Full configuration of non-radio bearer configuration in mobile communication

Abstract

Complete configuration techniques involving non-radio bearer configuration in mobile communications are described. A user equipment (UE) receives a reconfiguration message from a network. In response to receiving the reconfiguration message, the UE releases an old configuration, but retains a radio bearer configuration, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) configuration, and a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) configuration. The UE also maintains a data radio bearer with the PDCP configuration and the SDAP configuration. The reconfiguration message includes an indication to release the old configuration, but retain the radio bearer configuration, the PDCP configuration, and the SDAP configuration.

Description

[0001] Cross-referencing

[0002] This invention claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 63 / 691,407, filed September 6, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This invention relates generally to mobile communications, and more specifically, to a complete configuration of a non-radio bearer configuration in mobile communications. Background Technology

[0004] In wireless communications (e.g., mobile communications) under the current 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications, a full configuration can be sent in a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message. When the user equipment (UE) receives the full configuration, the UE releases all existing configurations and uses the configuration in the RRC reconfiguration message as the new configuration. Therefore, the full configuration can be used by radio access network (RAN) nodes to avoid comparing the old configuration with the new configuration (e.g., during handover) and to identify differences in configuration. For data radiobearer (DRB) configuration, the full configuration requires releasing the existing DRB / service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) and adding the new DRB / SDAP according to 3GPP technical specification (TS) 38.331 5.3.5.11.

[0005] Regarding the configuration structure of radio bearer configuration and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) configuration (PDCP-Config), radio link control (RLC) configuration (RLC-Config), and medium access control (MAC) configuration, the radio bearer configuration (radioBearerConfig) defines the DRB list and its associated PDCP-Config and SDAP-Config. Furthermore, RLC-Config is located under rlc-BearerToAddModList, separate from radioBearerConfig. Similarly, the MAC configuration is located under mac-CellGroupConfig, also separate from radioBearerConfig. Therefore, according to the current 3GPP specification, fullConfig may cause the UE to release and add DRBs. When the UE releases and adds DRBs, it may increase latency during handover, potentially causing data loss due to unacknowledged PDCP packets returning to the upper layer, which may prevent the upper layer from retransmitting in a timely or sequential manner. This problem may be more severe for voice calls or real-time services, as data may expire. Therefore, a complete configuration solution for non-radio bearer configurations is needed in mobile communications. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following summary is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting. That is, the summary aims to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described in this invention. Some embodiments will be further described in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following summary is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to define the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] One objective of this invention is to provide solutions or methods for solving the problems described herein. More specifically, the various solutions proposed in this invention are believed to provide complete configuration solutions for non-radio bearer configurations in mobile communications. It is believed that implementation of one or more solutions proposed in this invention can solve or alleviate the aforementioned problems.

[0008] In one aspect, a method may include receiving a reconfiguration message from a network by a user equipment (UE). In response to receiving the reconfiguration message, the method may involve the UE: (a) releasing the old configuration, but retaining the radio bearer configuration and the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) / Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) configuration; and (b) maintaining a data radio bearer (DRB) with the PDCP / SDAP configuration. The reconfiguration message includes an indication to release the old configuration, the release excluding the radio bearer configuration and the PDCP / SDAP configuration.

[0009] In another aspect, a method may include a network node of the network sending a reconfiguration message to the UE to cause the UE to perform operations including: (a) releasing the old configuration but retaining the radio bearer configuration and the PDCP / SDAP configuration; and (b) maintaining the data radio bearer (DRB) with the PDCP / SDAP configuration. The method may also include the network node receiving a reconfiguration complete message from the UE.

[0010] It is worth noting that although the description provided in this invention may be made in the context of certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as 5G / New Radio (NR), Beyond Fifth-Generation (B5G), and 6G mobile communications, the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof can be implemented, used, and implemented by other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as, but not limited to, 4G / Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), and non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications. Therefore, the scope of this invention is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The accompanying drawings are included in this invention to provide a further understanding of the invention and form part of this invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. It will be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to their actual dimensions for clarity of the concept of the invention.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example network environment in which various solutions and schemes of the present invention can be implemented.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example design based on the solution proposed according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example design based on the solution proposed according to the present invention.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example design based on the solution proposed according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of an example communication system according to the scheme proposed in this invention.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of a second example process under the proposed scheme according to the present invention.

