Paging response based on energy resource level

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products are provided for responding to paging based on energy resource levels. For example, a method may include receiving a page from a network. The paging may include a number of paging attempts indicating a number of times a given paging has been attempted. The method may also include initiating a delay. The delay may be based, at least in part, on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of a user equipment, such as an energy harvesting device. The method may additionally include responding to the page after the end of the delay.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Some example embodiments may generally relate to communications including mobile or wireless telecommunication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) or fifth generation (5G) radio access technology or new radio (NR) access technology, or other communications systems including subsequent generations of the same or similar standards. For example, certain example embodiments may generally relate to responding to a page based on an energy resource level. Background Art

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunication systems may include Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), MulteFire, LTE-A Pro, and / or fifth generation (5G) radio access technology or new radio (NR) access technology. 5G wireless systems refer to next generation (NG) radio systems and network architectures. 5G systems are mostly built on 5G New Radio (NR), but 5G (or NG) networks can also be built on E-UTRA radio. Starting with Release 18 (Rel-18), 5G is referred to as 5G Advanced. It is estimated that NR provides a bit rate of about 10-20Gbit / s or higher, and can support at least service categories such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) and massive machine type communication (mMTC). NR is expected to deliver extremely broadband and ultra-reliable, low latency connections and large-scale networking to support the Internet of Things (IoT). As IoT and machine-to-machine (M2M) communications become more widespread, the demand for networks that meet the requirements of lower power, low data transfer rates and long battery life will continue to grow. The next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) is denoted as the RAN for 5G, which can provide radio access for NR and LTE (and advanced LTE). It should be noted that in 5G, a node that can provide radio access functions to user equipment (i.e., similar to a Node B (NB) in UTRAN or an evolved NB (eNB) in LTE) can be named a next generation NB (gNB) when built on an NR radio, and a node can be named a next generation eNB (NG-eNB) when built on an E-UTRA radio. 6G is currently under development and may replace 5G as well as 5G Advanced. Summary of the invention

[0003] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory having instructions stored therein. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the apparatus to at least perform receiving a page from a network. The page may include a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may also cause the apparatus to at least perform initiating a delay. The delay may be based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of the apparatus. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may also cause the apparatus to at least perform a response to the page after the delay has expired.

[0004] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the apparatus to at least perform sending a page to a user equipment, wherein the page includes a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the apparatus to at least perform receiving a response to the page from the user equipment.

[0005] Embodiments may be directed to a method. The method may include receiving a page from a network at a user equipment. The page may include a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted. The method may also include initiating a delay, wherein the delay is based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of the user equipment. The method may also include responding to the page after the delay ends.

[0006] Embodiments may be directed to a method. The method may include sending a page from a network to a user equipment. The page may include a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted. The method may also include receiving a response to the page from the user equipment.

[0007] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include components for receiving a page from a network. The page may include a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted. The apparatus may also include components for initiating a delay, wherein the delay is based at least in part on the paging attempt number and an energy level of the apparatus. The device may also include components for responding to the page after the delay ends.

[0008] Embodiments may be directed to an apparatus. The apparatus may include components for sending a page to a user equipment. The page may include a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted. The apparatus may also include components for receiving a response to the page from the user equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] For a proper understanding of the example embodiments, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1 An example of energy harvesting device energy resource depletion during a paging process is shown;

[0011] Figure 2 shows the number of paging attempts perceived by an energy harvesting device according to certain embodiments;

[0012] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating a paging process for an energy harvesting device according to some embodiments; and

[0013] Figure 4 An example block diagram of a system according to an embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] It will be readily appreciated that the components of certain example embodiments as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein may be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations. Therefore, the following detailed description of some example embodiments of systems, methods, apparatus, and computer program products for providing a response to a paging based on energy resource levels is not intended to limit the scope of certain embodiments, but rather represents selected example embodiments.

[0015] The features, structures, or characteristics of the example embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments. For example, the use of the phrases "certain embodiments," "some embodiments," or other similar language throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic being described and associated with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the appearance of the phrases "certain embodiments," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," or other similar language throughout this specification does not necessarily refer to the same set of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments.

[0016] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0017] Certain embodiments may have various aspects and features. These aspects and features may be applied individually or in any desired combination with each other. Other features, processes and elements may also be applied in combination with some or all aspects and features disclosed herein.

[0018] Additionally, if desired, the different functions or processes discussed below may be performed in different orders and / or performed simultaneously with each other. In addition, if desired, one or more of the described functions or processes may be optional or may be combined. Therefore, the following description should be considered as an explanation of the principles and teachings of some example embodiments, rather than a limitation thereof.

[0019] Low-cost and low-power devices for wide-area Internet of Things (IoT) communications can benefit many IoT applications. These use cases can be addressed by work in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) on narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) / enhanced machine type communications (eMTC) and new radio (NR) reduced capability (RedCap). These IoT devices may consume tens or hundreds of milliwatts of power during transmission and reception and may cost several dollars. To achieve the goals of the Internet of Everything, IoT devices with ten or even a hundred times lower cost and power consumption may be valuable, especially for a large number of applications that may rely on devices without batteries, which are sometimes referred to as battery-free devices or battery-free devices. There may be benefits to IoT technologies that can support battery-free devices.

