Small data transmission control

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to small data transfer control. A method comprising: receiving, by a terminal device, small data transfer (SDT) configuration information from a network node; determining, by the terminal device, whether a mobility termination MT SDT process and / or a mobility initiation MO SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device based on the SDT configuration information; and initiating or applying, by the terminal device, at least one of an MT SDT procedure or an MO SDT procedure based on the determined and / or SDT configuration information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunications, and particularly to a method, device, apparatus, and computer-readable storage medium for small data transmission control. Background Art

[0002] In some communication systems, a terminal device may transition between an inactive state, an idle state, and a connected state. In the inactive state or the idle state, the terminal device may not have a connection established with a network node for communication. To avoid unnecessary signaling overhead and power consumption for establishing or re-establishing a connection, it has been agreed to support small data transmission (SDT) for terminal devices in the inactive state without the terminal device establishing a connection with the network node. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided. The device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: receive small data transmission (SDT) configuration information from a network node; determine, based on the SDT configuration information, whether a mobile-terminated (MT) SDT process and / or a mobile-originated (MO) SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the device; and initiate or apply at least one of the MT SDT process or the MO SDT process based on the determination and / or the SDT configuration information.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided. The device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: send small data transmission (SDT) configuration information to a terminal device, where the SDT configuration information is to be used by the terminal device to determine whether a mobile-terminated (MT) SDT process and / or a mobile-originated (MO) SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device; and execute or apply at least one of the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process with the terminal device based on the SDT configuration information.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving, by a terminal device, small data transmission (SDT) configuration information from a network node; determining, by the terminal device, based on the SDT configuration information, whether a mobile-terminated (MT) SDT process and / or a mobile-originated (MO) SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device; and initiating or applying at least one of the MT SDT process or the MO SDT process by the terminal device based on the determination and / or the SDT configuration information.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: a network node sending small data transfer (SDT) configuration information to a terminal device, where the SDT configuration information is to be used by the terminal device to determine whether a mobile terminated (MT) SDT procedure and / or a mobile originated (MO) SDT procedure is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device; and the network node performing or applying at least one of the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure with the terminal device based on the SDT configuration information.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: a component for receiving small data transfer (SDT) configuration information from a network node; a component for determining, based on the SDT configuration information, whether a mobile terminated (MT) SDT procedure and / or a mobile originated (MO) SDT procedure is allowed or not allowed for the apparatus; and a component for initiating or applying at least one of the MT SDT procedure or the MO SDT procedure based on the determination and / or the SDT configuration information.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: a component for sending small data transfer (SDT) configuration information to a terminal device, where the SDT configuration information is to be used by the terminal device to determine whether a mobile terminated (MT) SDT procedure and / or a mobile originated (MO) SDT procedure is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device; and a component for performing or applying at least one of the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure with the terminal device based on the SDT configuration information.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, the instructions being for causing an apparatus to at least execute the method according to the third aspect.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided. The computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, the instructions being for causing an apparatus to at least execute the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0011] It should be understood that the Summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 An example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown;

[0014] Figure 2Shows a signaling diagram for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 3 Shows a flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 4 Shows a flowchart of a method implemented at a network node according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 5 Shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0018] Figure 6 Shows a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Description

[0020] Now, the principles of the present disclosure will be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that the description of these embodiments is for illustrative purposes only and helps those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0021] 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 the present disclosure pertains.

[0022] References in the present disclosure to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "example embodiment", etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not necessarily every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to combine such feature, structure, or characteristic with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0023] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used 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 example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0024] As used herein, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of <list of two or more elements>" and similar phrases, where the list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or", means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0025] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, performing the step "in response to A" does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after A occurs, and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0026] The terms used herein are for describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes" and / or "including", when used herein, specify the presence of the stated features, elements and / or components, etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0027] The term "circuitry" as used in this application may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) only hardware circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuits) and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (where applicable): (i) combinations of (one or more) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware and (ii) any part of (one or more) hardware processors (including (one or more) digital signal processors) with software and (one or more) memories, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or a server) to perform various functions) and (c) (one or more) hardware circuits and / or (one or more) processors, such as (one or more) microprocessors or a part of (one or more) microprocessors, which require software (such as firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when not required to operate.

[0028] The definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers implementations of only hardware circuits or processors (or one or more processors) or a part of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example (and if applicable to a particular claim element), a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a server, a cellular network device, or a similar integrated circuit in other computing or network devices.

[0029] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol known currently or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communication, of course, there will be future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above systems.

