Multiple radio access technology spectrum sharing

Abstract

An apparatus for 6G operation and operable to perform channel estimation of a 6G channel. The apparatus performs channel estimation by monitoring reference signals within resource elements in at least a portion of the frequency band, the resource elements being allocated to another radio access technology. Channel estimation is performed based on the monitored reference signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to reference signals in the context of dynamic spectrum sharing. Background Art

[0002] Dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) involves at least two radio access technologies sharing the same spectrum. "Dynamic" means that the channel allocation is not static but varies in time and / or frequency (e.g., from one subframe / slot to another). As new radio access technologies are evolving, DSS is becoming increasingly important.

[0003] A user equipment (UE) within a cell needs to perform channel estimation before it can decode information transmitted, for example, in a control channel. This channel estimation is performed by detecting reference signals broadcast by a network node (e.g., a base station or a gNB) within the control channel band. With the development of 6G radio access technologies, it will be desirable to provide a resource - efficient way of broadcasting these reference signals and to maintain high - quality services in the context of a cell using DSS. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The scope of protection of various example embodiments of the present invention is set forth by the independent claims. Example embodiments and features described in this specification that are not within the scope of the independent claims, if any, will be construed as examples to facilitate understanding of the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0005] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus configured for 6G operation, the apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform: performing channel estimation on a 6G channel by: monitoring a reference signal within resource elements in at least a portion of a frequency band, the resource elements being allocated to other radio access technologies; and performing the channel estimation based on the monitored reference signal.

[0006] In a scenario where there is dynamic spectrum sharing within cells that use different radio access technologies and overlap geographically and in frequency bands, an efficient and effective method for a device configured for 6G operation to provide reference signals for channel estimation can be: to provide the device with information related to reference signals transmitted or broadcast by network nodes of other radio access technology cells, so that the device can monitor these reference signals in resource elements allocated to other radio access technologies. In this way, the resources available for the transmission of other 6G signals are increased. The frequency band allocated to other radio access technologies is the frequency band allocated for use by that technology, and at least a portion of this frequency band can be allocated for use by 6G cells. The resource elements for transmitting the reference signals are allocated to other radio access technologies for the transmission of their reference signals.

[0007] The device can perform channel estimation by: monitoring a predetermined reference signal in a frequency / time location, matching the received signal corresponding to the predetermined signal and the frequency / time location with the expected signal, and performing channel estimation.

[0008] In some example embodiments, the reference signal is common to both the other radio access technology and 6G. There is a configuration where 6G and other radio access technologies both use the same reference signal.

[0009] In some example embodiments, the reference signal includes a demodulation reference signal DMRS.

[0010] In some example embodiments, the reference signal is the demodulation reference signal of the physical downlink control channel PDCCH.

[0011] In some example embodiments, the other radio access technology includes 5G.

[0012] In some example embodiments, at least a portion of the monitored frequency band includes: a frequency band at least for the transmission of the 6G physical downlink control channel PDCCH.

[0013] In some example embodiments, before performing the channel estimation, the device is further caused to: receive an indicator that indicates that the device is within the radio coverage of a 6G cell using dynamic spectrum sharing via the other radio access technology, and start the monitoring step in response to the reception of the indicator.

[0014] In some example embodiments, the apparatus is further caused to perform: receiving a configuration indicator, a configuration of a resource element set, and a frequency band of the reference signal, and in response to receiving the configuration indicator, monitoring the reference signal within at least a portion of the frequency band; and performing the channel estimation based on the monitored reference signal and at least the portion of the frequency band.

[0015] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicator indicates the frequency band of a control resource set of the other radio access technology as the frequency band, and the apparatus performs channel estimation according to at least a portion of the frequency band of the other radio access technology.

[0016] In some example embodiments, the frequency band includes the frequency band of a 6G CORESET.

[0017] In some example embodiments, at least a portion of the monitored frequency band includes: the frequency band of a PDCCH channel within a 6G CORESET.

[0018] In some example embodiments, the frequency band of the control resource set of the other radio technology is the same as or wider than the frequency band of a 6G PDCCH.

[0019] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicator indicates: a frequency band that is wider than the frequency band of the control resource set of the other radio access technology.

[0020] In some example embodiments, a 6G PDCCH may have a wider frequency band than a CORESET of another radio access technology, in which case the configuration indicator may indicate a frequency band wider than the CORESET.

[0021] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicator is received in at least one of: a master information block, or a system information block.

[0022] In some example embodiments, the apparatus is further caused to perform: receiving a signal on a 6G physical downlink control channel; and performing a decoding operation on the signal using the channel estimation.

[0023] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus configured to support radio coverage in a 6G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with another apparatus using another radio access technology. The apparatus 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 at least perform: receiving information from the other apparatus that provides radio coverage in a cell of the other radio access technology, the cell at least partially overlapping with the 6G cell geographically and in frequency band, the information including: configuration information of a control resource set of the other radio access technology, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the other apparatus to transmit reference signals; generating an indication of the configuration information related to the resource elements; and sending the indication to a user equipment configured to support 6G operation within the cell.

[0024] A cell may be configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with another apparatus using another radio access technology. Embodiments seek to provide an apparatus that efficiently and effectively shares spectrum by providing some coordination between the apparatuses, thereby allowing a 6G apparatus to reuse the reference signals of another apparatus. Such coordination can be provided by an apparatus that supports radio coverage in a 6G cell receiving information from another apparatus that indicates the configuration of the reference signals transmitted by that apparatus. It can then forward this information to user equipment configured for 6G operation within its cell, thereby allowing them to use the reference signals of the other apparatus to perform their channel estimation. This allows the apparatus itself not to transmit these signals and thus increases the bandwidth available for other signals. It is noted that the transmission of reference signals can be done via broadcast or unicast.

[0025] In some example embodiments, the indication of the configuration of the resource elements includes: an indication of the frequency band in which the resource elements are transmitted.

[0026] It should be noted that the position of the reference signals in time and frequency can be defined in the standard, and the UE can be sent only the configuration of the physical downlink control channel, i.e., the type, time, and frequency position, in which case it can determine where to monitor the reference signals. Thus, the indication can be merely an indication of the PDCCH configuration or can be an actual indication of the position of the reference signals in time and frequency.

