Controlling system information delivery based on subgroups of user equipments

Abstract

A method comprising: receiving a message comprising a system information modification change indication and one or more subgroup specific indications from a network; determining a subset associated with the device; and checking whether to reverse the system information modification change indication based on the subset-specific indication and a subset associated with the device. Also disclosed is a method comprising: preparing to change one or more system information parameters of a network; checking which subgroups of user equipment are affected by changes; preparing, based on the check, a message by including one or more indications indicating whether a change in one or more system information parameters with respect to the network is for a user equipment of a subset of the subgroup or for a user equipment independent of the subgroup; and sending the message.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to controlling on-demand system information delivery. Background Art

[0002] In 4G / LTE and 5G NR networks, system information (SI) for user equipment (UE) includes basic system information in a master information block (MIB) broadcast periodically on the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) and various scheduling and cell access information in a set of system information blocks (SIBs) also broadcast periodically on the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0003] In 3GPP networks, a System Information Block (SIB) is an information block broadcast by the network that contains system parameters that the UE needs to read in order to implement and interpret system-wide functions and procedures for the UE in Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle (and inactive) and connected modes.

[0004] A process for updating system information (SI) is defined, which allows users to retrieve the modified system information in a timely manner to implement the modification.

[0005] However, the network can only notify all UEs about the modification of the system information at once, regardless of the fact that the SI modification may only affect a subset of these UEs. This means that, as specified in the specification, all UEs are required to re-read the SIB information block, even if the SI modification involves a SIB that the UE is not capable of processing. This is because the SI change indication usually only indicates that something is being changed, but does not include relevant information about what is being changed. However, in many cases, the modified functionality belongs to a specific function. For example, such a specific function can be a UE energy saving function for an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an aerial function for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), a sidelink configuration, etc. There is no benefit for most UEs to re-acquire the updated system information because they cannot process, use or even understand these functions, and the main information in SIB1 will not change. For example: UEs based on non-terrestrial networks (NTN) need to interpret information about satellite ephemeris, while vehicle-to-everything (V2X) UEs need to support PC5 type communications and other functions related to road vehicle communications (there are many other cases).

[0006] Research on network energy saving for NR may introduce more frequent SI modifications compared to before. For example, faster adaptation of SSB period or Tx transmit power level can be expected. Therefore, this problem may be exacerbated in the future.

[0007] This problem may not only cause unnecessary power consumption of the UE, but also cause unnecessary overhead or failure of physical interface resources. If the UE receives a SIB modification update but fails to reacquire SIB1 when T311 is running, the UE considers that the cell is disabled. If certain SIBs are not sent within the search space configured for the UE, the UE can request an RRC dedicated version of the SIB. In addition, if the relevant SI message is not received within the current modification period, the processing of SI message acquisition depends on the UE implementation, which means that the UE can request a UE-specific version of the SIB via an RRC message, or request on-demand transmission of the SIB. Summary of the invention

[0008] Now, an improved method and a technical device for implementing the method have been invented, by which the above problems are alleviated. Aspects include a method, an apparatus and a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a computer program or a signal stored therein, characterized by what is stated in the independent claims. Various details of the embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims and the corresponding drawings and description.

[0009] The scope of protection sought by various embodiments of the present invention is set out by the independent claims. Embodiments and features described in this specification that do not (if any) belong to the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding various embodiments of the present invention.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the convention of the paging message is utilized to indicate the system information modification and is backward compatible with the legacy UE in the previous version from 3GPPTS 38.331. According to an embodiment, one or more of the spare bits in the short message are used to indicate which UE subgroups are affected by the SI change indication carried in the short message. Any indicated UE subgroup shall then invert (i.e., XOR operation) the short message bit indicating the SI modification, and the UE in the subgroup determines whether to re-acquire the SI content based on the result of the inversion operation.

[0011] A so-called subgroup can mean one of many subgroups: -UE assigned by the network - Functionality requested / supported by the UE (which may be hard-coded in the specification) -Subscription type (V2X, UAV, etc.) - 3GPP versions supported by the UE -Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) - Temporary indication for certain UEs via RRC

[0012] As an example, if an information element indicating SI modification (e.g., the first bit of a short message is equal to 1), the subgroup indicated (by its corresponding information element being 1) will invert the value of the information element indicating SI modification to 0. As a result, the subgroup(s) do not need to acquire system information.

[0013] Likewise, if the first bit is equal to 0 (no modification in the SI), the subgroup assigned to the subsequent bits is inverted if its corresponding bit is 1. The result is that the UEs in the affected subgroup need to reacquire the updated SI associated with the users of the subgroup. For example, based on the network configuration or as defined in the standard, only a given subgroup needs to read the selected SIB.

[0014] The SIBs that need to be re-acquired may also be pre-configured by the network, for example as part of a sub-group configuration.

[0015] According to a first aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for receiving a message including a system information modification change indication and one or more subgroup specific indications from a network; a component for determining a subgroup associated with the device; and a component for checking whether to reverse the system information modification change indication based on the subgroup specific indication and the subgroup associated with the device.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the apparatus comprises: means for checking a system information modification change indication; and means for using the system information modification change indication to determine whether to obtain at least one system information block from a network.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the apparatus comprises: means for adjusting the value of the system information modification change indication by inverting the value of the system information modification change indication when the subgroup specific indication is set, or maintaining the value of the system information modification change indication when the subgroup specific indication is not set.

[0018] According to an embodiment, the device includes: a component for determining whether to obtain the following from the network based on the system information modification change indication: only one or more sub-group specific system information blocks, or one or more system information blocks, or all broadcasted system information blocks detected by the device, or no system information blocks.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the means for determining is configured to determine whether to obtain one or more non-subgroup specific system information blocks from the network.

[0020] According to an embodiment, the means for receiving a message is configured to receive at least one of: a system information modification change indication and one or more sub-group specific indications in a short message paging downlink control information.

[0021] According to an embodiment, the apparatus comprises means for obtaining information about subgroups and their allocation to one or more subgroup specific indications and corresponding system information blocks.

[0022] According to an embodiment, information about subgroups and their allocation to one or more subgroup specific indications is defined in a specification or allocated by the network.

[0023] According to an embodiment, the apparatus comprises: means for checking a system information modification change indication; and means for using the system information modification change indication to determine whether to obtain at least one system information block from a network.

