Methods and apparatus related to handling of restricted user equipment capabilities

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatus for enabling restricted user equipment capabilities when transitioning out from a radio resource control connection state. A user equipment (UE) may be adapted to communicate with one or more networks using two or more subscriptions simultaneously, wherein the UE is configured to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities in an ongoing service with a first network. A method in such a UE includes, in response to transitioning from a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection State RRCCONNECTED with a first network, upon restoring the RRCCONNECTED state with the first network, avoiding storing an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context of the UE, and / or releasing the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatus for controlling the use of restricted user equipment capabilities when transitioning out of a radio resource control (RRC) connected state (e.g., RRC CONNECTED). BACKGROUND

[0002] Multiple USIMs The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is currently studying in Release 18 (Rel-18) how to best support user equipment (UE) capable of managing two or more simultaneous subscriptions (also referred to as multi-universal subscriber identity module (M-USIM)). A single UE can have two or more subscription credentials and essentially “act” as two UEs within one device / hardware entity. Even though there are mobile terminals (UEs) with this attribute, most of the operation is not really optimized because there is no specific standardized support for multi-USIM, e.g., making it easier for such a UE to simultaneously manage two or more subscriptions.

[0003] Several aspects can be addressed. For example, it can be desirable to provide support to the UE to more easily switch between a state related to the use of subscription 1 (USIM1, connected to network A) and a state related to the use or communication using subscription 2 (USIM2, connected to network B) because such states can rely on, for example, RRC CONNECTED in network A and network B. If the UE has the capability to simultaneously use USIM1 and USIM2 to simultaneously communicate to both networks, such switching can be straightforward or even not necessary. To achieve this, at least a dual receiver and transmitter chain can be required, designed such that the frequencies for both networks do not cause mutual interference and the radio isolation is good enough not to cause, for example, intermodulation effects in the device. Other aspects that the standard can address is to introduce signaling that allows a UE that is not capable of simultaneously communicating with, for example, two or more networks to at least signal to the network that it is leaving or to signal that the UE becomes unreachable for that network.

[0004] As described in RP-210316 WID: “Support of LTE / NR multi-SIM devices”, Release 17 (Rel-17) work on multi-USIM has focused on devices with single receiver (Rx) / single transmitter (Tx) or dual Rx / single Tx. That is, dual Rx / dual Tx UEs are not in scope of this WID.

[0005] In Rel.18, 3GPP began studying enhancements to existing procedures to allow dual Rx / dual Tx M-USIM UEs to operate simultaneously in network A and network B in the RRC_CONNECTED state (e.g., see RP-220955, Dual Transmit / Receive (Tx / Rx) MultiSIM for WID: NR).

[0006] Specifically, it has been agreed to reuse a mechanism in which a UE indicates that its (full) UE capabilities are restricted in some way. A UE connected to only one network can indicate and use the full UE capabilities of that network. However, a UE connected to two networks (or connected to one network using two different subscriptions) indicates that its (full) UE capabilities are restricted to each of the two networks.

[0007] Figure 1 The UE state machine and state transitions in NR are shown.

[0008] like Figure 1 As shown, there are currently three Radio Resource Control (RRC) states in the New Radio (NR) interface.

[0009] After an RRC connection is established (RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED), the network can initiate a UE capability transfer process (e.g., Figure 2 (as shown), to retrieve UE radio access capability information.

[0010] If the UE later moves from RRC_CONNECTED to RRC_INACTIVE, the retrieved UE capabilities can be stored as part of the UE context, and the retrieved UE capabilities can therefore be valid if the connection between the network and the UE is restored (i.e., from RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_CONNECTED). Summary of the Invention

[0011] There are currently one or more challenges. A UE can indicate its UE capability status to the network (e.g., that the UE can only use limited UE capabilities). However, when a UE transitions out of the RRC_CONNECTED state, for example, to the RRC_INACTIVE state, it is unclear how to handle any UE indications of limited UE capabilities that the UE may have sent in RRC_CONNECTED. Therefore, the network may attempt to restore connectivity with UEs that have limited UE capabilities by providing a configuration that does not match those capabilities, potentially leading to RRC configuration errors.

[0012] Certain aspects of this disclosure and its embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0013] Some embodiments described herein provide a method by which a UE can indicate to the network whether its UE capabilities are restricted before or during transitioning out of the RRC_CONNECTED state. The restricted UE capabilities can then be stored by the network in the UE's UE context such that if the UE transitions back to RRC_CONNECTED with the network, the stored restricted UE capabilities are applicable to that UE.

[0014] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. The embodiments described herein enable both the UE and the network (NW) to synchronize the UE state regarding the limited UE capabilities when transitioning from RRC_CONNECTED, which allows the network to restore connectivity with the UE without causing RRC configuration errors.

[0015] According to some embodiments, a method is therefore provided performed by a user equipment (UE) adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, wherein the UE is configured to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities in an ongoing service with a first network. The method includes: in response to transitioning from a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection state RRC_CONNECTED with the first network, upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, avoiding storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE's UE context and / or releasing the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

[0016] According to some embodiments, a method is provided performed by a user equipment (UE) adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks. The method includes: while in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection state (RRC_CONNECTED) with a first network, transmitting an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities to a network node in the first network. The method further includes transitioning out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; and storing the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE's UE context.

[0017] According to some embodiments, a method is provided performed by a network node in a first network, wherein a user equipment (UE) has an ongoing service with the first network, and the UE is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks. The method includes: when the UE is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection RRC_CONNECTED state, the first network receives from the UE an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities. The method further includes transitioning the UE out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; and storing the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE's UE context.

[0018] According to some embodiments, a user equipment (UE) is provided that is adapted to communicate with one or more networks simultaneously using two or more subscriptions, wherein the UE is adapted to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities while in an ongoing service with a first network. The UE includes processing circuitry and memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry, thereby enabling the UE to: avoid storing indications of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE context and / or release the one or more restricted UE capabilities upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, in response to transitioning out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

[0019] According to some embodiments, a user equipment (UE) is provided, adapted to communicate with one or more networks simultaneously using two or more subscriptions. The UE includes processing circuitry and a memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry, thereby enabling the UE to: transmit an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities to a network node in the first network when in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection (RRC_CONNECTED) state with the first network; transition out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; and store the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE's UE context.

[0020] According to some embodiments, a network node in a first network is provided, wherein the network node is adapted to serve user equipment adapted to communicate with one or more networks simultaneously using two or more subscriptions. The network node includes processing circuitry and a memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry, thereby enabling the network node to: when the UE is in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection RRC_CONNECTED state, receive from the UE an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities from the UE; transition the UE out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; and store the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE's UE context.

[0021] According to some embodiments, a computer program is provided, including instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform any of the methods described above.

[0022] According to some embodiments, a carrier is provided that includes the above-described computer program, wherein the carrier includes one of electronic signals, optical signals, radio signals, or computer-readable storage media.

[0023] According to some embodiments, a computer-readable medium is provided, including instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform any of the methods described above.

[0024] According to some embodiments, a computer program product is provided, including a non-transitory computer-readable medium having the computer program stored thereon. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To better understand the embodiments of this disclosure, and to illustrate how this disclosure may be implemented, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings by way of example only, wherein: Figure 1 The UE state machine and state transitions in the New Radio (NR) are shown; Figure 2 The UE capability transfer process is illustrated; Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a method according to some embodiments; Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating a method according to some embodiments; Figure 5 It is shown Figure 3 and Figure 4 The example implementation of the signaling diagram; Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a method according to some embodiments; Figure 7Examples of communication systems according to some embodiments are shown; Figure 8 A UE according to some embodiments is shown; Figure 9 Network nodes according to some embodiments are shown; and Figure 10 This is a block diagram illustrating a virtualized environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Some embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Examples are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0027] In this article, networks A and B can refer to two networks where multiple USIM UEs can be simultaneously in RRC_CONNECTED mode. However, the solution described below also applies to situations where a UE is connected to more than two networks (or to a network with two different subscriptions).