[0027] In some example embodiments, the frequency band includes: the frequency band of a control resource set of the other radio access technology.

[0028] In some example embodiments, the frequency band includes: the frequency band of a control resource set of the 6G cell.

[0029] In some example embodiments, the processor is configured to cause the device to perform: generating an indicator that indicates that the reference signal should be generated and transmitted regardless of whether a user equipment configured with another radio access technology requires the signal; and transmitting the indicator to the other device.

[0030] In some example embodiments, the processor is configured to cause the device to perform: determining that a user equipment configured for 6G operation is within the cell, and in response: generating an indicator that indicates that the reference signal should be generated and transmitted within a predetermined time; and transmitting the indicator to the other device.

[0031] In some example embodiments, the processor is configured to cause the device to perform: when the other device determines that a user equipment is configured such that operation using another radio access technology does not require a reference signal, generating an indicator that indicates the frequency band in which the reference signal is to be transmitted by the other device; and transmitting the indicator to the other device.

[0032] In some example embodiments, the processor is configured to cause the device to perform: in response to receiving an indication that the other device is not currently transmitting the reference signal, generating and transmitting the reference signal using at least some of the resource elements of the resource elements used by the other device when transmitting the reference signal.

[0033] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a device configured to support radio coverage in a 5G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with a device providing radio coverage in a 6G cell, the 6G cell at least partially overlapping with the 5G cell geographically and in frequency band, the device including: 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 perform: generating configuration information for transmission to the device providing radio coverage in the 6G cell, the configuration information including: an indication of the configuration of the resource elements used by the device to transmit a reference signal; transmitting the reference signal on the resource elements.

[0034] Although the embodiments may be applicable to multiple radio access technologies, they are particularly applicable to 5G. When there is an overlap between a 5G cell and a 6G cell and they dynamically share spectrum, then the 5G cell can generate configuration information indicating the resource elements it uses to transmit its reference signal to the 6G cell so that the 6G cell can configure user equipment within the cell to use these reference signals.

[0035] In some example embodiments, the indication of the configuration of the resource element includes: an indication of the frequency band in which the resource element is transmitted.

[0036] In some example embodiments, the apparatus is further caused to perform: receiving an indication from the apparatus supporting radio coverage in the 6G cell, the indication specifying that the reference signal should be transmitted regardless of whether a user equipment configured for 5G operation needs the reference signal; and in response, transmitting the reference signal regardless of whether the user equipment configured for 5G operation is within the 5G cell and needs the reference signal.

[0037] In some example embodiments, the apparatus is further caused to perform: receiving an indication from the apparatus supporting radio coverage in the 6G cell, the indication specifying that the reference signal should be transmitted in a different predetermined frequency band when a user equipment configured for 5G operation does not need the reference signal; and determining whether the user equipment configured for 5G operation is within the 5G cell and, if within the 5G cell, needs the reference signal:

[0038] Transmitting the reference signal in the frequency band of the 5G control resource set; and

[0039] If not

[0040] Transmitting the reference signal in the predetermined frequency band within the 5G cell.

[0041] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method performed by a user equipment, the method including: performing channel estimation on a 6G channel by:

[0042] Monitoring a reference signal within resource elements in at least a portion of a frequency band, the resource elements being allocated to other radio access technologies; and performing the channel estimation based on the monitored reference signal.

[0043] In some example embodiments, the method further includes: receiving an indicator indicating that the apparatus is within the radio coverage of a 6G cell using dynamic spectrum sharing with the other radio access technology, and in response starting the monitoring step.

[0044] In some example embodiments, the indicator includes: a configuration indicator indicating a configuration of a set of resource elements and a configuration of the frequency band of the reference signal, and the monitoring step includes: in response to receiving the configuration indicator, monitoring the reference signal within the at least a portion of the frequency band; and performing the channel estimation based on the monitored reference signal and the at least a portion of the frequency band.

[0045] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicator indicates the band of the control resource set of the other radio access technology as the band, and the channel estimation is performed according to at least a part of the band of the other radio access technology.

[0046] In some example embodiments, the method further includes: performing a decoding operation on the signal using the channel estimation.

[0047] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method performed by a device that supports providing radio coverage in a 6G cell and is configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with another device using another radio access technology. The method includes: receiving information from another device that provides radio coverage in a cell of the other radio access technology, the cell at least partially overlapping with the 6G cell geographically and in terms of frequency band, the information including: configuration information of the control resource set of the other radio access technology, the configuration information including: an indication of the configuration of the resource elements used by the other device to transmit reference signals; generating an indication of the configuration information related to the resource elements; and sending the indication to a user equipment configured to support 6G operations within the cell.

[0048] In some example embodiments, the generating step further includes: generating an indication that the reference signal should be generated and transmitted regardless of whether a user equipment configured with the other radio access technology needs the signal, and the sending step includes sending the indication.

[0049] In some example embodiments, the method further includes: determining that a user equipment configured for 6G operations is within the cell, and in response: generating an indication that the reference signal should be generated and transmitted within a predetermined time.

[0050] In some example embodiments, when the other device determines that a user equipment configured to operate using the other radio access technology does not need a reference signal, the generating step generates an indication of the band in which the other device transmits the reference signal.

[0051] In some example embodiments, the generating step and the sending step, in response to receiving an indication that the other device is not currently transmitting the reference signal, use at least some of the resource elements of the resource elements used by the other device to generate and transmit the reference signal.

[0052] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a method performed by an apparatus configured to support providing radio coverage in a 5G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with an apparatus configured to provide radio coverage in a 6G cell, where the 6G cell at least partially overlaps with the 5G cell geographically and in frequency bands, the method comprising: generating configuration information for transmission to the apparatus configured to provide radio coverage in the 6G cell, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements for the apparatus to transmit reference signals; and transmitting the reference signals on the resource elements.

[0053] In some example embodiments, the method further comprises: receiving an indication from the apparatus configured to support radio coverage in the 6G cell, the indication specifying that the reference signals should be transmitted regardless of whether a user equipment configured for 5G operation requires the reference signals; and in response to receiving the indication, transmitting the reference signals regardless of whether the user equipment configured for 5G operation is within the 5G cell and requires the reference signals.