[0024] According to a second aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a component for preparing a change of one or more system information parameters of a network; a component for checking which subgroups of user equipment are affected by the change; a component for preparing a message based on the check by including one or more indications, one or more indications about whether the change of one or more system information parameters of the network is for user equipment of a subset of the subgroup or for user equipment not associated with the subgroup; and a component for sending the message.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the apparatus comprises: a component for preparing a message in the following manner: when a change in a system information parameter affects all user equipments not related to a subgroup, setting a system information modification change indication without setting any of one or more subgroup-specific indications, or not setting the system information modification change indication but setting a subgroup-specific indication associated with a subgroup affected by the change in the system information parameter.

[0026] According to an embodiment, the message is a short message paging downlink control information.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the subgroup includes one or more of the following: -UE assigned by the network - Functionality requested by UE - Functions supported by UE -UE subscription type - 3GPP versions supported by the UE - Public Land Mobile Network - Temporary indication for certain UEs via RRC

[0028] According to an embodiment, the subscription type includes one or more of the following: -Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) -UAV

[0029] The method according to the third aspect includes: receiving a message including a system information modification change indication and one or more subgroup specific indications from a network; determining a subgroup associated with a device; and checking whether to reverse the system information modification change indication based on the subgroup specific indication and the subgroup associated with the device.

[0030] The method according to the fourth aspect comprises: preparing to change one or more system information parameters of a network; checking which subgroups of user equipment are affected by the change; based on the check, preparing a message by including one or more indications, the one or more indications being about whether the change of one or more system information parameters of the network is for user equipment of a subset of the subgroup or for user equipment not associated with the subgroup; and sending the message.

[0031] According to a fifth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the device to: receive a message comprising a system information modification change indication and one or more subgroup specific indications from a network; determine a subgroup associated with the device; and based on the subgroup specific indication and the subgroup associated with the device, check whether to reverse the system information modification change indication.

[0032] According to an embodiment, at least one memory comprises computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to determine whether to obtain one or more non-subgroup specific system information blocks from the network.

[0033] According to an embodiment, at least one memory includes computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with at least one processor, enable the device to receive at least one of the following in a short message of paging downlink control information: a system information modification change indication and one or more subgroup specific indications.

[0034] According to an embodiment, at least one memory comprises computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to obtain information about subgroups and their allocation to one or more subgroup specific indications and corresponding system information blocks.

[0035] According to an embodiment, at least one memory includes computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with at least one processor, cause an apparatus to check a system information modification change indication; and use the system information modification change indication to determine whether to obtain at least one system information block from a network.

[0036] According to a sixth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the device to prepare a change in one or more system information parameters of a network; check which subgroups of user equipment are affected by the change; based on the check, prepare a message by including one or more indications, the one or more indications being whether the change in one or more system information parameters of the network is for user equipment of a subset of the subgroup, or for user equipment not associated with the subgroup; and send a message.

[0037] According to an embodiment, at least one memory includes computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to prepare a message in the following manner: when a change in a system information parameter affects all user equipment not related to a subgroup, set a system information modification change indication without setting any of one or more subgroup-specific indications, or do not set the system information modification change indication but set a subgroup-specific indication associated with a subgroup affected by the change in the system information parameter.

[0038] According to a further aspect, a computer-readable storage medium comprises code for use with an apparatus, which, when executed by a processor, causes the apparatus to perform the above-described method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] For a more complete understanding of example embodiments, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of a device for accommodating the functions for implementing various embodiments is shown;

[0041] Figure 2 schematically illustrates a layout of an apparatus according to an example embodiment;

[0042] Figure 3 A portion of an exemplary radio access network is shown;

[0043] Figure 4 An example of modifying SI information using a modification cycle according to the method of the present disclosure is shown;

[0044] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method for determining whether to acquire a SIB for updating signaling information according to an embodiment is shown; and

[0045] Figure 6 shows a signaling diagram for SI update between a network and two UEs in different subgroups according to an embodiment;

[0046] Figure 7A method of a network element according to an embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Suitable means and possible mechanisms for implementing operations for controlling on-demand system information delivery are described in more detail below. Although the following focuses on 5G networks, the embodiments further described below are by no means limited to implementation in only these networks, and they are applicable to any network and protocol entity that supports on-demand system information delivery.

[0048] In this regard, first refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 ,in Figure 1 A functional block diagram of an example apparatus or electronic device 50 is shown, which may house arrangements according to various embodiments. Figure 2 The layout of the device according to the exemplary embodiment is shown. Figure 1 and 2 elements.

[0049] The electronic device 50 may be, for example, a mobile terminal or user equipment of a wireless communication system. The device 50 may include a housing 30 for accommodating and protecting the device. The device 50 may also include a display screen 32 and a keypad 34. As an alternative to a keypad, the user interface may be implemented as a virtual keyboard or data input system as part of a touch screen.

[0050] The device may include a microphone 36 or any suitable audio input that may be a digital or analog signal input. The device 50 may also include an audio output device, such as headphones 38, a speaker, or any one of an analog audio or digital audio output connection. The device 50 may also include a battery 40 (or the device may be powered by any suitable mobile energy device, such as a solar cell, a fuel cell, or a clockwork generator). The device may also include a camera 42 capable of recording or capturing images and / or video. The device 50 may also include an infrared port 41 for short-range line-of-sight communication with other devices. In other embodiments, the device 50 may also include any suitable short-range communication solution, such as, for example, a Bluetooth wireless connection or a USB / Firewire wired connection.

[0051] The device 50 may include a controller 56 or processor for controlling the device 50. The controller 56 may be connected to a memory 58, which may store both user data and instructions for implementation on the controller 56. The memory may be a random access memory (RAM) and / or a read-only memory (ROM). The memory may store computer-readable, computer-executable software including instructions that, when executed, cause the controller / processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, the software may not be directly executed by the processor, but may cause the computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein. The controller 56 may also be connected to a codec circuit 54, which is suitable for performing encoding and decoding of audio and / or video data, or assisting in the encoding and decoding performed by the controller.

[0052] The device 50 may include a radio interface circuit 52 connected to the controller and adapted to generate wireless communication signals, for example for communication with a cellular communication network, a wireless communication system or a wireless local area network. The device 50 may also include an antenna 44 connected to the radio interface circuit 52 for transmitting radio frequency signals generated at the radio interface circuit 52 to other devices and for receiving radio frequency signals from other devices.