[0028] A UE can have multiple USIMs, physical SIM cards, or eSIMs, and one use case for multiple USIMs is that different USIMs are associated with different networks, where the network can be a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) or a Non-Public Network Network (NPN), such as a Standalone NPN (SNPN) or a Public Network Integration (PNI) NPN. However, it is also possible for a UE to have more than one USIM associated with the same network; for example, a UE may have two USIMs from the same operator or virtual profiles integrated / downloaded via a USIM's Non-Access Stratum (NAS). In some descriptions of the methods in this paper, multiple USIMs associated with different networks will be used as examples, but the method can also be applied to scenarios where multiple USIMs are associated with the same network.

[0029] In the example, PLMNs are described for illustrative purposes; however, without loss of generality, these can be any kind of network, including non-public networks (NPNs).

[0030] The USIM of a UE can be in the form of a removable hardware USIM (e.g., a SIM card) or it can be an embedded USIM (eUSIM). A particular UE may be able to receive multiple removable hardware USIMs, or have multiple eUSIMs, or may have one or more of both types of USIMs.

[0031] This document refers to “UE capabilities,” which refers to the different capabilities or functions of a UE that can be activated / enabled / unrestricted and deactivated / disabled / restricted. Examples of UE capabilities related to using or not using multiple subscriptions / USIMs include using dual connectivity (DC), using carrier aggregation (CA), using multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), aggregated uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) bandwidth using frequency range 1 (FR1) and / or frequency range 2 (FR2) carriers, the number of DL and UL secondary cells (SCells) in the primary cell group (MCG) for the first frequency range FR1 and / or the second frequency range FR2, and the number of primary and secondary cells (PSCells) / secondary cells (SCells) in the secondary cell group (SCG), a list of carrier frequencies and / or carrier frequency combinations, and the UE power level.

[0032] "UE capabilities" can include UE radio access capabilities, which can be further defined as: ● A list of containers, where each container indicates the UE capability for a specific Radio Access Technology (RAT) or Multiple Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC). ● UE Capability Information Message It can be segmented. It can include filters related to the content requested by the network from the UE's capabilities. ● UE's response to the UECapabilityEnquiry message ● Containers stored within the core network (CN) and / or RAT nodes, which can be transferred between the CN and RAT nodes. ● You can reference one of the bullet points above as an ID. ● A structure containing features divided into multiple granularities (e.g., messages, IEs, containers), such as each UE, each frequency band, each frequency band combination (BC), each feature set combination, each feature set, and each feature set of each adjacent carrier (CC).

[0033] "Restricted UE capabilities" can include a version of a UE capability, i.e., a UE capability that contains at least one different feature compared to the UE capabilities previously received by the Radio Access Technology (RAT) node, wherein the RAT node is notified that such a difference is included in the UE capability. It will be understood that restricted UE capabilities can include a version of a UE capability in which at least one UE capability has been reduced, disabled, or limited in some way compared to the "all" UE capabilities previously received by the RAT node.

[0034] The restricted UE capabilities can be indicated to the network in the following ways: - Only indicates features that the UE does not support (or has reduced). In this way, the indication of restricted UE capabilities can include, for example, an indication of NR-DC support. Therefore, the indication can suggest that the UE does not support NR-DC for this version of the restricted UE capabilities. It is not necessary to indicate what the UE supports, as this can be retrieved from all UE capabilities previously received by the RAT node.

[0035] ● A list of versions indicating limited UE capabilities, for example: ○ The UE may indicate a version of the UE with limited capabilities, wherein for at least one frequency band combination, it supports NR-DC but not NR CA; and in another version, for at least one frequency band combination, it supports NR CA but not NR-DC.

[0036] ○ UE can indicate a version of a limited UE capability where it does not support features that require 2Tx / 2Tx from the UE, such as two or more MIMO layers.

[0037] ● Registration update process, after which the UE can provide the RAT node with a version of the restricted UE capabilities when the RAT node requests it, for example via the UECapabilityEnquiry message.

[0038] "Restricted UE capabilities" can be further defined as basic restricted capabilities and UE-specific restricted capabilities, as shown in Table 1 below: Basic restricted capabilities, same for all UEs Basic restricted UE capabilities are specified, e.g. "Pcell only, 1 MIMO layer, Meas Gap needed". UE specific restricted capabilities Restricted UE capabilities obtained via UE reporting, e.g. UE assistance information or UE information response. Figure 3 A method according to a particular embodiment is described. Figure 3 The method can be performed by the UE or a wireless device (e.g., see references later). Figure 7 and Figure 8 The method is performed by the described UE 712 or UE 800. The UE may be adapted to use two or more subscriptions simultaneously to communicate with one or more networks. The method begins at step 302, when, while in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted to a network node in the first network.

[0039] In step 304, the method includes transitioning out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network. Step 304 may include transitioning the UE to RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE. It will be understood that step 404 may occur due to an instruction in an RRC message (e.g., RRC release is set to INACTIVE) or due to the expiration of a timer (e.g., an inactivity timer).

[0040] In step 306, the method includes storing an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE's UE context. In some examples, step 306 may be performed after or during step 304.

[0041] In some examples, Figure 3 The method may then include utilizing one or more restricted UE capabilities when restoring the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

[0042] In other words, in Figure 3 In some example implementations, the UE sends a message (e.g., UE assistance information) to the network to notify of restricted UE capabilities (e.g., step 302). When transitioning out of RRC_CONNECTED (step 304), this restricted UE capability is stored (step 306). When the UE transitions back to RRC_CONNECTED, the stored restricted UE capability still applies to that UE.

[0043] In some examples, when an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted (e.g., when step 302 is executed), the UE is utilizing one or more restricted UE capabilities. In other words, in some examples, when step 302 is executed, the UE may simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, including the first network. Because the UE is using two or more subscriptions, the UE can utilize the restricted UE capabilities of the first network.

[0044] However, in some examples, when an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted (e.g., when step 302 is executed), the UE is utilizing the full UE capabilities of the first network. For example, the UE may not yet have a need to utilize restricted UE capabilities; for instance, it may not yet be utilizing two or more subscriptions. In this example, the UE may execute step 302 in response to determining that one of the following: an inactive timer will expire within a predetermined time period; and the UE will begin utilizing two or more subscriptions within the predetermined time period.

[0045] In other words, a UE may not yet be transmitting restricted UE capabilities while in RRC_CONNECTED state because it may not yet have a need for restricted UE capabilities. However, the UE may trigger the transmission of restricted UE capabilities based on knowledge that it may soon transition out of RRC_CONNECTED state, for example, due to an inactivity timer or an RRC multisim departure process (e.g., starting to utilize multiple SIMs).

[0046] The one or more restricted UE capabilities in step 302 may include restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: dual connectivity DC; carrier aggregation CA; multiple-input multiple-output MIMO; aggregated uplink UL and downlink DL bandwidths for frequency range 1 FR1 and / or frequency range 2 FR2 carriers; the number of DL and UL secondary cell SCells in the primary cell group MCG for FR1 and / or FR2, and the number of DL and UL primary and secondary cell PSCells / secondary cell SCells in the secondary cell group SCG; carrier frequency and / or carrier frequency combination; and UE power level.

[0047] Figure 4 A method according to a particular embodiment is described. Figure 4 The method can be used by network nodes (e.g., see below for details). Figure 7 and Figure 9 The method is performed by network node 710 or network node 900. The network node can be in a first network where the user equipment (UE) has an ongoing service with the first network, and the UE is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks. The method begins at step 402, when the UE is in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection RRC_CONNECTED state, and the first network receives an indication from the UE of one or more restricted UE capabilities.

[0048] Step 404 includes causing the UE to transition out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network. Step 404 may include transitioning the UE to RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE. It will be understood that step 404 may occur due to an instruction in an RRC message (e.g., RRC release is set to INACTIVE) or due to the expiration of a timer (e.g., an inactive timer).

[0049] Step 406 includes storing an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE's UE context. In some examples, step 406 may be performed after or during step 404.

