Communication of user equipment locations for handover procedures in non-terrestrial networks

Abstract

In a non-terrestrial network (NTN), a user equipment (UE) may be configured to transmit location information associated with the UE to a source NTN entity. The UE may be further configured to perform a handover procedure from the source NTN entity to a target NTN entity after sending the location information to the source NTN entity. The UE may be further configured to refrain from sending the location information to the target NTN entity prior to completion of the handover procedure. The source NTN entity may be configured to receive UE location information and send a message associated with handover of the UE to a target NTN entity, the message including information based on the UE location information.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Indian Provisional Application Serial No. 202241044927 filed on August 5, 2022, entitled “COMMUNICATION OF USER EQUIPMENT LOCATION FOR HANDOVER PROCEDURES IN NON-TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS”, the entire contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Background Art Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to signaling a user equipment (UE) location between network entities when the UE is handed over between two network entities.

[0004] introduction

[0005] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcast. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

[0006] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at city, country, region, and even global levels. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5GNR is part of the continuous mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with the Internet of Things (IoT)) and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC). Certain aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. Further improvements to 5G NR technology are needed. In addition, these improvements may also be applicable to other multiple access technologies and telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. Summary of the invention

[0007] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is neither intended to identify key or important elements of all aspects, nor to describe the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later.

[0008] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first method, a first computer-readable medium, and a first apparatus are provided. The first apparatus may be a user equipment (UE) or a component thereof. The first apparatus may be configured to send location information associated with the UE to a source non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity. The first apparatus may be further configured to, after sending the location information to the source NTN entity, perform a handover procedure from the source NTN entity to a target NTN entity. The first apparatus may be further configured to avoid sending the location information to the target NTN entity before the handover procedure is completed.

[0009] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a second method, a second computer-readable medium, and a second device are provided. The second device may be a source NTN entity or a component thereof. The second device may be configured to: receive location information associated with a UE. The second device may be further configured to: send a message associated with a handover of the UE to a target NTN entity, wherein the message includes information based on the location information. The second device may be further configured to: perform a handover of the UE.

[0010] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a third method, a third computer-readable medium, and a third device are provided. The third device may be a target NTN entity or a component thereof. The third device may be configured to: receive a message associated with a handover of a UE from a source NTN entity, wherein the message indicates location information associated with the UE. The third device may be further configured to: perform the handover of the UE without requesting the location information from the UE.

[0011] To achieve the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects include the features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail some illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are merely indicative of some of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this specification is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0013] Figure 2Ais a diagram illustrating an example of a first frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of downlink channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a second frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2D is a diagram illustrating an example of uplink channels within a subframe according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0018] Figure 4 is a call flow diagram of an example procedure for handover of a UE during NTN to NTN mobility.

[0019] Figure 5 is a call flow diagram of another example procedure for handover of a UE during NTN to NTN mobility.

[0020] Figure 6 is a call flow diagram of yet another example procedure for handover of a UE during NTN to NTN mobility.

[0021] Figure 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example method at a UE for handover in an NTN.

[0022] Figure 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example method at a source NTN entity for handover of a UE in an NTN.

[0023] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an example method at a target NTN entity for handover of a UE in an NTN.

[0024] Fig.10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example apparatus.

[0025] Fig.11 is a diagram illustrating another example of a hardware implementation for another example apparatus.

[0026] Fig.12 is a diagram illustrating a further example of a hardware implementation for a further example apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configuration with which the concepts described herein can be practiced. In order to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts, the specific embodiments include specific details. However, the concepts and related aspects described in this disclosure can be implemented in the absence of some or all of such specific details. In some instances, well-known structures, components, etc. are shown in block diagram form to avoid blurring such concepts.

[0028] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0029] As an example, an element, or any part of an element, or any combination of elements, may be implemented as a "processing system" that includes one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on chip (SoCs), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gate logic components, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform various functionalities described throughout the present disclosure. One or more processors in a processing system may execute software. Software should be broadly interpreted as meaning instructions, instruction sets, computer executable codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether it is described in software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or other terms.

[0030] Therefore, in one or more example embodiments, the described functions can be implemented with hardware, software or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, each function can be stored or encoded on a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or computer executable code. Computer-readable media include computer storage media. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage device, magnetic disk storage device, other magnetic storage devices, a combination of computer-readable media of the above type, or any other medium that can be used to store instructions or data structure forms of computer executable code that can be accessed by a computer.

[0031] Figure 1 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes a base station 102, a user equipment (UE) 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)). The base station 102 may include a macro cell (a high-power cellular base station) and / or a small cell (a low-power cellular base station). A macro cell includes a base station. A small cell includes a femto cell, a pico cell, and a micro cell.

[0032] Base stations 102 configured for 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) can interface with EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., S1 interface). Base stations 102 configured for 5G New Radio (NR) (collectively referred to as Next Generation Radio Access Network (RAN) (NG-RAN)) can interface with core network 190 via a second backhaul link 134.

[0033] The base station 102 may perform, among other functions, one or more of the following functions: transmission of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN Information Management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages.

[0034] In some aspects, the base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC 160 or the core network 190) via a third backhaul link 136 (e.g., an X2 interface). The first backhaul link 132, the second backhaul link 134, and the third backhaul link 136 may be wired, wireless, or some combination thereof. At least some of the base stations 102 may be configured for integrated access and backhaul (IAB). Accordingly, such base stations may communicate wirelessly with other base stations (and may also be configured for IAB).

[0035] At least some base stations 102 configured for IAB may have a split architecture that includes at least one of a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a radio unit (RU), a remote radio head (RRH), and / or a remote unit, some or all of which may be co-located or distributed and / or may communicate with each other. In some configurations of such a split architecture, the CU may implement some or all functionality of a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and the DU may implement some or all functionality of a radio link control (RLC) layer.

[0036] Illustratively, some of the base stations 102 configured for IAB may communicate with a DU of an IAB donor node or other parent IAB node (e.g., a base station) through a corresponding CU, and further, may communicate with a child IAB node (e.g., other base stations) and / or one or more of the UEs 104 through a corresponding DU. One or more of the base stations 102 configured for IAB may be an IAB donor connected to at least one of the EPC 160 and / or the core network 190 through a CU.

[0037] Through such connections to the EPC 160 and / or the core network 190, the base station 102 operating as an IAB donor may provide a link to the EPC 160 and / or the core network 190 to one or more UEs and / or other IAB nodes that may be directly or indirectly connected to the IAB donor (e.g., separated from the IAB donor by more than one hop). In the context of communicating with the EPC 160 or the core network 190, both the UE and the IAB node may communicate with the DU of the IAB donor. In some additional aspects, one or more base stations 102 may be configured with connectivity in an open RAN (ORAN) and / or a virtualized RAN (VRAN), which may be achieved through at least one corresponding CU, DU, RU, RRH, and / or remote unit.

