Cell selection and reselection

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to cell selection and reselection. A terminal device may receive system information of a first cell from a network device in a radio network, where the system information provides one or more frequencies, a defined type of terminal device being allowed to access the one or more frequencies. The terminal device may determine, based at least on the system information, whether to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network whose frequency belongs to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network whose frequency does not belong to the provided one or more frequencies. In this way, cell selection and reselection for terminal devices of defined types can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the telecommunications field, and more specifically, to methods, apparatuses, devices, and computer-readable storage media for cell selection and reselection schemes. Background Technology

[0002] 3GPP has studied Reduced Capability (RedCap) terminal equipment to improve its complexity, coverage restoration, and terminal power savings. Better solutions are needed for cell selection and reselection for RedCap terminal equipment and other similar terminal equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Generally, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for performing cell selection and / or cell reselection for terminal devices in a radio network.

[0004] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions. When executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the terminal device to at least: receive system information of a first cell from a network device in a radio network, wherein the system information provides one or more frequencies, and a terminal device of a defined type is permitted to access the one or more frequencies; and, at least based on the system information, determine to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network that belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network that does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0005] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions. When executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the network device to at least: send system information of a first cell within a radio network to a terminal device, wherein the system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies, defining a type of terminal device permitted to access the one or more frequencies, so that the terminal device can determine whether to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network that belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network that does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method may include: at a terminal device, receiving system information of a first cell from a network device in a radio network, wherein the system information provides one or more frequencies, and a terminal device of a defined type is permitted to access the one or more frequencies; and, at least based on the system information, determining a second cell that selects or reselects frequencies within the radio network belonging to the one or more provided frequencies, or a third cell that selects or reselects frequencies within the radio network not belonging to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method may include: at a network device, sending system information of a first cell within a radio network to a terminal device, wherein the system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies, defining a type of terminal device permitted to access the one or more frequencies, so that the terminal device can determine whether to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network that belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network that does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus may include: components for receiving system information of a first cell from a network device in a radio network at a terminal device, wherein the system information provides one or more frequencies, and a terminal device of a defined type is permitted to access one or more frequencies; and components for determining, at least based on the system information, either a second cell in the radio network whose frequencies belong to the provided one or more frequencies, or a third cell in the radio network whose frequencies do not belong to the provided one or more frequencies.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus may include: components for transmitting system information of a first cell within a wireless network to a terminal device at a network device, wherein the system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies, defining a type of terminal device permitted to access one or more frequencies, so that the terminal device can determine whether to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network that belongs to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network that does not belong to the provided one or more frequencies.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, a computer program is provided. The computer program may include instructions. When executed by a device, the instructions cause the device to perform at least the method according to the third aspect.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, a computer program is provided. The computer program may include instructions. When executed by a device, the instructions cause the device to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided. This computer-readable medium may include program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the method according to any one of the third or fourth aspects above.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include receiving circuitry configured to receive system information of a first cell from a network device in a radio network, wherein the system information provides one or more frequencies, defining a type of terminal device permitted to access the one or more frequencies; and, at least based on the system information, to determine whether to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network whose frequencies belong to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network whose frequencies do not belong to the provided one or more frequencies.

[0014] In an eleventh aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include transmitting circuitry configured to transmit system information of a first cell within a radio network to a terminal device, wherein the system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies, defining a type of terminal device permitted to access the one or more frequencies, so that the terminal device can determine whether to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network that belongs to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network that does not belong to the provided one or more frequencies.

[0015] It should be understood that the summary portion of this disclosure is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments thereof, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 An example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown;

[0018] Figure 2 Example scenarios of cell selection and / or cell reselection in which terminal devices implementing embodiments of the present disclosure may be shown;

[0019] Figure 3 Signaling flows for communication according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown;

[0020] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to other embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 5A flowchart illustrating a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figure 6 A simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0023] Figure 7 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0026] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0027] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment needs to include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it can be assumed that its influence in conjunction with other embodiments is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art, whether explicitly described or not.

[0028] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0029] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording (where a list of two or more elements is combined by “and” or “or”) means at least one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0030] As used in this application, the term "circuit" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) Hardware-only implementation (e.g., implementation only in analog and / or digital circuits), and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry with software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor with software (including digital signal processors, software and memory, which work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions); (c) Hardware circuitry and / or processors, such as microprocessors or portions thereof, that require software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may be absent if it is not required for operation.

[0031] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application (including any claims). As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers implementations of hardware circuitry or processors (or processors) or a portion thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware. The term "circuit" also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0032] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that embody the future types of this disclosure. This disclosure should not be construed as limiting its scope to the aforementioned systems.

[0033] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device can refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio header (RRH), a repeater, or a low-power node (such as a femtosecond, picosecond, etc.).

[0034] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices can include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback facilities, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop-mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal equipment", "communication equipment", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

[0035] The identified use cases for 5G are enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC). Another identified area is time-sensitive communications (TSC). In particular, mMTC, URLLC, and TSC are associated with novel IoT use cases targeting vertical industries. It is conceivable that eMBB, mMTC, URLLC, and TSC use cases may all need to be supported within the same network.