[0050] In some examples, Figure 4 The method also includes determining that one or more restricted UE capabilities remain valid for the UE when the UE returns to the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

[0051] The one or more restricted UE capabilities in step 402 may include restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: dual connectivity DC; carrier aggregation CA; multiple-input multiple-output MIMO; aggregated uplink UL and downlink DL bandwidths for frequency range 1 FR1 and / or frequency range 2 FR2 carriers; the number of DL and UL secondary cell SCells in the primary cell group MCG for FR1 and / or FR2, and the number of DL and UL primary and secondary cell PSCells / secondary cell SCells in the secondary cell group SCG; carrier frequency and / or carrier frequency combination; and UE power level.

[0052] Will understand, through execution Figure 4 The method involves the network node obtaining the UE state regarding the limited UE capabilities before or during the transition from the RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0053] In some examples, step 302 or step 402 is performed in response to a network node sending a request to the UE for information about restricted UE capabilities. This request may be included in an RRCReconfiguration message or a UEInformationRequest message. Indications of one or more restricted UE capabilities (e.g., in step 302 or 402) may then be included in a UEAssitanceInformation message or a UEInformationResponse message.

[0054] In other words, before being instructed to transition out of the RRC_CONNECTED state, the UE can receive network requests that provide updated information about the capabilities of the restricted UE.

[0055] i) This network request can be included in an RRCReconfiguration message or a UEInformationRequest. ii) The UE response may be included in the UEAssistanceInformation message or the UEInformationResponse message.

[0056] For UEs that support storage-restricted UE capabilities and / or transmission-restricted capabilities, it may be recommended that the NW (if possible) retrieve information about the restricted UE capabilities from the UE before the UE transitions to RRC_INACTIVE (or, in some cases, RRC_IDLE).

[0057] Figure 5 An example signaling diagram is shown, in which the network sends a request to the UE, requesting information about the limited capabilities of the UE. Figure 5 yes Figure 3 and Figure 4 Example implementation of the method.

[0058] In this example, the UE utilizes two subscriptions (USIM1 and USIM2) to communicate with two networks, NW-1 and NW-2. In this example, the network node in NW-2 performs operations based on... Figure 4 The method. UE execution based on Figure 3 The method.

[0059] In Alternative Scenario 1, the network node in NW-2 requests restricted UE capabilities before sending the UE to RRC_INACTIVE via a UEInformationRequest message. The UE then provides the restricted UE capabilities in a UEInformationResponse message (example implementation of step 302 or 402).

[0060] In Alternative Scenario 2, the network node in NW-2 requests restricted UE capabilities in the RRCReconfiguration (otherConfig) message, and the UE indicates the restricted UE capabilities to be used later when recovering from RRC_INACTIVE in the UEAssistanceInformation message (example implementation of step 302 or 402).

[0061] Figure 6 A method according to a particular embodiment is described. Figure 6 The method can be performed by the UE or a wireless device (e.g., see references later). Figure 7 and Figure 8 This is performed by the described UE 712 or UE 800. The UE may be adapted to use two or more subscriptions simultaneously to communicate with one or more networks. The UE may be configured to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities in an ongoing service with the first network. The method begins at step 602, wherein, in response to transitioning from the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection state RRC_CONNECTED with the first network, upon restoring the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is avoided in the UE's UE context and / or one or more restricted UE capabilities are released. It will be understood that the UE may transition from RRC_CONNECTED to RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE.

[0062] In some examples, Figure 6 The method also includes determining whether to avoid storing the instruction based on instructions received from one of the one or more networks.

[0063] For example, by executing Figure 6In this way, the UE can avoid storing restricted UE capabilities, such as based on previous information sent by the UE or as instructed by the NW; in this way, the UE does not include the restricted UE capability in the UE context, or releases it upon recovery.

[0064] In some examples, one or more restricted UE capabilities (as referred to in any of the methods described herein) may include one or more of the following: ● Maximum aggregated bandwidth of all downlink and uplink carriers spanning the first frequency range FR1 and / or the second frequency range FR2 (FR1 defines the band in the spectrum below 6 GHz (although 7125 MHz may be the maximum value), while FR2 defines the band in the millimeter wave spectrum); ● For the first frequency range FR1 and / or the second frequency range FR2, the maximum number of downlink and uplink secondary cells in the primary cell group and / or the maximum number of downlink and uplink primary cells and secondary cells in the secondary cell group; ● The maximum number of receiver Rx chains or panels in the second frequency range FR2; ● A list of carrier frequencies and / or combinations of carrier frequencies that need to be released; ● List of frequency band combinations for the target New Radio (NR) / Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) bands that need updating; ● One or more restricted UE power levels for operation in a second network. The UE may indicate the (one or more) restricted power levels per UE (e.g., applied to all frequency bands), per frequency band (e.g., applied to a specific frequency band), or per frequency band combination (e.g., applied to a specific frequency band combination such as certain UL CA configurations). The UE power level may define the maximum output power supported by the UE for transmitting a signal when operating on a specific frequency band or frequency band combination. Examples of UE power levels are power level 1 (e.g., 31 dBm), power level 1.5 (e.g., 29 dBm), power level 2 (e.g., 26 dBm), power level 3 (e.g., 23 dBm), power level 5 (e.g., 20 dBm), etc. For example, when operating in network B, the UE may support and be capable of a maximum UE power level 1.5 (29 dBm), and may indicate that its restricted UE power levels are power level 3 and / or power level 2. In another example, when operating in network B, the UE may support and be capable of a maximum UE power level 2 (26 dBm) and may indicate that its restricted UE power level is power level 3. Since network A and network B do not independently coordinate and / or schedule the UE, the restriction of the UE power level may enable the UE to meet regulatory requirements related to human radiation exposure, such as electromagnetic power density exposure requirements provided by a regulatory body, such as specific absorption rate (SAR).

[0065] ● Restricted maximum uplink duty cycle MUDC. In other words, the UE may indicate a restricted maximum uplink duty cycle (MUDC) as part of a reduced UE configuration / capability to enable the UE to perform operations in network B. The MUDC indicates the maximum percentage of time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes) that can be scheduled for uplink transmission during a certain evaluation period (e.g., T1 seconds, e.g., 1 second) to ensure that the UE meets the exposure requirements specified by a regulatory body (e.g., electromagnetic energy absorption requirements such as SAR). For example, the UE may support a certain maximum value of MUDC (e.g., X1 percentage). However, for operation in network B, the UE may indicate to a network node in the assistance information to use a lower (restricted) value of MUDC (e.g., X2 percentage). In one example, X2 < X1. In another example, X1 = 80%, while X2 = 50%. Due to the reduced ability / configuration of MUDC when operating in network B, in one example, the UE may be able to use its maximum UE power level (e.g., PC1.5). In another example, even when operating with a restricted MUDC in network B, the UE may indicate to use a restricted UE power level (e.g., PC2 or PC3).

[0066] ● Restricted MIMO configurations for UE operation in a second network. For example, a UE may indicate that the UE can be configured with at most N MIMO layers to operate on signals in Network B, where N < Nmax and Nmax is the maximum (unrestricted) number of MIMO layers supported by the UE. For uplink and downlink MIMO operations in Network B, the parameter N can be the same, or N can be different for uplink MIMO operation and downlink MIMO operation in Network B. For example, N1 is for a limited number of UL downlink MIMO layers and N2 is for a limited number of downlink MIMO layers. In one example, N = 2 and Nmax = 4. In another example, N1 = 1 and N2 = 2. Due to insufficient baseband resources, e.g., when operating on two networks A and B, the UE may have to restrict the MIMO configuration.

[0067] ● Restricted receive, Rx, chains, and / or panels for UE operation in a second network. For example, a UE may indicate that the UE can be configured with at most N Rx chains to operate on signals in Network B, where N < Nmax and Nmax is the maximum (unrestricted) number of Rx chains / panels supported by the UE. In one example, N = 2 and Nmax = 4. In another example, N1 = 1 and N2 = 2. Due to insufficient beam resources, e.g., when operating on two networks A and B, the UE may have to restrict the Rx chain configuration.

[0068] ● Restricted UE receiver configurations for a UE to operate a second network. The UE receiver configuration can be characterized by one or more of the following: the number of receivers or receive antenna ports (Rx), the ability to suppress or eliminate or minimize in-cell interference and / or inter-cell interference or interfering signals (e.g., interference suppression receivers such as interference rejection combining (IRC), interference cancellation receivers, etc.). Examples of interfering signals are reference signals (e.g., CRS) in the serving or interfering cell, signals transmitted by a network node (e.g., a base station (BS)) to other UEs in the serving or interfering cell, and MIMO inter-layer or inter-stream interference caused by signals transmitted by a network node to the same UE but on different MIMO / other layers.