[0018] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of a second example process under the proposed scheme according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] This specification discloses detailed embodiments and implementations of the subject matter of the claims. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the subject matter of the claims and can be implemented in various forms. The present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations listed herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided to make the description of the present invention more detailed and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0020] Overview

[0021] According to the present invention, various technologies, methods, schemes, and / or solutions are related to the complete configuration of non-radio bearer configurations in mobile communications. According to the present invention, several possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions may be described separately below, two or more of these possible solutions can be implemented in some combination.

[0022] Figure 1 An example network environment 100 is shown, illustrating various solutions and schemes for implementing the content of this invention. Figures 2-7 Examples of implementing various proposed solutions in a network environment 100 according to the present invention are shown. The following description of the various proposed solutions is in conjunction with... Figures 1-7 It was carried out.

[0023] See Figure 1 Network environment 100 involves a user equipment (UE) 110 wirelessly communicating with a wireless network 120 (e.g., a 6G mobile network comprising non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and terrestrial networks (TN)) via a terrestrial network node 125 (e.g., an enhanced Node B (eNB), a next-generation Node B (gNB), or a transceiver point (TRP)) and / or a non-terrestrial network node 128 (e.g., a satellite). For example, the terrestrial network node 125 and / or the non-terrestrial network node 128 may form an NTN serving cell for wireless communication with the UE 110. In some implementations, the UE 110 may be a smartphone, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, such as a narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) UE or an enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UE (e.g., a bandwidth-limited low complexity (BL) UE or a coverage-enhanced (CE) UE). In such a communication environment, UE 110, network 120, terrestrial network node 125 and non-terrestrial network node 128 can implement various schemes of complete configuration of non-radio bearer configuration related to the content of this invention, as described below.

[0024] It is worth noting that although various proposed solutions may be described separately below, in actual implementation, some or all of the proposed solutions may be used in combination or implemented in other ways. Of course, each proposed solution may also be used or implemented individually or separately. In addition, as used in this invention, "lower layer" may refer to layers in the 5GMM protocol stack below the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, such as the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer, Physical (PHY) layer, etc.

[0025] Figure 2An example design 200 based on the scheme proposed according to the present invention is shown. Under the proposed scheme, a new full configuration flag can be added, applying the full configuration only to non-RadioBearerConfig (non-PDCP) configurations, which the invention refers to as "fullConfigNonRadioBearerConfig". When using this new flag, the data radio bearer (DRB) can be maintained through PDCP reconstruction (e.g., without releasing and adding DRBs). Furthermore, when using this new flag, the UE (e.g., UE 110) and the network (e.g., wireless network 120) can use incremental configuration to change portions of the old configuration in the RadioBearerConfig information element (IE) (and the PDCP and SDAP configuration of that IE). For example, incremental configuration can be applied to an IE with a "Need M" condition, where "Need M" indicates that a new value for the information element (IE) is only needed to indicate a new configuration if there is a change. Otherwise, if no content is included in the reconfiguration, the old configuration can continue to be used, because "Need M" means maintaining the old configuration. Under the proposed scheme, when the reconfiguration includes fullConfig which releases all old configurations, it may not include the new flag for fullConfigNonRadioBearerConfig, because fullConfig requires the UE to release its old configurations, including radioBearerConfig.

[0026] Figure 3 An example design 300 is shown under the scheme proposed according to the present invention. Design 300 may involve at least a portion of fullConfigNonRadioBearerConfig, which can be used to release all legacy configurations except radioBearerConfig (and therefore also PDCP / SDAP configurations).

[0027] Figure 4 An example design 400 based on the scheme proposed in this invention is shown. Design 400 may involve at least a portion of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0028] In view of the foregoing, according to various proposed solutions of the present invention, in a wireless communication network (e.g., network 120), a method for releasing an old configuration (excluding the radio bearer configuration and PDCP / SDAP configuration) may involve: a UE (e.g., UE 110) receiving a reconfiguration message from a network node (e.g., terrestrial network node 125 or non-terrestrial network node 128) with an indication to release the old configuration (excluding the radio bearer configuration and PDCP / SDAP configuration). The method may further involve the UE releasing the old configuration, excluding the radio bearer configuration and PDCP / SDAP configuration, upon receiving the reconfiguration message. The method may also involve the UE maintaining a data radio bearer (DRB) with the PDCP / SDAP configuration. The method may further involve the UE replying to the network node with a reconfiguration completion message, such as... Figure 2 As shown.

