Determining radio chain utilization for spectrum sharing

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to determining radio chain utilization for spectrum sharing. A method is disclosed, the method comprising: receiving a first set of forward data associated with a first radio access technology; receiving a second set of forward data associated with a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology; and determining whether to use one or more of the at least two radio chains for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following example embodiments relate to wireless communications and spectrum sharing. Background Art

[0002] With the emergence of new radio access technologies, how to operate the new radio access methods in parallel with previous radio access methods is a challenge. Summary of the invention

[0003] The scope of protection sought by various example embodiments is defined by the independent claims. Example embodiments and features described in this specification that do not belong to the scope of the independent claims, if any, should be interpreted as examples that help understand the various embodiments.

[0004] According to one aspect, a device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the device to at least: receive a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology; receive a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology; and determine, based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data, whether to use one or more of at least two radio chains for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology.

[0005] According to another aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a component for receiving a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology; a component for receiving a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology; and a component for determining whether to use one or more radio chains of at least two radio chains for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data.

[0006] According to another aspect, a method is provided, the method comprising: receiving a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology; receiving a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology; and determining whether to use one or more radio chains of at least two radio chains for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data.

[0007] According to another aspect, a computer program is provided comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receive a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology; receive a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology; and determine, based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data, whether to use one or more of at least two radio chains for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology.

[0008] According to another aspect, a computer-readable medium comprising program instructions is provided, which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology; receiving a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology; and determining, based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data, whether to use one or more of at least two radio chains for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology.

[0009] According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions is provided, which, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology; receiving a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology; and determining, based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data, whether to use one or more of at least two radio chains for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In the following, various example embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication network is shown;

[0012] Figure 2 An example of a system is shown;

[0013] Figure 3A An example of a system is shown;

[0014] Figure 3B An example of a system is shown;

[0015] Figure 3C An example of a system is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 A signal flow diagram is shown;

[0017] Figure 5 A signal flow diagram is shown;

[0018] Figure 6 A signal flow diagram is shown;

[0019] Figure 7 A flow chart is shown;

[0020] Figure 8 A flow chart is shown; and

[0021] Fig. 9 An example of an apparatus is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the specification may refer to "an", "one" or "some" embodiments at several locations in the text, this does not necessarily mean that the same embodiment(s) are mentioned each time or that a particular feature applies only to a single embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

[0023] Some example embodiments described herein may be implemented in a wireless communication network including a radio access network based on one or more of the following radio access technologies (RATs): Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or any other second generation radio access technology, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE, Fourth Generation (4G), Fifth Generation (5G), 5G New Radio (NR), Advanced 5G (i.e., 3GPP NR Rel-18 and above), or Sixth Generation (6G). Some examples of radio access networks include Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRA), or a next generation radio access network. The wireless communication network may also include a core network, and some example embodiments may also be applied to network functions of the core network.

[0024] It should be noted that the embodiments are not limited to the wireless communication networks given as examples, but those skilled in the art can also apply the solution to other wireless communication networks or systems with necessary characteristics. For example, some example embodiments can also be applied to communication systems based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, or communication systems based on the IEEE 802.15 specification.

[0025] Figure 1 An example of a simplified wireless communication network is shown, illustrating some physical and logical entities. Figure 1The connections shown may be physical connections or logical connections. It is clear to those skilled in the art that a wireless communication network may also include in addition to Figure 1 Other physical and logical entities than those shown.

[0026] However, the example embodiments described herein are not limited to the wireless communication networks given as examples, but those skilled in the art may apply the embodiments described herein to other wireless communication networks having necessary characteristics.

[0027] Figure 1 The example wireless communication network shown includes an access network, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 110 .

[0028] Figure 1 A user equipment (UE) 100, 102 is shown that is configured to be wirelessly connected to an access node (AN) 104 of an access network on one or more communication channels in a radio cell. AN 104 may be an evolved NodeB (abbreviated as eNB or eNodeB), a next generation evolved NodeB (abbreviated as ng-eNB), or a next generation NodeB (abbreviated as gNB or gNodeB) that provides a radio cell. The wireless connection (e.g., radio link) from the UE to the access node 104 may be referred to as an uplink (UL) or a reverse link, and the wireless connection (e.g., radio link) from the access node to the UE may be referred to as a downlink (DL) or a forward link. UE 100 may also communicate directly with UE 102 via a wireless connection commonly referred to as a side link (SL), and vice versa. It should be understood that the access node 104 or its functions may be implemented using any node, host, server, or access point entity suitable for providing such functions.

[0029] An access network may include more than one access node, in which case the access nodes may also be configured to communicate with each other via wired or wireless links. These links between access nodes may be used to send and receive control plane signaling, and may also be used to route data from one access node to another.

[0030] An access node may include a computing device configured to control radio resources of the access node. An access node may also be referred to as a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), an access point, a cell site, a radio access node, or any other type of node capable of wirelessly connecting to a UE (e.g., UE 100, 102). An access node may include or be coupled to a transceiver. From the transceiver of the access node, a connection may be provided to an antenna unit that establishes a bidirectional radio link to the UE 100, 102. The antenna unit may include an antenna or antenna element, or multiple antennas or antenna elements.

[0031] The access node 104 may be further connected to a core network (CN) 110. The core network 110 may include an evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or a fifth generation core network (5GC). The EPC may include network entities such as a serving gateway (S-GW for routing and forwarding data packets), a packet data network gateway (P-GW) for providing a connection of a UE to an external packet data network, and a mobility management entity (MME). The 5GC may include network functions such as a user plane function (UPF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), and a location management function (LMF).

[0032] The core network 110 may also be able to communicate with one or more external networks 113 (such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet), or utilize services provided by them. For example, in a 5G wireless communication network, the UPF of the core network 110 may be configured to communicate with an external data network via an N6 interface. In an LTE wireless communication network, the P-GW of the core network 110 may be configured to communicate with an external data network.

[0033] The UE 100, 102 shown is a type of device that can be allocated and assigned resources on the air interface. UE 100, 102 may also be referred to as a wireless communication device, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a terminal device, or a user equipment, to name a few. A UE may be a computing device operating with or without a subscriber identity module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of computing devices: a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handset, a computing device including a wireless modem (e.g., an alarm or measurement device, etc.), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a game console, a notebook computer, a multimedia device, a reduced-capacity (RedCap) device, a wearable device with a radio component (e.g., a watch, a headset, or glasses), a sensor including a wireless modem, or any computing device including a wireless modem integrated in a vehicle.

[0034] It should be understood that a UE may also be an almost exclusively uplink-only device, an example of which may be a camera or camcorder that loads images or video clips to a network. A UE may also be a device with the ability to operate in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, a scenario in which objects may be provided with the ability to transmit data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. A UE may also utilize the cloud. In some applications, computation may be performed in the cloud or in another UE.

[0035] The wireless communication network may also be capable of supporting 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 1 114). The wireless communication network may also include a central control entity or the like, providing facilities for wireless communication networks of different operators to cooperate, for example, in spectrum sharing.

[0036] 5G enables the use of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas in access nodes 104 and / or UEs 100, 102, many more base stations or access nodes than in LTE networks (the so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in cooperation with smaller sites, and the use of various radio technologies depending on service requirements, use cases and / or available spectrum. 5G wireless communication networks can support a wide range of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of sharing data and various forms of machine-type applications, such as (massive) machine-type communications (mMTC), including vehicle safety, different sensors and real-time control.

