Equipment, method and device for data transmission

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses equipment, a method and a device for small data transmission (SDT). A terminal device receives an indication message from a network device, the indication message instructing the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated SDT (MT-SDT). Further, the terminal device indicates an access cause of the connection attempt to the network device based on the operating state of the connection attempt.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications, and in particular to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for data transmission (eg, small data transmission (SDT)). Background Art

[0002] In communication technology, there is a continuous evolution to provide efficient and reliable solutions for utilizing wireless communication networks. Currently, efforts have been made to develop fifth generation (5G) or 5G advanced wireless systems. The new wireless systems can support various types of service applications for terminal devices.

[0003] In current wireless systems, in order to avoid signaling overhead and delay associated with a mode transition of a terminal device, such as a user equipment (UE) from an inactive mode (e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state, also referred to as an RRC_inactive state) to a connected mode (e.g., an RRC_connected state), a transmission scheme called SDT has been proposed to facilitate data transmission. In the SDT process, data interaction between a base station and a UE can be achieved while the UE is still in the RRC_inactive state during data transmission. However, enhancements to SDT are still under further study. Summary of the invention

[0004] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for SDT.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers, and the one or more processors are configured to cause the terminal device to: receive an indication message from a network device, the indication message indicating that the terminal device initiates a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and indicate an access reason for a connection attempt to the network device based on an operation state of the connection attempt.

[0006] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes one or more transceivers; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers, and the one or more processors are configured to cause the network device to: send an indication message to a terminal device, the indication message indicating that the terminal device initiates a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and receive an indication of an access cause of a connection attempt to the network device from the terminal device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method implemented at a terminal device is provided. The method comprises: receiving an indication message from a network device, the indication message indicating that the terminal device initiates a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and indicating an access reason of the connection attempt to the network device based on an operation status of the connection attempt.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method implemented at a network device is provided. The method comprises: sending an indication message to a terminal device, the indication message indicating that the terminal device initiates a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and receiving an indication of an access reason for a connection attempt to the network device from the terminal device.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a device of a terminal device is provided. The device includes: a component for receiving an indication message from a network device, the indication message indicating that the terminal device initiates a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and a component for indicating an access reason of a connection attempt to the network device based on an operation status of the connection attempt.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a network device apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises: a component for sending an indication message to a terminal device, the indication message instructing the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and a component for receiving an indication of an access reason for a connection attempt to the network device from the terminal device.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to: receive an indication message from a network device, the indication message indicating that the terminal device initiates a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and indicate an access reason for the connection attempt to the network device based on an operation state of the connection attempt.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the network device to send an indication message to a terminal device, the indication message indicating that the terminal device initiates a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and receive an indication of an access cause of a connection attempt to the network device from the terminal device.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to execute a method according to at least the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a computer program is provided comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus at a terminal device, causes the apparatus to at least: receive an indication message from a network device, the indication message instructing the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and indicate an access reason for a connection attempt to the network device based on an operational status of the connection attempt.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program is provided comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus at a network device, causes the apparatus to at least: send an indication message to a terminal device, the indication message instructing the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and receive from the terminal device an indication of an access reason for a connection attempt to the network device.

[0016] In a twelfth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a receiving circuit system configured to receive an indication message from a network device, the indication message indicating that the terminal device initiates a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and an initiating circuit system configured to indicate an access reason of a connection attempt to the network device based on an operation status of the connection attempt.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes a sending circuit system configured to send an indication message to a terminal device, the indication message instructing the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and a receiving circuit system configured to receive an indication of an access reason for a connection attempt to the network device from the terminal device.

[0018] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0020] Figure 1 illustrates an example network environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0021] Figure 2 illustrates an example signaling flow between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 3 An example flow chart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0023] Figure 4An example flow chart of a method implemented at a network device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0024] Figure 5 illustrates an example simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0025] Figure 6 An example block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0026] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for illustrative purposes and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, and do not represent any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various other ways except for the way described below.

[0028] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0029] In this disclosure, references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and "an example embodiment" indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. In addition, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, those skilled in the art believe that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0030] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the example embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0031] The term used herein is only used to describe specific embodiments, but is not intended to limit exemplary embodiments. The singular form "one", "one" and "the" used herein also include plural forms, unless the context clearly states otherwise. It is further understood that the term "includes", "comprising", "having", "having", "including" and / or "comprising" specifies the existence of the features, elements and / or components when used in this article, but does not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or their combinations. As used in this article, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of the lists of <two or more elements>" and similar wording (wherein the list of two or more elements is connected by "and" or "or") refer to at least any one element in these elements, or at least any two or more elements in these elements, or at least all elements in these elements.