[0069] ○ For example, a UE may indicate that the UE can use at most M receivers to receive signals in Network B, where M < Mmax and Mmax is the maximum (unrestricted) number of receivers (e.g., receive antenna ports) supported by the UE. In one example, M = 2 and Mmax = 4. In another example, M = 1 and Mmax = 2. Due to insufficient baseband resources, e.g., when operating on two networks A and B, the UE may have to restrict the UE receiver configuration.

[0070] In another example, the UE can instruct that it cannot perform interference suppression for receiving signals in network B. Instructions regarding restricted UE receiver configuration can also indicate that the UE cannot perform specific types of interference suppression; for example, the UE cannot perform inter-cell interference suppression but can perform intra-cell interference suppression, or the UE cannot perform CRS interference cancellation / suppression, etc.

[0071] In another example, the UE can instruct that it can receive signals without limiting the number of receiver antennas, but cannot perform interference suppression on the received signals in network B. In another example, the UE may indicate that it can receive signals with a limited number of receiver antennas, but can perform interference suppression on the received signals in network B.

[0072] ● Restricted duplex mode (DM) for UE operation in a second network. A restricted DM can be indicated by the UE on a per-UE basis (e.g., applied to all frequency bands), per frequency band (e.g., applied to a specific frequency band), or per combination of frequency bands (e.g., applied to a specific combination of frequency bands, such as certain UL CA configurations). Examples of duplex modes include: Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (FDD), Half-Duplex FDD (HD-FDD), Full-Duplex (FD), etc. In FDD operation mode, signal transmission and reception by the same device occur on different carrier frequency channels. In TDD operation mode, signal transmission and reception by the same device occur on the same carrier frequency channel, but in different time resources, and they do not overlap in time. In HD-FDD operation mode, signal transmission and reception by the same device occur on different carrier frequencies and in different time resources, and they do not overlap in time. In FD operation mode, signal transmission and reception by the same device occur on the same carrier frequency and in the same time resource. Some examples of restricted DMs indicated by the UE are: For example, a UE that supports FDD can indicate that it can operate in network B using only HD-FDD.

[0073] In another example, a UE that supports FD can indicate that it can operate using any one or more of HD-FDD, FDD, and TDD in network B.

[0074] ● Limited processing capabilities for UE operations in the second network. Examples of limited processing capabilities include longer processing latency requirements for RRC procedures compared to unlimited processing capabilities, longer HARQ feedback latency for receiving DL channels (e.g., PDSCH) compared to unlimited processing capabilities, and longer Channel State Indicator (CSI) feedback latency for reporting CSI results (e.g., Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), Rank Indicator, L1 Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), etc.) compared to unlimited processing capabilities.

[0075] ● Limited side-link (SL) operation in a second network when the UE operates within that network. SL operation may include transmitting and / or receiving signals between at least two UEs on a side link, which is a direct communication link between the UEs. Examples of SL operation / communication include V2X, device-to-device (D2D), etc. Limited SL operation may include any one or more of the following: ○ No SL of any type is executed when operating in network B. ○ When operating in network B, certain types of SL are not performed, such as not performing SL on a shared carrier (between cellular / WAN and SL operations), not performing SL on a dedicated carrier (a carrier used only during SL operations), not performing SL relay operations (e.g., the UE cannot be configured as an SL relay to serve other SL UEs), etc.

[0076] ○ When operating in network B, SL is performed only on a single carrier; for example, SL CA is not performed.

[0077] ○ When operating in network B, SL is performed only on carriers in the same frequency band; for example, inter-band SLCA is not performed.

[0078] ○ Perform SL using only a subset of SL operation modes, for example ▪ Use only broadcast or multicast operation mode, i.e., transmit and / or receive broadcast or multicast signals on SL.

[0079] ▪ Use only unicast operation mode, i.e., transmit to and / or receive another UE from the SL in peer-to-peer communication.

[0080] ● Restricted operation of Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) in the second network when the UE operates in the second network. This allows the UE to perform and operate Enhanced Mobile Broadband (MBB) operations in Network B using its limited resources. Restricted URLLC operation may include one or more restricted features associated with URLLC. Restricted features may include any one or more of the following: ○ The UE cannot support PUCCH cell handover. For example, the UE indicates that it cannot handover PUCCH transmission between PCell, PSCell, PUCCHSCell, or PUCCH sSCell.

[0081] ○ The UE cannot support PUSCH transmissions with a duration less than a threshold (e.g., 7 symbols).

[0082] ● Limited measurement capabilities for UE operation in the second network, for NeedForGaps and / or NCSG (Network Control Gaps) capabilities. A spare radio frequency (RF) chain used for measurements on network A can be used for processing on network B, and the UE can update the band combination state, indicating which band might require measurement gaps or NCSG for measurement.

[0083] When a UE reports support for NeedForGaps in Network A and further instructs to operate in Network B, the information element (IE) NeedForGapsInfoNR indicates whether the UE needs a measurement gap to perform SSB-based measurements on the NR target band, and this information element should be updated.

[0084] When a UE reports support for NCSG in network A and further instructs to operate in network B, the IENeedForGapNCSG-InfoNR and NeedForGapNCSG-InfoEUTRA indicate whether the UE needs to measure gaps or NCSG to perform SSB-based measurements on the target frequency band, and this information element should be updated.

[0085] ● Limited enhanced measurement capabilities, such as NeedForGaps and / or NCSG capabilities, for UE operation in the second network. In other words, enhanced measurement capabilities, such as NeedForGaps and / or NCSG capabilities, may be limited when the UE operates in network B. Measurement gaps in network A are likely required by default, regardless of whether the UE reports the band combination status of gaps and / or NCSG.

[0086] Technical specification impact Two examples of the impact of specifications are given below. Section 5.3.13.2 illustrates... Release restrictedCapAssistanceConfig from UE Inactive AS context, if stored The method affects TS38.331 v 17.5.0 (bold and underlined), whereby the UE can release configurations related to restricted UE capability information when sending a recovery request message.

[0087] Section 6.3.4 shows the impact of TS 38.331 v 17.5.0 (bold and underlined), where the NW can have a flag for requesting an update (e.g., a restricted UE capability) before sending the UE to RRC_INACTIVE.

[0088] 5.3.13.2 Initiation The UE initiates this procedure when the upper layer or AS (when responding to a RAN paging, when the UE triggers an RNA update while in RRC_INACTIVE, for NR sidelink communication / discovery / V2X sidelink communication, as specified in Clause 5.3.13.1a) requests the restoration of a suspended RRC connection or requests restoration to initiate an SDT as specified in Clause 5.3.13.1b.

[0089] Before initiating this process, the UE should ensure that it has the valid and up-to-date basic system information specified in Clause 5.2.2.2.

[0090] Once the process is initiated, the UE should: 1> If the restoration of the RRC connection is triggered by a response to an NG-RAN paging: 2> Select "0" as the access category; 2> Use the selected access category and one or more access identifiers provided by the upper layer to perform the unified access control process specified in 5.3.14; 3> If the access attempt is denied, the process ends; 1> Otherwise, if the restoration of the RRC connection is triggered by the upper layer: 2> If the upper layer provides an access category and one or more access identifiers: 3> Use the access categories and access identifiers provided by the upper layer to execute the unified access control process specified in 5.3.14; 4> If the access attempt is denied, the process ends; 2> If the upper layer provides NSAG information and one or more S-NSSAIs (TS 23.501

[32] and TS 24.501

[23] ) that trigger an access attempt: 3> In the random access procedure (TS 38.321 [3], Clause 5.1), among the NSAGs included in SIB1 (i.e., in Feature Combination and / or RA-PriorizationSliceInfo) and associated with one or more S-NSSAIs that triggered the access attempt, the NSAG with the highest NSAG priority shall be applied.

[0091] Note: If multiple NSAGs have the same highest NAS priority as the access attempt defined above, the UE implementation shall select the NSAG to be applied during the random access procedure.

