Signaling supporting Multicast Broadcast Service (MBS) in cells where network power saving mode is activated.

Abstract

A method includes: receiving data associated with a first session of a multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from a first cell, which is a serving cell or a camped cell; receiving a message from the first cell indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell; and performing a cell handover to a second cell based on the message, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This manual relates to wireless communication. Background Technology

[0002] A communication system can be a facility that enables communication between two or more nodes or devices (such as fixed or mobile communication devices). Signals can be carried on wired or wireless carrier waves.

[0003] An example of a cellular communication system is the architecture being standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). A recent development in this field is often referred to as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology. E-UTRA (Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access) is the air interface for 3GPP's upgrade path for LTE mobile networks. In LTE, base stations or access points (APs) called Enhanced Node APs (eNBs) provide radio access within a coverage area or cell. In LTE, mobile devices or mobile stations are called User Equipment (UEs). LTE has included numerous improvements and developments. All aspects of LTE are continuously being improved.

[0004] The development of 5G New Radio (NR) is part of the ongoing evolution of mobile broadband to meet 5G requirements, similar to the early evolution of 3G and 4G wireless networks. Furthermore, in addition to mobile broadband, 5G also addresses emerging use cases. One goal of 5G is to significantly improve wireless performance, which can include new levels of data rates, latency, reliability, and security. 5G NR can also be expanded to efficiently connect massive numbers of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and can provide new types of mission-critical services. For example, ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) devices may require high reliability and extremely low latency. 6G and other networks are also under development. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A method may include: receiving, by a user equipment, data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from a first cell that is a serving cell or a camped cell; receiving, by the user equipment, a message from the first cell indicating that the MBS or the first session of MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell; and performing a cell handover to a second cell based on the message, the second cell being transmitting the first session of MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0006] An apparatus may include at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured together with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to at least: receive data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from a first cell, which is a serving cell or a camped cell; receive a message from the first cell by the user equipment indicating that the MBS or the first session of MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell; and perform a cell handover to a second cell based on the message, the second cell being transmitting the first session of MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0007] One method may include: transmitting data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast service (MBS) by a network node associated with a first cell; and transmitting a message from the network node associated with the first cell to at least a first user equipment indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing a cell handover from at least the first user equipment to a second cell, which is transmitting the first session of the MBS and is operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0008] An apparatus may include: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured together with the at least one processor to cause the apparatus to at least: transmit data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast service (MBS) by a network node associated with a first cell; and transmit a message from the network node associated with the first cell to at least a first user equipment, the message indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing a cell handover of at least the first user equipment to a second cell, the second cell being transmitted the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0009] Other example embodiments are provided or described for each example method, including: components for performing any example method; a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions stored thereon that, when executed by at least one processor, are configured to cause a computing system to perform any example method; and an apparatus including at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code configured, together with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least perform any example method.

[0010] Details of one or more examples of embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features will be apparent from the specification, the drawings, and the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of a wireless network.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a UE (or user equipment) according to an example embodiment.

[0013] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a gNB (or network node) according to an example embodiment.

[0014] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the operation of the system according to Embodiments 1-2.

[0015] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating Example Embodiment 3.

[0016] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating Example Embodiment 4.

[0017] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating Example Embodiment 5.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of a wireless station or node (e.g., UE, user equipment, AP, BS, eNB, gNB, RAN node, network node, TRP or other node) 1300 according to an example embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0019] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of wireless network 130. Figure 1In the wireless network 130, user equipment 131, 132, 133, and 135 (which may also be referred to as mobile stations (MS) or user equipment (UE)) can connect to (and communicate with) a base station (BS) 134 (which may also be referred to as an access point (AP), enhanced Node B (eNB), gNB, or network node). The terms user equipment and user equipment (UE) are used interchangeably. The BS may also include, or may be referred to as, a radio access network (RAN) node, and may include a portion of the BS or a portion of the RAN node, such as (e.g., in the case of a split BS or a split gNB, such as a centralized unit (CU) and / or a distributed unit (DU)). At least a portion of the functionality of the BS (e.g., an access point (AP), base station (BS), or (e) Node B (eNB), gNB, RAN node) can also be performed by any node, server, or host operatively coupled to a transceiver (such as a remote radio head). BS (or AP) 134 provides wireless coverage within cell 136, including coverage to user equipment (or UEs) 131, 132, 133, and 135. Although only four user equipment (or UEs) are shown connected to or attached to BS 134, any number of user equipment can be provided. BS 134 is also connected to core network 150 via S1 interface 151. This is just a simplified example of a wireless network, and other examples can be used.

[0020] A base station (e.g., BS 134) is an example of a radio access network (RAN) node within a wireless network. A BS (or RAN node) can be or may include (or may be alternatively referred to as) such as an access point (AP), gNB, eNB, or a portion thereof (such as a centralized unit (CU) and / or distributed unit (DU) in the case of a split BS or a split gNB) or other network node.

[0021] Some functions of a communication network can be performed, at least in part, in a central / centralized unit (CU, e.g., server, host, or node) that is operatively coupled to a distributed unit (DU), e.g., a radio head / node. Therefore, a 5G network architecture can be based on a so-called CU-DU split. The gNB-CU (central node) can control multiple spatially separated gNB-DUs, which at least act as transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) nodes. In some examples, a gNB-DU (also called a DU) may include, for example, the Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and Physical (PHY) layer, while the gNB-CU (also called a CU) may include layers above the RLC layer, such as the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, and Internet Protocol (IP) layer. Other functional splits are also possible.

[0022] According to illustrative examples, a BS node (e.g., BS, eNB, gNB, CU / DU…) or radio access network (RAN) can be part of a mobile telecommunications system. The RAN (radio access network) can include one or more BS or RAN nodes implementing radio access technologies, for example, to allow one or more UEs to access the network or core network. Therefore, for example, the RAN (RAN node, such as BS or gNB) can reside between one or more user equipments or UEs and the core network. According to example embodiments, each RAN node (e.g., BS, eNB, gNB, CU / DU…) or BS can provide one or more wireless communication services for one or more UEs or user equipments, for example, to allow the UE to wirelessly access the network via the RAN node. Each RAN node or BS can perform or provide wireless communication services, for example, allowing the UE or user equipment to establish a wireless connection to the RAN node, and to send data to one or more UEs and / or receive data from one or more UEs. For example, after establishing a connection to the UE, the RAN node or network node (e.g., BS, eNB, gNB, CU / DU…) can forward data received from the network or core network to the UE, and / or forward data received from the UE to the network or core network. RAN nodes or network nodes (e.g., BS, eNB, gNB, CU / DU, etc.) can perform a wide variety of other radio functions or services, such as broadcasting control information (e.g., system information or on-demand system information) to UEs, paging UEs when data to be delivered to them is available, assisting UEs in handover between cells, scheduling resources for uplink data transmission from UEs and downlink data transmission to UEs, and sending control information to configure one or more UEs. These are just a few examples of one or more functions that a RAN node or BS can perform.

[0023] User equipment or user node (user terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile terminal, handheld wireless device, etc.) can refer to portable computing devices that operate with or without a subscriber identification module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of devices: mobile station (MS), mobile phone, cellular phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), cell phone, device using a wireless modem (alarm or measuring device, etc.), laptop and / or touchscreen computer, tablet computer, tablet phone, game console, laptop, vehicle, sensor and multimedia device, as an example, or any other wireless device. It should be understood that user equipment can also be (or may include) a device used almost exclusively for uplink purposes, an example of which is a camera or camcorder that uploads images or video clips to the network.

[0024] Furthermore, user nodes may include user equipment (UE), user terminals, mobile terminals, mobile stations, mobile nodes, subscriber equipment, subscriber nodes, subscriber terminals, or other user nodes. For example, a user node may be used to wirelessly communicate with one or more network nodes (e.g., gNB, eNB, BS, AP, CU, DU, CU / DU) and / or with one or more other user nodes, regardless of the technology or radio access technology (RAT). In LTE (as an illustrative example), core network 150 may be referred to as evolved packet core network (EPC), which may include a mobility management entity (MME), one or more gateways, and other control functions or functional blocks; the MME may handle or assist user equipment mobility / handover between BSs, and the one or more gateways may forward data and control signals between the BS and a packet data network or the Internet. Other types of wireless networks (such as 5G, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR)) may also include a core network.

[0025] Furthermore, the technologies described in this paper can be applied to various types of user equipment or data service types, or to user equipment that can have multiple applications running on it, which can be different data service types. New Radio (5G) development can support a variety of different applications or data service types, such as: Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Enhanced Machine-Type Communication (eMTC), Internet of Things (IoT) and / or Narrowband IoT user equipment, Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), and Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC). Many of these new 5G (NR) related applications often require higher performance than previous wireless networks.

[0026] The Internet of Things (IoT) can refer to a growing group of objects that possess internet or network connectivity, enabling them to send and receive information from other network devices. For example, many sensor-type applications or devices can monitor physical conditions or states and, for instance, send reports to servers or other network devices when events occur. Machine-to-machine (MTC) communication can be characterized, for example, by the fully automated generation, exchange, processing, and actuation of data between intelligent machines with or without human intervention. Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) can support data rates significantly higher than those currently available in LTE.

[0027] Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC) is a new type of data service or a new use case that can be supported for New Radio (5G) systems. This enables emerging new applications and services such as industrial automation, autonomous driving, vehicle safety, and eHealth services. As an illustrative example, 3GPP aims to provide reliable connections with a block error rate (BLER) of 10⁻⁵ and U-plane (user / data plane) latency of up to 1 ms. Therefore, for example, URLLC user equipment / UEs may require significantly lower block error rates and low latency (with or without the need for high reliability) than other types of user equipment / UEs. Thus, for example, URLLC UEs (or URLLC applications on UEs) may require much shorter latency compared to eMBB UEs (or eMBB applications running on UEs).

[0028] The techniques described in this article can be applied to a wide variety of wireless technologies or wireless networks, such as 5G (New Radio (NR)), cmWave and / or mmWave band networks, IoT, MTC, eMTC, eMBB, URLLC, 6G, and any other wireless network or wireless technology. These example networks, technologies, or data service types are provided as illustrative examples only.

[0029] Network nodes (e.g., RAN nodes, gNB CU / DU, or other network nodes) or cells may enter or activate (or transition to) Network Energy Saving (NES) mode to save power. NES mode is an operating mode in which a gNB (or other network node) or cell can operate with reduced operating capacity in one or more ways or aspects.