[0020] The number of IoT connections has grown rapidly in recent years and may grow to hundreds of billions by 2030. As more and more items are expected to be interconnected to improve production efficiency and increase living comfort, further reducing the size, cost, and power consumption of IoT devices may bring increasing benefits. In particular, it may be impractical to regularly replace the batteries of all IoT devices due to the huge consumption of materials and labor. One option is to use energy harvested from the environment to power IoT devices for self-sustainable communications, especially for applications that utilize a large number of devices, such as ID tags and sensors.

[0021] In the target use case, providing the ability to work with energy harvesting may be challenging given the limited device size. Cellular devices may consume tens or even hundreds of milliwatts of power for transceiver processing. Taking the NB-IoT module as an example, the current typical current absorption for receive processing is about 60mA when the supply voltage is above 3.1V, and the current absorption for transmit processing at 0dBm transmission power is about 70mA. Considering the small size of a few square centimeters for actual devices, the output power provided by ordinary energy harvesters may be less than 1 milliwatt. Since the available power is much less than the consumed power, it may be impractical to directly power cellular devices through energy harvesting in most cases.

[0022] One possible solution is to integrate energy harvesting with rechargeable batteries or supercapacitors. In practical situations, both rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors may have the problem of shortened lifespan. It may be difficult to provide a constant charging current or voltage through energy harvesting, but since the output power from the energy harvester is very small, long-term continuous charging may be required. Both the varying charging current and long-term continuous charging may be detrimental to the battery life. For supercapacitors, their lifespan can be significantly shortened in high temperature environments. For example, at 50 degrees Celsius, the supercapacitor can work normally for less than 3 years.

[0023] Another impact may be that the size of the device may be significantly increased. Small button batteries can only provide a few tens of milliamperes of current. Therefore, batteries with larger sizes, such as AA batteries, may be used to power cellular devices. In this case, the size of the battery may even be larger than the active part of the module itself. In order to store energy for a suitable operating period (such as 1 second), the capacitance of the required supercapacitor may be at the level of one hundred millifarads. In addition to the power supply, the size of such a supercapacitor may also be larger than the size of the NB-IoT module.

[0024] Rechargeable batteries and supercapacitors can each be more expensive than the module itself. Even if purchased in large quantities, the cost of a suitable battery or supercapacitor can reach a dollar or several dollars, which can nearly double the cost of the device.

[0025] Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) is the technology that supports battery-free tags, which are a type of battery-free device. The power consumption of commercial passive RFID tags can be as low as 1 microwatt. The technologies that can achieve such low power consumption can be envelope detection for downlink data reception and backscatter communication for uplink data transmission. RFID is designed for short-range communication and the typical effective range is less than 10 meters. Since the air interface of RFID has remained almost unchanged since 2005, this transmission scheme can be a barrier to improving the link budget and the ability to support scalable networks. Nevertheless, RFID can demonstrate extremely low power consumption for backscatter communication.

[0026] Passive IoT can be included in 5G NR. Both 3GPP and non-3GPP technologies, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, UWB, and LORA can benefit from technologies that can provide low power consumption. Based on or utilizing modifications to each of these air interfaces, power consumption of a few microwatts or tens of microwatts can be achieved for passive tags. Compared to RFID, this can be beneficial in providing long-range communication capabilities for devices. For example, a distance of several hundred meters is possible.

[0027] Certain types of user equipment (UE), such as energy harvesting devices (EHDs), can collect energy from natural sources. Natural sources can include solar energy, environmental vibrations, etc. The amount of energy collected and stored can vary from device to device. The collected energy does not require a radio frequency (RF) modem dedicated to the device. For example, the collected energy can also be used to power sensors on the device. Certain embodiments can help networks support devices that have reduced energy resources and energy resources with high variability.

[0028] Figure 1 An example of energy harvesting device energy resource depletion during a paging procedure is shown. Figure 1 The left side of FIG. 1 shows the energy level of a battery, supercapacitor and / or another energy source, while Figure 1 The right side of shows the signaling that will occur.

[0029] For example, at 1, the network may have downlink data to be delivered via a short messaging system (SMS) to reconfigure the EHD over the air (OTA). When the device is paged at 2, the network may expect the device to monitor the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and provide a paging response in addition to performing subsequent procedures for which the paging was initiated. The EHD may not have sufficient energy resources to complete the required monitoring and / or procedures related to the reason the EHD was paged. For example, the EHD may have sufficient energy to send an RRC setup request at 3 and monitor for RRC setup messages at 4, but may lack sufficient energy to send an RRC setup complete message at 5. The same cycle may be repeated in subsequent paging instances after collecting more energy, such as Figure 1 As shown in XX.

[0030] Avoiding call drops due to energy exhaustion of the EHD may be beneficial. Because the process is dropped, when further paging arrives at XX, the previously received and sent messages at 2 to 4 may not be utilized by the EHD, and thus the EHD may have the same energy consumption problem as before. In other words, in this approach, there is no opportunity for the EHD to collect the energy required to complete the RRC establishment.

[0031] Certain embodiments may ensure that an EHD that responds to a paging procedure can successfully complete the paging and subsequent procedures. Certain embodiments provide a framework that addresses when an EHD should transition from a low activity state (e.g., RRC idle / inactive) to a state ready for communication (e.g., RRC connected) based on the energy level collected by the EHD.