[0029] Exemplary Implementation

[0030] Figure 5 An example communication system 500 having at least one example device 510 and one example device 520 is illustrated as one implementation of the content of the present invention. Each of the devices 510 and 520 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes and methods related to the complete configuration of non-radio bearer configurations in mobile communications as described in the present invention, including the above-described content regarding various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems and methods, including network environment 100, and the processes described below.

[0031] Each of devices 510 and 520 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a network device or user equipment (UE) (e.g., UE 110), such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, an in-vehicle device or vehicle, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, each of devices 510 and 520 may be implemented in a smartphone, smartwatch, personal digital assistant, electronic control unit (ECU) in a vehicle, digital camera, or computing device such as a tablet computer, laptop computer, or mobile phone. Each of devices 510 and 520 may also be part of a machine-type device, which may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device, such as a non-mobile or fixed device, a home device, a roadside unit (RSU), a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, each of devices 510 and 520 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. When implemented in or as a network device, device 510 and / or device 520 may be implemented in an eNB in ​​an LTE, LTE-Advanced or LTE-Advanced Pro network, or in a gNB or TRP in a 5G / 6G network or IoT network.

[0032] In some implementations, each of devices 510 and 520 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more complex instruction-set computing (CISC) processors, or one or more reduced instruction-set computing (RISC) processors. In all the above-described embodiments, each of devices 510 and 520 may be implemented in or as a network device or UE. Each of devices 510 and 520 may include... Figure 5 At least some of the components shown are, for example, processors 512 and 522, respectively. Each of devices 510 and 520 may also include one or more other components unrelated to the proposed solution (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device). Therefore, for the sake of simplicity and conciseness, Figure 5 Such components of devices 510 and 520 are not shown in the text and are not described below.

[0033] In one aspect, each of processors 512 and 522 may be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC or RISC processors. That is, although the singular term "processor" is used in this invention to refer to processors 512 and 522, each of processors 512 and 522 may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in others, according to the content of this invention. In another aspect, each of processors 512 and 522 may be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) comprising, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more varactor diodes, these electronic components being configured and arranged to achieve a specific purpose of this invention. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of processors 512 and 522 is a dedicated machine specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks related to the complete configuration of the non-radio bearer configuration in mobile communications in various implementations of this invention.

[0034] In some implementations, device 510 may further include a transceiver 516 connected to processor 512. Transceiver 516 is capable of transmitting and receiving wireless data. In some implementations, transceiver 516 is capable of wireless communication with different types of wireless networks using different radio access technologies (RATs). In some implementations, transceiver 516 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. That is, transceiver 516 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some implementations, device 520 may further include a transceiver 526 coupled to processor 522. Transceiver 526 may include a transceiver capable of transmitting and receiving wireless data. In some implementations, transceiver 526 is capable of wireless communication with different types of UE / wireless networks using different RATs. In some implementations, transceiver 526 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. In other words, transceiver 526 can be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communication.

[0035] In some implementations, device 510 may further include a memory 514 connected to processor 512 and accessible by processor 512 to store data. In some implementations, device 520 may further include a memory 524 connected to processor 522 and accessible by processor 522 to store data. Each of memory 514 and memory 524 may include a random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, or additionally, each of memory 514 and memory 524 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as a mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, each of memories 514 and 524 may include a non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory.

[0036] Each of devices 510 and 520 may be a communication entity capable of communicating with each other according to various embodiments of the present invention. For illustrative purposes and without limitation, the following describes the capabilities of device 510 as a UE (e.g., UE 110) and device 520 as a network node (e.g., terrestrial network node 125 or non-terrestrial network node 128) in a network (e.g., a wireless network 120 as a 5G / NR mobile network) within the context of example processes 600 and 700.

[0037] Example process

[0038] Figure 6An example process 600 according to an implementation of the present invention is shown. Process 600 may represent one aspect of implementing the various designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods proposed above. More specifically, process 600 may represent one aspect of the concepts and schemes of a complete configuration of a non-radio bearer configuration in mobile communications proposed by the present invention. Process 600 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions represented by one or more modules. Although shown in the form of discrete modules, the individual modules of process 600 may be divided into more modules, merged into fewer modules, or omitted, depending on the desired implementation. Furthermore, the modules / submodules of process 600 may be arranged according to... Figure 6 The process can be executed in the order shown, or optionally in a different order. Furthermore, one or more modules / submodules of process 600 can be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 600 can be implemented by or in devices 510 and 520, and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 600 is described below in the context of device 510 as user equipment (UE, e.g., UE 110) and device 520 as a communication entity of a network (e.g., a network node, such as non-terrestrial network node 128 or terrestrial network node 125) and a network (e.g., wireless network 120). Process 600 may begin in module 610.