[0030] A cell (or gNB) can switch to Network Energy Saving (NES) operating mode to save power or energy, for example, during periods of low resource usage. NES operating modes can include modes for the cell (or gNB) in which the cell operates at a reduced level of operation or capacity in one or more aspects. For example, in NES operating mode, various time-domain, frequency-domain, spatial-domain, and / or power-domain techniques can be used to reduce the cell's energy consumption. For example, in NES operating mode, the cell can be continuously or intermittently shut down or disabled: one or more channels (where the cell does not transmit and / or receive on one or more channels), one or more carriers (e.g., where the cell does not transmit and / or receive on one or more carriers), one or more beams (e.g., where the cell does not transmit and / or receive via one or more beams or reference signals), or other resources. Furthermore, for example, in some cases, NES operating modes may include the use of Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) and / or Discontinuous Reception (DRX) at the UE, where a UE connected to the cell is in sleep mode most of the time (without receiving or transmitting) to conserve energy, and can then periodically (at scheduled times) be woken up to transmit data to or receive data from the cell. For example, if a cell puts or configures all UEs connected to it into DTX / DRX mode, this can allow the cell to operate at a reduced capacity or reduced operating level to conserve energy. A non-NES operating mode for a cell or gNB can refer to an operating mode that is not an NES operating mode, for example, a mode in which the cell does not operate at a reduced capacity or reduced operating level.

[0031] For example, when cell load (e.g., traffic volume, number of UEs connected to the cell and / or number of connected UEs that have transmitted data in the past period, or other cell load) is below a threshold, the cell (or gNB) can (e.g., switch from non-NES operating mode) to NES operating mode. For example, when cell load is very low, the cell can activate (or switch to) NES operating mode during late-night hours. During this period, UEs in the area can use or connect to other / neighboring cells.

[0032] According to an example embodiment, when a cell transitions from a non-NES operating mode to an NES operating mode, UEs running or performing one or more high-throughput applications may be affected. For example, example high-throughput applications may include multicast and / or broadcast services that can support streaming video from the cell to one or more UEs. Broadcast transmissions can be data transmissions to all or any UE, while multicast transmissions can be data transmissions to UEs that are members of a multicast group (e.g., identified by a multicast group identifier). Therefore, multicast and / or broadcast services (MBS) or UEs receiving MBS may (negatively) be affected by the service or the cell (or cell activating NES operating mode) transitioning from non-NES to NES operating mode, as those cells may then stop or suspend transmission of data associated with one or more MBS sessions (multicast and / or broadcast sessions).

[0033] Therefore, for example, a UE can receive data associated with an MBS session from a cell. However, if the cell activates NES operating mode (switches to NES operating mode), the cell can typically stop or terminate the transmission of the MBS session. A UE can receive data associated with an MBS session from a cell, for example, when in an idle state (receiving MBS data from the cell where the idle UE is camped) or a connected state (receiving MBS data from the cell to which the UE is connected). However, when a cell activates NES mode (switches to NES operating mode), the cell can, for example, interrupt the transmission of MBS data.

[0034] Therefore, according to the example embodiment, the UE can initially receive data associated with the first MBS session from a first cell (e.g., the source cell). The source cell (first cell) can switch to (or activate) NES operating mode to save energy. According to the example embodiment, the UE can perform a cell handover (cell reselection or handover to a target (or second) cell). Unfortunately, performing a cell handover to a target cell that is in or about to be in NES operating mode, or to a target cell that does not transmit data associated with the first MBS session, will not allow the UE to continue receiving data associated with the first MBS session.

[0035] Furthermore, in scenarios where a UE is interested in MBS services, 3GPP has not yet specified a mechanism for determining the behavior of a UE receiving an MBS session and served by a cell currently in or potentially transitioning to NES operating mode. If the UE receiving the MBS session is in a connected state and the serving cell decides to transition to NES operating mode, it is unclear when or should the UE trigger a handover (HO). For broadcast sessions, the serving gNB may not even be aware that the UE is receiving MBS services.

[0036] In addition, if the MBS UE is in an inactive / idle operating state (broadcast can be in IDLE / INACTIVE, multicast can be in INACTIVE), camped in a cell, and this cell transitions to NES operating mode, further guidance is required for the UE to continue receiving MBS services, for example, to enable a cell transition to allow the UE to continue receiving MBS services or sessions.

[0037] According to example embodiments, before the source cell transitions to NES operating mode, the UE can perform a cell handover to a target cell or a second (e.g., a neighboring) cell that is transmitting data associated with an MBS session and is in a non-NES operating mode. This document describes various example techniques to allow the UE to receive information related to the NES operating mode of a cell (which is currently transmitting data to the UE for an MBS session of interest), and then, while the cell is in or entering NES operating mode, perform a cell handover to another cell that is transmitting data associated with an MBS session and is in or will be in a non-NES operating mode, for example, so that the UE can continue receiving data associated with the MBS session.

[0038] Therefore, according to the example embodiment, a UE that can (e.g., an idle UE) camp on the first cell or (e.g., a connected UE) is connected to the first cell can receive data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast services (MBS) from the first cell. The UE can receive from the first cell a message (e.g., an MBS-NES flag) indicating that the MBS will be affected (e.g., MBS service will generally be affected) and / or that the first MBS session will be affected due to the NES operating mode for the first cell (e.g., due to an impending or pending transition or activation of the NES operating mode for the first cell). Thus, this message (e.g., the MBS-NES flag) can indicate that the first cell will activate the NES operating mode (e.g., transition from a non-NES operating mode to an NES operating mode). The flag can be a one-bit flag or a multi-bit flag.

[0039] Furthermore, for example, the message may indicate the time period during which the first cell will be in NES operating mode or the time of transition to NES operating mode, thus indicating when the cell will transition to NES operating mode. In at least some cases, the message may include other information or parameters.

[0040] In an example embodiment, the UE can determine a second cell that is in non-NES operating mode and is transmitting a first MBS session. This determination can be based on information received by the UE from other cells indicating the current and / or planned NES or non-NES operating mode of the other cells, including the second cell; or, the UE can receive NES operating mode information about other cells (at least the second cell) from the first cell. For example, the UE can receive system information or other information from one or more neighboring cells or other cells, indicating for each cell whether the corresponding cell is in non-NES operating mode and / or whether the corresponding cell is transmitting data associated with the first MBS session. The UE can receive NES operating mode indications from the first cell for one or more other cells (or neighboring cells), indicating that other cells, including at least the second cell and optionally one or more other cells, are in NES or non-NES operating mode. Alternatively, the UE can receive handover configurations from the first cell for the second cell, which is in non-NES operating mode and is transmitting the first MBS session.

[0041] Furthermore, based on the received message indicating that the first session of MBS and / or MBS will be affected by NES operating mode (e.g., by switching the first cell to NES operating mode) (e.g., based on the received MBS-NES flag) and / or other received information, the UE can perform a cell transition (e.g., handover or cell reselection) to the second cell that is transmitting the first session of MBS and is operating in non-NES operating mode, so that the UE can continue to receive data associated with the first session of MBS.

[0042] In this way, the UE can receive notification of a transition (e.g., pending or scheduled) from a first cell (e.g., the cell currently serving the UE) to an NES operating mode (e.g., via a message or an MBS-NES flag or other indication), and then the UE can advantageously perform a cell transition (e.g., handover or cell reselection) to a second cell that is transmitting data of the first MBS session and is in a non-NES operating mode.

[0043] Figure 2This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a UE (or user equipment) according to an example embodiment. Operation 210 includes the user equipment (e.g., UE) receiving data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast services MBS from a first cell, which is a serving cell or a camped cell. Operation 220 includes the user equipment receiving a message from the first cell indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the Network Energy Saving (NES) operating mode for the first cell. And, operation 230 includes the user equipment performing a cell handover to a second cell based on the message, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0044] about Figure 2 The methods for cell switching can include handover or cell reselection.

[0045] about Figure 2 The method may include an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be subject to the NES operating mode of the first cell.

[0046] about Figure 2 The method may include a flag indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the transition from non-NES operating mode to NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0047] about Figure 2 The method includes a first session that may be a first broadcast session; receiving data may include receiving data associated with the first broadcast session from a first cell in which the user equipment is camped, by a user equipment in an idle or inactive state; the method further includes receiving control information from the first cell by the user equipment indicating a list of neighboring cells that are transmitting the first broadcast session, and an NES operation mode indication of one or more neighboring cells indicating a non-NES operation mode of one or more neighboring cells; and performing cell switching includes the user equipment performing cell reselection to a second cell on the list of neighboring cells, the second cell that is transmitting the first broadcast session and is indicated by the control information to be in a non-NES operation mode.

[0048] about Figure 2 The method allows the NES operation mode indicator to specify the NES or non-NES operation mode of each of one or more neighboring cells. The indicator for each cell may be or include a flag such as a one-bit flag.

[0049] about Figure 2The method, the control information may further include an NES operation mode indication for one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, the NES operation mode indication indicating the NES operation mode for the one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, and wherein performing the cell reselection may include: the user equipment rejecting or ignoring cell reselection performed on a neighboring cell in the list of neighboring cells or rejecting or ignoring residing on the neighboring cell, the NES operation mode indication indicating the NES operation mode for the rejected or ignored cell for the neighboring cell.

[0050] about Figure 2 The method, in which control information indicating a list of neighboring cells transmitting the first broadcast session and NES operation mode indications for one or more neighboring cells can be received by the user equipment via System Information Block (SIB) information transmitted through the first cell or Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH) or both. Similarly, the gNB may broadcast NES operation mode indications in the SIB and / or on the MCCH.

[0051] about Figure 2 The method, wherein the first session is a first broadcast session, may further include: establishing a connection to a first cell based on the message if the user equipment is in an idle or inactive state; and transmitting an MBS interest indication from the user equipment to the first cell to indicate the user equipment's interest in continuing to receive the first broadcast session; and wherein performing a cell handover may include the user equipment performing a handover to a second cell that is transmitting the first broadcast session and is in a non-NES operating mode based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell. In this embodiment, when it is detected that the NES operating mode of a cell will affect the broadcast session, the user equipment indicates to the first cell that the user equipment wants to continue the broadcast session during the NES operating mode. Through this notification, the first cell learns of the user equipment's intention and is able to hand over the user equipment to the cell providing the first broadcast session during the NES operating mode of the first cell. This embodiment does not require the cell to transmit information about the NES operating modes of neighboring cells. However, if the cell provides information about the NES operating modes of neighboring cells, the user equipment may measure the neighboring cells and indicate a preferred neighboring cell for handover based on the measurement results (such as measured signal strength).

[0052] about Figure 2The method, wherein the first session is a first multicast session; wherein the method may further include: receiving a group paging request from a camped cell by a user equipment, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; and establishing a connection to the first cell by the user equipment based on the group paging request; and wherein performing a cell handover may include performing a handover by the user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first multicast session and is in a non-NES operating mode based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell. In this embodiment, since the first session is a multicast session, the first cell can know the user equipment receiving the first session and can process the handover without the user equipment individually indicating an intention to continue receiving the service.

[0053] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a gNB (or network node) according to an example embodiment. Operation 310 includes the transmission of data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast services (MBS) by a network node (e.g., gNB) associated with a first cell. Operation 320 includes the transmission of a message from the network node associated with the first cell to at least a first user equipment (e.g., a first UE) indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the network power saving NES operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing a cell switch of at least the first user equipment to a second cell, which is transmitting the first session of the MBS and is operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0054] about Figure 3 The methods for cell switching can include handover or cell reselection.

[0055] about Figure 3 The method may include an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be subject to the NES operating mode of the first cell.