[0032] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one, more, or all of the following:

[0033] (a) a pure hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation using only analog and / or digital circuitry), and

[0034] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0035] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0036] (ii) any portion of hardware processor(s) (including digital signal processor(s)) with software, software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions), and

[0037] (c) Hardware circuits and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portions of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0038] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0039] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to the third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be communication technologies and systems that can be used to embody future types of the present disclosure. It should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to the above-mentioned systems.

[0040] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from the network. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a NodeB (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a new radio (NR) NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low-power node (such as a femto, a pico), etc.

[0041] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0042] As mentioned above, SDT is proposed to facilitate data transmission. During the SDT process, when a terminal device such as a UE is still in the RRC_inactive mode, that is, not transitioning to the RRC_connected mode, data transmission may be allowed.

[0043] In Release 17 (Rel-17), mobile initiated (MO)-SDT is enabled on a radio bearer basis and is initiated by the UE. MO-SDT allows small packet transmission for uplink (UL) oriented packets. In addition, it is discussed that some conditions should be met for the initiation of the MO-SDT process. That is, the MO-SDT process can only be initiated when the amount of UL data waiting to be transmitted on all radio bearers with SDT enabled is less than the configured / predetermined amount, the reference signal received power (RSRP) measured in the cell is higher than the configured / predetermined threshold, and valid resources for SDT are available.

[0044] For the downlink (DL), small packet transmission of DL trigger packets should also be considered, because MT-SDT can achieve similar benefits as MO-SDT. SDT for DL ​​can be called mobile terminated (MT)-SDT, which can reduce signaling overhead and UE power consumption by maintaining the RRC_inactive state, or can reduce latency by allowing fast transmission of small and infrequent packets, such as for positioning.

[0045] In Release 18 (Rel-18), the following objectives have been discussed in the Radio Access Network (RAN) of the Rel-18 SDT work item [RP-212726].

[0046]

[0047] MT-SDT can be triggered by the network. For example, MT-SDT can be triggered by the network using a paging message with an MT-SDT indication. Similarly, the initiation of the MT-SDT process should meet some conditions. On the UE side, it will check the validity of certain conditions of MT-SDT. If the conditions of MT-SDT are not met, the UE is not allowed to initiate the SDT process. In this case, another process can be initiated, such as a non-SDT recovery process or a regular connection establishment process.

[0048] However, the inventors have noted that, unlike MO-SDT, the network has no knowledge of the reason why the UE failed to initiate the MT-SDT procedure, which the network would otherwise use to optimize communications with the UE.

[0049] In view of the above situation, it is necessary to consider enhancing the SDT process, especially for the case of failure initiating SDT. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the solution of SDT (especially MT-SDT) between UE and network side.

[0050] Therefore, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a solution for SDT. In the solution, a terminal device receives an indication message from a network device, which indicates that the terminal device initiates MT-SDT. In addition, the terminal device indicates the access reason of the connection attempt to the network device based on the operation status of the connection attempt. Accordingly, the network device receives an indication of the access reason of the connection attempt.

[0051] By indicating the access reason of the connection attempt to the network device, the network device can know the reason why the terminal device attempts to connect after paging for MT-SDT. The network device can also use the connection reason information to prioritize the connection attempts of the terminal device or the connection attempts between different terminal devices. Therefore, the communication efficiency can be improved.

[0052] As used herein, "MT-SDT" may refer to a DL SDT procedure initiated by the network. In MT-SDT, the network device sends a paging message to instruct the terminal device to initiate SDT. Then, the network device sends DL small data without causing the terminal device to enter the RRC_connected state.

[0053] As used herein, "SDT recovery procedure" may refer to a procedure that allows data and / or signaling transmission while remaining in the RRC_inactive state (i.e., not transitioning to the RRC_connected state). SDT is enabled on a radio bearer basis, and the UE initiates SDT only when the amount of UL data waiting to be transmitted on all radio bearers where SDT is enabled is less than the configured amount, the DLRSRP is above the configured threshold, and valid SDT resources are available.