[0039] In module 610, process 600 may include the processor 512 of device 510 acting as a UE (e.g., UE 110) receiving reconfiguration messages from a network (e.g., a wireless network 120 acting as a terrestrial network node 125 or a non-terrestrial network node 128 via transceiver 516). Process 600 may proceed from module 610 to module 620.

[0040] In module 620, in response to receiving the reconfiguration message, process 600 may include processor 512 performing certain operations represented by modules 622 and 624.

[0041] In module 622, process 600 may include processor 512 releasing the old configuration but retaining the radio bearer configuration and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) / service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) configuration. Process 600 can proceed from module 622 to module 624.

[0042] In module 624, process 600 may include processor 512 maintaining a data radio bearer (DRB) with the PDCP / SDAP configuration.

[0043] In some implementations, upon receiving the reconfiguration message, process 600 may include processor 512 receiving the reconfiguration message with an indication to release the old configuration, the release excluding the radio bearer configuration and the PDCP / SDAP configuration. In some implementations, the indication may include a new full configuration flag indicating that the full configuration is applied only to the non-radio bearer configuration and the non-PDCP configuration.

[0044] In some implementations, the reconfiguration message may include a radio resource control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0045] In some implementations, process 600 may further include processor 512 replying to the network with a reconfiguration complete message via transceiver 516.

[0046] Figure 7 An example process 700 according to an implementation of the present invention is shown. Process 700 may represent one aspect of implementing the various designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods proposed above. More specifically, process 700 may represent one aspect of the concepts and schemes of a complete configuration of a non-radio bearer configuration in mobile communications proposed by the present invention. Process 700 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions represented by one or more modules. Although shown in the form of discrete modules, the individual modules of process 700 may be divided into more modules, merged into fewer modules, or omitted according to the desired implementation. Furthermore, the modules / submodules of process 700 may be arranged according to... Figure 7 The process can be executed in the order shown, or optionally in a different order. Furthermore, one or more modules / submodules of process 700 can be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 700 can be implemented by or in devices 510 and 520, and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 700 is described below in the context of device 510 as a UE (e.g., UE 110) and device 520 as a communication entity of a network (e.g., a network node, such as non-terrestrial network node 128 or terrestrial network node 125) and a network (e.g., wireless network 120). Process 700 may begin in module 710.

[0047] In module 710, process 700 may include the processor 522 of device 520 acting as a network node of a network (e.g., terrestrial network node 125 or non-terrestrial network node 128, such as wireless network 120), sending a reconfiguration message to the UE (e.g., device 510 acting as UE 110) via transceiver 526 to cause the UE to perform operations including: (a) releasing the old configuration but retaining the radio bearer configuration and PDCP / SDAP configuration; and (b) maintaining the DRB with the PDCP / SDAP configuration. Process 700 can proceed from module 710 to module 720.

[0048] In module 720, process 700 may include processor 522 receiving a reconfiguration complete message from the UE via transceiver 526.

[0049] In some implementations, when sending the reconfiguration message, process 700 may include processor 522 sending the reconfiguration message with an indication to release the old configuration, the release excluding the radio bearer configuration and the PDCP / SDAP configuration. In some implementations, the indication may include a new full configuration flag indicating that the full configuration is applied only to the non-radio bearer configuration and the non-PDCP configuration.

[0050] In some implementations, the reconfiguration message may include an RRC reconfiguration message. In some implementations, the reconfiguration completion message may include an RRC reconfiguration completion message.

[0051] Additional Notes

[0052] The subject matter described in this invention sometimes illustrates different components contained within or connected to different other components. It should be understood that these illustrated architectures are merely examples, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same function is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired functionality. Therefore, any two components combined in this invention to achieve a specific function can be considered “associated” with each other to achieve the desired functionality, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two such associated components can also be considered “operably connected” or “operably coupled” to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components that can be suchly associated can also be considered “operably coupled” to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably coupled components include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0053] Furthermore, regarding the use of almost all plural and / or singular terms in this invention, those skilled in the art can translate plural to singular and / or singular to plural depending on the context and / or application requirements. For clarity, this invention can explicitly list various permutations and combinations of singular / plural.