[0054] In some example embodiments, the receiving step comprises: receiving an indication from the apparatus supporting radio coverage in the 6G cell, the indication specifying that the reference signals should be transmitted in a different predetermined frequency band when the user equipment configured for 5G operation does not require the reference signals; and in response to determining whether the user equipment configured for 5G operation is within the 5G cell and whether it requires the reference signals: wherein within the 5G cell and requiring the reference signals: transmitting the reference signals in the frequency band of a 5G control resource set; and wherein not within the 5G cell, transmitting the reference signals in the predetermined frequency band.

[0055] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product comprising computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor on a user equipment, are configured to control the user equipment to: perform channel estimation on a 6G channel by:

[0056] monitoring reference signals within resource elements in at least a portion of a frequency band, the resource elements being allocated to other radio access technologies; and performing the channel estimation based on the monitored reference signals.

[0057] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product including computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor of a device that is configured to support radio coverage in a 6G cell and is configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with another device using another radio access technology, are configured to control the device to: receive information from another device that provides radio coverage in a cell of another radio access technology, the cell at least partially overlapping with the 6G cell geographically and in frequency band, the information including: configuration information of a control resource set of the other radio access technology, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the other device to transmit reference signals; generate an indication of the configuration information related to the resource elements; and send the indication to a user equipment configured to support 6G operation within the cell.

[0058] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product including computer program instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a device that is configured to support radio coverage in a 5G cell and is configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with a device that provides radio coverage in a 6G cell that at least partially overlaps geographically and in frequency band, are configured to control the device to: generate configuration information for transmission to the device that supports radio coverage in the 6G cell, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the device to transmit reference signals; and transmit the reference signals on the resource elements.

[0059] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a device configured for 6G operation, the device including: means for monitoring a reference signal within resource elements in at least a part of a frequency band, the resource elements being allocated to another radio access technology, and means for performing channel estimation on a 6G channel based on the monitored reference signal.

[0060] In some example embodiments, the channel estimation is for a 6G physical downlink control channel.

[0061] In some example embodiments, the device further includes: means for receiving an indicator indicating that the device is within the radio coverage of a 6G cell using dynamic spectrum sharing through the other radio access technology, and the means for monitoring is configured to: start monitoring in response to the receipt of the indicator.

[0062] In some example embodiments, the indicator includes: a configuration indicator indicating a configuration of a set of resource elements and a configuration of a frequency band of the reference signal, and the component for monitoring is configured to: in response to receiving the configuration indicator, monitor the reference signal within at least a portion of the frequency band; and the component for performing the channel estimation is configured to: perform the channel estimation based on the monitored reference signal and at least a portion of the frequency band.

[0063] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicator indicates the frequency band of a control resource set of another radio access technology as the frequency band, and the component for performing channel estimation is configured to: perform channel estimation according to at least a portion of the frequency band of the other radio access technology.

[0064] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for receiving a signal on a 6G physical downlink control channel; and a component for decoding the signal using the channel estimation.

[0065] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus configured for 6G operation, the apparatus including: circuitry configured to monitor a reference signal within resource elements in at least a portion of a frequency band, the resource elements being allocated to another radio access technology; and circuitry configured to perform channel estimation on a 6G channel based on the monitored reference signal.

[0066] In some example embodiments, the component for receiving includes circuitry configured to receive.

[0067] In some example embodiments, the component for determining includes circuitry configured to determine.

[0068] In some example embodiments, the component for decoding includes circuitry configured to decode.

[0069] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus configured to support radio coverage in a 6G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with another device using another radio access technology. The apparatus includes: means for receiving information from the other device, the other device providing radio coverage in a cell of the other radio access technology, the cell at least partially overlapping with the 6G cell geographically and in frequency band, the information including: configuration information of a control resource set of the other radio access technology, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the other device to transmit a reference signal; means for generating an indication of configuration information related to the resource elements; and means for sending the indication to a user equipment configured to support 6G operation within the cell.

[0070] In some example embodiments, the generating means is further configured to: generate an indication that the reference signal should be generated and transmitted regardless of whether a user equipment configured to use the other radio access technology requires the signal, and the sending means is configured to send the indication.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: means for determining that a user equipment configured for 6G operation is located within the cell, and in response: the generating means is configured to generate an indicator indicating that the reference signal should be generated and transmitted within a predetermined time.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the generating means is configured to: when the other device determines that a user equipment configured to operate using the other radio access technology does not require a reference signal, generate an indication of a frequency band in which the other device transmits the reference signal.

[0073] In some example embodiments, the generating and sending means is configured to: in response to receiving an indication that the other device is not currently transmitting the reference signal, generate and transmit the reference signal using at least some of the resource elements of the resource elements used by the other device when transmitting the reference signal.

[0074] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus configured to support providing radio coverage in a 6G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with another apparatus using another radio access technology. The apparatus includes: circuitry configured to receive information from the other apparatus that provides radio coverage in a cell of the other radio access technology, the cell at least partially overlapping with the 6G cell geographically and in frequency band, the information including: configuration information of a control resource set of the other radio access technology, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the other apparatus to transmit reference signals; circuitry configured to generate an indication of configuration information related to the resource elements; and circuitry configured to send the indication to a user equipment configured to support 6G operation within the cell.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the component for determining includes circuitry configured to determine.

[0076] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus configured to support providing radio coverage in a 5G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with an apparatus that provides radio coverage in a 6G cell, the 6G cell at least partially overlapping with the 5G cell geographically and in frequency band. The apparatus includes: a component for generating configuration information for transmission to the apparatus that supports providing radio coverage in the 6G cell, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the apparatus to transmit reference signals; a component for transmitting the reference signals on the resource elements.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a component for receiving an indication from the apparatus that supports radio coverage in the 6G cell, the indication specifying that: the reference signal should be transmitted regardless of whether a user equipment configured for 5G operation needs the reference signal; the component for transmitting is configured to: in response to receiving the indication, transmit the reference signal regardless of whether the user equipment configured for 5G operation is within the 5G cell and needs the reference signal.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the receiving component is configured to receive an indication from the device supporting radio coverage in the 6G cell, the indication specifying that when a user equipment configured for 5G operation does not require the reference signal, the reference signal should be transmitted in a different predetermined frequency band; the device includes: a component for determining whether a user equipment configured for 5G operation is within the 5G cell in response to receiving the indication, and: the transmitting component is configured to transmit the reference signal in the frequency band of a 5G control resource set if the user equipment is within the 5G cell; and the transmitting component is configured to transmit the reference signal in the predetermined frequency band if the user equipment is not within the 5G cell.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the device further includes: circuitry configured to receive an indicator indicating that the device is within the radio coverage of a 6G cell using dynamic spectrum sharing with the other radio access technology, the circuitry being configured to start monitoring in response to receiving the indicator.