[0054] As used herein, "non-SDT recovery procedure" may refer to an RRC establishment or an RRC recovery procedure. During the non-SDT recovery procedure, the terminal device may send an RRC recovery request or an RRC establishment request. The purpose of the RRC recovery procedure is to restore a suspended RRC connection, including restoring (multiple) signal radio bearers (SRBs), (multiple) data radio bearers (DRBs) and (multiple) multicast radio bearers (MRBs) or performing RNA updates. The purpose of the RRC establishment procedure is to establish an RRC connection. The RRC connection establishment involves SRB1 establishment. This procedure is also used to transmit initial NAS dedicated information / messages from the UE to the network.

[0055] As used herein, a “regular connection establishment procedure” may refer to a procedure for initiating non-SDT transmission, including a connection establishment procedure, an RRC establishment procedure, or an RRC recovery procedure.

[0056] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 , which illustrates an example network environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0057] The network environment 100 (which may be part of a communication network) includes terminal devices 110 and network devices 120 that communicate with each other or with other devices via each other.

[0058] Network environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices and cells. In network environment 100, terminal device 110 and network device 120 may communicate data and control information to each other. The link from network device 120 to terminal device 110 is called DL, and the link from terminal device 110 to network device 120 is called UL.

[0059] It should be understood that the number of terminal devices 120 and the number of network devices 110 shown in the communication network environment 100 are for illustration purposes only and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some example embodiments, the communication network environment 100 may include any number of terminal devices and / or any number of network devices.

[0060] It should be understood that the two devices shown in network environment 100 are for illustration purposes only and do not represent any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. In some example embodiments, network environment 100 may include additional devices that communicate with terminal device 110 and network device 120.

[0061] Communications in the network environment 100 may follow any suitable communication standards or protocols that already exist or will be developed in the future, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), Sixth Generation (6G) or higher, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standards, and employ any suitable communication technology, including, for example, Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), Bluetooth, ZigBee, and Machine Type Communication (MTC), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC), Carrier Aggregation (CA), Dual Connectivity (DC) and New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U) technology.

[0062] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may send an indication message to terminal device 110, the indication message indicating that terminal device 110 initiates MT-SDT. Then, terminal device 110 may determine whether it can initiate MT-SDT based on a predetermined condition. On this basis, terminal device 110 may indicate the access reason of the connection attempt to network device 120 based on the operational status of the connection attempt.

[0063] Figure 2 FIG. 2 illustrates an example signaling flow 200 between a terminal device 110 and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to FIG. Figure 1 The signaling flow 200 is described.

[0064] like Figure 2 As shown, the network device 120 sends (205) an indication message to the terminal device 110, the indication message indicating that the terminal device 110 initiates MT-SDT. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 receives (210) an indication message from the network device 120. For example, the indication message may include a paging message indicating that the terminal device 110 triggers or initiates the MT-SDT process.

[0065] Then, the terminal device 110 can determine whether MT-SDT can be initiated to decide which connection attempt can be made. For example, the terminal device 110 can determine whether MT-SDT can be initiated based on the predetermined conditions of MT-SDT. For example, the conditions of MT-SDT can be associated with one or more of the RSRP threshold, the validity of the time advance (TA), the DRB configured for SDT, the predetermined amount of data related to the arrival of UL data in the terminal device 110 (e.g., the threshold for SDT), etc. For example, if the RSRP is lower than the RSRP threshold, it may not be suitable for performing MT-SDT, and the terminal device can determine that the conditions of MT-SDT are not met. For another example, if the TA value is no longer invalid, it may be necessary to obtain a new TA value, and therefore it is not suitable for MT-SDT, and then determine that the conditions of MT-SDT are not met. As another example, if the DRB is not a DRB configured for SDT, the terminal device 110 can determine that the conditions of MT-SDT are not met. Additionally or alternatively, if the amount of data to be sent in the buffer of the terminal device 110 is greater than a predetermined amount of data (i.e., the amount of data is too large and may not be suitable for MT-SDT transmission), the terminal device 110 may determine that the conditions for MT-SDT are not met. On the other hand, if, for example, all conditions are met, the terminal device may determine that the conditions for MT-SDT are met.

[0066] If the predetermined conditions of MT-SDT are met, the terminal device 110 may determine that MT-SDT may be initiated. Otherwise, the terminal device 110 may determine that a non-SDT process or a conventional connection establishment process may be initiated, which may depend on the state of the terminal device 110, such as whether the terminal device 110 is in the RRC_inactive state or the RRC_idle state.

[0067] Terminal device 110 indicates 215 an access reason for the connection attempt to network device 120 based on the operational status of the connection attempt. Thus, network device 120 receives 220 from terminal device 110 an indication of an access reason for the connection attempt.