[0032] In the absence of certain embodiments, for a UE in RRC idle, the access and mobility management function (AMF) may provide paging attempt information to each NG-RAN node, which includes a paging attempt count and an expected number of paging attempts and a next paging area range. For a UE in RRC inactive, the serving NG-RAN node may also provide RAN paging attempt information. Each paged NG-RAN node may receive the same RAN paging attempt information during the paging attempt, which has the following content: paging attempt count, expected number of paging attempts and next paging area range. For a mobile originated connection (MICO) with an active time, the AMF may determine the active time during registration.

[0033] As part of the service request process, the Mobility Management Entity (MME) in Long Term Evolution (LTE) may include paging priority information in a paging message. In LTE, a paging priority indication is included only if the priority level is associated with a priority service, as configured by operator policy. During congestion conditions, an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB) may prioritize paging of a UE based on the paging priority indication. Thus, paging priority in LTE and as described in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.401 relates to how the eNB functions relative to the user equipment or EHD in responding to a paging.

[0034] Figure 2 It is shown that according to some embodiments, the energy harvesting device knows the number of paging attempts. Figure 2 , the energy levels of the EHD are shown on the left, while the signal flow between the EHD and the network is shown on the right. At 1, the network may have downlink data to be sent via a short message system message to configure the EHD over the air. Therefore, at 2, the network may send a page to the EHD. The page may include an indication of the current paging attempt. For example, this may be the first paging attempt, so the paging attempt number may be 001. Figure 2 , the paging attempt is indicated as #XX. The EHD may detect the paging attempt and may initiate a delay or make a decision to wait for another paging request at 3 (e.g., due to insufficient energy levels and / or another factor as described in detail elsewhere herein). Subsequently, at 4 (e.g., when the energy level in the EHD has increased sufficiently), the network may make another paging attempt for this same paging. This may or may not be the next paging attempt. For example, if this is the second paging attempt, the paging attempt number may be 002. In contrast, if this is the nineteenth paging attempt, the paging attempt number may be 019. Figure 2In , paging attempts are indicated as #XX+YY, where YY is the number of paging attempts since the paging attempt at 2.

[0035] like Figure 2 As shown, by 4, the energy level of the EHD may have increased sufficiently so that the EHD can respond to the paging attempt at 5 by sending an RRC Setup Request. Thus, at 6, the network may provide an RRC Setup message, and the EHD may confirm with an RRC Setup Complete message at 7. In this case, because the EHD is waiting for the YY paging attempt, there is enough energy for the EHD to successfully complete the RRC setup.

[0036] like Figure 2 As shown in the example in , certain embodiments enhance the paging process so that the EHD knows where the network is within the paging process, and the EHD device can decide when to respond to the paging process based on the amount of energy currently collected. For example, the provision of the number of paging attempts can inform the EHD how many paging attempts are remaining. For example, the EHD may know in advance the maximum number of paging attempts that the network will make. The EHD may not necessarily detect the first paging attempt, and therefore may not be able to assume that the first detected paging attempt is the first paging attempt from the network side. For example, the first paging attempt detected by the EHD may be the fifth paging attempt. The EHD may know that the maximum number of paging attempts is 100. In this case, the EHD can understand that there are still 95 paging attempts. Therefore, the EHD can initiate a delay or decide to wait to respond to a later paging. In practice, the maximum number of attempts may be smaller, such as 5.

[0037] The EHD may also know the time between paging attempts. This may be a fixed number, or the time may be derivable by knowing the paging type, paging priority, and / or other information.

[0038] The EHD can determine the delay or calculate how long to wait based on the amount of energy required to successfully complete the paging and its associated subsequent processes. The delay can be understood as the time offset between the start time of the energy required to successfully complete the paging and its associated subsequent processes and the start time of the subsequent process. The time offset can be understood as a timer with a time offset value, for example, in seconds, number of symbols, number of frames, number of paging events, etc. The amount of energy required to successfully complete the paging and its associated subsequent processes can be estimated by the EHD, which can also be provided in the paging message, taking into account the serving cell RSRP and the paging type and / or priority field. The paging priority field can also be an indicator of the immediacy of the paging response that the EHD should provide. Calculating or otherwise deciding how long to wait can involve comparing the energy level of the EHD for the paging response with a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold for the paging response can be determined based on an estimate of the power required to establish a radio resource control connection and send the amount of data associated with the paging type indicator. The predetermined threshold can be determined only by the EHD, or with the assistance of the network.

[0039] exist Figure 2 In the example of , the network (NW) may attempt to page the EHD with the intention of delivering an SMS to the EHD to reconfigure the EHD over the air. Upon receiving the paging indication, the EHD energy resources may be in an orange state. The orange state may refer to a situation where multiple EHDs are tending towards a low amount of energy (e.g., an energy level that is potentially insufficient to complete a given paging process). Based on the number of paging attempts, the paging type, and the priority, the EHD may initiate a delay based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and the energy level of the EHD and decide to wait before responding to the paging attempt, with the intention of collecting more energy before responding. After another YY paging attempt, the EHD resources may be in a green state. The green state may refer to a situation where there are sufficient resources (e.g., an energy level sufficient to complete a given paging process). In this state, the EHD may follow normal 3GPP procedures to respond to the paging process. On the network side, there may be a timer associated with the last paging attempt before continuing to declare the EHD unreachable. The timer may take into account the possibility that the EHD may delay the response to collect more energy.

[0040] In some embodiments, the network may provide an EHD paging record with the number of paging attempts, as well as the paging type, paging priority, or both the paging type and paging priority. The network may semi-statically configure the EHD with a maximum number of paging attempts and the time between attempts. The EHD may utilize paging process assistance information, such as the number of paging attempts, paging type, and paging priority, as well as the energy level collected by the EHD, to decide when to respond to a paging message.