[0080] In some example embodiments, the indicator includes: a configuration indicator indicating a configuration of a resource element set and a configuration of a frequency band of the reference signal, and the monitoring component is configured to: monitor the reference signal within at least a portion of the frequency band in response to receiving the configuration indicator; and the component for performing the channel estimation is configured to: perform the channel estimation based on the monitored reference signal and at least the portion of the frequency band.

[0081] In some example embodiments, the configuration indicator indicates the frequency band of a control resource set of the other radio access technology as the frequency band, and the device for performing channel estimation is configured to perform channel estimation according to at least a portion of the frequency band of the other radio access technology.

[0082] In some example embodiments, the device further includes: a component for receiving a signal on a 6G physical downlink control channel; and a component for decoding the signal using the channel estimation.

[0083] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus configured to support radio coverage in a 5G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with an apparatus providing radio coverage in a 6G cell, the 6G cell at least partially overlapping with the 5G cell geographically and in frequency band, the apparatus comprising: circuitry configured to generate configuration information for transmission to the apparatus providing radio coverage in the 6G cell, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements on which the apparatus is to transmit reference signals; circuitry configured to transmit the reference signals on the resource elements.

[0084] In some example embodiments, the component for receiving comprises circuitry or a receiver configured to receive.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the component for receiving comprises circuitry or a decoder configured to decode.

[0086] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions stored thereon for at least performing the following: performing channel estimation on a 6G channel by: in response to reception of a reference signal within a resource element in at least a portion of a frequency band, the resource element being allocated to another radio access technology, performing channel estimation based on the monitored reference signal.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the program instructions further perform the following: in response to reception of a signal on a 6G physical downlink control channel;

[0088] Performing a decoding operation on the signal using the channel estimation.

[0089] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions stored thereon for at least performing the following: in response to reception of information from another apparatus that provides radio coverage in a cell of the other radio access technology, the cell at least partially overlapping with the 6G cell geographically and in frequency band, the information including: configuration information of a control resource set of the other radio access technology, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the other apparatus to transmit reference signals; generating an indication of configuration information related to the resource elements.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the program instructions further perform the following: generating an indicator indicating that the reference signal should be generated and transmitted regardless of whether a user equipment configured with the other radio access technology requires a signal.

[0091] In some example embodiments, the program instructions further perform the following operations: determining that a user equipment configured for 6G operation is located within the cell, and in response:

[0092] Generating an indicator that indicates that the reference signal should be generated and transmitted within a predetermined time.

[0093] In some example embodiments, the program instructions further perform the following: when the other device determines that the user equipment is configured such that operation using other radio access technologies does not require a reference signal, generating an indicator that indicates the frequency band for transmitting the reference signal by the other device.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the program instructions further perform the following: in response to receiving an indication that the other device is not currently transmitting the reference signal, generating and transmitting the reference signal using at least some of the resource elements of the resource elements used by the other device when transmitting the reference signal.

[0095] According to various but not necessarily all example embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable medium including program instructions stored thereon for at least performing the following: generating configuration information for transmission to the device that supports providing radio coverage in the 6G cell, the configuration information including an indication of the configuration of the resource elements used by the device for transmitting the reference signal.

[0096] Additional specific and preferred aspects are set forth in the appended independent and dependent claims. The features of the dependent claims may be appropriately combined with the features of the independent claims and may be combined in combinations other than those explicitly set forth in the claims.

[0097] Where a device feature is described as being operable to provide a function, it should be understood that this includes a device feature that provides the function or is adapted or configured to provide the function. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0098] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0099] Figure 1 Example embodiments of overlapping cells, network nodes, and user equipment are illustrated;

[0100] Figure 2 Control resource sets for dynamic sharing of spectrum between 5G and 6G cells are illustrated;

[0101] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method performed on a user equipment according to an example embodiment is schematically shown;

[0102] Figure 4 FIG. 1 schematically shows a flowchart of a method performed at a network node supporting a 5G and a 6G cell, respectively, according to an example embodiment;

[0103] Figure 5 FIG. 2 schematically shows a signal diagram of signals transmitted between a UE, a 5G, and a 6G cell according to an example embodiment; and

[0104] Figure 6 FIG. 3 illustrates another example of a control resource set for dynamic spectrum sharing of a 5G and a 6G cell. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0105] Before discussing example embodiments in more detail, an overview is first provided.

[0106] This application relates to the so-called dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) feature, in which devices using different radio access technologies dynamically share at least a part of the same frequency band.

[0107] In an embodiment, reference signals for channel estimation by user equipment in a cell broadcast or transmitted by a node configured to use a radio access technology other than 6G can be reused in a 6G cell that geographically and spectrally overlaps with these cells. In this way, the 6G node does not have to allocate resources for the transmission of these reference signals themselves.

[0108] In some embodiments, this requires coordination between the 6G node and other nodes.

[0109] In some embodiments, another radio access technology is 5G, which uses DMRS signals as reference signals for channel estimation, and the embodiment attempts to use the same signals for 6G channel estimation so that these signals can be reused in a 6G cell that overlaps with a 5G cell, thereby reducing the amount of signals to be transmitted.

[0110] A user equipment may know that it is within the radio coverage of a 6G cell that uses dynamic spectrum sharing in response to the reception of an indicator indicating this. In response, the user equipment may monitor reference signals in a part of a channel allocated to a channel of another radio access channel. The indicator may not be an explicit indicator, it may be an indicator of the presence of some other radio access technology signal (such as a 5G signal), and may also be some synchronization signals. The channel structure will indicate to the user equipment that dynamic spectrum sharing may exist, so the reference signals may be located within a part of a channel allocated to another radio access technology.