[0068] The operational state may include, for example, the satisfaction / status of a condition of MT-SDT; or the type of resources available for a connection attempt. For example, the operational state may include whether a predetermined condition of MT-SDT is satisfied, what type of connection attempt is made, what type of resources may be used for the determined connection attempt, etc. Based on the operational state, the access reason for the connection attempt may be determined.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the access reason may include one or more of the following: the condition of MT-SDT is not met, the connection attempt of MT-SDT fails, MT access or MT-SDT. In some example embodiments, the access reason may also be referred to as the access purpose. Since the condition of MT-SDT is not met, the specific access reason may also be reported, such as low RSRP power, invalid TA, DRB is not allowed for MT-SDT, or the amount of data in the buffer of the terminal device 110 is large.

[0070] In some example embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine the access cause based on the operating state by various methods. For example, the operating state may include the satisfaction of the condition of MT-SDT. In this case, for example, if the condition of MT-SDT is satisfied, the access cause may be determined to be MT-SDT. Otherwise, if the condition of MT-SDT is not satisfied, MT access or MT-SDT may be performed, and in this case, the access cause may be determined to be MT access or MT-SDT.

[0071] Alternatively or additionally, if the condition for MT-SDT is not met, the access cause may also include "the condition for MT-SDT is not met".

[0072] As another example, the operational state may include the type of resources available for the connection attempt. For example, the resources available for the connection attempt may include resources intended for SDT, such as resources for configuration grant SDT (CG-SDT), or resources for random access (RA-SDT). Alternatively or additionally, the resources available for the connection attempt may include common random access channel (RACH) resources.

[0073] For example, if resources for CG-SDT or resources for RA-SDT are used, the access cause may be determined as MT-SDT. If common RACH resources are used, the access cause may be determined as MT access or MT-SDT.

[0074] Alternatively or additionally, if the connection attempt of MT-SDT may fail, the access reason may include "MT-SDT connection attempt failed". In some embodiments, the MT-SDT connection attempt failure may mean that the conditions of MT-SDT are met, but the SDT connection attempt fails, which may be caused, for example, by poor channel quality or other reasons.

[0075] Alternatively or additionally, if the terminal device 110 initiates a connection attempt for MT-SDT, but the MT-SDT connection attempt fails due to some other reason, the terminal device 110 may then determine to initiate MT access. In this case, the access reason may include MT access.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may indicate an access cause to the network device 120 only when the terminal device 110 fails to initiate the MT-SDT (e.g., if the condition of the MT-SDT is not met or the connection attempt fails). For example, the access cause may include any one of the condition of the MT-SDT is not met or the connection attempt fails. As another example, the access cause may also include a more specific cause, such as which condition or conditions of the MT-SDT are not met, for example, which of the RSRP threshold, the time advance (TA) validity, the DRB configured for the SDT, and the predetermined data amount related to the arrival of UL data in the terminal device 110 (e.g., the threshold of the SDT) is not met.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the connection attempt may include one of an SDT recovery process, a non-SDT recovery process, or a connection establishment process. As described above, the SDT recovery process may refer to a process for the initial first SDT, the non-SDT recovery process may refer to a process for the terminal device 110 in an inactive state to initiate a non-SDT operation, and the connection establishment process may refer to a conventional connection establishment process for the terminal device 110 in an idle state to initiate conventional data transmission (i.e., non-SDT).

[0078] For example, if the conditions for MT-SDT are met, the terminal device 110 may initiate an SDT recovery procedure. Subsequently, MT-SDT operations may be performed without requiring the terminal device 110 to enter the RRC_connected state.

[0079] As another example, if the terminal device 110 is in the RRC_inactive state and determines that the initiation of MT-SDT fails, for example because the conditions of MT-SDT are not met, the terminal device 110 may initiate a non-SDT recovery procedure, for example, sending a non-SDT recovery request.

[0080] In this case, the network device 120 may respond to the non-SDT request by sending an indication to the terminal device 110 to cause the terminal device 110 to enter the RRC_connected state. In this case, the network device may cause the terminal device 110 to enter the connected state for non-SDT transmission. The network device may trigger the RRC state change by sending a trigger indication.

[0081] On the terminal side, if the terminal device 110 receives such a trigger indication, the terminal device 110 may then initiate a connection through a connection establishment process. In other words, the terminal device 110 may initiate a connection establishment process (triggered by the network device) after indicating the access reason to the network device.

[0082] As another example, the SDT recovery procedure may first be initiated as a connection attempt by the terminal device 110. However, if the conditions for MT-SDT are not met later, the terminal device 110 may continue the connection attempt as a non-SDT RRC recovery procedure.