[0041] Certain embodiments may apply to situations where the EHD is in an RRC idle state and is paged by the AMF. In addition, certain embodiments may apply to situations where the EHD is in an RRC inactive state and is paged by the Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN). Some other embodiments may apply to situations where paging is used to notify an EHD in an idle, inactive, or connected state of system information changes. In another embodiment, paging may be used only for one specific UE, and in yet another embodiment, paging may be applied to all UEs in a certain area (e.g., a tracking area, a location area, or a routing area), for example.

[0042] The network may include additional fields for the number of paging attempts, paging priority, and / or paging type only for paging records associated with EHDs.The network may identify whether a given UE is an EHD based on the UE capability information.

[0043] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing a paging process for an energy harvesting device according to some embodiments. More specifically, the EHD behavior is Figure 3 is shown in .

[0044] As shown at 310, the EHD may receive a semi-static configuration of a paging procedure. The configuration may inform the EHD at least of the maximum number of paging attempts and the time between paging attempts. This information may be provided in various ways: via a system information message using broadcast, by common control signaling, by group common control signaling, or by unicast for the EHD in RRC connected mode.

[0045] At 320, an EHD in an RRC idle or RRC inactive state may monitor paging occasions. When in an RRC connected state, the EHD may monitor a paging channel in any paging occasion signaled in the system information for system information change indications and public alert system notifications. When RRC idle, the UE may monitor a paging channel for paging initiated by the core network (CN). When RRC inactive, the UE may monitor a paging channel for RAN initiated paging and CN initiated paging. At 330, a paging message addressed to the EHD enhanced with at least the number of paging attempts and the paging type and / or priority may be received, corresponding to the "yes" branch. If a paging message is not received, corresponding to the "no" branch, the EHD may continue to monitor the paging message and determine at 330 whether the paging message is received.

[0046] At 340, the EHD may decide whether the EHD should respond to the paging message or initiate a delay. The decision at 340 may be based on the EHD's collected energy level, paging type, and / or paging priority. The decision at 340 may also or alternatively take into account any previously determined delay or waiting period that the EHD has initiated or otherwise decided. If the EHD chooses to respond, corresponding to the "yes" branch of 340, the EHD may proceed to 350 and follow any desired procedures for responding to a page, such as those discussed above.

[0047] If the EHD chooses not to respond to this paging opportunity, corresponding to the "no" branch at 340, the EHD can initiate a delay at 360, such as waiting a specific amount of time or until the next paging message before responding to the paging process. The purpose of this delay or wait may be to collect additional energy. If a delay or other wait is already in progress, the EHD can continue to delay or wait. In addition, if the EHD knows the number of paging attempts, the total number of paging attempts that will be attempted by the network (e.g., NG-RAN node), and the time between paging messages, the EHD can decide not to further decode any paging messages to save additional energy sufficient to respond to the paging message and its associated processes. In some examples, the EHD may only know the time before deciding to suppress decoding other re-paging attempts for a period of time before the network or paging cell declares the EHD unreachable.

[0048] At 370, after waiting or delaying, the EHD may determine whether the EHD is still within the paging process period and is ready to respond to the page. If so, the EHD may respond to the page at 350. Otherwise, at 380, the EHD may determine whether the paging process period has expired. If not, the EHD may check at 330 whether the paging message was received. As another option, if Figure 3 As shown by the dashed line in , if the EHD knows the number of paging attempts, the total number of paging attempts that will be attempted by the network, and the time between paging messages, the EHD can decide not to decode any further paging messages to save additional energy sufficient to respond to the paging message and its associated process, thereby returning directly to 370. If the paging process period has expired, then at 390 the EHD can abort any attempt to respond to the page and can resume normal operation.

[0049] If the paging message indicates high priority paging, the EHD may complete the paging process in priority to other functions defined for the EHD.

[0050] At 310, when the number of paging attempts indicates that the current paging is the last paging, the EHD behavior can be semi-statically configured according to the paging type / priority. Additionally, in addition to sending the current paging number and configuring the maximum number of paging attempts, the network can also provide a bit indicator or another suitable indication to indicate whether the current paging attempt is the last paging attempt.

[0051] The decision at 340 regarding the sufficiency of the energy level to respond to the paging message can be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, the decision at 340 can be based on previous attempts in which the energy has been sufficient to complete the paging process. As another option, the decision at 340 can be based on a mapping that can be semi-statically configured or specified via a pre-configured rule. For example, for a first paging type, paging type 1, the estimated number of DL messages and subsequent single spatial layers assuming a specific modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the downlink (DL) can be 10. Similarly, for paging type 1, the estimated number of UL messages assuming a specific MCS for the uplink (UL) and subsequent single spatial layers can also be 10. In contrast, for paging type 2, the estimated number of DL messages for a specific MCS for the DL can be 20, and the estimated number of UL messages for a specific MCS for the UL can be 20.

[0052] If such a pattern applies to other paging types, the EHD may be able to calculate the number of UL and DL messages by multiplying the paging type by 10, rather than by looking up values ​​in a table or the like.

[0053] Figure 4 An example of a system including an apparatus 10 according to an embodiment is shown. In an embodiment, the apparatus 10 may be a node, a host, or a server in a communication network or serving such a network. For example, the apparatus 10 may be a network node, a satellite, a base station, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a 5G Node B or access point, a next generation Node B (NG-NB or gNB), a TRP, a HAPS, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, and / or a WLAN access point. In some example embodiments, the apparatus 10 may be, for example, a gNB or other similar radio node.