[0053] In the following, different example embodiments will be described with a wireless access architecture based on Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE Advanced, LTE-A) or New Radio (NR, 5G) as an example of an access architecture to which the embodiment can be applied, but the embodiment is not limited to such an architecture. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiment can also be applied to other types of communication networks with suitable components by appropriately adjusting parameters and processes. Some examples of other options for suitable systems are Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Radio Access Network (UTRAN or E-UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE, the same as E-UTRA), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN or WiFi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wi MAX), Personal Communications Service (PCS), Bluetooth, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Systems using Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, Sensor Networks, Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs), and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystems (IMS) or any combination thereof.

[0054] Figure 3 An example of a simplified system architecture is depicted, showing only some elements and functional entities, all of which are logical units and whose implementation may differ from what is shown in the figure. Figure 3 The connections shown in are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the system typically also includes Figure 3However, the embodiments are not limited to the systems given as examples, and a person skilled in the art may apply the solution to other communication systems having the necessary properties.

[0055] Figure 3 The example of FIG. 1 shows a portion of an exemplary radio access network.

[0056] Figure 3 User equipment 300 and 302 are shown, which are configured to establish a wireless connection in a cell covered by an access node (e.g., (e / g) NodeB) 304 providing the cell through one or more communication channels. The physical link from the user equipment to the (e / g) NodeB is called an uplink or reverse link, and the physical link from the (e / g) NodeB to the user equipment is called a downlink or forward link. It should be understood that the (e / g) NodeB or its functions can be implemented by using any node (such as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node), a host, a server, or an access point, etc., suitable for this purpose.

[0057] The communication system usually includes more than one (e / g)NodeB, in which case the (e / g)NodeB may also be configured to communicate with each other via wired or wireless links designed for this purpose. These links can be used for signaling purposes. (e / g)NodeB is a computing device configured to control the radio resources of the communication system to which it is coupled. NodeB may also be referred to as a base station, an access point or any other type of interface device, including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment. (e / g)NodeB includes or is coupled to a transceiver. The transceiver of the (e / g)NodeB is connected to an antenna unit, which is used to establish a bidirectional wireless link with a user equipment. The antenna unit may include multiple antennas or antenna elements. (e / g)NodeB is also connected to a core network 310 (CN or next generation core NGC). Depending on the system, the corresponding entity on the CN side may be a service gateway (S-GW, routing and forwarding user data packets), a packet data network gateway (P-GW), which is used to provide a connection to an external packet data network for a user equipment (UE), or a mobile management entity (MME), etc. CN may include a network entity or node that may be referred to as a management entity. Examples of network entities include at least an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0058] In 5G NR, the User Plane Function (UPF) can be used to separate the control plane and user plane functions. Here, the packet gateway (PGW) control plane and user plane functions can be decoupled, whereby the data forwarding component (PGW-U) can be decentralized, while the PGW-related signaling (PGW-C) remains in the core network. This enables packet processing and traffic aggregation to be performed closer to the edge of the network, reducing the network burden while improving bandwidth efficiency.

[0059] User equipment (also known as user equipment (UE), user terminal, terminal equipment, wireless device, mobile station (MS), etc.) shows the type of device that is allocated and assigned resources on the air interface, so any features described here for user equipment can be implemented by corresponding network devices (such as relay nodes, eNBs and gNBs). An example of such a relay node is a layer 3 relay (self-backhaul relay) pointing to a base station.

[0060] User equipment generally refers to portable computing devices, including wireless mobile communication devices with or without a subscriber identification module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of devices: mobile stations (mobile phones), smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices, devices using wireless modems (alarms or measuring devices, etc.), laptop computers and / or touch screen computers, tablet computers, game consoles, notebooks, and multimedia devices. It should be understood that user equipment can also be devices that are almost only used for uplink only, such as cameras or video cameras that upload images or video clips to the network. User equipment can also be a device with the ability to operate in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, in which objects can transmit data through the network without human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. Therefore, the user device can be an IoT device. The user device can also utilize the cloud. In some applications, the user device may include a small portable device (such as a watch, headphones, or glasses) with a radio component, and the calculation is performed in the cloud. The user device (or in some embodiments, a layer 3 relay node) is configured to perform one or more of the user device functions. A user device may also be called a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, or user equipment (UE), just to name a few.

[0061] Various techniques described herein can also be applied to cyber-physical systems (CPS) (systems where cooperating computing elements control physical entities). Cyber-physical systems enable and utilize a large number of interconnected information and communication technology (ICT) devices (sensors, actuators, processors, microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects at different locations. Mobile cyber-physical systems (where the associated physical systems have inherent mobility) are a subclass of cyber-physical systems. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robots and electronic devices transported by humans or animals.

[0062] Additionally, although the apparatus has been depicted as a single entity, different units, processors and / or memory units may be implemented. Figure 1 not fully shown).

[0063] 5G enables the use of Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antennas, many more base stations or nodes (the so-called small cell concept) compared to LTE, including macro base stations working in conjunction with smaller sites, and the ability to employ multiple radio technologies depending on service requirements, use cases and / or available spectrum. The access nodes of the radio network form a transmit / receive (TX / Rx) point (TRP), and it is expected that UEs will access a network of at least partially overlapping multiple TRPs (such as macro cells, small cells, pico cells, femto cells, remote radio heads, relay nodes, etc.). The access nodes may be equipped with massive MIMO antennas, i.e. very large antenna arrays consisting of, for example, hundreds of antenna elements, implemented in a single antenna panel or in multiple antenna panels, capable of using multiple simultaneous radio beams to communicate with the UE. A UE may be provided with a MIMO antenna with an antenna array consisting of, for example, dozens of antenna elements implemented in a single antenna panel or in multiple antenna panels. Therefore, the UE can use one beam to access one TRP, use multiple beams to access one TRP, use one (common) beam to access multiple TRPs, or use multiple beams to access multiple TRPs.

[0064] 4G / LTE networks support some multi-TRP schemes, but in 5G NR, the multi-TRP feature is enhanced, for example, via the transmission of multiple control signals via multiple TRPs, which enables improved link diversity gain. In addition, high carrier frequencies (e.g., mmWave) together with massive MIMO antennas require new beam management procedures for multi-TRP technology.