[0038] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Examples of UE 104 include cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablets, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electric meters, gas pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare equipment, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similarly functional devices. Some of UE 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, gas pumps, toasters, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0039] Each base station 102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110 (which may also be referred to as a "cell"). Potentially, two or more geographic coverage areas 110 may at least partially overlap with each other, or one of the geographic coverage areas 110 may contain another of the geographic coverage areas. For example, a small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage area 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network that includes both small cells and macro cells may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home evolved Node B (eNB) (HeNB), which may provide services to a restricted group referred to as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0040] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (also known as reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (also known as forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming and / or transmit diversity. The wireless link or radio link may be on one or more carriers or component carriers (CCs). The base station 102 and / or the UE 104 may use a spectrum of up to Y MHz (e.g., Y may be equal to or approximately equal to 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc.) bandwidth per carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to Yx megahertz (MHz) (e.g., x CCs) for transmission in each direction. These CCs may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of CCs may be asymmetric with respect to downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer CCs may be allocated to downlinks than to uplinks).

[0041] A CC may include a primary CC and one or more secondary CCs. A primary CC may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell), and each secondary CC may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell). When the UE is known to both a base station at the access network level and at least one core network entity (e.g., AMF and / or MME) at the core network level, and the UE may be configured to receive downlink control information in the access network (e.g., the UE may be in an RRC connected state), the PCell may also be referred to as a "serving cell". In some instances where carrier aggregation is configured for a UE, each of the PCell and one or more SCells may be a serving cell.

[0042] Some UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use downlink / uplink WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). The D2D communication may be through a variety of wireless D2D communication systems, such as, for example, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0043] The wireless communication system may also include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in, for example, a 5 gigahertz (GHz) unlicensed spectrum. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) to determine whether a channel is available prior to communication.

[0044] The small cell 102' may operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' may employ NR and use the same unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz, etc.) as used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102' employing NR in the unlicensed spectrum may improve the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0045] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz). Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are typically referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is typically (interchangeably) referred to as the “sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and articles. Similar naming issues sometimes arise regarding FR2, although unlike the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz–300 GHz) identified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the “millimeter wave” (or “mmWave” or simply “mmW”) band, FR2 is typically (interchangeably) referred to as “millimeter wave” in various documents and articles.

[0046] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specifically stated, for the scope used herein, the terms "below 6 GHz", "below 7 GHz", etc. can broadly represent frequencies that can be less than 6 GHz, frequencies that can be less than 7 GHz, frequencies that can be within FR1, and / or frequencies that can include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, for the scope used herein, the terms "millimeter wave" and other similar references can broadly represent frequencies that can include mid-band frequencies, frequencies that can be within FR2, and / or frequencies that can be within the EHF band.

[0047] The base station 102 (whether a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station)) may include and / or be referred to as an eNB, a gNodeB (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations 180 (such as gNBs) may operate in traditional sub-6 GHz spectrum, mmW frequencies, and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with UEs 104. When such base stations 180 (e.g., gNBs) operate at mmW or near mmW frequencies, the base stations 180 may be referred to as mmW base stations. The (mmW) base stations 180 may utilize beamforming 186 with the UEs 104 to compensate for path loss and short range. The base stations 180 and the UEs 104 may each include multiple antennas (such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays) to facilitate beamforming.

[0048] The base station 180 may transmit beamformed signals to the UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182. The UE 104 may receive beamformed signals from the base station 180 in one or more receive directions 184. The UE 104 may also transmit beamformed signals to the base station 180 in one or more transmit directions. The base station 180 may receive beamformed signals from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions. One or both of the base station 180 and / or the UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best receive and / or transmit direction for one or both of the base station 180 and / or the UE 104. The transmit direction and the receive direction of the base station 180 may be the same or may not be the same. The transmit direction and the receive direction of the UE 104 may be the same or may not be the same.

[0049] In various aspects, one or more of base stations 102 / 180 may include and / or be referred to as a gNB, a Node B, an eNB, an access point, a transceiver base station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a transmit receive point (TRP), or some other suitable term. Further, one or more of base stations 102 / 180 may be encompassed by the term "network node" and / or "network entity."

[0050] In some aspects, one or more of the base stations 102 / 180 may be connected to the EPC 160 and may provide one or more of the UEs 104 with a corresponding access point to the EPC 160. The EPC 160 may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, an MBMS gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172. The MME 162 may communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. In general, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are delivered through the serving gateway 166, which is connected to the PDN gateway 172. The PDN gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to the IP Services 176. The IP Services 176 may include the Internet, an Intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a Packet Switched (PS) Streaming Service, and / or other IP Services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service configuration and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services in a public land mobile network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to allocate MBMS services to base stations 102 belonging to a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area of ​​a broadcast specific service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS related charging information.

[0051] In some other aspects, one or more of the base stations 102 / 180 may be connected to the core network 190 and may provide one or more of the UEs 104 with corresponding access points to the core network 190. The core network 190 may include an access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a session management function (SMF) 194, and a user plane function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 may communicate with a unified data management (UDM) 196. The AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the core network 190. Typically, the AMF 192 provides quality of service (QoS) flows and session management. All user IP packets are delivered through the UPF 195. The UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The UPF 195 is connected to an IP service 197. The IP service 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IMS, a PS streaming service, and / or other IP services.

[0052] In certain aspects of the present disclosure, the wireless communication system and access network 100 may include a non-terrestrial network (NTN). Using the NTN, one or more of the base stations 102 / 180 may be connected to a gateway, which may communicate with the NTN payload. For example, the NTN payload may be implemented via a satellite. The NTN payload may provide a feeder link to a gateway connected to the base station 102 / 180, and may provide some or all connections and services available through the base station 102 / 180 to the NTN payload via the feeder link. The NTN entity may include any system or device configured to be connected to or connected through the NTN, such as a base station and / or a gateway, etc. For example, in one aspect, when the UE 104 is handed over to a target NTN entity (such as a base station 102' / 180'), the base station 102 / 180 communicating with the UE 104 may be a source NTN entity.

[0053] In certain aspects, the UE 104 may be configured to send location information associated with the UE 104 to the source base station 102 / 180. The UE 104 may be further configured to perform a handover procedure from the source base station 102 / 180 to the target base station 102' / 180' after sending the location information to the source base station 102 / 180. The UE 104 may be further configured to avoid sending the location information to the target base station 102' / 180' before the handover procedure is completed.

[0054] The source base station 102 / 180 may be configured to receive UE location information associated with the UE 104. The source base station 102 / 180 may be further configured to send a message 198 associated with a handover of the UE 104 to the target base station 102' / 180'. The message 198 may include information based on the UE location information. The source base station 102 / 180 may be further configured to perform a handover of the UE 104.

[0055] The target base station 102' / 180' may be configured to receive a message 198 associated with the handover of the UE from the source base station 102 / 180, and the message 198 may indicate UE location information associated with the UE 104. The target base station 102' / 180' may be further configured to perform the handover of the UE 104 without requesting the UE location information from the UE 104.

[0056] Although the present disclosure may focus on 5G NR, the concepts and aspects described herein may be applicable to other similar areas such as LTE, Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and / or other wireless / radio access technologies.

[0057] Figure 2Ais a diagram illustrating an example of a first subframe 200 within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of a downlink channel within a 5G NR subframe 230. Figure 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a second subframe 250 within a 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2D is a diagram illustrating an example of an uplink channel within a 5G NR subframe 280. The 5G NR frame structure can be frequency division duplex (FDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), the subframes within the subcarrier set are dedicated to either the downlink or the uplink; or can be time division duplex (TDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), the subframes within the subcarrier set are dedicated to both the downlink and the uplink. Figure 2A , Figure 2C In the example provided, the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (mostly downlink) and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 34 (mostly uplink), where D is downlink, U is uplink, and F is flexible between downlink / uplink. Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown with slot formats 34 and 28, respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are full downlink and full uplink, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61 include a mix of downlink, uplink and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with a slot format (dynamically configured through downlink control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured through RRC signaling) through the received slot format indicator (SFI). Note that the following description also applies to the 5G NR frame structure as TDD.

