Method and apparatus for supporting location assisted initial access

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for network verification of a geographic location of a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) when the WTRU initially accesses a network. For example, the WTRU is configured to receive configuration information indicating a first set of resources transmitted for an initial access and a second set of resources transmitted for a sounding reference signal (SRSp) for positioning; transmitting a first initial access transmission, the first initial access transmission comprising a random access preamble associated with the first set of resources and first information indicating one or more resources from the second set of resources; transmitting a first SRSp transmission using the one or more resources from the second set of resources; receiving a second initial access transmission, the second initial access transmission comprising second information indicating a first state of the first initial access transmission and a second state of the first SRSp transmission; and transmitting an uplink transmission based on the second information.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 327,219, filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 4, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein for all applicable purposes. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of wireless communication networks. For example, one or more embodiments disclosed herein relate to methods, devices, systems and / or processes for network verification of a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) geographic location when the WTRU initially accesses a wireless network (e.g., a 5G New Radio (NR) network).

[0004] In one embodiment, a method for wireless communication implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) includes: receiving configuration information indicating a first set of resources for an initial access transmission and a second set of resources for a sounding reference signal (SRSp) transmission for positioning; sending a first initial access transmission, the first initial access transmission including a random access preamble code associated with the first set of resources and first information indicating one or more resources from the second set of resources; sending a first SRSp transmission using one or more resources from the second set of resources; receiving a second initial access transmission, the second initial access transmission including second information indicating a first state of the first initial access transmission and a second state of the first SRSp transmission; and sending an uplink transmission based on the second information.

[0005] In one embodiment, a WTRU including a processor, a receiver, a transmitter, and a memory is configured to implement one or more methods disclosed herein. For example, a WTRU including circuits (including a transmitter, a receiver, a processor, and a memory) is configured to receive configuration information indicating a first set of resources for an initial access transmission and a second set of resources for a sounding reference signal (SRSp) for positioning; send a first initial access transmission, the first initial access transmission including a random access preamble associated with the first set of resources and first information indicating one or more resources from the second set of resources; use the one or more resources from the second set of resources to send a first SRSp transmission; receive a second initial access transmission, the second initial access transmission including second information indicating a first state of the first initial access transmission and a second state of the first SRSp transmission; and send an uplink transmission based on the second information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] A more detailed understanding can be obtained from the following detailed description, which is given by way of example in conjunction with its accompanying drawings. As with the detailed description, the figures in such drawings are exemplary. Therefore, the drawings and specific embodiments should not be considered limiting, and other equally effective examples are possible and contemplated. In addition, like reference numerals ("ref.") in the accompanying drawings ("Figures") indicate similar elements, and wherein:

[0007] Figure 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented;

[0008] Figure 1B is an example of an embodiment in which Figure 1A A system diagram of an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for use within the illustrated communication system;

[0009] Figure 1C is an example of an embodiment in which Figure 1A a system diagram of an example Radio Access Network (RAN) and an example Core Network (CN) used within the illustrated communication system;

[0010] Figure 1D is an example of an embodiment in which Figure 1A A system diagram of another example RAN and another example CN used within the illustrated communication system;

[0011] Figure 2 is a series of four signal flow diagrams illustrating four different types of random access procedures in a 5G network;

[0012] Figure 3 is a diagram of random access channel (RACH) timing in 5G;

[0013] Figure 4 is an illustration of RACH opportunities according to an embodiment, wherein a WTRU requests positioning during initial access by sending a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning (SRSp) in one or more RACH opportunities for preamble repetitions;

[0014] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating operation of a WTRU to send an SRSp based on reception of an initial access message according to one embodiment;

[0015] Figure 6 is a diagram of non-contention opportunity transmission of random access and positioning according to one embodiment;

[0016] Figure 7 is a diagram of a conflicting opportunity for positioning according to one embodiment;

[0017] Figure 8 is a diagram of random access collision opportunity (e.g., MsgA collision) transmission according to one embodiment;

[0018] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a first example operation of performing random access and positioning transmission according to one embodiment; and

[0019] Fig.10 is a flow chart illustrating a second example operation of performing random access and positioning transmission according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In the following detailed description, many specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments and / or examples disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that such embodiments and examples may be practiced without some or all of the specific details set forth herein. In other cases, well-known methods, processes, components, and circuits are not described in detail to avoid blurring the following description. In addition, embodiments and examples not specifically described herein may be practiced in place of embodiments and other examples explicitly, implicitly, and / or inherently described, disclosed, or otherwise provided (collectively referred to as "provided") herein, or practiced in combination with these embodiments and examples.

[0021] Although various embodiments are described and / or claimed herein in which devices, systems, equipment, etc. and / or any elements thereof perform operations, procedures, algorithms, functions, etc. and / or any portions thereof, it should be understood that any embodiment described and / or claimed herein assumes that any device, system, device, etc. and / or any element thereof is configured to perform any operation, procedure, algorithm, function, etc. and / or any portion thereof.

[0022] 1 Example Communication Systems and Devices

[0023] Figure 1A1 is a diagram illustrating an example communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communication system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc. to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through sharing of system resources (including wireless bandwidth). For example, the communication system 100 may employ one or more channel access methods such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero tail unique word DFT spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), etc.

[0024] like Figure 1A As shown, the communication system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, RAN 104 / 113, CN 106 / 115, public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, Internet 110 and other networks 112, but it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or “STA”) may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smart phone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automated process chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0025] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device that is configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, an NR Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0026] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to send and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies (which may be referred to as cells (not shown)). These frequencies may be in a licensed spectrum, an unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrums. A cell may provide coverage of wireless services to a specific geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or may change over time. The cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, a cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Therefore, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one transceiver for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to send and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0027] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0028] More specifically, as noted above, the communication system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may use Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) to establish the air interface 116. WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0029] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) that may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or Advanced LTE (LTE-A) and / or Advanced LTE Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0030] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR radio access, which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0031] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may together implement LTE radio access and NR radio access, for example using the dual connectivity (DC) principle. Thus, the air interface utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions transmitted to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0032] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi)), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), etc.

[0033] Figure 1A The base station 114b in the may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or an access point, and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as a business location, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a road, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology (such as IEEE 802.11) to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology (such as IEEE 802.15) to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or a femtocell. As Figure 1A As shown, base station 114b may have a direct connection to Internet 110. Therefore, base station 114b may not need to access Internet 110 via CN 106 / 115.

[0034] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have different quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform advanced security functions, such as user authentication. Although not described in detail in the text, the CN 106 / 115 may be configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have different quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform advanced security functions, such as user authentication. Figure 1AAlthough not shown in the figure, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may utilize NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) that employs GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0035] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network that provides plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or the Internet Protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired communication networks and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0036] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communication system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks via different wireless links). Figure 1A The illustrated WTRU 102c may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0037] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. Figure 1B As shown, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0038] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal decoding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although Figure 1B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, but it is understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0039] The send / receive element 122 may be configured to send a signal to a base station (e.g., base station 114a) or receive a signal from the base station by an air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to send and / or receive an RF signal. In an embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be a transmitter / detector configured to send and / or receive, for example, IR, UV or visible light signals. In another embodiment, the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive both RF signals and optical signals. It should be understood that the send / receive element 122 may be configured to send and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0040] Although the transmit / receive element 122 Figure 1B 1 as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0041] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. For example, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0042] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to and may receive user input data from a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as a non-removable memory 130 and / or a removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in a memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0043] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control power to other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0044] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or in lieu of the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) over the air interface 116 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0045] The processor 118 may also be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software modules and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, module, a frequency modulation (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, etc. Peripheral device 138 may include one or more sensors, which may be one or more of the following: a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0046] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for both uplink (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 for reducing and / or substantially eliminating self-interference via hardware (e.g., a choke) or via signal processing performed by a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via the processor 118). In one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all signals (e.g., associated with specific subframes for both uplink (e.g., for transmission) or downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous.

[0047] Figure 1C 1 is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 in accordance with an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0048] The RAN 104 may include evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of evolved Node-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the evolved Node-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0049] Each of the evolved Node Bs 160a, 160b, and 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, user scheduling in uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL), etc. Figure 1C As shown, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another via an X2 interface.

[0050] Figure 1C The illustrated CN 106 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as being part of the CN 106, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0051] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the evolved Node-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0052] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the evolved Node-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-evolved Node-B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0053] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0054] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include, or may be in communication with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired networks and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0055] Although the WTRU Figures 1A to 1D Although described as wireless terminals, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments, such terminals may (eg, temporarily or permanently) use a wired communications interface with a communications network.

[0056] In a representative embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0057] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STA) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or an interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic to and / or carries traffic away from the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS and leading to the STA may be reached by the AP and may be delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from the STA and leading to a destination outside the BSS may be transmitted to the AP to be delivered to the corresponding destination. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be transmitted by the AP, for example, wherein the source STA may transmit traffic to the AP, and the AP may deliver traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as point-to-point traffic. Point-to-point traffic may be transmitted between the source STA and the destination STA (e.g., directly between them) using a direct link establishment (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunnel DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs within or using the IBSS (eg, all STAs in the STA) may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may sometimes be referred to herein as an "ad hoc" communication mode.

[0058] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure operating mode or a similar operating mode, the AP may send beacons on a fixed channel (such as a primary channel). The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., a 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a width dynamically set via signaling. The primary channel may be an operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STA to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example, in an 802.11 system. For CSMA / CA, a STA (e.g., each STA) (including the AP) may listen to the primary channel. In the case where the primary channel is listened / detected and / or determined to be busy by a specific STA, the specific STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0059] High throughput (HT) STAs may communicate using a 40 MHz wide channel, for example, via a combination of a primary 20 MHz channel and adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0060] Very high throughput (VHT) STA can support 20MHz, 40MHz, 80MHz and / or 160MHz wide channels. 40MHz channels and / or 80MHz channels can be formed by combining continuous 20MHz channels. 160MHz channels can be formed by combining 8 continuous 20MHz channels, or by combining two non-continuous 80MHz channels (this can be called 80+80 configuration). For 80+80 configuration, after channel coding, the data can pass through a segment parser that can divide the data into two streams. Each stream can be processed by inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) and time domain processing separately. These streams can be mapped to two 80MHz channels, and data can be sent by the transmitter STA. At the receiver of the receiver STA, the above-mentioned operation for the 80+80 configuration can be reversed, and the combined data can be transmitted to the medium access control (MAC).

[0061] 802.11af and 802.11ah support operating modes below 1GHz. Channel operating bandwidths and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5MHz, 10MHz, and 20MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1MHz, 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, and 16MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11ah may support instrument type control / machine type communications, such as MTC devices in macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, such as limited capabilities, including support for (e.g., only support for) certain bandwidths and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include batteries with battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain very long battery life).

[0062] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths (such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah) include channels that can be designated as primary channels. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA (which supports the minimum bandwidth operating mode) from all STAs operating in the BSS. In the example of 802.11ah, for STAs (e.g., MTC-type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1MHz mode, the primary channel may be 1MHz wide, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2MHz, 4MHz, 8MHz, 16MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) settings may depend on the state of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, because a STA (supporting only a 1MHz operating mode) is sending to the AP, the entire available frequency band may be considered busy even if most of the frequency bands remain idle and may be available.

[0063] In the United States, the available frequency band for 802.11ah is 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency band is 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz, depending on the country code.

[0064] Figure 1D 1 is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 in accordance with an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0065] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, the gNBs 180a, 180b may utilize beamforming to send signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a may, for example, use multiple antennas to send wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum, while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement coordinated multi-point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0066] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with parameter sets that may be scalable. For example, OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or transmit time intervals (TTIs) of varying or scalable lengths (e.g., containing different numbers of OFDM symbols and / or varying absolute time lengths over time).

[0067] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while not accessing other RANs (e.g., such as the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may use one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchors. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate / connect with the gNB 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating / connecting with another RAN, such as the eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement the DC principle to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c may act as a mobility anchor for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the gNB 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for serving the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0068] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL), support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards user plane functions (UPFs) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards access and mobility management functions (AMFs) 182a, 182b, etc. As shown in FIG. Figure 1D As shown, gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may communicate with each other via an Xn interface.

[0069] Figure 1DThe illustrated CN 115 may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one session management function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possible data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b. Although each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the CN 115, it should be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0070] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via the N2 interface and may act as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, support of network slicing (e.g., handling of different packet data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a specific SMF 183a, 183b, management of registration areas, termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may use network slicing to customize CN support for the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of services utilized by the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, etc. The AMF a82a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies, such as WiFi.

[0071] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to the AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via the N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to the UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via the N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b, and configure the traffic routing through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy implementation and QoS, providing downlink data notification, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0072] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via the N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, etc.

[0073] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include or may communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired networks and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to local data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b via the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and the N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0074] Given that Figures 1A to 1D as well as Figures 1A to 1D Corresponding to the description of the present invention, one or more or all of the functions described herein with reference to one or more of the following may be performed by one or more simulation devices (not shown): WTRU102a-102d, base station 114a-114b, evolved Node B 160a-160c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-180c, AMF 182a-182b, UPF 184a-184b, SMF 183a-183b, DN 185a-185b and / or any other device described herein. The simulation device may be one or more devices configured to mimic one or more or all of the functions described herein. For example, the simulation device may be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0075] The simulation device may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a laboratory environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, one or more simulation devices may perform one or more functions or all functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. One or more simulation devices may perform one or more functions or all functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The simulation device may be directly coupled to another device for testing purposes and / or may use over-the-air wireless communications to perform testing.

[0076] One or more simulation devices can perform one or more (including all) functions without being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the simulation device can be used in a test scenario in a test laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network to implement testing of one or more components. One or more simulation devices can be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuits (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) can be used by the simulation device to send and / or receive data.

[0077] 2 Positioning in 5G

[0078] In Release 16 and Rel-17, downlink, uplink, and downlink and uplink positioning methods can be used.

[0079] In the downlink positioning method, positioning reference signals (PRS) from multiple TRPs are received by the WTRU. The WTRU will observe multiple PRSs and measure the arrival time difference between a pair of PRSs. The WTRU will then transmit the measured received signal time difference (RSTD) to the location management function (LMF). In addition, the WTRU may transmit the measured RSRP for each PRS. Based on the returned measurements, the LMF positions the WTRU. Alternatively, the WTRU may report RSRP for the angle-based downlink (DL) positioning method.

[0080] The LMF is a non-limiting example of a node or entity (eg, a network node or entity) that may be used for or support positioning. Any other node or entity may replace the LMF and still be consistent with the present disclosure.

[0081] In the uplink positioning method, the WTRU transmits a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) configured by the Radio Resource Control (RRC) for positioning to a Reception Point (RP). For the timing-based method, the Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) measures the Relative Time of Arrival (RTOA) for the received SRS and reports the measurement to the LMF. The WTRU may report the RSRP for the SRS. In the angle-based uplink positioning method, the RP will measure the angle of arrival and report it to the LMF.

[0082] Finally, in both the uplink positioning method and the downlink positioning method, the WTRU measures the Rx-Tx time difference between the received PRS and the transmitted SRS. The Rx-Tx time difference is reported from the WTRU to the LMF. The WTRU may also report the measured reference signal received power (RSRP) for the PRS. Similarly, at the TRP, the Rx-Tx difference between the received SRS and the transmitted PRS is calculated.

[0083] In the present disclosure, the following positioning methods may be considered.

[0084] "DL positioning method", which may refer to any positioning method that uses downlink reference signals (such as PRS). In these types of methods, the WTRU receives multiple reference signals from the TP and measures DL RSTD and / or RSRP. Examples of DL positioning methods include DL-AoD (angle of departure) and DL-TDOA positioning.