[0030] As used herein, the term "network device" or "network access device" refers to a node in a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as Node B (NodeB or NB), evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also referred to as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Header (RH), Remote Radio Header (RRH), relay, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, low power node (such as femto, pico, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN)) or non-terrestrial network device (such as satellite network device, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellite, aircraft network device), etc., depending on the terms and technologies applied. In some example embodiments, the radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a Centralized Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) located at the IAB donor node. The IAB node includes a Mobile Terminal (IAB-MT) part, which behaves similarly to a UE towards the parent node, and the DU part of the IAB node is similar to a base station towards the next-hop IAB node.

[0031] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device that may be 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), user station (SS), portable user station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, IP voice (VoIP) phones, wireless regional loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), game terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, lap-mounted embedded devices (LEEs), lap-mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless client devices (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 the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronic devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. A terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment", and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0032] As used herein, the terms "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource", or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication, e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as time domain resources, frequency domain resources, spatial domain resources, code domain resources, or any other resource capable of communication, etc. In the following, unless otherwise specified, resources in both the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0033] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In communication environment 100, a plurality of communication devices, including a terminal device 110 and a network node 120, may communicate with each other. Network node 120 is shown as a network node serving terminal device 110. The service area of network node 120 may be referred to as a cell.

[0034] In the following, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described using a device operating as a terminal device 110 and another device operating as a network node 120. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described in connection with the terminal device may be implemented at the network node or at other devices, and the operations described in connection with the network node may be implemented at the terminal device or at other devices.

[0035] In some example embodiments, the link from the network node 120 to the terminal device 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), and the link from the terminal device 110 to the network node 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In the DL, the network node 120 is a transmitting (TX) device (or transmitter), and the terminal device 110 is a receiving (RX) device (or receiver). In the UL, the terminal device 110 is a TX device (or transmitter), and the network node 120 is an RX device (or receiver).

[0036] The communication in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocol known currently or to be developed in the future. In addition, the communication may 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 duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology known currently or to be developed in the future.

[0037] It should be understood that Figure 1 the number of devices and their connections shown in [FIGURE REFERENCE] are for illustrative purposes only and do not imply any limitation. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of devices configured to implement the example embodiments of the present disclosure. Although not shown, it should be understood that one or more additional devices may be located in the communication environment 100.

[0038] In a communication environment 100, a communication device (e.g., a terminal device) can transition between an inactive state, an idle state, and a connected state. The inactive state can sometimes be referred to as an inactive mode, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive (RRC_INACTIVE) state / mode, or an inactive state in the RRC_CONNECTED (RRC - connected) state / mode, and such terms are used interchangeably herein. The idle state can sometimes be referred to as an idle mode, an RRC idle (RRC_IDLE) state / mode, and such terms are used interchangeably herein. The connected state can sometimes be referred to as a connected mode, an active state / mode, or an RRC connected (RRC_CONNECTED) state / mode, and such terms are used interchangeably herein.

[0039] In the RRC inactive state or the RRC idle state, the terminal device does not establish a connection with a network node for data transmission and / or reception. In the connected state, a connection between the terminal device and the network node is established, so that the terminal device can perform normal data communication with the network node via this connection.

[0040] To save power and reduce signaling overhead, support for Small Data Transmission (SDT) for terminal devices in non - RRC connected states is proposed. It has been agreed that a terminal device in the RRC inactive state can perform SDT without transitioning to the connected state. SDT can also be supported for terminal devices in the RRC idle state. As used herein, the term "SDT" refers to a type of transmission in which a small amount of data is triggered, but other terms may also be used. In some example embodiments, the SDT process can be initiated by a Random Access (RA) process and / or a Configured Grant (CG).

[0041] The SDT process can include a Mobile Originated (MO) SDT process to allow for small packet transmission for UL - oriented packets. For the MO SDT process, when uplink data becomes available for transmission, the terminal device can initiate the SDT process. The initiation of the SDT process can be performed based on certain SDT configurations.

[0042] Furthermore, support for the Mobile Terminated (MT) SDT process is proposed to allow DL-triggered small data transmissions. The MT SDT can achieve similar benefits of reducing signaling overhead and power consumption by not requiring the terminal device to transition to the RRC connected state, and reduce latency by allowing fast transmission of small and infrequent packets (e.g., for positioning). In some example embodiments, the MTSDT process can be initiated if the terminal device is paged by a network node or if the terminal device is specifically paged to initiate the SDT process. For example, if a terminal device in the RRC inactive state is paged using an Inactive Radio Network Temporary Identity (I-RNTI), the MT SDT process can be initiated.

[0043] In some example embodiments, for MO SDT, the terminal device can indicate the initiation of the SDT process through dedicated RACH resources configured by the network node. If no such RACH resources are configured (e.g., the SDT process is configured to use common RACH resources), the network node can infer the need for SDT from among the Buffer Status Reports (BSRs) indicated by the terminal device in Message 3 (Msg3) of the RA process (if there is still sufficient space in the message after including the Common Control Channel (CCCH) Service Data Unit (SDU) and / or the RRC Resume Request), or subsequently after successful contention resolution. On the other hand, this solution similarly affects traditional terminal devices or other terminal devices that do not perform the SDT process, as the network needs to also allocate resources for these terminal devices, even though they cannot transmit data before establishing a connection.