[0065] 5G mobile communications support a variety of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of sharing data, and various forms of machine-type applications (such as (massive) machine type communications (mMTC), including vehicle safety, different sensors, and real-time control). 5G is expected to have multiple radio interfaces, namely below 6GHz, centimeter wave and millimeter wave, and can also be integrated with existing traditional radio access technologies (such as LTE). The integration with LTE can be implemented as a system, at least in the early stages, in which macro coverage is provided by LTE and 5G radio interface access comes from small cells through aggregation to LTE. In other words, 5G is planned to support inter-RAT operability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below 6GHz-centimeter wave, below 6GHz-centimeter wave-millimeter wave). One of the concepts considered for use in 5G networks is network slicing, that is, multiple independent and dedicated virtual subnets (network instances) can be created within the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements for latency, reliability, throughput and mobility.

[0066] The frequency bands for 5G NR are divided into two frequency ranges: Frequency Range 1 (FR1), which includes the bands below 6 GHz, i.e., the bands traditionally used by previous standards, and also includes new bands extended to cover potential new spectrum supply from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz, and Frequency Range 2 (FR2), which includes the bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. FR2 therefore includes bands in the millimeter wave range, which, due to their shorter range and higher available bandwidth, require a slightly different approach in radio resource management compared to the bands in FR1.

[0067] The existing architecture of LTE networks is fully distributed in the wireless part and fully centralized in the core network part. Low-latency applications and services in 5G require content to be close to the wireless end, which leads to local offload and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G enables analysis and knowledge generation at the data source. This approach requires the use of resources that may not be continuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smart phones, tablet computers and sensors. MEC provides a distributed computing environment for application and service hosting. It can also store and process content in locations close to cellular users to achieve faster response times. Edge computing covers a wide range of technologies such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data collection, mobile signature analysis, collaborative distributed peer-to-peer self-organizing networking and processing, which can also be classified as local cloud / fog computing and grid / grid computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, micro-cloud, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomous self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (large-scale connectivity and / or latency critical), critical communications (autonomous vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analysis, time-critical control, healthcare applications).

[0068] The communication system may also be able to communicate with or utilize services provided by other networks, such as the public switched telephone network or the Internet 312. The communication network may also be able to support the use of cloud services, for example, at least a portion of the core network operations may be performed as a cloud service (this is in the Figure 3 314). The communication system may also include a central control entity or the like, providing facilities for networks of different operators to collaborate, for example in spectrum sharing.

[0069] Edge cloud can be brought into the radio access network (RAN) by leveraging network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN). Using edge cloud can mean performing access node operations at least partially in a server, host or node operably coupled to a remote radio head or base station including the radio part. The node operations may also be distributed among multiple servers, nodes or hosts. The application of cloud RAN architecture enables RAN real-time functions to be performed on the RAN side (in distributed units (DUs)) while non-real-time functions are performed in a centralized manner (in centralized units (CU308)).

[0070] It should also be understood that the division of labor between core network operations and base station operations may be different from LTE or even non-existent. Some other technological advances that may be used include big data and all-IP technologies, which may change the way networks are built and managed. 5G (or New Radio) NR networks are being designed to support multiple layers, where MEC servers can be placed between the core network and the base station or Node B (gNB). It should be understood that MEC can also be applied in 4G networks. gNB is the next generation Node B (or new Node B) that supports 5G networks (i.e., NR).

[0071] 5G may also utilize non-ground nodes 306 (e.g., access nodes) to enhance or supplement the coverage of 5G services, for example by providing backhaul, providing wireless access for wireless devices, ensuring service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, ensuring service continuity for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, ensuring service continuity for passengers in vehicles, ensuring service availability for critical communications, and / or ensuring service availability for future railway / maritime / aeronautical communications. Non-ground nodes may have a fixed position relative to the surface of the earth, or may be non-ground mobile nodes that can move relative to the surface of the earth. Non-ground nodes may include satellites and / or high altitude platform stations (HAPSs). Satellite communications may utilize geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite systems or low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, particularly mega constellations (systems with hundreds of (nano) satellites deployed). Each satellite in a mega constellation may cover multiple satellite-enabled network entities that create cells on the ground. Ground cells may be created by ground relay nodes 304 or gNBs located on the ground or on satellites.

[0072] It should also be noted that the gNB 304 can be on a non-ground node 306 (regenerative architecture) or can be on the ground (transparent architecture).

[0073] Those skilled in the art understand that the depicted system is only an example of a part of a radio access system, and in practice, the system may include multiple (e / g)NodeBs, user equipment may access multiple radio cells, and the system may also include other devices, such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements. At least one of the (e / g)NodeBs may be a home (e / g)NodeB. In addition, in a geographical area of ​​the radio communication system, a plurality of different types of radio cells as well as a plurality of radio cells may be provided. A radio cell may be a macro cell (or umbrella cell), which is a large cell, typically having a diameter of up to tens of kilometers, or a smaller cell, such as a micro cell, a femto cell or a pico cell. Figure 1 The (e / g) Node Bs can provide any kind of these cells. A cellular radio system can be implemented as a multi-layer network including several kinds of cells. Typically, in a multi-layer network, one access node provides a type of cell or cells, so multiple (e / g) Node Bs are needed to provide this network structure.

[0074] In order to meet the needs of improving the deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of "plug and play" (e / g) NodeB is introduced. Usually, a network that can use "plug and play" (e / g) NodeB includes a home (e / g) NodeB gateway, or HNB-GW (HNB-GW) in addition to the home (e / g) NodeB (H(e / g)nodeB). Figure 1The Home Node B Gateway (HNB-GW) is usually installed in the operator network and can aggregate traffic from a large number of Home Node Bs (HNBs) back to the core network.

[0075] The Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol is used in various wireless communication systems to define the air interface between user equipment (UE) and base stations (such as eNB / gNB). The protocol is defined by 3GPP in TS 36.331 for LTE and TS 38.331 for 5G. In RRC, the UE can operate in idle mode or in connected mode in LTE and in 5G, where the radio resources available to the UE depend on the mode the UE is currently in. In 5G, the UE can also operate in inactive mode. In RRC idle mode, the UE has no connection for communication, but the UE is able to listen to paging messages. In RRC connected mode, the UE can operate in different states, such as a specific channel (CELL_DCH), a forward access channel (CELL_FACH), a cell paging channel (CELL_PCH), and a URA paging channel (URA_PCH). The UE can communicate with the eNB / gNB via various logical channels (e.g., broadcast control channel (BCCH), paging control channel (PCCH), common control channel (CCCH), dedicated control channel (DCCH), and dedicated traffic channel (DTCH)).

[0076] The actual user and control data from the network to the UE is sent via downlink physical channels. In 5G, the downlink physical channels include the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carrying the necessary downlink control information (DCI), the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying user data and user system information, and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the necessary system information to enable the UE to access the 5G network.