[0056] about Figure 3 The method may further include: determining, by a network node, one or more neighboring cells that are transmitting a first MBS session and are in non-NES operating mode; and providing, by the network node, a handover configuration to a first user equipment in a connected state for handover from the first user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first MBS session and is in non-NES operating mode.

[0057] about Figure 3 The method may include transmitting data associated with a first session of MBS by a network node associated with a first cell, wherein the first cell is a serving cell of one or more connected user equipment and / or a camping cell of one or more user equipment in an idle or inactive state.

[0058] about Figure 3 The method of determination may include receiving, by the network node, from another network node associated with one or more neighboring cells: an indication of a first session of MBS transmission in one or more neighboring cells; and an NES operation mode indication for at least one of the one or more neighboring cells, the NES operation mode indication indicating the NES operation mode that will affect MBS (or the NES operation mode indication for each neighboring cell may indicate the NES operation mode or non-NES operation mode for that cell).

[0059] about Figure 3 The method allows the NES operating mode indicator to provide at least one of the current and / or future NES operating mode indicators for one or more cells, indicating at least one of the current or future NES operating modes.

[0060] about Figure 3 The method may further include transmitting control information from a network node to one or more user equipments, including a first user equipment, a list of neighboring cells indicating a first session of MBS being transmitted, and an NES operation mode indication of one or more neighboring cells indicating NES operation mode or non-NES operation mode of the neighboring cells, so that one or more user equipments can perform cell handover to a neighboring cell in one or more neighboring cells that is transmitting the first session of MBS and is in non-NES operation mode.

[0061] about Figure 3 The method can transmit control information indicating a list of neighboring cells that are transmitting the first session of MBS, as well as NES operation mode indications for one or more neighboring cells, via System Information Block (SIB) information or Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH) or both.

[0062] about Figure 3 The method may further include transmitting an NES operation mode indication for the first cell from the network node to another network node, the NES operation mode indication indicating the current or future NES operation mode of the MBS.

[0063] about Figure 3 The method may further include: establishing a connection between a first cell and a first user equipment; and receiving an MBS interest indication from the first user equipment by a network node to indicate the first user equipment's interest in continuing to receive a first session of MBS; and wherein providing a handover configuration includes: the network node providing the first user equipment with a handover configuration for handover from the first user equipment to a second cell based on the received MBS interest indication, the second cell being transmitting the first session of MBS and being in a non-NES operating mode.

[0064] about Figure 3 The method of transmitting data may include transmitting data associated with a first multicast session of the MBS by a network node associated with the first cell; and the method may include: transmitting a group paging request from the network node to a first user equipment in an inactive or idle state, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; and establishing a connection between the first cell associated with the network node and the first user equipment; and wherein providing handover configuration may include providing handover configuration to the first user equipment via the connection established between the network node and the first user equipment.

[0065] about Figure 3 The method may include transmitting a release request and a cell reselection flag from a network node to at least some of the user equipments, so that at least some of the user equipments release their connection to the first cell associated with the network node and perform cell reselection; wherein receiving an MBS interest indication includes receiving an MBS interest indication from one or more remaining user equipments still connected to the first cell, to indicate the interest of one or more remaining user equipments in continuing to receive a first session of MBS.

[0066] Example 1-2: Example 1: The serving cell (or the serving gNB that provides the service cell) can determine which neighboring cells are providing or transmitting the same MBS session based on the service area received from the core network (e.g., below). Figure 4(e.g., the first broadcast session in the example). For an MBS session, the gNB can know the cell that provides the MBS session (transmitting data associated with the MBS session) to a UE in an RRC inactive state. Whenever the serving gNB and / or the serving cell or the camping cell decides to switch to or activate NES operating mode, or may switch to NES operating mode in the near future based on data traffic load, the serving or camping gNB sends an indication (NES indication flag) to one or more neighboring cells to notify these neighboring cells that the cell or the serving / camping gNB will switch to NES operating mode. Similarly, the serving gNB (serving one or more UEs) can send this indication (e.g., NES indication flag) to neighboring gNBs (notifying neighboring gNBs that the serving gNB will switch to NES mode), and can also receive this indication from neighboring gNBs (e.g., instructing the serving gNB that the neighboring gNB will switch to NES operating mode). Furthermore, in some cases, NES mode may or may not affect MBS sessions, and the serving gNB may also receive an MBS-NES flag from one or more neighboring cells to indicate that MBS service will be affected by the neighboring gNB or neighboring cell switching to NES operating mode. When MBS is affected by NES mode, the source (or neighboring) gNB may include the duration of the effect or the effective time of the effect in the indication, based on which the neighboring or receiving gNB or cell can determine the duration of the NES operating mode and / or when the neighboring gNB or neighboring cell will switch back to non-NES operating mode (normal state). When the serving gNB providing MBS service receives such an indication from a neighboring node, the serving gNB may transmit control information to the UE (e.g., as SIB information or MCCH information), which includes a list of neighboring cells transmitting a specific MBS session and an NES indication (or NES operating mode indication) for one or more neighboring cells, indicating whether the neighboring cell is in NES operating mode or non-NES operating mode. According to the 3GPP consensus, a cell's NES operating mode may affect cell DTX (Discontinuous Transmission) / DRX (Discontinuous Reception) (e.g., a gNB in ​​NES mode can increase the time interval between active transmission periods), beamforming (e.g., a gNB in ​​NES mode can reduce the number of beams used to transmit reference signals), or paging (a gNB can change its paging schedule to sleep for longer periods). Therefore, in addition to the MBS-NES flag indicating that MBS service will be affected by the gNB's NES operating mode (e.g., this flag can be transmitted by the serving gNB to neighboring cells or adjacent gNBs, and / or by the serving gNB to the UE), an additional field (NES Impact Type) can be provided, which specifies the type of impact of the NES mode on UEs interested in receiving MBS sessions (e.g., indicating that one or more of DRX, paging, and / or beamforming are affected by the NES mode).The serving gNB may transmit the NES impact type to neighboring gNBs or neighboring cells (e.g., indicating that one or more of the DRX, paging, and / or beams may be affected by the gNB switching to NES mode), and / or may transmit the NES impact type to the UE.

[0067] Example 2: In addition to transmitting an NES indication to the UE indicating that the serving gNB will (or has planned or scheduled) switch to NES operating mode, the serving gNB can also transmit an MBS-NES flag to the UE to indicate that MBS service and / or a specific MBS session will be affected due to the serving gNB switching to NES operating mode. The MBS-NES flag can be transmitted to the UE via SIB / MCCH information. Based on the information received from the serving gNB, the UE receiving MBS can trigger cell reselection to camp on another cell that is transmitting an MBS session of interest and is in non-NES operating mode. Reference Figure 4 Examples 1 and 2 are described in more detail.

[0068] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the operation of the system according to Embodiments 1-2. Figure 4 In the embodiments 1 and 2 shown, a UE in an idle or inactive state can perform cell reselection to select service (or camp) gNB 412 to camp on. Figure 4 As shown, in this example, MBS (multicast and / or broadcast service) UE 410 (the UE receiving MBS services (such as the first session of MBS) from gNB 412) can be in an idle or inactive state. Therefore, (idle or inactive) MBS UE 410 can camp on the first cell provided by the camping or serving gNB 412.

[0069] exist Figure 4In step 1, some UEs (such as UE 410) within the range of the serving gNB 410 are in an RRC inactive or idle state and decide to receive an MBS session (e.g., a first broadcast session) from the serving or camped gNB 410. In step 2, the serving or camped gNB 412 provides the MBS session, for example, by broadcasting data associated with the first broadcast session. In step 3, UE 410 receives data associated with the first broadcast session from gNB 412. In step 4, one or more neighboring (or other) gNBs decide to switch to NES operating mode. In step 5, the neighboring gNB 414 that has switched to or will switch to NES operating mode transmits an NES operating mode indication, such as an NES indication flag, to other gNBs including gNB 412 to notify gNB 412 of the switch to NES operating mode. In step 6, the serving (or camped) gNB 412 receives the NES indication flag from one or more neighboring gNBs 414. Furthermore, the NES indication flag can indicate whether a neighboring gNB or neighboring cell is in NES operating mode or non-NES operating mode. Additionally, for example, the NES indication flag received by the serving gNB 412 at step 6 can also, or alternatively, indicate that the MBS (or even a specific session of the MBS) will be negatively affected by the neighboring gNB 414 switching to NES operating mode. This indication that a gNB switching to NES operating mode will affect the MBS or one or more specific MBS sessions can be referred to as the MBS-NES flag.

[0070] exist Figure 4 At step 7, based at least on the information received at step 6, such as the serving (or camped) gNB 412 transmitting or broadcasting control information (which may be received by UE 410), for example, including NES indication flags for one or more neighboring (or other) cells (e.g., indicating whether a neighboring cell or neighboring gNB is in NES operating mode or non-NES operating mode) and a list of neighboring cells transmitting the first broadcast session. For example, this control information (e.g., including NES indication flags for each of the one or more cells and a list of one or more cells transmitting the first broadcast session) may be transmitted or broadcast by the serving or camped gNB 412 via System Information Block (SIB) information and / or via multicast and / or Broadcast Control Channel (MCCH), which may be received by a UE such as UE 410.

[0071] exist Figure 4 Step 8, the service or residing gNB 412 may, for example, make a decision to switch to (or activate) NES operating mode based on traffic volume or cell load (of one or more cells provided by gNB 412) being less than a threshold. Figure 4At step 9, the stationary or serving gNB 412 may transmit an NES indication flag to other gNBs / neighboring gNBs 414 and / or neighboring cells, which indicates the gNB 412's intention to switch to NES operating mode (e.g., indicating a planned or scheduled switch of gNB 412).

[0072] exist Figure 4 At step 10, according to embodiment 2, the residing or serving gNB 412 transmits a message to the UE 410. This message may be or may include an MBS-NES flag, which indicates that the MBS service and / or a specific MBS session (e.g., broadcast session 1 identified by the session ID indicating the MBS session) may or will be affected by the gNB 412's planned or scheduled transition to NES operating mode. For example, the MBS-NES flag may indicate that one or more specific (or specifically indicated or identified) broadcast and / or multicast sessions of the MBS service and / or MBS may or will be affected by the gNB 412's planned or scheduled transition to NES operating mode. As an example, an MBS-NES flag is provided at step 10 to indicate that the MBS service or session may be affected by the NES operating mode, possibly because the gNB 412 completely or partially stops transmitting data (including MBS data) in the NES operating mode, or reduces or intermittently transmits data as planned, thus preventing the UE 410 from continuing to receive MBS sessions or broadcast sessions from the gNB 412 when the gNB 412 is in the NES operating mode.

[0073] At step 11, UE 410 receives an MBS-NES flag indicating that the MBS service (or MBS session) and / or the first broadcast session that UE 410 is receiving from gNB 412 will or may be affected due to the camping or serving gNB 412 switching to NES operating mode (e.g., negatively impacted, such as stopping, aborting, or slowing down data transmission associated with the MBS or broadcast session). Based on the received MBS-NES flag, UE 410 determines that the MBS service and / or the first broadcast session will be affected due to gNB 412 switching to NES operating mode.