[0044] In some cases, when specific DL data becomes available, the network node may want to control whether the SDT is needed or not using only the MT SDT that can be fully under the control of the network node. However, currently, if SDT is enabled in the network node's cell, the terminal device is allowed to initiate the MO SDT process when the relevant conditions are met.

[0045] According to some example embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution for controlling the SDT process is provided. In this solution, the transmission of SDT configuration information and / or such SDT configuration information from a network node to a terminal device can be controlled by the network node to determine whether the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device. The terminal device determines that the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process is allowed based on the SDT configuration information, and initiates or applies at least one of the MT SDT process or the MO SDT process with the network node based on this determination and / or the SDT configuration information. Through this solution, the network node can control which (multiple) SDT processes the terminal device can initiate and the configuration information for the (multiple) SDT processes to be initiated. This increases the control flexibility of the network node with respect to the terminal devices in the cell.

[0046] Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0047] Now refer to Figure 2 , which shows a signaling diagram 200 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the signaling diagram 200 is described with reference to Figure 1 . As Figure 2 shown, the signaling diagram 200 involves a terminal device 110 and a network node 120.

[0048] In the signaling diagram 200, the network node 120 sends 205 SDT configuration information to the terminal device 110. The terminal device 110 receives 210 small data transfer SDT configuration information from the network node 110. The terminal device 110 determines 215 whether the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device 110 based on the received SDT configuration information. In some example embodiments, the network node 120 can control the specific information included in the SDT configuration information and / or the transmission of the SDT configuration information to control whether and / or how the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process is allowed for the terminal device 110. According to at least the received SDT configuration information, the terminal device 110 can determine that the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process is allowed.

[0049] The SDT process can include an MT SDT process and an MO SDT process. The MT SDT process refers to an SDT process triggered by a network node for data transmission in the DL. The MO SDT process refers to an SDT process triggered by a terminal device for data transmission in the UL.

[0050] In some example embodiments, the MT SDT procedure also refers to the MO SDT procedure for data transmission in DL triggered by a network node. In this case, paging for SDT triggers the terminal device to execute the MO SDT procedure, and DL data can be sent during this procedure.

[0051] SDT can be allowed for terminal devices in the non-RRC connected state. In some example embodiments, if the terminal device 110 is in the RRC inactive state, it can initiate SDT with the network node 120. In some example embodiments, if the terminal device 110 is in the RRC idle state, it can initiate SDT with the network node 120. In the example embodiments of the present disclosure, based on whether the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure is allowed or not and / or based on the received SDT configuration information, the terminal device 110 initiates or applies at least one of the MT SDT procedure or the MO SDT procedure. Based on the SDT configuration information, the network node 120 executes or applies at least one of the MT SDT procedure or the MO SDT procedure with the terminal device 110.

[0052] In some example embodiments, if the MO SDT procedure is not allowed, the terminal device 110 may be allowed to use only the received SDT configuration information for the MT SDT procedure. In this case, the terminal device 110 may apply the SDT configuration information only to the MT SDT procedure. The terminal device 110 may initiate or apply only the MTSDT procedure with the network node 120 based on the SDT configuration information.

[0053] In some example embodiments, when the terminal device 110 is configured with SDT configuration information, the network node 120 may signal whether the MO SDT procedure is allowed via dedicated signaling and / or broadcast signaling.

[0054] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information may indicate whether the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure is allowed for the terminal device 110. Therefore, the terminal device 110 can determine from the SDT configuration information whether the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure is allowed. In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information explicitly indicates whether the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure is allowed for the terminal device 110.

[0055] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information from the network node 120 to the terminal device 110 may include at least one of the MO SDT configuration for the MO SDT procedure and the MT SDT configuration for the MT SDT procedure. That is to say, the MT SDT configuration may be defined as a configuration separate from the MO SDT configuration. If both the MT SDT configuration and the MO SDT configuration are sent from the network node 120, the MO SDT configuration may be separate from or different from the MT SDT configuration.

[0056] In some cases, if the network node 120 determines that the terminal device 110 is configured with the MT SDT configuration but not configured with the MO SDT configuration, the terminal device 110 may determine that the MT SDT procedure is allowed while the MO SDT procedure is not allowed. In those cases, the terminal device 110 may initiate or apply only the MT SDT procedure for data communication between the terminal device 110 and the network node 120. The initiation or application of the MT SDT procedure may be based on the SDT configuration information (e.g., the MT SDT configuration included in the SDT configuration information).