[0083] For example, if the access cause indicates MT-SDT, the network device 120 may still consider the connection attempt as an SDT attempt. As another example, if the access cause indicates that the condition for MT-SDT is not met, the network device may respond to the SDT recovery request that has been sent from the terminal device 110 as a non-SDT RRC recovery request to move the terminal device 110 to a connected mode, such as an RRC_connected state. The network device may send an indication to the terminal device 110 as a response to the sent SDT recovery request to cause the terminal device 110 to enter the connected mode.

[0084] As another example, the terminal device 110 may first initiate an SDT recovery process as a connection attempt, and then if it is later determined that the conditions for MT-SDT are not met, the terminal device 110 may stop the SDT recovery process and initiate another process, i.e., a new non-SDT recovery process, by, for example, sending a non-SDT recovery request. In this case, upon receiving the non-SDT recovery request, the network device may respond to the non-SDT recovery request and cause the UE to enter the RRC_connected state.

[0085] Alternatively or additionally, if the condition of MT-SDT is not met, the terminal device 110 may determine to enter an idle mode, such as an RRC_idle state. Then, the terminal device 110 may initiate a connection establishment procedure.

[0086] Alternatively or additionally, if the conditions for MT-SDT are met, the terminal device 110 may use, for example, SDT access as the access cause. In another example, if the conditions for MT-SDT are not met, the terminal device 110 may use, for example, MT access as the access cause. The network device 120 may then determine whether to cause the terminal device 110 to enter the connected mode based on the access cause, even if MT-SDT has been indicated in the paging message to the terminal device 110.

[0087] Accordingly, for example, if a connection establishment procedure is initiated, the access cause may be indicated in the RRC establishment request. As another example, the access cause may be indicated in the RRC recovery request in the SDT recovery procedure or the non-SDT recovery procedure. Alternatively or additionally, the access cause may be indicated in the UE assistance information.

[0088] In some embodiments, the network device may use the access cause to adjust the transmission configuration of the MT-SDT of the terminal device 110. For example, if the RSRP is low, it may perform multiple transmissions for the terminal device 110, or configure more DRBs for the MT-SDT, and so on.

[0089] In some example embodiments, multiple terminal devices initiate multiple connection attempts to a network device, and network device 110 may prioritize the multiple connection attempts based on access reasons of the multiple connection attempts from the multiple terminal devices. The multiple terminal devices may include terminal device 110. Based on the access reasons, it may prioritize resource scheduling of the multiple connection attempts.

[0090] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may prioritize connection attempts among the plurality of connection attempts based on an access reason for the connection attempt.

[0091] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may prioritize connection attempts based on a criticality level of the connection attempts in the plurality of connection attempts. For example, network device 120 may process the connection attempts in a manner that prioritizes more critical connection attempts over less critical connection attempts based on an access reason of the connection attempts in the plurality of connection attempts.

[0092] Figure 3 FIG. 3 is an example flow chart of a method 300 implemented at a terminal device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 300 is described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 .

[0093] At 310, terminal device 110 receives an indication message from network device 120 indicating that terminal device 110 initiates a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT). At 320, terminal device 110 indicates an access reason for the connection attempt to network device 120 based on an operational status of the connection attempt.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the access cause may include one or more of: a condition for MT-SDT is not met; a connection attempt for MT-SDT fails; a mobile terminated (MT) access; or MT-SDT.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 further determines the access reason based on an operational state, wherein the operational state comprises one or more of: satisfaction of a condition of the MT-SDT; or types of resources available for the connection attempt.

[0096] In some example embodiments, resources available for connection attempts may include one or more of: resources for configuration grant SDT (CG-SDT); resources for random access (RA-SDT); or common random access channel (RACH) resources.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the access cause may be determined as: MT-SDT if resources for CG-SDT or resources for RA-SDT are used; or MT access or MT-SDT if common RACH resources are used.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the access cause may be determined as: MT-SDT if the conditions for MT-SDT are met; or MT access or MT-SDT if the conditions for MT-SDT are not met.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the connection attempt may include one of: an SDT recovery procedure; a non-SDT recovery procedure; or a connection establishment procedure.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also: initiate a connection establishment process after indicating the access reason to the network device 120, wherein the connection establishment process is triggered by the network device to enable the terminal device to enter a connected state.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also: initiate an SDT recovery procedure as a connection attempt; and if the conditions of the MT-SDT are not met, continue the connection attempt as a non-SDT recovery procedure.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also: initiate an SDT recovery procedure as a connection attempt; and if the conditions of the MT-SDT are not met, stop the SDT recovery procedure and initiate a non-SDT recovery procedure.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also: enter an idle mode if the conditions of the MT-SDT are not met; and initiate a connection establishment procedure.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also enter the connected state by receiving a response to any process in the SDT recovery process, the non-SDT recovery process, or the connection establishment process from the network device.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the access cause may be indicated in one of: a Radio Access Control, RRC, establishment request; an RRC resume request; or UE assistance information.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the indication message may include a paging message instructing the terminal device 110 to trigger or initiate the MT-SDT.