[0058] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels. For example, a 10 millisecond (ms) frame may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1 ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include a microslot, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot configuration. For time slot configuration 0, each time slot may include 14 symbols, and for time slot configuration 1, each time slot may include 7 symbols. The symbols on the downlink may be cyclic prefix (CP) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) symbols. The symbols on the uplink may be CP-OFDM symbols (for high throughput scenarios) or discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (also known as single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbols) (for power-constrained scenarios; limited to single stream transmission). The number of time slots in a subframe is based on the time slot configuration and parameter set. For slot configuration 0, different parameter sets μ0 to 4 allow 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Thus, for slot configuration 0 and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols per slot and 2 per subframe. μ time slots. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are functions of the parameter set. The subcarrier spacing can be equal to 2 μ *15 kilohertz (kHz), where μ is parameter set 0 to 4. Therefore, the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=0 is 15 kHz, and the subcarrier spacing for parameter set μ=4 is 240 kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D An example of a slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and a parameter set μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe is provided. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 microseconds (μs). Within a frame set, there may be one or more different bandwidth parts (BWPs) that are frequency-division multiplexed (see Figure 2B ). Each BWP can have a specific set of parameters.

[0059] A resource grid may be used to represent the frame structure. Each slot includes a resource block (RB) (also referred to as a physical RB (PRB)) extending over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into a number of resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0060] like Figure 2AAs illustrated, some REs carry at least one pilot signal for the UE, such as a reference signal (RS). Broadly speaking, RSs may be used for beam training and management, tracking and positioning, channel estimation, and / or other such purposes. In some configurations, the RSs may include at least one demodulation RS (DM-RS) (indicated as R for a particular configuration) for channel estimation at the UE. x , where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and / or at least one channel state information (CSI) RS (CSI-RS). In some other configurations, the RS may additionally or alternatively include at least one beam measurement (or management) RS (BRS), at least one beam refinement RS (BRRS) and / or at least one phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0061] Figure 2B Examples of various downlink channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE includes nine RE groups (REGs), and each REG includes four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The PDCCH within one BWP may be referred to as a control resource set (CORESET). Additional BWPs may be located at higher and / or lower frequencies across the channel bandwidth. The primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be within symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. UEs (such as Figure 1 The UE 104 may use the PSS to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) may be in symbol 4 of a particular subframe of the frame. Figure 1 The UE 104) can use the SSS to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and the radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the position of the aforementioned DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block (also referred to as an SS block (SSB)). The MIB provides the system frame number (SFN) and the number of RBs in the system bandwidth. The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information such as system information blocks (SIBs) that are not sent via the PBCH, and paging messages.

[0062] like Figure 2CAs illustrated, some of the REs carry DM-RS (indicated as R for a particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE may send a DM-RS for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and a DM-RS for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS may be sent in the first or first two symbols of the PUSCH. Depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and depending on the specific PUCCH format used, the PUCCH DM-RS may be sent in different configurations. The UE may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be sent in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the teeth of the comb. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the uplink.

[0063] Figure 2D Examples of various uplink channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH may be located at a position as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), which may include a scheduling request (SR), a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a rank indicator (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) / negative acknowledgement (NACK) feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0064] Figure 33 is a block diagram of a base station 310 in an access network 300 communicating with a UE 350. In the downlink, IP packets from the EPC 160 may be provided to a controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 2 (L2) and layer 3 (L3) functionality. The L3 includes an RRC layer, and the L2 includes a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, an RLC layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0065] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and the receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 (L1) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The L1 including the physical (PHY) layer may include error detection of transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-order phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-order quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols may then be divided into parallel streams. Subsequently, each stream may be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., a pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially pre-coded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. Channel estimates may be derived from reference signals and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 350. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX may modulate a radio frequency (RF) carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0066] At the UE 350, each receiver 354RX receives a signal through at least one corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to a receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement L1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for the UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 350, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the RX processor 356. The RX processor 356 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point sent by the base station 310. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator 358. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent on the physical channel by the base station 310. The data and control signals are then provided to a controller / processor 359, which implements L3 and L2 functionality.

[0067] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the uplink, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the EPC 160. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and / or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

[0068] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions performed by the base station 310, the controller / processor 359 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0069] The TX processor 368 may use channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 from a reference signal or feedback sent by the base station 310 to select appropriate coding and modulation schemes and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0070] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver functionality at the UE 350. Each receiver 318RX receives a signal through at least one corresponding antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to a RX processor 370.

[0071] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer readable medium. In the uplink, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 350. The IP packets from the controller / processor 375 may be provided to the EPC 160. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0072] In some aspects, at least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 may be configured to: perform Figure 1 Message 198 and various aspects of the UE handover described in conjunction with each other.

[0073] Figure 4 4 is a call flow diagram of an example procedure 400 for handover of a UE 404 during NTN to NTN mobility. The UE 404 may synchronize 422 with the source cell 402a, such as by acquiring a MIB and / or one or more SIBs transmitted (e.g., broadcast) in the source cell 402a and / or by performing a RACH procedure with the source cell 402a. However, at this point, the source cell 402a may lack sufficient information to discern the location of the UE 404.

[0074] Thus, the source cell 402a may send a UE location request 426 to the UE 404. In response to the UE location request 426, the UE 404 may respond with a UE location 428 of the UE 404. Based on the received UE location 428, the source cell 402a may calculate a mapped cell ID 430 and a tracking area identifier (TAI) 432. The source cell 402a may send the mapped cell ID 430 and the TAI 432 to the core network 406. The core network 406 may use the mapped cell ID 430 and the TAI 432 to perform paging optimization related to paging the UE 404.

[0075] At some point, UE mobility may occur, during which the UE may be moving outside the coverage area of ​​the source cell 402a and into the coverage area of ​​the target cell 402b. Therefore, the source cell 402a may send a handover request 440 to the target cell 402b. Based on the handover request 440, the source cell 402a and the target cell 402b may perform a handover procedure for the UE 404 from the source cell 402a to the target cell 402b.

[0076] After the handover, the target cell 402b may not know the UE location of the UE 404. Therefore, the target cell 402b may send a UE location request 442 to the UE 404. The UE 404 may respond to the UE location request 442 with another UE location 444, which may be updated from an earlier UE location 428 due to UE mobility of the UE 404.

[0077] Target cell 402b may receive UE location 444 and, similar to source cell 402a, may calculate mapped cell ID 446 and TAI 448, which may be updated from mapped cell ID 430 and TAI 432, respectively, due to UE mobility. Target cell 402b may send mapped cell ID 446 and TAI 448 to core network 406.

[0078] exist Figure 4 In the context of , when a UE is attached to an NTN cell, the tracking area code (TAC) and paging for the UE may depend on the UE location. Therefore, the mapped cell ID and / or TAI for the UE may be transmitted by the cell to the core network. During UE mobility (e.g., via an Xn interface or an NG interface), the target cell when the UE is handed over may not know the UE location. Therefore, the target cell will not be able to transmit the mapped cell ID and TAI to the core during the handover execution. The target cell will then have to request and receive the UE location from the UE after the handover procedure is completed, and transmit the updated mapped cell ID and / or TAI to the core network. Figure 5 and Figure 6 Illustrated Figure 4 Some alternatives to the example procedure 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 that may be more efficient in terms of signaling and latency.