[0057] In some cases, if the network node 120 determines that the terminal device 110 is configured with the MO SDT configuration but not configured with the MT SDT configuration, the terminal device 110 may determine that the MO SDT procedure is allowed while the MT SDT procedure is not allowed. In those cases, the terminal device 110 may initiate or apply only the MO SDT procedure for data communication between the terminal device 110 and the network node 120. The initiation or application of the MO SDT procedure may be based on the SDT configuration information (e.g., the MO SDT configuration included in the SDT configuration information).

[0058] In some other cases, if the network node 120 determines that the terminal device 110 is configured with both the MT SDT configuration and the MO SDT configuration, the terminal device 110 may determine that both the MT SDT procedure and the MO SDT procedure are allowed. The terminal device 110 may initiate or apply the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure for data communication as needed based on the SDT configuration information (e.g., the MT SDT configuration and / or the MO SDT configuration in the SDT configuration information).

[0059] In some example embodiments, the configuration for the SDT process (e.g., the MO SDT configuration for the MO SDT process or the MT SDT configuration for the MT SDT process) indicates one or more configuration parameters related to the corresponding SDT process. In some example embodiments, the MT SDT configuration for the MT SDT process may indicate a resource configuration specific to the MT SDT process. The resource configuration may indicate one or more resources to be used by the MT SDT process (e.g., RACH resources and / or CG). The RACH resources for the MT SDT process may include legacy SDT RACH resources, MT SDT RACH resources, and / or common RACH resources.

[0060] In some example embodiments, the MO SDT configuration for the MO SDT process may indicate a resource configuration specific to the MO SDT process. The resource configuration may indicate one or more resources to be used by the MO SDT process (e.g., RACH resources and / or CG). The RACH resources for the MO SDT process may include legacy SDT RACH resources, MO SDT RACH resources, and / or common RACH resources. Alternatively or additionally, either the MT SDT configuration or the MO SDT configuration may indicate one or more related conditions for triggering the corresponding SDT process.

[0061] For MO SDT, the terminal device may determine whether it can trigger the MO SDT process based on a determination of whether the related conditions are met. In some examples, the satisfaction of the (multiple) related conditions may be based on one or more of the following: UL data volume threshold, radio conditions, data belonging to the (multiple) radio bearers configured for SDT, timer values (e.g., t319a timer value), etc. The radio conditions may be measured based on the reference signal received power (RSRP) of the communication link between the terminal device 110 and the network node 120. If the RSRP is at the RSRP threshold configured in the SDT configuration information, the radio conditions may indicate that the SDT process can be initiated. The RSRP threshold is used to evaluate whether the terminal device can initiate an RRC resume process even if the network node 120 indicates the existence of available DL data in the paging message. This is to ensure the successful transmission of DL data in the case where the terminal device is in a worse channel condition than allowed by the RSRP threshold.

[0062] For MOSDT, if the amount of UL data available for transmission exceeds the UL data volume threshold, the terminal device 110 may initiate a MOSDT procedure. For example, if the amount of pending UL data on all resource bearers (RBs) configured for SDT is less than or equal to the UL data volume threshold. In some cases, for the SDT procedure, the terminal device 110 may also consider the pending RBs configured with SDT for data volume calculation. Alternatively or additionally, if the RSRP of a reference signal (e.g., DL path loss reference signal) is higher than the RSRP threshold, the terminal device 110 may initiate a MOSDT procedure.

[0063] The MT SDT configuration may be determined to be the same as or different from the MOSDT configuration. The network node 120 may define whether the resources and / or related conditions for triggering the MT SDT procedure and the MOSDT procedure can be the same as or different from each other.

[0064] In some examples, for MT SDT, the relevant RSRP threshold may be used to determine whether the terminal device 110 can initiate a normal recovery procedure, even if the network node 120 indicates in the paging message that there is available DL SDT. This is to ensure the successful transmission of DL data in the case where the terminal device 110 is in a worse channel condition than allowed by the RSRP threshold.

[0065] On the other hand, for MT-SDT, the terminal device 110 may or may not have any UL SDT data to be sent. In this case, in the case where the terminal device 110 has no SDT UL data to send, using the SDT-specific RACH resources (if configured) would be useless because the network node 120 would likely allocate a larger amount of resources for transmission (e.g., Msg3 transmission) in order to fit at least a part of the UL SDT data therein. In this case, it may be beneficial to allow the terminal device 110 configured with MT SDT access to use normal RACH resources to initiate an SDT recovery procedure with the network node, which can avoid the unused resources in the case where no UL SDT data is available. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, by allowing the network node to configure resources for the MT SDT procedure and the MOSDT procedure respectively, resource utilization can be further improved.