[0107] As mentioned above Figure 2 All operations and features described are also applicable to method 300 and have similar effects. For simplicity, details will be omitted.

[0108] Figure 4 4 is a flow chart illustrating an example method 400 implemented at a network device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1 Method 400 is described from the perspective of network device 120 .

[0109] At 410 , network device 120 sends an indication message to terminal device 110 indicating that terminal device 110 is initiating a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT). At 420 , network device 120 receives an indication of an access cause for a connection attempt to network device 120 from terminal device 110 .

[0110] In some example embodiments, the access cause may include one or more of: a condition for MT-SDT is not met; a connection attempt for MT-SDT fails; a mobile terminated (MT) access; or MT-SDT.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the connection attempt may include one of: an SDT recovery procedure; a non-SDT recovery procedure; or a connection establishment procedure.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the indication of the access cause is included in one of: a Radio Access Control, RRC, establishment request; an RRC resume request; or UE assistance information.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the network device 120 may further: determine whether to cause the terminal device 110 to enter the connection mode based on the access reason; and send an instruction to the terminal device 110 to cause the terminal device 110 to enter the connection mode.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the indication message may include a paging message instructing the terminal device 110 to trigger or initiate the MT-SDT.

[0115] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also prioritize the plurality of connection attempts based on access reasons of the plurality of connection attempts from the plurality of terminal devices, where the plurality of terminal devices include terminal device 110 .

[0116] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also prioritize connection attempts among the plurality of connection attempts based on an access reason for the connection attempt.

[0117] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may also process a connection attempt based on an access reason for a connection attempt among a plurality of connection attempts, wherein the connection attempts are prioritized based on respective criticalities of the connection attempts.

[0118] As mentioned above Figure 2 All operations and features described are also applicable to method 400 and have similar effects. For simplicity, details will be omitted.

[0119] In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., terminal device 110) capable of performing any operation of method 300 may include a component for performing the corresponding steps of method 300. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may include a component for receiving an indication message from a network device, the indication message indicating that the terminal device initiates a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and a component for indicating an access reason for the connection attempt to the network device based on an operational state of the connection attempt.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the access cause includes one or more of: a condition for MT-SDT is not met; a connection attempt for MT-SDT fails; a mobile terminated (MT) access; or MT-SDT.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for determining an access reason based on an operational state, wherein the operational state comprises one or more of: satisfaction of a condition of an MT-SDT; or a type of resources available for the connection attempt.

[0123] In some example embodiments, resources available for connection attempts may include one or more of: resources for configuration grant SDT (CG-SDT); resources for random access (RA-SDT); or common random access channel (RACH) resources.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the access cause may be determined as: MT-SDT if resources for CG-SDT or resources for RA-SDT are used; or MT access or MT-SDT if common RACH resources are used.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the access cause may be determined as: MT-SDT if the conditions for MT-SDT are met; or MT access or MT-SDT if the conditions for MT-SDT are not met.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the connection attempt may include one of: an SDT recovery procedure; a non-SDT recovery procedure; or a connection establishment procedure.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for initiating a connection establishment procedure after indicating the access reason to the network device, wherein the connection establishment procedure is triggered by the network device to cause the terminal device to enter a connected state.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for initiating an SDT recovery procedure as a connection attempt; and means for continuing the connection attempt as a non-SDT recovery procedure if the condition of the MT-SDT is not met.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for initiating an SDT recovery procedure as a connection attempt; and means for stopping the SDT recovery procedure and initiating a non-SDT recovery procedure if the condition of the MT-SDT is not satisfied.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for entering an idle mode if a condition of the MT-SDT is not satisfied; and means for initiating a connection establishment procedure.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for entering a connected state upon receiving a response to any of the SDT recovery process, the non-SDT recovery process, or the connection establishment process from the network device.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the access cause may be indicated in one of: a Radio Access Control, RRC, establishment request; an RRC resume request; or UE assistance information.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the indication message may include a paging message instructing the terminal device to trigger or initiate MT-SDT.