[0092] 2> If the recovery occurs after a release redirected using mpsPriorityIndication: 3> Set resumeCause to mps-PriorityAccess; 2> Otherwise: 3> Set resumeCause based on the information received from the upper layer 1> Otherwise, if the restoration of the RRC connection is triggered due to the RNA update specified in 5.3.13.8: 2> If emergency services are in progress: Note 1: How the RRC layer in the UE knows about ongoing emergency services depends on the UE's implementation.

[0093] 3> Select "2" as the access category; 3> Set resumeCause to emergency; 2> Otherwise: 3> Select "8" as the access category; 2> Use one or more access identities and selected access categories specified in TS 24.501

[23] to perform the unified access control procedure specified in 5.3.14; 3> If the access attempt is denied: 4> Set the variable pendingRNA-Update to true; 4> Process ends; Note 2: As specified in 5.3.13.1a, if an L2 U2N relay UE triggers an RRC connection recovery by receiving a message from an L2 U2N remote UE via SL-RLC0 or SL-RLC1, the L2 U2N relay UE sets resumeCause by implementation. However, if the message received from the L2 U2N remote UE via SL-RLC0 has the same cause value, it can only set emergency, mps-PriorityAccess or mcs-PriorityAccess as resumeCause.

[0094] 1> If the UE is located in NE-DC or NR-DC: 2> If the UE does not support maintaining SCG configuration when the connection is restored: 3> Release MR-DC related configurations from the UE inactive AS context (i.e., as specified in 5.3.5.10), if stored; 1> If the UE does not support maintaining the MCG SCell configuration when the connection is restored: 2> Release (one or more) MCG SCells from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> If the UE acts as an L2 U2N remote UE: 2> If an SRAP entity has not yet been established, then an SRAP entity shall be established in accordance with the provisions of TS 38.351

[66] ; 2> Apply the default configuration of SL-RLC1 defined in 9.2.4 to SRB1; 2> Apply the default PDCP configuration defined in 9.2.1 to SRB1; 2> Apply the default SRAP configuration defined in 9.2.5 to SRB1; 1> Otherwise: 2> In addition to the parameters for which values ​​are provided in SIB1, the default L1 parameter values ​​specified in the corresponding physical layer specification are applied; 2> Apply the default SRB1 configuration specified in 9.2.1; 2> Apply the default MAC cell group configuration specified in 9.2.2; *****Unchanged parts omitted***** 1> Stop all instances of Timer T346k (if they are running); 1> Release releasePreferenceConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> Release wlanNameList from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> Release btNameList from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> Release sensorNameList from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> Release obtainCommonLocation from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> Stop timer T346f if it is running; 1> Stop timer T346i if it is running; 1> Release referenceTimePreferenceReporting from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> Release sl-AssistanceConfigNR from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> Release musim-GapAssistanceConfig from the UE Inactive AS context (if stored) and stop timer T346h (if running); 1> Release musim-GapConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> Release musim-LeaveAssistanceConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> Release propDelayDiffReportConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> Release ul-GapFR2-PreferenceConfig (if it is already configured); 1> Release rrm-MeasRelaxationReportingConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored; 1> OtherConfig information element Figure 7 *****Unchanged parts omitted***** 6.3.4 Other Information Elements –Other configurations IE OtherConfig contains configurations related to various other configurations.

[0095] Figure 7 *****Unchanged parts omitted***** Figure 7 An example of a communication system 700 according to some embodiments is shown.

[0096] In this example, communication system 700 includes a telecommunications network 702, which includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706, which includes one or more core network nodes 708. Access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 710a and 710b (one or more of which may generally be referred to as network node 710), or any other similar 3GPP access node or non-3GPP access point. Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, network nodes are not necessarily limited to implementations of radio and baseband components provided and integrated by a single vendor. Therefore, it will be understood that network nodes include decomposed implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, telecommunications network 702 includes one or more Open RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunications network 702 that supports ORAN specifications (e.g., specifications published by the O-RAN Alliance or any similar organization) and can operate independently or in conjunction with other nodes to enable one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunications network 702, including one or more network nodes 710 and / or core network nodes 708.

[0097] Examples of ORAN network nodes include Open Radio Units (O-RUs), Open Distributed Units (O-DUs), Open Central Units (O-CUs) including O-CU Control Panels (O-CU-CPs) or O-CU User Panels (O-CU-UPs), RAN Intelligent Controllers (near real-time or non-real-time) hosting software or software plugins, such as near real-time control applications (e.g., xApps) or non-real-time control applications (e.g., rApps), or any combination thereof (the adjective "open" indicates support for the ORAN specification). Network nodes can support the specification by, for example, supporting interfaces defined by the ORAN specification, such as A1, F1, W1, E1, E2, X2, Xn interfaces, Open Front-End Transport User Panel interfaces, or Open Forward-Backward Management Panel interfaces. Furthermore, ORAN access nodes can be logical nodes within physical nodes. Additionally, ORAN network nodes can be implemented in a virtualized environment (described further below) where one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualized environment may include an O-cloud computing platform or similar technologies coordinated by a service management and coordination framework via the O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance. Network node 710 facilitates direct or indirect connections of user equipment (UE), such as connecting wireless devices 712a, 712b, 712c and 712d (one or more of which may be collectively referred to as UE 712) to core network 706 via one or more wireless connections.

[0098] Examples of wireless communication via wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for transmitting information without the use of wires, cables, or other conductors. Furthermore, in various embodiments, communication system 700 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that can facilitate or participate in the transmission of data and / or signals, whether via wired or wireless connections. Communication system 700 may include any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar system and / or be connected to any type of communication, telecommunications, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar system via an interface.

[0099] UE 712 can be any communication device of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network node 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, network node 710 is arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UE 712 and / or with other network nodes or devices in telecommunication network 702 to enable and / or provide network access (such as wireless network access) and / or to perform other functions (such as management in telecommunication network 702).

[0100] In the illustrated example, core network 706 connects network node 710 to one or more hosts (such as host 716). These connections may be direct or indirect, via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. Core network 706 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 708) constructed from hardware and software components. The characteristics of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the description generally applies to the corresponding components of core network node 708. Example core network nodes include one or more of the following: Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Dehiding Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Secure Edge Protection Agent (SEPP), Network Open Function (NEF), and / or User Plane Function (UPF).

[0101] Host 716 may be owned or controlled by a service provider other than the operator or provider of telecommunications network 702 and / or access network 704, and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. Host 716 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include providing live and / or pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services (e.g., retrieving and compiling data on various environmental conditions detected by multiple UEs), analytics functionality, social media, functionality for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functionality for alarm and monitoring centers, or any other such functionality performed by a server.

[0102] on the whole, Figure 8 The communication system 700 enables connectivity between the UE, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system can be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards, including but not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi); and / or any other suitable wireless communication standards, such as WiMax, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC), ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0103] In some examples, telecommunications network 702 is a cellular network implementing 3GPP standardized features. Therefore, telecommunications network 702 can support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to it. For example, telecommunications network 702 can provide ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) services to some UEs while providing enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or massive machine-type communication (mMTC) / massive IoT services to yet another UE.

[0104] In some examples, UE 712 is configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to transmit information to access network 704 according to a predetermined schedule when triggered by internal or external events or in response to a request from access network 704. Additionally, the UE may be configured to operate in single-RAT, multi-RAT, or multi-standard modes. For example, the UE may operate with any or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio), and LTE, i.e., configured for multiple radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) NR-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0105] exist Figure 8 In the example shown, hub 714 communicates with access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 710b). In some examples, hub 714 may be a controller, router, content source, and analytics node, or any other communication device described herein with respect to a UE. For example, hub 714 may be a broadband router for enabling access to core network 706 for a UE. As another example, hub 714 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in a UE. Commands or instructions may be received from the UE, network node 710, or may be received via executable code, scripts, procedures, or other instructions in hub 714. As another example, hub 714 may be a data collector that acts as a temporary storage device for UE data, and in some embodiments, data analysis or other processing may be performed. As another example, hub 714 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, speaker, or other media delivery device, hub 714 can retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via network nodes. Hub 714 then provides the VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In another example, hub 714 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UE, particularly if one or more of the UEs are low-power IoT devices.