[0066] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information may include SDT configurations used as the MOSDT configuration and the MT SDT configuration respectively. That is, the MT SDT configuration and the MOSDT configuration may be indicated as the same SDT configuration. This SDT configuration may indicate one or more configuration parameters related to the SDT procedure.

[0067] In some example embodiments, if the same SDT configuration is included in the SDT configuration information, the network node 120 may explicitly indicate whether the SDT configuration can be used for the MT SDT procedure or the MO SDT procedure or both. By receiving an indication from the network node, which indicates whether the SDT configuration is to be used for the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure, the terminal device 110 can determine whether the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure is allowed for the terminal device 110 based on the received SDT configuration information.

[0068] In some example embodiments, if the same SDT configuration is included in the SDT configuration information, the terminal device 110 may be default allowed to use the SDT configuration for both the MT SDT procedure and the MO SDT procedure. Accordingly, the terminal device 110 in the RRC inactive state or the RRC idle state may initiate or apply the MT SDT procedure and the MO SDT procedure respectively based on the SDT configuration.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the network node 120 may send the SDT configuration information via dedicated signaling. In some example embodiments, the dedicated signaling may be, for example, an RRC release message, but other signaling may also be applicable. In some example embodiments, the network node 120 may configure the terminal device 110 via dedicated signaling with a timer value (e.g., the t319a timer value) and / or an RSRP threshold for SDT initiation for MO SDT in a cell where the SDT configuration is not provided via system information (SI). In some example embodiments, alternatively or additionally, the network node 120 may send the SDT configuration information via common signaling.

[0070] In some example embodiments, if the network node 120 sends the SDT configuration information to the terminal device 110 via dedicated signaling or specific common signaling, the terminal device 110 may determine that only the MT SDT procedure is allowed based on this reception of the SDT configuration information. In some example embodiments, if the network node 120 sends the SDT configuration information to the terminal device 110 via dedicated signaling, the terminal device 110 may use the dedicatedly configured information regardless of the SDT configuration broadcast in the cell. For example, the terminal device 110 may initiate or apply only the MT SDT procedure based on the SDT configuration information regardless of other SDT configuration information received via broadcast signaling.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information may include a specific UL data volume threshold for initiating or triggering the MO SDT process. In some example embodiments, the network node 120 may send the special UL data volume threshold to determine that the MOSDT process is not allowed. In some example embodiments, the network node 120 may send the special UL data volume threshold to determine that the MO SDT process is allowed. For example, the UL data volume threshold that can actually be used to initiate or trigger the MO SDT process may indicate one or more non-zero bytes. The non-zero bytes for the UL data volume threshold may be, for example, one or more of 32 bytes, 100 bytes, 200 bytes, 400 bytes, 600 bytes, 800 bytes, 1000 bytes, 2000 bytes, 4000 bytes, 8000 bytes, 9000 bytes, 10000 bytes, 12000 bytes, 24000 bytes, 48000 bytes, 96000 bytes. The new value "zero byte" may be introduced as a specific UL data volume threshold to indicate that the SDT configuration information is only intended for the MT SDT process and not allowed for the MOSDT process. Currently, when SDT is configured for the terminal device 110, the UL data volume threshold is forcibly configured with a minimum value of 32 bytes. By introducing the new value, an existing field (e.g., sdt-DataVolumeThreshold) can be used to indicate the allowance of the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the SDT process may be triggered in cases where UL data may become available for transmission by the terminal device 110. Alternatively or additionally, the SDT process may be triggered in cases where the network node 120 pages the terminal device 110. Alternatively or additionally, the SDT process may be triggered in cases where the network node 120 pages the terminal device 110 to initiate the SDT process.

[0073] In some example embodiments, to initiate the SDT process, in cases where UL data may become available for transmission, the terminal device 110 may determine whether to initiate an RRC resume process or an MO SDT process. The terminal device 110 may also determine which resources (e.g., RACH resources) are to be used to initiate the SDT process. Based on this determination, the terminal device 110 may use the determined resources to initiate the RRC resume process or the MO SDT process.

[0074] In some example embodiments, in cases where the MO SDT process and / or the MT SDT process is not allowed, the terminal device 110 may initiate a non-SDT RRC resume process.

[0075] Figure 3A flowchart of method 300 implemented at a terminal device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, method 300 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 in Figure 1 in

[0076] At block 310, the terminal device 110 receives SDT configuration information from the network node 120.

[0077] At block 320, the terminal device 110 determines whether the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device 110 based on the SDT configuration information.

[0078] At block 330, the terminal device 110 initiates or applies at least one of the MT SDT process or the MOSDT process based on the determination and the SDT configuration information. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 is in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 is in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information indicates whether the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device 110.