[0037] In a 5G wireless communication network, access nodes and / or UEs may have multiple radio interfaces, i.e., below 6 GHz, cmWave, and mmWave, and may also be integrated with existing legacy radio access technologies such as LTE. For example, integration with LTE may be implemented as a system in which macro coverage may be provided by LTE, and 5G radio interface access may come from a small cell through aggregation to LTE. In other words, a 5G wireless communication network may support both inter-RAT operability (inter-radio access technology operability, such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below 6 GHz-cmWave-mmWave). One of the concepts considered to be used in a 5G wireless communication network may be network slicing, in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual subnets (network instances) may be created within substantially the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements for latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0038] In some example embodiments, an access node (e.g., access node 104) may include: a radio unit (RU), which includes a radio transceiver (TRX), i.e., a transmitter (Tx) and a receiver (Rx); one or more distributed units (DU) 105, which can be used for so-called layer 1 (L1) processing and real-time layer 2 (L2) processing; and a central unit (CU) 108 (also called a centralized unit), which can be used for non-real-time L2 and layer 3 (L3) processing. The CU 108 can be connected to one or more DUs 105, for example, via an F1 interface. Such an embodiment of an access node can achieve centralization of the CU relative to the cell site and the DU, while the DU can be more distributed and can even be retained at the cell site. The CU and DU together can also be referred to as a baseband or baseband unit (BBU). The CU and DU can also be included in a radio access point (RAP).

[0039] CU 108 may be a logical node that hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and / or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the NR protocol stack for the access node. DU 105 may be a logical node that hosts the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and / or physical (PHY) layers of the NR protocol stack for the access node. The operation of the DU may be at least partially controlled by the CU. It should also be understood that the functional distribution between DU 105 and CU 108 may vary depending on the implementation. The CU may include a control plane (CU-CP), which may be a logical node that hosts the control plane portion of the RRC and PDCP protocols of the NR protocol stack for the access node. The CU may also include a user plane (CU-UP), which may be a logical node that hosts the user plane portion of the PDCP protocol and the SDAP protocol of the CU for the access node.

[0040] The cloud computing system may also be used to provide the CU 108 and / or the DU 105. The CU provided by the cloud computing system may be referred to as a virtualized CU (vCU). In addition to the vCU, there may also be a virtualized DU (vDU) provided by the cloud computing system. In addition, there may also be a combination in which the DU may be implemented on a so-called bare metal solution, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a customer specific standard product (CSSP) system on chip (SoC).

[0041] By leveraging network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN), edge cloud can be introduced into the access network (e.g., RAN). The use of edge cloud can mean that access node operations should be performed at least in part in a computing system of a remote radio head (RRH) or a radio unit (RU) that is operably coupled to the access node. It is also possible that the access node operations can be performed on a distributed computing system or a cloud computing system located at the access node. The application of the cloud RAN architecture enables RAN real-time functions to be performed at the access network (e.g., in DU 105) and non-real-time functions to be performed in a centralized manner (e.g., in CU 108).

[0042] It should also be understood that in future wireless communication networks, the functional distribution between core network operations and access node operations may be different, or even non-existent, compared to LTE or 5G. Some other technological advances that may be used include big data and all-IP, which may change the way wireless communication networks are constructed and managed. 5G (or New Radio NR) wireless communication networks can support multiple hierarchical structures, in which multi-access edge computing (MEC) servers can be placed between the core network 110 and the access node 104. It should be understood that MEC can also be applied in LTE wireless communication networks.

[0043] The 5G wireless communication network ("5G network") may also include non-terrestrial communication networks, such as satellite communication networks, to enhance or supplement the coverage of the 5G radio access network. For example, satellite communications can support data transmission between the 5G radio access network and the core network, thereby achieving wider network coverage. Possible use cases may be to provide service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or for passengers on board, or to ensure service availability for critical communications and future railway / maritime / aviation communications. Satellite communications can utilize geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite systems or low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, in particular giant constellations (systems in which hundreds of (nano) satellites are deployed). A given satellite 106 in a giant constellation can cover several satellite-enabled network entities that create a ground cell. A ground cell can be created by a ground relay access node or by an access node 104 located on the ground or in a satellite.

[0044] It is clear to those skilled in the art that Figure 1 The access node 104 shown is only an example of a portion of an access network (e.g., a radio access network), and in practice, the access network may include multiple access nodes, UE 100, 102 may access multiple radio cells, and the access network may also include other equipment, such as physical layer relay access nodes or other entities. At least one of the access nodes may be a Home eNodeB or a Home gNodeB. A Home gNodeB or a Home eNodeB is an access node that may be used to provide indoor coverage within a home, office, or other indoor environment.

[0045] Furthermore, in a geographical area of ​​an access network (e.g., a radio access network), a plurality of different kinds of radio cells and a plurality of radio cells may be provided. A radio cell may be a macro cell (or umbrella cell), which may be a large cell up to tens of kilometers in diameter, or a smaller cell, such as a micro cell, a femto cell or a pico cell. Figure 1The access node(s) may provide any kind of these cells. A cellular radio network may be implemented as a multi-layer access network comprising several kinds of radio cells. In a multi-layer access network, one access node may provide one or more kinds of radio cells, and thus providing such a multi-layer access network may require multiple access nodes.

[0046] In order to meet the need to improve the performance of the access network, the concept of "plug and play" access nodes can be introduced. In addition to the home eNodeB or home gNodeB, the access network that can use the "plug and play" access node can also include a home node B gateway or HNB-GW ( Figure 1 (not shown in the figure). The HNB-GW which may be installed in the operator's access network may aggregate services from a large number of home eNodeBs or home gNodeBs back to the operator's core network.

[0047] 6G wireless communication networks are expected to adopt flexible decentralized and / or distributed computing systems and architectures and ubiquitous computing, with local spectrum licensing, spectrum sharing, infrastructure sharing and intelligent automation management supported by mobile edge computing, artificial intelligence, short packet communications and blockchain technologies. Key features of 6G may include intelligent connection management and control functions, programmability, integrated sensing and communication, reduced energy footprint, trusted infrastructure, scalability and affordability. In addition to this, 6G also targets new use cases, including integrating positioning and sensing capabilities into system definitions to unify the user experience of the physical and digital worlds.

[0048] Some example embodiments relate to spectrum sharing. Spectrum sharing means that multiple (at least two) radio access technologies (such as LTE and 5G NR, or 5G NR and 6G) ​​share the same spectrum or radio frequency for their respective operations.

[0049] For example, Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) is a framework for enabling spectrum migration from one radio access technology to another (i.e., from 4G to 5G). In DSS, "dynamic" means that channel allocations are not static, but vary over time and / or frequency (e.g., from subframe or time slot to another).

[0050] As the number of 5G NR UEs increases, DSS allows resources (frequencies) to be gradually dedicated to 5G NR. With 4G-5G DSS, 5G carriers can be deployed on top of 4G carriers to allow 4G services to be supported while providing 5G coverage, even if 5G service demand has not yet emerged. In other words, DSS enables 4G and 5G to share the same carrier.