[0111] The indicator can be a configuration indicator and can be received at the device before the device is connected to the cell. In this case, the configuration indicator can be received within the master information block and / or the system information block. Alternatively, it can be received by a signal after the radio resource is connected to the cell.

[0112] The monitored partial bandwidth of the frequency band can be at least as wide as and overlap with the frequency band for the transmission of the 6G physical downlink control channel. Channel estimation will be used to decode the channel, so the channel should preferably be included.

[0113] When the frequency band of the control resource set (CORESET) of other radio technologies is wider than that of the 6G PDCCH, in some cases, for devices operating in other radio access technologies, the reference signal can be transmitted throughout the CORESET.

[0114] The coordination between nodes can involve exchanging information about the configuration of the reference signal, and / or information about when the reference signal is needed and when it should be transmitted.

[0115] In this regard, the 6G node does not transmit its own reference signal but relies on the reference signal transmitted by another device. Then it is important that these reference signals are transmitted whenever the user equipment configured for 6G operation needs them. So in some cases, the 6G node can indicate to the nodes of other radio access technologies that it should generate and transmit these reference signals regardless of whether it has any user equipment of its own radio access technology that needs them. In this way, when the user equipment configured for 6G operation may need these reference signals, the 6G node can be confident that the reference signals can be transmitted.

[0116] Alternatively, it can indicate to the node when these reference signals are needed and request the node to transmit these reference signals at this time, rather than indicating that other nodes always transmit the reference signal. It can operate in this way in response to determining that there is user equipment in its cell that needs the reference signal. In some cases, the request to generate and transmit these signals can indicate a predetermined time during which it should be completed.

[0117] Where the other radio access technology is 5G, the reference signal can be the NR PDCCH DMRS, and since there is no longer a cell reference symbol always as in LTE, these reference signals are included as part of the NR PDCCH symbols. These NR PDCCH DMRS can also be used for beamforming for the PDCCH. Since these PDCCH DMRS are transmitted every 12 in each PRB ( Figure 2 and every 3 subcarriers), it results in significant overhead and reduces the PDCCH capacity.

[0118] The PDCCH capacity of NR DSS cells has always been a bottleneck.

[0119] LTE PDCCH decoding is based on LTE control resource set (CRS) symbols spread across time slots (a group of symbols). Therefore, channel estimation and data symbols are not limited to the same symbol, but they can potentially span the same frequency resources.

[0120] Embodiments recognize that the channel estimation symbols for 6G PDCCH do not need to be located in time or frequency within the 6G PDCCH data resources. In fact, the 6G PDCCH resources for channel estimation can be provided by reference signals of another RAT, in some embodiments by 5G DMRS.

[0121] In embodiments where the mMIMO solution is not adopted in the 6G FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing) band, 5G PDCCH DMRS symbols can be reused for 6G PDCCH decoding. This enables 6G PDCCH symbols to not send PDCCH DMRS, thereby providing a 25% increase in the capacity per PRB for control channel elements (CCEs).

[0122] Note that for TDD (Time Division Duplexing) bands where mMIMO is typically deployed, the above framework can be used in the following scenarios: i) the same beam is scheduled for 5G and 6G users; ii) different beams are scheduled for 5G and 6G users, but the 5G PDCCH scheduler does not use the search space resource elements required for 6G users to perform channel estimation based on 5G PDCCH DMRS.

[0123] Figure 1 A communication network 1 is shown, which includes: a 6G network node 2 configured to support providing a 6G cell 3, and a second network node 4 associated with a radio access technology (RAT) other than 6G (5G / NR in this specific embodiment) and configured to support providing a second cell 5. The network node 2 and the network node 4 share an antenna system 6, that is, they are co-located or co-site cooperative. It should be understood that Figure 1 The sizes and shapes of cell 3 and cell 5 are for illustrative purposes only and can be different from those shown in the figure in practice. The network node 2 and the network node 4 share an antenna system 6 configured to transmit and broadcast signals to UEs within cell 3 and cell 5.

[0124] Embodiments relate to a situation where a UE 10 configured for 6G operation is within the radio coverage of both cell 3 and cell 5 of the network node 2 and the network node 4, and can thus detect signals associated with both the network node 2 and the network node 4. The UE 10 and the network node 2 and the network node 4 each include at least a processor 7 and a memory 8.

[0125] In this embodiment, UE10 may receive a signal from 6G network node 2 indicating that a reference signal in the form of DMRS is available for channel estimation. This signal may be received before the UE is connected to the 6G cell within the MIB or SIB. Network node 2 may provide details of the DMRS broadcast by network node 4 within the CORESET of the 5G cell. This allows UE 10 to perform channel estimation using the reference signal broadcast by 5G network node 4. In this way, UEs within overlapping cells may each use the same DMRS signal for channel estimation, significantly reducing the overhead associated with this signal.

[0126] Figure 2 Illustrates how to release the PDCCH resource block in the 6G CORESET for channel estimation and demodulation of 6G PDCCH data transmission by reusing the reference signal (e.g., DMRS12) broadcast in the 5G CORESET. The symbols on the right represent the 6G CORESET, and the symbols on the left represent the 5G CORESET. DMRS12 is broadcast once every 4 resource blocks in the 5G CORSET. DMRS12 can be used for channel estimation and demodulation of 6G PDCCH data transmission. Co-located network node 2, co-located network node 4, and shared antenna assembly 6 (see Figure 1 ) means that channel estimation of the signal transmitted in the 5G channel will be valid for the signal transmitted in the 6G channel with an overlapping frequency band. In this way, more 6G CORESETs can be used for PDCCH data transmission (instead of reference signals), thus reducing the bottleneck usually associated with 5G DSS mentioned above.

[0127] In some embodiments, DMRS12 is common to both 5G and 6G.

[0128] In some embodiments, even if there is no 5G-compatible UE within the 5G cell, the 5G network node still broadcasts the DMRS for 6G-compatible UEs in the 5G CORESET. This ensures that 6G-compatible UEs invisible to the 5G network node continue to receive the DMRS suitable for channel estimation and demodulation of 6G PDCCH transmission. In other embodiments, when there is no 5G UE in the overlapping cell, the DMRS may be broadcast by the 6G network node. Both of the above cases require cooperation between network nodes, and signals are sent between them, sharing the reference signal and their respective required details.