[0080] In some example embodiments, in the case where the MO SDT process is not allowed, the terminal device 110 may apply the SDT configuration information only to the MTSDT process.

[0081] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes at least one of the following: MO SDT configuration for the MO SDT process, MT SDT configuration for the MT SDT process.

[0082] In some example embodiments, the MO SDT configuration is separate or different from the MT SDT configuration.

[0083] In some example embodiments, in the case where the terminal device 110 is configured with the MT SDT configuration but not configured with the MO SDT configuration, the terminal device 110 may initiate or apply only the MT SDT process for data communication between the terminal device 110 and the network node 120.

[0084] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes SDT configurations respectively used as the MO SDT configuration and the MT SDT configuration.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also receive an indication from the network node 120 indicating whether the SDT configuration is to be used for the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process.

[0086] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate or apply the SDT configuration to the MT SDT process and the MO SDT process, respectively.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also receive SDT configuration information from the network node 120 via dedicated signaling or common signaling.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may initiate only the MT SDT process based on the SDT configuration information, regardless of other SDT configuration information received via broadcast signaling.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes resource configurations specific to the MT SDT process.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes a specific uplink data volume threshold for initiating or triggering the MO SDT process. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may also determine that the MO SDT process is not allowed based on the specific uplink data volume threshold.

[0091] In some example embodiments, the SDT process is initiated in at least one of the following cases: uplink data becomes available for transmission by the terminal device 110, the network node 120 pages the terminal device 110, the network node 120 pages the terminal device 110 to initiate the SDT process.

[0092] In some example embodiments, when the MO SDT process and / or the MT SDT process is not allowed, a non-SDTRRC recovery process is initiated.

[0093] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method 400 implemented at a network node according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, method 400 will be described from Figure 1 the perspective of the network node 120 in the middle.

[0094] At block 410, the network node 120 sends SDT configuration information to the terminal device 110. The SDT configuration information is to be used by the terminal device to determine whether the mobile termination MT SDT process and / or the mobile originated MO SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device.

[0095] At block 420, network node 120 performs or applies at least one of an MT SDT procedure and / or an MO SDT procedure with the terminal device based on the SDT configuration information. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state. In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle state.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes at least one of an MO SDT configuration for an MO SDT procedure or an MT SDT configuration for an MT SDT procedure.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes at least one of the following: an MO SDT configuration for an MO SDT procedure, an MT SDT configuration for an MT SDT procedure.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the MO SDT configuration and the MT SDT configuration are separate or different.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes an SDT configuration that is respectively used as an MO SDT configuration and an MT SDT configuration.

[0100] In some example embodiments, network node 120 may further send an indication to terminal device 110, the indication indicating whether the SDT configuration is to be used for an MT SDT procedure and / or an MO SDT procedure.

[0101] In some example embodiments, network node 120 may send the SDT configuration information to the terminal device via dedicated signaling or common signaling, and the SDT configuration information is only used for an MT SDT procedure.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes a resource configuration specific to an MT SDT procedure.

[0103] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes a specific uplink data volume threshold for initiating an MO SDT procedure, and the specific threshold is used to indicate to terminal device 110 whether the MO SDT procedure is allowed or not allowed.

[0104] In some example embodiments, a device (e.g., Figure 1 the terminal device 110) that can perform any one of method 300 may include components for performing the corresponding operations of method 300. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The device may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 the terminal device 110.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the apparatus comprises: means for receiving small data transfer (SDT) configuration information from a network node; means for determining, based on the SDT configuration information, whether a mobile terminated (MT) SDT procedure and / or a mobile originated (MO) SDT procedure is permitted or not permitted for the apparatus; and means for initiating or applying at least one of the MT SDT procedure or the MO SDT procedure based on the determination and / or the SDT configuration information.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the apparatus is in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state. In some example embodiments, the apparatus is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information indicates whether the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure is permitted or not permitted for the apparatus.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the means for initiating comprises: means for applying the SDT configuration information only to the MT SDT procedure in case the MO SDT procedure is not permitted.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information comprises at least one of the following: MO SDT configuration for the MO SDT procedure, MT SDT configuration for the MT SDT procedure.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the MO SDT configuration and the MT SDT configuration are separate or different.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the means for initiating comprises: means for initiating or applying only the MT SDT procedure for data communication between the apparatus and the network node in case the apparatus is configured with the MT SDT configuration but not configured with the MO SDT configuration.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information comprises SDT configurations respectively used as the MO SDT configuration and the MT SDT configuration.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving an indication from the network node, the indication indicating whether the SDT configuration is to be used for the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the means for initiating comprises: means for initiating or applying the MT SDT procedure and the MO SDT procedure respectively based on the SDT configuration.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: means for receiving SDT configuration information from a network node via dedicated signaling or common signaling.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the means for initiating includes: means for initiating or applying only the MT SDT procedure based on the SDT configuration information regardless of any other SDT configuration information received via broadcast signaling.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes resource configuration specific to the MT SDT procedure.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes a specific uplink data volume threshold for initiating or triggering the MO SDT procedure, and wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform: means for determining whether the MO SDT procedure is allowed or not based on the specific uplink data volume threshold.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the SDT procedure is initiated in at least one of the following cases: uplink data becomes available for transmission by the apparatus, the network node pages the apparatus, or the network node pages the apparatus to initiate the SDT procedure.