[0051] Figure 2An example of a system for 4G-5G DSS is shown. The system includes a 5G central unit (CU) 108, a 5G distributed unit (DU) 105, a 4G DU 105A (or a 4G baseband unit), and a radio unit (RU) 207. The radio unit 207 may include at least two radio chains (RCs) 209, 209A for communicating with one or more UEs 100, 102. The communication between the 4G DU 105A and the 5GCU 108 may be performed, for example, via an X2 interface. The 4G DU 105A and the 5G DU 105 may communicate with the RU 207 via a communication link referred to as a fronthaul interface. The fronthaul interface may be used to transmit fronthaul data. The fronthaul data may include user plane (U plane) data and / or control plane (C plane) data to enable the delivery of voice, data, and / or multimedia services over a wireless communication network.

[0052] It should be noted that multi-vendor solutions have not yet been specified for 4G-5G DSS. However, in 6G, it is expected that multi-vendor solutions will be enabled via standards. Multi-RAT spectrum sharing (MRSS) can be considered an evolution of DSS, which aims to address the shortcomings of 4G-5G DSS. For example, MRSS can be implemented in a multi-vendor scenario.

[0053] A multi-vendor scenario may mean, for example, that a first vendor may supply baseband processing for a first RAT (e.g., 5G) and a second vendor may supply baseband processors for a second RAT (e.g., 6G), where both RATs may use the same radio unit, which may be provided by a third vendor.

[0054] Figure 3A An example of a system for 5G-6G MRSS is shown, in which a single base station 104 is used for 5G and 6G. The base station 104 includes a 5G DU 105 and a 6G DU 105A. The 5G DU 105 can be configured to communicate with a 5G core network (5GC) 110, and the 6G DU 105A can be configured to communicate with a 6G core network (6GC) 110A. The 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A can also be configured to communicate with a radio unit 207 shared by the 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A. The radio unit 207 may include at least two radio chains (RCs) 209, 209A, which provide an MRSS cell 320 for communicating with one or more UEs 100, 102. The MRSS cell 320 may include a 5G cell and a 6G cell.

[0055] Figure 3BAnother example of a system for 5G-6G MRSS is shown, in which two independent base stations 104, 104A are used for 5G and 6G, respectively. The first base station 104 includes a 5G DU 105 configured to communicate with a 5G core network (5GC) 110. The second base station 104A includes a 6G DU 105A configured to communicate with a 6G core network (6GC) 110A. The 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A can also be configured to communicate with a radio unit 207 shared by the 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A. The radio unit 207 may include at least two radio chains (RCs) 209, 209A providing an MRSS cell 320 for communicating with one or more UEs 100, 102. The MRSS cell 320 may include a 5G cell and a 6G cell.

[0056] Figure 3A The system shown may be more suitable for a single-vendor MRSS deployment, while Figure 3B The system shown can be used in a multi-vendor MRSS configuration. In both cases, the radio unit 207 is shared between the 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A.

[0057] Figure 3C Another example of a system for 5G-6G MRSS is shown, where the fronthaul data is linked toward the radio unit 207. For example, the 6G DU 105A may send its fronthaul data to the 5G DU 105, and then the 5G DU 105 may send both the 5G fronthaul data and the 6G fronthaul data to the radio unit 207. In an alternative embodiment, the 5G DU 105 may send its fronthaul data to the 6G DU 105A, and then the 6G DU 105A may send both the 5G fronthaul data and the 6G fronthaul data to the radio unit 207. The 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A may be included in the same base station, or may be included in separate base stations.

[0058] exist Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C In the embodiment of the present invention, operating the MRSS cell 320 may require operating a radio unit 207 with two radio chains 209, 209A (one for 5G and one for 6G). However, depending on the load, it may be sufficient to use only one radio chain and put the other radio chain in sleep mode. In this case, a single radio chain can transmit or receive 5G data and 6G data at the same time, although the capacity or spectrum efficiency may be reduced.

[0059] A radio chain 209, 209A (also called a radio channel or transceiver chain) refers to a specific path within a radio unit that includes at least one transmitter and at least one receiver. A radio chain represents a set of components and functions required to handle the transmission and reception of radio frequency (RF) signals.

[0060] Having two (or more) permanently active radio chains may not be energy efficient. Studies have shown that the RAN is the network element that consumes the most power within a wireless communication network, and within the RAN, the power amplifiers of the radio units are one of the largest energy consumers due to their inefficiency. In MRSS, the spectrum is shared, so it may not be necessary to have two radio chains active all the time, where a given radio chain may use, for example, only a portion of the shared spectrum.

[0061] Therefore, it may be beneficial to reduce the number of active radio chains in MRSS operation by, for example, transitioning one of the radio chains to sleep mode.However, a framework is needed to coordinate the use of one or more radio chains for one or both DUs.

[0062] In some example embodiments, the radio unit 207 may autonomously decide whether to operate one or more radio chains and whether to put at least one of the radio chains into sleep mode. The radio unit 207 makes this decision based on fronthaul data received from the DU (e.g., based on implicit information in a transmit or receive request). Employing a fronthaul interface and performing the determination at the RU 207 may allow for easier multi-vendor implementation while providing energy savings.

[0063] The example embodiments described below may enable temporary switching to a shared radio chain (e.g., shared between 5G and 6G) ​​to allow a deeper sleep mode compared to discontinuous transmission (DTX) while being able to provide full performance. This may be beneficial, for example, during the initial deployment of MRSS, as the number of 6G UEs may initially be very low. For example, it may be difficult to justify a significant power increase for the RU when there are few additional users using the same DU and spectrum resources.

[0064] Furthermore, example embodiments may not require additional coordination protocols and may not require new interfaces between baseband units or individual base stations (or DUs).

[0065] Some example embodiments are described below by using MRSS deployment between 5G and 6G as an example. However, some example embodiments are not limited to 5G and 6G, and they can be applied to spectrum sharing between any two or more radio access technologies. For example, some example embodiments can be applied to DSS between 4G and 5G. As another example, some example embodiments can be applied to spectrum sharing between 4G and 6G. As another example, some example embodiments can be applied to spectrum sharing between 4G, 5G and 6G.

[0066] exist Figure 4-Figure 6 In the example embodiment shown, the radio unit 207 is shared between the 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A. The radio unit 207 includes two radio chains 209, 209A, and the radio unit 207 uses one or both of the radio chains to transmit or receive 5G data and 6G data. The determination of whether to use one or two radio chains is performed in the radio unit 207. Initially, each radio chain 209, 209A is configured for at least one RAT of the MRSS cell 320, and only the first radio chain 209 is activated. When the RU 207 receives fronthaul data from the DU 105, 105A, the RU 207 determines whether to activate the second radio chain 209A.

[0067] although Figure 4-Figure 6 Two radio chains and two DUs are shown in FIG. 1 , but it should be noted that the number of radio chains and DUs may also exceed two. In other words, there may be two or more radio chains and two or more DUs. In addition, Figure 4-Figure 6 The signaling procedure shown can be extended and applied according to the actual number of radio chains and DUs.

[0068] Figure 4 A signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment is shown.In this example embodiment, all fronthaul data is transmitted to the first radio chain 209, and the second radio chain 209A remains deactivated.