[0085] "UL positioning method", which may refer to any positioning method that uses an uplink reference signal (such as SRS) for positioning. In these types of methods, the WTRU sends SRS to multiple RPs, and the RPs measure UL RTOA and / or RSRP. Examples of UL positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDoA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA) positioning.

[0086] “DL and UL positioning method”, which may refer to any positioning method that uses both uplink reference signals and downlink reference signals for positioning. In one example, the WTRU sends an SRS to multiple TRPs, and the gNB measures the Rx-Tx time difference. The gNB may measure the RSRP of the received SRS. The WTRU measures the Rx-Tx time difference for the PRS sent from multiple TRPs. The WTRU may measure the RSRP for the received PRS. The Rx-TX difference and the RSRP that may be measured at the WTRU and the gNB are used to calculate the round trip time. Here, the Rx and Tx difference refers to the difference between the arrival time of the reference signal sent by the TRP and the transmission time of the reference signal sent from the WTRU. An example of a DL&UL positioning method is multi-RTT (round trip time) positioning.

[0087] In the present disclosure, the term "network" may refer to any one of an access and mobility control function (AMF), a location management function (LMF), a base station, a TRP or a gNB in ​​an NG-RAN (Next Generation Radio Access Technology Network).

[0088] The Rel-16 / Rel-17 positioning procedures for DL-PRS measurements in RRC CONNECTED allow a limited level of intra-gNB mobility (within the coverage area of ​​a TRP belonging to the same gNB) and inter-gNB mobility (for scenarios where multiple gNBs use the same PRS configuration). Reporting of measurement or location information to the LMF is supported via the serving gNB / cell.

[0089] Overview of the Initial Onboarding Process

[0090] In this disclosure, the terms "initial access" and "random access" are used interchangeably to refer to one or more procedures associated with establishing a connection between a WTRU and a network. The following provides background on the random access procedure in NR as described in TS 38.300.

[0091] The random access procedure may be triggered by any of the following events: initial access from RRC IDLE; RRC connection re-establishment procedure; DL or UL data arrival during RRC_CONNECTED when the UL synchronization state is "async"; UL data arrival during RRC_CONNECTED when no physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources are available for scheduling request (SR); SR failure; requested by RRC at synchronization reconfiguration (e.g., handover); RRC connection recovery procedure from RRC_INACTIVE; establishing time alignment for secondary TAG; requesting additional system information (SI); beam failure recovery; and / or consistent UL listen-before-talk (LBT) failure on SpCell.

[0092] Two types of random access (RA) procedures are supported: 4-step RA type with MSG1 and 2-step RA type with MSGA. Both types of RA procedures support contention-based random access (CBRA) and contention-free random access (CFRA), such as Figure 2 Examples of different types of initial access are shown in Figure 2 Shown in.

[0093] When initiating the random access process, the WTRU selects the type of random access based on the network configuration: when CFRA resources are not configured, the WTRU uses the RSRP threshold to select between the 2-step RA type and the 4-step RA type; when CFRA resources for the 4-step RA type are configured, the WTRU uses the 4-step RA type to perform random access; when CFRA resources for the 2-step RA type are configured, the WTRU uses the 2-step RA type to perform random access.

[0094] The network does not configure CFRA resources for both 4-step and 2-step RA types for the bandwidth part (BWP). CFRA with 2-step RA type only supports handover.

[0095] The 4-step RA type MSG1 includes a preamble on the physical random access channel (PRACH). After the MSG1 is sent, the WTRU monitors for a response from the network within a configured window. For CFRA, a dedicated preamble for MSG1 transmission is assigned by the network and upon receiving a random access response from the network, the WTRU ends the random access procedure, such as Figure 2 For CBRA, upon receiving a random access response, the WTRU transmits MSG3 using the UL grant scheduled in the response and monitors contention resolution, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 If contention resolution is unsuccessful after MSG3 (re)transmission, the WTRU returns to MSG1 transmission.

[0096] The 2-step RA type of MSGA includes a preamble on the PRACH and a payload on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). After the MSGA is sent, the WTRU monitors for a response from the network within a configured window. For CFRA, dedicated preamble and PUSCH resources are configured for MSGA transmission, and upon receiving a network response, the WTRU ends the random access procedure, such as Figure 2 For CBRA, if the contention resolution is successful upon receiving the network response, the WTRU ends the random access procedure, as shown in part (d). Figure 2 ; and if a fallback indication is received in MSGB, the WTRU performs MSG3 transmission using the UL grant scheduled in the fallback indication and monitors contention resolution. If contention resolution is unsuccessful after MSG3 (re)transmission, the WTRU returns to MSGA transmission. If the random access procedure with 2-step RA type is not completed after multiple MSGA transmissions, the WTRU may be configured to switch to CBRA with 4-step RA type.

[0097] For random access in a cell configured with supplementary uplink (SUL), the network may explicitly signal which carrier (UL or SUL) to use. Otherwise, the WTRU selects the SUL carrier if and only if the measured quality of the DL is below the broadcast threshold. The WTRU performs carrier selection before selecting between 2-step and 4-step RA types. The RSRP thresholds for selecting between 2-step and 4-step RA types may be configured separately for UL and SUL. Once initiated, all uplink transmissions of the random access procedure remain on the selected carrier.

[0098] When carrier aggregation (CA) is configured, the random access procedure with a 2-step RA type is performed only on the PCell, while contention resolution may be cross-scheduled by the PCell.

[0099] When CA is configured, for the random access procedure with 4-step RA type, the first three steps of CBRA always occur on the PCell, while contention resolution (step 4) can be cross-scheduled by the PCell. The three steps of CFRA initiated on the PCell remain on the PCell. CFRA on the SCell can only be initiated by the gNB to establish the timing advance for the secondary TAG: the procedure is initiated by the gNB with a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) command sent on the scheduling cell of the activated SCell of the secondary TAG (step 0), the preamble transmission (step 1) occurs on the indicated SCell, and the random access response (step 2) occurs on the PCell.

[0100] 3 Positioning in 3GPP Release 17 (Rel-17) and later

[0101] 3GPP Rel-17 and Rel-18 support WTRU-based and LMF-based (i.e., WTRU-assisted) positioning for both RAT-dependent and RAT-independent positioning procedures. The WTRU behaviors and procedures (including one or more steps in any given positioning procedure, not limited to reception of broadcast channels, configuration, transmission / reception of initial access messages, transmission / reception of positioning signals, measurements, and reporting) to support positioning during initial access in a terrestrial network (TN) or non-terrestrial network (NTN) are unknown, which can be supported by a WTRU with low latency, high reliability, high power savings, and high accuracy. In addition, the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) procedures used to determine the WTRU positioning information during initial access are unknown.

[0102] In a typical random access procedure, including a 4-step RA type or a 2-step RA type, a series of steps are performed by the WTRU and the base station, involving sending and / or receiving initial access messages, such as RACH preamble / sequence, random access response, contention resolution messages, etc., in the process of authorizing the WTRU, (re)establishing the connection, and ensuring security. Upon (re)establishing the connection and transitioning to the RRC CONNECTED state, the WTRU may then securely send / receive control / data plane messages to / from the network. Such procedures may also be performed whenever the WTRU intends to send data while in the INACTIVE / IDLE state, when moving into the coverage area of ​​a new cell / base station, or when initiating any positioning procedure.

[0103] In the DL-based positioning method, the WTRU performs measurements of resources associated with the DL-PRS and transmits measurement reports to the LMF based on the assistance data provided by the network. In the UL-based positioning method, the WTRU is configured with SRS (SRSp) resources for positioning via RRC signaling. The WTRU's SRSp transmissions are then received by different TRPs / gNBs in the network for performing positioning measurements and reporting the measurements to the LMF. The LMF determines the WTRU position based on the positioning measurements. Such positioning procedures may be supported by the WTRU only after the initial access procedure is successfully completed.

[0104] Having to successfully complete the initial access procedure every time to transmit any data or initiate any positioning procedure may result in unnecessary overhead, increased latency, and reduced power efficiency. Even in cases where it may be beneficial for the WTRU to transmit its location information (e.g., acquired via GNSS positioning) to the network for AMF selection and authorization before being authorized to access the network (e.g., for NTN), the WTRU may need to successfully complete the initial access procedure to ensure that the location information can be securely transmitted.

[0105] In this regard, a key issue is how to support positioning before or during initial access so that the WTRU's location information can be efficiently and securely transmitted to the network.

[0106] 4 Positioning during initial access

[0107] 4.1 Overview

[0108] The term "SRS for positioning" shall refer to an SRS signal / transmission used for positioning. Resources of SRS for positioning (SRSp) may be defined (eg, signaled) by RRC. In Release 16, SRS resource sets and SRS resources configured for positioning are specified. However, the "SRS for positioning" or "SRSp" or "SRS" in the present disclosure may include one or more of the following: an SRS configured under SRS-PosResourceSet-r16 and SRS-PosResource-r16 in TS 38.331 (16.1.0); an SRS configured under SRS-ResourceSet and SRS-Resource in TS 38.331 (16.1.0); an SRS not configured under SRS-PosResourceSet-r16 and SRS-PosResource-r16 in TS 38.331 (16.1.0); an SRS not configured under SRS-ResourceSet and SRS-Resource in TS 38.331 (16.1.0); an SRS not configured under SRS-ResourceSet and SRS-Resource in TS 38.331 (16.1.0); The SRS associated with SRS-PosResourceSet-r16, SRS-PosResource-r16, SRS-ResourceSet or SRS-Resource in 38.331 (16.1.0); the associated uplink reference signal for positioning; the demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for the uplink; and / or the PTRS for the uplink.

[0109] For simplicity, the SRS used for positioning is denoted as “SRSp.” PRS and SRS as used in the present disclosure are not limited to RS used for positioning. The methods described herein may be applied to or used with any DL or UL reference signal.

[0110] Positioning configuration

[0111] The positioning configuration may include a set of information related to positioning measurements and / or SRSp transmission. One or more of the following information may be included in the positioning configuration: the positioning method used (e.g., DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AoD, UL-AoA, multi-RTT); PRS configuration; SRSp configuration; uplink resources used to report positioning measurements (e.g., PRACH, PUSCH, PUCCH); one or more thresholds used to determine the quality of positioning measurements; positioning operation mode (e.g., start positioning operation mode).

[0112] The PRS resource configuration may include at least one of the following: PRS resource ID; PRS sequence ID, or other ID used to generate a PRS sequence; PRS resource element offset; PRS resource slot offset; PRS symbol offset; PRS QCL information; PRS resource set ID; a list of PRS resources in the resource set; number of PRS symbols; muting mode, muting parameters such as repetition factor, muting option PRS resource power for PRS; periodicity of PRS transmission; spatial direction information of PRS transmission (e.g., beam information, transmission angle); spatial direction information of UL RS reception (e.g., beam ID, arrival angle for receiving UL RS); frequency layer ID; TRP ID; and / or PRS ID.

[0113] The SRSp resource configuration may include at least one of the following: a resource ID; a comb offset value, a cyclic shift value; a starting position in the frequency domain; a number of SRSp symbols; a shift in the frequency domain for the SRSp; a frequency hopping mode; a type of SRSp, such as aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic; a sequence ID for generating the SRSp, or other ID for generating the SRSp sequence; spatial relationship information indicating which reference signal (e.g., DL RS, UL RS, channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), SRS, DM-RS) or synchronization signal block (SSB) (e.g., SSB ID, cell ID of SSB); QCL information (for example, QCL relationship between SRSp and other reference signals or SSB), QCL type (for example, QCL type A, QCL type B, QCL type D); resource set ID; a list of SRSp resources in the resource set; information related to transmit power; path loss reference information, which may include indexes for SSB, CSI-RS or PRS; periodicity of SRSp transmission; spatial direction information of SRSp transmission (for example, beam information, transmission angle); and / or spatial direction information of DL RS reception (for example, beam ID and arrival angle for receiving DL RS).

[0114] As part of its configuration, the WTRU may receive information related to a cell ID, a global cell ID, or a TRPID associated with a PRS. For example, a TRP transmitting a PRS is identified by a TRP ID, which may belong to a cell identified by a cell ID. The WTRU may be configured with timing information such as a system frame number (SFN) offset for PRS or SRSp transmission. The offset is introduced to prevent the WTRU from receiving overlapping PRSs in the time domain.

[0115] The WTRU may obtain parameters or configurations related to SRSp or SRS in RRC, MAC-CE (Media Access Control - Control Element), DCI (Downlink Control Information), or LPP (LTE Positioning Protocol) messages. Alternatively, the WTRU may obtain parameters, configurations, or thresholds related to SRSp or SRS (e.g., thresholds for RSRP) in a broadcast message (e.g., System Information Block (SIB)) or in dedicated signaling for the WTRU from the network.

[0116] In this disclosure, SRS and SRSp may be used interchangeably.

[0117] In the present disclosure, positioning-based initial access and initial access for positioning may be used interchangeably when referring to any transmission and reception sequence or process or function associated with performing positioning of the WTRU before and / or during initial access.

[0118] 4.2 Method for supporting initial access based on UL positioning

[0119] Overview of UL-Positioning during Initial Access

[0120] In one family of embodiments, the location information of the WTRU may be determined using any of the UL-based positioning methods (e.g., UL-TDoA, UL-AoA) prior to or during initial access. The location of the WTRU may be determined based on signals sent by the WTRU and / or measurements made by network nodes / entities at one or more base stations, gNBs, TRPs, and / or positioning reference units (PRUs). Since the location of the WTRU may be determined based on measurements made at the network, any security concerns that may arise from potential exposure of the WTRU's location to eavesdropping entities during initial access may be mitigated.

[0121] To send UL signals (e.g., RACH preamble, SRSp) for positioning, the WTRU may use resources and / or configurations that may be received from the network. In this case, to ensure that the network is able to perform measurements of UL signals during initial access and subsequently determine the location of the WTRU, the WTRU may explicitly or implicitly initiate measurements at the TRP, for example by sending an initial access message. The measurement report containing the measurements made by the TRP in the network may be forwarded to an anchor base station, BBU or CU in the RAN, or to the AMF or LMF to determine the WTRU location.

[0122] The following is an overview of a method for determining the WTRU location using UL based positioning during initial access:

[0123] Transmission and / or measurement of RACH signals

[0124] o In one example, the WTRU may send a RACH preamble that may be received and measured by one or more TRPs at the network. The measurements made by the TRPs on the RACH preamble may include RSRP, RSTD, AoA, AoD, correlation with known preambles / sequences, etc.

[0125] ○ In another example, the WTRU may request a location-related configuration in a dedicated

[0126] The RACH preamble may be sent on a RACH occasion of msg2 of the WTRU (e.g., SRSp configuration). The RACH occasion dedicated to positioning or requesting msg2 which may contain positioning related configuration may be broadcast by the network (e.g., SIB), or the WTRU may receive the configuration when the WTRU is in RRC_CONNECTED and / or via an RRC_Release message.

[0127] Transmission and / or measurement of SRSp / SRS

[0128] ○ For example, when sending one or more initial access messages (e.g., Msg 1, Msg

[0129] 3. Msg A), the WTRU may send SRS (SRSp) or SRS for positioning. The location of the WTRU may be determined at the network based on any of RSRP, RSTD, and AoA measurements made by one or more TRPs.

[0130] Initial access message transmission and / or measurement

[0131] o For example, the WTRU's location may be based on measurements of one or more initial access messages sent by the WTRU (e.g., RSRP, RSTD, AoA, AoD)

[0132] For example, the initial access message sent by the WTRU may include Msg 1,

[0133] Msg 3, Msg 5 and Msg A.