[0120] In some example embodiments, in cases where the MO SDT procedure and / or the MT SDT procedure is not allowed, a non-SDTRRC recovery procedure is initiated.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes means for performing method 300 or other operations in some example embodiments of the terminal device 110. In some example embodiments, the means includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform.

[0122] In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., Figure 1 the network node 120 in) capable of performing any one of method 400 may include means for performing the corresponding operations of method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The apparatus may be implemented as or included in Figure 1 the network node 120 in.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for sending small data transmission (SDT) configuration information to a terminal device, where the SDT configuration information is to be used by the terminal device to determine whether a mobile terminated (MT) SDT procedure and / or a mobile originated (MO) SDT procedure is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device; and a component for performing or applying at least one of the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure with the terminal device based on the SDT configuration information.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the terminal device is in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state. In some example embodiments, the terminal device is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information indicates whether the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes at least one of the following: an MO SDT configuration for the MO SDT procedure, an MT SDT configuration for the MT SDT procedure.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the MO SDT configuration and the MT SDT configuration are separate or different.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes SDT configurations respectively used as the MO SDT configuration and the MT SDT configuration.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for sending an indication to the terminal device, the indication indicating whether the SDT configuration is to be used for the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for sending the SDT configuration information to the terminal device via dedicated signaling or common signaling, the SDT configuration information being only used for the MT SDT procedure.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes a resource configuration specific to the MT SDT procedure.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the SDT configuration information includes a specific uplink data volume threshold for initiating the MO SDT procedure, the specific threshold being used to indicate to the terminal device whether the MO SDT procedure is allowed or not allowed.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing method 400 or other operations in some example embodiments of network node 120. In some example embodiments, the components include: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform.

[0134] Figure 5 is a simplified block diagram of a device 500 suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 500 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 the terminal device 110 or network node 120 shown in. As shown, the device 500 includes one or more processors 510, one or more memories 520 coupled to the processor 510, and one or more communication modules 540 coupled to the processor 510.

[0135] The communication module 540 is for two-way communication. The communication module 540 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communicating with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 540 may include at least one antenna.

[0136] As a non-limiting example, the processor 510 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network and may include one or more of the following: a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 500 may have multiple processors, such as an application-specific integrated circuit chip that is subordinate to the clock of a synchronous main processor in time.

[0137] The memory 520 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) 524, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), optical disc, laserdisc, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 522 and other volatile memories that do not persist during a power outage.

[0138] The computer program 530 includes computer-executable instructions executed by the associated processor 510. The instructions of the program 530 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 530 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 524. The processor 510 may execute any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 530 into the RAM 522.

[0139] Example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by means of program 530 such that device 500 can execute any process of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to Figures 2 to 4 Any process of the present disclosure. Example embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0140] In some example embodiments, program 530 can be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which can be included in device 500 (such as in memory 520) or in other storage devices accessible by device 500. Device 500 can load program 530 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 522 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium can include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, rather than a signal), rather than a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0141] Figure 6 An example of a computer-readable medium 600 that can be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disk is shown. Program 530 is stored on computer-readable medium 600.

[0142] In general, the various embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects can be implemented in hardware, while other aspects can be implemented in firmware or software, which can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although the various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, by way of non-limiting example, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers, or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0143] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to perform any method as described above. In general, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of program modules can be combined or split as needed among program modules. The machine-executable instructions for program modules can be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0144] The program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are implemented. The program code can execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine, or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[0145] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data can be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, and the like.

[0146] The computer-readable media can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium will include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0147] Furthermore, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that the operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless expressly stated otherwise, certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless expressly stated otherwise, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0148] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the above specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: receive small data transfer (SDT) configuration information from a network node; determine, based on the SDT configuration information, whether a mobile termination (MT) SDT procedure and / or a mobile origin (MO) SDT procedure is permitted or not permitted for the device; and initiate or apply at least one of the MT SDT procedure or the MO SDT procedure based on the determination and / or the SDT configuration information.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the SDT configuration information indicates whether the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure is permitted or not permitted for the device.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the device is caused to: apply the SDT configuration information only to the MT SDT procedure when the MO SDT procedure is not permitted.

6. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the SDT configuration information includes at least one of the following: an MO SDT configuration for the MO SDT procedure, an MT SDT configuration for the MT SDT procedure.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the MO SDT configuration is separate from or different from the MT SDT configuration.

8. The device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the device is caused to: initiate or apply only the MT SDT procedure for data communication between the device and the network node when the device is configured with the MT SDT configuration but not configured with the MO SDT configuration.

9. The device according to claim 6, wherein the SDT configuration information includes SDT configurations respectively used as the MO SDT configuration and the MT SDT configuration.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the device is further caused to: receive an indication from the network node indicating whether the SDT configuration is to be used for the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the device is caused to: initiate or apply the SDT configuration to the MT SDT procedure and the MO SDT procedure respectively.

12. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the device is caused to: receive the SDT configuration information from the network node via dedicated signaling or common signaling.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the device is caused to: initiate or apply only the SDT configuration information to the MT SDT procedure regardless of other SDT configuration information received via broadcast signaling.

14. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the SDT configuration information includes resource configuration specific to the MTSDT process.

15. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the SDT configuration information includes a specific uplink data volume threshold for initiating or triggering the MO SDT process, and wherein the apparatus is further configured to: Based on the specific uplink data volume threshold, determine whether the MO SDT process is allowed or not allowed.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the MT SDT process or the MO SDT process is initiated in at least one of the following cases: Uplink data becomes available for transmission by the apparatus in the RRC inactive state; The network node paging the apparatus in the RRC inactive state; or The network node paging the apparatus in the RRC inactive state to initiate the SDT process.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the case where the MO SDT process and / or the MT SDT process is not allowed, a non-SDT RRC recovery process is initiated.

18. An apparatus, comprising: At least one processor; And At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: Send small data transmission (SDT) configuration information to a terminal device, where the SDT configuration information is to be used by the terminal device to determine whether a mobile termination (MT) SDT process and / or a mobile originated (MO) SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device; And Based on the SDT configuration information, execute or apply at least one of the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process with the terminal device.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the terminal device is in a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the terminal device is in a radio resource control (RRC) idle state.

21. The apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the SDT configuration information indicates whether the MT SDT process and / or the MO SDT process is allowed or not allowed for the terminal device.

22. The apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the SDT configuration information includes at least one of the following: MO SDT configuration for the MO SDT process, MT SDT configuration for the MT SDT process.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the MO SDT configuration is separate or different from the MT SDT configuration.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the SDT configuration information includes SDT configurations respectively used as the MO SDT configuration and the MT SDT configuration.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: Send an indication to the terminal device, the indication indicating whether the SDT configuration is to be used for the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure.

26. The apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the apparatus is caused to: Send the SDT configuration information to the terminal device via dedicated signaling or common signaling, the SDT configuration information being only used for the MT SDT procedure.

27. The apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the SDT configuration information includes a resource configuration specific to the MT SDT procedure.

28. The apparatus according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the SDT configuration information includes a specific uplink data volume threshold for initiating the MO SDT procedure, the specific threshold being used to indicate to the terminal device whether the MO SDT procedure is allowed or not.

29. A method, comprising: Receiving, by a terminal device, small data transmission (SDT) configuration information from a network node; Determining, by the terminal device based on the SDT configuration information, whether a mobile terminated (MT) SDT procedure and / or a mobile originated (MO) SDT procedure is allowed or not for the terminal device; and Initiating or applying, by the terminal device based on the determination and / or the SDT configuration information, at least one of the MT SDT procedure or the MO SDT procedure.

30. A method, comprising: Sending, by a network node, small data transmission (SDT) configuration information to a terminal device, wherein the SDT configuration information is to be used by the terminal device to determine whether a mobile terminated (MT) SDT procedure and / or a mobile originated (MO) SDT procedure is allowed or not for the terminal device; and Executing or applying, by the network node based on the SDT configuration information, at least one of the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure with the terminal device.

31. An apparatus, comprising: Means for receiving small data transmission (SDT) configuration information from a network node; Means for determining, based on the SDT configuration information, whether a mobile terminated (MT) SDT procedure and / or a mobile originated (MO) SDT procedure is allowed or not for the apparatus; and Means for initiating or applying, based on the determination and / or the SDT configuration information, at least one of the MT SDT procedure or the MO SDT procedure.

32. An apparatus, comprising: Means for sending small data transmission (SDT) configuration information to a terminal device, wherein the SDT configuration information is to be used by the terminal device to determine whether a mobile terminated (MT) SDT procedure and / or a mobile originated (MO) SDT procedure is allowed or not for the terminal device; and Means for executing or applying, based on the SDT configuration information, at least one of the MT SDT procedure and / or the MO SDT procedure with the terminal device.

33. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing a device to perform at least the method of claim 29 or the method of claim 30.

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