[0069] refer to Figure 4 At 401, the 5G DU 105 transmits a first configuration to the RU 207, the first configuration being used to use a first radio chain 209 of at least two radio chains 209, 209A for independent 5G use or shared use between 5G and 6G. The RU 207 receives the first configuration.

[0070] The first configuration may include configuration information for the first radio chain 209, such as a center frequency, a bandwidth, properties of a physical random access channel (PRACH), a waveform, and the like.

[0071] At 402, the 6G DU 105A transmits a second configuration for using a second radio chain 209A of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A for standalone 6G use or shared use between 5G and 6G to the RU 207. The RU 207 receives the second configuration.

[0072] The second configuration may include configuration information for the second radio chain 209A, such as a center frequency, a bandwidth, properties of the PRACH, a waveform, and the like.

[0073] In other words, at 401 and 402, the 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A may configure the RU 207 for shared or independent radio chain use of the MRSS cell 320 (i.e., whether one radio chain is shared between 5G and 6G, or separate radio chains are used for 5G and 6G).

[0074] At 403, the RU 207 configures the first radio chain 209 based on the first configuration.

[0075] At 404, the RU 207 configures the second radio chain 209A based on the second configuration.

[0076] At 405, the RU 207 activates the first radio chain 209 (as an initial activation). Activation means preparing the first radio chain 209 so that data can be transmitted or received via the first radio chain 219. For example, activation may include turning on at least a power amplifier of the first radio chain 209.

[0077] The second radio chain 209A may remain deactivated (i.e., in a sleep mode with reduced power consumption). Deactivation means that the power amplifier of the second radio chain 209A is completely turned off, or the power amplifier is in a state where it can be quickly turned on. In other words, in the deactivated state, the second radio chain 209A is not available for transmission or reception.

[0078] At 406, the 5G DU 105 transmits a first set of fronthaul data associated with 5G to the RU 207. The RU 207 receives the first set of fronthaul data. The first set of fronthaul data may include a request for transmitting 5G downlink data or a request for receiving 5G uplink data. In other words, the RU 207 receives information about DL data to be transmitted or UL data to be received for the 5G cell of the MRSS cell 320 through the fronthaul interface.

[0079] For example, the first set of fronthaul data may include at least one of: one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements for 5G, one or more 5G downlink waveforms requested to be transmitted, a peak-to-average power ratio requirement for transmitting one or more 5G downlink waveforms, or one or more downlink transmission power requirements for transmitting one or more 5G downlink waveforms.

[0080] At 407, the 6G DU 105A transmits a second set of fronthaul data associated with 6G to the RU 207. The second set of fronthaul data may include a request for transmitting 6G downlink data or a request for receiving 6G uplink data. In other words, the RU 207 receives information about DL data to be transmitted or UL data to be received for the 6G cell of the MRSS cell 320 through the fronthaul interface.

[0081] For example, the second set of fronthaul data may include at least one of: one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements for 6G, one or more 6G downlink waveforms requested to be transmitted, a peak-to-average power ratio requirement for transmitting one or more 6G downlink waveforms, or one or more downlink transmission power requirements for transmitting one or more 6G downlink waveforms.

[0082] At 408, the RU 207 determines whether to use one or more of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A for spectrum sharing between 5G and 6G based on at least the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data. In other words, after the initial configuration and activation of one radio chain 209, the RU 207 can decide whether to continue to use one radio chain 209, activate the second radio chain 209A and use both radio chains 209, 209A, or deactivate the first radio chain 209 and use the second radio chain 209A when receiving a transmission or reception request from one or both DUs 105, 105A.

[0083] The determination may also be based on one or more predefined policies or rules to help prioritize or determine whether 5G and 6G are to use a single (shared) radio chain or independent radio chains, and RU 207 may provide counters and / or key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor the determination it makes.

[0084] In this example embodiment, the RU 207 determines that one radio chain (eg, the first radio chain 209) is to be used for spectrum sharing.

[0085] For example, the determination may be based at least on whether a single radio chain (e.g., the first radio chain 209) of the at least two radio chains is capable of transmitting 5G and 6G downlink waveforms without degrading an error vector magnitude (EVM) compared to using more than one radio chain of the at least two radio chains to transmit the 5G and 6G downlink waveforms. If the single radio chain is capable of transmitting 5G and 6G downlink waveforms without degrading an error vector magnitude, the RU 207 may determine that the single radio chain is to be used for spectrum sharing (i.e., the other radio chain is not activated).

[0086] As another example, the determination may be based at least on whether a single radio chain (e.g., the first radio chain 209) of the at least two radio chains is capable of simultaneously transmitting 5G and 6G downlink waveforms such that the peak-to-average power ratio requirement is met. If the single radio chain is capable of simultaneously transmitting 5G and 6G downlink waveforms such that the peak-to-average power ratio requirement is met, the RU 207 may determine that the single radio chain is to be used for spectrum sharing (i.e., the other radio chain is not activated). In the case where the first set of fronthaul data (5G fronthaul data) and the second set of fronthaul data (6G fronthaul data) include different peak-to-average power ratio requirements, the single radio chain may need to meet both the 5G peak-to-average power ratio requirement and the 6G peak-to-average power ratio requirement in order to use the single radio chain for spectrum sharing.

[0087] As another example, the determination may be based at least on whether a single radio chain (e.g., the first radio chain 209) of the at least two radio chains is able to meet one or more uplink random access channel (RACH) processing requirements for overlapping random access channel opportunities for 5G and 6G. In other words, if both 5G and 6G have overlapping RACH opportunities in a time slot, the RU 207 may determine whether the RACH processing capability of the single radio chain is sufficient. This may depend on the time window of the day, because during the day, the probability of having several UEs per RACH opportunity is generally higher than at night. Therefore, based on the time of day (e.g., at night), the radio chain may be deactivated without negatively affecting the blocking rate during the RACH process. If a single radio chain is able to meet one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements, the RU 207 may determine that the single radio chain is to be used for spectrum sharing (i.e., the other radio chain is not activated). If the first set of fronthaul data (5G fronthaul data) and the second set of fronthaul data (6G fronthaul data) include different RACH processing requirements, both the 5G RACH processing requirements and the 6G RACH processing requirements may need to be met by a single radio chain in order to use the single radio chain for spectrum sharing.

[0088] At 409, based on determining that one radio chain is to be used for spectrum sharing, the radio unit 207 transmits a first set of fronthaul data (5G data) and a second set of fronthaul data (6G data) to one radio chain (e.g., the first radio chain 209) of at least two radio chains 209, 209A.

[0089] Figure 5 A signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment is shown. In this example embodiment, the RU 207 determines to activate the second radio chain 209A, in which case the first radio chain 209 receives a set of fronthaul data and the second radio chain 209A receives a second set of fronthaul data.

[0090] refer to Figure 5 At 501, the 5G DU 105 transmits a first configuration to the RU 207, the first configuration being used to use a first radio chain 209 of at least two radio chains 209, 209A for independent 5G use or shared use between 5G and 6G. The RU 207 receives the first configuration.

[0091] The first configuration may include configuration information for the first radio chain 209, such as a center frequency, a bandwidth, properties of a PRACH, a waveform, and the like.

[0092] At 502, the 6G DU 105A transmits a second configuration for using a second radio chain 209A of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A for standalone 6G use or shared use between 5G and 6G to the RU 207. The RU 207 receives the second configuration.