[0129] Figure 2An exemplary configuration of 6G PDCCH DMRS12 is shown, which may be configured in symbols 0 and 1 (left column), and 6G PDCCH data is configured in symbols 2 and 3 (right column). The UE should not make any assumptions about resource blocks within the 5G CORESET that are not used for DMRS12. In this way, the 5G CORESET defined in symbols 0 and 1 is generally not visible in the 6G specification, however, the configuration sent to the UE in an embodiment defines the case where the 6G PDCCH DMRS is a 5G PDCCH DMRS located in an earlier symbol within the resource block of the 5G CORESET.

[0130] Figure 3 A flow chart illustrating the steps performed at a 6G UE is shown. In step S10, the UE is made aware that it is camping on a 6G DSS cell. In some embodiments, the UE receives an indicator indicating that the UE is within radio coverage of a 6G cell that uses dynamic spectrum sharing with another radio access technology other than 6G. This may simply be an indicator that there is an overlapping 5G cell, and the UE may be configured to recognize that DSS is used in such a scenario.

[0131] In step S20, the UE is configured with at least a first symbol set on which PDCCH DMRS resource elements of different RATs are transmitted. In other words, the UE receives a configuration indicator indicating the configuration of a resource element set for transmission or broadcasting of a reference signal and indicating a portion of the bandwidth used for this. This can be achieved by providing, for example, a master information block, a system information block, or connecting some processes in an RRC connection state. In some example embodiments, in addition to the 5G PDCCH DMRS, the UE can use some 6G specific DMRS to decode the 6G PDCCH.

[0132] In S30 , the UE is configured with a second symbol set in which the UE should perform PDCCH monitoring, for example, via blind decoding.

[0133] In S40, during the configured UE monitoring opportunity, the 6G UE performs PDCCH channel estimation on a first set of resource elements, which may or may not completely overlap with its PDCCH monitoring resource elements.

[0134] In S50, based on the channel estimation result from S40, the UE performs a PDCCH decoding attempt.

[0135] Figure 4 A flow chart illustrating the steps of the method performed at each of the 5G network node and the 6G DSS network node is shown. For a 5G DSS cell:

[0136] In S110, the 5G cell (network node) is configured in DSS mode.

[0137] In S210, the 5G DSS cell notifies its CORESET configuration to the 6G DSS cell. This is done by generating configuration information for transmission to the 6G DSS cell, which includes: an indication of the configuration of the resource elements for the 5G DSS cell to broadcast reference signals, which in this case is DMRS. Typically, the DMRS sequence of the PDCCH DMRS is initialized with a pseudo-random sequence based on the cell physical cell identifier (PCI), however, other DMRS configurations are also possible. If the 5G DSS cell DMRS sequence is not initialized based on the 5G DSS cell PCI, the initialization parameters can also be shared with the 6G DSS cell.

[0138] In S130, the 5G DSS cell coordinates the transmission (or broadcast) of the NR PDCCH DMRS required by the 6G DSS cell.

[0139] In S140, the 5G DSS cell transmits the NR PDCCH DMRS on the Res (resource elements) required for 5G scheduling of the 5G DSS cell and the Res required by the 6G DSS cell. Thus, the 5G network node broadcasts the Res required by the 6G cell and in fact in the embodiment these Res are the same as the Res required by its own cell.

[0140] For the 5G DSS cell:

[0141] In S100, the 6G cell is configured in DSS mode.

[0142] In S200, the 6G DSS cell receives the (multiple) 5G CORESET configurations from the 5G DSS cell.

[0143] In S300, the 6G DSS cell coordinates the transmission of the NR PDCCH DMRS required by the 6G DSS cell with the 5G DSS cell.

[0144] In S400, the 6G DSS cell schedules the PDCCH monitoring occasion and aggregation level based on the PDCCH DMRS RE sent by the 5G DSS cell.

[0145] It should be emphasized here that as a result of S130 and S300, the 6G DSS cell may realize that the 5G PDCCH DMRS that the 5G DSS cell intends to send for the 6G UE is sub-optimal, and thus the 6G DSS cell may adjust the aggregation level of the 6G UE or employ power control to compensate for this fact S400.

[0146] Figure 5 A signaling diagram showing the communication between the elements of the illustrated network. In step 210, the 6G DSS cell receives 5G PDCCH / CORESET configuration information from the 5G DSS cell. In step 220, the 6G DSS cell responds by sending 6G CORESET and search space configuration to the 5G DSS cell. In step 230, the 6G DSS cell sends an indication of the 6G PDCCH configuration to the 6G UE, where the PDCCH DMRS is based on at least some of the 5G DSS cell PDCCH DMRS.

[0147] In optional step 235, the 6G DSS cell sends scheduling information, such as frequency, time slot, and symbol information, to the 5G DSS cell. This may indicate that the DMRS reference signal should be sent within the 6G CORESET, which may be a sub-band of the 5G CORESET or may include a partial bandwidth outside the bandwidth of the 5G CORESET.

[0148] In step 240, the 5G DSS cell broadcasts 5G PDCCH DMRS to the 6G UE. The 6G DSS cell may send 6G PDCCH data to the 6G UE in step 250. In step 260, the 6G UE performs channel estimation and demodulation on the 6G PDCCH based on the 5G DMRS.

[0149] For some 5G configurations with a large cell bandwidth configured, the 5G CORESET may not cover the entire cell bandwidth and may also not be able to perform frequency reuse for the 5G and 6G CORESETs. Therefore, the described embodiments as shown in Figure 6 may be adopted. Figure 6 Shows how, through coordination steps (S130 and S300), 5G DSS can also send 5G PDCCH DMRS Res for the 6G UE outside the CORESET (in the upper left corner area) configured for the 5G UE, but within the CORESET frequency band for 6G operation, and specifically within the 6G DSS cell. Figure 6 The upper left corner area can also be used for 5G data transmission via puncturing or rate matching around the PDCCH DMRS Res.

