 3GPP, UE beam configuration selection is left to UE implementation. Typically, the UE requires network assistance to align and track its narrow beam. UE beam management can be performed in three phases (Phase #1, Phase #2, and Phase #3). In Phase #1 (P1), the UE uses a wide Rx beam while the gNB is performing SS bursting where the SSBs are scanned and transmitted in different directions covering the cell. The UE measures the RSRP of all SSB beams on all UE panels and sends a PRACH on the RACH timing of the best SSB beam to connect to the network using the peer transmit (Tx) beam of the best SSB beam. In Phase #2 (P2), the UE uses a wide Rx beam to receive the gNB refined DL CSI-RS beam scan within the connected SSB beam. The UE measures the RSRP of all CSI-RS beams and reports the best beam ID(s) back to the gNB still using the peer wide Tx beam. In Phase #3 (P3), the gNB transmits repeated CSI reference signals with the selected beam based on the UE report in Phase #2, and the UE scans the refined Rx beam settings to identify its best narrow Rx beam. As a result of UE beam management, alignment between the gNB Tx beam and the UE Rx beam is achieved for maximized directional gain.

[0039] If the UE configures its panels with the same beam gain, the UE panel and beam decisions for reporting DL reference signals in intra-cell and inter-cell beam management will not be a problem for the network. However, this is not always possible, for example in cases where the UE is equipped with panels of different sizes, for example, two 1x4 arrays and one 1x8 array on the same UE. For example, when the UE needs to serve multiple TRPs or gNBs simultaneously, additional challenges may be faced with mobility procedures as the network may not be aware of the panel capabilities on the UE. Therefore, UE orientation and antenna beam pattern properties related to UE antenna panel operation are important. In any case, current activities in 3GPP involve support for downlink carrier aggregation, which focuses on architectures where the UE can support multi-carrier connections (e.g., single-chain or multi-chain architectures) with beam management on more than one panel, or beam management limited to a single carrier without considering the UE antenna pattern.

[0040] During neighbor cell measurements, the UE typically uses a wide beam (i.e., a single patch active on the antenna array) in order to detect as many cells as possible. Then, when the UE reports measurements of neighbor cells, the gNB is not aware of the potential increased gain towards the target, as this depends on the array size used to attach to the target and it is not communicated to the gNB. To inform the gNB of this, the UE may report an indication of the Array Configuration Correction Index (ACCI) to the gNB. The ACCI may reflect the potential beam gain that may be provided after UE Rx beam refinement (e.g., after the Phase #3 process). In other words, it may be viewed as an indication of the predictable maximum directivity (i.e., maximum gain potential) that can be achieved by a given antenna panel based on the panel configuration (e.g., beam) used to perform the associated RSRP measurement. For example, it may be assumed that a gain of, for example, 3 dB is obtained for each doubling of the number of patches to which it is applied. The step size of 3 dB is only a non-limiting example, and other values ​​may be selected based on testing or simulations.

[0041] The use cases for carrier aggregation and dual connectivity are special cases since the UE needs to serve two or more TRPs simultaneously. However, in cases where the UE needs to communicate with two or more gNBs from the same array simultaneously (e.g., carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, or multiple TRPs), the UE can use the same narrow beam as for the PCell (if the PCell and SCell are co-located), or decide to use a wider beam to increase its spherical coverage and cover all signal sources (e.g., gNBs, TRPs) with one beam. In the latter case, the reported ACCI may no longer be valid. This limitation of one wide beam per antenna panel instead of two narrow beams may be due to the UE RF architecture limitation, i.e., each panel utilizes only a single chain (i.e., a set of phase shifters) in the RF front-end, so the UE can only use one beam per panel at a time.

[0042] The problem with the current process is that in a non-colocated scenario where multiple links are activated simultaneously (where the UE shares a common UE beam (Rx spatial filter) to receive two TRPs simultaneously), the reported above-mentioned ACCI value may not reflect the achievable RSRP. According to various but not necessarily all embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., a terminal device) is provided, comprising components for: measuring the signal quality of a non-serving cell in a radio communication network; determining a beam for the non-serving cell based on the signal quality; if the non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell to a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, determining a first antenna gain that can be obtained for the non-serving cell using the beam; and transmitting information about the determined first antenna gain to a base station of the serving cell.