[0054] It should be understood that in some example embodiments, the device 10 may include an edge cloud server as a distributed computing system, where the server and the radio node may be independently operated devices that communicate with each other via a radio path or via a wired connection, or they may be located in the same entity that communicates via a wired connection. For example, in certain example embodiments where the device 10 represents a gNB, it may be configured in a central unit (CU) and distributed unit (DU) architecture that divides the gNB functions. In such an architecture, the CU may be a logical node that includes gNB functions such as transmission of user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning and / or session management. The CU may control the behavior of (multiple) DUs with a midhaul interface, which is referred to as an F1 interface, and the (multiple) DUs may have one or more radio units (RUs) that are connected to the (multiple) DUs via a fronthaul interface. It should be noted that a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the device 10 may include Figure 4 Components or features not shown.

[0055] like Figure 4 As shown in the example of , the device 10 may include a processor 12 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. The processor 12 may be any type of general-purpose or special-purpose processor. In fact, as an example, the processor 12 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and processors based on multi-core processor architectures or any other processing components. Although Figure 4 A single processor 12 is shown in FIG. 1 , but according to other embodiments, multiple processors may be utilized. For example, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the apparatus 10 may include two or more processors from a multiprocessor system (e.g., in which case the processor 12 may represent a multiprocessor), and the multiple processors may support multiprocessing. In some embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0056] Processor 12 may perform functions associated with the operation of device 10, which may include, for example, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits that form communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of device 10, including processes related to responding to paging based on energy resource levels.

[0057] The device 10 may also include or be coupled to a memory 14 (internal or external), wherein the memory 14 may be coupled to the processor 12 for storing information and instructions that can be executed by the processor 12. The memory 14 may be one or more memories and may be of any type suitable for the local application environment, and may be implemented by any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, the memory 14 may include any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static memory such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transient machine or computer readable medium or other suitable storage components. The instructions stored in the memory 14 may include program instructions or computer program code, which, when executed by the processor 12, enables the device 10 to perform tasks as described herein. The term "non-transient" as used herein may correspond to the limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than the limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0058] In an embodiment, the device 10 may also include or be coupled to a (internal or external) drive or port configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by the processor 12 and / or the device 10.

[0059] In some embodiments, the device 10 may also include or be coupled to one or more antennas 15 for sending signals and / or data to the device 10 and receiving signals and / or data from the device 10. The device 10 may also include or be coupled to a transceiver 18 configured to send and receive information. The transceiver 18 may include, for example, a plurality of radio interfaces that may be coupled to the antenna 15, or may include any other suitable transceiver components. The radio interface may correspond to a variety of radio access technologies, including one or more of Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), LTE, 5G, WLAN, Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BT-LE), Near Field Communication (NFC), Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID), Ultra Wideband (UWB), MulteFire, etc. The radio interface may include components such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters, etc.), mappers, fast Fourier transform (FFT) modules, etc., to generate symbols for transmission via one or more downlinks and receive symbols (e.g., via uplinks).

[0060] Thus, transceiver 18 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by antenna 15, and to demodulate information received via antenna 15 for further processing by other elements of device 10. In other embodiments, transceiver 18 may be capable of directly sending and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, device 10 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices), or be input / output components.

[0061] In an embodiment, memory 14 may store software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor 12. These modules may include, for example, an operating system that provides operating system functionality for device 10. Memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, to provide additional functionality to device 10. The components of device 10 may be implemented by hardware, or by any suitable combination of hardware and software.

[0062] According to some embodiments, the processor 12 and the memory 14 may be included in a processing circuit system / device or a control circuit system / device, or may form part of a processing circuit system / device or a control circuit system / device. In addition, in some embodiments, the transceiver 18 may be included in a transceiver circuit system / device, or may form part of a transceiver circuit system / device.

[0063] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to a hardware circuitry implementation only (e.g., analog and / or digital circuitry), a combination of hardware circuitry and software, a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, any portion of a hardware processor(s) utilizing software (including a digital signal processor) (a hardware processor may work with software to enable a device, such as device 10, to perform various functions), and / or hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), or portions thereof that operate using software but in which the software may not be present when the software is not needed for operation. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuitry" may also cover an implementation of a hardware circuit or processor only (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and its accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry may also cover, for example, a baseband integrated circuit in a server, cellular network node or device, or other computing or network device.

[0064] As introduced above, in some embodiments, the device 10 may be a full or partial network element or RAN node, such as a base station, access point, Node B, eNB, gNB, TRP, HAPS, IAB node, relay node, WLAN access point, satellite, etc. In an example embodiment, the device 10 may be a gNB or other radio node, or may be a CU and / or DU of a gNB. According to some embodiments, the device 10 may be controlled by the memory 14 and the processor 12 to perform functions associated with any embodiment described herein. For example, in some embodiments, the device 10 may be configured to perform one or more processes presented as any flowchart or signaling diagram described herein, such as Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments, as discussed herein, for example, apparatus 10 may be configured to perform a process that may provide a response to a paging based on, for example, energy resource levels.