[0074] exist Figure 4 At step 12, UE 410 initiates cell reselection to search for the optimal frequency and / or cell to camp on. At step 13, when measuring signals or frequencies to determine the optimal frequency or cell to camp on, UE 410 can, for example, base its decision on... Figure 4 In step 7, the control information received from gNB 412 selects the following cells to continue receiving the first broadcast session: (1) the first broadcast session is being transmitted; and (2) the cell is in non-NES operating mode. Furthermore, for example, in Figure 4 At step 13, for a neighboring cell or neighboring gNB that is in (or planned to be in) NES operating mode and / or is not transmitting a first broadcast session or other MBS session of interest as indicated by the control information received at step 7, UE 410 may refuse or ignore cell reselection to that neighboring cell or refuse or ignore camping on that neighboring cell.

[0075] Example 3: Example 3 is a variation of Example 2. In Example 3, the serving gNB instructs the UE to establish a connection to the serving cell / campus. After establishing the connection to the serving cell / campus (or, if the UE is already connected), the UE can transmit an MBS Interest Indication (MII) to the serving cell / serving gNB to indicate that the UE is interested in continuing to receive data associated with the indicated MBS session. As part of the MII, the UE can identify the MBS session of interest by providing an MBS session identifier or a multicast group identifier (e.g., in the case of one or more multicast sessions, providing the TMGI of the multicast group session of interest). The advantage of enabling the UE to connect to the serving cell (or campus) is that the serving gNB can now assist or facilitate the UE's handover to a cell providing the MBS session of interest and operating in a non-NES mode (e.g., by providing the UE with one or more handover configurations) after the UE has established a connection, instead of the UE performing cell reselection itself. See below for reference. Figure 5 Description of Example 3.

[0076] Figure 5This diagram illustrates Example Embodiment 3. At step 1, the MBS UE 410 (a UE that can receive an MBS session from the first cell (cell 1) of the serving gNB 412) can be in an idle, inactive, or connected state. Therefore, for example, UE 410 can camp on the first cell provided by gNB 412, or can connect to the first cell provided by gNB 412 to receive data associated with the first broadcast session. At step 2, the serving gNB provides the first MBS broadcast session, for example, by transmitting data associated with the first MBS broadcast session. At step 3, UE 410 receives data associated with the first broadcast session from the serving gNB 412. At step 4, the serving gNB 412 determines, for example, to switch (or schedule a switch) to NES operating mode based on the cell load or traffic load of one or more cells being less than a threshold. In step 5, according to embodiment 2, the serving gNB 412 transmits an MBS-NES flag to the UE (including UE 410) to indicate that the MBS and / or a particular MBS session may be (adversely or negatively) affected due to the serving gNB 412 switching to NES operating mode. In step 6, based on the received MBS-NES flag, the UE 410 determines that the MBS service (e.g., the first broadcast session) will be affected due to the NES operating mode of the gNB 412 (or due to the gNB 412 switching to NES mode).

[0077] If UE 410 is initially in an idle or inactive state (scenario 0-1 in Example 3), then execute... Figure 5 Steps 7-10. At step 7, based on UE 410 determining that the first broadcast session will be affected by the NES operating mode, UE 410 establishes a connection to the serving cell (the cell where UE 410 is camped) provided by serving gNB 412. At step 8, as part of the UE establishing, rebuilding, or restoring the connection to the first cell provided by gNB 412, the UE may transmit an RRC establishment request, RRC rebuilding request, or RRC recovery request to gNB 412. gNB 412 then transmits the RRC establishment, RRC rebuilding, or RRC recovery request to UE 410, causing the UE to return to the connection state of the first cell relative to gNB 412. At step 10, the UE (which is now connected to the first cell or gNB 412) creates an MBS interest indication, which may indicate an MBS session ID or a multicast group ID.

[0078] If UE 410 is already in a connected state (Scenario 2 of Example 3), then execute... Figure 5 Step 11. In step 11, UE 410 creates an MBS interest indicator, which can indicate the MBS session ID or multicast group ID.

[0079] exist Figure 5 At step 12, UE 410 transmits an MBS Interest Indication (MII) to gNB 412. This MII may include, for example, the session ID and / or multicast ID (identifier) ​​of the MBS session of interest. This informs the serving gNB 412 of the specific MBS session or service that UE 410 is interested in continuing to receive, and also informs gNB 412 of the UE's location (e.g., which cell the UE is connected to). This information allows the serving gNB 412 to more efficiently configure cells for UE handover preparation. This may include one or more cells determined by the gNB that transmit the MBS sessions of interest and are provided by the gNB in ​​non-NES operating mode. gNB 412 can then send handover configurations for one or more of these cells to UE 410 before the serving gNB 412 switches to NES mode. At step 13, the serving gNB 412 performs a handover of UE 410 to one of these cells, allowing the UE to continue receiving the MBS sessions of interest, such as the first broadcast session.

[0080] Example 4: Example embodiment 4 covers or includes operations for multicast reception when the UE is in an inactive (RRC inactive) state, rather than for receiving broadcast sessions as covered above in some previous embodiments. Embodiment 4 (including 4a and 4b) includes operations similar to those in embodiment 3, but for multicast groups or multicast sessions. In 4a, the UE receives an MBS-NES flag indicating that the MBS session (including multicast sessions) will be affected by the serving gNB switching to NES mode. In 4b, the serving gNB pagees or performs a group paging request for the multicast group identifier (or TMGI) associated with or identifying the multicast session being received by UE 410, which causes UE 410 to establish a connection to the first cell or serving gNB 412. Reference Figure 6 Description of Example 4.

[0081] Figure 6This diagram illustrates Example 4. At step 1, UE 410 is inactive and decides to receive a first MBS multicast session (or multicast session 1) from serving gNB 412. At step 2, serving gNB 412 initiates the first MBS multicast session, for example, by transmitting data associated with the first MBS multicast session. At step 3, UE 410 (or a UE within the serving gNB) begins receiving data associated with the first MBS multicast session. At step 4, the serving cell or the first cell, or the serving gNB 412 providing the serving cell, decides or determines to switch to NES operating mode. Steps 5-6 are for Example 4a. In step 5, serving gNB 412 transmits or broadcasts an MBS-NES flag to indicate that the MBS session and / or a particular MBS session will be affected or may be affected by an NES operating mode planned or scheduled for serving gNB 412. At step 6, UE 410 receives the MBS-NES flag and determines that the first MBS multicast session being received by UE 410 will be affected by the transition of serving gNB 412 to NES mode. Steps 7-8 are for embodiment 4b. At step 7, gNB 412 paging or transporting a group paging request addressed to the multicast group ID (e.g., TMGI) for the first MBS multicast session. At step 8, UE 410 receives a group paging request for the first MBS multicast group session. At steps 9-10, in response to receiving the paging request or the MBS-NES flag indicating that the MBS session and / or a particular MBS session will be affected or may be affected by the NES operating mode planned or scheduled for serving gNB 412, UE 410 performs a cell reconnection to the serving cell provided by serving gNB 412, and UE 410 is now in a connected state at step 11. At step 12, with the assistance of serving gNB 412 (e.g., based on the handover configuration provided to UE 410 by serving gNB), serving gNB 412 performs or assists UE in performing a handover of UE 410 to the cell providing the first MBS multicast session (transmitting data associated with the first MBS multicast session), and the gNB associated with the cell is in non-NES operation mode.

[0082] Example 5: Example 5 covers a scenario where a connected UE is receiving an MBS broadcast session. The serving gNB transitioning to NES mode can first move or send some or all of its connected (RRC connected) UEs to an inactive (RRC inactive) state, and then trigger or cause cell reselection for these inactive UEs. The purpose of this action can be to allow NES mode (e.g., to be performed without affecting these UEs). Simultaneously, the serving gNB can opportunistically reduce the number of UEs that will need to handover to continue receiving MBS broadcast sessions. The serving gNB can also transmit an MBS-NES flag, which is received by the remaining connected UEs. The remaining connected UEs can then perform a handover to another cell to continue receiving MBS broadcast sessions. (See reference...) Figure 7 Example 5 will be described in more detail.

[0083] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating Example Embodiment 5. Figure 7In steps 1-3, the UE in the connected state receives data associated with the first MBS broadcast session from the first cell of the serving gNB 412. In step 4, the serving gNB 412 determines, for example, to switch to NES operating mode based on cell load less than a threshold. In step 5 of embodiment 5, the serving gNB 412 decides (or determines) to send (or cause) some of its connected UEs to enter an inactive state and performs cell reselection. In step 6, the serving gNB 412 transmits an RRC release with a pause configuration and a cell reselection flag to some UEs connected to the cell provided by the serving gNB 412. UEs sent to the inactive state can be selected according to various criteria. For example, the selected UEs can exclude any UE that transmits or receives time-critical data (e.g., has an ultra-reliable low-latency (URLLC) connection). On the other hand, any UE that does not have such low-latency or time-critical connections can be selected. At step 7, one or more of these UEs, including UE 410, receive an RRC release with a pause configuration and a cell reselection flag, which causes or triggers these UEs (including UE 410) to transition to an inactive state and perform cell reselection to camp on another cell within the RAN notification area. The serving gNB 412 may include in the RRC release an NES indication flag for one or more neighboring (or other) cells (e.g., indicating whether a neighboring cell or neighboring gNB is in NES operating mode or non-NES operating mode) and a list of neighboring cells transmitting the first MBS broadcast session. Based on the NES indication flags of one or more neighboring (or other) cells, these UEs transitioning to an inactive state may reselect a cell transmitting the first MBS broadcast session and operating in non-NES operating mode. At step 8, the serving gNB 412 may assess or determine whether transitioning gNB 412 to NES mode will affect the first MBS broadcast session being transmitted by gNB 412. In steps 9-10, after determining that the NES mode will affect the MBS broadcast session, gNB 412 transmits the MBS-NES flag to UE 410, and UE 410 determines that the first MBS broadcast session will be affected by the NES mode. For example, the MBS-NES flag is set to 1 to indicate that the MBS or MBS session will be affected, and set to 0 to indicate that the MBS or MBS session is not affected by the NES mode. In steps 11-12, UE 410 creates an MBS interest indication and sends it to gNB 412 to indicate the UE's interest in continuing to receive the first MBS broadcast session. In step 13, the serving gNB 412 performs or initiates a handover of UE 410 to another cell or neighboring cell that is transmitting the first MBS broadcast session and is in non-NES mode (e.g., by providing handover configuration to UE 410).

[0084] Example 1. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following operations: receiving data associated with a first session of a multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from a first cell, which is a serving cell or a camped cell; receiving a message from the first cell by the user equipment indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving (NES) operating mode for the first cell; and performing a cell handover to a second cell based on the message, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0085] Example 2. The apparatus of Example 1, wherein cell switching includes handover or cell reselection.