[0043] In some examples, but not necessarily all, additional information is added to the radio resource management (RRM) measurements and reference signal received power (RSRP) values ​​reported to the network in connected mode, specifically relating to an (optional) additional antenna gain (e.g., a first antenna gain) that can be implemented by a user equipment (UE) for neighbor cell reception if a neighbor (currently non-serving) cell is added simultaneously with the currently connected cell (i.e., without replacing the current serving cell). Based on this information, the network can use the RRM measurements from the user equipment to evaluate whether a neighbor cell can / should replace a serving cell (switching) or whether a neighbor cell can / should be used in parallel with a serving cell, for example, for adding a secondary cell (SCell) in a carrier aggregation (CA) deployment or a primary secondary cell (PSCell) in a dual connectivity (DC) deployment. The UE can report the achievable antenna gain for each TRP, thereby allowing the network to adjust the secondary cell selection mechanism for simultaneous operation based on the achievable UE antenna gain. In an embodiment, this information can be complementary to the above-mentioned ACCI value. The term "multi-carrier connectivity includes carrier aggregation (CA) or multiple connectivity (such as dual connectivity (DC)) or both.

[0044] Figure 3 An example is shown in which UE 200 is served by cell 231 using antenna panel 211 and beam 241 of UE 200. In this example, UE 200 measures neighbor cell 232 (see measurement 302) using Figure 4 ). In this example, the measurements 302 are done using at least the antenna panel 211, but other antenna panels may also be used. If the measurements 302 indicate that the antenna gain (e.g., the second antenna gain, described in more detail later) for the serving cell 231 will not drop below a defined threshold, the network may decide to add the cell 232 for the user equipment in a multi-carrier connection when both cells 231 and 232 are to be used for simultaneous communications. If the cell 232 is added in the multi-carrier connection together with the serving cell 231, the two cells 231, 232 will share the same antenna panel 211 in this example, which may be due to the angular similarity of the first cell 231 and the second cell 232. Therefore, potentially, a wide beam 242 is used for such simultaneous operation. The base station may notify the UE 200 to add the cell 232 as a secondary cell.

[0045] Figure 4 The message sequence process of this example is shown. At stage 300 , UE 200 utilizes at least one antenna panel to measure the signal quality of at least one neighboring cell, in this example, cell 232 , by measuring 302 . In phase 310, the UE 200 selects an antenna panel among the at least one antenna panel, and a beam of the selected antenna panel that can be used for communicating with the neighboring cell 232. The selection of the antenna panel and the beam of the antenna panel for communicating with the cell 232 can be based on the signal quality measurement performed with one or more antenna panels in phase 300. For example, the antenna panel that provides the best signal quality (such as RSRP) can be used for communication. It may happen that the selected antenna panel is an antenna panel that has already been used for communicating with the serving cell. In this case, the beam to be used for the cell 232 may be a wide beam 242 from the antenna panel 211, rather than a narrow beam. This may be because each antenna panel can only operate with one beam at a time. In the case where the antenna panel is a different antenna panel from the antenna panel used for communicating with the current serving cell, a narrow beam can be formed towards the cell 232. At stage 320, in the case where the non-serving cell 232 and the current serving cell 231 are added to the multi-carrier connection, the UE 200 determines an antenna gain 320, for example, a first antenna gain for the cell 232. Figure 3 In this example case, this would mean that the beam of antenna panel 211 is used to communicate simultaneously on serving cell 231 and non-serving cell 232. In an embodiment, if the beam of antenna panel 211 is used to communicate simultaneously on serving cell 231 and on non-serving cell 232, this may include also determining a second antenna gain for the serving cell. For example, it may be that the beam currently used for serving cell 231 is a narrow beam that provides good antenna gain, and it will need to be changed to a wide beam that does not provide as good antenna gain as the narrow beam. At stage 330, if the non-serving cell 232 is added as a secondary cell (Scell ​​or PSCell) in the multi-carrier connection, the UE 200 transmits information 330 about the gain that can be obtained to the serving cell 231. The information 330 can be reported as an SCell value, which can quantify the gain that can be obtained in multiple steps, as shown in Table 1. At stage 340, the serving cell 231 informs the UE 200 to add the cell 232 in the multi-carrier connection. Table 1. Example of step-by-step quantization of antenna gain.