[0079] Figure 5 5 is a call flow diagram of another example procedure 500 for handover of a UE 504 during NTN to NTN mobility. The UE 504 may be connected to a source cell 502a, for example, the UE 504 may operate in an RRC connected state with the source cell 502a. The UE 504 may send a UE location 522 of the UE 504 to the source cell 502a. Further, the source cell 502a may send the UE location 522 to the core network 506. UE mobility may occur due to UE movement or NTN cell movement.

[0080] This UE mobility may trigger a handover procedure from the source cell 502a to the target cell 502b, which may include the source cell 502a sending a handover request to the target cell 502b. In one aspect, the source cell 502a may send a handover request 530 including the UE location 522. In another aspect, the source cell 502a may send a handover request 532 including a mapped cell ID and a TAI associated with the UE 504. The target cell 502b may receive one of the sent handover request 530 including the UE location 522 or the handover request 532 including the mapped cell ID and the TAI, and thus the target cell 502b may know the UE location 522 or the mapped cell ID and the TAI, respectively, before the handover procedure is completed and / or without requesting the UE location from the UE 504.

[0081] The target cell 502b may send a handover response 534 to the source cell 502a. The UE 504 may detach from the source cell 502a and may synchronize 536 with the target cell 502b, such as by performing a RACH procedure (e.g., a contention-free RACH procedure). The target cell 502b may send a path switch request 540 associated with the UE 504 to the core network 506. The path switch request 540 may include a mapped cell ID and a TAI associated with the UE 504, which may have been received in the handover request 532 or may have been determined (e.g., calculated, estimated, etc.) by the target cell 502b based on the UE location 522 included in the handover request 530. Therefore, both the target cell 502b and the core network 506 may have sufficient information about the location of the UE 504 so that the handover procedure may be performed and the UE 504 may be tracked, paged, etc. without the UE 504 sending location information and without the target cell 502b requesting the UE location.

[0082] Figure 6 6 is a call flow diagram of yet another example procedure 600 for handover of a UE 604 during NTN to NTN mobility. The UE 604 may be connected to a source cell 602a, for example, the UE 604 may operate in an RRC connected state with the source cell 602a. The UE 604 may send a UE location 622 of the UE 604 to the source cell 602a. Further, the source cell 602a may send the UE location 622 to the core network 606. UE mobility may occur due to UE movement or NTN cell movement.

[0083] This UE mobility may trigger a handover procedure from the source cell 602a to the target cell 602b, which may be facilitated by the core network 606. Thus, the source cell 602a may send a handover request message to the core network 606, and based on the handover request message, the target cell 602b may receive a handover request from the core network 606.

[0084] In some aspects, the source cell 602a may send a handover request message 630 including the UE location 622 to the core network 606. In such aspects, the target cell 602b may receive a handover request 632 including the UE location 622 from the core network 606. Thus, the target cell 602b may know the UE location 622 of the UE 604 (from which a mapped cell ID and TAI of the UE 604 may be calculated) before the handover procedure is completed and / or without requesting the UE location from the UE 604.

[0085] On the other hand, the source cell 602a may send a handover request message 640 including a mapped cell ID and a TAI associated with the UE 604 to the core network 606. The target cell 602b may receive a handover request 642 including the mapped cell ID and the TAI from the core network 606. Thus, the target cell 602b may know the mapped cell ID and the TAI of the UE 604 before the handover procedure is completed and / or without requesting the UE location from the UE 604.

[0086] The target cell 602b may send a handover response 646 to the core network 606. Based on the handover response 646, the source cell 602a may receive a handover command 648 from the core network 606. The UE 604 may detach from the source cell 602a and may synchronize 650 with the target cell 602b, such as by performing a RACH procedure (e.g., a contention-free RACH procedure). The target cell 602b may send a handover notification message 652 to the core network 606. The handover notification message 652 may include a mapped cell ID and a TAI associated with the UE 604, which may have been included in the handover request message 640 sent by the source cell 602a to the core network 606, and included in the handover request 642 received by the target cell 602b from the core network 606. In some aspects where the handover request message 630 and the handover request 632 include the UE location 622 of the UE 604, the target cell 602b may determine (e.g., calculate, estimate, etc.) a mapped cell ID and TAI for the UE 604 based on the UE location 622. Thus, both the target cell 602b and the core network 606 may have sufficient information about the location of the UE 604 so that the handover procedure may be performed and the UE 604 may be tracked, paged, etc. without the UE 604 sending location information and without the target cell 602b requesting the UE location.

[0087] Figure 7 700 is a flow chart of a method of wireless communication. The method 700 may be performed by or at a UE (e.g., UE 104, 350, 504), another wireless communication device, or one or more components thereof. According to various aspects, one or more of the illustrated blocks of the method 700 may be omitted, swapped, and / or performed simultaneously.

[0088] At operation 702, the UE may be configured to send location information associated with the UE to a source NTN entity. In some aspects, the location information includes at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0089] exist Figure 5 In the context of , operation 702 may be illustrated by UE 504 sending UE location 522 to source cell 502a. Figure 6 In the context of , operation 702 may be illustrated by UE 604 sending UE location 622 to source cell 602a.

[0090] At operation 704, the UE may be configured to perform a handover procedure from the source NTN entity to the target NTN entity after sending the location information to the source NTN entity.

[0091] exist Figure 5In the context of , operation 704 may be illustrated by the UE 504 handing over from the source cell 502a to the target cell 502b, and the UE 504 may synchronize 536 with the target cell 502b.

[0092] exist Figure 6 In the context of , operation 704 may be illustrated by a UE 604 handing over from a source cell 602a to a target cell 602b, and the UE 604 may synchronize 650 with the target cell 602b.

[0093] At operation 706, the UE may be configured to refrain from sending location information to the target NTN entity before the handover procedure is completed.

[0094] exist Figure 5 In the context of , operation 706 may be illustrated by UE 504 refraining from sending UE location information to target cell 502b while synchronizing 536 with target cell 502b, for example, after handover from source cell 502a. Figure 6 In the context of , operation 706 may be illustrated by the UE 604 refraining from sending UE location information to the target cell 602b while synchronizing 650 with the target cell 602b, for example, after handover from the source cell 602a.

[0095] Figure 8 800 is a flow chart of a method 800 of wireless communication. The method 800 may be performed or performed at a network entity (e.g., base station 102 / 180, 310; source cell 502a, 602a), another wireless communication device, or one or more components thereof. For example, the method 800 may be performed or performed at a source NTN entity. According to various aspects, one or more of the illustrated blocks may be omitted, swapped, and / or performed concurrently.

[0096] At operation 802, the source NTN entity may be configured to receive location information associated with a UE.

[0097] exist Figure 5 In the context of , operation 802 may be illustrated by the source cell 502a receiving the UE location 522 from the UE 504.

[0098] exist Figure 6 In the context of , operation 802 may be illustrated by a source cell 602a receiving a UE location 622 from a UE 604.