[0134] The “UL signal” described herein may include any of the following:

[0135] One or more RACH preambles, sequences, partitions, and resources that may be sent by the WTRU during any of the RACH opportunities

[0136] One or more SRS or SRSp (SRS for positioning) that may be performed by the WTRU using any of the SRS / SRSp resources, resource sets, beams, frequency layers, and configurations

[0137] send

[0138] To perform positioning during initial access, any of indications, signaling (e.g., control and data), messages, and configurations (e.g., PRS / SRSp resources / configurations) may be sent and / or received by the WTRU in a combination of one or more of the following:

[0139] Broadcast signaling:

[0140] o For example, the WTRU may communicate with the SIB via the SIB, positioning SIB (posSIB) and synchronization signal blocks

[0141] Any of the (SSBs) accesses / acquires information used to perform positioning during and / or after initial access (e.g., receives positioning assistance information, receives PRS / SRSp resources / configuration, receives parameters / thresholds associated with positioning).

[0142] RRC signaling

[0143] o For example, the WTRU may send / receive any of request messages, response messages, and configurations associated with positioning and / or initial access via RRC messages

[0144] LPP signaling

[0145] o For example, the WTRU may send / receive any LPP message during initial access by using any of the identifiers associated with the LPP (e.g., LPP Session ID, LMF ID, WTRU ID)

[0146] MAC CE

[0147] o For example, the WTRU may send / receive positioning and / or

[0148] Or any one of the request message, response message, configuration, activation / deactivation indication associated with the initial access. For example, in UL, when Msg 3 or Msg A is sent, the MAC CE that may carry any one of the request or response messages may be multiplexed in the PUSCH. Similarly, in DL, for example, when Msg 2, Msg 4, or Msg B is received, the MAC CE may be multiplexed in the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0149] Initial access message

[0150] ○For example, Msg 1, Msg 2, Msg 3, Msg 4, Msg 5

[0151] ○For example, Msg A, Msg B

[0152] L1 channel

[0153] ○ For example, PUCCH, PUSCH

[0154] ○ For example, PDCCH, PDSCH

[0155] WTRU receives resources and / or configuration for performing UL positioning during initial access

[0156] In one embodiment, the WTRU may access resources and / or configurations associated with UL signals to enable determination of the WTRU position during initial access. Any of the UL signals described herein may be sent by the WTRU during initial access in and / or with one or more Msg 1 / Msg 3 / Msg 5 (in a 4-step RA type) or Msg A (in a 2-step RA type). The resources and / or configurations used by the WTRU for UL positioning may include one or more of the following:

[0157] ·RACH

[0158] o For example, the WTRU may use one or more RACH resources to transmit UL signals, which may include preambles, sequences, partitions, time and / or frequency resources associated with the RACH. For example, the RACH resources may also include RACH opportunities that the WTRU may use when transmitting RACH preambles. Parameters associated with the RACH resources may include start / stop time, transmit duration, periodicity, Tx power,

[0159] Tx spatial direction, etc. For example, the RACH resource may be selected by the WTRU from a set that may be common to multiple WTRUs or dedicated to the WTRU. For example, the common or dedicated RACH resource may be transmitted via a broadcast channel / beam (e.g., SIB, posSIB,

[0160] SSB), via an initial access message (e.g., in Msg 2 or Msg B) or (pre-)configuration in the WTRU.

[0161] o The RACH resources accessed by the WTRU may be used for general initial access, dedicated for positioning purposes, or dedicated for any other service / slice (e.g., URLLC traffic). For example, a WTRU may access two sets / partitions of one or more RACH resources, where the first set may be intended for positioning purposes and the second set may be intended for non-positioning purposes (e.g., initial access). Different resources or sets of resources may be associated with an ID / index received by the WTRU via broadcast or dedicated signaling.

[0162] o In one example, a WTRU having access to a set of one or more positioning RACH preambles may select a RACH preamble randomly or based on a selection criterion. For example, the selection criterion may indicate that a positioning RACH preamble is selected when the RSRP measured on a DL signal (e.g., SIB, DL PRS, DMRS, SSB, TRS, CSI-RS) associated with the RACH is above / below a threshold.

[0163] In one example, when the WTRU transmits an UL signal using the selected positioning RACH resource, the WTRU may implicitly indicate to the network that it should perform measurements and determine the location of the WTRU. In this case, for example, one or more TRPs that may receive the RACH signal transmitted by the WTRU may be in conjunction with non-positioning and / or

[0164] In another example, the WTRU may implicitly indicate to the network that it should perform measurements for positioning by sending one or more RACH preambles during one or more RACH opportunities that may be associated with positioning and / or dedicated / reserved for positioning. For example, such information about the availability of dedicated opportunities for transmitting any UL signals for positioning may be communicated by the WTRU via a broadcast channel / beam (e.g., SIB,

[0165] The WTRU may receive a flag in the SIB (e.g., SSB) or pre-configured in the WTRU. In one example, the WTRU may use a RACH opportunity dedicated to positioning to request the network to initiate a positioning procedure during initial access. For example, after the WTRU transmits one or more RACH preamble sequences or SRS during a dedicated RACH opportunity, the WTRU may assume and / or determine that msg2 (e.g., RAR) may contain auxiliary information for SRSp that the WTRU should send in msg3.

[0166] o In another example, when the WTRU uses non-positioned RACH resources to send UL signals, the WTRU may send an additional indication / flag to request the network to determine the WTRU's location, possibly together with the RACH signal. For example, the indication / flag may be sent by the WTRU before or after sending the RACH signal (e.g., in one or more Msg 1 / Msg A transmissions). Alternatively, for example, the indication may also be sent during the encoding / scrambling of the RACH signal.

[0167] ○ In another example, based on configuration information about RACH opportunities / sequences, the WTRU may use one or more RACH opportunities and / or RACH sequences that may be dedicated to WTRU and / or UL positioning purposes, which RACH opportunities / sequences may be received by the WTRU via the SIB, during the CONNECTED state, or when transitioning to the INACTIVE / IDLE state (e.g., in an RRC release or RRC reconfiguration message). The WTRU may also receive validity conditions (e.g., validity area / cell, validity duration) associated with resources (e.g., RACH opportunities / sequences) to indicate where and / or when the resources are valid for use. For example, such RACH opportunities / sequences may be provided to the WTRU by the network in order to allow the WTRU to perform positioning while in the IDLE / INACTIVE state and / or during initial access. For example, the network may be able to uniquely identify the WTRU and / or locate the WTRU based on the RACH opportunities / sequences used by the WTRU during initial access.

[0168] SRS / SRSp

[0169] ○ In one example, the WTRU may use one or more SRS or SRSp resources to send UL signals during initial access. Parameters associated with SRS / SRSp resources may include time / frequency resources, start / stop time, transmission duration, periodicity,

[0170] Tx power, Tx spatial direction, etc.

[0171] o For example, the WTRU may select an SRS / SRSp resource from one or more resource sets that are common to multiple WTRUs or dedicated to the specific WTRU. For example, the common or dedicated SRS / SRSp resources may be provided by the WTRU via a broadcast channel / beam (e.g., SIB,

[0172] Different SRS / SRSp resources / resource sets and / or SRS / SRSp parameters may be associated with an ID / index.

[0173] o The SRSp resources / configurations that may be configured and / or used by the WTRU for performing UL positioning during initial access may include any of aperiodic, semi-persistent, and periodic SRSp. For example, (i) aperiodic SRSp may result in a single transmission of the SRSp, (ii) semi-persistent SRSp may result in periodic SRSp transmissions for a configured duration, and (iii) periodic SRSp transmissions may result in periodic SRSp transmissions until an indication of termination may be received by the WTRU. For example, such SRSp transmissions may result in a single transmission of the SRSp, (ii) semi-persistent SRSp may result in periodic SRSp transmissions for a configured duration, and (iii) periodic SRSp transmissions may result in periodic SRSp transmissions until an indication of termination may be received by the WTRU.

[0174] (e.g., aperiodic, semi-persistent, periodic) may be performed by the WTRU before / during / after sending Msg 1, Msg 3, Msg 5, or Msg A. For example, in the case of periodic SRSp transmission, the WTRU may send a message after / during the transmission of Msg 3.

[0175] During this period, SRSp sending is initiated and / or sending is terminated after receiving Msg 4.

[0176] o In one example, the WTRU may send SRS / SRSp during time opportunities that may be dedicated for positioning purposes. In this case, for example, the time opportunities may be configured to occur periodically during which the WTRU may send SRS / SRSp and / or the TRP may perform measurements on the SRS / SRSp to determine the WTRU position. For example, configuration information regarding such time opportunities and / or periodicity for sending SRS / SRSp for positioning may be received by the WTRU via a broadcast channel / beam or pre-configured in the WTRU.

[0177] o In one example, a WTRU with access to one or more SRS / SRSp resource sets / configurations may select an SRS / SRSp resource set / configuration randomly or based on a selection criteria.

[0178] For example, the selection criteria may indicate that when one or more DL signals (e.g., SIB, DLPRS, SSB, DMRS, CSI-RS, TRS) associated with SRS / SRSp are

[0179] The SRS / SRSp resource set / configuration is selected when the RSRP measured on the display is higher / lower than the threshold.

[0180] ○ In one example, the WTRU may have access to a first SRSp resource set configured with low density resources and a second SRSp resource set configured with high density resources. In this case, when the RSRP measured on the associated DL signal is below a threshold,

[0181] The WTRU may select the second set of SRSp resources such that the selected SRSp during transmission may result in improved measurement quality at the network and accuracy in determining the WTRU's location.

[0182] Any of the resources, resource sets, and / or configurations associated with UL signals used for positioning (e.g., RACH, SRS, SRSp) in whole or in part may be received by the WTRU in a combination of one or more of the following before or during initial access:

[0183] Broadcast channel

[0184] o For example, the WTRU may receive information about RACH resources / timing (e.g., positioning and non-positioning) and / or SRS / SRSp resources from any of the SIBs, posSIBs, and SSBs

[0185] The resource, resource set and / or configuration available ID / index value used for positioning may be indicated by the WTRU during initial access or after establishing a connection with the network (e.g., in the RRC CONNECTED state).

[0186] o In one example, the WTRU may receive information regarding times when the WTRU may send one or more of the UL signals used for positioning and / or times when the network may expect to receive and perform measurements on the signals sent by the WTRU for positioning.

[0187] o In one example, the WTRU may receive information (e.g., ID) regarding parameters associated with UL signals (e.g., RACH, SRS, SRSp), which may include Tx power to apply (range, maximum), offset value relative to a reference frame, parameter set, QCL / spatial relationship, TRP / cell ID, beam ID, spatial direction to apply, etc. For example, such parameters may be used by the WTRU during transmission of the UL signal, or used to indicate to the network when requesting one or more parameters during initial access (e.g., in an on-demand request transmitted in Msg 1, Msg 3, Msg A).

[0188] Paging

[0189] o For example, when a WTRU may be transitioned to an RRC IDLE / INACTIVE state, possibly after a previous connection establishment and / or operation in an RRC CONNECTED state, the WTRU may receive information about resources used for UL signals in one or more paging messages. In this case, for example, the paging message received by the WTRU may include a WTRU ID (e.g., a paging RNTI), resources / configuration, and

[0190] / or an ID associated with a UL signal (e.g., RACH, SRS, and / or SRSp) /

[0191] index.

[0192] o In one example, the WTRU may receive information about the UL signal in a regular paging occasion or a new paging occasion dedicated for positioning.

[0193] Pre-configured / pre-defined in the WTRU

[0194] o For example, the WTRU may use resources for UL signals, which may be preconfigured /

[0195] Predefined and stored in the WTRU. Such pre-configuration may be received by the WTRU in a previous LPP session (e.g., LPP Assistance Information, Request Location Information message), a previous SIB / posSIB reception, and / or a previous RRC configuration, such as may be received when operating in the RRC CONNECTED state.

[0196] o In another example, preconfigured resources for UL signals may be received when transitioning to RRC INACTIVE / IDLE state, possibly in one or more RRC release states

[0197] (e.g., with a suspended configuration) or in an RRC reconfiguration message.

[0198] In another example, when receiving preconfigured resources for UL signals, the WTRU may also receive validity information / conditions / criteria associated with the preconfigured resources. Such validity conditions may include a validity area (e.g., a cell list), a validity time (e.g., a timer duration, a timer), and / or a validity measurement threshold.

[0199] (eg, a threshold corresponding to an RSRP measurement of a DL signal associated with a UL signal), which may indicate conditions that are expected to be met when deciding whether preconfigured resources for the UL signal are valid for use.

[0200] During the transmission / reception of the initial access message

[0201] ○ For example, the WTRU may send a random access response message in Msg 2 (e.g., random access response message), Msg

[0202] 4 (eg, in a 4-step RA type) and / or Msg B (eg, in a 2-step RA type) for receiving a UL signal (eg,

[0203] For example, the WTRU may receive resources when it sends an explicit or implicit request for resources for UL positioning in Msg 1 or Msg A.

[0204] o The WTRU may send an explicit request for resources used in UL positioning, for example, when sending a normal RACH signal along with a request indication / flag in Msg 1 / Msg A, and / or when sending a normal RACH signal encoded / scrambled with a request indication. The WTRU may send an implicit request for resources used for UL positioning, for example, when sending a new RACH preamble / flag that may be associated with a request indication.

[0205] In another example, when a RACH preamble is sent during a RACH opportunity,

[0206] The WTRU may send an implicit request for resources, which timing may be associated with and / or dedicated / reserved for sending a request message to the network and subsequent resource allocation.

[0207] In one example, the WTRU may receive resources for UL positioning in one or more search spaces associated with a BWP and / or in a different BWP. For example, the WTRU may be configured with an association or mapping relationship between the RACH signal used by the WTRU when transmitting Msg 1 / Msg A and one or more search spaces to monitor the reception of resources or activation / deactivation indications (e.g., IDs / indexes for UL positioning) in a random access response (RAR) (Msg2 / Msg B). Such an association or mapping relationship may be received by the WTRU in a broadcast channel (e.g., SIB), in an RRC message (e.g., RRC release or RRC reconfiguration), or it may be preconfigured in the WTRU. In this case, when the RACH signal used by the WTRU contains an explicit / implicit indication for requesting resources or activating preconfigured resources, the WTRU may receive resources or activation / deactivation indications of resources based on monitoring in one or more search spaces associated with the RACH signal used by the WTRU.

[0208] In one example, the WTRU may receive resources and / or configurations for performing UL positioning using any of the multiple segments / subsets of UL signals (e.g., RACH, SRS, SRSp) during initial access from any of the methods indicated above. For example, the WTRU may receive a first subset of resources for UL signals in a broadcast channel (e.g., SIB, SSB) and a second subset of resources in Msg2 / Msg B. When transmitting the UL signal for positioning in a subsequent transmission (e.g., in Msg 3 or Msg 5), the WTRU may combine the first subset and the second subset of resources. In another example, the WTRU may receive different subsets / partitions of resources in multiple Msg 2 or Msg B messages (e.g., multiple RAR messages), which may be multiplexed in the same PDSCH or received in different PDSCHs. For example, when a first subset of resources is received in a first Msg 2 / Msg B, an indication / flag indicating the sending of an additional subset of resources may be included, and the WTRU may wait for a specific duration (e.g., when a timer is started) to receive the resource subset in a second Msg 2 / Msg B message.

[0209] In another example, the WTRU may receive one or more resources, resource sets and / or configurations for UL positioning (e.g., using RACH, SRS, SRSp) via a broadcast channel (e.g., SIB, posSIB, SSB) or pre-configured in the WTRU. The received resources, resource sets and / or configurations may be associated with some IDs / indexes. The received resources and / or configurations may not be initially activated during reception from the broadcast channel or during pre-configuration. Such resources / configurations may be activated when initial access is triggered. For example, after sending Msg 1 / Msg A for triggering initial access, where Msg 1 / Msg A may include an explicit or implicit request for triggering UL positioning, the WTRU may receive an indication from the base station in Msg 2 / Msg4 / Msg B indicating the activation of one or more resources associated with the UL signal. For example, the activation indication may include an ID / index of the resources and / or configuration to be applied when sending the UL signal. For example, the WTRU may send an UL signal using the activated resources / configuration for performing positioning of the WTRU. For example, the WTRU may perform a first SRSp transmission in Msg 3, possibly using SRSp resources received and / or activated via Msg 2. For example, the WTRU may perform a second SRSp transmission in Msg 5, using the same SRSp resources used during the first SRSp transmission or using SRSp resources received and / or activated via Msg 4 (e.g., the WTRU / NW may use a 2-step approach to optimize SRSp resources).