[0046] exist Figure 5, UE 200 is served by cell 231 using antenna panel 211, which uses beam 241 of UE 200. In this example, UE 200 measures two neighboring cells 232, 233 by measurements 301, 302, respectively. In this example, measurement 301 is done using antenna panel 211, and measurement 302 is done using antenna panel 212. The first antenna gain, for example, the SCell value reported for cell 233 = 2, for example, in the case of a quantization step size of 3 dB, this may indicate that the value is equal to 6 dB. The SCell value reported for cell 232 (i.e., the first antenna gain) may be, for example, 0. The SCell value = 0 for cell 232 may reflect that the measurement reported for cell 232 is done on the same antenna panel 211 as the antenna panel already used by serving cell 231, which means that if cell 232 is added together with serving cell 231, the two cells 231, 232 will need to share the same antenna panel 211. Therefore, potentially wide beams are used for simultaneous operation, and therefore no additional directional gain can be obtained. The result of this example is that serving cell 231 may prefer to add cell 233 over cell 232 because of the additional gain that can be obtained with narrow beam alignment of UE 200. Therefore, cell 231 may notify UE 200 to add cell 233 as a secondary cell.

[0047] Figure 6 The message sequence process in an example is shown. • In phase 300, the UE 200 measures the signal quality of two neighboring cells 232, 233 using measurements 301, 302 respectively in this example. At stage 310, the UE 200 determines 310 the beams that can be used for communication for each cell 232, 233. This can be combined with Figure 4 The process occurs as explained in stage 310 . At stage 320, if the beam of antenna panel 211 is used for communicating simultaneously on serving cell 231 and on non-serving cell 232, UE 200 determines 320 a first achievable antenna gain for non-serving cell 232, and if the beam of antenna panel 211 is used for communicating with serving cell 231 and the beam of antenna panel 212 is used for communicating with non-serving cell 233, UE 200 determines 320 a first achievable antenna gain for non-serving cell 233. • At stage 330, the UE 200 transmits information 330 about the achievable antenna gain to the serving cell 231. The information 330 may be reported as SCell values ​​for cells 232 and 233, which may quantify the achievable gain in multiple steps for each cell. At stage 340 , the serving cell 231 decides which one of the cells 232 , 233 , or both, or neither, is to be added as a secondary cell of the UE 200 in the multi-carrier connection.

[0048] It should be noted that in Figure 5 and 6 In FIG. 3 , the UE may have measured two neighbor cells 232 and 233 with almost the same SSB RSRP values ​​(e.g., -81 dBm for cell 233 and -80 dBm for cell 232). According to this RSRP measurement, cell 232 may be slightly better. However, as explained above, the reported first antenna gain is better for cell 233 (e.g., index 2 represents 6 dB, while index 0 for cell 232 represents 0 dB gain). Based on this information, the network may prefer to add cell 233 as a secondary cell in stage 340, even though cell 233 has a slightly lower RSRP than cell 232, because cell 233 can potentially achieve 6 dB higher antenna directivity.

[0049] According to various but not necessarily all embodiments, an apparatus is provided that includes means for determining a second antenna gain obtainable for a serving cell if a non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell to a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, and transmitting information about the determined second antenna gain to a base station.

[0050] exist Figure 5 and Figure 6 In the example of , if a non-serving cell 232 is added for multi-carrier communication, the UE may also report information about the impact on the achievable antenna gain (e.g., second antenna gain) for communicating with the current serving cell 231. This information may be reported as a PCell value, which may quantify the impact on the antenna gain in multiple steps (e.g., see Table 1). That is, in the event that the UE wants or needs to increase its beamwidth (reduce antenna gain) to cover the current serving cell (PCell) and a secondary cell (SCell / PSCell) that may be added, there may be an impact on the PCell, even if the UE may prioritize the best directionality towards the PCell. Therefore, it may be beneficial to also inform the network about the impact of adding the Scell ​​on the PCell. This is referred to as the second antenna gain, and it is achievable for the serving cell. It is also referred to as the PCell value or ACCI_PCell. In the example, in Figure 5 and Figure 6 In the example, the UE may report an index value of 2 as the second antenna gain in a case where the cell 233 is added as a secondary cell, and report an index value of 0 as the second antenna gain in a case where the cell 232 is added as a secondary cell.