[0036] In the 3GPP study on "Self-Assessment of IMT-2020 Submissions," it was confirmed that NB-IoT and LTE-MTC (also known as eMTC) meet the IMT-2020 requirements for mMTC and can be certified as 5G technologies. Regarding URLLC support, URLLC features were introduced in Release 15 for LTE and NR, and NR URLLC was further enhanced in Release 16 within the Enhanced URLLC (eURLLC) and Industrial IoT work projects. Release 16 also introduced support for Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and 5G integration for TSC use cases.

[0037] In addition to the use cases that have already been adequately addressed by the technologies mentioned, the following categories of medium-range use cases have been identified in which some NR enhancements can be inspired.

[0038] A key objective of 5G is to enable connected industries. 5G connectivity can be a catalyst for the next wave of industrial transformation and digitalization, improving flexibility, enhancing productivity and efficiency, reducing maintenance costs, and improving operational safety. Devices in such environments include, for example, pressure sensors, humidity sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, actuators, etc. It is expected that these sensors and actuators will be connected to the 5G radio access network and core network. The large-scale industrial wireless sensor network (IWSN) use cases and requirements described in TR 22.804, TS22.104, TR 22.832, and TS22.261 include not only URLLC services with very high requirements but also relatively low-end services that are entirely wireless with small device form factor requirements and / or several years of battery life. The requirements for these services are higher than LPWA (i.e., LTE-MTC / NB-IoT) but lower than URLLC and eMBB.

[0039] Similar to the connectivity industries, 5G connectivity can serve as a catalyst for the next wave of smart city innovation. As an example, TR 22.804 describes smart city use cases and their requirements. Smart cities vertically cover data collection and processing to more effectively monitor and control urban resources and provide services to city residents. In particular, the deployment of surveillance cameras is a crucial part of smart cities, but also an important part of factories and industries.

[0040] Finally, wearable use cases include smartwatches, eHealth-related devices, personal protective equipment (PPE), and medical monitoring devices for public safety applications. A characteristic of these use cases is the small size of the devices.

[0041] As a baseline, the requirements for these three use cases include general requirements in terms of device complexity, device size, and deployment scenarios, as well as use case-specific requirements for industrial wireless sensors, video surveillance, and wearable devices, as follows.

[0042] In terms of device complexity, the primary motivation for the new device type, compared to the high-end eMBB and URLLC devices of version 15 / 16, is to reduce device cost and complexity. This is especially true for industrial sensors.

[0043] In terms of device size, most use cases require a standard implementation of device design with a compact form factor.

[0044] In terms of deployment scenarios, the system should support all FR1 / FR2 frequency bands used for FDD and TDD.

[0045] For industrial wireless sensors, reference use cases and requirements are described in TR 22.832 and TS22.104: communication service availability is 99.99%, and end-to-end latency is less than 100ms. For all use cases, the reference bit rate is less than 2Mbps (potentially asymmetric, such as UL heavy traffic), and the device is stationary. The battery should last for at least several years. For safety-related sensors, the latency requirement is lower, 5-10ms (TR 22.804).

[0046] For video surveillance, as described in TR 22.804, the reference economic video bitrate will be 2-4 Mbps, latency <500 ms, and reliability 99%-99.9%. For example, high-end video for farming will require 7.5-25 Mbps. Note that the service model is dominated by UL transmission.

[0047] For wearable devices, the reference bit rate for smart wearable applications can be 5-50 Mbps in DL and 2-5 Mbps in UL, and the peak bit rate of the device may be even higher, up to 150 Mbps for downlink and up to 50 Mbps for uplink. The device's battery should last for several days (up to 1-2 weeks).

[0048] The RedCap research project documented in TR 38.875 has investigated techniques for reducing UE complexity, restoring coverage, and saving UE power for these use cases. The intent of this work project is to specify a list of UE features and parameters with lower-end capabilities relative to version 16eMBB and URLLC NR to serve the three use cases mentioned above.