[0093] The second configuration may include configuration information for the second radio chain 209A, such as a center frequency, a bandwidth, properties of the PRACH, a waveform, and the like.

[0094] In other words, at 501 and 502, the 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A may configure the RU 207 for shared or independent radio chain use of the MRSS cell 320 (i.e., whether one radio chain is shared between 5G and 6G, or separate radio chains are used for 5G and 6G).

[0095] At 503, the RU 207 configures the first radio chain 209 based on the first configuration.

[0096] At 504, the RU 207 configures the second radio chain 209A based on the second configuration.

[0097] At 505, the RU 207 activates the first radio chain 209 (as an initial activation). Activation means preparing the first radio chain 209 so that data can be transmitted or received via the first radio chain 219. For example, activation may include turning on at least a power amplifier of the first radio chain 209.

[0098] The second radio chain 209A may remain deactivated (i.e., in a sleep mode with reduced power consumption). Deactivation means that the power amplifier of the second radio chain 209A is completely turned off, or the power amplifier is in a state where it can be quickly turned on. In other words, in the deactivated state, the second radio chain 209A is not available for transmission or reception.

[0099] At 506, the 5G DU 105 transmits a first set of fronthaul data associated with 5G to the RU 207. The RU 207 receives the first set of fronthaul data. The first set of fronthaul data may include a request for transmitting 5G downlink data or a request for receiving 5G uplink data. In other words, the RU 207 receives information about DL data to be transmitted or UL data to be received for the 5G cell of the MRSS cell 320 through the fronthaul interface.

[0100] For example, the first set of fronthaul data may include at least one of: one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements for 5G, one or more 5G downlink waveforms requested to be transmitted, a peak-to-average power ratio requirement for transmitting one or more 5G downlink waveforms, or one or more downlink transmission power requirements for transmitting one or more 5G downlink waveforms.

[0101] At 507, the 6G DU 105A transmits a second set of fronthaul data associated with 6G to the RU 207. The second set of fronthaul data may include a request for transmitting 6G downlink data or a request for receiving 6G uplink data. In other words, the RU 207 receives information about DL data to be transmitted or UL data to be received for the 6G cell of the MRSS cell 320 through the fronthaul interface.

[0102] For example, the second set of fronthaul data may include at least one of: one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements for 6G, one or more 6G downlink waveforms requested to be transmitted, a peak-to-average power ratio requirement for transmitting one or more 6G downlink waveforms, or one or more downlink transmission power requirements for transmitting one or more 6G downlink waveforms.

[0103] At 508, the RU 207 determines whether to use one or more of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A for spectrum sharing between 5G and 6G based on at least the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data. In other words, after the initial configuration and activation of one radio chain 209, the RU 207 can decide whether to continue to use one radio chain 209, activate the second radio chain 209A and use both radio chains 209, 209A, or deactivate the first radio chain 209 and use the second radio chain 209A when receiving a transmission or reception request from one or both DUs 105, 105A.

[0104] The determination may also be based on one or more predefined policies or rules to help prioritize or determine whether to use a single (shared) radio chain or independent radio chains for 5G and 6G, and RU 207 may provide counters and / or key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor the determination it makes.

[0105] In this example embodiment, the RU 207 determines that the radio chain 209, 209A is to be used for spectrum sharing.

[0106] For example, if a single radio chain cannot transmit both 5G and 6G downlink waveforms without degrading the error vector magnitude, the RU 207 may determine that both radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing.

[0107] As another example, if a single radio chain cannot simultaneously transmit 5G and 6G downlink waveforms such that the peak-to-average power ratio requirement is met, the RU 207 may determine that both radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing.

[0108] As another example, if a single radio chain cannot meet one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements for overlapping random access channel opportunities for 5G and 6G, RU 207 may determine to use both radio chains for spectrum sharing.

[0109] At 509 , based on determining that the two radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing, the radio unit 207 transmits a first set of fronthaul data (5G data) to the first radio chain 209 .

[0110] At 510, based on determining that the two radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing, the radio unit 207 activates the deactivated second radio chain 209A. The activation component prepares the second radio chain 209A so that data can be transmitted or received via the second radio chain 209A. For example, the activation may include turning on at least a power amplifier of the second radio chain 209A.

[0111] At 511 , based on determining that the two radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing, the radio unit 207 transmits a second set of fronthaul data (6G data) to the second radio chain 209A after activation.

[0112] Figure 6 shows a signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment, wherein both radio chains 209, 209A have been previously activated (eg due to Figure 5 In this example embodiment, the first radio chain 209 receives all fronthaul data for transmission or reception, and the second radio chain 209A is deactivated.

[0113] refer to Figure 6 At 601, the 5G DU 105 transmits a first set of fronthaul data associated with 5G to the RU 207. The RU 207 receives the first set of fronthaul data. The first set of fronthaul data may include a request for transmitting 5G downlink data or a request for receiving 5G uplink data. In other words, the RU 207 receives information about DL data to be transmitted or UL data to be received for the 5G cell of the MRSS cell 320 through the fronthaul interface.

[0114] For example, the first set of fronthaul data may include at least one of: one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements for 5G, one or more 5G downlink waveforms requested to be transmitted, a peak-to-average power ratio requirement for transmitting one or more 5G downlink waveforms, or one or more downlink transmission power requirements for transmitting one or more 5G downlink waveforms.

[0115] At 602, the 6G DU 105A transmits a second set of fronthaul data associated with 6G to the RU 207. The second set of fronthaul data may include a request for transmitting 6G downlink data or a request for receiving 6G uplink data. In other words, the RU 207 receives information about DL data to be transmitted or UL data to be received for the 6G cell of the MRSS cell 320 through the fronthaul interface.

[0116] For example, the second set of fronthaul data may include at least one of: one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements for 6G, one or more 6G downlink waveforms requested to be transmitted, a peak-to-average power ratio requirement for transmitting one or more 6G downlink waveforms, or one or more downlink transmission power requirements for transmitting one or more 6G downlink waveforms.

[0117] At 603, the RU 207 determines whether to use one or more of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A for spectrum sharing between 5G and 6G based on at least the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data. In other words, after the initial configuration and activation of one radio chain 209, the RU 207 can decide whether to continue to use one radio chain 209, activate the second radio chain 209A and use both radio chains 209, 209A, or deactivate the first radio chain 209 and use the second radio chain 209A when receiving a transmission or reception request from one or both DUs 105, 105A.

[0118] The determination may also be based on one or more predefined policies or rules to help prioritize or determine whether 5G and 6G are to use a single (shared) radio chain or independent radio chains, and RU 207 may provide counters and / or key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor the determination it makes.

[0119] In this example embodiment, RU 207 determines that one radio chain (e.g., first radio chain 209) is to be used for spectrum sharing. Some examples of how this determination may be made are described above (e.g., Figure 4 408 of them).

[0120] At 604, based on determining that one radio chain (e.g., the first radio chain 209) is to be used for spectrum sharing, the radio unit 207 transmits a first set of fronthaul data (5G data) and a second set of fronthaul data (6G data) to one radio chain (e.g., the first radio chain 209) of at least two radio chains 209, 209A.