[0051] The achievable antenna gain is based at least in part on the array size of the antenna panel, e.g., 0-2 for a 1x4 array, 0-3 for a 1x8 array, etc. If the UE has panels with different array sizes, the reported antenna gain value may be different. For example, if the UE has panel A with a 1x2 array and panel B with a 1x8 array, and two SCell candidates are detected (e.g., one from each panel), the panel with more array elements may provide better gain, even though narrow beams may be used for both cells. For example, in Figure 5 In the embodiment, if the antenna panel 211 for the service cell 231 is a 1x2 array and the antenna panel 212 for the neighbor cell 233 is a 1x8 array, the ACCI_Scell ​​and ACCI_PCell values ​​reported for the possible addition of the neighbor cell 233 may be different because the panel 212 for the neighbor cell 233 (used to determine ACCI_SCell) may obtain better directionality than the panel 211 for the service cell 231 (used to determine ACCI_PCell).

[0052] In an embodiment, if the first antenna gain and the second antenna gain are the same, the second antenna gain is not sent. For example, when the UE is able or needs to create a common beam, which results in the same Scell ​​(=ACCI_Scell=first antenna gain) and Pcell (=ACCI_PCell=second antenna gain) values, the report can be optimized and ACCI_PCell can be omitted, meaning that the ACCI_SCell value is valid for both SCell and PCell (i.e., ACCI_Scell ​​is used as both ACCI_SCell and ACCI_PCell).

[0053] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments, an apparatus is provided that includes means for determining a third antenna gain for a non-serving cell if the non-serving cell replaces a serving cell, and transmitting information about the third antenna gain to a base station.

[0054] In an embodiment, the UE may report at least the first obtainable antenna gain (ACCI_Scell) to the network. In another embodiment, the UE reports the first obtainable antenna gain (ACCI_Scell) and the second obtainable antenna gain (ACCI_PCell) to the network. In an embodiment, the UE reports the first obtainable antenna gain (ACCI_Scell), the second obtainable antenna gain (ACCI_PCell) and the third obtainable antenna gain (ACCI) to the network. In an embodiment, the UE reports the first obtainable antenna gain (ACCI_Scell) and the third obtainable antenna gain (ACCI) to the network. It may also be that the set of one or more antenna gains reported for a given neighboring cell is different from the set of one or more antenna gains reported for another neighboring cell. Table 2 lists the antenna gains. Table 2: Antenna gain

[0055] In an embodiment, Figure 6 The signal quality value(s) measured at the UE in stage 300 (e.g., one or more of RSRP, RSRQ, SINR) are reported to the gNB. This may occur in a MeasResultNR information element. The MeasResultNR information element may include an IE ResultsSBCell including the signal quality value(s).

[0056] In an embodiment, the antenna gain(s) may be included in the MeasResultNR IE, possibly in the ResultsSBCell IE.

[0057] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments, a device is provided, wherein the information can be used in a process at a base station for adding a non-serving cell as a secondary cell to a carrier aggregation. Figure 5In the example of , UE200 measures two neighboring cells 232, 233 by measurements 301, 302, respectively. In this example, measurement 301 is done using antenna panel 211, and measurement 302 is done using antenna panel 212. For example, the reported SCell value for cell 233 = 2, which may, for example, indicate that the value is equal to 6 dB in the case of a quantization step size of 3 dB, and the reported SCell value for cell 232 may be, for example, 0. The SCell value = 0 for cell 232 may reflect that the measurement reported for cell 232 is done on the same antenna panel 211 as that used by serving cell 231, which means that if cell 232 is added together with serving cell 231, the two cells 231, 232 will need to share the same antenna panel 211, so potentially using a wide beam for simultaneous operation, and therefore no additional directional gain may be obtained. In this example, the network may decide whether the antenna gain for serving cell 231 will decrease below a threshold when the UE communicates with both cells using the same shared beam 242. Because of the additional gain that can be obtained by using the narrow beam 243 alignment of UE 200, cell 233 may be added more favorably than cell 232. Therefore, cell 231 notifies UE 200 to add cell 233 as a secondary cell.