[0049] This work project has the following objectives: I) Specify support for the following UE complexity reduction features [RAN1, RAN2, RAN4]: a) Reduced maximum UE bandwidth: The i.FR1 RedCap UE has a maximum bandwidth of 20MHz during and after initial access. ii.FR2 RedCap UE has a maximum bandwidth of 100MHz during and after initial access. b) Minimum number of Rx branches to be reduced: i. For frequency bands where traditional NR UEs require at least two Rx antenna ports, the minimum number of Rx branches supported by the specification for RedCap UEs is one. The specification also supports two Rx branches for RedCap UEs in these frequency bands. ii. For frequency bands requiring at least 4 Rx antenna ports for traditional NR UEs (excluding 2-Rx vehicle-mounted UEs), the minimum number of Rx branches supported by the specification for RedCap UEs is 1. The specification also supports 2 Rx branches for RedCap UEs in these frequency bands. iii. A means by which the gNB can know the number of Rx branches of the UE should be specified. c) Maximum number of DL MIMO layers: i. For RedCap UE with one Rx branch, one DL MIMO layer is supported. ii. For RedCap UE with 2 Rx branches, 2 DL MIMO layers are supported. d) Maximum relaxation modulation order: i. For FR1 RedCap UE, support for 256QAM in DL is optional (not mandatory). ii. No other relaxations specify a maximum modulation order for the RedCap UE. e) Duplex operation: i. HD-FDD Type A with minimal specification impact (note that FD-FDD and TDD are also supported). II) Specify a RedCap UE type definition, including capabilities for RedCap UE identification and for constraining the use of RedCap capabilities intended only for RedCap UEs, and preventing RedCap UEs from using capabilities not intended for RedCap UEs, including at least carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, and wider bandwidth. [RAN2, RAN1] a) Use the existing UE capability framework; specify capability signaling changes only when necessary. III) Specifying functions that will enable RedCap UEs to be explicitly identifiable to the network via early indications in Msg1 and / or Msg3 and Msg A (if supported), including the ability for network-configurable early indications. [RAN2, RAN1] IV) Specify a system information indicator to indicate whether a RedCap UE can camp on a cell / frequency; this indicator may be specific to the number of Rx branches of the UE. [RAN2, RAN1] V) Specifies necessary updates to UE capabilities (38.306) and RRC parameters (38.331). [RAN2] VI) Specifies support for the following extended DRX enhancements for RedCap UEs [RAN2, RAN3, RAN4]: a) Extended DRX for RRC inactivity and idle, where the eDRX cycle is up to 10.24s without using PTW and PH, and has a common design between RRC inactivity and idle (e.g., a common set of eDRX values). b) Extended DRX for RRC inactivity and idle, where the eDRX cycle is up to 10485.76s; details of the mechanism and feasibility regarding the maximum length of the extended DRX cycle for RRC inactivity and idle need to be examined by SA2, CT1 and / or RAN4. c) RAN2 determines which node(s) configure eDRX in RRC_Idle and RRC_Inactive. VII) Specifies support for the following RRM measurement slack for neighboring cells used by RedCap devices: for RRC_Idle / Inactive / Connected[RAN2, RAN4]: a) Specify stationarity criteria and non-cell edge criteria based on measurements (RSRP / RSRQ) [RAN2]. Enabling / disabling RRM measurement relaxation should be under network control. Both broadcast and dedicated signaling should be used to enable / disable RRM measurement relaxation. b) Specify the UE's requirements for RRM measurement relaxation [RAN4]. c) No RRM measurement relaxation was specified for the serving cell. VIII) specifies the RAN4 core requirements mentioned above.

[0050] It should be noted that the uplink coverage enhancement solution specified in the NR coverage enhancement work item (NR_cov_enh) should be assumed to be available for RedCap UEs by default (with minor modifications for RedCap UEs if necessary). The power saving enhancement solution specified in the UE power saving enhancement work item (NR_UE_pow_sav_enh) should be assumed to be available for RedCap UEs by default. Reuse version 15 SSB bandwidth and minimize L1 changes. Work defined as part of this work item does not overlap with LPWA use cases. Coexistence with non-RedCap UEs should be ensured. This work item focuses on SA mode and a single connection operating in a single frequency band at a time.

[0051] Cell selection and reselection in RRC_IDLE and RRC_INACTIVE modes have been described in 3GPP TS 38.300v.17.0.0, as follows: 9.2.1 Mobility in RRC_IDLE 9.2.1.1 Community Selection The principle of PLMN selection in NR is based on the 3GPP PLMN selection principle. Cell selection is required when transitioning from RM-DEREGISTERED to RM-REGISTERED, from CM-IDLE to CM-CONNECTED, and from CM-CONNECTED to CM-IDLE, and cell selection is based on the following principles: -UE NAS layer identifier for the selected PLMN and equivalent PLMN; - Cell selection is always based on the CD-SSB located on the synchronization grid (see Clause 5.2.4): - The UE searches the NR band and, for each carrier frequency, identifies the strongest cell according to the CD-SSB. Then, it reads the cell system information broadcast to identify its PLMN: - The UE can search each carrier sequentially ("Initial Cell Selection") or shorten the search using stored information ("Stored Information Cell Selection"). - The UE attempts to identify a suitable cell; if it cannot identify a suitable cell, it attempts to identify an acceptable cell. When a suitable cell is found, or if only an acceptable cell is found, it camps on that cell and begins the cell reselection process: - A suitable cell is one whose measured cell attributes meet the cell selection criteria; the cell PLMN is the selected PLMN, registered or equivalent PLMN; the cell is not prohibited or reserved, and the cell is not part of the tracking area in the "No Tracking Areas for Roaming" list. - An acceptable cell is a cell whose measured cell attributes meet the cell selection criteria and which is not prohibited. -IAB-MT applications, such as the cell selection process described for the UE, have the following differences: -IAB-MT ignores cell prohibition or cell reservation instructions included in the cell system information broadcast; - If the cell system information broadcast indicates IAB support for the selected PLMN or SNPN, then the IAB-MT will only consider the cell as a candidate for cell selection. Convert to RRC_IDLE: When transitioning from RRC_CONNECTED or RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_IDLE, the UE should camp on the cell as a result of cell selection based on the frequency assigned by RRC in the state transition message (if any). Restore from outside coverage: The UE should attempt to find a suitable cell using the information stored or the initial cell selection description described above. If no suitable cell is found on any frequency or RAT, the UE should attempt to find an acceptable cell. In multi-beam operation, cell quality is derived in the beam corresponding to the same cell (see Clause 9.2.4). 9.2.1.2 Cell Reselection A UE in RRC_IDLE mode performs cell reselection. The principle behind this process is as follows: - Cell reselection is always based on the CD-SSB located on the synchronization grid (see Clause 5.2.4). - The UE measures the attributes of the serving cell and neighboring cells to enable the reselection process: - For searching and measuring neighboring cells between frequencies, only the carrier frequency needs to be indicated. - Cell reselection identifies the cell the UE should camp on. It is based on cell reselection criteria involving measurements of the serving cell and neighboring cells: - Intra-frequency reselection is based on cell ranking; - Frequency reselection is based on absolute priority, where the UE attempts to camp on the highest priority frequency available; -NCL can be provided by the serving cell to handle specific cases for intra-frequency and inter-frequency neighboring cells; - An exclusion list can be provided to prevent the UE from reselecting to a specific frequency or a neighboring cell between frequencies; - An allow list can be provided to request the UE to reselect only to neighboring cells within and between specific frequencies; - Cell reselection can be speed-dependent; - Service-specific priority order; - It can provide slice-specific cell reselection information to facilitate UE reselection of cells that support a specific slice. In multi-beam operation, cell quality is derived in the beam corresponding to the same cell (see Clause 9.2.4). 9.2.2 Mobility in RRC_INACTIVE 9.2.2.2 Cell Reselection In RRC_INACTIVE, the UE performs cell reselection. The principle of this procedure relates to the RRC_IDLE state (see Clause 9.2.1.2).