[0210] In another example, the WTRU may identify resources and / or configurations for UL positioning during initial access based on a semi-static configuration between resources and any of the following: service type (e.g., NTN, URLLC), cell type (e.g., NTN cell, TN cell), base station type (e.g., gNB, TRP, IAB node), and public land mobile network (PLMN) type (e.g., public network, private network). Such semi-static configuration may be received by the WTRU in a broadcast channel (SIB), in an RRC message, or it may be pre-configured in the WTRU. For example, when positioning is triggered during initial access to an NTN cell, the WTRU may determine the resources for sending UL signals (e.g., RACH, SRSp, SRS) associated with the NTN cell based on a semi-static configuration received in the SIB indicating a mapping between cell types and resources.

[0211] In another example, the WTRU may select an SRSp configuration and / or determine parameters of the SRSp based on configuration criteria associated with positioning. The parameters of the SRSp may include SRSp type (e.g., aperiodic, semi-persistent, periodic), Tx power, periodicity, time / frequency offset, number of repetitions, resource density, etc. For example, the WTRU may initially estimate the distance between the WTRU and one or more TRPs based on RSRP and / or path loss measurements (e.g., SSB) of DL RS received from the TRP. The WTRU may then select an SRSp configuration and / or adjust one or more SRSp parameters so that measurements can be efficiently and reliably performed at a TRP located at the estimated distance based on the SRSp sent by the WTRU.

[0212] In another example, the WTRU may receive an association between the frequency band / BWP / frequency layer and the SRSp configuration (e.g., number of symbols / time slots, periodicity). For example, the WTRU may receive an association between the SRSp periodicity and the BWP, thereby associating 10ms with BWP1 and 5ms with BWP2. The WTRU may receive such association information in a broadcast channel. When the BWP ID is indicated by the network in a subsequent message (e.g., msg2 or msg4), the WTRU may determine the SRSp configuration. Based on the association information between the BWP and the SRSp configuration and the indicated BWP ID, when the WTRU sends the SRSp during the initial access procedure (e.g., msg1, msg3, or msg5), the WTRU may determine the SRSp configuration and apply the configuration.

[0213] The WTRU transmits UL signals on multiple occasions or repeatedly during initial access for positioning

[0214] In one embodiment, the WTRU may send any of the UL signals used for positioning based on a set of one or more resources / preambles / sequences / partitions that may span one or more repetitions and / or time / frequency opportunities.

[0215] For example, the WTRU may be configured with one or more occasions for sending a combination of any of UL signals (e.g., RACH, SRS, SRSp) for positioning. The timing at which the WTRU may send the UL signal may be defined by any of the following parameters: one or more consecutive or non-consecutive time slots and / or symbols in the time domain, one or more consecutive or non-consecutive subcarriers and / or PRBs in the frequency domain, a starting offset value relative to a reference time slot / frame / PRB, and a periodicity value of the timing (e.g., the periodicity with which the timing may be repeated / recurring). For example, the WTRU may send a RACH preamble (e.g., non-positioning or positioning) in a first timing and send an SRSp in a second timing, where the first timing and the second timing may be associated / dedicated to UL positioning. In another example, the WTRU may send the same or different repetitions of the RACH preamble or SRSp in a first timing and a second timing associated with UL positioning.

[0216] For example, the WTRU may send an UL signal in multiple occasions in Msg 1 / Msg A or Msg 3 / Msg 5. In this case, for example, one or more TRPs in the network may expect to receive the UL signal sent by the WTRU during the configured occasions associated with UL positioning and perform positioning measurements on it. In one example, the network (e.g., gNB, TRP) may perform blind detection to determine whether the WTRU sends a repetition of the RACH preamble or a mixture of the RACH preamble followed by an SRSp during the first occasion and the second occasion. In another example, the WTRU may receive configuration information (e.g., via SIB, RRC message, preconfiguration) about the repetition and / or occasion to be applied, including the number of repetitions allowed, the periodicity of the occasion, and the type of UL signal that the WTRU may send during the occasion (e.g., a RACH preamble in the first repetition occasion, an SRSp in the second repetition occasion, and an SRSp in the third repetition occasion).

[0217] In one example, the number of repetitions or opportunities to be used when sending any of the UL signals may be semi-statically (pre-)configured in the WTRU via a broadcast channel, LPP, or RRC message. In this case, the WTRU may, for example, send the UL signal N times or on N occasions during the initial access based on the received (pre-)configuration information. In another example, the number of repetitions or opportunities for sending the UL signal may be increased or decreased based on certain events detected by the WTRU during the initial access. For example, if the WTRU determines that the RSRP of the DL signal (e.g., SSB, CSI-RS) associated with the UL signal is below a threshold, it may increase the number of repetitions used to send any of the UL signals from N to N+1. For example, when an indication is received from the network (e.g., in Msg 2, Msg 4, or Msg B) that the previous UL transmission was not decodable or was not successfully received / measured, the WTRU may increase the number of repetitions or opportunities.

[0218] In another example, the WTRU may determine the number of repetitions or opportunities that can be used based on the number of RACH preambles or SRSp configurations that are available / accessible (e.g., via SIB, LPP, RRC). For example, when the number of available RACH preambles and / or SRSp configurations is less than a threshold, the WTRU may use a small number of repetitions or opportunities, perhaps to reduce the probability of collisions / interference during transmission. In one example, when the number of available RACH preambles and / or SRSp configurations is less than or greater than a threshold, the WTRU may use a hopping / skipping mode when sending a RACH preamble or SRSp over several repetitions or opportunities. For example, such a hopping / skipping mode, which may be used for contention resolution and / or minimizing the probability of collisions / interference, may be received by the WTRU via the SIB or preconfigured in the WTRU.

[0219] In another example, the WTRU may receive from the network a configuration of one or more RACH occasions for RACH preamble repetition (e.g., repeating the transmission of the preamble sequence at one or more occasions). The WTRU may receive such configuration in a broadcast channel (e.g., SIB). The WTRU may receive additional information from the network, which may indicate that the WTRU may use a dedicated portion of the RACH occasions to send a preamble for positioning. Alternatively, the WTRU may receive additional information from the network indicating that the WTRU may use a dedicated portion of the RACH occasions to send an SRS for positioning. Depending on the WTRU capabilities, the WTRU may determine to use a RACH occasion for preamble repetition to send a preamble or SRSp for positioning.

[0220] For example, Figure 3 As shown, RACH opportunities (RO) can be distributed in the time domain and / or frequency domain, thereby occupying time and frequency resources. Figure 3A group of ROs distributed in time is illustrated, where the ROs occupy the same frequency resources.

[0221] like Figure 3 As shown, the WTRU may determine to transmit the preamble repetition on the RO allocated for transmitting the preamble repetition.

[0222] A WTRU requesting positioning during initial access may determine to transmit an SRSp in one or more RACH opportunities for preamble repetition, such as Figure 4 If the network broadcasts that the WTRU may allow the WTRU to use one or more RACH opportunities to transmit SRSp or a sub-partition of the preamble for positioning, the WTRU may determine to transmit the SRSp in the RACH opportunity for preamble repetition.

[0223] The WTRU assists the network in performing contention resolution when sending UL signals during initial access

[0224] In one embodiment, when supporting UL positioning during initial access based on the use of explicit / implicit identifiers to uniquely identify the WTRU, the WTRU may help the network mitigate and / or resolve contention. When performing positioning during initial access, contention / collision may occur in the following scenarios:

[0225] Unable to decode the UL signal sent by the WTRU

[0226] o For example, when multiple WTRUs transmit the same RACH preamble (positioned or non-positioned) at the same time in a cell and / or transmit SRSp using the same SRSp resource set, the base station may detect a contention / collision event. Such contention / collision may result in the base station being unable to identify one or more WTRUs that may have transmitted the UL signal. For example, such contention may occur during the transmission of Msg 1 / Msg A. For example, when a WTRU transmits SRS / SRSp together with and / or after Msg 1 / Msg 3 / Msg A, similar contention / collision may occur.

[0227] Unable to decode scheduled UL messages sent by the WTRU (e.g., Msg 3)

[0228] o For example, when multiple WTRUs are used in a Random Access Response (RAR) message

[0229] The base station may detect a contention / collision event when the base station sends a data / control message (e.g., an RRC Setup Request message in PUSCH) using the same UL resource grant received (e.g., in Msg 2). In this case, the base station may not be able to unambiguously identify the WTRU even when the WTRU includes a unique WTRU ID (e.g., NAS WTRU ID) in the transmission. For example, a similar contention / collision may occur when multiple WTRUs send SRSp using the SRSp resources indicated in the RAR message.

[0230] Different actions that may be applied by the WTRU, alone or in combination with one or more actions, to assist the network in mitigating and / or resolving such contention are described below.

[0231] In one example, to mitigate contention when supporting positioning during initial access, the WTRU may select an SRSp resource for sending the SRSp based on a predefined / preconfigured association of the SRSp resource with the selected RACH preamble. For example, the WTRU may select and send one or more RACH preambles in Msg 1 / Msg A. The selected RACH preamble (e.g., positioning or non-positioning) may be associated with a set consisting of one or more SRSp resources / configurations. Such association information between the RACH preamble and the SRSp resource may be received by the WTRU via the SIB, received via an RRC message, or preconfigured in the WTRU. When the WTRU receives and / or successfully decodes a random access response (RAR) message in Msg2 / Msg B, this may imply that the base station may have successfully received the RACH preamble sent by the WTRU without contention. In this case, the WTRU may, for example, send the SRSp by using the SRSp resource associated with the sent RACH preamble, possibly together with or after Msg 3.

[0232] In another example, when determining the SRSp resources and / or when sending the SRSp using the determined / indicated resources, the WTRU may include any information about an identifier received in a RAR message (e.g., in Msg 2, Msg B), received in a SIB, or previously received (e.g., via an RRC message when the WTRU is in the CONNECTED state). For example, the WTRU may include any of the identifiers, including the ID of the RACH preamble (e.g., used in Msg 1 / Msg A), the ID of the WTRU (e.g., NAS WTRU ID, TMSI, C-RNTI, TC-RNTI), and the ID of the SRSp / SRR configuration when sending the SRSp. One or more of such IDs may be sent by the WTRU before / during / after sending the SRSp in a timing associated with the SRSp (e.g., a timing occurring before / after the SRSp is sent). For example, such IDs may be encoded on a message sent before / during / after sending the SRSp, or encoded on the SRSp (e.g., scrambled on the SRSp resource) and sent with the SRSp. For example, the WTRU may send one or more of the IDs when sending an UL message (e.g., an RRC establishment request) in Msg 3 / Msg A in a first opportunity. For example, the WTRU may send the SRSp using the SRSp resource in a second opportunity, which may be associated with the first opportunity and / or occur within a configured duration before / after the first opportunity (e.g., after an offset time, after N opportunities configured to occur periodically). For example, such transmissions by the WTRU at multiple opportunities may enable the base station to associate an SRSp received in one opportunity with the ID of the WTRU received in another associated opportunity.

[0233] Examples of the WTRU's ID encoded on the SRSp may be at least one of the following:

[0234] A symbol sequence for the SRSp generated based on the WTRU's ID. For example, a random number is generated based on a seed, which is derived based on the WTRU's ID. Alternatively, the sequence is generated as a function of at least the WTRU's ID.

[0235] The resources of the SRSp are determined by the WTRU ID. For example, the time and frequency location and the amount of resources (e.g., number of resource elements, symbols) are determined based on the WTRU ID. The WTRU may determine the location of the SRSp and the amount of resources for the SRSp based on a lookup table configured by the network.

[0236] In another example, in a case where the WTRU has access to multiple SRSp configurations (e.g., via the SIB), the WTRU may select an SRSp configuration for sending the SRSp based on the receipt of one or more IDs (e.g., WTRU ID, C-RNTI, NAS ID) that may uniquely identify the WTRU and the association between the SRSp configuration and the WTRU ID. Such IDs may be received in different initial access messages, for example, included in one or more RAR messages (Msg 2 / Msg B) or one or more Msg 4 after the WTRU sends a RACH preamble in Msg 1 / Msg A or sends an UL control / data message in Msg 3. The association between the SRSp configuration and the WTRU ID (e.g., received in the initial access message) may be determined based on the occasion / time slot at which the WTRU ID may be received by the WTRU. In this case, for example, when the WTRU ID is received at a first occasion (e.g., in a first RAR message) and the first occasion may be associated with a first SRSp configuration, the WTRU may select the first SRSp configuration for sending the SRSp. For example, such an association between the SRSp configuration and the reception of the initial access message may be received by the WTRU in a SIB, received in an RRC message, or pre-configured in the WTRU.

[0237] In another example, when sending an SRSp, the WTRU may use information about parameters received in a RAR message, SIB, or in a previous pre-configuration. For example, the WTRU may use a timing advance (TA) value / TA command received in a RAR message (e.g., Msg 2 / Msg B) to adjust the SRSp resource with a suitable timing / frequency offset based on the TA value. For example, the WTRU may send the SRSp using the SRSp resource adjusted based on the TA value. Such adjustment of the SRSp may enable the base station to mitigate contention between multiple WTRUs that may use the same SRSp resource to send the SRSp.

[0238] In another example, when the WTRU has access to multiple SRSp resources / configurations (e.g., received via SIB, via RAR message, or pre-configured in the WTRU), the WTRU may select an SRSp based on measurements of one or more DL signals / channels (e.g., SIB, DL PRS, DMRS, SSB, TRS, CSI-RS, PDCCH / PDSCH received in Msg 2, Msg 4, or Msg B), which may have a spatial / QCL relationship with the SRSp. The one or more SRSp configurations may include resources with different densities and / or repetitions (e.g., high and / or low density, high and / or low repetition periodicity). The association information between the SRSp configurations and the DL signals / channels and / or thresholds associated with the measurements (e.g., RSRP) may be received by the WTRU in a combination of messages (including via SIB, RAR message, or RRC message), or may be pre-configured in the WTRU, for example. For example, when the RSRP or path loss measurement of the associated DL signal is above / below a threshold, or when the estimated distance between the WTRU and the TRP is above / below a threshold, the WTRU may select an SRSp configuration. For example, when the measured RSRP of the associated DL signal (e.g., Msg 2) is below a threshold, the WTRU may select an SRSp configuration with high density and / or send the SRSp using the selected SRSp configuration. For example, such selection of an SRSp configuration may enable the base station to resolve contention and / or perform SRSp measurements with high accuracy.

[0239] In another example, the WTRU may use a hopping / skipping pattern by multiple repetitions when sending an SRSp, possibly based on a hopping / skipping pattern that may uniquely identify the WTRU and / or may be received from the network. For example, such a hopping pattern may indicate which SRSp transmissions may be skipped / skipped at one or more occasions when the SRSp may be sent. For example, a WTRU that may be preconfigured or have access to one or more hopping patterns via a SIB may receive in Msg 2 / Msg 4 / Msg B an ID of the hopping pattern to be used when sending an SRSp. For example, the WTRU may use the indicated hopping pattern when sending an SRSp, which may allow the base station to perform measurements of the SRSp with minimal or no contention / conflict.