[0077] User and control data from the UE to the network are sent via uplink physical channels, which in 5G include a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) used for uplink control information including HARQ feedback acknowledgment for link adaptation, scheduling requests and downlink channel state information, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for uplink data transmission, and a physical random access channel (PRACH) used by the UE to request connection establishment called random access.

[0078] The transitions between the various states are controlled by the state machine of RRC. When the UE is powered on, it is in disconnected mode / idle mode. The UE can transition to RRC connected mode with an initial attach or connection establishment. If there is no activity from the UE for a short period of time, the eNB / gNB can suspend its session by moving the UE to RRC inactive mode, and can resume its session by moving to RRC connected mode. The UE can move from RRC connected mode or from RRC inactive mode to RRC idle mode.

[0079] When the UE is in RRC connected mode, it must periodically perform beam management related operations, such as Tracking Reference Signal / Channel State Information Reference Signal (TRS / CSI-RS) measurements, Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) measurements, and periodically report the results of these measurements to the network.

[0080] When the UE is in RRC idle / inactive mode and is controlled to transfer to RRC connected mode, it must obtain system information (SI) to access the network. The UE's system information (SI) includes the master information block (MIB) and a set of system information blocks (SIBs). The MIB includes basic system information, and it is broadcast periodically on the PBCH. The SIB also includes various scheduling and cell access information broadcast on the PDSCH.

[0081] The 5G NR system introduces a new method for SI delivery called on-demand SI delivery. In NR, MIB and SIB1 are defined as minimum SI, while other SIBs (SIB2, SIB3, etc.) are defined as other SI. Minimum SI provides basic information when acquiring other SI and processing initial access. Minimum SI is broadcast periodically in the SI window, and the UE monitors the SI window within the broadcast period to obtain SI.

[0082] Other SI includes additional information and can be delivered when needed (i.e. on-demand). When a UE sends an on-demand SIB request, it keeps monitoring the SI window of the broadcast period to receive SIBs. Upon receiving a SIB request, an access node such as an eNB or gNB broadcasts the requested SIB in the SI window.

[0083] The network may also choose to schedule other SIs in the SI window even if it has not received a request from the UE.

[0084] In order to provide more synchronization opportunities for UEs in RRC idle / inactive mode to transition to RRC connected mode and for monitoring paging, a special system information block may be used to broadcast Tracking Reference Signal / Channel State Information Reference Signal (TRS / CSI-RS) configurations for UEs in RRC idle / inactive mode. This is possible because the network may already be sending such reference signals to RRC connected UEs. Rather than broadcasting such a large system information block periodically without knowing for sure whether there are UEs in RRC idle / inactive mode that need Tracking Reference Signal / Channel State Information Reference Signal (TRS / CSI-RS) configurations, it is better to deliver this information as an on-demand system information block.

[0085] In the current 3GPP specifications, more precisely in TS 38.331Rel-16, when a UE requests one or more on-demand system information blocks (SIBs), a timer needs to be started. In TS 38.331, this timer is called T350. Thereafter, the UE is allowed to request SIBs again only if timer T350 is not running (i.e. expired or otherwise stopped).

[0086] Assuming that the timer is not running, the UE may request an on-demand system information block (SIB) with reference signal information (such as TRS / CSI-RS information) fairly frequently, for example as a default operation. However, it may be assumed that the SIB with reference signal information is quite large and too frequent on-demand SIB requests may result in unnecessary large signaling overhead.

[0087] In 5G NR, the specification for modifications in SI is described in section 5.2.2.2 of TS 38.331. This specification divides the gNB's timeline into "Modification Periods". If the gNB sends an "SI Change Indication" within a Modification Period, an updated version of the affected SI will be sent in the immediately following Modification Period. In other words, there are some time segments (the boundaries of the Modification Periods) that define the period in which the SI can be updated.

[0088] The modification period boundaries are defined by the System Frame Number (SFN) values, for which SFN modulo m is equal to 0, where m is the number of radio frames that make up the modification period, i.e., m = modificationPeriodCoeff*defaultPagingCycle, and modulo is a remainder operation. The modification period coefficient can be 2, 4, 8, and 16, while the default paging cycle window can be 32, 64, 128, or 256 radio frames. Therefore, the modification period may vary from 64 to 4096 radio frames (640 milliseconds to 40.960 seconds).

[0089] The UE receives the indication of SI modification and / or PWS notification on the DCI via a short message scrambled by the physical resource block network temporary identifier (P-RNTI). The short message format is in the TS 38.331 standard. Given in Table 6.5-1, as described in Table 1 below. Table 1

[0090] It should be noted that while any normal SIB modification is indicated by the first bit (bit 1), the inclusion of emergency SIBs for Earthquake and Tsunami Warning System (ETWS) and / or Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) in the next modification cycle is additionally indicated.

[0091] The "stopPagingMonitoring" information element indicates whether to continue or stop monitoring the paging occasion of the PDCCH in this paging occasion.

[0092] TS 38.331 specifies the following behavior for a UE when it receives a short message indicating an SI change in the next modification period:

[0093] If the UE receives the short message, the UE may perform the following operations.

[0094] If the UE is ETWS capable or CMAS capable and the "etwsAndCmasIndication" bit (bit 2) of the short message is set, and the UE has searchSpaceSIB1 and the information element "searchSpaceOtherSystemInformation" is present on the active bandwidth part (BWP) or the initial BWP, then the UE immediately re-acquires SIB1.

[0095] If the UE has ETWS capability and the information element "SI-SchedulingInfo" includes scheduling information of SIB6, the UE acquires SIB6 basically immediately.

[0096] If the UE has ETWS capability and the information element "SI-SchedulingInfo" includes scheduling information of SIB7, the UE acquires SIB7 basically immediately.

[0097] If the UE has CMAS capability and the information element "SI-SchedulingInfo" includes scheduling information of SIB8, the UE acquires SIB8 basically immediately.

[0098] If the "systemInfoModification" bit of the short message is set, the UE shall apply the SI acquisition procedure defined in subclause 5.2.2.3 starting from the next modification period.

[0099] like Figure 4 As shown, the modification situation must first be notified via a short message sent via paging within a modification cycle, and then the modification is performed in the next modification cycle.

[0100] Hereinafter, an example of notifying certain UEs whether to re-acquire SI content using a short message will be described according to an embodiment.