[0106] Hub 714 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to network node 710b. Hub 714 may also be designed with different communication schemes and / or scheduling between hub 714 and UEs (e.g., UEs 712c and / or 712d) and between hub 714 and core network 706. In other examples, hub 714 is connected to core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Furthermore, hub 714 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider via access network 704 and / or to another UE via a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE can establish a wireless connection to network node 710 while still being connected via hub 714, either via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, hub 714 may be a dedicated hub, i.e., a hub whose primary function is to route communication from network node 710b to UE / to route communication from UE to network node 710b. In other embodiments, hub 714 may be a non-dedicated hub, that is, a device capable of operating to route communication between the UE and network node 710b, but also capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0107] Figure 3 A UE 800 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, UE refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to wirelessly communicate with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of UEs include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, cellular phones, Voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, game consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback devices, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), vehicles, vehicle-mounted or vehicle-embedded / integrated wireless devices, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UEs, Machine Type Communication (MTC) UEs, and / or Enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs.

[0108] The UE can support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communication, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, the UE may not necessarily be a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the associated device. Instead, the UE may represent a device intended to be sold to or operated by a human user but which may not or can not initially be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, the UE may represent a device not intended to be sold to or operated by an end user but which may be associated with a user or operated for the user's benefit (e.g., a smart meter).

[0109] UE 800 includes processing circuitry 802, which is operatively coupled via bus 804 to input / output interface 806, power supply 808, memory 810, communication interface 812, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. Some UEs may utilize... Figure 6 All or a subset of the components shown. The level of integration between components can vary from one UE to another. Furthermore, some UEs may contain multiple instances of components, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0110] Processing circuitry 802 is configured to process instructions and data and can be configured to implement any sequential state machine that operates to execute instructions stored in memory 810 as a machine-readable computer program. Processing circuitry 802 can be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic along with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, a general-purpose processor such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), along with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, processing circuitry 802 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). Processing circuitry 802 can operate alone or in conjunction with other UE 800 components (such as memory 810) to provide UE 800 functionality. For example, processing circuitry 802 can be configured to cause UE 802 to execute reference... Figure 8 or Figure 9 The method described.

[0111] In the example, input / output interface 806 can be configured to provide one or more interfaces to input devices, output devices, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include speakers, sound cards, video cards, displays, monitors, printers, actuators, transmitters, smart cards, other output devices, or any combination thereof. Input devices can allow users to capture information into UE 800. Examples of input devices include touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive displays, cameras (e.g., digital cameras, digital camcorders, webcams, etc.), microphones, sensors, mice, trackballs, orientation pads, trackpads, scroll wheels, smart cards, etc. Presence-sensitive displays may include capacitive or resistive touch sensors to sense input from the user. Sensors may be, for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt sensors, force sensors, magnetometers, light sensors, proximity sensors, biosensors, etc., or any combination thereof. Output devices can use the same type of interface port as input devices. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port can be used to provide both input and output devices.

[0112] In some embodiments, power supply 808 is configured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as external power sources (e.g., electrical outlets), photovoltaic devices, or power cells, may be used. Power supply 808 may further include power supply circuitry for delivering power from power supply 808 itself and / or external power sources to various parts of UE 800 via an interface or input circuitry such as a power cable. The delivered power may be used, for example, for charging power supply 808. The power supply circuitry may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modifications on the power from power supply 808 to suit the power supply for the respective components of the UE 800 being powered.

[0113] Memory 810 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), disk, optical disk, hard disk, removable cassette tape, flash drive, etc. In one example, memory 810 includes one or more applications 814 (such as an operating system, web browser application, widget, gadget engine, or other application) and corresponding data 816. Memory 810 can store any operating system or combination of operating systems from a wide variety of operating systems used by UE 800.

[0114] The memory 810 can be configured to include multiple physical drive units such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital universal disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard drive, Blu-ray disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro DIMM SDRAM, tamper-proof smart card memory such as a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) (including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIM) such as USIM and / or ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC can be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC commonly referred to as a "SIM card". The memory 810 can allow the UE 800 to access instructions, applications, etc., stored on temporary or non-temporary storage media to offload or upload data. Articles of manufacture, such as those utilizing communication systems, may be tangibly embodied in or contained in memory 810, which may be or include a device-readable storage medium.

[0115] Processing circuitry 802 can be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using communication interface 812. Communication interface 812 may include one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to antenna 822. Communication interface 812 may include one or more transceivers for communication, such as through communication with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., a network node in the access network or another UE). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 818 and / or a receiver 820 adapted to provide network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). Furthermore, transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 822) and may share circuitry, software, or firmware, or alternatively, transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be implemented separately.

[0116] In some embodiments, the communication functions of the communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication function, or any combination thereof. Communication may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.

[0117] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE can provide the output of data captured by its sensors via its communication interface 812, through a wireless connection to the network node. Data captured by the UE's sensors can be transmitted via another UE, through a wireless connection to the network node. The output can be periodic (e.g., every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., balancing the load of reports from several sensors), responsive to a triggered event (e.g., sending an alarm when humidity is detected), responsive to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., live video feed of a patient).

[0118] As another example, the UE includes actuators, motors, or switches associated with a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. The state of the actuator, motor, or switch can change in response to the received wireless input. For example, the UE may include motors for adjusting control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight based on received input, or for controlling a robotic arm performing medical procedures based on received input.

[0119] When a UE is in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, it can be a device for use in one or more application domains, including but not limited to urban wearable technology, extended industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are devices or devices embedded in the following: connected refrigerators or freezers, TVs, connected lighting devices, electricity meters, robotic vacuum cleaners, voice-controlled smart speakers, home security cameras, motion detectors, thermostats, smoke detectors, door / window sensors, flood / humidity sensors, electric door locks, connected doorbells, heat pump-like air conditioning systems, autonomous vehicles, monitoring systems, weather monitoring devices, vehicle parking monitoring devices, electric vehicle charging stations, smartwatches, fitness trackers, head-mounted displays for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), wearable devices for haptic or sensory enhancement, sprinklers, animal or object tracking devices, sensors for monitoring plants or animals, industrial robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and any kind of medical device such as heart rate monitors or remotely controlled surgical robots. (Except as per the above...) Figure 4 In addition to the other components described in UE 800 shown, UEs in the form of IoT devices include circuitry and / or software that depend on the intended application of the IoT device.

[0120] As another specific example, in IoT scenarios, a UE can represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurement and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurement to another UE and / or network node. In this case, the UE can be an M2M device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As a specific example, the UE can implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, the UE can represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, or aircraft, or other devices capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0121] In practice, any number of UEs can be used together for a single use case. For example, the first UE can be an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or can be integrated into the UAV and provide the UAV's speed information (obtained via a speed sensor) to a second UE, which acts as a remote controller for operating the UAV. When a user makes a change from the remote controller, the first UE can adjust a throttle valve on the UAV (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the UAV's speed. The first and / or second UEs can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, the UE can include sensors and actuators and handle the transmission of data from both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0122] Figure 9A network node 900 according to some embodiments is illustrated. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or devices in a telecommunications network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR Node Bs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes, or components of O-RAN nodes (e.g., O-RUs, O-DUs, O-CUs).

[0123] Base stations can be classified based on the coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power levels), and therefore, depending on the coverage provided, a base station can be referred to as a femtobase, picobase, microbase, or macrobase. A base station can be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node can also include one or more (or all) portions of a distributed radio base station such as a centralized digital unit, a distributed unit (e.g., in an O-RAN access node), and / or a remote radio unit (RRU) sometimes referred to as a remote radio head end (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio device. A portion of a distributed radio base station can also be referred to as a node in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0124] Other examples of network nodes include multi-transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) devices such as MSR BS, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNC) or base station controllers (BSC), base transceiver stations (BTS), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCE), operation and maintenance (O&M) nodes, operation support system (OSS) nodes, self-organizing network (SON) nodes, location nodes (such as evolved servicing mobile location centers (E-SMLC)), and / or minimized drive tests (MDT).