[0052] As mentioned above, a better solution is needed for cell selection and reselection for RedCap terminal devices and other similar terminal devices. For example, the parameter redcapAccessAllowed was introduced in SIB4 for NR under InterFreqCarrierFreqInfo-v1700. The parameter redcapAccessAllowed indicates whether a RedCap UE is allowed to access a frequency. However, it does not specify how the UE can utilize this information.

[0053] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a scheme for performing cell selection and / or cell reselection of a terminal device in a radio network is provided. The principles and embodiments of this disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are given to enable those skilled in the art to implement the solutions proposed herein, and are not intended to limit the scope of this application in any way.

[0054] First refer to Figure 1 This illustrates an example communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. System 100, as part of a communication network, may include a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. When in an idle or inactive state, terminal device 110 may select cell camping. Figure 1 As shown, terminal device 110 can select cell 130 of network device 120 and camp on cell 130. In the communication system, "UL" refers to the communication uplink from terminal device to network device, and "DL" refers to the communication downlink from network device to terminal device.

[0055] Figure 2 An example scenario 200 is shown in which cell selection and / or cell reselection can be implemented by a terminal device 110 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. For example... Figure 2As shown, terminal device 110 is located within cells 130, 210, and 220. Cells 130, 210, and 220 may be associated with the same network equipment or different network equipment. Cells 130 (e.g., the first cell), 210 (e.g., the second cell), and 220 (e.g., the third cell) may be neighboring cells or cells formed in the same geographical area under different frequency coverage. The number of cells is given for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. Terminal device 110 can select the cell to camp on. For example, terminal device 110 can select cell 130 (e.g., the first cell) of network equipment 120 and camp on cell 130. Terminal device 110 can receive system information of cell 130 while camping on cell 130. After camping on cell 130, terminal device 110 can continuously perform cell reselection to camp on other neighboring cells with higher priority / better channel quality (e.g., the second cell 210 or the third cell 220).

[0056] It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is given for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. System 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices appropriate for implementing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0057] Communication in communication system 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), and fifth-generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as IEEE 802.11, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other currently known or future-developed technologies.

[0058] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail. Reference is now made to... Figure 3 This document illustrates a signaling diagram showing a process 300 between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of this disclosure. Reference will be made to this document for discussion purposes only. Figure 1 Describe process 300. Process 300 may involve Figure 1 Terminal device 110 and network device 120.

[0059] In process 300, network device 120 sends system information 304 of a first cell within the radio network to terminal device 110. System information 304 provides one or more frequencies (FRSs) that a defined type of terminal device can access. Terminal device 110 receives system information 304 from network device 120 in the first cell. Terminal device 110 determines, at least based on the system information 304 of the first cell, 308 to select or reselect a second cell in the radio network whose frequency (FR) belongs to one or more of the provided frequencies (FRSs), or to select or reselect a third cell in the radio network whose frequency does not belong to one or more of the provided frequencies (FRSs). In this way, cell selection and reselection for defined types of terminal devices can be improved.

[0060] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine that it has a defined type. In some embodiments, the terminal device of the defined type may include at least a first type, which may be a fifth-generation (5G) Reduced Capability (REDCAP) user equipment. In some embodiments, the fifth-generation (5G) Reduced Capability (REDCAP) user equipment may conform to a bandwidth standard, which may be a maximum bandwidth of 20MHz in a frequency range of 600-6000MHz, or a maximum bandwidth of 100MHz in a frequency range of 26-47GHz. This can improve cell selection and reselection for RedCap terminal equipment.

[0061] In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 is able to identify the second cell for a period of time, the terminal device 110 can select or reselect the second cell. If the terminal device 110 is unable to identify the second cell for a period of time, the terminal device 110 can select or reselect a third cell. In this way, cell selection and reselection for a defined type of terminal device can be more energy-efficient and reliable.

[0062] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also determine the duration based on system information. In some embodiments, the system information may include information about the duration for a defined type of terminal device to identify a second cell. In this way, cell selection and reselection for a defined type of terminal device can be adaptive according to actual needs.