[0240] WTRU-Assisted Positioning During Initial Access to a Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN)

[0241] In one embodiment, the WTRU may report information during initial access and / or RACH to assist in network-based positioning, assist in verification of the WTRU's position, or improve positioning accuracy. This information may be used, for example, for appropriate AMF selection or Cell Global Identity (CGI) construction, or to meet regulatory requirements such as lawful interception or emergency services. Examples of such information (collectively referred to herein as "WTRU positioning assistance information") may include one or more of the following: WTRU estimate of WTRU-satellite range, WTRU-satellite round trip time (RTT), WTRU-gNB range, WTRU-gNB RTT, WTRU-reference point distance or serving cell, WTRU-reference point RTT of serving cell, WTRU-reference point distance of one or more neighboring cells, WTRU-reference point RTT of one or more neighboring cells, current serving beam, list of all detected beams, measurement of one or more detected beams (e.g., RSRP), azimuth, expected time of arrival, RTT or RSTD expressed in timing range expressed in seconds, symbols, time slots, or frames. Angular information may be included in the WTRU positioning assistance information, such as the AoA of a detected beam (e.g., from a satellite, base station, or TRP), the AoD of an SRSp, the expected AoA or AoD of a detected beam, which may include uncertainty expressed as a range of values.

[0242] In one embodiment, the WTRU may report one or more of the above data during the RACH procedure, for example, in MsgA / Msg3 and / or Msg5. The WTRU may include all requested / configured / triggered information fragments in a single transport block (TB), or may include the information in multiple messages. The information may be repeated over multiple messages, or alternatively have different information fragments included in different messages. The WTRU may select in which message to send the WTRU positioning assistance information based on, for example, explicit indications (e.g., in the SIB, RACH configuration, or RRC configuration), grant size, whether the WTRU is provided with relevant information to perform the necessary calculations (e.g., if the reference point coordinates are not included in the SI, the WTRU may choose not to include information about the WTRU-reference point distance / RTT), whether the RACH is contention-based or contention-free, and / or whether the RACH is 2-step or 4-step. In another embodiment, the WTRU may send one or more of the above data in the first UL grant received after completing the RACH procedure.

[0243] In one embodiment, the WTRU may include one or more WTRU assistance information fragments for initial access positioning in a MAC CE (e.g., a positioning assistance MAC CE). The sending of the positioning assistance MAC CE may be controlled by a reporting procedure (e.g., a positioning assistance reporting (PAR) procedure). The PAR may be controlled by RRC configuration or system information and may include configurable information elements (IEs) that, for example, enable or disable the PAR procedure, describe triggering criteria (e.g., distance-based thresholds, time-based thresholds), which WTRU positioning assistance information to include in the MAC CE, or which messages to include the positioning assistance MAC CE. In another embodiment, such information may be sent via RRC signaling.

[0244] The WTRU sends a UL signal for positioning based on the detection of a triggering event / condition

[0245] In one embodiment, the WTRU may initiate and / or send any of an UL signal (e.g., RACH, SRS, SRSp) or an indication for positioning during initial access based on the detection of one or more triggering events / conditions described herein. For example, the WTRU may receive information about triggering events / conditions to monitor and / or detect for initiating UL positioning via a broadcast channel (e.g., SIB, SSB), via a dedicated RRC message (e.g., RRC release, RRC reconfiguration), or by pre-configuration in the WTRU.

[0246] The triggering events / conditions monitored by the WTRU for sending UL signals for positioning during initial access may include a combination of one or more of the following:

[0247] Receive location services (LCS) / LPP indications from higher layers / applications

[0248] ○ For example, upon receiving an LCS request (eg, a mobile originated location request (MO-

[0249] When LR)), the WTRU may trigger positioning-based initial access by selecting a positioning RACH preamble or sending a RACH preamble in a RACH opportunity configured for positioning.

[0250] In another example, when sending Msg 1, Msg 3, or Msg A, the WTRU may transmit capability information or request assistance information for initiating positioning (e.g.,

[0251] PRS / SRSp configuration).

[0252] Detect reference position / time

[0253] ○ For example, when one or more TRPs, base stations or PRUs that can support positioning are detected

[0254] In one example, a WTRU that may be operating in an INACTIVE / IDLE state and / or may be preconfigured with a valid area (e.g., a cell list) may initiate a positioning-based initial access when a cell ID matching at least one cell in the valid area is detected.

[0255] Priorities related to positioning

[0256] o For example, the WTRU may trigger positioning based initial access when the priority value associated with positioning (eg, preconfigured in the WTRU or received by the WTRU via the SIB) may be higher than the priority associated with data communication.

[0257] Event triggered / periodic

[0258] o For example, a WTRU operating in INACTIVE / IDLE state may trigger positioning based initial access when one or more configured events are detected (e.g., the WTRU's position may have changed by a certain distance threshold, RSRP measurement of a DL signal / channel is above / below some threshold). Similarly, when periodic positioning is configured, the WTRU may periodically trigger positioning based initial access based on the configured period.

[0259] Supports detection of cells for initial access for positioning

[0260] o For example, if the WTRU finds more than one cell and at least one of them supports initial access for positioning, during which the WTRU may send a preamble or SRSp for positioning, the WTRU may prioritize initiating initial access with the cell that supports initial access for positioning.

[0261] Broadcast information containing location-related information

[0262] o For example, if the SIB contains positioning related information such as SRSp configuration, the WTRU may determine to initiate initial access for positioning.

[0263] WTRU fallback actions when a failure / inability condition is detected during location-based initial access

[0264] In one embodiment, upon detecting any of a failure condition and / or an indication that positioning cannot be performed during initial access, the WTRU may fall back to performing one or more actions associated with positioning and / or initial access. When performing positioning during initial access, the failure / inability conditions that may trigger fallback actions in the WTRU may include a combination of one or more of the following:

[0265] Inability to identify / select appropriate resources for UL signaling

[0266] ○ For example, the WTRU may be unable to identify / select an appropriate RACH preamble (e.g., associated with positioning) or SRSp / SRS resource, which may be due to the absence of an indication of such resources / configuration in the SIB, the absence of pre-configuration in the WTRU, the expiration of any validity condition (e.g., area or time) associated with such resources, etc.

[0267] o For example, the WTRU may not receive sufficient resources in the UL grant to enable it to send data that may be associated with positioning, WTRU assistance information, and the WTRU ID in one or more TBs

[0268] Collision of UL signals sent by the WTRU

[0269] o For example, when another WTRU in the same cell is using the same resource at the same time

[0270] When one or more RACH preambles (e.g., positional or non-positional) and / or SRSp transmissions are sent by a WTRU (e.g., RACH preamble / opportunity, SRSp resources), a collision may result.

[0271] · Measurement cannot be performed for TRP

[0272] o SRSp transmissions from the WTRU may potentially result in unreliable and / or inaccurate measurements at the TRP, for example, due to the presence of multipath, NLOS, and / or interference

[0273] When performing positioning based initial access, the WTRU may detect any of the failure / inability conditions based on one or more of the following:

[0274] Receipt of an explicit or implicit indication indicating positioning and / or initial access failure (e.g., in Msg 2, Msg 4, or Msg B)

[0275] o For example, the WTRU may receive an explicit indication in Msg 4 indicating a positioning failure associated with the sending of the SRSp, possibly together with the WTRU ID (e.g., NAS ID,

[0276] The explicit indication may also include information about one or more failure reasons (e.g., IDs of the failure reasons), such as inability to identify the WTRU (e.g., no detection / decoding of the WTRU ID), inability to decode the SRSp, low accuracy associated with positioning, detection of a collision or interference event, and low RSRP.

[0277] o For example, upon receiving an ID or indication for activating a new SRSp configuration, a new SRSp resource, an indication for resending an SRSp or initial access message, an indication for starting a prohibit / backoff / retry timer for a specific duration, a prohibit / backoff /

[0278] The WTRU may receive an implicit indication of failure when an indication of the duration of the retry timer / ID etc. is given.

[0279] ○ For example, after sending any of the UL signals used for positioning (e.g., SRSp), the WTRU may receive an explicit or implicit ACK / NACK indication, possibly together with the WTRU ID, indicating the positioning status as to whether the positioning of the WTRU was successful (e.g., the SRSp measurement at the network was successful).

[0280] The configured timer expires

[0281] o For example, the WTRU may detect a failure / inability condition when a timer that may be set / started and allowed to run for a configured duration expires before receiving any indication from the network. In this case, for example, the WTRU may start a timer after sending any of the UL signals (e.g., RACH, SRSp, SRS) and / or the initial access message (e.g., Msg 1, Msg 3, Msg A).

[0282] For example, when a response message (e.g., RAR) or an indication expected by the WTRU (e.g., ACK / NACK in Msg 2, Msg 4, Msg B, TA, WTRU ID, Preamble ID, SRSp Configuration ID, etc.) is not received before the timer expires

[0283] , the WTRU may determine that a failure may have occurred.

[0284] Failure count

[0285] o For example, the WTRU may detect a failure / inability condition when N previous transmissions of any UL signal or N previous receptions of any associated DL signal explicitly or implicitly indicate a failure. For example, the WTRU may detect a failure when N previous attempts during which a RACH preamble and / or SRSp was transmitted resulted in a failure. N is an integer that may be preconfigured in the WTRU.

[0286] Detection of failure / inability conditions on associated UL and / or DL ​​signals / channels

[0287] o In one example, the WTRU may detect a potential failure condition on a second UL signal when a failure is detected on an associated first UL signal. For example, the WTRU may detect a potential failure on a SRSp transmission (e.g., in Msg 3 or Msg 5) when a failure condition is detected (e.g., explicitly or implicitly) on a previous RACH transmission (e.g., in Msg 1) and / or a previous SRSp transmission (e.g., in Msg 1, Msg 3). The WTRU may perform similar failure detection when performing a repetition of a SRSp transmission.

[0288] o For example, when a DL signal (e.g., in Msg 2,

[0289] SIB, DL PRS, DMRS, SSB, TRS, received in Msg 4 or Msg B

[0290] The WTRU may detect a potential failure / inability condition when performing measurements on any of the previously received Msg 2 or Msg B. In one example, when measurements on a previously received Msg 2 or Msg B indicate a failure (e.g., a measurement on Msg 2 / Msg

[0291] When the measured RSRP of B is lower / higher than the threshold), the WTRU may detect a potential failure in SRSp transmission (e.g., in Msg 3).

[0292] The following describes different fallback actions that the WTRU may apply, alone or in combination with one or more actions, when any indication or detection of any of the failure conditions is received.

[0293] In one example, when the WTRU detects and / or receives one or more indications during initial access that positioning is not available or cannot be performed, the WTRU may fall back to using conventional (e.g., non-positioning) initial access. For example, such indication may be received by the WTRU explicitly or implicitly via a broadcast channel (e.g., SIB, SSB) or in any of the initial access messages (e.g., in Msg 2, Msg 4, Msg B).

[0294] In another example, when the RSRP measurement of one or more associated DL signals (e.g., SSB, SIB, Msg 2, Msg B) is lower / higher than one or more RSRP thresholds or is within / outside one or more RSRP threshold ranges, the WTRU may fall back from the initial access procedure based on 2-step positioning to initial access based on 4-step positioning. For example, initial access based on 4-step positioning may involve performing positioning (e.g., via RACH and / or SRS / SRSp transmission) during the transmission / reception of messages associated with a 4-step RA (e.g., Msg 1, Msg 2, Msg 3, Msg4). Similarly, for example, initial access based on 2-step positioning may involve performing positioning (e.g., via RACH and / or SRS / SRSp transmission) during the transmission / reception of messages associated with a 2-step RA (e.g., Msg A, Msg B). In order to perform initial access based on 2-step / 4-step positioning, the WTRU may be configured with RSRP thresholds and / or configured to perform measurements on the corresponding DL signals. For example, when a triggering event for performing positioning during access is detected, the WTRU may perform an initial access based on 2-step positioning when the RSRP measurement is above a configured threshold and / or remains above the threshold for a certain configured duration. Otherwise, if the RSRP measurement is below the threshold, the WTRU may perform an initial access based on 4-step positioning. In another example, when the RSRP measurement performed on the DL signal is below / above the RSRP threshold configured for non-positioning initial access, the WTRU may perform a regular initial access. For example, the WTRU may be configured with a first RSRP threshold and a second RSRP threshold (e.g., minimum / maximum value). The WTRU may perform any of the following processes: (i) initial access based on 4-step positioning if the RSRP measured for the DL signal (e.g., SSB) is higher than a first RSRP threshold; (ii) initial access based on 2-step positioning if the RSRP measured for the DL signal (e.g., SSB) is lower than a first RSRP threshold and / or higher than a second RSRP threshold; and (iii) initial access (non-positioning) if the RSRP measured for the DL signal (e.g., SSB) is lower than a second RSRP threshold.

[0295] In another example, the WTRU may retry positioning during initial access by retransmitting any of the UL signals (e.g., retrying transmission of the RACH preamble or SRSp) after detecting any of the failure / inability conditions. The WTRU may retransmit the SRSp after expiration of a prohibit / backoff / retry timer, which may be started, for example, when a failure condition associated with the SRSp transmission is detected. For example, the WTRU may retransmit the SRSp after performing certain changes / adjustments on the SRSp based on one or more parameters (e.g., TA value, Tx power, time / frequency offset value), which may be received by the WTRU in a response message (e.g., Msg 2, Msg 4, Msg B) or preconfigured in the WTRU.

[0296] In one example, when transmitting one or more UL signals (e.g., SRSp) for positioning, the WTRU may start a first timer associated with positioning during initial access and / or contention resolution. When the WTRU does not receive a positioning status indication / flag (e.g., ACK / NACK) that may indicate whether the previous transmission of the UL signal was successful before the first timer expires, the WTRU may stop the first timer and / or start a second timer (e.g., backoff / retry timer) and let the second timer run for a (pre)configured duration. For example, after the second timer expires, the WTRU may retry and / or resend the UL signal for positioning. For example, after starting the second timer, if the WTRU receives an indication to resend the UL signal, the WTRU may stop the second timer and send the UL signal. Similarly, when the previous N attempts (e.g., N may be preconfigured in the WTRU or received by the WTRU in the SIB or Msg 2, Msg 4, Msg B) during which the WTRU may have sent UP signals resulted in a failure condition (e.g., no positioning status indication was received or a NACK was received), the WTRU may start a backoff / retry timer. For example, the WTRU may then resend the UL signal after the timer expires.

[0297] In another example, when a failure condition is detected (e.g., no ACK / NACK is received after N transmissions of the UL signal, a NACK is received, or no explicit or implicit indication is received before a configured timer expires), the WTRU may send one or more request messages to the network to request new resources / configurations (e.g., RACH preamble, SRSp resources) associated with the UL signal for positioning. For example, such request messages may be explicitly sent by the WTRU in Msg 1, Msg 3, Msg5, or Msg A. Alternatively, for example, such request messages may be implicitly sent by sending a RACH preamble or SRS / SRSp using a set of resources / configurations that may be associated with a request for new resources for the UL signal. For example, the WTRU may also implicitly send a request message by sending any of the UL signals during one or more configured opportunities that may be associated with a request for new resources. In another example, the WTRU may send a request message for a second SRSp configuration after detecting a failure condition during a first SRSp transmission using resources in the first SRSp configuration. For example, when a failure condition is detected during an initial SRSp transmission using resources in an initial SRSp configuration including low resource density or low repetition periodicity, the WTRU may send a request for a new / second SRSp configuration including high resource density or high repetition periodicity. For example, association information between the first SRSp resources and / or configuration and the second SRSp resources and / or configuration and / or criteria for the WTRU to select / indicate one of the second SRSp resources / configurations in the request message may be received by the WTRU in a broadcast channel (e.g., SIB, SSB), received via an initial access message, and / or pre-configured in the WTRU. After transmitting a request message that may be for new resources for UL signals, the WTRU may start a timer and wait for a response message from the network. If no response is received before the timer expires, the WTRU may resend the request message after the timer expires, or, for example, may return to restart the initial access process (e.g., retransmit Msg 1 / Msg A) after transitioning to an IDLE / INACTIVE state and re-evaluating the SIB.