[0065] Figure 4 An example of an apparatus 20 according to an embodiment is further shown. In an embodiment, the apparatus 20 may be a node or element in a communication network or associated with such a network, such as a UE, an EHD, a communication node, a mobile equipment (ME), a mobile station, a mobile device, a fixed device, an IoT device, or other device. As described herein, a UE or an EHD may alternatively be referred to as, for example, a mobile station, a mobile equipment, a mobile unit, a mobile device, a user device, a subscriber station, a wireless terminal, a tablet, a smart phone, an IoT device, a sensor or a NB-IoT device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and its applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and its applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless device operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, etc. As an example, the apparatus 20 may be implemented in, for example, a wireless handheld device, a wireless plug-in accessory, etc.

[0066] In some example embodiments, the device 20 may include one or more processors, one or more computer-readable storage media (e.g., memory, storage, etc.), one or more wireless access components (e.g., modems, transceivers, etc.), and / or a user interface. In some embodiments, the device 20 may be configured to operate using one or more radio access technologies, such as GSM, LTE, LTE-A, NR, 5G, WLAN, WiFi, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, NFC, MulteFire, and / or any other radio access technology. It should be noted that those skilled in the art will appreciate that the device 20 may include Figure 4 Components or features not shown.

[0067] like Figure 4 As shown in the example of , the device 20 may include or be coupled to a processor 22 for processing information and executing instructions or operations. The processor 22 may be any type of general or special purpose processor. In fact, as examples, the processor 22 may include one or more of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSPs), a field programmable gate array (FPGAs), an application specific integrated circuit (ASICs), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Although Figure 4 A single processor 22 is shown in FIG. 1 , but multiple processors may be utilized according to other embodiments. For example, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the apparatus 20 may include two or more processors from a multiprocessor system (e.g., in which case the processor 22 may represent a multiprocessor) that may support multiprocessing. In some embodiments, the multiprocessor system may be tightly coupled or loosely coupled (e.g., to form a computer cluster).

[0068] Processor 22 may perform functions associated with the operation of device 20, including, as some examples, precoding of antenna gain / phase parameters, encoding and decoding of individual bits that form communication messages, formatting of information, and overall control of device 20, including processes related to management of communication resources.

[0069] The device 20 may also include or be coupled to a (internal or external) memory 24, which may be coupled to the processor 22 for storing information and instructions that may be executed by the processor 22. The memory 24 may be one or more memories and may be of any type suitable for the local application environment and may be implemented by any suitable volatile or non-volatile data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. For example, the memory 24 may include any combination of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), static memory such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), or any other type of non-transitory machine or computer readable medium. The instructions stored in the memory 24 may include program instructions or computer program code that, when executed by the processor 22, enables the device 20 to perform tasks as described herein.

[0070] In an embodiment, the device 20 may also include or be coupled to a (internal or external) drive or port configured to accept and read an external computer-readable storage medium, such as an optical disk, a USB drive, a flash drive, or any other storage medium. For example, the external computer-readable storage medium may store a computer program or software for execution by the processor 22 and / or the device 20.

[0071] In some embodiments, the device 20 may further include or be coupled to one or more antennas 25 for receiving downlink signals and transmitting from the device 20 via an uplink. The device 20 may further include a transceiver 28 configured to send and receive information. The transceiver 28 may further include a radio interface (e.g., a modem) coupled to the antenna 25. The radio interface may correspond to a variety of radio access technologies, including one or more of GSM, LTE, LTE-A, 5G, NR, WLAN, NB-IoT, Bluetooth, BT-LE, NFC, RFID, UWB, etc. The radio interface may include other components, such as filters, converters (e.g., digital-to-analog converters, etc.), symbol demappers, signal shaping components, inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) modules, etc., to process symbols carried by the downlink or uplink, such as OFDM symbols.

[0072] For example, the transceiver 28 may be configured to modulate information onto a carrier waveform for transmission by (multiple) antennas 25, and to demodulate information received via (multiple) antennas 25 for further processing by other elements of the device 20. In other embodiments, the transceiver 28 is capable of directly sending and receiving signals or data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the device 20 may include input and / or output devices (I / O devices). In some embodiments, the device 20 may also include a user interface, such as a graphical user interface or a touch screen.

[0073] In an embodiment, the memory 24 stores software modules that provide functionality when executed by the processor 22. These modules may include, for example, an operating system for the device 20, which provides operating system functionality. The memory may also store one or more functional modules, such as applications or programs, for providing additional functionality for the device 20. The components of the device 20 may be implemented by hardware or any suitable combination of hardware and software. According to an example embodiment, the device 20 may optionally be configured to communicate with the device 10 via a wireless or wired communication link 70 according to any radio access technology, such as NR.

[0074] According to some embodiments, the processor 22 and the memory 24 may be included in a processing circuit or a control circuit, or may be part of a processing circuit or a control circuit. In addition, in some embodiments, the transceiver 28 may be included in a transceiver circuit, or may be part of a transceiver circuit.

[0075] As described above, according to some embodiments, the apparatus 20 may be, for example, a UE, an EHD, a SL UE, a relay UE, a mobile device, a mobile station, a ME, an IoT device, and / or a NB-IoT device, etc. According to some embodiments, the apparatus 20 may be controlled by the memory 24 and the processor 22 to perform functions associated with any of the embodiments described herein, such as Figures 1 to 3 For example, in an embodiment, the apparatus 20 may be controlled to perform processes related to providing a response to a paging based on an energy resource level, as described in detail elsewhere herein.

[0076] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., apparatus 10 and / or apparatus 20) may include a component for performing a method, process, or any variation discussed herein. Examples of such components may include one or more processors, memories, controllers, transmitters, receivers, and / or computer program codes for performing any of the operations discussed herein.