[0099] At operation 804, the source NTN entity may be configured to: send a message associated with the handover of the UE to the target NTN entity. The message may include information based on location information associated with the UE. In some aspects, the message includes a handover request sent to the target NTN entity via an Xn interface. In some aspects, the message may include a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE to the target NTN entity, and the source NTN entity may send the handover request message to the core network entity via an NG interface. In some aspects, the message may be included (1) in a source-to-target transparent container, or (2) outside the container for sensing the UE location at the core network. In some aspects, the information based on the location information may include at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0100] exist Figure 5 In the context of , operation 804 may be illustrated by source cell 502a sending to target cell 502b one of: a handover request 530 with a UE location, or a handover request 532 with a mapped cell ID and a tracking area identifier (TAI). A message associated with a handover of a UE to a target NTN entity.

[0101] exist Figure 6 In the context of , operation 804 may be illustrated by the source cell 602a sending to the core network 606 one of: a handover request message 630 with the UE location, or a handover request message 640 with mapped cell ID and TAI.

[0102] At operation 806, the source NTN entity may be configured to perform a handover of the UE. For example, the source NTN entity may handover the UE to the target NTN entity. In some aspects, the handover may be facilitated by the core network. When performing the handover of the UE, the source NTN entity may receive a handover response (e.g., from the target NTN entity when the handover is not assisted by the core network), or may receive a handover command (e.g., from the core network when the handover is assisted by the core network).

[0103] exist Figure 5 In the context of , operation 806 may be illustrated by the source cell 502a performing a handover of the UE 504 to the target cell 502b. For example, in response to one of the following: a handover request 530 with a UE location, or a handover request 532 with a mapped cell ID and TAI, the source cell 502a may receive a handover response 534 from the target cell 502b.

[0104] exist Figure 6In the context of , operation 806 may be illustrated by the source cell 602a performing a handover of the UE 604 to the target cell 602b via the core network 606. The source cell 602a may receive a handover command 648 from the core network 606 in response to one of: a handover request message 630 with the UE location, or a handover request message 640 with a mapped cell ID and TAI.

[0105] Fig. 9 900 is a flow chart of a method 900 for wireless communication. The method 900 may be performed or performed at a network entity (e.g., a base station 92 / 180, 310), another wireless communication device, or one or more components thereof. For example, the method 900 may be performed or performed at a target NTN entity. According to various aspects, one or more of the illustrated blocks may be omitted, swapped, and / or performed concurrently.

[0106] At operation 902, the target NTN entity may be configured to: receive a message associated with a handover of a UE from a source NTN entity, and the message may indicate location information associated with the UE. In some aspects, the message includes a handover request received from the source NTN entity via an Xn interface. In some aspects, the message includes a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE from the source NTN entity, and the handover request message may be received from a core network entity via an NG interface. In some aspects, the message may be included (1) in a source-to-target transparent container, or (2) outside of the container for sensing a UE location located at the core network. In some aspects, the location information includes at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0107] exist Figure 5 In the context of , operation 902 may be illustrated by the target cell 502b receiving a message associated with a handover of the UE 504 from the source cell 502a. The message may be a handover request 530 received from the source cell 502a including the UE location 522, or the message may be a handover request 532 received from the source cell 502a including a mapped cell ID and a TAI associated with the UE 504. Figure 6 In the context of , operation 902 may be illustrated by the target cell 602b receiving a handover request 632 or a handover request 642 from the core network 606 indicating at least one of a UE location 622, a mapped cell ID, or a TAI associated with the UE 604.

[0108] At operation 904, the target NTN entity may be configured to perform handover of the UE without requesting location information from the UE. For example, the target NTN entity may be configured to send a handover response based on the received handover request.

[0109] In some aspects, the target NTN entity may be further configured to: calculate at least one of a mapped cell identifier or a TAI based on location information associated with the UE; and send a handover notification to the core network entity, the handover notification indicating at least one of the mapped cell identifier or the tracking area identifier. Thus, the target NTN entity may have the location of the UE without receiving an indication of the UE location from the UE after a handover procedure of the UE.

[0110] exist Figure 5 In the context of , operation 904 may be illustrated by the target cell 502b performing a handover of the UE 504 from the source cell 502a 5. Based on the handover request 530 including the UE location 522 or the handover request 532 including the mapped cell ID and the TAI associated with the UE 504, the target cell 502b may send a handover response to the source cell 502a. Further, the target cell 502b may send a path switch request 540 including the mapped cell ID and the TAI to the core network 506. Figure 6 In the context of , operation 904 may be illustrated by the target cell 602b sending a handover response 646 and a handover notification message 652 to the core network 606, the handover notification message including a mapped cell ID and / or a TAI for the UE 604.

[0111] Fig.10 1 is a diagram 1000 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 1002. The apparatus 1002 may be a UE or similar device, or the apparatus 1002 may be a component of a UE or similar device. The apparatus 1002 may include a cellular baseband processor 1004 (also referred to as a modem) and / or a cellular RF transceiver 1022, which may be coupled together and / or integrated into the same package, component, circuit, chip, and / or other circuitry.

[0112] In some aspects, the device 1002 may accommodate or include one or more subscriber identity module (SIM) cards 1020, which may include one or more integrated circuits, chips, or similar circuits, and may be removable or embedded. One or more SIM cards 1020 may carry identification and / or authentication information, such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and / or IMSI-related keys. Further, the device 1002 may include one or more of an application processor 1006 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 1008 and a screen 1010, a Bluetooth module 1012, a wireless local area network (WLAN) module 1014, a global positioning system (GPS) module 1016, and / or a power source 1018.

[0113] The cellular baseband processor 1004 communicates with the UE 104 and / or the base station 102 / 180 via the cellular RF transceiver 1022. The cellular baseband processor 1004 may include a computer-readable medium / memory. The computer-readable medium / memory may be non-transitory. The cellular baseband processor 1004 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on a computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the cellular baseband processor 1004, enables the cellular baseband processor 1004 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the cellular baseband processor 1004 when executing the software. The cellular baseband processor 1004 further includes a receiving component 1030, a communication manager 1032, and a sending component 1034. The communication manager 1032 includes one or more of the illustrated components. The components within the communication manager 1032 may be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the cellular baseband processor 1004.

[0114] exist Figure 3 In the context of , the cellular baseband processor 1004 may be a component of the UE 350 and may include a memory 360 and / or at least one of the following: a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and / or a controller / processor 359. In one configuration, the device 1002 may be a modem chip and / or may be implemented as the baseband processor 1004, while in another configuration, the device 1002 may be the entire UE (e.g., Figure 3 UE 350) and may include some or all of the above components, circuits, chips, and / or other circuits exemplified in the context of device 1002. In one configuration, the cellular RF transceiver 1022 may be implemented as at least one of a transmitter 354TX and / or a receiver 354RX.

[0115] The receiving component 1030 may be configured to receive signaling on a wireless channel, such as signaling from a base station 102 / 180 or a UE 104. The sending component 1034 may be configured to send signaling on a wireless channel, such as signaling to a base station 102 / 180 or a UE 104. The communication manager 1032 may coordinate or manage some or all wireless communications by the apparatus 1002, including wireless communications across the receiving component 1030 and the sending component 1034.