[0086] Example 3. An apparatus of any of Examples 1-2, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be subject to the NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0087] Example 4. An apparatus of any of Examples 1-3, wherein the message includes a flag indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a transition from non-NES operating mode to NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0088] Example 5. An apparatus of any one of Examples 1-4: wherein the first session is a first broadcast session; wherein the apparatus is configured to receive data including causing a user equipment in an idle or inactive state to receive data associated with the first broadcast session from a first cell in which the user equipment is camped; wherein the apparatus is further configured to receive control information from the user equipment from the first cell indicating a list of neighboring cells that are transmitting the first broadcast session, and an NES operation mode indication for one or more of the neighboring cells, the NES operation mode indication indicating a non-NES operation mode for one or more of the neighboring cells; wherein the apparatus is configured to perform cell switching including the apparatus being configured to perform cell reselection to a second cell on the list of neighboring cells, the second cell being transmitting the first broadcast session and indicated by the control information to be in a non-NES operation mode.

[0089] Example 6. The apparatus of Example 5, wherein the NES operation mode indicator indicates the NES operation mode or non-NES operation mode of each of one or more neighboring cells.

[0090] Example 7. The apparatus of Example 5, wherein the control information further includes an NES operation mode indication for one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, the NES operation mode indication indicating an NES operation mode for one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, and wherein the apparatus is caused to perform cell reselection including the apparatus being caused to: refuse or ignore cell reselection or refuse or ignore residing on a neighboring cell by the user equipment to perform cell reselection to a neighboring cell in the list of neighboring cells, wherein the NES operation mode indication indicates an NES operation mode for the refused or ignored cell.

[0091] Example 8. An apparatus of any of Examples 5-7, wherein control information indicating a list of neighboring cells transmitting a first broadcast session and an NES operation mode indication for one or more of the neighboring cells are received by the user equipment via System Information Block (SIB) information or Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH) transmitted through the first cell.

[0092] Example 9. Apparatus of Example 1: wherein the first session is a first broadcast session; wherein the apparatus is further configured to: establish a connection to a first cell based on a message if the user equipment is in an idle or inactive state; and transmit an MBS interest indication from the user equipment to the first cell to indicate the user equipment's interest in continuing to receive the first broadcast session; and wherein the apparatus is configured to perform a cell handover including: performing a handover from the user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first broadcast session and is in a non-NES operating mode based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell.

[0093] Example 10. Apparatus of Example 1: wherein the first session is a first multicast session; wherein the apparatus is further configured to: receive a group paging request from a camped cell by a user equipment, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; establish a connection to the first cell by the user equipment based on the group paging request; and wherein the apparatus is configured to perform a cell handover including: performing a handover by the user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first multicast session and is in a non-NES operating mode based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell.

[0094] Example 11. A method comprising: receiving, by a user equipment, data associated with a first session of a multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from a first cell, which is a serving cell or a camped cell; receiving, by the user equipment, a message from the first cell indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving (NES) operating mode for the first cell; and performing a cell handover by the user equipment based on the message to a second cell, which is transmitting the first session of the MBS and is operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0095] Example 12. The method of Example 11, wherein the cell transition includes handover or cell reselection.

[0096] Example 13. A method of any of Examples 11-12, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the NES operating mode of the first cell.

[0097] Example 14. A method of any of Examples 11-13, wherein the message includes a flag indicating that the first session of the MBS or the MBS will be affected by a transition from non-NES operating mode to NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0098] Example 15. A method of any one of Examples 11-14: wherein the first session is a first broadcast session; wherein receiving data includes: receiving data associated with the first broadcast session from a first cell in which the user equipment is camped, by a user equipment in an idle or inactive state; wherein the method further includes: receiving control information and an NES operation mode indication for one or more neighboring cells from the first cell by the user equipment, the control information indicating a list of neighboring cells transmitting the first broadcast session, and the NES operation mode indication indicating a non-NES operation mode for one or more neighboring cells; and wherein performing cell switching includes: performing cell reselection by the user equipment to a second cell on the list of neighboring cells, the second cell transmitting the first broadcast session and indicated by the control information to be in a non-NES operation mode.

[0099] Example 16. The method of Example 15, wherein the NES operation mode indicator indicates the NES operation mode or non-NES operation mode of each of the one or more neighboring cells.

[0100] Example 17. The method of Example 15, wherein the control information further includes an NES operation mode indication for one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, the NES operation mode indication indicating an NES operation mode for one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, and wherein performing cell reselection includes: the user equipment rejecting or ignoring cell reselection or rejecting or ignoring residing on the neighboring cell in the list of neighboring cells, wherein for the neighboring cell, the NES operation mode indication indicates an NES operation mode for the rejected or ignored cell.

[0101] Example 18. A method of any of Examples 15-17, wherein control information indicating a list of neighboring cells transmitting a first broadcast session and an NES operation mode indication for one or more of the neighboring cells are received by the user equipment via System Information Block (SIB) information or by the Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH) transmitted by the first cell.

[0102] Example 19. The method of Example 11: wherein the first session is a first broadcast session; the method further includes: establishing a connection to a first cell based on a message if the user equipment is in an idle or inactive state; and transmitting an MBS interest indication from the user equipment to the first cell to indicate the user equipment's interest in continuing to receive the first broadcast session; and wherein performing a cell handover includes performing a handover by the user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first broadcast session and is in a non-NES operating mode based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell.

[0103] Example 20. The method of Example 11: wherein the first session is a first multicast session; wherein the method further includes: receiving a group paging request from a camped cell by a user equipment, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; and establishing a connection to the first cell by the user equipment based on the group paging request; and wherein performing a cell handover includes: performing a handover to a second cell that is transmitting the first multicast session and is in a non-NES operating mode by the user equipment based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell.

[0104] Example 21. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast services (MBS) by a network node associated with a first cell; and transmit a message from the network node associated with the first cell to at least a first user equipment, the message indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing a cell handover of at least the first user equipment to a second cell, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0105] Example 22. The apparatus of Example 21, wherein cell switching includes handover or cell reselection.

[0106] Example 23. An apparatus of any of Examples 21-22, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or a first session of the MBS will be subject to the NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0107] Example 24. An apparatus of any one of Examples 21-23, wherein the apparatus further comprises: determining, by a network node, one or more neighboring cells that are transmitting a first MBS session and are in non-NES operating mode; and providing, by the network node, a handover configuration to a first user equipment in a connected state for handover of the first user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first MBS session and is in non-NES operating mode.

[0108] Example 25. An apparatus of any one of Examples 21-24, wherein the means of transmitting data includes the means of being made to perform the following operation: transmitting data associated with a first session of MBS by a network node associated with a first cell, the first cell being at least one of the following: a serving cell for one or more connected user equipment or a camping cell for one or more idle or inactive user equipment.

[0109] Example 26. An apparatus of any one of Examples 24-25, wherein the apparatus is caused to determine including the apparatus being caused to perform: receiving an indication from a network node from another network node associated with one or more neighboring cells of a first session of MBS transmission in one or more neighboring cells; and an NES operation mode indication for at least one of the one or more neighboring cells, the NES operation mode indication being used to indicate an NES operation mode that will affect MBS.

[0110] Example 27. The apparatus of Example 26, wherein the NES operation mode indication provides at least one of current and / or future NES operation mode indications for one or more cells, thereby indicating at least one of the current or future NES operation modes.

[0111] Example 28. An apparatus of any one of Examples 21-27, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: transmit control information and an NES operation mode indication for one or more neighboring cells to one or more user equipments including a first user equipment, the control information indicating a list of neighboring cells in which a first session of MBS is being transmitted, and the NES operation mode indication indicating an NES operation mode or a non-NES operation mode for the neighboring cell, such that one or more user equipments can perform a cell handover to a neighboring cell in one or more neighboring cells in which the first session of MBS is being transmitted and which is in a non-NES operation mode.

[0112] Example 29. The apparatus of Example 28, wherein control information indicating a list of neighboring cells in the first session of MBS being transmitted, and an indication of the NES operating mode for one or more of the neighboring cells, is transmitted via System Information Block (SIB) information or Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH).

[0113] Example 30. An apparatus of any one of Examples 21-29, wherein the apparatus further comprises: transmitting from one network node to another network node an NES operation mode indication for a first cell, the NES operation mode indication indicating that will affect the current or future NES operation mode of the MBS.

[0114] Example 31. The apparatus of Example 24, wherein the apparatus is further configured to perform the following operations: establish a connection between a first cell and a first user equipment; receive an MBS interest indication from the first user equipment by a network node to indicate the first user equipment's interest in continuing to receive a first session of MBS; and wherein the apparatus is configured to provide a handover configuration comprising: the apparatus being configured to: provide the first user equipment with a handover configuration for handover from the first user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first session of MBS and is in a non-NES operating mode, based on the received MBS interest indication.

[0115] Example 32. Apparatus of Example 24: wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit data including data associated with a first multicast session of the MBS transmitted by a network node associated with a first cell; wherein the apparatus is configured to: transmit a group paging request from the network node to a first user equipment in an inactive or idle state, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; and establish a connection between the first cell associated with the network node and the first user equipment; and wherein the apparatus is configured to provide handover configuration including providing handover configuration to the first user equipment via the connection established between the network node and the first user equipment.

[0116] Example 33. An apparatus of Example 31, wherein the apparatus is configured to: transmit a release request and a cell reselection flag from a network node to at least some user equipments to cause at least some user equipments to release their connection to the first cell associated with the network node and perform cell reselection; wherein the apparatus is configured to receive an MBS interest indication by: causing the apparatus to receive an MBS interest indication from one or more remaining user equipments still connected to the first cell by the network node to indicate the interest of one or more remaining user equipments in continuing to receive a first session of MBS.

[0117] Example 34. A method comprising: transmitting data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast service (MBS) by a network node associated with a first cell; and transmitting a message from the network node associated with the first cell to at least a first user equipment indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing a cell handover of at least the first user equipment to a second cell, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0118] Example 35. The method of Example 34, wherein the cell transition includes handover or cell reselection.

[0119] Example 36. A method of any of Examples 34-35, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the NES operating mode of the first cell.

[0120] Example 37. The method of any one of Examples 34-36 further includes: determining, by the network node, one or more neighboring cells that are transmitting the first MBS session and are in non-NES operating mode; and providing, by the network node, a handover configuration to the first user equipment in a connected state for handover from the first user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first MBS session and is in non-NES operating mode.

[0121] Example 38. A method of any one of Examples 34-37, wherein transmitting data includes: transmitting data associated with a first session of MBS by a network node associated with a first cell, the first cell being at least one of the following: a serving cell for one or more connected user equipment or a camping cell for one or more idle or inactive user equipment.

[0122] Example 39. A method of any one of Examples 37-38, wherein determining includes: receiving by a network node from another network node associated with one or more neighboring cells: an indication of a first session of MBS transmission in one or more neighboring cells; and an NES operation mode indication for at least one of the one or more neighboring cells, the indication affecting the NES operation mode of the MBS.

[0123] Example 40. The apparatus of Example 39, wherein the NES operation mode indication provides at least one of current and / or future NES operation mode indications for one or more cells, thereby indicating at least one of the current or future NES operation modes.