[0054] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that, in general, the terminology used in this invention, particularly in the appended claims, such as the subject matter portion of the appended claims, is typically intended as “open-ended” terms. For example, the word “comprising” should be interpreted as “comprising but not limited to,” “comprising” should be interpreted as “at least having,” “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” and so on. Those skilled in the art will also further understand that if a particular quantity introduced in a claim is intentionally limited, that intention will be explicitly stated in the claim; if no such statement is made, then that intention does not exist. For example, for ease of understanding, the appended claims below may contain the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim elements. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as limiting any particular claim containing that element to containing only one of that element when introduced by the indefinite article “a” or “an,” even if the same claim contains both the introductory phrase “one or more” or “at least one” and the indefinite article “a,” for example, “a” should be interpreted as “at least one” or “one or more”; the same applies to the case where claim elements are introduced by the definite article. Furthermore, even if a specific quantity is explicitly stated in the claims, those skilled in the art will recognize that the statement should be interpreted as at least that quantity. For example, the phrase "two elements" alone, without other modifiers, means at least two elements, or two or more elements. Additionally, in cases where a convention such as "at least one A, B, and C" is used, it should generally be interpreted in the way that those skilled in the art understand it. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, and C" should include, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and systems having both A, B, and C. Similarly, in cases where a convention such as "at least one A, B, or C" is used, it should generally be interpreted in the way that those skilled in the art understand it. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, or C" should include, but is not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, both A and B, both A and C, both B and C, and systems having both A, B, and C. Those skilled in the art will further understand that almost all extractive terms and / or phrases appearing in the specification, claims, or drawings that contain two or more alternative terms should be understood to cover all possibilities of including one term, any term, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include all possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B".

[0055] As can be seen from the foregoing, various implementations of the present invention have been described for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the various implementations disclosed in this invention are not intended to be limiting; the true scope and spirit are defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The user equipment's processor receives a reconfiguration message from the network; as well as In response to receiving this reconfiguration message: The processor releases older configurations but retains the radio bearer configuration and packet data aggregation protocol / service data adaptation protocol configurations; and The processor maintains the data radio bearer configured with the packet data convergence protocol / service data adaptation protocol.

2. The method as described in claim 1, wherein, The operation of receiving the reconfiguration message includes receiving the reconfiguration message with an indication to release the old configuration but retain the radio bearer configuration and the packet data convergence protocol / service data adaptation protocol configuration.

3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein, This instruction includes a new Full Configuration flag that indicates that the full configuration should only be applied to non-radio bearer configurations and non-packet data convergence protocol configurations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, This reconfiguration message includes a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor replies to the network with a reconfiguration complete message.

6. A method comprising: The processor of a network node sends a reconfiguration message to a user equipment (UE) to cause the UE to perform the following operations: Release the old configuration, but retain the radio bearer configuration and packet data aggregation protocol / service data adaptation protocol configuration; and Maintain the data radio bearer configured with the packet data convergence protocol / service data adaptation protocol; and the processor receives the reconfiguration completion message from the user equipment.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, Sending the reconfiguration message involves sending the reconfiguration message with an indication to release the old configuration but retain the radio bearer configuration and the packet data convergence protocol / service data adaptation protocol configuration.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, This instruction includes a new Full Configuration flag that indicates that the full configuration should only be applied to non-radio bearer configurations and non-packet data convergence protocol configurations.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein, This reconfiguration message includes a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The reconfiguration completion message includes the Radio Resource Control reconfiguration completion message.

11. An apparatus that can be implemented in a user equipment (UE), comprising: A transceiver configured for wireless communication; as well as A processor connected to the transceiver and configured to perform operations including: This transceiver receives reconfiguration messages from the network; and In response to receiving this reconfiguration message: Release the old configuration, but retain the radio bearer configuration and packet data aggregation protocol / service data adaptation protocol configuration; and Maintain the data radio bearer configured with the packet data aggregation protocol / service data adaptation protocol.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, The operation of receiving the reconfiguration message includes receiving the reconfiguration message with an indication to release the old configuration but retain the radio bearer configuration and the packet data convergence protocol / service data adaptation protocol configuration.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein, This instruction includes a new Full Configuration flag that indicates that the full configuration should only be applied to non-radio bearer configurations and non-packet data convergence protocol configurations.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, This reconfiguration message includes a radio resource control reconfiguration message.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, The processor is further configured to perform the following operations: The transceiver sends a reconfiguration completion message back to the network.

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