[0134] In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., network device 120) capable of performing any of the methods 400 may include components for performing the corresponding steps of the method 400. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for sending an indication message to a terminal device, the indication message instructing the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transfer (MT-SDT); and a component for receiving an indication of an access reason for a connection attempt to a network device from the terminal device.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the access cause may include one or more of: a condition for MT-SDT is not met; a connection attempt for MT-SDT fails; a mobile terminated (MT) access; or MT-SDT.

[0137] In some example embodiments, the connection attempt may include one of: an SDT recovery procedure; a non-SDT recovery procedure; or a connection establishment procedure.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the indication of the access cause may be included in one of: a Radio Access Control, RRC, establishment request; an RRC resume request; or UE assistance information.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for: determining whether to cause the terminal device to enter the connection mode based on the access cause; and sending an indication to the terminal device to cause the terminal device 110 to enter the connection mode.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the indication message may include a paging message instructing the terminal device to trigger or initiate MT-SDT.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for prioritizing the plurality of connection attempts based on access causes of the plurality of connection attempts from the plurality of terminal devices, wherein the plurality of terminal devices comprises the terminal device.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the apparatus may further comprise means for prioritizing connection attempts among the plurality of connection attempts based on access causes of the connection attempts.

[0143] In some example embodiments, network device 120 may further include means for processing a connection attempt based on an access cause of a connection attempt among the plurality of connection attempts, wherein the connection attempts are prioritized based on respective criticalities of the connection attempts.

[0144] Figure 5 5 is a simplified block diagram of a device 500 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 500 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The terminal device 110 or the network device 120 is shown. As shown, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to the processor 510, and one or more transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX) 540 coupled to the processor 510.

[0145] TX / RX 540 is used for bidirectional communication. TX / RX 540 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required for communication with other network elements. The communication interface may be a hardware or software based interface. For example, the communication interface may be one or more transceivers. One or more transceivers may be coupled to one or more antennas or antenna ports to wirelessly send and / or receive communication signals. The antennas or antenna ports may be of the same or different types. The antennas or antenna ports may be located at different locations of the device. One or more transceivers allow the device to communicate with other devices that may be wired and / or wireless. The transceiver may support one or more radio technologies. For example, one or more transceivers may include a cellular subsystem, a WLAN subsystem, and / or a Bluetooth subsystem. TMSubsystem. One or more transceivers may include processors, controllers, radios, jacks, plugs, buffers, etc. circuitry to form one or more communication channels to one or more radio frequency units.

[0146] Processor 510 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and may include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 500 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0147] The memory 520 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power outages.

[0148] Computer program 530 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by associated processor 510. Program 530 may be stored in ROM 524. Processor 510 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 530 into RAM 522.

[0149] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program so that the device 500 may execute the reference Figure 2 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the program 530 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 500 (such as in the memory 520) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 500. The device 500 may load the program 530 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 522 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

[0151] Figure 6 An example of a computer readable medium 600 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer readable medium has a program 530 stored thereon.

[0152] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented using hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented using hardware, while other aspects may be implemented using firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0153] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 The method 300 or 400 described. Typically, a program module includes a routine, program, library, object, class, component, data structure, etc. that performs a specific task or implements a specific abstract data type. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. The machine executable instructions of the program modules can be executed in a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0154] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code is implemented when executed by the processor or controller in the flow chart and / or the block diagram. The program code can be executed completely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0155] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0156] Computer readable medium can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. Computer readable medium can include but is not limited to electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A more specific example of a computer readable storage medium will include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer floppy disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. The term "non-transient" used herein is a restriction on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than a restriction on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0157] In addition, although the operations are described in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in order or performing all the operations shown to obtain the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0158] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Instead, the specific features or acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: one or more transceivers; as well as One or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the terminal device to: receiving an indication message from a network device, the indication message instructing the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transmission MT-SDT; and An access reason for the connection attempt is indicated to the network device based on an operational status of the connection attempt.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the access reason comprises one or more of the following: The conditions of the MT-SDT are not met; The connection attempt of the MT-SDT fails; Mobile Terminated MT Access; or MT-SDT.

3. The terminal device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: The access reason is determined based on the operating state, wherein the operating state includes one or more of the following: the satisfaction of the conditions of the MT-SDT; or The types of resources available for the connection attempt.