[0150] Potential advantages of the above embodiments include:

[0151] · Increasing the 6G PDCCH capacity by reusing the NR PDCCH DMRS, and

[0152] · 6G UEs are capable of performing NR PDCCH DMRS decoding, allowing them to perform NR PDCCH interference cancellation in scenarios such as when 6G and 5G cells are not DSS cells but adjacent cells operating on co-channel frequencies. The inability to support this is also a major shortcoming of the 4G-5G DSS framework.

[0153] In summary, in an embodiment, at a higher level, the framework includes:

[0154] 1. A 5G DSS cell gNB (network node 4) that shares (a) 5G CORESET configuration(s) with a 6G DSS cell (network node 2) via, for example, Xn.

[0155] 2. The 5G DSS cell and the 6G DSS cell can coordinate on the transmission of PDCCH DMRS REs:

[0156] a. In the simplest embodiment, the 5G DSS cell can send PDCCH DMRS in all possible Res, and this does not require coordination between the 5G and 6G cells.

[0157] b. In another embodiment, the 6G DSS cell notifies the 5G cell in the 6G CORESET of its intended PDCCH allocation, and then the 5G DSS cell will send 5G PDCCH DMRS only on the Res intended for 6G UEs, even if there is no 5G PDCCH transmission that would cause 5G transmission and 5G PDCCH DMRS.

[0158] 3. 6G UEs are configured with:

[0159] a. In some embodiments, the 5G CORESET performs channel estimation based on 5G DMRS REs.

[0160] i. The UE can be configured to always expect 5G DMRS in all Res of the 5G CORESET when 6G PDCCH is being sent, or only expect them within a specific region.

[0161] ii. The 5G PDCCH DMRS for channel estimation may not be fully aligned with the 6G CORESET.

[0162] b. The 6G CORESET performs blind decoding in a 6G CORESET that does not need to overlap with the 5G CORESET.

[0163] It is worth noting that the above embodiments specifically target DSS cells to reduce overhead and increase PDCCH capacity while still avoiding the need for 5G and 6G cells to jointly dynamically manage resource allocation. If 5G and 6G PDCCH share the same resources for the transmission of different signals, conflict avoidance will require dynamic resource coordination. In 5G, the UE does not know that it is residing in a DSS cell until it enters RRC connected mode and the network node gNB is aware of its capabilities. At this stage, the gNB informs the UE of the LTE CRS rate matching mode, which indicates to the UE that it may be a DSS cell.

[0164] For 4G-5G DSS, it is a problem that the UE is not aware that it is residing in a DSS cell during idle state, which leads to increased overhead and reduced spectrum efficiency. Therefore, the assumption here is that the 6G UE will be aware that it is residing in a 6G DSS cell in idle mode, and then it can enable the above framework for 6G common search space and user search space to be adopted. This can be achieved by transmitting this information in the MIB (Master Information Block) or SIB (System Information Block). In embodiments where this is not the case and the 6G UE is not aware that it is residing in the DSS, a UE-specific search space can be used to allow the UE to find the DMRS.

[0165] Those skilled in the art can readily recognize that the steps of various of the above methods can be performed by a programmed computer. Some embodiments herein are also intended to cover program storage devices, such as digital data storage media, which are machine or computer readable and encode a program of machine-executable or computer-executable instructions, the instructions described herein performing some or all of the steps of the above methods. The program storage device may be a digital memory, such as a magnetic storage medium such as a disk and tape, a hard disk, or an optically readable digital data storage medium. The embodiments are also intended to cover computer programs to perform the steps of the above methods. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation on the storage medium itself (i.e., a tangible medium, not a signal medium), not a limitation on the persistence level of data storage (such as RAM and ROM)

[0166] In this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0167] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuitry only), and

[0168] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0169] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and

[0170] (ii) Any portion of (multiple) hardware processors (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software, and (multiple) memories that work together to cause a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions), and (i)(c) (multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or portions of (multiple) microprocessors, which require software (e.g.,

[0171] firmware) to operate, but the software may be absent when not required to operate.

[0172] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses implementations of only hardware circuits or processors (or multiple processors), or portions of hardware circuits or processors and their accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also includes a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network devices.

[0173] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to various examples, it should be understood that the examples given may be modified without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.

[0174] Except for the specifically described embodiments, the features described above may be used in other combinations.

[0175] Although functions have been described with reference to certain features, these functions may be performed by other features, whether or not described.

[0176] Although features have been described with reference to certain embodiments, these features may also be present in other embodiments, whether or not described.

[0177] While efforts have been made in the foregoing specification to draw attention to what are regarded as the particularly important features of the present invention, it should be understood that the applicant claims protection for any patentable features or combinations of features mentioned above and / or shown in the drawings, whether or not they have been specifically emphasized.

[0178] Abbreviation table:

[0179] AL [PDCCH] Aggregation Level

[0180] BLER Block Error Rate

[0181] CCE Control Channel Element

[0182] CORESET Control Resource Set

[0183] CRS [LTE] Specific Cell Reference Signal

[0184] CSI Channel State Information

[0185] CSS Common Search Space

[0186] DMRS Demodulation Reference Signal

[0187] DSS Dynamic Spectrum Sharing

[0188] eNB Evolved Node B (LTE Network Node)

[0189] FG Functional Group

[0190] IE Information Element

[0191] gNB gNode B (5G NR Network Node)

[0192] IC Integrated Circuit

[0193] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0194] KPI Key Performance Indicator

[0195] mMIMO Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output

[0196] NB Node B (Network Node)

[0197] NR New Radio

[0198] O&M Operation and Maintenance

[0199] OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing

[0200] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0201] PRB Physical Resource Block

[0202] Pcell Primary Cell

[0203] PCI Physical Cell Identity

[0204] RAT Radio Access Technology

[0205] RE Resource Element

[0206] RSRP Reference Signal Received Power

[0207] RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality

[0208] Scell Secondary Cell

[0209] SINR Signal-to-Interference plus Noise Ratio

[0210] SNR Signal-to-Noise Ratio

[0211] SS [PDCCH] Search Space

[0212] TS Technical Specification

[0213] UE User Equipment

[0214] WI Work Item

Claims

1. A device for 6G operation, the 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 perform: Perform channel estimation on a 6G channel by: Monitoring reference signals within resource elements in at least a portion of a frequency band, the resource elements being allocated to other radio access technologies; And Based on the monitored reference signals, perform the channel estimation.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the reference signal is common to both the other radio access technology and 6G.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least a portion of the monitored frequency band comprises: A frequency band at least for the transmission of the 6G physical downlink control channel PDCCH.

4. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, before performing the channel estimation, the device is further caused to: Receive an indicator indicating that the device is within the radio coverage of a 6G cell using dynamic spectrum sharing via the other radio access technology, and start the monitoring step in response to the reception of the indicator.

5. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, the device is further caused to perform: Receive a configuration indicator indicating the configuration of the resource element set and the frequency band of the reference signal, and in response to the reception of the configuration indicator, monitor the reference signal within at least a portion of the frequency band; and Based on the monitored reference signals and at least a portion of the frequency band, perform the channel estimation.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the configuration indicator indicates the frequency band of the control resource set of the other radio access technology as the frequency band, and the device performs channel estimation according to at least a portion of the frequency band of the other radio access technology.

7. The device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the configuration indicator is received in at least one of: the master information block, or the system information block.

8. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, the device is further caused to perform: Receive a signal on the 6G physical downlink control channel; and Use the channel estimation to perform a decoding operation on the signal.

9. A device configured to support radio coverage in a 6G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with another device using another radio access technology, the 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 perform: Receive information from the other device that provides radio coverage in a cell of the other radio access technology, the cell overlapping at least partially with the 6G cell geographically and in frequency band, the information including: configuration information of the control resource set of the other radio access technology, the configuration information including: an indication of the configuration of the resource elements used by the other device to transmit reference signals; Generate an indication of the configuration information related to the resource elements; and Send the indication to a user equipment configured to support 6G operation within the cell.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the indication of the configuration of the resource element comprises: An indication of the frequency band in which the resource element is transmitted.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the frequency band comprises: The frequency band of the control resource set of the other radio access technology.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the frequency band comprises: The frequency band of the control resource set of the 6G cell.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to perform: Generate an indicator indicating that the reference signal should be generated and transmitted regardless of whether the user equipment configured with the other radio access technology requires the signal; and Send the indication to the other apparatus.

14. The apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to perform: Determine that a user equipment configured for 6G operation is within the cell, and in response: Generate an indicator indicating that the reference signal should be generated and transmitted within a predetermined time; and Send the indication to the other apparatus.

15. The apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12 or 14, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to perform: When the other apparatus determines that the user equipment configured to operate using the other radio access technology does not require the reference signal, generate an indicator indicating the frequency band for transmitting the reference signal by the other apparatus; and Send the indication to the other apparatus.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the processor is configured to cause the apparatus to perform: In response to receiving an indication that the other apparatus is not currently transmitting the reference signal, generate and transmit the reference signal using at least some of the resource elements of the resource elements used by the other apparatus when transmitting the reference signal.

17. An apparatus configured to support radio coverage in a 5G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with an apparatus providing radio coverage in a 6G cell, the 6G cell at least partially overlapping the 5G cell geographically and in frequency band, the 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 perform: Generate configuration information for transmission to the apparatus providing radio coverage in the 6G cell, the configuration information including an indication of the configuration of the resource elements used by the apparatus for transmitting a reference signal; Transmit the reference signal on the resource elements.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, the apparatus is further caused to perform: Receive an indication from the apparatus providing radio coverage in the 6G cell indicating that the reference signal should be transmitted regardless of whether the user equipment configured for 5G operation requires the signal; and In response, transmit the reference signal regardless of whether the user equipment configured for 5G operation is within the 5G cell and requires the signal.

19. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus is further caused to perform: Receive an indication from the apparatus supporting radio coverage in the 6G cell, the indication specifying that when a user equipment configured for 5G operation does not require the reference signal, the reference signal should be transmitted in a different predetermined frequency band; and Determine whether a user equipment configured for 5G operation is within the 5G cell, and if within the 5G cell, requires the reference signal: Transmit the reference signal in a frequency band of a 5G control resource set; and If not within the 5G cell Transmit the reference signal in the predetermined frequency band.

20. A method performed by a user equipment, the method comprising: Performing channel estimation on a 6G channel by: Monitoring a reference signal within resource elements in at least a portion of a frequency band, the resource elements being allocated to other radio access technologies; And Performing the channel estimation based on the monitored reference signal.

21. A method performed by an apparatus supporting radio coverage in a 6G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with another apparatus using another radio access technology, the method comprising: Receiving information from the other apparatus providing radio coverage in a cell of the other radio access technology, the cell at least partially overlapping with the 6G cell geographically and in frequency band, the information including: configuration information of a control resource set of the other radio access technology, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the other apparatus to transmit a reference signal; Generating an indication of the configuration information related to the resource elements; and Sending the indication to a user equipment configured to support 6G operation within the cell.

22. A method performed by an apparatus configured to support radio coverage in a 5G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with an apparatus providing radio coverage in a 6G cell, the 6G cell at least partially overlapping with the 5G cell geographically and in frequency band, the method comprising: Generating configuration information for transmission to the apparatus supporting radio coverage in the 6G cell, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the apparatus to transmit a reference signal; Transmitting the reference signal on the resource elements.

23. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor on a user equipment, are configured to control the user equipment to: Perform channel estimation on a 6G channel by: Monitoring a reference signal within at least a portion of a frequency band allocated to other radio access technologies; and Performing the channel estimation based on the monitored reference signal.

24. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor on an apparatus supporting radio coverage in a 6G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with another apparatus using another radio access technology, are configured to control the apparatus to: Receive information from the other device, the other device providing radio coverage in a cell of the other radio access technology, the cell at least partially overlapping with the 6G cell geographically and in frequency band, the information including: Configuration information of a control resource set of the other radio access technology, the configuration information including: an indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the other device to transmit reference signals; Generating an indication of configuration information related to the resource elements; and Sending the indication to a user equipment configured to support 6G operations within the cell.

25. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a device configured to support radio coverage in a 5G cell and configured to dynamically share radio spectrum with a device providing radio coverage in a 6G cell that at least partially overlaps geographically and in frequency band, are configured to control the device to: Generate configuration information for transmission to the device that supports providing radio coverage in the 6G cell, the configuration information including: An indication of a configuration of resource elements used by the device to transmit reference signals; And Transmitting the reference signal on the resource elements.

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