[0121] At 605, based on determining that one radio chain (eg, the first radio chain 209) is to be used for spectrum sharing, the radio unit 207 deactivates the second radio chain 209A. Deactivation may mean that the second radio chain enters a sleep mode.

[0122] In the above reference Figure 4-Figure 6 In the described example embodiment, the radio unit 207 activates or deactivates a given radio chain 209, 209A using explicit activation or deactivation commands. However, instead of explicit activation or deactivation commands, the activation or deactivation of a given radio chain 209, 209A may alternatively be based implicitly on whether the radio chain 209, 209A receives fronthaul data from the radio unit 207. In this case, the radio unit 207 may activate a given radio chain 209, 209A by transmitting fronthaul data to the radio chain. On the other hand, if the radio chain 209, 209A does not receive any fronthaul data from the radio unit 207 within a certain time limit, the radio chain 209, 209A may deactivate itself.

[0123] In addition, in the above reference Figure 4-Figure 6 In the described example embodiment, the radio unit 207 receives fronthaul data from two RATs (i.e., from the 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A). However, in another embodiment, the radio unit 207 may receive fronthaul data from only one RAT (e.g., from the 5G DU 105 or from the 6G DU 105A, but not from both). In the event that the radio unit 207 receives fronthaul data from only one RAT, the radio unit 207 may determine to utilize only one radio chain 209 and deactivate the other radio chain 209A.

[0124] Figure 7 A flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus 900 is shown. For example, the apparatus 900 may be or be comprised in a radio unit 207 shared between two or more radio access technologies.

[0125] refer to Figure 7 In block 701, the RU 207 receives a first configuration (e.g., from the 5G DU 105) for using a first radio chain 209 of at least two radio chains 209, 209A for standalone 5G use or shared use between 5G and 6G. The RU 207 configures the first radio chain 209 based on the first configuration.

[0126] In block 702, the RU receives a second configuration (e.g., from a 6G DU 105A) for using a second radio chain 209A of at least two radio chains 209, 209A for standalone 6G use or shared use between 5G and 6G. The RU 207 configures the second radio chain 209A based on the second configuration.

[0127] In other words, in boxes 701 and 702, the 5G DU 105 and the 6G DU 105A can configure the RU 207 for shared or independent radio chain use (i.e., whether to share one radio chain between 5G and 6G, or to use separate radio chains for 5G and 6G).

[0128] In block 703, RU 207 receives (e.g., from 5G DU 105) a first set of fronthaul data associated with 5G. The first set of fronthaul data may include a request for transmitting 5G downlink data or a request for receiving 5G uplink data. In other words, RU 207 receives information about DL data to be transmitted or UL data to be received for the 5G cell of MRSS cell 320 through the fronthaul interface.

[0129] In block 704, RU 207 receives (e.g., from 6G DU 105A) a second set of fronthaul data associated with 6G. The second set of fronthaul data may include a request for transmitting 6G downlink data or a request for receiving 6G uplink data. In other words, RU 207 receives information about DL data to be transmitted or UL data to be received for the 6G cell of MRSS cell 320 through the fronthaul interface.

[0130] In other words, in blocks 703 and 704, RU 207 receives information of DL data to be transmitted or UL data to be received for 5G cells and 6G cells in a specific time slot through a fronthaul interface. The fronthaul data may include at least one of user plane data and / or control plane data.

[0131] In block 705, the RU 207 determines whether an indication for initiating a determination of whether to utilize a shared radio chain or an independent radio chain for 6G transmission or reception has been received (eg, from the 5G DU 105 or the 6G DU 105A).

[0132] In box 706, if no indication is received (box 705: No), RU 207 performs transmission or reception of 5G cells and 6G cells according to the first configuration and the second configuration. In other words, if the first configuration and the second configuration indicate the use of a shared radio chain (e.g., the first radio chain 209) for spectrum sharing between 5G and 6G, RU 207 can transmit the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data to the shared radio chain. Alternatively, if the first configuration and the second configuration indicate the use of independent radio chains for 5G and 6G, RU 207 can transmit the first set of fronthaul data to the first radio chain 209, and RU207 can transmit the second set of fronthaul data to the second radio chain 209A.

[0133] Alternatively, in box 707, if the indication has been received (box 705: yes), the RU 207 determines whether a separate radio chain is required for 6G transmission or reception. In other words, the RU 207 determines whether one or more of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A are to be used for spectrum sharing between 5G and 6G, wherein the determination may be initiated based on receiving the indication.

[0134] In block 708, if RU 207 determines that 6G transmission or reception does not require a separate radio chain (block 706: No), RU 207 performs transmission or reception for the 5G cell and the 6G cell on a shared radio chain (e.g., the first radio chain 209). In this case, RU 207 uses a single radio chain 209 for the shared spectrum between 5G and 6G. In other words, RU 207 can transmit the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data to the shared radio chain 209.

[0135] Alternatively, in box 709, if RU 207 determines that 6G transmission or reception requires a separate radio chain (box 706: yes), RU 207 can activate the second radio chain 209A (i.e., wake up the second radio chain 209A from sleep mode if it was previously in sleep mode).

[0136] In block 710, if RU 207 determines that 6G transmission or reception requires an independent radio chain (block 706: yes), RU 207 performs transmission or reception for the 5G cell and the 6G cell on independent radio chains. In this case, RU 207 uses two radio chains 209, 209A for the shared spectrum between 5G and 6G. In other words, RU 207 can transmit a first set of fronthaul data to the first radio chain 209, and RU 207 can transmit a second set of fronthaul data to the second radio chain 209A.

[0137] Figure 8 A flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus 900 is shown. For example, the apparatus 900 may be or be comprised in a radio unit 207 shared between two or more radio access technologies.

[0138] refer to Figure 8 , in block 801 , the apparatus receives a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology.

[0139] In block 802, the apparatus receives a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology.

[0140] For example, a first set of fronthaul data may be received from a first distributed unit 105 associated with a first radio access technology, and a second set of fronthaul data may be received from a second distributed unit 105A associated with a second radio access technology.

[0141] Alternatively, the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data may be received from a single distributed unit 105 .

[0142] Here, the terms "first fronthaul data" and "second fronthaul data" are used to distinguish data, and do not necessarily indicate a specific order of the data. Similarly, the terms "first distributed unit" and "second distributed unit" are used to distinguish distributed units, and do not necessarily indicate a specific order or specific identifiers of the distributed units. Similarly, the terms "first radio access technology" and "second radio access technology" are used to distinguish radio access technologies.

[0143] For example, the first radio access technology may include a fifth generation (5G) radio access technology and the second radio access technology may include a sixth generation (6G) radio access technology, or vice versa.

[0144] For another example, the first radio access technology may include a fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, and the second radio access technology may include a fifth generation (5G) radio access technology, or vice versa.

[0145] For another example, the first radio access technology may include a fourth generation (4G) radio access technology, and the second radio access technology may include a sixth generation (6G) radio access technology, or vice versa.

[0146] In block 803, the apparatus determines whether to use one or more of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology based on at least the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data.

[0147] The determination may be based on at least one of: one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements, one or more downlink waveforms requested to be transmitted, a peak-to-average power ratio requirement for transmitting one or more downlink waveforms, or one or more downlink transmission power requirements for transmitting one or more downlink waveforms. These requirements and requests may be included in the first fronthaul data and / or the second fronthaul data.