[0116] Receiving component 1030 can provide some or all data and / or control information included in received signaling to communications manager 1032, and communications manager 1032 can generate and provide some or all data and / or control information to be included in transmitted signaling to transmitting component 1034. Communications manager 1032 can include various illustrated components, including one or more components configured to process received data and / or control information and / or one or more components configured to generate data and / or control information for transmission.

[0117] The communication manager 1032 may include a location component 1040 and a handover component 1042. The location component 1040 may be configured to determine a location (e.g., geographic location) of the device 1002. The sending component 1034 may be configured to send location information associated with the device 1002 to the source NTN entity 102 / 180, for example, as described in conjunction with Figure 7 As described in 702. In some aspects, the location information includes at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0118] The handover component 1042 may be configured to, after sending the location information to the source NTN entity 102 / 180, perform a handover procedure from the source NTN entity 102 / 180 to the target NTN entity 102' / 180', for example, in conjunction with Figure 7 As described in 704.

[0119] The sending component 1034 may be configured to avoid sending the location information to the target NTN entity 102' / 180' before the handover procedure is completed, for example, in conjunction with Figure 7 706 described.

[0120] The apparatus 1002 may include executing Figures 4 to 7 The foregoing call flow diagrams and / or the blocks, operations, signaling, etc. of the algorithms in the flow diagrams may be additional components of some or all of the above. Figures 4 to 7 Some or all of the blocks, operations, signaling, etc. in the aforementioned call flow diagrams and / or flow diagrams may be performed by one or more components, and the device 1002 may include one or more such components. These components may be one or more hardware components that are specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium so as to be implemented by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0121] In one configuration, the apparatus 1002 (particularly the cellular baseband processor 1004) includes: a component for sending location information associated with the UE to a source NTN entity; a component for performing a handover procedure from the source NTN entity to a target NTN entity after sending the location information to the source NTN entity; and a component for avoiding sending the location information to the target NTN entity before the handover procedure is completed.

[0122] In one configuration, the location information includes at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0123] The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the apparatus 1002 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. As described above, the apparatus 1002 may include a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0124] Fig.11 1 is a diagram 1100 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 1102. The apparatus 1102 may be a base station or similar device or system, or the apparatus 1102 may be a component of a base station or similar device or system. The apparatus 1102 may include a baseband unit 1104. The baseband unit 1104 may communicate via a cellular RF transceiver. For example, the baseband unit 1104 may communicate with the UE 104 (such as for downlink and / or uplink communications) and / or communicate with the base station 102 / 180 (such as for IAB) via the cellular RF transceiver.

[0125] The baseband unit 1104 may include a computer-readable medium / memory that may be non-transitory. The baseband unit 1104 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the baseband unit 1104, enables the baseband unit 1104 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the baseband unit 1104 when executing the software. The baseband unit 1104 further includes a receiving component 1130, a communication manager 1132, and a sending component 1134. The communication manager 1132 includes one or more of the illustrated components. The components within the communication manager 1132 may be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the baseband unit 1104. The baseband unit 1104 may be a component of the base station 310 and may include a memory 376 and / or at least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375.

[0126] The receiving component 1130 may be configured to receive signaling on a wireless channel, such as signaling from the UE 104 or the base station 102 / 180. The sending component 1134 may be configured to send signaling on a wireless channel, such as signaling to the UE 104 or the base station 102 / 180. The communication manager 1132 may coordinate or manage some or all wireless communications performed by the device 1102, including wireless communications across the receiving component 1130 and the sending component 1134.

[0127] The receiving component 1130 may provide some or all of the data and / or control information included in the received signaling to the communication manager 1132, and the communication manager 1132 may generate and provide some or all of the data and / or control information to be included in the transmitted signaling to the transmitting component 1134. The communication manager 1132 may include various illustrated components, including one or more components configured to process the received data and / or control information and / or one or more components configured to generate data and / or control information for transmission. In some aspects, the generation of the data and / or control information may include packetizing or otherwise reformatting the data and / or control information received from the core network (such as the core network 190 or the EPC 160) for transmission.

[0128] The communication manager 1132 may include a UE location component 1140 and a handover component 1142. The receiving component 1130 may be configured to receive location information associated with the UE 104, for example, as described in conjunction with Figure 8 As described in 802.

[0129] The sending component 1134 may be configured to send a message associated with the handover of the UE 104 to the target NTN entity 102' / 180', for example, in conjunction with Figure 8 804. The UE location component 1140 can derive the location of the UE 104 from the received location information, and the location component 1140 can generate a message associated with the handover of the UE 104 so that the message can include information based on the location information associated with the UE 104.

[0130] In some aspects, the message includes a handover request sent to the target NTN entity 102' / 180' via an Xn interface. In some aspects, the message may include a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE 104 to the target NTN entity 102' / 180', and the sending component 1134 may send the handover request message to the core network entity via an NG interface. In some aspects, the message may be included in a source-to-target transparent container, or included outside of the container for sensing the UE location at the core network. In some aspects, the information based on the location information may include at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0131] The handover component 1142 may be configured to perform a handover of the UE 104. For example, the source NTN entity may handover the UE 104 to the target NTN entity 102' / 180'. In some aspects, the handover may be facilitated by the core network. When performing the handover of the UE 104, the handover component 1142 may receive a handover response (e.g., from the target NTN entity 102' / 180' when the handover is not assisted by the core network), or may receive a handover command (e.g., from the core network when the handover is assisted by the core network).

[0132] The device 1102 may include executing Figures 4 to 6 and / or Figure 8 The foregoing call flow diagrams and / or the blocks, operations, signaling, etc. of the algorithms in the flow diagrams may be additional components of some or all of the above. Figures 4 to 6 and / or Figure 8 Some or all of the blocks, operations, signaling, etc. in the aforementioned call flow diagrams and / or flow diagrams may be performed by components, and the device 1102 may include one or more of those components. These components may be one or more hardware components that are specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium so as to be implemented by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0133] In one configuration, the apparatus 1102 (particularly the baseband unit 1104) includes: a component for receiving UE location information associated with the UE; and a component for sending a message associated with the handover of the UE to the target NTN entity, and the message includes information based on the UE location information for the handover of the UE.

[0134] In one configuration, the message comprises a handover request sent to the target NTN entity over the Xn interface.

[0135] In one configuration, the message includes a handover request message associated with a handover of the UE to a target NTN entity, and the handover request message is sent to the core network entity over the NG interface.

[0136] In one configuration, the message includes UE location information, which is in a source-to-target transparent container or outside the container for sensing the UE location at the core network.

[0137] In one configuration, the information based on the location information includes at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0138] The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the apparatus 1102 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. As described above, the apparatus 1102 may include the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0139] Fig.12 1 is a diagram 1200 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 1202. The apparatus 1202 may be a base station or similar device or system, or the apparatus 1202 may be a component of a base station or similar device or system. The apparatus 1202 may include a baseband unit 1204. The baseband unit 1204 may communicate via a cellular RF transceiver. For example, the baseband unit 1204 may communicate with the UE 104 (such as for downlink and / or uplink communications) and / or communicate with the base station 102 / 180 (such as for IAB) via the cellular RF transceiver.

[0140] The baseband unit 1204 may include a computer-readable medium / memory that may be non-transitory. The baseband unit 1204 is responsible for general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the baseband unit 1204, enables the baseband unit 1204 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the baseband unit 1204 when executing the software. The baseband unit 1204 further includes a receiving component 1230, a communication manager 1232, and a sending component 1234. The communication manager 1232 includes one or more of the illustrated components. The components within the communication manager 1232 may be stored in a computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the baseband unit 1204. The baseband unit 1204 may be a component of the base station 310 and may include a memory 376 and / or at least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375.