[0298] In another example, the WTRU may receive an ID from the network that corresponds to the ID of the WTRU included in msg3 or msg1. The WTRU may determine whether the contention is resolved by comparing the ID received from the network with the ID sent by the WTRU in msg3 or msg1. If the IDs do not match, the WTRU may restart the initial access procedure for positioning or the normal initial access procedure based on the number of attempts the WTRU is allowed to make for initial access for positioning. If the number of attempts has exceeded a limit, the WTRU may determine to perform a normal initial access procedure.

[0299] If the WTRU cannot establish initial access for positioning within the time that the WTRU sends PRACH or SRSp for positioning purposes, the WTRU may determine to fall back to normal initial access, in which the WTRU does not transmit PRACH or SRSp for positioning. In another example, when the WTRU falls back from initial access for positioning to normal procedure, the WTRU may determine to use a dedicated RACH opportunity during the normal initial access procedure. For example, when the WTRU sends SRSp or PRACH on a PRACH opportunity during initial access for positioning and the WTRU falls back to normal procedure, the WTRU may determine to use a RACH opportunity for PRACH repetition.

[0300] The WTRU sends an SRSp based on the receipt of the Initial Access Response message.

[0301] In one embodiment, the WTRU may send an SRSp during initial access, in Msg3, or later based on the SRSp configuration received in the SIB and the activation indication (e.g., SRSp configuration index / ID) received in Msg 2 or Mgs B. For example, if the SRSp measurements made by one or more TRPs at the network are insufficient (e.g., due to collisions / inaccuracies), the WTRU may resend the SRSp after a backoff timer period or after receiving an indication from the network indicating a failure to determine the WTRU's location. An example procedure applied by the WTRU to send an SRSp based on the receipt of an initial access message is described in Figure 5 The flow chart of FIG. 1 and the description below are shown.

[0302] At step 501, the WTRU may receive, for example in a SIB, a set of RACH preambles for positioning and association information indicating an association between a set of candidate SRSp configurations and the RACH preambles. For example, such an association may indicate an SRSp configuration that the WTRU may use for SRSp transmission based on the selection of the RACH preamble. For example, such an association may also indicate a timing during which the WTRU may send a RACH preamble, such that it may result in an implicit indication to the network of a request for activating the associated SRSp configuration. In one example, the configured SRSp may be configured with different parameters, such as an SRSp configuration ID / index, a resource density value (e.g., low, high), a repetition periodicity, a start offset in the time / frequency domain, a transmission duration (e.g., number of slots), a number of beams, and a spatial direction of the beam.

[0303] At step 503, the WTRU may select a RACH preamble for positioning (e.g., for requesting activation of SRSp configuration) and, in step 505, send the selected RACH preamble, e.g., in Msg 1. For example, the WTRU may send the RACH preamble in an opportunity dedicated to positioning.

[0304] At step 507, the WTRU may receive, for example, in Msg 2, a temporary cell radio network temporary identifier (TC-RNTI), one or more TA values ​​(e.g., associated with positioning or non-positioning), and / or one or more indexes / IDs of an SRSp configuration. For example, the receipt of the index / ID of the SRSp configuration may indicate the activation of an SRSp transmission using the indicated SRSp configuration. For example, when the index / ID associated with the SRSp configuration is not received or a rejection indication is received, the WTRU may apply one or more fallback actions (e.g., restarting the initial access procedure by transmitting Msg 1). In the case when the WTRU may be configured to select an SRSp configuration or when an indication / flag for selecting an SRSp configuration is received in msg 2, the WTRU may select an SRSp configuration from a set of preconfigured candidate SRSp configurations based on criteria. For example, when the RSRP measured for any of the DL signals (e.g., Msg 2, SSB) is above / below a threshold, the WTRU may select an SRSp configuration with low resource density / low repetition count. In another example, the WTRU may select an SRSp configuration with low density / low repetition number as a default during the first SRSp transmission.

[0305] At step 509, the WTRU may send the SRSp using the indicated / selected SRSp configuration, for example, in Msg 3. For example, when sending the SRSp, the WTRU may perform adjustments to the SRSp configuration based on the TA value received in Msg 2. For example, the WTRU may send the WTRU's ID (e.g., NAS WTRUID, TMSI / IMSI) in Msg 3 (e.g., in PUSCH) before sending the SRSp. In this case, the WTRU's ID may be sent in a first opportunity and the SRSp may be sent in a second opportunity associated with Msg 3. Alternatively, the WTRU may send the WTRU's ID together with the SRSp, for example, possibly by encoding the SRSp with the ID (e.g., scrambling the SRSp with the ID). The WTRU may start a timer after sending Msg 3 (e.g., containing the SRSp) and let the timer run for the configured timer duration. For example, the duration for the timer may be associated with the duration of the SRSp transmission. For example, the duration of the timer may be determined by the WTRU based on associated information received in the SIB or preconfigured in the WTRU.

[0306] At step 511, the WTRU may receive, for example, in Msg 4, a positioning status indication (e.g., ACK / NACK) of the SRSp measurement at the network. For example, the WTRU may also receive in Msg 4 an indication of the WTRU ID sent in the previous Msg 3. For example, if the WTRU receives an ACK status indication / flag, the WTRU may use the TC-RNTI as the C-RNTI when transmitting subsequent control / data messages (e.g., PUSCH in Msg 5). The ACK status indication / flag may be explicitly received together with the WTRU ID sent in Msg 3. Alternatively, the ACK status indication / flag may be implicitly received, for example, when the WTRU receives in Msg 4 the WTRU ID sent in Msg 3. For example, if the WTRU receives a NACK status indication / flag, the WTRU may apply one or more fallback actions. The NACK status indication / flag may be explicitly received together with the WTRU ID sent in Msg 3. Alternatively, the NACK status indication / flag may be received implicitly when the WTRU does not receive the WTRU ID sent in Msg 3 in Msg 4, or when the WTRU does not receive any message before the timer started after sending Msg 3 expires.

[0307] As shown in step 513, the WTRU may repeat the above process until an ACK status indication / flag is received from the network. In one embodiment, if an ACK status indication is not received after N attempts to resend the SRSp, the WTRU may fall back to initiate a regular (non-positioning) initial access procedure, for example (steps 517 and 519). In one example, when an ACK indication is not received or a NACK indication / flag is received, the WTRU may start a backoff timer and resend the SRSp in Msg 5 after the timer expires. For example, when sending the SRSp (e.g., in Msg 5), the WTRU may use the same SRSp configuration previously transmitted in Msg 3 or select a new SRSp configuration (e.g., with high resource density / high repetition count). Alternatively, for example, when a failure cause (e.g., an ID indicating the failure cause) is received in Msg 4, the WTRU may select a new SRS configuration for resending the SRSp based on the association information between the failure cause and the SRSp configuration (e.g., received in the SIB or pre-configured in the WTRU).

[0308] In one embodiment, reference Figure 6, providing a conflict-free opportunity with random access and positioning transmissions between the WTRU and the network. In this example, the WTRU receives a broadcast transmission (e.g., a SIB message indicating MsgA resources, and / or configuration information for SRSp transmission). One or more broadcast transmissions received by the WTRU may include configuration information indicating resources for MsgA transmission (e.g., MsgA-PRACH, MsgA-PUSCH). The received configuration information (via broadcast transmission) may include a set of SRSp resources (e.g., time-frequency and associated SRSp ID). The WTRU sends an MsgA including, for example, a preamble, a WTRU ID, and / or an indication of sending an SRSp (e.g., an SRSp ID / flag in a PUSCH). The WTRU may send an SRSp transmission using an SRSp resource selected from the set of SRSp resources. The WTRU may receive an acknowledgment (ACK) from the network in MsgB, which may include a WTRU ID and / or an SRSp ID (or an indication of an SRSp ID) associated with the SRSp resources sent. The SRSpID in MsgB is associated with the SRSp transmission and indicates that the SRSp transmission was successfully received by the network (eg, ACK). The WTRU ID included in MsgB indicates an ACK for the previous MsgA transmission.

[0309] In one embodiment, reference Figure 7 , a SRSp transmission conflict occurs. In this example, two devices, a first WTRU (WTRU1) and a second WTRU (WTRU2) use the same SRSp resource (SRSp-1) for transmission, resulting in a SRSp conflict. WTRU1 retransmits the SRSp using the new SRSp resource received in MsgB. In this example, the received MsgB indicates an ACK (e.g., WTRU ID) for the transmitted MsgA and a NACK (e.g., new SRSp resource) for the SRSp transmission, and the WTRU transmits the SRSp using the new SRSp resource indicated in MsgB.

[0310] In another embodiment, reference Figure 8 , a MsgA collision occurs. In this example, two devices, the first WTRU (WTRU1) and the second WTRU (WTRU2) send the same PRACH preamble (RACH1), resulting in a MsgA collision. The SRSp sent by WTRU1 is successfully received by the network. WTRU1 resends and indicates the previously sent SRSp ID. In this example, the received MSgB indicates an ACK sent for the SRSp (e.g., the ID of the previously sent SRSp) and a NACK for the sent MsgA, and the WTRU will send another MsgA and indicate the ID of the previously sent SRSp.

[0311] In one embodiment, reference Fig. 9 , the WTRU receives resources for MsgA (e.g., MsgA-PRACH, MsgA-PUSCH) and a set of SRSp resources (e.g., time-frequency and associated SRSp ID) from the network (e.g., in the SIB). The WTRU sends MsgA, which includes one or more of the following: a preamble, a WTRU ID, and / or an indication to send SRSp (e.g., SRSp ID / flag in PUSCH). The WTRU sends the SRSp using the selected SRSp resources, and then the WTRU may receive MsgB (e.g., SRSp ID) from the network. If MsgB indicates an ACK for MsgA (e.g., UE ID) and a NACK for SRSp (e.g., new SRSp resources), the WTRU sends the SRSp using the new SRSp resources. If MSgB indicates an ACK for SRSp (e.g., the ID of the previously sent SRSp) and a NACK for MsgA, the WTRU sends MsgA and indicates the ID of the previously sent SRSp.

[0312] Fig.10 is a flow chart illustrating example operations of a WTRU performing random access and positioning transmissions. In the example, the WTRU is configured to receive configuration information indicating (i) a first set of resources for an initial access transmission and (ii) a second set of resources for a sounding reference signal (SRSp) transmission for positioning; send a first initial access transmission including (i) a random access preamble associated with the first set of resources and (ii) first information indicating one or more resources from the second set of resources; send a first SRSp transmission using the one or more resources from the second set of resources; receive a second initial access transmission including second information indicating a first state of the first initial access transmission and a second state of the first SRSp transmission; and send an uplink transmission based on the second information.

[0313] In one example, the first state is an acknowledgement (ACK) indication for a first initial access transmission, and the second state is a negative ACK (NACK) indication for a first SRSp transmission, and wherein the uplink transmission includes a second SRSp transmission using one or more resources indicated in the second information.

[0314] In another example, the first state is a negative acknowledgement (NACK) indication for the first initial access transmission, and the second state is an acknowledgement (ACK) indication for the first SRSp transmission, and wherein the uplink transmission includes a third initial access transmission. In some cases, the ACK indication for the first SRSp transmission includes an indication of one or more resources from the second set of resources.

[0315] In one example, the third initial access transmission includes a random access preamble or a different random access preamble associated with the first set of resources.

[0316] In one example, the configuration information is received over a broadcast communication.

[0317] In one example, the configuration information is received on a system information block (SIB) message.

[0318] In one example, the first information includes identification of one or more resources from the second set of resources for SRSp transmission.

[0319] In one example, the second initial access transmission includes second information indicating identification of one or more resources associated with the first SRSp transmission.

[0320] Evolution of the content of msg3 and msg5

[0321] In another example, the WTRU may be preconfigured with more than one SRSp configuration. The WTRU may be configured with more than one SRSp configuration via broadcast (e.g., SIB). After the WTRU transmits the PRACH to the network, the WTRU may receive msg2 (e.g., RAR) from the network. msg2 may include an indication of which SRSp configuration (hereinafter referred to as the first SRSp configuration in this discussion) the WTRU will use for msg3.

[0322] After the WTRU sends msg3 (e.g., an SRSp with the indicated configuration), the WTRU may receive msg4 from the network which may include an indication of which SRSP configuration (hereinafter referred to as the second SRSp configuration in this discussion) the WTRU should use for msg5. The WTRU may then determine to send an SRSp with the indicated SRSp configuration from the network.

[0323] The first SRSp configuration and the second SRSp configuration described above may be from different SRSp configuration sets. The first SRSp configuration may be based on a sparse density of SRSp in both the time domain and the frequency domain (e.g., a large comb value of SRSp, a small number of time slots or symbols). The second SRSp configuration may be based on a dense density of SRSp in both the time domain and the frequency domain (e.g., a small comb value of SRSp, a large number of time slots or symbols).

[0324] The indication for the first SRSp configuration and the second SRSp configuration may be an index for the configuration. For example, the WTRU may receive a lookup table associating the index with the SRSp configuration. The WTRU may determine the first SRSp configuration and the second SRSp configuration based on the lookup table.

[0325] Alternatively, the WTRU may determine the first SRSp configuration and the second SRSp configuration based on an implicit indication from the network. For example, the WTRU may receive a resource ID for a CSI-RS or SSB in msg2 or msg4. The WTRU may determine to use an SRSp that is spatially aligned with the indicated CSI-RS or SSB resource ID in msg3 or msg5. For example, the WTRU may use an SRSp configuration with a resource ID of a CSI-RS or SSB as a reference RS in spatial information or a QCL-D relationship. For example, if SSB#1 is indicated as a reference RS in the spatial information of SRSp#2, this means that SSB#1 and SRSp#2 are spatially aligned.

[0326] In another example, the WTRU may receive a configuration of a TRP in msg2 or msg4. Based on the configuration, the WTRU may determine to send an SRSp to more than one TRP. Alternatively, the WTRU may receive an SRSp resource ID in msg2 or msg4 that may be implicitly or explicitly associated with a TRP. An example of an association is a spatial relationship. The association between an SRSp and a TRP may mean that the SRSp is spatially targeted to the TRP.

[0327] If time synchronization is established with the TRP, the WTRU may determine to send the configured SRSp to the TRP. For example, the WTRU may attempt to establish initial access with more than one TRP. The WTRU may receive RARs from more than one TRP. Based on the receipt of the RAR and an indication from the network to send SRSp to more than one TRP, the WTRU may determine to send the configured SRSp to the TRP.

[0328] In another example, the WTRU may indicate which SRSp configuration (e.g., SRSp resource ID, SRSp resource set ID) it will use for msg3 or msg5 in msg1 or msg3, respectively. The indication may be based on the preconfigured SRSp configuration. For example, the WTRU may include an ID corresponding to one of the preconfigured SRSp configurations in msg1 or msg3. Alternatively, in order to indicate which SRSp configuration it will use in a subsequent PUSCH transmission, the WTRU may include an indication of the SRSp configuration in msg5.

[0329] SRSp density increasing

[0330] In another example, if the WTRU initiates initial access for positioning after one or more failed attempts, the WTRU may determine to change the parameters of the SRSp based on the preconfiguration. For example, the WTRU may determine to use a higher density of SRSp (e.g., a higher density of SRSp in time or frequency) in msg3 during the second attempt to establish initial access. Alternatively, the WTRU may determine to increase the number of repetitions of the SRSp in msg3 during the second attempt. As the number of attempts increases, the WTRU may increase the density or number of repetitions of the SRSp. The WTRU may be preconfigured with a lookup table that associates the number of attempts with the SRSp configuration (e.g., number of repetitions, comb value, number of symbols, frequency density). The WTRU may determine to use an SRSp configuration associated with the number of attempts made to complete the initial access for positioning. In the examples described herein, SRSp, SRS, and preamble codes may be used interchangeably.