[0124] Example 41. The method of any one of Examples 34-40 further includes: transmitting control information and an NES operation mode indication for one or more neighboring cells to one or more user equipments including a first user equipment, wherein the control information indicates a list of neighboring cells in which a first session of MBS is being transmitted, and the NES operation mode indication indicates an NES operation mode or a non-NES operation mode for the neighboring cell, so that one or more user equipments can perform a cell handover to a neighboring cell in one or more neighboring cells in which the first session of MBS is being transmitted and which is in a non-NES operation mode.

[0125] Example 42. The method of Example 41, wherein control information indicating a list of neighboring cells in the first session of MBS being transmitted, and NES operation mode indications for one or more of the neighboring cells are transmitted via System Information Block (SIB) information or Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH).

[0126] Example 43. The method of any one of Examples 34-42 further includes: transmitting from one network node to another network node an NES operation mode indication for the first cell, the NES operation mode indication indicating the current or future NES operation mode of the MBS.

[0127] Example 44. The method of Example 37 further includes: establishing a connection between a first cell and a first user equipment; and receiving an MBS interest indication from the first user equipment by a network node to indicate the first user equipment's interest in continuing to receive a first session of MBS; and wherein providing a handover configuration includes: the network node providing the first user equipment with a handover configuration for handover from the first user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first session of MBS and is in a non-NES operating mode based on the received MBS interest indication.

[0128] Example 45. The method of Example 37: wherein transmitting data includes: transmitting data associated with a first multicast session of MBS by a network node associated with a first cell; the method includes: transmitting a group paging request from the network node to a first user equipment in an inactive or idle state, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; and establishing a connection between the first cell associated with the network node and the first user equipment; and wherein providing handover configuration includes: providing handover configuration to the first user equipment via the connection established between the network node and the first user equipment.

[0129] Example 46. The method of Example 44 includes: transmitting a release request and a cell reselection flag from a network node to at least some user equipments to cause at least some user equipments to release their connection to a first cell associated with the network node and perform cell reselection; wherein receiving an MBS interest indication includes: receiving an MBS interest indication from one or more remaining user equipments still connected to the first cell by the network node to indicate the interest of one or more remaining user equipments in continuing to receive a first session of MBS.

[0130] Example 47. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from a first cell serving as a connected user equipment; receive a message from the first cell by the user equipment indicating that the MBS or the first session of MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell; and perform a cell handover to a second cell based on the message, the second cell being transmitting the first session of MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0131] Example 48. The apparatus of Example 47, wherein cell switching includes handover.

[0132] Example 49. An apparatus of any of Examples 47-48, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or a first session of the MBS will be subject to the NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0133] Example 50. An apparatus of any of Examples 47-49, wherein the message includes a flag indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a transition from non-NES operating mode to NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0134] Example 51. The apparatus of any one of Examples 47-50 is further configured to: receive a release request including a cell reselection flag from a first cell; release the connection with the serving cell based on the received release request; and continue the first session in a second cell in an idle state, an inactive state, or a connected state based on the cell reselection flag.

[0135] Example 52. The apparatus of any one of Examples 47-51 is further configured to: transmit a message to a first cell indicating that the user equipment wants to continue the first session based on the received message; receive a handover message from the first cell based on the transmitted message; and perform a handover to a second cell and continue the first session in the second cell based on the received handover message.

[0136] Example 53. The apparatus of Example 52, which is configured to transmit the message together with a measurement report based on measurements of a second cell.

[0137] Example 54. A method comprising: receiving, by a user equipment in a connected state, data associated with a first session of a multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from a first cell serving as a first cell; receiving, by the user equipment, a message from the first cell indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving (NES) operating mode for the first cell; and by the user equipment performing a cell handover to a second cell based on the message, the second cell transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0138] Example 55. The method of Example 54, where cell switching includes handover.

[0139] Example 56. A method of any of Examples 54-55, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be subject to the NES operating mode of the first cell.

[0140] Example 57. A method of any of Examples 54-56, wherein the message includes a flag indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a transition from non-NES operating mode to NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0141] Example 58. The method of any one of Examples 54-57 further includes the user equipment: receiving a release request including a cell reselection flag from a first cell; releasing the connection with the serving cell based on the received release request; and continuing the first session in the second cell in an idle state, an inactive state, or a connected state based on the cell reselection flag.

[0142] Example 59. The method of any one of Examples 54-58 further includes the user equipment: transmitting a message to a first cell indicating that the user equipment wants to continue the first session based on the received message; receiving a handover message from the first cell based on the transmitted message; and performing a handover to a second cell and continuing the first session in the second cell based on the received handover message.

[0143] Example 60. The method of Example 59, wherein the user equipment measures a second cell and transmits the message along with a measurement report based on the measurement of the second cell.

[0144] Example 61. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast services (MBS) by a network node associated with a first cell; and transmit a message from the network node associated with the first cell to at least a first user equipment in a connected state, the message indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing a cell switch of at least the first user equipment to a second cell, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0145] Example 62. The apparatus of Example 61, wherein cell switching includes handover.

[0146] Example 63. An apparatus of any of Examples 61-62, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or a first session of the MBS will be subject to the NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0147] Example 64. An apparatus of any one of Examples 61-63, wherein the apparatus further comprises: determining, by a network node, one or more neighboring cells that are transmitting a first MBS session and are in non-NES operating mode; and providing, by the network node, a handover configuration for a first user equipment in a connected state to hand over from the first user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first MBS session and is in non-NES operating mode.

[0148] Example 65. An apparatus of any one of Examples 61-64, wherein the apparatus is configured to: transmit a release request and a cell reselection flag from a network node to a first user equipment, so that the first user equipment releases its connection to the first cell and performs a cell reselection.

[0149] Example 66. An apparatus of any one of Examples 61-64, wherein the apparatus is configured to: receive from a first user equipment a message indicating that the first user equipment wants to continue the first session based on the transmitted message; and transmit a handover message to the first user equipment based on the received message, such that the first user equipment performs a handover to a second cell and continues the first session in the second cell.

[0150] Example 67. The apparatus of claim 66 is configured to: receive the message together with a measurement report based on measurements of a second cell; and select the second cell as the target cell for handover based on the received measurement report.

[0151] Example 68. A method comprising: transmitting data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast service (MBS) by a network node associated with a first cell; and transmitting a message from the network node associated with the first cell to at least a first user equipment in a connected state, indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing a cell handover of at least the first user equipment to a second cell, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0152] Example 69. The method of Example 68, where cell switching includes handover.

[0153] Example 70. A method of any of Examples 68-69, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the NES operating mode of the first cell.

[0154] Example 71. The method of any one of Examples 68-70 further includes the network node: determining one or more neighboring cells that are transmitting the first MBS session and are in non-NES operating mode; and providing a first user equipment in a connected state with a handover configuration for handover from the first user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first MBS session and is in non-NES operating mode.

[0155] Example 72. The method of any of Examples 68-71, further comprising: transmitting a release request and a cell reselection flag from a network node to a first user equipment so that the first user equipment releases its connection to the first cell and performs a cell reselection.

[0156] Example 73. The method of any one of Examples 68-72 further includes the network node: receiving, based on the transmitted message, a message from the first user equipment indicating that the first user equipment wants to continue the first session; and, based on the received message, transmitting a handover message to the first user equipment to cause the first user equipment to perform a handover to a second cell and continue the first session in the second cell.

[0157] Example 74. The method of Example 73 further includes the network node: receiving the message together with a measurement report based on measurements of the second cell; and selecting the second cell as the target cell for handover based on the received measurement report.

[0158] Example 75. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive data associated with a first session of a multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from a first cell, which is a camped cell, by a user equipment; receive from the first cell a message indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving (NES) operating mode for the first cell by a user equipment in an inactive or idle state; and perform a cell handover to a second cell based on the message, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0159] Example 76. The apparatus of Example 75, wherein cell handover includes cell reselection.

[0160] Example 77. An apparatus of any of Examples 75-76, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or a first session of the MBS will be subject to the NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0161] Example 78. An apparatus of any of Examples 75-77, wherein the message includes a flag indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a transition from non-NES operating mode to NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0162] Example 79. An apparatus of any one of Examples 75-78: wherein the first session is a first broadcast session; wherein the apparatus is configured to receive data including causing a user equipment in an idle or inactive state to receive data associated with the first broadcast session from a first cell in which the user equipment is camped; wherein the apparatus is further configured to receive control information from the first cell by the user equipment and an NES operating mode indication for one or more neighboring cells, the control information indicating a list of neighboring cells transmitting the first broadcast session, and the NES operating mode indication indicating a non-NES operating mode for one or more neighboring cells; wherein the apparatus is configured to perform cell switching including causing the apparatus to perform cell reselection to a second cell on the list of neighboring cells, the second cell transmitting the first broadcast session and indicated by the control information to be in a non-NES operating mode.

[0163] Example 80. An apparatus of Example 79, wherein the control information further includes an NES operation mode indication for one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, the NES operation mode indication indicating an NES operation mode for one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, and wherein the apparatus is caused to perform cell reselection including the apparatus being caused to: refuse or ignore cell reselection or refuse or ignore residing on the neighboring cell by the user equipment, wherein the NES operation mode indication indicates an NES operation mode for the refused or ignored cell for the neighboring cell.

[0164] Example 81. An apparatus of any of Examples 75-79, configured to receive the message via System Information Block (SIB) information or Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH) transmitted by a first cell.

[0165] Example 82. An apparatus of Example 75: wherein the first session is a first broadcast session; wherein the apparatus is further configured to: establish a connection to a first cell based on a message; and transmit an MBS interest indication from the user equipment to the first cell to indicate the user equipment's interest in continuing to receive the first broadcast session; and wherein the apparatus is configured to perform a cell handover including the apparatus being configured to: perform a handover to a second cell based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell, the second cell being transmitting the first broadcast session and being in a non-NES operating mode, and to continue the first session in the second cell.

[0166] Example 83. Apparatus of Example 75: wherein the first session is a first multicast session; wherein the apparatus is further configured to: receive a group paging request from a camped cell by a user equipment, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; establish a connection to the first cell by the user equipment based on the group paging request; and wherein the apparatus is configured to perform a cell handover including: performing a handover by the user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first multicast session and is in a non-NES operating mode based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell.

[0167] Example 84. A method comprising: receiving, by a user equipment, data associated with a first session of a multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from a first cell, which is a serving cell or a camped cell; receiving, by a user equipment in an idle or inactive state, a message from the first cell indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving (NES) operating mode for the first cell; and performing a cell handover to a second cell based on the message, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0168] Example 85. The method of Example 84, where cell handover includes cell reselection.

[0169] Example 86. A method of any of Examples 84-85, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the NES operating mode of the first cell.