[0125] Network node 900 includes processing circuitry 902, memory 904, communication interface 906, and power supply 908 and / or any other components or any combination thereof. Network node 900 may consist of multiple physically separate components (e.g., NodeB components and RNC components, or BTS components and BSC components, etc.), each of which may have its own corresponding components. In some scenarios where network node 900 includes multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of these separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC can control multiple NodeBs. In such scenarios, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may be considered a single separate network node in some instances. In some embodiments, network node 900 may be configured to support multiple Radio Access Technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 904 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 910 may be shared by different RATs). Network node 900 may also include multiple sets of components for integrating various wireless technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, RFID, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within network node 900.

[0126] Processing circuitry 902 may include a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device or resource, or a combination of hardware, software, and / or coding logic operable to provide functionality of network node 900, either alone or in combination with other network node 900 components such as memory 904. For example, processing circuitry 902 may be configured to cause the network node to perform reference... Figure 10 The method described.

[0127] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes a system-on-a-chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and a baseband processing circuitry 914. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 912 and the baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 and the baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0128] Memory 904 may include any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, but not limited to, permanent storage devices, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drives, CDs, or DVDs), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory that stores information, data, and / or instructions usable by processing circuitry 902. Memory 904 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including applications, software, computer programs, and / or other instructions that contain one or more of logic, rules, codes, tables, and can be executed by processing circuitry 902 and utilized by network node 900. Memory 904 may be used to store any calculations performed by processing circuitry 902 and / or any data received via communication interface 906. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 902 and memory 904 are integrated.

[0129] Communication interface 906 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As illustrated, communication interface 906 includes one or more ports / terminals 916 for transmitting data to and receiving data from the network, for example, via a wired connection. Communication interface 906 also includes radio front-end circuitry 918 that may be coupled to antenna 910 or, in some embodiments, is part of antenna 910. Radio front-end circuitry 918 includes a filter 920 and an amplifier 922. Radio front-end circuitry 918 may be connected to antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. Radio front-end circuitry may be configured to modulate the signal transmitted between antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. Radio front-end circuitry 918 may receive digital data to be transmitted via a wireless connection to other network nodes or UEs. Radio front-end circuitry 918 may use a combination of filter 920 and / or amplifier 922 to convert the digital data into radio signals with appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters. The radio signals may then be transmitted via antenna 910. Similarly, upon receiving data, antenna 910 can collect radio signals and then convert them into digital data via radio front-end circuitry 918. The digital data can then be transmitted to processing circuitry 902. In other embodiments, the communication interface may include different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0130] In some alternative embodiments, network node 900 does not include a separate radio front-end circuitry 918; instead, processing circuitry 902 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to antenna 910. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 is part of communication interface 906. In other embodiments, communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, radio front-end circuitry 918, and RF transceiver circuitry 912 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and communication interface 906 communicates with baseband processing circuitry 914, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0131] Antenna 910 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 910 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 918 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, antenna 910 is separate from network node 900 and may be connected to network node 900 via an interface or port.

[0132] Antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or processing circuitry 902 can be configured to perform any receive operation and / or certain acquire operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be received from the UE, another network node, and / or any other network device. Similarly, antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or processing circuitry 902 can be configured to perform any transmit operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals can be transmitted to the UE, another network node, and / or any other network device.

[0133] Power supply 908 provides power to the various components of network node 900 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required by each respective component). Power supply 908 may further include or be coupled to power management circuitry to power the components of network node 900 for performing the functionality described herein. For example, network node 900 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., mains, electrical outlet) via input circuitry or interface such as a cable, thereby supplying power to the power circuitry of power supply 908. As another example, power supply 908 may include a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack, connected to or integrated into the power circuitry. The battery can provide backup power in the event of an external power failure.

[0134] Implementations of network node 900 may include, except Group A embodimentAdditional components beyond those shown herein are used to provide certain aspects of the functionality of the network node, including any functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the topics described herein. For example, network node 900 may include user interface devices for allowing information to be input to and output from network node 900. This allows users to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions for network node 900.

[0135] Group B embodiment This is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1000 in which functionality implemented by some embodiments can be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of a device or apparatus that may include a virtualized hardware platform, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any apparatus or component thereof described herein and relates to an implementation where at least a portion of its functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functionality described herein can be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtualization environments 1000 hosted by one or more hardware nodes, such as hardware computing devices operating as network nodes, UEs, core network nodes, or hosts. Furthermore, in embodiments where virtual nodes do not require radio connectivity (e.g., core network nodes or hosts), the nodes can be fully virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1000 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-cloud environment orchestrated via an O-2 interface by a service management and orchestration framework.

[0136] Running application 1002 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, virtual device, network function, virtual node, virtual network function, etc.) in a virtualized environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0137] Hardware 1004 includes processing circuitry, memory storing software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, etc. The processing circuitry can execute software to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1006 (also referred to as a hypervisor or virtual machine monitor (VMM)), provide VMs 1008a and 1008b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VM 1008), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation to some embodiments described herein. Virtualization layer 1006 can present a virtual operating platform to VM 1008 that appears to be networked hardware.

[0138] VM 1008 includes virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage devices, and can run through a corresponding virtualization layer 1006. Different embodiments of instances of virtual device 1002 can be implemented on one or more VMs in VM 1008, and can be implemented in different ways. Hardware virtualization is referred to as Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) in some contexts. NFV can be used to consolidate many types of network devices into industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage devices that can be located in data centers and customer premises.

[0139] In the context of NFV, VM 1008 can be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM in VM 1008, and the portion of hardware 1004 that executes that VM, whether it is hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM and other VMs within it, forms a separate virtual network element. Still within the context of NFV, the virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions running in one or more VMs 1008 on top of hardware 1004 and corresponds to application 1002.

[0140] Hardware 1004 can be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. Hardware 1004 can utilize virtualization to implement some functions. Alternatively, hardware 1004 can be part of a larger hardware cluster (e.g., in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1010, which, among other things, oversees the lifecycle management of application 1002. In some embodiments, hardware 1004 is coupled to one or more radio units, each including one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units can communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more suitable network interfaces and can be combined with virtual components to provide radio capabilities to virtual nodes, such as radio access nodes or base stations. In some embodiments, a control system 1012 can be used to provide signaling, which can alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0141] While the computing devices described herein (e.g., UE, network node, host) may include combinations of the hardware components shown, other embodiments may include computing devices with different combinations of components. It should be understood that these computing devices may include any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determination, calculation, acquisition, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry that processes information by, for example, converting acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored in a network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information, and making a determination as a result of said processing. Furthermore, although components are depicted as single boxes located within larger boxes or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, a computing device may include multiple different physical components constituting a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between individual components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of a component may be partitioned between processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any such component may be implemented in software or firmware, and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0142] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry that executes instructions stored in memory, which in some embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, the processing circuitry may be configured to perform the described functionality regardless of whether instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium are executed. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to individual processing circuitry or other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or generally by the end user and wireless network. Example

[0143] Group C embodiment 1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the UE being adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, the method comprising: When in the RRC_CONNECTED state of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the first network, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted to the network nodes in the first network; Transition from the RRC_CONNECTED state of the first network; The indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is stored in the UE context of the UE.

[0144] 2. The method according to Embodiment 1 further includes: utilizing the one or more restricted UE capabilities when restoring the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

[0145] 3. The method according to embodiment 1 or 2 further includes: In response to receiving a request from the network node for information about the limited UE capabilities, the indication of the one or more limited UE capabilities is transmitted to the network node.

[0146] 4. The method according to Embodiment 3, wherein the request is contained in an RRCReconfiguration message or a UE InformationRequest message.

[0147] 5. The method according to Embodiment 4, wherein the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities is included in a UEAssitanceInformation message or a UEInformationResponse message.

[0148] 6. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein when the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted, the UE is utilizing the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

[0149] 7. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein when the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted, the UE is utilizing the full UE capabilities of the first network.

[0150] 8. The method according to embodiment 6 further includes: in response to determining that one or more restricted UE capabilities will expire within a predetermined time period; and that the UE will begin utilizing two or more subscriptions within the predetermined time period.