[0058] According to various but not necessarily all embodiments, an apparatus is provided in which the information can be used in a process at a base station for adding a non-serving cell as a secondary cell in a dual connectivity aggregation. The process for this will be similar to the process described above for adding cell 233 as a secondary cell in carrier aggregation. However, in this case, cell 233 will be added for dual connectivity. In dual connectivity, the second cell is from a different gNB (referred to as a secondary node, SN). The serving gNB, which is a master node (MN) in the dual connectivity, can add the SN based on the need for more throughput and measurements received. The MN and SN communicate via X2 / Xn (NR-LTE or NR-NR).

[0059] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments, an apparatus is provided in which a terminal device supports only one beam per antenna panel at a given time. This may be due to UE RF architecture limitations, which limit each panel to only utilize a single chain (i.e., a set of phase shifters) in the RF front end, so the UE can only use one beam per panel at a time.

[0060] According to various embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, there is provided an apparatus including means for: detecting a plurality of non-serving cells; determining, for each of the plurality of non-serving cells, a beam to be used for communicating with the corresponding non-serving cell; determining, for each of the plurality of non-serving cells, a first antenna gain obtainable by using the determined corresponding beam when the corresponding non-serving cell is added to a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell; and notifying a base station of the determined first antenna gain for at least one of the plurality of non-serving cells. This is Figure 5 and Figure 6 , where the UE detects neighbor cells 232 and 233 and reports a first antenna gain for both cells. Additionally, the UE may report a second antenna gain for the serving cell relative to one or both of the neighbor cells 232 and 233.

[0061] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments, an apparatus is provided wherein each antenna gain is dependent on the width of a beam of an antenna panel used to determine the antenna gain.

[0062] According to various embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments, a device is provided in which each antenna gain is indicated to a base station as an index value, wherein the index value is mapped to the antenna gain based on a predetermined mapping. Table 1 shows an example of an index value and its mapping to the antenna gain. The mapping may be preconfigured and known to both the UE and the network. The mapping may be different from the mapping shown in Table 1. For example, the step size (3dB in Table 1) and the granularity may be changed. For example, the information represented in Table 1 may be shared to the UE in the system information (SIB).

[0063] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments, there is provided an apparatus wherein a terminal device comprises at least two antenna panels and further comprises means for determining which of the at least two antenna panels is to be used for communication with a non-serving cell. This may be based, for example, on performing signal quality (e.g., RSRP) measurements using different antenna panels and on selecting the antenna panel that provides the best signal quality result.

[0064] According to various but not necessarily all embodiments, a network device (e.g., a gNB) is provided, comprising components for: if a non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell to a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, receiving information about at least one determined achievable antenna gain corresponding to a non-serving cell from a user equipment, and determining whether to add the non-serving base station to the multi-carrier connection for the user equipment based on the received information.

[0065] The gNB may use the values ​​of reported signal quality and antenna gain as follows: if ("ΔACCI_PCell" < threshold and "RSRP+ACCI of NC" > threshold), then add NC, where ΔACCI is the impact on the current antenna gain, RSPR is the measured signal quality, ACCI is the achievable antenna gain (= first antenna gain), and NC is the measured neighboring cell.

[0066] The same example in numerical terms could be: if ("ΔACCI_PCell" < -1 (eg, -3dB if the step size is -3dB) and "RSRP+ACCI of NC" > -80dBm), then add NC.

[0067] For example, when there are multiple Scell ​​candidates (e.g., neighboring cells 232, 233) detected by the UE, the network device can determine the best secondary cell selection, and the gNB receives the antenna gain value for each Scell ​​candidate.

[0068] According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments, a network device is provided wherein the received information includes an indication of a first antenna gain obtainable by a user equipment for a non-serving cell if the non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell to a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell.

[0069] According to various but not necessarily all embodiments, a network device is provided, wherein if a non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell to a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, the received information also includes an indication of a second antenna gain obtainable by the user equipment for the serving cell. If it makes sense to add an SCell / PSCell considering the reduction in PCell antenna gain, the network device can make an assessment based on the obtainable second antenna gain.

[0070] According to various but not necessarily all embodiments, a network device is provided, wherein if a non-serving cell replaces a serving cell, the received information also includes an indication of a third antenna gain obtainable by the user equipment for the non-serving cell. The network may decide to perform a handover from the serving cell to the neighbor cell based on the third antenna gain report from the UE.