[0170] Example 87. A method of any of Examples 84-86, wherein the message includes a flag indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a transition from non-NES operating mode to NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0171] Example 88. A method of any one of Examples 84-87: wherein the first session is a first broadcast session; wherein receiving data includes: receiving data associated with the first broadcast session from a first cell in which the user equipment is camped, by a user equipment in an idle or inactive state; wherein the method further includes: receiving control information and an NES operation mode indication for one or more neighboring cells from the first cell by the user equipment, the control information indicating a list of neighboring cells transmitting the first broadcast session, and the NES operation mode indication indicating a non-NES operation mode for one or more neighboring cells; and wherein performing cell switching includes: performing cell reselection by the user equipment to a second cell on the list of neighboring cells, the second cell transmitting the first broadcast session and indicated by the control information to be in a non-NES operation mode.

[0172] Example 89. The method of Example 88, wherein the control information further includes an NES operation mode indication for one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, the NES operation mode indication indicating an NES operation mode for one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, and wherein performing cell reselection includes: the user equipment rejecting or ignoring cell reselection or rejecting or ignoring residing on the neighboring cell in the list of neighboring cells, wherein for the neighboring cell, the NES operation mode indication indicates an NES operation mode for the rejected or ignored cell.

[0173] Example 90. A method of any of Examples 84-89, wherein the message is received by a user equipment via a System Information Block (SIB) message transmitted by a first cell or a Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH).

[0174] Example 91. The method of Example 84: wherein the first session is a first broadcast session; the method further includes: establishing a connection to a first cell based on a message; and transmitting an MBS interest indication from the user equipment to the first cell to indicate the user equipment's interest in continuing to receive the first broadcast session; and wherein performing a cell handover includes: performing a handover from the user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first broadcast session and is in a non-NES operating mode based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell, and continuing the first session in the second cell.

[0175] Example 92. The method of Example 84: wherein the first session is a first multicast session; wherein the method further includes: receiving a group paging request from a camped cell by a user equipment, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; and establishing a connection to the first cell by the user equipment based on the group paging request; and wherein performing a cell handover includes: performing a handover to a second cell that is transmitting the first multicast session and is in a non-NES operating mode by the user equipment based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell.

[0176] Example 93. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast services (MBS) by a network node associated with a first cell; and transmit a message by the network node associated with the first cell to at least a first user equipment in an inactive or idle state, the message indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing a cell handover of at least the first user equipment to a second cell, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0177] Example 94. The apparatus of Example 93, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be subject to the NES operating mode for the first cell.

[0178] Example 95. An apparatus of any one of Examples 93-94, wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit data including the apparatus being configured to perform the following operation: transmit data associated with a first session of MBS by a network node associated with a first cell, the first cell being a camping cell for one or more user equipments in an idle or inactive state.

[0179] Example 96. An apparatus of any of Examples 93-95, configured to transmit the message via System Information Block (SIB) information or Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH).

[0180] Example 97. An apparatus of any one of Examples 93-96, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: establish a connection between a first cell and a first user equipment; receive an MBS interest indication from the first user equipment by a network node, indicating the first user equipment's interest in continuing to receive a first session of MBS; and wherein the apparatus is configured to provide a handover configuration comprising: the apparatus being configured to: provide the first user equipment with a handover configuration for handover from the first user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting the first session of MBS and is in a non-NES operating mode, based on the received MBS interest indication.

[0181] Example 98. An apparatus of any one of Examples 93-97: wherein the apparatus is configured to transmit data including data associated with a first multicast session of the MBS transmitted by a network node associated with the first cell; wherein the apparatus is configured to: transmit a group paging request from the network node to a first user equipment in an inactive or idle state, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; and establish a connection between the first cell associated with the network node and the first user equipment; and wherein the apparatus is configured to provide handover configuration including providing handover configuration to the first user equipment via the connection established between the network node and the first user equipment.

[0182] Example 99. A method comprising: transmitting data associated with a first session of multicast and / or broadcast service (MBS) by a network node associated with a first cell; and transmitting a message from the network node associated with the first cell to at least a first user equipment in an inactive or idle state, indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by a network energy-saving NES operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing a cell handover of at least the first user equipment to a second cell, the second cell being transmitting the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

[0183] Example 100. The method of Example 99, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be subject to the NES operating mode of the first cell.

[0184] Example 101. A method of any of Examples 99-100, wherein data transmission includes: transmitting data associated with a first session of MBS by a network node associated with a first cell, the first cell being a camping cell for one or more user equipments in an idle or inactive state.

[0185] Example 102. A method of any of Examples 99-101, wherein the network node transmits the message via System Information Block (SIB) information or Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH).

[0186] Example 103. The method of any one of Examples 99-102 further includes: establishing a connection between a network node and a first user equipment; receiving an MBS interest indication from the first user equipment by the network node to indicate the first user equipment's interest in continuing to receive MBS in a first session; and providing the first user equipment with a handover configuration based on the received MBS interest indication for handover of the first user equipment to a second cell that is transmitting MBS in the first session and is in a non-NES operating mode.

[0187] Example 104. The method of any one of Examples 99-103 further includes: transmitting data associated with a first multicast session of the MBS by a network node associated with the first cell; transmitting a group paging request to a first user equipment in an inactive or idle state by the network node, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; establishing a connection between the first cell and the first user equipment associated with the network node by the network node; and providing a handover configuration to the first user equipment via the connection established between the network node and the first user equipment.

[0188] Figure 8 This is a block diagram of a wireless station or node (e.g., UE, user equipment, AP, BS, eNB, gNB, RAN node, network node, TRP, or other node) 1300 according to an example embodiment. The wireless station 1300 may include, for example, one or more (e.g., such as...) Figure 8 The two RF (radio frequency) or wireless transceivers 1302A and 1302B shown include a transmitter for transmitting signals and a receiver for receiving signals. The wireless station also includes a processor or control unit / entity (controller) 1304 for executing instructions or software and controlling the transmission and reception of signals, and a memory 1306 for storing data and / or instructions.

[0189] Processor 1304 may also make decisions or determinations, generate frames, packets, or messages for transmission, decode received frames or messages for further processing, and perform other tasks or functions described herein. For example, processor 1304, which may be a baseband processor, may generate messages, packets, frames, or other signals for transmission via wireless transceiver 1302 (1302A or 1302B). Processor 1304 may control the transmission of signals or messages on a wireless network and may control the reception of signals or messages via a wireless network (e.g., after down-conversion by wireless transceiver 1302). Processor 1304 may be programmable and capable of executing software or other instructions stored in memory or other computer media to perform the various tasks and functions described above, such as one or more of the tasks or methods described above. Processor 1304 may be (or may include) hardware, programmable logic, a programmable processor executing software or firmware, and / or any combination of these. Using other terms, processor 1304 and transceiver 1302 together may be considered, for example, a wireless transmitter / receiver system.

[0190] Additionally, refer to Figure 8 The controller (or processor) 1308 can execute software and instructions, and can provide overall control for station 1300, and can provide... Figure 8 Other systems, not shown, provide control, such as controlling input / output devices (e.g., a display, a keypad), and / or can execute software that can perform one or more applications available on the wireless station 1300, such as, for example, an email program, an audio / video application, a word processor, a VoIP application, or other applications or software.

[0191] Alternatively, a storage medium containing stored instructions may be provided, which, when executed by a controller or processor, may cause processor 1304 or other controllers or processors to perform one or more of the functions or tasks described above.

[0192] According to another example embodiment, the RF or wireless transceiver 1302A / 1302B can receive signals or data and / or transmit or send signals or data. The processor 1304 (and possibly the transceiver 1302A / 1302B) can control the RF or wireless transceiver 1302A or 1302B to receive, transmit, broadcast, or transmit signals or data.

[0193] Example embodiments are provided or described for each example method, including: an apparatus (e.g., Figure 8 (of 1300), including components for performing any method (e.g., Figure 8 The processor 1304, RF transceiver 1302A and / or 1302B and / or memory 1306; a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (e.g., Figure 8 The memory 1306 includes instructions stored thereon, which are processed by at least one processor. Figure 8 The processor 1304 is configured to enable the computing system (e.g., Figure 8 (1300) executes any example method; and a device (e.g., Figure 8 The 1300), including at least one processor (e.g., Figure 8 The processor 1304) and at least one memory including computer program code (e.g., Figure 8 The memory (1306) and computer program code are configured together with at least one processor (1304) to enable the device (e.g., 1300) to perform at least any of the example methods.

[0194] Embodiments of the various technologies described herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuits or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. Embodiments can be implemented as computer program products, i.e., computer programs tangibly embodied in an information carrier (e.g., in a machine-readable storage device or in a propagating signal) for execution by or control of a data processing apparatus (e.g., a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple computers). Embodiments can also be provided on computer-readable media or computer-readable storage media (which may be non-transitory media). Embodiments of the various technologies can also include embodiments provided via transient signals or media, and / or program and / or software embodiments downloadable via the Internet or other networks (wired and / or wireless networks). Additionally, embodiments can be provided via machine-type communication (MTC) and also via the Internet of Things (IoT).

[0195] As used herein, the term "circuit" or "circuit" means all of the following: (a) a hardware circuit implementation only, such as an implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only; and (b) a combination of circuits and software (and / or firmware), such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of (multiple) processors or (ii) a portion of (multiple) processors / software, including (multiple) digital signal processors, software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device to perform various functions; and (c) circuits, such as (multiple) microprocessors or a portion of (multiple) microprocessors, which require software or firmware to operate, even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application. As another example, as used herein, the term "circuit" will also cover an implementation of a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, and if applicable to a particular element, the term "circuit" will also cover a baseband integrated circuit or application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or another network device.

[0196] Computer programs can be in the form of source code, object code, or some intermediate form, and they can be stored on some carrier, distribution medium, or computer-readable medium, which can be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. Such carriers include, for example, recording media, computer memory, read-only memory, photoelectric and / or electrical carrier signals, telecommunication signals, and software distribution packages. Depending on the required processing power, a computer program can be executed in a single electronic digital computer, or it can be distributed across multiple computers.

[0197] Furthermore, embodiments of the various technologies described herein can utilize cyber-physical systems (CPS) (systems that control collaborative computing elements of physical entities). CPS enables the implementation and utilization of a large number of interconnected ICT devices (sensors, actuators, processors, microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects at different locations. Mobile cyber-physical systems, which are inherently mobile physical systems, are a subcategory of cyber-physical systems. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robots and electronic devices transported by humans or animals. The increasing prevalence of smartphones has increased interest in the field of mobile cyber-physical systems. Therefore, various embodiments of the technologies described herein can be provided via one or more of these technologies.

[0198] Computer programs such as those described above can be written in any programming language (including compiled or interpreted languages) and can be deployed in any form, including as a standalone program or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit or part thereof suitable for use in a computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to execute on a single computer, on multiple computers at the same site, or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network.

[0199] The method steps can be executed by one or more programmable processors that execute a computer program or a portion thereof to perform a function by manipulating input data and generating output. The method steps can also be executed by special-purpose logic circuitry, and the apparatus can be implemented as special-purpose logic circuitry, such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0200] Processors suitable for executing computer programs include, for example, general-purpose and special-purpose microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer, chip, or chipset. Typically, a processor receives instructions and data from read-only memory or random access memory, or both. The elements of a computer may include at least one processor for executing instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data. Typically, a computer may also include one or more mass storage devices for storing data, such as magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, or optical disks, or operatively coupled thereto to receive data from or transfer data to or both. Information carriers suitable for embodying computer program instructions and data include all forms of non-volatile memory, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks, such as internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory may be supplemented by or incorporated into special-purpose logic circuitry.