4. The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the resources available for the connection attempt include one or more of the following: Resources used to configure the authorized SDT CG-SDT; Resources used for random access RA-SDT; or Common random access channel RACH resources.

5. The terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the access reason is determined as: if the resources for CG-SDT or the resources for RA-SDT are used, MT-SDT; or If the common RACH resource is used, it is MT access or MT-SDT.

6. The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the access reason is determined as: If the condition of the MT-SDT is satisfied, then it is MT-SDT; or If the condition of the MT-SDT is not met, it is MT access or MT-SDT.

7. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connection attempt comprises one of the following: SDT recovery process; Non-SDT recovery process; or Connection establishment process.

8. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: After indicating the access reason to the network device, initiating the connection establishment process, The connection establishment process is triggered by the network device to enable the terminal device to enter a connection state.

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Initiating an SDT recovery procedure as said connection attempt; and If the conditions for the MT-SDT are not met, the connection attempt is continued as a non-SDT recovery procedure.

10. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Initiating an SDT recovery procedure as said connection attempt; and If the condition of the MT-SDT is not satisfied, the SDT recovery process is stopped and a non-SDT recovery process is initiated.

11. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: If the condition of the MT-SDT is not satisfied, entering an idle mode; and Initiate the connection establishment process.

12. The terminal device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Entering the connection state is performed by receiving a response to any process in the SDT recovery process, the non-SDT recovery process or the connection establishment process from the network device.

13. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the access reason is indicated in one of the following: Radio Access Control RRC establishment request; RRC recovery request; or User equipment UE assistance information.

14. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the indication message comprises: Instruct the terminal device to trigger or initiate a paging message of the MT-SDT.

15. A network device comprising: one or more transceivers; as well as one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the network device to: Sending an indication message to a terminal device, wherein the indication message instructs the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transmission MT-SDT; and An indication of an access reason for receiving the connection attempt.

16. The network device according to claim 15, wherein the access reason comprises one or more of the following: The conditions of the MT-SDT are not met; The connection attempt of the MT-SDT fails; Mobile Terminated MT Access; or MT-SDT.

17. The network device according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the connection attempt comprises one of the following: SDT recovery process; Non-SDT recovery process; or Connection establishment process.

18. The network device according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the indication of the access reason is comprised in one of: Radio Access Control RRC establishment request; RRC recovery request; or User equipment UE assistance information.

19. The network device according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the network device is further configured to: Determining whether to put the terminal device into a connection mode based on the access reason; and An instruction is sent to the terminal device to enable the terminal device to enter the connection mode.

20. The network device according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the indication message comprises: Instruct the terminal device to trigger or initiate a paging message of the MT-SDT.

21. The network device according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the network device is further configured to: A plurality of connection attempts from a plurality of terminal devices are prioritized based on access reasons of the plurality of connection attempts, wherein the plurality of terminal devices includes the terminal device.

22. The network device according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the network device is further configured to: The connection attempts among the plurality of connection attempts are prioritized based on the access reasons of the connection attempts.

23. The network device according to any one of claims 21 to 22, wherein the network device is further configured to: Based on the access cause of a connection attempt among the plurality of connection attempts, the connection attempts are processed, wherein the connection attempts are prioritized based on their respective criticalities.

24. A method at a terminal device, comprising: Receiving an indication message from a network device, wherein the indication message instructs the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transmission MT-SDT; as well as An access reason for the connection attempt is indicated to the network device based on an operational status of the connection attempt.

25. A method at a network device, comprising: Sending an indication message to a terminal device, wherein the indication message instructs the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transmission MT-SDT; as well as An indication of an access reason for a connection attempt to the network device is received.

26. A terminal device, comprising: A component for receiving an indication message from a network device, wherein the indication message instructs the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transmission MT-SDT; as well as Means for indicating to the network device an access reason for the connection attempt based on an operational status of the connection attempt.

27. A device for a network device, comprising: A component for sending an indication message to a terminal device, wherein the indication message instructs the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transmission MT-SDT; as well as Means for receiving an indication of an access reason for a connection attempt to the network device.

28. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to: receiving an indication message from a network device, the indication message instructing the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transmission MT-SDT; and An access reason for the connection attempt is indicated to the network device based on an operational status of the connection attempt.

29. A network device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the network device to: Sending an indication message to a terminal device, wherein the indication message instructs the terminal device to initiate a mobile terminated small data transmission MT-SDT; and An indication of an access reason for a connection attempt to the network device is received.

30. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method according to claim 24 or 25.

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