[0148] For example, the determination may be based at least on whether a single radio chain of the at least two radio chains is capable of transmitting one or more downlink waveforms without reducing the error vector magnitude compared to using more than one radio chain of the at least two radio chains to transmit the one or more downlink waveforms. If the single radio chain is capable of transmitting one or more downlink waveforms without reducing the error vector magnitude, the apparatus may determine that a single radio chain (i.e., one radio chain) is to be used for spectrum sharing. Otherwise, the apparatus may determine that two or more radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing.

[0149] As another example, the determination may be based at least on whether a single radio chain of the at least two radio chains is capable of simultaneously transmitting one or more downlink waveforms such that a peak-to-average power ratio requirement is met, wherein the one or more downlink waveforms may include at least one downlink waveform associated with the first radio access technology and at least one downlink waveform associated with the second radio access technology. If the single radio chain is capable of simultaneously transmitting one or more downlink waveforms such that the peak-to-average power ratio requirement is met, the device may determine that a single radio chain (i.e., one radio chain) is to be used for spectrum sharing. Otherwise, the device may determine that two or more radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing.

[0150] As another example, the determination may be based at least on whether a single radio chain of the at least two radio chains can meet one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements for overlapping random access channel opportunities for the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology. If the single radio chain can meet the one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements, the device may determine that a single radio chain (i.e., one radio chain) is to be used for spectrum sharing. Otherwise, the device may determine that two or more radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing.

[0151] The apparatus may activate at least one of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A that is deactivated based on the determination. For example, the apparatus may determine that two or more radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing, and one of the radio chains may have been previously deactivated, in which case the apparatus may activate the deactivated radio chain. Activation means preparing at least one deactivated radio chain so that data can be transmitted or received via the at least one radio chain. For example, activation may include at least turning on a power amplifier of at least one deactivated radio chain.

[0152] Alternatively or additionally, the apparatus may deactivate at least one of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A based on the determination. Deactivation may include, for example, turning off a power amplifier of at least one radio chain. For example, the apparatus may determine that one radio chain is to be used for spectrum sharing, in which case the other radio chains (multiple) may be deactivated (if they have been previously activated).

[0153] The apparatus may transmit the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data transmission to one (activated) radio chain of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A based on the determination (e.g., based on the determination that only one radio chain is to be used for spectrum sharing). In this case, the other radio chain(s) may be deactivated.

[0154] Alternatively, the device may transmit a first set of fronthaul data transmissions to a first radio chain 209 among the at least two radio chains 209, 209A based on the determination, and transmit a second set of fronthaul data transmissions to a second radio chain 209A among the at least two radio chains 209, 209A based on the determination (e.g., based on a determination that two or more radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing).

[0155] Here, the terms "first radio chain" and "second radio chain" are used to distinguish between the radio chains and do not necessarily indicate a specific order or specific identifiers of the radio chains.

[0156] Before receiving the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data, the apparatus may receive, for example, a first configuration from the first distributed unit 105, the first configuration being used to use the first radio chain 209 of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A for at least one of the first radio access technology or the second radio access technology. The apparatus may also receive, for example, a second configuration from the second distributed unit 105A, the second configuration being used to use the second radio chain 209A of the at least two radio chains 209, 209A for at least one of the first radio access technology or the second radio access technology. The apparatus may configure the first radio chain 209 based on the first configuration (as an initial configuration), and the apparatus may configure the second radio chain 209A based on the second configuration (as an initial configuration).

[0157] Here, the terms "first configuration" and "second configuration" are used to distinguish between the configurations and do not necessarily indicate a specific order of the configurations.

[0158] The apparatus may receive an indication for initiating the determination, for example, from the first distributed unit 105 or the second distributed unit 105 A. In this case, the apparatus may initiate the determination of block 803 based on receiving the indication.

[0159] The above Figure 4-Figure 8 The described boxes, related functions and information exchanges (messages) are not performed in absolute time order, and some of them can be performed simultaneously or in an order different from the described order. Other functions can also be performed between them or inside them, and other information can be sent, and / or other rules can be applied. Some boxes or parts of boxes or one or more pieces of information in the box can also be omitted or replaced by corresponding boxes or parts of boxes or one or more pieces of information.

[0160] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions (wherein a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) refer to at least any one element, or at least any two or more elements, or at least all elements.

[0161] Fig. 9 An example of an apparatus 900 including components for performing one or more of the above-described example embodiments is shown. For example, the apparatus 900 may be an apparatus such as a radio unit 207, or include a radio unit 207, or be included in a radio unit 207. The radio unit 207 may also be referred to as a remote radio head (RRH) or a transmission reception point (TRP).

[0162] The apparatus 900 may include, for example, a circuit system or a chipset suitable for implementing one or more of the above-described example embodiments. The apparatus 900 may be an electronic device including one or more electronic circuit systems. The apparatus 900 may include a communication control circuit system 910 (such as at least one processor), and at least one memory 920 storing instructions 922, which when executed by at least one processor causes the apparatus 900 to perform one or more of the above-described example embodiments. For example, such instructions 922 may include computer program code (software). At least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions may provide a component for providing or causing the execution of any of the above-described methods and / or blocks.

[0163] The processor is coupled to the memory 920. The processor is configured to read data from the memory 920 and write data to the memory 920. The memory 920 may include one or more memory cells. The memory cell may be volatile or non-volatile. It should be noted that there may be one or more non-volatile memory cells and one or more volatile memory cells, or, alternatively, there may be one or more non-volatile memory cells, or, alternatively, there may be one or more volatile memory cells. The volatile memory may be, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory, or a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). The non-volatile memory may be, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, an optical storage device, or a magnetic storage device. In general, the memory may be referred to as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The term "non-transitory" used herein is a restriction on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a restriction on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM and ROM). The memory 920 stores computer-readable instructions executed by the processor. For example, non-volatile memory stores computer readable instructions, and the processor executes the instructions using volatile memory that temporarily stores data and / or instructions.

[0164] The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored in the memory 920, or alternatively or additionally, they may be received by the device via an electromagnetic carrier signal, and / or may be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer readable instructions causes the device 900 to perform one or more of the above functions.

[0165] Memory 920 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory.

[0166] The apparatus 900 may also include or be connected to hardware and / or software for implementing communication connections with one or more wireless communication devices according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 930 may provide components for executing some blocks of one or more of the above-described example embodiments.

[0167] The communication interface 930 may include at least two radio chains that may be integrated into the apparatus 900 or to which the apparatus 900 may be connected. The communication interface 930 may include one or more components, such as a power amplifier, a digital front end (DFE), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a frequency converter, a (de)modulator, and / or an encoder / decoder circuit system.

[0168] The communication interface 930 provides the apparatus with radio communication capabilities for communicating in a wireless communication network. For example, the communication interface may provide a radio interface to one or more UEs 100, 102.

[0169] The apparatus 900 may also include or be connected to another interface toward one or more DUs 105, 105A.

[0170] It should be noted that the apparatus 900 may also include Fig. 9 Various components are not shown in the figure. These various components can be hardware components and / or software components.