[0141] The receiving component 1230 may be configured to receive signaling on a wireless channel, such as signaling from a UE 104 or a base station 102 / 180. The sending component 1234 may be configured to send signaling on a wireless channel, such as signaling to a UE 104 or a base station 102 / 180. The communication manager 1232 may coordinate or manage some or all wireless communications by the apparatus 1202, including across the receiving component 1230 and the sending component 1234.

[0142] The receiving component 1230 may provide some or all of the data and / or control information included in the received signaling to the communication manager 1232, and the communication manager 1232 may generate and provide some or all of the data and / or control information to be included in the transmitted signaling to the transmitting component 1234. The communication manager 1232 may include various illustrated components, including one or more components configured to process the received data and / or control information and / or one or more components configured to generate data and / or control information for transmission. In some aspects, the generation of the data and / or control information may include packetizing or otherwise reformatting the data and / or control information received from the core network (such as the core network 190 or the EPC 160) for transmission.

[0143] The communication manager 1232 includes a UE location component 1240 and a handover component 1242. The receiving component 1230 may be configured to receive a message associated with the handover of the UE 104 from the source NTN entity 102 / 180, and the message may indicate location information associated with the UE, for example, as described in conjunction with Fig. 9 902 described. The UE location component 1240 can derive the location (e.g., geographic location) of the UE 104 from the received message. In some aspects, the message includes a handover request received from the source NTN entity 102 / 180 via an Xn interface. In some aspects, the message includes a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE 104 from the source NTN entity 102 / 180, and the handover request message can be received from the core network entity via an NG interface. In some aspects, the message can be included in a source-to-target transparent container, or included outside the container, for sensing the UE location at the core network. In some aspects, the location information includes at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0144] The handover component 1242 can be configured to perform a handover of the UE 104 without requesting location information from the UE 104, for example, as described in conjunction with Fig. 9 As described in 904. For example, the handover component 1242 can be configured to: send a handover response based on the received handover request.

[0145] In some aspects, the UE location component 1240 can be further configured to: calculate at least one of a mapped cell identifier or a TAI based on location information associated with the UE; and the handover component 1242 can be further configured to: send a handover notification to a core network entity, the handover notification indicating at least one of a mapped cell identifier or a tracking area identifier. Thus, the UE location component 1240 can have the location of the UE 104 without receiving an indication of the UE location from the UE 104 after a handover procedure of the UE 104.

[0146] The device 1202 may include executing Figures 4 to 6 and / or Fig. 9 The foregoing call flow diagrams and / or the blocks, operations, signaling, etc. of the algorithms in the flow diagrams may be additional components of some or all of the above. Figures 4 to 6 and / or Fig. 9 Some or all of the blocks, operations, signaling, etc. in the aforementioned call flow diagrams and / or flow diagrams may be performed by components, and the apparatus 1202 may include one or more of those components. These components may be one or more hardware components that are specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium so as to be implemented by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0147] In one configuration, the apparatus 1202 (particularly the baseband unit 1204) includes: a component for receiving a message associated with a handover of a UE from a source NTN entity, and the message indicates UE location information associated with the UE; and a component for performing the handover of the UE without requesting the UE location information from the UE.

[0148] In one configuration, the message includes a handover request received from a source NTN entity over an Xn interface.

[0149] In one configuration, the message comprises a handover request message associated with a handover of the UE from a source NTN entity, and the handover request message is received from a core network entity over a NG interface.

[0150] In one configuration, the message includes UE location information, which is in a source-to-target transparent container or outside the container for sensing the UE location at the core network.

[0151] In one configuration, the UE location information includes at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0152] In one configuration, the device 1202 (in particular, the baseband unit 1204) may further include: a component for calculating a mapped cell identifier or at least one of the tracking area identifiers based on UE location information associated with the UE received during handover preparation; and a component for sending a handover notification to a core network entity, the handover notification indicating at least one of the mapped cell identifier or the tracking area identifier.

[0153] The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the apparatus 1202 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. As described above, the apparatus 1202 may include the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375. Therefore, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

[0154] The specific order or hierarchy of each frame or operation in each of the above-mentioned processes, flow charts and other diagrams disclosed herein is an illustration of an example method. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of frames or operations in each of these processes, flow charts and other diagrams can be rearranged, omitted and / or performed concurrently without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, some frames or operations can be combined or omitted. The attached method claims present the elements of various frames or operations in an example order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0155] The following examples are merely illustrative and may be combined with aspects of other embodiments or teachings described herein, but are not limited thereto.

[0156] Embodiment 1 is a device located at a UE, the device being configured to: send location information associated with the UE to a source NTN entity; after sending the location information to the source NTN entity, perform a handover procedure from the source NTN entity to a target NTN entity; and avoid sending the location information to the target NTN entity before the handover procedure is completed.

[0157] Embodiment 2 may be the apparatus according to embodiment 1, and the location information includes at least one of a UE location, a mapping cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0158] Embodiment 3 is a device located at a source NTN entity, the device being configured to: receive UE location information associated with a UE; send a message associated with a handover of the UE to a target NTN entity, and the message includes information based on the UE location information; and perform the handover of the UE.

[0159] Embodiment 4 may be the apparatus according to embodiment 3, and the message includes a handover request sent to the target NTN entity through an Xn interface.

[0160] Embodiment 5 may be the apparatus according to embodiment 3, and the message includes a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE to the target NTN entity, and the handover request message is sent to the core network entity through the NG interface.

[0161] Embodiment 6 may be an apparatus according to embodiment 5, and the message includes the UE location information, and the UE location information is in a source-to-target transparent container, or is outside the container, for sensing the UE location at the core network.

[0162] Embodiment 7 may be the apparatus according to embodiment 3, and the information based on the UE location information includes at least one of a UE location, a mapping cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0163] Embodiment 8 is an apparatus located at a target NTN entity, the apparatus being configured to: receive a message associated with handover of a UE from a source NTN entity, the message indicating UE location information associated with the UE; and perform handover of the UE without requesting the UE location information from the UE.

[0164] Embodiment 9 may be the apparatus according to embodiment 8, and the message includes a handover request received from the source NTN entity through an Xn interface.

[0165] Embodiment 10 may be the apparatus according to embodiment 8, and the message includes a handover request message associated with handover of the UE from the source NTN entity, and the handover request message is received from a core network entity through an NG interface.

[0166] Embodiment 11 may be an apparatus according to embodiment 10, and the message includes the UE location information, and the UE location information is in a source-to-target transparent container, or is outside the container, for sensing the UE location at the core network.

[0167] Embodiment 12 may be the apparatus according to embodiment 10, and the UE location information includes at least one of a UE location, a mapping cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

[0168] Embodiment 13 may be an apparatus according to embodiment 12, and the apparatus is further configured to: calculate at least one of the mapped cell identifier or the tracking area identifier based on the UE location information associated with the UE received during handover preparation; and send a handover notification to the core network entity, the handover notification indicating the at least one of the mapped cell identifier or the tracking area identifier.

[0169] The previous description is provided to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but should be given the full scope consistent with the language. Therefore, the language employed herein is not intended to limit the scope of the claims to only those aspects shown herein, but should be given the full scope consistent with the language of the claims.