[0201] To provide interaction with the user, embodiments can be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor) for displaying information to the user and a user interface (such as a keyboard and pointing device, such as a mouse or trackball) through which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback, such as visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user can be received in any form, including sound, speech, or tactile input.

[0202] The embodiments can be implemented in a computing system that includes backend components, such as a data server, or middleware components, such as an application server, or frontend components, such as a client computer having a graphical user interface or web browser through which a user can interact with the embodiments, or any combination of such backend, middleware, or frontend components. The components can be interconnected via digital data communication (e.g., a communication network) of any form or medium. Examples of communication networks include local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs), such as the Internet.

[0203] While certain features of the embodiments described herein have been shown, many modifications, substitutions, alterations, and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it should be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and alterations falling within the essential spirit of the various embodiments.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: The user equipment receives data associated with the first session of the multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from the first cell, which is the serving cell or the camping cell; The user equipment receives a message from the first cell indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the Network Energy Saving (NES) operation mode for the first cell; as well as The user equipment performs a cell handover to a second cell based on the message. The second cell is transmitting the first session of the MBS and is operating in non-NES operation mode.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cell switching includes handover or cell reselection.

3. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the NES operating mode for the first cell.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the message includes a flag indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected due to the transition of the first cell from the non-NES operating mode to the NES operating mode.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4: The first session is the first broadcast session; The means of receiving data includes the means of receiving data associated with the first broadcast session from the first cell where the user equipment is camped, by the user equipment being in an idle or inactive state. The device is further configured to receive control information from the first cell and an NES operation mode indication for one or more neighboring cells in a list of neighboring cells, wherein the control information indicates the list of neighboring cells in which the first broadcast session is being transmitted, and the NES operation mode indication indicates a non-NES operation mode for the one or more neighboring cells. The device being configured to perform the cell handover includes the device being configured by the user equipment to perform cell reselection to a second cell on the list of neighboring cells, the second cell being transmitting the first broadcast session, and the second cell being indicated by the control information to be in a non-NES operating mode.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the NES operation mode indication indicates an NES operation mode or a non-NES operation mode for each of the one or more neighboring cells.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control information further includes an NES operating mode indication for one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, the NES operating mode indication indicating an NES operating mode for the one or more additional neighboring cells in the neighboring cells, and wherein causing the apparatus to perform the cell reselection includes causing the apparatus to: The user equipment may refuse or ignore cell reselection or refuse or ignore cell re-residence on the neighboring cell from the list of neighboring cells, wherein the NES operation mode indication indicates the NES operation mode for the cell that is refused or ignored.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 5-7, wherein the control information indicating the list of neighboring cells in which the first broadcast session is being transmitted and the NES operation mode indication for one or more of the neighboring cells are received by the user equipment via system information block (SIB) information or multicast broadcast service control channel (MCCH) transmitted through the first cell.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1: The first session is the first broadcast session; The device is further configured to: If the user equipment is in an idle or inactive state, a connection to the first cell is established based on the message; and The user equipment transmits an MBS interest indication to the first cell to indicate its interest in continuing to receive the first broadcast session; and The device is configured to perform the cell handover, which includes the device being configured by the user equipment to perform a handover to a second cell that is transmitting the first broadcast session and is in a non-NES operating mode, based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1: The first session is the first multicast session; The device is further configured to: The user equipment receives a group paging request from the camped cell, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; The user equipment establishes a connection to the first cell based on the group paging request; and The device is configured to perform the cell handover, which includes the device being configured by the user equipment to perform a handover to a second cell that is transmitting the first multicast session and is in a non-NES operating mode, based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell.

11. A method comprising: The user equipment receives data associated with the first session of the multicast and / or broadcast service MBS from the first cell, which is the serving cell or the camping cell; The user equipment receives a message from the first cell indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the Network Energy Saving (NES) operation mode for the first cell; as well as The user equipment performs a cell handover to a second cell based on the message. The second cell is transmitting the first session of the MBS and is operating in non-NES operation mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the cell switching includes handover or cell reselection.

13. The method according to any one of claims 11-12, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the NES operating mode for the first cell.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11-13, wherein the message includes a flag indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the transition of the first cell from the non-NES operating mode to the NES operating mode.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11-14: The first session is the first broadcast session; The received data includes data associated with the first broadcast session received by the user equipment, which is in an idle or inactive state, from the first cell where the user equipment is camped; The method further includes the user equipment receiving control information from the first cell and an NES operation mode indication for one or more neighboring cells in a list of neighboring cells, the control information indicating the list of neighboring cells in which the first broadcast session is being transmitted, and the NES operation mode indication indicating a non-NES operation mode for the one or more neighboring cells. and The cell switching process includes: the user equipment performing cell reselection to a second cell on the list of neighboring cells, the second cell being transmitted in the first broadcast session, and the second cell being indicated by the control information to be in the non-NES operating mode.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the NES operation mode indication indicates an NES operation mode or a non-NES operation mode for each of the one or more neighboring cells.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the control information further includes an NES operating mode indication for one or more additional neighboring cells among the neighboring cells, the NES operating mode indication indicating an NES operating mode for the one or more additional neighboring cells among the neighboring cells, and wherein performing the cell reselection includes: The user equipment may refuse or ignore cell reselection or refuse or ignore cell re-residence on the neighboring cell from the list of neighboring cells, wherein the NES operation mode indication indicates the NES operation mode for the cell that is refused or ignored.

18. The method according to any one of claims 15-17, wherein the control information indicating a list of neighboring cells transmitting the first broadcast session and the NES operation mode indication for one or more of the neighboring cells are received by the user equipment via system information block (SIB) information or multicast broadcast service control channel (MCCH) transmitted through the first cell.

19. The method according to claim 11: The first session is the first broadcast session; The method further includes: If the user equipment is in an idle or inactive state, a connection to the first cell is established based on the message; as well as The user equipment transmits an MBS interest indication to the first cell to indicate the user equipment's interest in continuing to receive the first broadcast session; and The cell handover includes the user equipment performing a handover to a second cell that is transmitting the first broadcast session and is in non-NES operating mode, based on a handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell.

20. The method according to claim 11: The first session is the first multicast session; The method further includes: The user equipment receives a group paging request from the camped cell, the group paging request indicating a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session; as well as The user equipment establishes a connection to the first cell based on the group paging request; and The cell handover includes the user equipment performing a handover to the second cell, which is transmitting the first multicast session and is in a non-NES operating mode, based on the handover configuration received by the user equipment from the first cell.

21. An apparatus comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: Data associated with the first session of multicast and / or broadcast services (MBS) is transmitted by the network node associated with the first cell; and A message is transmitted from the network node associated with the first cell to at least the first user equipment, the message indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the Network Energy Saving (NES) operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing at least the first user equipment to undergo a cell handover to a second cell, the second cell being used to transmit the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the cell switching includes handover or cell reselection.

23. The apparatus of any one of claims 21-22, wherein the message includes an MBS-NES flag indicating that at least one of the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the NES operating mode for the first cell.

24. The apparatus according to any one of claims 21-23, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: The network node determines one or more neighboring cells that are transmitting the first session of the MBS and are in non-NES operation mode. The network node provides the first user equipment, which is in a connected state, with a handover configuration for the first user equipment to hand over to the second cell, which is transmitting the first session of the MBS and is in a non-NES operating mode.

25. The apparatus according to any one of claims 21-24, wherein transmitting data comprises the apparatus being such that: Data associated with the first session of the MBS is transmitted by the network node associated with the first cell, wherein the first cell is at least one of the following: a serving cell for one or more connected user equipment or a camping cell for one or more idle or inactive user equipment.

26. The apparatus according to any one of claims 24-25, wherein the apparatus is determined to include the apparatus such that: The network node receives from another network node associated with one or more neighboring cells: an indication that the one or more neighboring cells transmit the first session of the MBS; and an NES operation mode indication for at least one of the one or more neighboring cells, the NES operation mode indication indicating the NES operation mode that will affect the MBS.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the NES operation mode indication provides at least one of current and / or future NES operation mode indications for the one or more cells to indicate at least one of current or future NES operation modes.

28. The apparatus according to any one of claims 21-27, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: The network node transmits control information to one or more user equipments, including the first user equipment, a list of neighboring cells indicating that the first session of the MBS is being transmitted, and an NES operation mode indication for one or more of the neighboring cells, the NES operation mode indication indicating either NES operation mode or non-NES operation mode for the neighboring cell, so that the one or more user equipments can perform cell handover to a neighboring cell that is transmitting the first session of the MBS and is in non-NES operation mode.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the control information indicating the list of neighboring cells of the first session in which the MBS is being transmitted, and the NES operation mode indication for one or more of the neighboring cells, are transmitted via System Information Block (SIB) information or Multicast Broadcast Service Control Channel (MCCH).

30. The apparatus according to any one of claims 21-29, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: The network node transmits an NES operation mode indication for the first cell to another network node, the NES operation mode indication indicating whether it will affect the current or future NES operation mode of the MBS.

31. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the apparatus is further configured to: Establish a connection between the first cell and the first user equipment; The network node receives an MBS interest indication from the first user equipment, indicating the first user equipment's interest in continuing to receive the first session of the MBS; and The means therein being configured to provide the handover configuration includes the means being configured to: provide the first user equipment with the handover configuration for handover from the first user equipment to the second cell that is transmitting the first session of the MBS and is in non-NES operating mode, based on the network node receiving the MBS interest indication.

32. The apparatus according to claim 24: The means of transmission includes data associated with a first multicast session of the MBS transmitted by the network node associated with the first cell. The device is configured such that: The network node transmits a group paging request to the first user equipment, which is in an inactive or idle state. The group paging request indicates a multicast group identifier associated with the first multicast session. as well as Establish a connection between the first cell associated with the network node and the first user equipment; as well as The device is configured to provide a handover configuration, which includes the device being configured to provide the handover configuration to the first user equipment via the connection established between the network node and the first user equipment.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the apparatus is configured to: The network node transmits a release request and a cell reselection flag to at least some of the user equipments, so that the at least some of the user equipments release their connection to the first cell associated with the network node and perform cell reselection; The device being configured to receive the MBS interest indication includes the device being configured by the network node to receive the MBS interest indication from one or more remaining user equipments still connected to the first cell, to indicate the interest of the one or more remaining user equipments in continuing to receive the first session of the MBS.

34. A method comprising: Data associated with the first session of multicast and / or broadcast services (MBS) is transmitted by the network node associated with the first cell; as well as A message is transmitted from the network node associated with the first cell to at least the first user equipment, the message indicating that the MBS or the first session of the MBS will be affected by the Network Energy Saving (NES) operating mode for the first cell, thereby causing at least the first user equipment to undergo a cell handover to a second cell, the second cell being used to transmit the first session of the MBS and operating in a non-NES operating mode.

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