[0331] Completion of initial access for positioning

[0332] Once the initial access for positioning is successful (e.g., the WTRU receives an ACK message in msg4 or is able to match the ID in msg 4 with the ID transmitted in msg3), the WTRU may determine to enter IDLE mode. For example, the WTRU may send the configured SRSp in msg3, and once the WTRU receives msg4 containing an ACK, the WTRU may enter IDLE or INACTIVE mode. The WTRU may determine whether the WTRU enters IDLE, INACTIVE, or RRC_CONNECTED after the successful completion of the initial access for positioning based on WTRU capabilities or broadcast messages (e.g., SIBs). The WTRU may transmit a request to the network to initiate the initial access for positioning without entering RRC_CONNECTED mode. The WTRU may transmit a preamble in a RACH opportunity that is dedicated to indicating whether the WTRU enters RRC_CONNECTED or RRC_IDLE after the successful completion of the initial access procedure for positioning.

[0333] The WTRU performs RSRP measurements based on the DL RS associated with the UL positioning before initial access based on 2-step or 4-step positioning. Choose between

[0334] In one embodiment, when certain configured conditions are met (e.g., the RSRP measurement of the associated DL RS is above a threshold), the WTRU may select and / or perform an initial access procedure based on 2-step positioning. Otherwise, for example, the WTRU may perform an initial access procedure based on 4-step positioning or a conventional initial access. An example procedure applied by the WTRU for sending an SRSp based on reception of an initial access message is as follows.

[0335] The WTRU may receive a set of positioning RACH resources, a set of SRSp configurations, and one or more RSRP thresholds associated with a DL RS (e.g., SSB) in a SIB for selecting an initial access based on 2-step / 4-step positioning. The WTRU may also receive association information between one or more SRSp configurations and different DL RSs. The WTRU may perform RSRP measurements on the DL RS associated with one or more SRSp configurations. If the RSRP is greater than a first RSRP threshold, the WTRU may perform an initial access procedure based on 2-step positioning.

[0336] For example, when performing an initial access procedure based on 2-step positioning, the WTRU may send a RACH preamble and an SRSp in Msg A. For example, the WTRU may send a RACH preamble in a first opportunity associated with positioning and / or may send an SRSp in a second opportunity associated with positioning.

[0337] For example, the WTRU may receive an explicit or implicit indication / flag in Msg B indicating a positioning status (e.g., ACK / NACK) regarding whether the measurement of the SRSp at the network was successful. For example, the WTRU may also receive TC-RNTI, C-RNTI, and TA value / command in Msg B.

[0338] In the case when an ACK status indication is received, the WTRU may use the C-RNTI and TA values ​​when sending subsequent control / data messages (e.g., in PUSCH). In the case when a NACK status indication is received, the WTRU may start a backoff timer and / or may resend the SRSp using the same or different SRSp configuration (e.g., selected by the WTRU or received in Msg B) after the backoff timer expires. For example, the WTRU may resend the SRSp after performing certain adjustments to the SRSp configuration based on the received TA value. If the RSRP is less than the first RSRP threshold and / or greater than the second RSRP threshold, the WTRU may perform an initial access procedure based on 4-step positioning.

[0339] 4.3 Method for sending location information during initial access

[0340] Send WTRU location information

[0341] In one set of embodiments, the WTRU may transmit location information to the network during initial access, either explicitly or implicitly, based on the use of one or more security methods. Such security methods may be applied to ensure that any external entity (e.g., an eavesdropping entity) may not be able to decode the WTRU's location information from the initial access message, which is typically sent / received before security activation (e.g., security activation at the NAS layer and / or AS layer, such as PDCP layer encryption / ciphering) and / or configuration of radio bearers in the WTRU.

[0342] The WTRU's location information may be determined before and / or during initial access based on one or more of the following methods:

[0343] GNSS-based positioning:

[0344] o For example, the WTRU may determine its location information based on measurements made on GNSS signals.

[0345] RAT-dependent positioning:

[0346] o In one example, the WTRU may use any DL-based positioning method (e.g., DL-TDoA, DL-AoD) to determine its location information (e.g., using WTRU-based positioning). The WTRU may perform measurements on the PRS received from one or more TRPs to determine the WTRU location.

[0347] ○ In another example, the WTRU may determine its location information based on measurements of SSB / SS received from one or more TRPs and / or auxiliary data used to perform radio resource management / enhanced cell ID (RRM / E-CID) based positioning.

[0348] For example, such measurements may be used to determine an initial WTRU position or a first fixed position with relatively low accuracy.

[0349] o Assistance data containing information about the PRS / RRM configuration used for PRS / RRM measurements and / or for determining the WTRU position may be provided by the WTRU via a broadcast channel

[0350] The WTRU may receive a WTRU message (e.g., SIB, posSIB), receive a WTRU message (e.g., in a regular paging occasion or a new paging occasion associated with positioning), or be pre-configured and / or stored in the WTRU (e.g., from a previous LPP session).

[0351] Positioning based on initial access

[0352] o For example, the WTRU may determine the number of TRPs based on the number of TRPs in the RAR message.

[0353] The WTRU may determine its location information based on the indication of the TA value received (e.g., in Msg 2, Msg B), possibly at different time instances. The TA value may be used to derive time difference information between the transmission and reception of data, based on which the distance between the WTRU and the TRP may be estimated. For example, such time difference estimate may be used to estimate the WTRU location.

[0354] o In another example, the WTRU may receive a PRS in msg2 or msg4 and send an SRSp in msg3 or msg5. The WTRU may also transmit the time difference between the reception time of the PRS and the transmission time of the SRSp. For example, the time difference may be expressed in terms of an absolute time in seconds, a number of symbols, time slots, or frames. The time difference may be used by the network to determine the round trip time between the network and the WTRU.

[0355] After determining the location information, whether the WTRU can transmit the location information during the initial access may depend on the WTRU capabilities. In this case, the WTRU may send an indication to the network associated with the WTRU's ability to transmit location information during the initial access. Such WTRU capability information may be transmitted explicitly or implicitly when one or more RACH preambles are sent in Msg 1 / Msg A. For example, the WTRU may send a RACH preamble that may be associated with an indication of the WTRU's ability to send location information. Alternatively, the WTRU may transmit a RACH preamble in a RACH opportunity, which may be dedicated to indicating the WTRU capability information. In another example, when sending a RACH preamble (in Msg 1 / Msg A) or Msg 3, the WTRU may include an indication / flag to indicate the WTRU capabilities and / or to distinguish other WTRUs (e.g., from legacy versions) that may not support such capability to indicate location information. For example, information about such RACH preamble / timing and / or indication / flag for indicating WTRU capability information may be received by the WTRU via SIB or initial access message (e.g., Msg 2, Msg B), or may be pre-configured in the WTRU.

[0356] After determining the location information using one or more of the above methods, the WTRU may transmit the following in the initial access message:

[0357] GNSS information

[0358] o For example, the WTRU may transmit location information using absolute values ​​(e.g., normal coordinates) or truncated values ​​(e.g., abbreviated coordinates)

[0359] ·Region / zone information

[0360] o For example, the WTRU may transmit one or more areas / zones /

[0361] The ID / index of the sector. Such areas / zones may be predefined by the network to include a plurality of circular or rectangular grid points, where these grid points may be defined by a set of parameters (e.g., radius, length, width, area size). For example, information about such areas / regions may be received by the WTRU via a broadcast channel (e.g., SIB), via an initial access message (e.g., Msg 2, MsgB), or may be preconfigured in the WTRU.

[0362] ○ In one example, the WTRU may be configured to access one or more RACH preambles / resources based on the region in which the WTRU may be located. Such RACH resources may be used by the WTRU to indicate the location information of the WTRU to the network based on the association between the region in which the WTRU may be located and the region-based RACH preamble. To access the region-based RACH preamble, the WTRU may initially access the network in Msg 1 / Msg

[0363] The WTRU may receive a response message (e.g., in Msg 2 or Msg B) containing information about the area-based RACH resources to be used so that the location information may be sent by the WTRU. The response message may contain an indication of one or more area-based RACH resources that may be dynamically updated by the network based on the initial RACH preamble sent by the WTRU so that the WTRU may use the area-based RACH resources when sending subsequent initial access messages (e.g., in Msg 3, Msg 4, Msg 5, Msg 6, Msg 7, etc.).

[0364] 5) to indicate its location information with different granularity / accuracy.

[0365] Relative position information

[0366] o For example, the WTRU may transmit its relative position information relative to one or more known reference points, such as TRPs, PRUs, broadcast reference points, and landmarks that may be near the WTRU. For example, when one or more cells / TRPs are detected

[0367] The WTRU may transmit its route / truncation location information by sending the cell / TRP ID in the initial access message (e.g., via the SIB).

[0368] Location information obtained from RAT-dependent positioning methods

[0369] o For example, when the WTRU is in RRC_CONNECTED or INACTIVE mode, the WTRU may transmit the network location information obtained by the WTRU. The WTRU may have used a RAT-dependent positioning method (e.g., DL-TDOA, DL-AoD,

[0370] The WTRU may include a timestamp to indicate when the positioning information was obtained. Alternatively, the WTRU may include a timestamp to indicate when the WTRU reported the location information.

[0371] The WTRU transmits location information to the network during initial access when using a secure method

[0372]

[0066] Described below are different methods that may be applied by the WTRU, alone or in combination with one or more methods, for securely sending WTRU location information to the network.

[0373] In one example, the WTRU may access and / or send one or more RACH resources (e.g., RACH preambles, sequences, partitions, or opportunities) that may be associated with the WTRU's location information. Such RACH resources / partitions may be configured at different granularities, for example, on a per-area / region basis, on a per-PLMN / AMF basis, on a per-cell / TRP basis, on a per-time window basis, on a per-WTRU basis (e.g., a PRU WTRU with a known location may access one or more dedicated RACH resources), on a per-service basis, etc. The WTRU may use a combination of one or more RACH resources / partitions to indicate the WTRU capabilities, location information, and / or other information to the network.

[0374] In one example, the WTRU may determine its location information with a granular level of predefined areas / zones where the WTRU may be located. For example, the WTRU may select and / or send a RACH preamble that may be associated with the area / zone where the WTRU may be located. In another example, the WTRU may indicate its consent / ability to disclose its location information to the network by selecting one or more RACH preambles that may be specific to the WTRU and / or correspond to the area / zone where the WTRU may be located. In this case, for example, the WTRU may transmit a first RACH preamble in a first RACH opportunity to indicate the WTRU's consent / ability and a second RACH preamble in a second RACH opportunity to indicate the WTRU's location in one or more Msg 1 / Msg A.

[0375] In one example, the WTRU may send differential location information in one or more initial access messages. For example, the WTRU may send its location information in one or more Msg 1 / Msg A using a first RACH preamble associated with a reference location (e.g., region, zone, cell, TRP, PRU). The WTRU may send differential location information relative to the reference location using a second RACH preamble associated with a difference (e.g., difference in x and y coordinates, distance from the reference location). In another example, the WTRU may send an identifier / index of a previously sent report of location information in a first transmission (e.g., Msg 1 / Msg A) and send differential location information relative to the previously sent location information in a second transmission (e.g., in Msg 1 / Msg 3 / Msg A).

[0376] In one example, the WTRU may transmit its location information in one or more RACH occasions or in a combination of one or more initial access messages (e.g., in Msg 1 and Msg 3). Such transmissions on multiple occasions / messages may be performed based on a preconfigured pattern, which may be associated with an area / zone where the WTRU may be located. For example, when the WTRU is located in a first area, the WTRU may transmit location information via a first pattern (e.g., multiple transmissions of Msg 1 / Msg A). Similarly, for example, when the WTRU is located in a second area, the WTRU may use a second pattern (e.g., a combination of Msg 1 and Msg 3).

[0377] In another example, for security purposes, the WTRU may include some distortion or truncation of its location information when sent via the initial access message. For example, the WTRU may reduce the granularity or resolution of its location information so that a certain degree of ambiguity may be artificially introduced to prevent the WTRU from being accurately located. Such distortion / truncation may be performed while ensuring that any requirements associated with the accuracy of the WTRU's location may still be met.

[0378] In one example, depending on the accuracy that can be achieved when determining the WTRU's location information, the WTRU may decide whether and how to send the location information. For example, when the location information is determined with high accuracy (e.g., the accuracy is above a threshold, or the error is below a threshold), the WTRU may send the high-accuracy location information in Msg 1 or Msg A by reducing the duration of the guard period that is usually sent with the RACH preamble, possibly after applying some encoding / encryption (e.g., encoding with a private key and / or WTRU ID). Such transmission may allow the WTRU to pre-compensate the TA based on the WTRU's high-accuracy location information before receiving the TA value from the network. In another example, when the accuracy of the determined location information is low (e.g., the accuracy is below a threshold, or the error is above a threshold), the WTRU may decide not to send its location information during initial access.

[0379] In another example, when sending location information based on an authentication procedure (e.g., a challenge and response authentication procedure) performed during initial access, the WTRU may perform one or more security operations (e.g., encoding, encryption, cryptography). For example, the WTRU may receive a private key from the network during a previous mode / session (e.g., when in RRC CONNECTED). When performing initial access, the WTRU may obtain information about a security method (e.g., an ID of a security algorithm) via the SIB, which may be applied to send data using the initial access message. When sending location information / data in Msg 3, the WTRU may send an explicit or implicit request for activating security in Msg 1 / Msg A. For example, the WTRU may send a RACH preamble associated with a request to securely send location information in Msg 1 / Msg A. For example, the WTRU may also send an indication / flag associated with the request together with the RACH preamble. In response, the WTRU may receive a security challenge request message in Msg 2 / Msg B, possibly along with the TC-RNTI, UL grant, and TA value. Upon receiving the security challenge request message, the WTRU may perform calculation of a security response message based on the WTRU's private key and / or security method / algorithm (e.g., identified via the SIB). The WTRU may then send the location information encrypted / encrypted with the calculated security challenge response in, for example, Msg 3 or Msg 5.

[0380] In one example, when sending location information during initial access, the WTRU may perform some security operations for encryption / ciphering. For example, the WTRU may use one or more public keys and / or private keys (e.g., known only to the WTRU and / or NW) to encrypt the message containing the location information. For example, the public and private keys may be available to the WTRU via a combination of any of the broadcast channels (e.g., SIB, SSB), via the initial access message (e.g., Msg 2, Msg 4, Msg B), via pre-configuration (e.g., from a previous NAS / RRC connection with the network during the RRC CONNECED state, or from the LMF via a previous LPP session), and via hardware-based keys (e.g., SIM, ID unique to the WTRU hardware). For example, when sending location information in Msg 3, the WTRU may encode / encrypt the location information using a public key received from the base station (e.g., via SIB and / or Msg 1) and / or a private key generated / stored in the WTRU. The encoding / encryption of the location information may be performed by the WTRU at a higher layer, such as Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), MAC, or PHY (e.g., by scrambling the PUSCH containing the location information using a private key and / or a public key). For example, when sending the information in Msg 1, Msg 3, Msg 5, or Msg A, the WTRU may use available / derived security keys (e.g., public keys and / or private keys) to scramble the location information (e.g., in MAC CE or PUSCH) or the differential / relative location information with the security keys.

[0381] The WTRU securely sends its location information based on the authentication process performed during initial access.