[0071] According to various but not necessarily all embodiments, a network device is provided, comprising components for: if at least one non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell to a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, receiving information about at least one achievable antenna gain corresponding to at least one additional non-serving cell from a user equipment; and determining which one or more non-serving cells of a plurality of non-serving cells are to be added to the multi-carrier connection with the serving cell based on the received information.

[0072] According to various but not necessarily all embodiments, a method is provided (for example, at a terminal device), comprising: measuring a signal quality of a non-service cell; determining a beam for the non-service cell based on the signal quality; if the non-service cell is added as a secondary cell to a multi-carrier connection with a service cell, determining a first antenna gain that can be obtained for the non-service cell using the beam; and transmitting information about the determined first antenna gain to a base station of the service cell.

[0073] According to various embodiments but not necessarily all of them, a computer program is provided, which includes instructions that, when executed on an apparatus (e.g., a computer / terminal device), cause the apparatus to: measure the signal quality of a non-service cell; determine a beam for the non-service cell based on the signal quality; if the non-service cell is added as a secondary cell to a multi-carrier connection with a service cell, determine a first antenna gain that can be obtained for the non-service cell using the beam, and transmit information about the determined first antenna gain to a base station of the service cell.

[0074] According to various but not necessarily all embodiments, a method is provided (for example, at a network device), comprising: if a non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell to a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, receiving from a user equipment information about at least one achievable antenna gain corresponding to the non-serving cell, and determining whether to add the non-serving base station to the multi-carrier connection for the user equipment based on the received information.

[0075] According to various embodiments but not necessarily all, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on a device (e.g., a computer / network device), cause the device to perform: if a non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell to a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, receiving from a user equipment information about at least one achievable antenna gain corresponding to the non-serving cell; and determining, based on the received information, whether to add the non-serving base station to the multi-carrier connection for the user equipment.

[0076] UEs reporting achievable antenna gain information allow the network to identify devices for more advanced control and configuration of antenna panel usage without the need to exchange beam indices or additional protocols. Reporting the achievable antenna gain of adding another cell for communication enables the network to determine the optimal secondary selection, for example, in a scenario where the antenna beam is shared between non-collocated primary and secondary cells. Reporting the impact when using the same antenna panel to communicate with both the primary and secondary cells enables the network to evaluate the impact on antenna gain that may be caused by the UE sharing the same antenna beam between the secondary and primary cells.

[0077] The radio communication network can benefit from planning secondary cell addition or switching based on measurement reports from UE. Furthermore, knowing the impact of adding a secondary cell allows the network to evaluate whether it makes sense to add a secondary cell given the drop in primary cell antenna gain. This disclosure shows a way to inform the gNB of potential UE beam gains without revealing specific UE implementation designs / secrets.

[0078] Figure 7 An embodiment of a process for radio resource management in an apparatus (eg, a terminal device) is shown. Figure 7 , the process performed by the device includes: measuring (block 600) neighboring cell signal strength using the device's antenna panel; taking into account the antenna beam directivity if the measured cell is added as an SCell or PSCell, calculating (block 601) the antenna gain that can be obtained for each measured cell, and if the antenna panel will be used for both PCell and PSCell, determining the impact on PCell; and if the measured neighboring cell is added as an SCell / PSCell and the corresponding impact on PCell, transmitting (block 602) information about each measured neighboring cell. In addition, the processing performed by the device includes: receiving (block 603) a message from a serving cell to add a neighboring cell as an SCell or PSCell, and adding (block 604) a neighboring cell as an SCell or PSCell.

[0079] Figure 8 The apparatus is shown to include processing circuitry (e.g., at least one processor) and at least one memory 40 including computer program code (software) 44, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code (software) are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform Figure 7 Or the processing of any of the embodiments described above for the terminal device. The device may be or be used for a terminal device. The device may be a circuit system or an electronic device that implements some embodiments of the present disclosure in a terminal device. Therefore, a device for performing the above functions may be included in such a device, for example, the device may include a circuit system, such as a chip, a chipset, a processor, a microcontroller, or a combination of these circuits for a terminal device. The processing circuit system may implement a communication controller 30 that controls the communication with the access nodes 231, 232 to 233 of the cellular network infrastructure in the above manner. The communication controller may include an RRC controller 34, which is configured to establish and manage an RRC connection and the transmission of data connected through the RRC via the above-mentioned multi-connection scenario.