[0101] Table 2 below shows the short message format, in which one or more spare bits are used in this method. The short message includes at least the "systemInfoModification" information element of SI modification, the "etwsAndCmasIndication" information element, the "stopPagingMonitoring" information element, and several "groupIndication" information elements, which are used to indicate (as described below) one or more groups (if any) to which the short message is directed.

[0102] According to an embodiment, each information element is a bit and the value can be 0 or 1. Table 2

[0103] There are currently several UE classification methods and application scenarios, and not all UE capabilities are necessary / enabled in all implementations. In the current specification, there are also multiple subgroups of this classification method, including (but not limited to) the following examples: -NTN: Non-Terrestrial Network -V2X: Vehicle to Everything -Drones / UAVs: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles -HAPS: High Altitude Platform System -URLLC: Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication -RedCap / NR Light: Reduced capability -Sidelink - Network slicing - Subscription-based features -position

[0104] A so-called subgroup can also mean one of many subgroups: -UE assigned by the network - Functionality requested / supported by the UE (which may be hard-coded in the specification) - Type of subscription (V2X, UAV, etc.) - 3GPP versions supported by the UE -PLMN - Temporary indication for certain UEs via RRC

[0105] The UE may be associated with one or more of the above subgroups based on the type of the UE.

[0106] It should be noted that the subgroups may be region-specific, so that they may be optimized per region. Furthermore, the above list is only an example of possible subgroupings, and other kinds of subgroups may also be defined, or only a portion of the above subgroups may be used in different implementations.

[0107] In the following, an example is provided in which the following subgroups are allocated by the gNB and the short message according to Table 2 is used: -Subgroup 1-UAV - NR functions for network energy saving in Subgroup 2-3GGP TS 38.331Rel 18 -Subgroup 3-UEs with sidelink capability -Subgroup 4-3GGP TS 38.331Rel 19 UE with V2X function

[0108] It can be seen from Table 2 that each of the above groups is mapped to a spare bit in the short message (for example, group 1 corresponds to bit 3, group 2 corresponds to bit 4, group 3 corresponds to bit 5 and group 4 corresponds to bit 6, where spare bits 7 and 8 are still reserved for future use).

[0109] The following examples show different short message contents (as shown in Table 3) to illustrate an embodiment. The structure of the short message is similar to that shown in Table 2, where the information element is only referred to as bits 1 to 8, i.e., bit 1 indicates SI modification, bit 2 indicates ETWS / CMAS indication, etc. Bit 1 Bit2 Bit 3 Bit 4 Bit5 Bit6 Bit7 Bit8 Example 1 1 x 0 1 0 0 x x Example 2 0 x 1 0 0 0 x x Example 3 0 x 1 0 0 1 x x Table 3

[0110] In Example 1, all users (including legacy users) receive an indication that the system information has been modified (bit 1 is set to 1) and they need to acquire the new information. However, the UEs in the group identified by bit 4 (group 2, NR functionality for energy saving in Rel 18) should invert the content of bit 1, because the value of bit 4 is 1, which means that the value of bit 1 seen by the UEs in this group will be 0 (= bit 1 XOR bit 4, where XOR is a binary operation between two operands A and B, and the result of this binary operation is logical 0 when the two operands have the same value, i.e. A=0 and B=0 or A=1 and B=1, otherwise, i.e. A=0 and B=1 or A=1 and B=0, the result is 1). Therefore, those UEs belonging to group 2 should not reacquire the SIB. This approach can be used, for example, if these users have been informed that the cell will gradually reduce power and do not need to update their knowledge of the transmit power. It should be noted that UEs in other groups will obtain SI because the bits of their specific groups do not indicate that the system information modification bit (i.e., bit 1) is to be inverted, that is, bit 1 XOR bit 3=0, bit 1 XOR bit 5=0, bit 1 XOR bit 6=0.

[0111] In Example 2, the first bit is 0, indicating that the SI has not been modified. However, specifically for UEs in Group 1 (UAV), bit 3 indicates that they should invert the first bit, which means that there is an update in the air characteristics indicated in the SIB, and therefore these users should re-read the SIB.

[0112] In Example 3, the scenario is very similar to the scenario described in the scenario of Example 2, except that multiple groups are indicated (bits 3 and 6), where UEs belonging to group 1 or group 4 should invert the value of bit 1. The modified features may correspond to multiple groups, and thus UEs of the corresponding groups may read different SIBs.

[0113] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 5 The flowchart describes a method for a UE to decide whether to obtain a SIB to update SI based on the content of a short message. Figure 6 The corresponding signaling diagram between the network and two UEs in different subgroups is shown.The method will be explained with reference to one UE, but similar procedures may also be applied by other UEs, in the example signaling diagram such UEs are the first UE1 and the second UE2.

[0114] The network element (e.g., gNB) sends (601) the subgroup configuration and the SIB mapping relationship so that the UE served by the gNB can receive these messages. After receiving the message, the UE determines (block 501) the subgroup configuration and the mapping relationship to the SIB. The UE also determines (block 502) Figure 5 502 and Figure 6602) The subgroup to which the UE belongs and the corresponding information element in the short message, i.e., the bits in the short message reserved for the subgroup. Figure 6 In the example of , the first UE1 determines (602) that it belongs to subgroup 1 with a specific SIB-A. Correspondingly, the second UE2 determines (603) that it belongs to subgroup 2 with a specific SIB-B.

[0115] According to one method, a UE in an RRC idle state or an RRC inactive state shall monitor for SI change indications in its own paging occasions within each DRX cycle. A UE in an RRC connected state, if provided with a common search space for monitoring paging on an activated BWP, shall monitor for SI change indications in at least one paging occasion within each modification cycle. The UE monitors (503) a short message for paging DCI. When the UE receives the short message, it decodes the content of the short message and checks (504) the system information modification information element (bit 1). If the information element indicates that the system information has been modified (e.g., bit 1=1), the UE also checks (505) the value of a specific subgroup bit associated with the subgroup to which it belongs (e.g., in this example, bit x, where x is 3, 4, 5, or 6). If the value of the information element indicates (bit x=1) that the value of the system information modification information element should be negated, the UE does not obtain (506) the SIB (1 exclusive or 1=0). On the other hand, if the value of the information element indicates (bit x=0) that the value of the system information modification information element should not be negated, the UE will obtain (507) the SIB (1 XOR 0=1) according to the conventional process.