[0170] As an example, the language "determine" may encompass a wide variety of actions and, therefore, may not be limited to the concepts and aspects explicitly described or illustrated by the present disclosure. In some contexts, "determine" may include calculating, computing, processing, measuring, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, database, or another data structure), ascertaining, resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like. In some other contexts, "determining" may include communication and / or memory operations / processes such as "receiving" (e.g., receiving information), "accessing" (e.g., accessing data in a memory), "detecting," and the like by obtaining information or values.

[0171] As another example, reference to a singular element is not intended to mean "there is and only one" (unless otherwise specifically stated), but "one or more". In addition, terms such as "if", "when ..." and "when ..." should be interpreted as meaning "under ..." conditions, rather than implying a direct temporal relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases (e.g., "when ...") do not imply an immediate action in response to the occurrence of an action or event or during the occurrence of an action or event, but imply that another action or event will occur if a condition is met, without requiring a specific or immediate time constraint or direct correlation for the occurrence of the other action or event. The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "used as an example, instance, or illustration". Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily interpreted as being preferred or having an advantage over other aspects. Unless otherwise specified, the term "some" refers to one or more. Combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and / or C, and may include multiple A, multiple B, or multiple C. Specifically, combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” may be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combination may include one or more members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout the disclosure that are known or later become known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be disclosed to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. Words such as "module," "mechanism," "element," "device," etc. cannot replace the word "component." Thus, no claim element will be construed as part-plus-function unless the element is explicitly stated using the phrase "component for..."

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: sending location information associated with the UE to a source non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity; After sending the location information to the source NTN entity, performing a handover procedure from the source NTN entity to a target NTN entity; as well as Before the handover procedure is completed, avoiding sending the location information to the target NTN entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

3. A method of wireless communication at a source non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity, the method comprising: receiving UE location information associated with a user equipment (UE); A message associated with the handover of the UE is sent to a target NTN entity, wherein the message includes information based on the UE location information for the handover of the UE.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the message comprises a handover request sent to the target NTN entity over an Xn interface.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the message comprises a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE to the target NTN entity, wherein the handover request message is sent to a core network entity over an NG interface.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the message includes the UE location information, and the UE location information is in a source-to-target transparent container or outside the container for sensing the UE location at the core network.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the information based on the location information comprises at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

8. A method for wireless communication at a target non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity, the method comprising: receiving a message associated with a handover of a user equipment (UE) from a source NTN entity, wherein the message indicates UE location information associated with the UE; as well as A handover of the UE is performed without requesting the UE location information from the UE.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the message comprises a handover request received from the source NTN entity over an Xn interface.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the message comprises a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE from the source NTN entity, wherein the handover request message is received from a core network entity over a NG interface.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the message includes the UE location information, and the UE location information is in a source-to-target transparent container or outside the container for sensing the UE location at the core network.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the UE location information comprises at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: calculating at least one of the mapped cell identifier or the tracking area identifier based on the UE location information associated with the UE received during handover preparation; as well as A handover notification is sent to the core network entity, the handover notification indicating the at least one of the mapped cell identifier or the tracking area identifier.

14. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: Memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: sending location information associated with the UE to a source non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity; After sending the location information to the source NTN entity, performing a handover procedure from the source NTN entity to a target NTN entity; as well as Before the handover procedure is completed, avoiding sending the location information to the target NTN entity.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the location information comprises at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

16. An apparatus for wireless communication at a source non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity, the apparatus comprising: Memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: receiving UE location information associated with a user equipment (UE); sending a message associated with the handover of the UE to a target NTN entity, wherein the message includes information based on the location information of the UE; as well as Performing a handover of the UE.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the message comprises a handover request sent to the target NTN entity over an Xn interface.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the message comprises a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE to the target NTN entity, wherein the handover request message is sent to a core network entity over an NG interface.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the message includes the UE location information in a source-to-target transparent container.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the information based on the UE location information comprises at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

21. An apparatus for wireless communication at a target non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity, the apparatus comprising: Memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: receiving a message associated with a handover of a user equipment (UE) from a source NTN entity, wherein the message indicates UE location information associated with the UE; and A handover of the UE is performed without requesting the UE location information from the UE.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the message comprises a handover request received from the source NTN entity over an Xn interface.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the message comprises a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE from the source NTN entity, wherein the handover request message is received from a core network entity over a NG interface.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the message includes the UE location information, and the UE location information is in a source-to-target transparent container or outside the container for sensing the UE location at the core network.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the UE location information comprises at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: calculating at least one of the mapped cell identifier or the tracking area identifier based on the UE location information associated with the UE received during handover preparation; and A handover notification is sent to the core network entity, the handover notification indicating the at least one of the mapped cell identifier or the tracking area identifier.

27. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: means for sending location information associated with the UE to a source non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity; means for performing a handover procedure from the source NTN entity to a target NTN entity after sending the location information to the source NTN entity; and Means for avoiding sending said location information to said target NTN entity before said handover procedure is completed.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the location information comprises at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

29. An apparatus for wireless communication at a source non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving UE location information associated with a user equipment (UE); means for sending a message associated with the handover of the UE to a target NTN entity, wherein the message includes information based on the location information of the UE; and Means for performing handover of the UE.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the message comprises a handover request sent to the target NTN entity over an Xn interface.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the message comprises a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE to the target NTN entity, wherein the handover request message is sent to a core network entity over an NG interface.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the message includes the UE location information in a source-to-target transparent container.

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the information based on the UE location information comprises at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

34. An apparatus for wireless communication at a target non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving a message associated with a handover of a user equipment (UE) from a source NTN entity, wherein the message indicates UE location information associated with the UE; and Means for performing a handover of the UE without requesting the UE location information from the UE.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the message comprises a handover request received from the source NTN entity over an Xn interface.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the message comprises a handover request message associated with the handover of the UE from the source NTN entity, wherein the handover request message is received from a core network entity over a NG interface.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the message includes the UE location information, and the UE location information is in a source-to-target transparent container or outside the container for sensing the UE location at the core network.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the UE location information comprises at least one of a UE location, a mapped cell identifier, or a tracking area identifier.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising: means for calculating at least one of the mapped cell identifier or the tracking area identifier based on the UE location information associated with the UE received during handover preparation; and Means for sending a handover notification to the core network entity, the handover notification indicating the at least one of the mapped cell identifier or the tracking area identifier.

40. A computer readable medium storing computer executable code for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to: sending location information associated with the UE to a source non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity; After sending the location information to the source NTN entity, performing a handover procedure from the source NTN entity to a target NTN entity; and Before the handover procedure is completed, avoiding sending the location information to the target NTN entity.

41. A computer readable medium storing computer executable code for wireless communication at a source non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity, which when executed by a processor causes the processor to: receiving location information associated with a user equipment (UE); sending a message associated with handover of the UE to a target NTN entity, wherein the message includes information based on the location information; and Performing a handover of the UE.

42. A computer readable medium storing computer executable code for wireless communication at a target non-terrestrial network (NTN) entity, the code when executed by a processor causing the processor to: receiving a message associated with a handover of a user equipment (UE) from a source NTN entity, wherein the message indicates location information associated with the UE; and A handover of the UE is performed without requesting the location information from the UE.

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