[0063] In some embodiments, the duration can be pre-configured within the terminal device 110. This reduces resource overhead. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 can determine the duration based on a predefined timer value. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 can determine the duration based on the terminal device's battery level. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 can determine the duration based on the terminal device's overheating conditions. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 can determine the duration based on whether any cell at one or more frequencies is detectable. This allows cell selection and reselection for defined types of terminal devices to be more adaptable to real-world scenarios.

[0064] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may select or reselect a second cell, or select or reselect a third cell, based on reselection priorities configured for one or more provided frequencies according to system information. In some embodiments, the reselection priorities configured for the one or more provided frequencies have a higher priority for selecting a second cell than selecting a third cell whose frequency does not belong to one or more provided frequencies. In some embodiments, the system information may include information for defining the type of terminal device to configure the reselection priority of one or more frequencies to be higher than the reselection priority of frequencies not belonging to one or more frequencies. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine a first reselection priority for a first frequency of the second cell and a second frequency of the third cell. Based on the first reselection priority and the system information, terminal device 110 may determine a second reselection priority for the first and second frequencies, such that the second reselection priority of the first frequency is determined to be higher than the second reselection priority of the second frequency, regardless of whether the first reselection priority of the first frequency is lower than the first reselection priority of the second frequency. Then, terminal device 110 may determine whether to reselect a second cell or a third cell based on the second reselection priorities of the first and second frequencies. In this way, the reliability of cell selection and reselection operations can be improved.

[0065] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 can also measure cell quality on a cell. Terminal device 110 can determine that the frequency of a cell belongs to one or more provided frequencies. Based on determining that the frequency of a cell belongs to one or more provided frequencies, terminal device 110 can apply an offset value to the measured cell quality for cell selection or reselection. For example, if the offset is applied to a first cell whose frequency belongs to one or more frequencies but not to a second cell whose frequency does not belong to one or more frequencies, the offset results in the cell quality measured on the first cell being better / worse than the quality measured on the second cell. In some embodiments, the offset value may be determined by terminal device 110 or provided in system information. In some embodiments, the system information may include information on the offset value applied to the cell quality of cells whose frequencies belong to one or more frequencies by a terminal device of a defined type. In this way, the opportunity for terminal device to select or reselect provided frequencies can be adjusted as needed.

[0066] In some embodiments, system information can be received from the first cell via System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In this way, the reliability of cell selection and reselection operations can be improved without increasing resource overhead. In some embodiments, the system information can be indicated by the parameter redcapAccessAllowed within System Information Block 4 (SIB4) to improve cell selection and reselection operations.

[0067] In some embodiments, at least one of the second and third cells may be different from the first cell. In this way, the terminal device 110 is able to utilize system information of the cell where the UE is camped, as well as system information previously received from some other cells.

[0068] Network device 120 can perform cell selection and reselection operations using the redcapAccessAllowed parameter in various ways. In one embodiment, terminal device 110 can use the redcapAccessAllowed parameter, which indicates the frequency used in the cell selection and reselection process. In one example, terminal device 110 can skip frequencies for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter may not be provided for cell selection and reselection evaluation. In other words, terminal device 110 can be allowed to ignore frequencies for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is not provided.

[0069] In one example, if no suitable cell can be identified by the frequency that provides the redcapAccessAllowed parameter within a given duration, terminal device 110 can search for a suitable cell from any frequency. In one example, the duration can be predefined in the specification or provided by the network. Alternatively, the duration can be determined by the UE implementation, for example, based on a predefined timer value, the terminal device 110's battery level, overheating conditions, whether any cell can be detected from a given frequency, etc. In another example, if another cell that provides the redcapAccessAllowed parameter with an indication for a frequency is not applied to cell evaluation, terminal device 110 can still use the redcapAccessAllowed indication for cell selection and reselection, and apply the same principle, i.e., skipping frequencies not provided by the redcapAccessAllowed parameter used for cell selection and reselection evaluation.

[0070] In one example, a RedCap terminal device (e.g., terminal device 110) may consider cell reselection priority only for the frequencies for which it is provided with the redcapAccessAllowed parameter. In other words, terminal device 110 may not need to perform cell selection or reselection evaluation for frequencies for which it is not provided with the redcapAccessAllowed parameter.

[0071] For example, a RedCap terminal device may consider any frequency for which it does not have a redcapAccessAllowed parameter to have a lower cell reselection priority than the frequency for which it does have a redcapAccessAllowed parameter. For instance, if frequencies #1, #3, and #4 for which it does not have a redcapAccessAllowed parameter are configured with cell reselection priorities of 7, 5, and 4 respectively (higher values ​​indicate higher priority), and frequencies #2, #5, and #6 for which it has a redcapAccessAllowed parameter are configured with cell reselection priorities of 6, 3, and 3 respectively, then the RedCap terminal device may consider frequency #2 as the highest priority, #5 and #6 as the second highest priority, and frequencies #1, #3, and #4 as subsequent descending priorities. In this case, the terminal device 110 determines these frequency priorities itself. In other words, no frequency priority processing is specified or signaled to the terminal device 110.