[0077] In view of the foregoing, certain example embodiments provide several technical improvements, enhancements and / or advantages over prior art processes and constitute at least an improvement in the technical field of wireless network control and / or management. Certain embodiments may have various benefits and / or advantages. For example, certain embodiments may allow networks and / or service providers to configure how different energy harvesting device types and capabilities respond to paging and connection requests. Moreover, certain embodiments may allow energy harvesting devices to better decide how to efficiently utilize their scarce energy resources. Certain embodiments may avoid paging storms and repeated call discarding processes from energy harvesting devices. In addition, certain embodiments may provide efficient utilization of network resources.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the functionality of any method, process, signaling diagram, algorithm, or flow chart described herein may be implemented by software and / or computer program code or portions of code stored in a memory or other computer-readable or tangible medium and executed by a processor.

[0079] In some example embodiments, a device may include or be associated with at least one software application, module, unit or entity, the at least one entity being configured for (multiple) arithmetic operations, or being configured as a program or a part of a program (including added or updated software routines), and it may be executed by at least one computing processor or controller. Programs, also referred to as program products or computer programs, include software routines, applets and macros, may be stored in any device-readable data storage medium, and may include program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer executable components, which are configured to perform some example embodiments when the program is running. One or more computer executable components may be at least one software code or part of a code. Modifications and configurations required to implement the functionality of the example embodiments may be performed as (multiple) routines, which may be implemented as added or updated software (multiple) routines. In an example, (multiple) software programs may be downloaded into the device.

[0080] As an example, software or computer program code or portions of code may be in source code form, object code form, or some intermediate form, and may be stored in some carrier, distribution medium, or computer readable medium, which may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. Such carriers may include, for example, recording media, computer memory, read-only memory, optoelectronic and / or electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and / or software distribution packages. Depending on the processing power required, the computer program may be executed in a single electronic digital computer, or may be distributed among multiple computers. The computer readable medium or computer readable storage medium may be a non-transitory medium.

[0081] In other example embodiments, the functions of the example embodiments may be performed by hardware or circuitry included in a device, such as through the use of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable gate array (PGA), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or any other combination of hardware and software. In yet another example embodiment, the functions of the example embodiments may be implemented as signals, such as non-tangible components, which may be carried by electromagnetic signals downloaded from the Internet or other networks.

[0082] According to example embodiments, an apparatus such as a node, a device or a corresponding component may be configured as a circuit system, a computer or a microprocessor such as a single-chip computer element or a chipset, which may include at least a memory for providing storage capacity required to be used for (multiple) arithmetic operations, and / or at least an operation processor for performing (multiple) arithmetic operations.

[0083] The example embodiments described herein may apply to both singular and plural implementations, regardless of whether singular or plural language is used when describing certain embodiments. For example, an embodiment describing the operation of a single network node may also apply to an example embodiment including multiple instances of a network node, and vice versa.

[0084] Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the example embodiments described above may be practiced by processes in a different order and / or by hardware elements configured differently than the disclosed configurations. Therefore, although some embodiments have been described based on these example embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative configurations will be apparent while remaining within the spirit and scope of the example embodiments.

[0085] Partial glossary:

[0086] AMF: Access and Mobility Management Function

[0087] DL: Downlink

[0088] EHD: Energy Harvesting Devices

[0089] IoT: Internet of Things

[0090] MICO: Only mobile initiated connections

[0091] NG-RAN: Next Generation RAN

[0092] OTA: Over the Air

[0093] PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0094] RAN: Radio Access Network

[0095] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0096] SMS: Short Message Service

Claims

1. A device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform: receiving a page from a network, wherein the page includes a paging attempt number indicating a number of times a given page has been attempted; initiating a delay, wherein the delay is based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of the device; as well as The page is responded to after the delay has expired.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication, wherein the delay is further based on the paging type indication.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication, and wherein the delay is further based on the paging priority indication.

4. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the delay is further based on a comparison between the energy level and a predetermined threshold for a paging response.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the predetermined threshold for a paging response is determined based on an estimate of power required to establish a radio resource control connection and to send an amount of data associated with the paging type indicator.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the predetermined threshold is determined by the apparatus or is determined with the assistance of the network.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to at least perform: The delay is calculated based on the time between paging attempts.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to at least perform: A configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts or a paging cell unreachable timer value is received, wherein the delay is based on at least one of the maximum number of paging attempts or the time between paging attempts.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the time between the paging attempts is a fixed value or a value derivable from one or more of a paging type or a paging priority.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the paging is received from an access and mobility function entity when the apparatus is in radio resource control idle, or the paging is received from a radio access node when the apparatus is in radio resource control inactive or connected.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to at least perform: Attempts to decode paging messages are suspended for a period of time based on the number of paging attempts and the interval between paging messages, or the time at which the paging cell will declare the device unreachable.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the determination of the time period is based on a paging cell paging cycle or a / the paging cell unreachable timer value.

13. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform: sending a page to a user equipment, wherein the page includes a paging attempt number indicating a number of times a given page has been attempted; and A response to the paging is received from the user equipment. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the paging message comprises a paging type indication.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to at least perform: The user equipment is provided with configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 13-16, wherein the number of paging attempts is provided in the paging on the condition that the user equipment is identified as an energy harvesting device.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 13-17, wherein the apparatus comprises an access and mobility functional entity or a radio access node.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus to at least perform: At least one of the number of paging attempts, a / the paging type indication or a / the paging priority indication, or the time declared unreachable is forwarded from the radio access node to another radio access node.