[0116] If the check in step 504 shows that the system information modification information element indicates that the system information has not been modified (e.g., bit 1=0), the UE checks (508) the value of a subgroup-specific bit associated with the subgroup to which it belongs (e.g., in this example, bit x, where x is 3, 4, 5, or 6). If the value of the information element indicates (bit x=1) that the value of the system information modification information element should be negated, the UE retrieves (509) the SIB for the specific subgroup (0 exclusive or 1=1). On the other hand, if the value of the information element indicates (bit x=0) that the value of the system information modification information element should not be negated, the UE does not retrieve the SIB (0 exclusive or 0=0).

[0117] exist Figure 6 In the exemplary signaling diagram of , the network element sends (604) a short message with the SI modification bit set (=1), the subgroup 1 bit set, and the subgroup 2 bit not set (=0). Therefore, when the network element performs (605) the system information broadcast, the first UE1 does not obtain (606) the SIB, but the second UE2 obtains (607) the SIB according to the traditional process.

[0118] The signaling diagram also depicts an example of a situation in which the network element sends (608) a short message with the system information modification bit not set (= 0), the subgroup 1 bit set, and the subgroup 2 bit not set (= 0). Therefore, when the network element performs (609) a system information broadcast, the first UE1 will obtain (610) the SIB of the specific subgroup, but the second UE2 will not obtain (611) the SIB.

[0119] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 7 The flowchart of FIG. 1 describes a method for a network element according to an embodiment.

[0120] The network element may be, for example, a gNB. When the network changes (701) one or more system information parameters, the network element checks (702) which subgroups are affected by the change or whether any UEs not associated with a subgroup need to be concerned about the changes. If it is determined that the changes affect only one subgroup or some but not all subgroups, the network element prepares (703) a short message such that the SI change indication is not set, i.e. its value is 0, but those information elements associated with the subgroup that will be affected by the change are set, e.g. to 1. Other information elements associated with other subgroups are not set, i.e. their value is 0. This means that the UEs of the affected subgroups will invert the system information change bit to 1, while other UEs will maintain the indication as not set (0).

[0121] It should be noted that a similar result can be achieved if the SI change indication is set (i.e. its value is 1) but the information elements associated with the subgroups that will be affected by the change are not set. The other information elements associated with other subgroups are set to 1. Due to the nature of the exclusive OR (XOR) operation, the end result is the same as the first option described above. However, the first option allows legacy UEs that do not have the ability to distinguish SI changes related to subgroups to detect system information changes, as such UEs may only check the value of the system information change indication and detect that a change has occurred.

[0122] When the network element prepares the short message, the network element sends (704) the short message as a paging DCI.

[0123] On the other hand, if the check in step 702 shows that the changes affect all subgroups, the network element prepares (705) a short message such that the SI change indication is set (i.e. its value is 1) and the information element associated with each subgroup is not set (i.e. its value is 0). This means that all UEs that monitor and receive the short message will adopt the modified content.

[0124] According to one embodiment, the network element may also modify the value of the "etwsAndCmasIndication" information element to a value that can indicate whether there is an ETWS primary notification and / or an ETWS secondary notification and / or a CMAS notification.

[0125] An example of subgroup allocation is described below. The subgroups corresponding to each bit in the short message can be hard-coded in the specification or allocated by the gNB. The allocation can be done by allowing the gNB to assign an identity to different user sub-queues predefined in the specification (e.g. listed in SIB1) or by allowing the gNB to create dynamic indications (UE allocation) via RRC. As the requirements of different networks may be different, the network allocation option may be more flexible.

[0126] Two possible examples of allocations are shown below in first ASN.1 form:

[0127] In a first ASN.1 example, one bit can be assigned multiple functions.

[0128] In the second ASN.1 example, a bit can only be assigned a single function.

[0129] In another embodiment, the gNB may also use an RRC temporary indication for certain users (e.g., by an alert sent via RRC) to indicate that for the next SI modification period, they should invert the first bit regardless of the packet allocation.

[0130] It should be noted that in these examples, the second bit (ie, bit 2) is independent of the rules presented in this specification, as it may be used for emergency alerts and all UEs should have a common understanding of how bit 2 is used.

[0131] The association between groups and SIs can be explained as follows. When groups are defined, a mapping between each group and a specific SIB that needs to be retrieved can also be defined. This can be done in the specification, through signaling, or a hybrid by indicating the group only in the signaling. For example, if an NTN group is defined, then the associated SIB can be assumed to be the NTN SIB.

[0132] Next, according to one embodiment, a possible use of spare bits in DCI is explained. If the spare bits in the short message are insufficient or unavailable, there are 6 to 8 extra bits available in the paging DCI, which can also be used for signaling purposes.

[0133] According to one embodiment, the following information is sent via DCI format 1_0 with a CRC scrambled by P-RNTI:

[0134] - Short message indicator - 2 bits;

[0135] - Short message - 8 bits;

[0136] - Frequency domain resource allocation - bits, where It is the size of CORESET 0. If only short messages are carried, this bit field is reserved.

[0137] -Time Domain Resource Allocation-4 bits. If only short messages are carried, this bit field is reserved.

[0138] -Mapping relationship between virtual resource blocks and physical resource blocks - 1 bit. If only short messages are carried, this bit field is reserved.

[0139] - Modulation and coding scheme - 5 bits. If only short messages are carried, this bit field is reserved.

[0140] - Transport Block Scale - 2 bits. If only short messages are carried, this bit field is reserved.

[0141] - Reserved bits - 8 bits when operating in a cell with shared spectrum channel access, 6 bits otherwise.

[0142] The above described process has several advantages. Legacy UEs do not experience disruptions in their processes and do not lose anything due to new indications in the network for some users, on the contrary they benefit because, among other things, the broadcast message does not introduce a new signaling framework (no additional overhead), legacy UEs avoid wasting power re-acquiring system information when the modification of system information only concerns more modern UEs (or UEs with different capabilities), and UEs can be divided into different large user groups, minimizing the need for UE-specific messages for more personalized indications of system information for specific functions.

[0143] The above transmissions by the network element may be sent as broadcast transmissions to all UEs attached to the cell (or beam).

[0144] The method and related embodiments may be implemented in a device for implementing UE functions. The device may include at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory stores computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to work together with the at least one processor so that the device can at least perform the following operations: store one or more restriction conditions, in addition to the timer, for restricting the UE from sending an on-demand SIB0 request for TRS / CSI-RS configuration in RRC idle / inactive UE mode; check whether the one or more restriction conditions are met; send an on-demand SIB request for TRS / CSI-RS configuration in RRC idle / inactive UE mode to a network element; and receive a TRS / CSI-RS configuration SIB from a network element.