[0072] In one example, terminal device 110 can apply an offset value to a measured cell quality value for a frequency to which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is provided. The offset value can be applied to measured RSRP / RSRQ / RSSI, for example, in dB or dBM. By doing so, terminal device 110 has a higher chance of selecting a frequency for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is provided compared to other frequencies.

[0073] For example, the implementation can be shown as follows: redcapAccessAllowed Indicates whether the RedCap UE is allowed to access a frequency. If no frequency is provided in InterFreqCarrierFreqInfo-v1700, the RedCap UE will skip the frequency used for cell reselection.

[0074] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Reference will be made to this flowchart for discussion purposes. Figure 1 Method 400 is described from the perspective of terminal device 110. Using method 400, cell selection and reselection for terminal devices of a defined type can be improved.

[0075] At block 420, terminal device 110 receives system information of a first cell from network device 120 in the radio network. The system information may provide one or more frequencies that allow terminal devices of a defined type to access. At block 420, terminal device 110 determines, based at least on the system information, either to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network whose frequencies belong to one or more of the provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network whose frequencies do not belong to one or more of the provided frequencies.

[0076] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 may determine that it has a defined type. In some embodiments, the terminal device of the defined type may include at least a first type, which may be a fifth-generation (5G) Reduced Capability (REDCAP) user equipment. In some embodiments, the fifth-generation (5G) Reduced Capability (REDCAP) user equipment may conform to a bandwidth standard, which may be a maximum bandwidth of 20MHz in a frequency range of 600-6000MHz, or a maximum bandwidth of 100MHz in a frequency range of 26-47GHz.

[0077] In some embodiments, if the terminal device is able to identify the second cell within a certain period of time, the terminal device 110 may select or reselect the second cell; and if the terminal device is unable to identify the second cell within a certain period of time, the terminal device 110 may select or reselect the third cell.

[0078] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also determine the duration based on system information. In some embodiments, the duration may be pre-configured within the terminal device 110. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine the duration based on at least one of the following: a predefined timer value, the battery level of the terminal device, overheating conditions of the terminal device, or whether any cell at one or more frequencies is detectable.

[0079] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may select or reselect a second cell, or select or reselect a third cell, based on a reselection priority configured for one or more provided frequencies according to system information. In some embodiments, the reselection priority configured for the one or more provided frequencies has a higher priority for selecting a second cell than selecting a third cell whose frequency does not belong to one or more provided frequencies.

[0080] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may further determine the first reselection priority of the first frequency of the second cell and the second frequency of the third cell; determine the second reselection priority of the first frequency and the second frequency based on the first reselection priority and system information, such that the second reselection priority of the first frequency is determined to be higher than the second reselection priority of the second frequency, regardless of whether the first reselection priority of the first frequency is lower than the first reselection priority of the second frequency; and determine whether to reselect the second cell or the third cell based on the second reselection priority of the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0081] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also measure cell quality on a cell; determine that the frequency of the cell belongs to one or more provided frequencies; and apply an offset value to the measured cell quality for cell selection or reselection based on the determination that the frequency of the cell belongs to one or more provided frequencies. In some embodiments, the offset value may be determined by the terminal device 110 or provided in system information.

[0082] In some embodiments, system information can be received from the first cell via System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In some embodiments, the system information can be indicated by the parameter redcapAccessAllowed in System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In some embodiments, at least one of the second cell and the third cell can be different from the first cell.

[0083] Figure 5A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Reference will be made to this flowchart for discussion purposes. Figure 1 Method 500 is described from the perspective of network device 120. Method 500 can be used to support improved schemes for cell selection and reselection.

[0084] At box 520, network device 120 sends system information of a first cell within the radio network to terminal device 110. The system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies that a defined type of terminal device can access, so that terminal device 110 can determine whether to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network that belongs to one or more of the provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network that does not belong to one or more of the provided frequencies.

[0085] In some embodiments, the defined type of terminal device may include at least a first type, which may be a fifth-generation (5G) Reduced Capability (REDCAP) user equipment. In some embodiments, the fifth-generation (5G) Reduced Capability (REDCAP) user equipment may conform to a bandwidth standard, which may be a maximum bandwidth of 20MHz in a frequency range of 600-6000MHz, or a maximum bandwidth of 100MHz in a frequency range of 26-47GHz.

[0086] In some embodiments, the system information may include information for defining the duration of a second cell for a terminal device of a certain type. In some embodiments, the system information may include information for defining a terminal device of a certain type to configure the reselection priority of one or more frequencies to be higher than the reselection priority of frequencies not belonging to one or more frequencies. In some embodiments, the system information may include offset value information used to define the cell quality of a terminal device of a certain type applied to cells belonging to one or more frequencies.

[0087] In some embodiments, when sending system information, network device 120 may send system information via System Information Block 4 (SIB4) of a first cell. In some embodiments, the system information may be indicated by the parameter redcapAccessAllowed in System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In some embodiments, at least one of the second cell and the third cell may be different from the first cell.

[0088] In some embodiments, the apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 400 (e.g., terminal device 110) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 400. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module.