[0080] The communication controller 30 may also include a multi-carrier connection controller 35 configured for multi-carrier connection of the terminal device. For example, the multi-carrier connection controller 35 may include a carrier aggregation controller 36, which is configured to perform the above-mentioned process for carrier aggregation or during carrier aggregation. As another example, the multi-carrier connection controller 35 may include a dual connection controller 37, which is configured to perform the above-mentioned process for a dual connection situation or during a dual connection situation.

[0081] refer to Figure 8 The memory 40 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The memory 40 may include a configuration database 46 for storing configuration parameters (e.g., various handover parameters received related to handover preparation, such as conditions for triggering handover).

[0082] The apparatus may also include a communication interface 42 including hardware and / or software for providing the apparatus with radio communication capabilities with one or more access nodes, as described above. Communication interface 42. The communication interface 42 may include the hardware and software required to enable radio communication over a radio interface, for example according to the specifications of an LTE or 5G radio interface.

[0083] The apparatus may also include an application processor 32 that executes one or more computer program applications that generate the need to transmit and / or receive data through the communication controller 30. The application processor may form an application layer of the apparatus. The application processor may execute computer programs that form the main functions of the apparatus. For example, if the apparatus is a sensor device, the application processor may execute one or more signal processing applications that process measurement data obtained from one or more sensor heads. If the apparatus is a computer system of a vehicle, the application processor may execute media applications and / or autonomous driving and navigation applications. The application processor may generate data that is transmitted in a wireless network.

[0084] In another embodiment, Figure 8The device may be or be used for a network device, such as a gNB. The device may be a circuit system or an electronic device that implements some embodiments of the present disclosure in a network device. Therefore, a device that performs the above-mentioned design functions may be included in such a device, for example, the device may include a circuit system, such as a chip, a chipset, a processor, a microcontroller, or a combination of such circuits for a network device. The processing circuit system may implement a communication controller 30 that controls communication with a terminal device. Based on the received information, the communication controller 30 may be responsible (in conjunction with a multi-carrier connectivity controller 35) for adding at least one neighboring cell in a multi-carrier connection for the terminal device. The communication controller may include an RRC controller 34, which is configured to establish and manage an RRC connection and the transmission of data through the RRC connection via the above-mentioned multi-connection scenario.

[0085] As used in this application, the term 'circuitry' refers to one or more of: (a) hardware circuit implementations only, such as implementations in analog and / or digital circuitry only; (b) a combination of circuitry and software and / or firmware, such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of a processor or processor core; or (ii) portions of a processor / software, including a digital signal processor, software, and at least one memory, which work together to enable the device to perform a particular function; and (c) circuitry that requires software or firmware for operation, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, even if the software or firmware is not physically present.

[0086] This definition of "circuitry" applies to the use of that term in this application. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuitry" would also cover an implementation of only a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a processor, such as one core of a multi-core processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and if applicable to the particular element, the term "circuitry" also covers baseband integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuits for use in an apparatus according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In conjunction with Figures 3 to 8 The process or method described in any embodiment thereof may also be performed in the form of one or more computer processes defined by one or more computer programs. The computer program may be in source code form, object code form, or some intermediate form, and it may be stored in a carrier, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. Such carriers include temporary and / or non-temporary computer media, such as recording media, computer memory, read-only memory, electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution packages. Depending on the processing power required, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital processing unit or it may be distributed among multiple processing units.

[0087] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the examples according to the accompanying drawings, it is apparent that the embodiments are not limited thereto, but can be modified in several ways within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to illustrate rather than limit the embodiments. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the disclosed concept can be implemented in various ways. Further, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the described embodiments can (but are not required to) be combined with other embodiments in different ways.