[0171] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one, more, or all of the following:

[0172] a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuit systems);

[0173] as well as

[0174] b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0175] i) a combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and

[0176] ii) hardware processor(s) with software (including any portion of digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) that work together to cause the device (such as a mobile phone) to perform various functions); and

[0177] c) (multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or portions of (multiple) microprocessors, that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but when the software is not required for operation, the software may not be present.

[0178] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further 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 process 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.

[0179] The techniques and methods described herein can be implemented in various ways. For example, these techniques can be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or a combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the (multiple) devices of the example embodiments can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. For firmware or software, the implementation can be implemented by a module (e.g., a process, a function, etc.) of at least one chipset that performs the functions described herein. The software code can be stored in a memory unit and executed by a processor. The memory unit can be implemented within the processor or outside the processor. In the latter case, as is known in the art, the memory unit can be communicatively coupled to the processor in various ways. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the components of the system described herein can be rearranged and / or supplemented by additional components to facilitate the implementation of the various aspects described, etc., and they are not limited to the precise configurations set forth in the given figures.

[0180] It will be clear to those skilled in the art that, with the advancement of technology, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways within the scope of the claims. The embodiments are not limited to the above-described example embodiments, but can be varied within the scope of the claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to illustrate rather than limit the embodiments.

[0181] Implementations of the present disclosure may be described according to the following examples, the features of which may be combined in any reasonable manner.

[0182] Example 1. A device comprising: a processor configured to: receive a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology; receive a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology, the second radio access technology being different from the first radio access technology; and determine, based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data, whether to use one or more radio chains of at least two radio chains for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology.

[0183] Example 2. The apparatus of Example 1, wherein the processor is further configured to activate at least one deactivated radio chain of the at least two radio chains based on the determination.

[0184] Example 3. The apparatus of Example 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: deactivate at least one radio chain of the at least two radio chains based on the determination.

[0185] Example 4. The apparatus of Example 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: based on the determination, transmit the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data to one of the at least two radio chains.

[0186] Example 5. An apparatus according to Example 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: based on the determination, transmit a first set of fronthaul data to a first radio chain among the at least two radio chains; and based on the determination, transmit a second set of fronthaul data to a second radio chain among the at least two radio chains.

[0187] Example 6. An apparatus according to Example 1, wherein the determination is based on at least one of: one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements, one or more downlink waveforms requested to be transmitted, a peak-to-average power ratio requirement for transmitting one or more downlink waveforms, or one or more downlink transmission power requirements for transmitting one or more downlink waveforms.

[0188] Example 7. An apparatus according to Example 6, wherein the determination is based at least on whether a single radio chain of the at least two radio chains is capable of transmitting one or more downlink waveforms without reducing an error vector magnitude compared to using more than one radio chain of the at least two radio chains to transmit the one or more downlink waveforms.

[0189] Example 8. An apparatus according to Example 6, wherein the determination is based at least on: whether a single radio chain of at least two radio chains is capable of simultaneously transmitting one or more downlink waveforms such that a peak-to-average power ratio requirement is met, wherein the one or more downlink waveforms include: at least one downlink waveform associated with a first radio access technology, and at least one downlink waveform associated with a second radio access technology.

[0190] Example 9. An apparatus according to Example 6, wherein the determination is based at least on whether a single radio chain of the at least two radio chains can meet one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements for overlapping random access channel opportunities for the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology.

[0191] Example 10. An apparatus according to Example 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive a first configuration, the first configuration being used to use a first radio chain of at least two radio chains for at least one of a first radio access technology or a second radio access technology; receive a second configuration, the second configuration being used to use a second radio chain of at least two radio chains for at least one of the first radio access technology or the second radio access technology; configure the first radio chain based on the first configuration; and configure the second radio chain based on the second configuration.

[0192] Example 11. The apparatus of example 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive an indication for initiating determination; and initiate determination based on receiving the indication.

[0193] Example 12. The apparatus of Example 1, further comprising: a radio unit shared between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology.

[0194] Example 13. The apparatus of Example 1, wherein the first set of fronthaul data is received from a first distributed unit associated with a first radio access technology, and wherein the second set of fronthaul data is received from a second distributed unit associated with a second radio access technology.

[0195] Example 14. The apparatus of Example 1, wherein the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data are received from a single distributed unit.

[0196] Example 15. An apparatus according to Example 1, wherein the first radio access technology comprises a fifth generation 5G radio access technology and the second radio access technology comprises a sixth generation 6G radio access technology.

[0197] Example 16. The apparatus of Example 1, wherein the first radio access technology comprises a fourth generation, 4G, radio access technology, and the second radio access technology comprises a fifth generation, 5G, radio access technology.

[0198] Example 17. The apparatus of Example 1, wherein the first radio access technology comprises a fourth generation (4G) radio access technology and the second radio access technology comprises a sixth generation (6G) radio access technology.

[0199] Example 18. A method comprising: receiving a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology; receiving a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology, the second radio access technology being different from the first radio access technology; and determining, based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data, whether to use one or more radio chains of at least two radio chains for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology.

[0200] Example 19. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to: receive a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology; receive a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology, the second radio access technology being different from the first radio access technology; and determine, based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data, whether to use one or more of at least two radio chains for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology.

Claims

1. A device comprising: The processor is configured as: receiving a first set of fronthaul data associated with a first radio access technology; receiving a second set of fronthaul data associated with a second radio access technology, the second radio access technology being different from the first radio access technology; as well as Based at least on the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data, it is determined whether one or more radio chains of at least two radio chains are to be used for spectrum sharing between at least the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology. 2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to activate at least one deactivated radio chain of the at least two radio chains based on the determination. 3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to deactivate at least one of the at least two radio chains based on the determination. 4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the first set of fronthaul data and the second set of fronthaul data to one of the at least two radio chains based on the determination.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: Based on the determination, transmitting the first set of fronthaul data to a first radio chain of the at least two radio chains; and Based on the determination, the second set of fronthaul data is transmitted to a second radio chain of the at least two radio chains.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the determination is based on at least one of: one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements, one or more downlink waveforms requested to be transmitted, a peak-to-average power ratio requirement for transmitting the one or more downlink waveforms, or one or more downlink transmission power requirements for transmitting the one or more downlink waveforms.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the determination is based at least on whether a single radio chain of the at least two radio chains is capable of transmitting the one or more downlink waveforms without degrading an error vector magnitude compared to using more than one radio chain of the at least two radio chains for transmitting the one or more downlink waveforms.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the determining is based at least on whether a single radio chain of the at least two radio chains is capable of simultaneously transmitting the one or more downlink waveforms such that the peak-to-average power ratio requirement is met, wherein the one or more downlink waveforms include: At least one downlink waveform associated with the first radio access technology, and at least one downlink waveform associated with the second radio access technology.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the determination is based at least on whether a single radio chain of the at least two radio chains is able to meet the one or more uplink random access channel processing requirements for overlapping random access channel opportunities of the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to: receiving a first configuration for using a first radio chain of the at least two radio chains for at least one of the first radio access technology or the second radio access technology; receiving a second configuration for using a second radio chain of the at least two radio chains for at least one of the first radio access technology or the second radio access technology; configuring the first radio chain based on the first configuration; as well as The second radio chain is configured based on the second configuration.

Images