[0089] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include: components for receiving system information of a first cell from a network device in a radio network at a terminal device 110, wherein the system information provides one or more frequencies, and terminal devices of a defined type are permitted to access the one or more frequencies; and components for determining, at least based on the system information, a second cell in the radio network that selects or reselects frequencies belonging to the one or more provided frequencies, or a third cell in the radio network that selects or reselects frequencies not belonging to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0090] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining that a terminal device has a defined type. In some embodiments, a terminal device with a defined type may include at least a first type, which may include a fifth-generation (5G) Reduced Capability (RECAP) user device. In some embodiments, a fifth-generation (5G) Reduced Capability (RECAP) user device may conform to a bandwidth standard, which may include a maximum bandwidth of 20 MHz in a frequency range of 600-6000 MHz, or a maximum bandwidth of 100 MHz in a frequency range of 26-47 GHz.

[0091] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: components for selecting or reselecting a second cell if the terminal device is able to identify the second cell within a certain duration; and components for selecting or reselecting a third cell if the terminal device is unable to identify the second cell within a certain duration.

[0092] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for determining the duration based on system information. In some embodiments, the duration may be pre-configured within the terminal device 110.

[0093] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for determining the duration based on at least one of the following: a predefined timer value, the battery level of the terminal device, overheating conditions of the terminal device, or whether any cell at one or more frequencies is detectable.

[0094] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for selecting or reselecting a second cell or a third cell based on a reselection priority configured for one or more provided frequencies according to system information. In some embodiments, the reselection priority configured for the one or more provided frequencies has a higher priority for selecting a second cell than for selecting a third cell whose frequency does not belong to one or more provided frequencies.

[0095] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: components for determining a first reselection priority of a first frequency of a second cell and a second frequency of a third cell; components for determining a second reselection priority of the first frequency and the second frequency based on the first reselection priority and system information, such that the second reselection priority of the first frequency is determined to be higher than the second reselection priority of the second frequency, regardless of whether the first reselection priority of the first frequency is lower than the first reselection priority of the second frequency; and components for determining whether to reselect a second cell or a third cell based on the second reselection priority of the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0096] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: components for measuring cell quality on a cell; components for determining that the frequency of the cell belongs to one or more provided frequencies; and components for applying an offset value to the measured cell quality for cell selection or reselection based on the determination that the frequency of the cell belongs to one or more provided frequencies. In some embodiments, the offset value may be determined by the terminal device 110 or provided in system information.

[0097] In some embodiments, system information can be received from the first cell via System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In some embodiments, the system information can be indicated by the parameter redcapAccessAllowed in System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In some embodiments, at least one of the second cell and the third cell can be different from the first cell.

[0098] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 400. In some embodiments, the components may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

[0099] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 500 (e.g., network device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 500. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or software module.

[0100] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include: a component for transmitting system information of a first cell within a radio network to a terminal device 110 at a network device 120, wherein the system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies, defining the types of terminal devices permitted to access the one or more frequencies, so that the terminal device can determine whether to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network that belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network that does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0101] In some embodiments, the defined type of terminal device may include at least a first type, which may be a fifth-generation (5G) Reduced Capability (REDCAP) user equipment. In some embodiments, the fifth-generation (5G) Reduced Capability (REDCAP) user equipment may conform to a bandwidth standard, which may be a maximum bandwidth of 20MHz in a frequency range of 600-6000MHz, or a maximum bandwidth of 100MHz in a frequency range of 26-47GHz.

[0102] In some embodiments, the system information may include information for defining the duration of a second cell for a terminal device of a certain type. In some embodiments, the system information may include information for defining a terminal device of a certain type to configure the reselection priority of one or more frequencies to be higher than the reselection priority of frequencies not belonging to one or more frequencies. In some embodiments, the system information may include offset value information used to define the cell quality of a terminal device of a certain type applied to cells belonging to one or more frequencies.

[0103] In some embodiments, the components for transmitting system information may include components for transmitting system information via System Information Block 4 (SIB4) of the first cell. In some embodiments, the system information may be indicated by the parameter redcapAccessAllowed in System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In some embodiments, at least one of the second cell and the third cell may be different from the first cell.

[0104] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 500. In some embodiments, the components may include at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

[0105] Figure 6 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1 The terminal device 110 or network device 120 shown. As shown, device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to processor 610, and one or more transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX) 640 coupled to processor 610.

[0106] The TX / RX 640 is used for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface necessary for communication with other network components.

[0107] As a non-limiting example, processor 610 can be any type suitable for a local technology network and can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 600 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0108] Memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not persist during power outages.

[0109] Computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 610. Program 630 may be stored in ROM 620. Processor 610 can perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 630 into RAM 620.

[0110] Embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by means of program 630, enabling device 600 to perform as described in the reference. Figures 2 to 5 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of the invention can also be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both.

[0111] In some embodiments, program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be contained in device 600 (e.g., memory 620) or in other storage devices accessible to device 600. Device 600 may load program 630 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 7 An example of a computer-readable medium 700 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. A program 630 is stored on the computer-readable medium.

[0112] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while others can be implemented in firmware or software executable by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0113] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module that execute in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to perform the actions described above. Figures 2 to 5 The described method. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functional lines of a program module can be combined or split among program modules as needed. The machine-executable instructions for a program module can execute on a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, a program module can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0114] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the implementation of the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0115] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0116] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. As used herein, the term "non-transient" refers to a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signaling), and not on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0117] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that these operations be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or that all the operations shown be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0118] Although this disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms for implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: receiving system information of a first cell from a network device in the radio network, wherein the system information provides one or more frequencies to which terminal devices of a defined type are allowed to access; as well as Based at least on the system information, it is determined to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network having a frequency belonging to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network having a frequency not belonging to the one or more provided frequencies.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: It is determined that the terminal device has the defined type.

3. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the defined types of terminal devices include at least a first type, the first type comprising fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment.

4. The terminal device of claim 3, wherein the fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment complies with bandwidth standards including a maximum bandwidth of 20 MHz in a frequency range of 600-6000 MHz, or a maximum bandwidth of 100 MHz in a frequency range of 26-47 GHz.

5. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is configured to: If the terminal device is able to identify the second cell within a duration, selecting or reselecting the second cell; and If the terminal device cannot identify the second cell within a duration, the third cell is selected or reselected.

6. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: The duration is determined based on the system information.

7. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the duration is preconfigured in the terminal device.

8. The terminal device according to claim 5, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: The duration is determined based on at least one of the following: Predefined timer values, The battery level of the terminal device, an overheat condition of the terminal equipment, or Whether any cell of the one or more frequencies is detectable.

9. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is caused to select or reselect the second cell, or select or reselect the third cell based on: A reselection priority is configured for the one or more frequencies provided according to the system information.

10. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the reselection priority configured for the one or more provided frequencies has a higher priority for selecting the second cell than selecting the third cell whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

11. The terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Determine a first reselection priority of the first frequency of the second cell and the second frequency of the third cell; determining, based on the first reselection priority and the system information, second reselection priorities of the first frequency and the second frequency, such that the second reselection priority of the first frequency is determined to be higher than the second reselection priority of the second frequency, regardless of whether the first reselection priority of the first frequency is lower than the first reselection priority of the second frequency; and Based on the first frequency and the second reselection priority of the second frequency, determine to reselect the second cell or to reselect the third cell.

12. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: Measuring cell quality on a cell; determining that a frequency of the cell belongs to the one or more provided frequencies; and Based on determining that the frequency of the cell belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, an offset value is applied to the measured cell quality for cell selection or reselection.

13. The terminal device according to claim 12, wherein the offset value is determined by the terminal device or provided in the system information.

14. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein the system information is received from the first cell via system information block 4 (SIB4).

15. The terminal device according to claim 14, wherein the system information is indicated by a parameter redcapAccessAllowed in the system information block 4 (SIB4).

16. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1-15, wherein at least one of the second cell and the third cell is different from the first cell.

17. A network device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: System information of a first cell within a radio network is sent to a terminal device, wherein the system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies, and terminal devices of a defined type are allowed to access the one or more frequencies, so that the terminal device can determine to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network whose frequency belongs to the one or more frequencies provided, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more frequencies provided.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein the defined types of terminal devices include at least a first type, the first type comprising fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment.

19. The network device of claim 18, wherein the fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment complies with bandwidth standards including a maximum bandwidth of 20 MHz within a frequency range of 600-6000 MHz, or a maximum bandwidth of 100 MHz within a frequency range of 26-47 GHz.

20. The network device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the system information comprises information on a duration for the terminal device of the defined type to identify the second cell.

21. The network device according to any one of claims 17-20, wherein the system information includes information for the terminal device of the defined type to configure the reselection priority of the one or more frequencies to be higher than the reselection priority of frequencies that do not belong to the one or more frequencies.

22. The network device according to any one of claims 17-21, wherein the system information comprises information of an offset value, wherein the offset value is used by the terminal device of the defined type to apply to the cell quality of the cell whose frequency belongs to the one or more frequencies.

23. The network device according to any one of claims 17 to 22, wherein the network device is configured to send the system information in the following manner: The system information is sent via system information block 4 (SIB4) of the first cell.

24. The network device according to any one of claims 17-23, wherein the system information is indicated by a parameter redcapAccessAllowed in the system information block 4 (SIB4).

25. The network device according to any one of claims 17-24, wherein at least one of the second cell and the third cell is different from the first cell.

26. A method comprising: receiving, at a terminal device, system information of a first cell from a network device in a radio network, wherein the system information provides one or more frequencies to which terminal devices of a defined type are allowed to access; Based at least on the system information, it is determined to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network having a frequency belonging to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network having a frequency not belonging to the one or more provided frequencies.

27. A method comprising: At a network device, system information of a first cell within a radio network is sent to a terminal device, wherein the system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies, and terminal devices of a defined type are allowed to access the one or more frequencies, so that the terminal device can determine to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network whose frequency belongs to the one or more frequencies provided, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more frequencies provided.

28. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, at a terminal device, system information of a first cell from a network device in the radio network, wherein the system information provides one or more frequencies to which terminal devices of a defined type are allowed to access; as well as Means for determining, based at least on the system information, to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network having a frequency belonging to the one or more frequencies provided or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network having a frequency not belonging to the one or more frequencies provided.

29. An apparatus comprising: A component for sending system information of a first cell within a wireless network to a terminal device at a network device, wherein the system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies, and terminal devices of a defined type are allowed to access the one or more frequencies, so that the terminal device can determine to select or reselect a second cell within the radio network whose frequency belongs to the one or more frequencies provided, or to select or reselect a third cell within the radio network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more frequencies provided.

30. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least perform the method according to claim 25 or 26.

31. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the method according to claim 26 or 27.

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