Claims

1. A device comprising components for: Measuring signal quality of non-serving cells; determining a beam for the non-serving cell based on the signal quality; If the non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell in a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, determining a first antenna gain obtainable for the non-serving cell using the beam; as well as Information about the determined first antenna gain is transmitted to a base station of the serving cell.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the component is further configured to determine the first antenna gain if a beam of a first antenna panel is used for communications on both the serving cell and the non-serving cell.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the component is further configured to determine the first antenna gain if a beam of a first antenna panel is used for communication on the serving cell and a beam of a second antenna panel is used for communication on the non-serving cell.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the component is further configured to: If the non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell in a multi-carrier connection with the serving cell, determining a second antenna gain obtainable for the serving cell; and Information about the determined second antenna gain is transmitted to the base station.

5. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the component is further configured to: If the non-serving cell replaces the serving cell, determining a third antenna gain for the non-serving cell; and Information about the third antenna gain is transmitted to the base station.

6. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the information can be used in a process at the base station for adding the non-serving cell as a secondary cell in carrier aggregation.

7. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the information can be used in a process at the base station for adding the non-serving cell as a secondary cell in dual connectivity aggregation.

8. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus supports only one beam per antenna panel.

9. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the component is further configured to: Detecting multiple non-serving cells; For each non-serving cell of the plurality of non-serving cells, determining a beam to be used for communication with the corresponding non-serving cell; When the corresponding non-serving cell is added to the multi-carrier connection with the serving cell, for each non-serving cell in the plurality of non-serving cells, at least determining the first antenna gain obtainable by using the determined corresponding beam; as well as The base station is notified about the first antenna gain determined for at least one non-serving cell of the plurality of non-serving cells.

10. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein each antenna gain depends on the width of the beam of the antenna panel used to determine the antenna gain.

11. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each antenna gain is indicated to the base station as an index value, wherein the index value is mapped to the antenna gain based on a predetermined mapping.

12. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus comprises at least two antenna panels, and further comprising means for determining which of the at least two antenna panels is to be used for communication with the non-serving cell.

13. An apparatus comprising components for: If a non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell in a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, receiving information about at least one achievable antenna gain corresponding to the non-serving cell from a user equipment; and A determination is made based on the received information whether to add the non-serving base station to a multi-carrier connection for the user equipment.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the information comprises an indication of a first antenna gain obtainable by the user equipment for the non-serving cell if the non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell in a multi-carrier connection with the serving cell.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein if the non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell in a multi-carrier connection with the serving cell, the information further comprises an indication of a second antenna gain obtainable by the user equipment for the serving cell.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the information further comprises an indication of a third antenna gain obtainable by the user equipment for the non-serving cell if the non-serving cell replaces the serving cell.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the component is further configured to: If the at least one non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell to the multi-carrier connection with the serving cell, receiving from the user equipment information about at least one achievable antenna gain corresponding to at least one other non-serving cell; Based on the received information, it is determined which one or more non-serving cells of the plurality of non-serving cells to add to the multi-carrier connection with the serving cell.

18. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein the at least one memory and the stored instructions together with the at least one processor are configured to cause the apparatus to provide the component.

19. A method comprising: Measuring signal quality of non-serving cells; determining a beam for the non-serving cell based on the signal quality; If the non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell in a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, determining a first antenna gain obtainable for the non-serving cell using the beam; as well as Information about the determined antenna gain is transmitted to a base station of the serving cell.

20. A computer program product, implemented on a computer readable medium and comprising computer program code readable by a computer, wherein the computer program code configures the computer to perform a computer process, the computer process comprising: Measure the signal quality of non-serving cells. determining a beam for the non-serving cell based on the signal quality; If the non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell in a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, determining a first antenna gain obtainable for the non-serving cell using the beam; as well as Information about the determined antenna gain is transmitted to a base station of the serving cell.

21. A method comprising: If a non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell in a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, receiving information about at least one achievable antenna gain corresponding to the non-serving cell from a user equipment; as well as A determination is made based on the received information whether to add the non-serving cell to a multi-carrier connection for the user equipment.

22. A computer program product implemented on a computer readable medium and comprising computer program code readable by a computer, wherein the computer program code configures the computer to perform a computer process comprising: If a non-serving cell is added as a secondary cell in a multi-carrier connection with a serving cell, receiving information about at least one achievable antenna gain corresponding to the non-serving cell from a user equipment; as well as A determination is made based on the received information whether to add the non-serving base station to a multi-carrier connection for the user equipment.

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