[0145] Such an apparatus may also include: a component for storing one or more restriction conditions in addition to the timer to restrict the UE from sending an on-demand SIB request for TRS / CSI-RS configuration in RRC idle / inactive UE mode; a component for checking whether the one or more restriction conditions are met; a component for sending an on-demand SIB request for TRS / CS-RS configuration in RRC idle / inactive UE mode to a network element; and a component for receiving a TRS / CSI-R configuration SIB from the network element.

[0146] The method and related embodiments may also be implemented in an apparatus that implements the functions of an access point or base station (such as an eNB or gNB) of a wireless access network. According to one aspect, an apparatus such as a gNB includes a component for receiving an on-demand SIB request for TRS / CSI-RS configuration from a UE in RRC idle / inactive mode; and a component for sending a TRS / CSI-RS configuration SIB to the UE after confirming that the UE has been provided with one or more restriction conditions other than a timer that restrict it from sending an on-demand SIB request for TRS / CSI-RS configuration in RRC idle / inactive UE mode.

[0147] According to another aspect, a device such as an access point or base station (e.g., eNB or gNB) of a wireless access network includes at least one processor and at least one memory, on which computer program code is stored. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, together with the at least one processor, so that the device can at least perform the following operations: receive an on-demand SIB request for TRS / CSI-RS configuration from a UE in RRC idle / inactive UE mode; and send a TRS / CSI-RS configuration SIB to the UE after confirming that the UE has been provided with one or more restriction conditions other than a timer that restrict it from sending an on-demand SIB request for TRS / CSI-RS configuration in RRC idle / inactive UE mode.

[0148] Such devices may include, for example Figures 1 to 3 The functional units disclosed in any of the accompanying drawings can be used to implement various embodiments.

[0149] Another aspect relates to a computer program product stored on a non-transitory storage medium, comprising computer program code, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes an apparatus to perform at least the above operations.

[0150] In general, the various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in hardware, dedicated circuits, or any combination thereof. Although various aspects of the present invention may be illustrated and described in block diagrams or other illustrative forms, it should be fully understood that the modules, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in non-limiting examples such as hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0151] Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various components such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is generally a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available for converting a logic level design into a semiconductor circuit design that can be etched and fabricated on a semiconductor substrate.

[0152] Programs such as those provided by Synopsys, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif., and Cadence Design of San Jose, Calif., automatically route and position components on a semiconductor chip using established design rules and a library of pre-stored design modules. Once the design of a semiconductor circuit is complete, the resulting design, in a standardized electronic format (e.g., Opus, GDSII, etc.), can be transmitted to a semiconductor manufacturing plant or "fab" for fabrication.

[0153] The foregoing has been provided with a comprehensive and detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention by way of example and non-limiting examples. However, after reading the foregoing description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the accompanying examples, a person skilled in the relevant art may find various modifications and adjustments. However, all such and similar modifications to the teachings of the present invention will still fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device comprising: means for receiving a message from a network comprising a system information modification change indication and one or more sub-group specific indications; means for determining a subgroup associated with said device; as well as Means for checking whether to reverse the system information modification change indication based on the sub-group specific indication and the sub-group associated with the device.

2. The device according to claim 1, comprising: A component for checking the system information modification change indication; as well as means for using the system information modification change indication to determine whether to obtain at least one system information block from the network.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising: Means for adjusting the value of said system information modification change indication by: inverting the value of the system information modification change indication when the sub-group specific indication is set, or When the sub-group specific indication is not set, the value of the system information modification change indication is maintained.

4. The device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, comprising: A component for determining whether to obtain the following from the network based on the system information modification change indication Only one or more subgroup specific system information blocks, or One or more system information blocks, or all broadcasted system information blocks detected by the device, or There is no such system information block.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the means for determining is configured to: A determination is made whether to obtain one or more non-subgroup specific system information blocks from the network.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the component for receiving a message is configured to: At least one of the following is received in a short message of paging downlink control information: the system information modification change indication and one or more sub-group specific indications.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: Means for obtaining information about said subgroups and their allocation to said one or more subgroup specific indications and corresponding system information blocks.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the information about the subgroups and their allocation to the one or more subgroup specific indications is defined in a specification or allocated by the network.

9. A method comprising: receiving a message including a system information modification change indication and one or more sub-group specific indications from a network; determining a subgroup associated with the device; as well as Based on the sub-group specific indication and the sub-group associated with the device, it is checked whether to reverse the system information modification change indication.

10. An apparatus comprising: means for preparing to change one or more system information parameters of a network; means for checking which subgroups of user equipment are affected by said change; means for preparing a message based on said checking by including one or more indications as to whether said change in one or more system information parameters of said network is for user equipment of a subset of said subgroup or for user equipment not associated with said subgroup; as well as Means for sending said message.

11. The device according to claim 10, comprising: means for preparing the message by, when the change of the system information parameter affects all user equipments not associated with the subgroup, setting a system information modification change indication without setting any of one or more subgroup specific indications, or without setting the system information modification change indication and setting the subgroup specific indication associated with the subgroup affected by the change of the system information parameter.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the message is a short message.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, 11 or 12, wherein the subset comprises one or more of: a UE assigned by the network, a function requested by the UE, the functionalities supported by the UE, the subscription type of the UE, the 3GPP releases supported by the UE, Public Land Mobile Network, Temporary indication for certain UEs via RRC.

14. A method comprising: preparing to change one or more system information parameters of the network; checking which subgroups of user equipment are affected by the change; preparing a message by including one or more indications, based on the checking, of whether the change in one or more system information parameters of the network is for user equipment of a subset of the subgroup or for user equipment not associated with the subgroup; as well as The message is sent.

15. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: receiving a message including a system information modification change indication and one or more sub-group specific indications from a network; determining a subgroup associated with the device; and Based on the sub-group specific indication and the sub-group associated with the device, it is checked whether to reverse the system information modification change indication.

16. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory, the at least one memory comprising computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: preparing a change in one or more system information parameters of a network; checking which subgroups of user equipment are affected by the change; preparing a message by including one or more indications, based on the checking, of whether the change in one or more system information parameters of the network is for user equipment of a subset of the subgroup or for user equipment not associated with the subgroup; as well as The message is sent.

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