20. A method comprising: receiving, at a user equipment, a page from a network, wherein the page includes a paging attempt number indicating a number of times a given page has been attempted; initiating a delay, wherein the delay is based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of the user equipment; as well as Respond to the page after the delay is over.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication, wherein the delay is further based on the paging type indication.

22. A method according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication, wherein the delay is further based on the paging priority indication.

23. The method of any of claims 20-22, wherein the delay is further based on a comparison between the energy level and a predetermined threshold for a paging response.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the predetermined threshold for a paging response is determined based on an estimate of power required to establish a radio resource control connection and to send an amount of data associated with the paging type indicator.

25. The method of claim 23 or claim 24, wherein the predetermined threshold is determined by the user equipment or is determined with the assistance of the network.

26. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 25, further comprising: The delay is calculated based on the time between paging attempts.

27. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 26, further comprising: A configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts or a paging cell unreachable timer value is received, wherein the delay is based on at least one of the maximum number of paging attempts or the time between paging attempts.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the time between paging attempts is a fixed value or a value derivable from one or more of a / the paging type or a / the paging priority.

29. The method according to any one of claims 20-28, wherein the paging is received from an access and mobility function entity when the user equipment is in radio resource control idle, or the paging is received from a radio access node when the user equipment is in radio resource control inactive or connected.

30. The method according to any one of claims 20 to 29, further comprising: Attempts to decode paging messages are suspended for a period of time based on the number of paging attempts and the interval between paging messages, or the time at which the paging cell will declare the device unreachable.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the determination of the period is based on a paging cell paging time period or a / the paging cell unreachable timer value.

32. A method comprising: sending a page from a network to a user equipment, wherein the page includes a paging attempt number indicating a number of times a given page has been attempted; as well as A response to the paging is received from the user equipment.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication.

34. A method according to claim 32 or claim 33, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication.

35. The method according to any one of claims 32-34, further comprising: The user equipment is provided with configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts.

36. A method according to any of claims 32-35, wherein the number of paging attempts is provided in the paging on the condition that the user equipment is identified as an energy harvesting device.

37. The method according to any one of claims 32-36, wherein the user equipment comprises an access and mobility functional entity or a radio access node.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising: At least one of the number of paging attempts, a / the paging type indication or a / the paging priority indication, or the time declared unreachable is forwarded from the radio access node to another radio access node.

39. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving a page from a network, wherein the page includes a paging attempt number indicating the number of times a given page has been attempted; means for initiating a delay, wherein the delay is based at least in part on the number of paging attempts and an energy level of the device; as well as Means for responding to said page after expiration of the delay.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication, wherein the delay is further based on the paging type indication.

41. An apparatus according to claim 39 or claim 40, wherein the paging message includes a paging priority indication, wherein the delay is further based on the paging priority indication.

42. The apparatus of any of claims 39-41, wherein the delay is further based on a comparison between the energy level and a predetermined threshold for a paging response.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein the predetermined threshold for a paging response is determined based on an estimate of power required to establish a radio resource control connection and to send an amount of data associated with the paging type indicator.

44. An apparatus according to claim 42 or claim 43, wherein the predetermined threshold is determined by the apparatus or is determined with the assistance of the network.

45. The apparatus according to any one of claims 39 to 44, further comprising: Means for calculating the delay based on a time between paging attempts.

46. ​​The apparatus according to any one of claims 39 to 45, further comprising: Means for receiving a configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts or a paging cell unreachable timer value, wherein the delay is based on at least one of the maximum number of paging attempts or the time between paging attempts.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the time between paging attempts is a fixed value or a value derivable from one or more of a / the paging type or a / the paging priority level.

48. An apparatus according to any one of claims 39-47, wherein the paging is received from an access and mobility function entity when the apparatus is in radio resource control idle, or the paging is received from a radio access node when the apparatus is in radio resource control inactive or connected.

49. The apparatus according to any one of claims 39 to 48, further comprising: Means for suspending attempts to decode paging messages for a period of time based on the number of paging attempts and the interval between paging messages, or a time at which a paging cell will declare the device unreachable.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the determination of the time period is based on a paging cell paging cycle or a / the paging cell unreachable timer value.

51. An apparatus comprising: means for sending a page to a user equipment, wherein the page includes a paging attempt number indicating a number of times a given page has been attempted; as well as Means for receiving a response to the page from the user equipment.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the paging message includes a paging type indication.

53. An apparatus as claimed in claim 51 or claim 52, wherein the paging message comprises a paging priority indication.

54. The apparatus according to any one of claims 51 to 53, further comprising: Means for providing configuration of a maximum number of paging attempts and a time between paging attempts to the user equipment.

55. An apparatus according to any of claims 51-54, wherein the number of paging attempts is provided in the paging on the condition that the user equipment is identified as an energy harvesting device.

56. The apparatus according to any one of claims 51-55, wherein the apparatus comprises an access and mobility functional entity or a radio access node.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, further comprising: Means for forwarding at least one of the number of paging attempts, a / the paging type indication or a / the paging priority indication, or a time declared unreachable from the radio access node to another radio access node.

58. A computer program product encoded with instructions for performing the method according to any one of claims 20-38.

59. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions that when executed in hardware perform the method of any one of claims 20-38.

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