[0382] In one embodiment, the WTRU may determine its location information (e.g., using DL-based positioning) and send the location information during initial access based on a pre-configured private key and security mechanism (e.g., challenge and response authentication). An example process used by the WTRU to securely send location information is as follows:

[0383] The WTRU may receive one or more PRACH preambles and one or more private keys in an RRC message (e.g., RRC Release), possibly when transitioning from the RRC CONNECTED state to the INACTIVE state.

[0384] The WTRU may receive in the SIB assistance information for DL-based positioning (e.g., a set of PRS configurations, TRP / cell ID, and location information of the TRP) and information about security algorithms that may be applied for secure transmission of data in the initial access message (e.g., an ID of the security algorithm).

[0385] The WTRU may perform PRS measurements and determine the WTRU location based on the assistance information and the measurements

[0386] The WTRU may send a RACH preamble in Msg 1 / Msg A associated with a request to securely send location information

[0387] The WTRU may receive the security challenge request, TC-RNTI, UL grant and TA value in Msg 2 / Msg B

[0388] The WTRU may determine a security challenge response based on a stored private key and a security algorithm

[0389] The WTRU may send the location information in Msg 3 while performing a security operation on the location information using the determined security challenge response. For example, the WTRU may perform an encryption / ciphering / scrambling operation on the location information using the security challenge response.

[0390] The WTRU may receive in Msg4 the decoding status of the WTRU location information at the network (e.g., the network may decrypt / decipher using the WTRU’s private key known at the network)

[0391] o If an ACK status indication is received (e.g., the WTRU position was successfully decoded), then when a subsequent RRC message is transmitted (e.g., in Msg 5),

[0392] The WTRU may use the TC-RNTI as the C-RNTI

[0393] o If a NACK status indication is received (eg, the WTRU position was not successfully decoded) or Msg4 is not decodable, the WTRU may fall back to initiating a regular (non-positioning) initial access procedure.

[0394] 5 Conclusion

[0395] Although features and elements are provided above in specific combinations, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that each feature or element may be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. The present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described in this patent application, which are intended to be illustrative of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from the essence and scope of the present invention, as they will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Unless explicitly provided as such, any element, action or description used in the present application specification should not be understood as being essential or necessary to the present invention. According to the foregoing description, in addition to those listed herein, functionally equivalent methods and devices within the scope of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is limited only to the terms of the appended claims and the full range of equivalent forms of such entitled claims. It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to a specific method or system.

[0396] For simplicity, the foregoing embodiments are discussed with respect to terminology and structure of infrared capable devices (i.e., infrared transmitters and receivers). However, the embodiments discussed are not limited to these systems, but may be applied to other systems using other forms of electromagnetic waves or non-electromagnetic waves (such as sound waves).

[0397] It should also be understood that the terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the term "video" or the term "image" may mean any of a snapshot, a single image, and / or a plurality of images displayed on a time basis. For example, when referred to herein, the term "user equipment" and its abbreviation "UE", the term "remote" and / or the term "head-mounted display" or its abbreviation "HMD" may mean or include (i) a wireless transmit and / or receive unit (WTRU); (ii) any of a plurality of embodiments of the WTRU; (iii) a wireless and / or wired (e.g., tetherable) device configured with (in particular) some or all of the structure and functionality of the WTRU; (iii) a wireless and / or wired device configured with less than all of the structure and functionality of the WTRU; or (iv), etc. This document is relative to Figures 1A to 1D Details of an example WTRU are provided that may represent any WTRU described herein. As another example, various disclosed embodiments herein above and below are described as utilizing a head mounted display. Those skilled in the art will recognize that devices other than head mounted displays may be utilized and that some or all of the present disclosure and various disclosed embodiments may be modified accordingly without undue experimentation. Examples of such other devices may include drones or other devices configured to stream information to provide an adapted reality experience.

[0398] In addition, the methods provided herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated into a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (sent via a wired connection or a wireless connection) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media (such as built-in hard disks and removable disks), magneto-optical media, and optical media (such as CD-ROM disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs)). A processor associated with the software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, MME, EPC, AMF, or any host computer.

[0399] Variations of the methods, devices, and systems provided above are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. In view of the various embodiments that may be applied, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are merely examples and should not be considered to limit the scope of the following claims. For example, the embodiments provided herein include handheld devices that may include or be used with any suitable voltage source (such as a battery, etc.) that provides any suitable voltage.

[0400] In addition, in the embodiments provided above, processing platforms, computing systems, controllers and other devices including processors are indicated. These devices may include at least one central processing unit ("CPU") and memory. According to the practice of those skilled in the art of computer programming, references to the symbolic representations of actions and operations or instructions may be performed by various CPUs and memories. Such actions and operations or instructions may be referred to as being "executed", "computer executed" or "CPU executed".

[0401] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the actions and symbolic representations of operations or instructions include manipulation of electrical signals by the CPU. The electrical system represents data bits, which may result in the ultimate transformation of electrical signals or reduction of electrical signals and the retention of data bits at memory locations in the memory system, thereby reconfiguring or otherwise changing the operation of the CPU and performing other processing of signals. The memory location that holds the data bits is a physical location that has specific electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties that correspond to or represent the data bits. It should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned platforms or CPUs, and other platforms and CPUs may also support the provided methods.

[0402] The data bits may also be maintained on computer-readable media, including magnetic disks, optical disks, and any other volatile (e.g., random access memory ("RAM")) or non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory ("ROM")) mass storage system readable by the CPU. The computer-readable media may include cooperating or interconnected computer-readable media that reside solely on the processing system or distributed across multiple interconnected processing systems that may be local or remote relative to the processing system. It should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned memories, and other platforms and memories may also support the provided methods.

[0403] In an exemplary embodiment, any of the operations, processes, etc. described herein may be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable instructions may be executed by a processor of a mobile unit, a network element, and / or any other computing device.

[0404] There is little difference between hardware implementation and software implementation of various aspects of the system. The use of hardware or software is usually (but not always, because in some contexts, the choice between hardware and software may become important) a design choice that represents a trade-off between cost and efficiency. There may be various media (e.g., hardware, software, and / or firmware) that can implement the processes and / or systems and / or other technologies described herein, and the preferred media may vary with the context of the deployment process and / or system and / or other technologies. For example, if the implementer determines that speed and accuracy are most important, the implementer may choose a media that is primarily hardware and / or firmware. If flexibility is most important, the implementer may choose a specific implementation that is primarily software. Alternatively, the implementer may choose some combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0405] The above detailed description has listed various embodiments of the device and / or process by using block diagrams, flow charts and / or examples. In the case where such block diagrams, flow charts and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that each function and / or operation within such block diagrams, flow charts or examples can be implemented individually and / or collectively by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware or almost any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several parts of the subject matter described herein can be implemented via application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs) and / or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits as a whole or in part as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), firmware or almost any combination thereof, and according to the present disclosure, designing circuits and / or writing software and / or firmware codes will be completely within the technical scope of those skilled in the art. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein can be distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that the illustrative embodiments of the subject matter described herein apply regardless of the specific type of signal-bearing medium used to actually perform the distribution. Examples of signal-bearing media include, but are not limited to, the following: recordable type media (such as floppy disks, hard drives, CDs, DVDs, digital tapes, computer memory, etc.); and transmission type media (such as digital and / or analog communication media (e.g., fiber optic cables, waveguides, wired communication links, wireless communication links, etc.)).

[0406] Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common in the art to describe devices and / or processes in the manner set forth herein, and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such described devices and / or processes into a data processing system. That is, at least a portion of the devices and / or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system generally may include one or more of the following: a system unit housing; a video display device; a memory, such as a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory; a processor, such as a microprocessor and a digital signal processor; a computing entity, such as an operating system, a driver, a graphical user interface, and an application; one or more interactive devices, such as a touch pad or a screen; and / or a control system, including a feedback loop and a control motor (e.g., a feedback for sensing position and / or velocity, a control motor for moving and / or adjusting components and / or quantities). A typical data processing system may be implemented using any suitable commercially available components, such as those typically found in data computing / communication and / or network computing / communication systems.

[0407] The subject matter described herein sometimes illustrates different components included in or connected to different other components. It should be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and in fact many other architectures that achieve the same function can be realized. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components that achieve the same function is effectively "associated" so that the desired function can be achieved. Therefore, any two components that are combined to achieve a specific functionality in this article can be considered to be "associated" with each other so that the required functionality is achieved, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two components so associated can also be considered to be "operably connected" or "operably coupled" to each other to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be so associated can also be considered to be "operably coupleable" to each other to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operable coupling include, but are not limited to, components that can physically cooperate and / or physically interact and / or components that can wirelessly interact and / or wirelessly interact and / or components that can logically interact and / or components that can logically interact.

[0408] With respect to substantially any plural and / or singular terms used herein, those skilled in the art may translate from the plural to the singular and / or from the singular to the plural as appropriate, as appropriate to the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural arrangements may be explicitly listed herein.

[0409] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, in general, the terms used herein, and particularly in the appended claims (e.g., the bodies of the appended claims), are generally intended to be "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least", the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", etc.). It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such intent will be explicitly stated in the claim, and in the absence of such a recitation, there is no such intent. For example, where only one item is intended, the term "single" or similar language may be used. To aid understanding, the following appended claims and / or the description herein may include the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as implying that any particular claim including such introduced claim recitations is limited to an embodiment including only one such recitation by the indefinite article "a" or "an" to introduce the claim recitation. This is true even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "a kind" (e.g., "a" and / or "a kind" should be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more"). The same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of introduced claim recitations is explicitly recited, one skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted as meaning at least the stated number (e.g., a bare recitation of "two recitations" without other modifiers means at least two recitations or two or more recitations). In addition, in those instances where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, generally speaking, the meaning of such construction is that one skilled in the art will understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" will include, but is not limited to, a system having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B simultaneously, A and C simultaneously, B and C simultaneously, and / or A, B, and C simultaneously, etc.). In those instances where a convention similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." is used, generally speaking, the meaning of such construction is that one skilled in the art will understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" will include, but is not limited to, systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). One skilled in the art will also understand that, in fact, any discrete words and / or phrases presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one of the terms, any of the terms, or both of the terms.For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B." Additionally, as used herein, the term "any of" followed by a listing of multiple items and / or multiple categories of items is intended to include "any of," "any combination," "any multiples," and / or "any combination of multiples" of the items and / or categories of items, either alone or in combination with other items and / or other categories of items. Additionally, as used herein, the term "set" is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Additionally, as used herein, the term "quantity" is intended to include any quantity, including zero. And, as used herein, the term "plurality" is intended to be synonymous with "multiple."

[0410] In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

[0411] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, for any and all purposes (such as in terms of providing a written description), all ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible sub-ranges and combinations of their sub-ranges. Any listed range can be easily identified as fully describing and enabling the same range to be divided into at least equal halves, one-third, one-quarter, one-fifth, one-tenth, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be easily divided into a lower third, a middle third, and an upper third, etc. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, all languages ​​such as "up to", "at least", "greater than", "less than", etc. include the cited numbers and refer to the ranges that can be subsequently divided into sub-ranges as described above. Finally, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, the range includes each individual number. Therefore, for example, a group with 1 to 3 units refers to a group with 1, 2 or 3 units. Similarly, a group with 1 to 5 units refers to a group with 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 units, etc.

[0412] Furthermore, the claims should not be read as limited to the order or elements presented unless otherwise stated. Furthermore, the use of the term "means for..." in any claim is intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112, 6 or means-plus-function claim format, and any claim without the term "means for..." is not intended to be so.

[0413] Suitable processors include, by way of example, a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an application specific standard product (ASSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), and / or state machine.

[0414] The WTRU may be used in conjunction with a module, which may be implemented in hardware and / or software including: software defined radio (SDR) and other components such as a camera, a video camera module, a videophone, a speakerphone, a vibration device, a speaker, a microphone, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a keyboard, module, a frequency modulation (FM) radio unit, a near field communication (NFC) module, a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an internet browser, and / or any wireless local area network (WLAN) or ultra-wideband (UWB) module.

[0415] Although various embodiments have been described in terms of a communication system, it is contemplated that the system may be implemented in software on a microprocessor / general purpose computer (not shown). In certain embodiments, one or more of the functions of the various components may be implemented in software controlling a general purpose computer.

[0416] Furthermore, while the invention has been shown and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made to the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims without departing from the invention.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication implemented by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: receiving configuration information indicating (i) a first set of resources sent for initial access and (ii) a second set of resources sent for a sounding reference signal (SRSp) for positioning; transmitting a first initial access transmission, the first initial access transmission comprising (i) a random access preamble associated with the first set of resources and (ii) first information indicating one or more resources from the second set of resources; sending a first SRSp transmission using the one or more resources from the second set of resources; receiving a second initial access transmission, the second initial access transmission comprising second information indicating a first state of the first initial access transmission and a second state of the first SRSp transmission; and An uplink transmission is sent based on the second information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first state is an acknowledgment (ACK) indication for the first initial access transmission, and the second state is a negative ACK (NACK) indication for the first SRSp transmission, and wherein the uplink transmission comprises a second SRSp transmission using one or more resources indicated in the second information.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first state is a negative acknowledgement (NACK) indication for the first initial access transmission, and the second state is an acknowledgement (ACK) indication for the first SRSp transmission, and wherein the uplink transmission comprises a third initial access transmission.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the ACK indication sent for the first SRSp includes an indication indicating the one or more resources from the second set of resources.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the third initial access transmission comprises the random access preamble or a different random access preamble associated with the first set of resources.

6. The method of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the configuration information is received over a broadcast communication.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the configuration information is received on a system information block (SIB) message.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the random access preamble is sent in a first MsgA.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the random access preamble is a preamble on a physical random access channel (PRACH).

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the second initial access transmission comprises MsgB.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the third initial access transmission comprises a second MsgA.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1-11, wherein the first information comprises an identification of the one or more resources from the second set of resources used for SRSp transmission.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein the second initial access transmission includes second information indicating the identity of the one or more resources associated with the first SRSp transmission.

14. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for wireless communications, the WTRU comprising circuitry, the circuitry comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a processor, and a memory, the WTRU being configured to: receiving configuration information indicating (i) a first set of resources sent for initial access and (ii) a second set of resources sent for a sounding reference signal (SRSp) for positioning; transmitting a first initial access transmission, the first initial access transmission comprising (i) a random access preamble associated with the first set of resources and (ii) first information indicating one or more resources from the second set of resources; sending a first SRSp transmission using the one or more resources from the second set of resources; receiving a second initial access transmission, the second initial access transmission comprising second information indicating a first state of the first initial access transmission and a second state of the first SRSp transmission; and An uplink transmission is sent based on the second information.

15. A WTRU according to claim 14, wherein the first state is an acknowledgment (ACK) indication sent for the first initial access, and the second state is a negative ACK (NACK) indication sent for the first SRSp, and wherein the uplink transmission includes a second SRSp transmission using one or more resources indicated in the second information.

16. A WTRU according to claim 14, wherein the first state is a negative acknowledgement (NACK) indication for the first initial access transmission, and the second state is an acknowledgement (ACK) indication for the first SRSp transmission, and wherein the uplink transmission includes a third initial access transmission.

17. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the ACK indication sent for the first SRSp includes an indication of the one or more resources from the second set of resources.

18. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the third initial access transmission includes the random access preamble or a different random access preamble associated with the first set of resources.

19. The WTRU of any one of claims 14-18, wherein the configuration information is received over a broadcast communication.

20. The WTRU of any one of claims 14-19, wherein the configuration information is received on a system information block (SIB) message.

21. The WTRU according to any one of claims 14-20, wherein the first information includes an identification of the one or more resources from the second set of resources used for SRSp transmission.

22. The WTRU of any one of claims 14-21, wherein the second initial access transmission includes second information indicating an identification of the one or more resources associated with the first SRSp transmission.

23. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) implementing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, the wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising a processor, a receiver, a transmitter and a memory.

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