[0151] 9. The method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the one or more restricted UE capabilities include restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: dual connectivity DC; carrier aggregation CA; multiple-input multiple-output MIMO; aggregated uplink UL and downlink DL bandwidths for frequency range 1 FR1 and / or frequency range 2 FR2 carriers; the number of DL and UL secondary cell SCells in the primary cell group MCG for FR1 and / or FR2, and the number of DL and UL primary and secondary cell PSCells / secondary cell SCells in the secondary cell group SCG; carrier frequency and / or carrier frequency combination; and UE power level.

[0152] 10. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the UE being adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, wherein the UE is configured to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities in an ongoing service with a first network, the method comprising: In response to transitioning out of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection state RRC_CONNECTED with the first network, upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, avoid storing the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE context and / or release the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

[0153] 11. The method according to embodiment 10 further includes determining, based on instructions received on one of the one or more networks, to avoid storing the instructions.

[0154] 12. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments further includes: Provide user data; and The user data is forwarded to the host via the transmission to the network node.

[0155] ​ 13. A method performed by a network node in a first network, wherein a user equipment (UE) has an ongoing service with the first network, and the UE is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, the method comprising: When the UE is in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection RRC_CONNECTED state, the first network receives an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities from the UE; Transition the UE out of the RRC_CONNECTED state associated with the first network; and The indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is stored in the UE context of the UE.

[0156] 14. The method according to embodiment 13 further includes determining that the one or more restricted UE capabilities remain valid for the UE when the UE returns to the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

[0157] 15. The method according to Example 14 further includes: In response to a request to transmit information about the limited UE capabilities to the UE, the indication of the one or more limited UE capabilities is received from the UE.

[0158] 16. The method according to embodiment 15, wherein the request is contained in an RRCReconfiguration message or a UE InformationRequest message.

[0159] 17. The method according to embodiment 16, wherein the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities is included in a UEAssitanceInformation message or a UEInformationResponse message.

[0160] 18. The method according to any one of embodiments 13 to 17, wherein the one or more restricted UE capabilities include restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: dual connectivity DC; carrier aggregation CA; multiple-input multiple-output MIMO; aggregated uplink UL and downlink DL bandwidths for frequency range 1 FR1 and / or frequency range 2 FR2 carriers; the number of DL and UL secondary cell SCells in the primary cell group MCG for FR1 and / or FR2, and the number of DL and UL primary and secondary cell PSCells / secondary cell SCells in the secondary cell group SCG; carrier frequency and / or carrier frequency combination; and UE power level.

[0161] 19. The method according to any of the foregoing embodiments further includes: Obtaining user data; and The user data is forwarded to the host or user device.

[0162] ​ 20. A user equipment, comprising: The processing circuitry is configured to cause the user equipment to perform any step of any of the embodiments in Group A; and A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

[0163] 21. A network node, the network node comprising: The processing circuitry is configured to cause the network node to perform any step of any of the group B embodiments; A power supply circuit is configured to supply power to the processing circuit.

[0164] 22. A user equipment (UE), the UE comprising: The antenna is configured to transmit and receive wireless signals; A radio front-end circuit, connected to the antenna and the processing circuit, and configured to modulate the signal transmitted between the antenna and the processing circuit; The processing circuitry is configured to perform any step of any of the embodiments in Group A; An input interface is connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow information to be input into the UE for processing by the processing circuitry. An output interface, connected to the processing circuit, and configured to output information from the UE that has already been processed by the processing circuit; and A battery is connected to the processing circuit and configured to power the UE.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the UE being adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, wherein the UE is configured to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities in an ongoing service with a first network, the method comprising: In response to transitioning out of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection state RRC_CONNECTED with the first network, upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, avoid storing the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE context and / or release the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, based on instructions received on one of the one or more networks, to avoid storing the instructions.

3. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the UE being adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, the method comprising: When in the RRC_CONNECTED state of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the first network, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted to the network nodes in the first network; Transition from the RRC_CONNECTED state of the first network; and The indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is stored in the UE context of the UE.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: When restoring the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, utilize the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising: In response to receiving a request from the network node for information about the limited UE capabilities, the indication of the one or more limited UE capabilities is transmitted to the network node.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The request is contained in the RRCReconfiguration message or the UEInformationRequest message.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is contained in a UEAssitanceInformation message or a UEInformationResponse message.

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein, When the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted, the UE is utilizing the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

9. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein, When the indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted, the UE is utilizing all UE capabilities of the first network.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: In response to determining that one or more of the following is true, the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted: the inactivity timer will expire within a predetermined amount of time; Furthermore, the UE will begin utilizing two or more subscriptions within a predetermined timeframe.

11. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein, The one or more restricted UE capabilities include restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: Dual Connectivity DC; Carrier aggregation (CA); Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO); aggregated uplink UL and downlink DL bandwidths for frequency range 1 FR1 and / or frequency range 2 FR2 carriers; number of DL and UL secondary cell SCells in the primary cell group (MCG) for FR1 and / or FR2, and number of DL and UL primary and secondary cell PSCells / secondary cell SCells in the secondary cell group (SCG); carrier frequency and / or carrier frequency combination; and UE power level.

12. A method performed by a network node in a first network, wherein, The user equipment (UE) has an ongoing service with the first network, and the UE is adapted to communicate with one or more networks simultaneously using two or more subscriptions, the method comprising: When the UE is in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection RRC_CONNECTED state, the first network receives an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities from the UE; Transition the UE out of the RRC_CONNECTED state associated with the first network; and The indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is stored in the UE context of the UE.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining that the one or more restricted UE capabilities remain valid for the UE when the UE returns to the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: In response to a request to transmit information about the limited UE capabilities to the UE, the indication of the one or more limited UE capabilities is received from the UE.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The request is contained in the RRCReconfiguration message or the UE InformationRequest message.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is contained in a UEAssitanceInformation message or a UEInformationResponse message.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein, The one or more restricted UE capabilities include restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: Dual Connectivity DC; Carrier aggregation (CA); Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO); aggregated uplink UL and downlink DL bandwidths for frequency range 1 FR1 and / or frequency range 2 FR2 carriers; number of DL and UL secondary cell SCells in the primary cell group (MCG) for FR1 and / or FR2, and number of DL and UL primary and secondary cell PSCells / secondary cell SCells in the secondary cell group (SCG); carrier frequency and / or carrier frequency combination; and UE power level.

18. A user equipment (UE) adapted to communicate with one or more networks simultaneously using two or more subscriptions, wherein the UE is adapted to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities while in an ongoing service with a first network, the UE including processing circuitry and memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry, thereby enabling the UE to: In response to transitioning out of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection state RRC_CONNECTED with the first network, upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, avoid storing the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in the UE context and / or release the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

19. The UE according to claim 18, wherein, The memory contains additional instructions executable by the processing circuitry, thereby enabling the UE to perform the method according to claim 2.

20. A user equipment (UE) adapted to communicate with one or more networks simultaneously using two or more subscriptions, the UE including processing circuitry and a memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry, thereby enabling the UE to: When in the RRC_CONNECTED state of the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the first network, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is transmitted to the network nodes in the first network; Transition from the RRC_CONNECTED state of the first network; The indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is stored in the UE context of the UE.

21. The UE according to claim 20, wherein, The memory contains additional instructions executable by the processing circuitry, thereby enabling the UE to perform the method according to any one of claims 4 to 11.

22. A network node in a first network, wherein the network node is adapted to serve user equipment adapted to communicate with one or more networks simultaneously using two or more subscriptions, the network node including processing circuitry and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry, thereby enabling the network node to: When the UE is in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection RRC_CONNECTED state, the first network receives an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities from the UE; The UE is switched out of the RRC_CONNECTED state of the first network; and The indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities is stored in the UE context of the UE.

23. The network node according to claim 22, wherein, The memory contains additional instructions executable by the processing circuitry, thereby enabling the network node to perform the method according to any one of claims 13 to 17.

24. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

25. A carrier comprising a computer program according to claim 24, wherein the carrier comprises one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

26. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

27. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having thereon storing the computer program of claim 24.

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