Cell selection based on ue mobility state

Abstract

There is provided a method in a communication device for cell reselection. The method includes determining the mobility condition / state of the communication device. In response to the communication device being in a first mobility condition / state, the method includes performing cell selection of a first carrier frequency. In response to communication device being in second mobility condition / state, the method includes cell selection of a second carrier frequency. The first carrier frequency is higher than the second carrier frequency and the communication device in the first mobility condition / state moves slower than the communication device in the second mobility condition / state. Related communication devices, computer programs, computer program products and non-transitory computer-readable mediums are also disclosed.

Description

CELL SELECTION BASED ON UE MOBILITY STATETECHNICAL FIELDThe present disclosure relates to wireless communication systems, and in particular, to carrier frequency selection based on UE mobility state / condition.BACKGROUND

[0001] The present disclosure is related to wireless communication systems and more particularly to cell reselection based on a UE mobility state.

[0002] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a new radio (“NR”) network (e.g., a 5th Generation (“5G”) network) including a 5G core (“5GC”) network 130, network nodes 120a- b (e.g., 5G base station (“gNB”)), multiple communication devices 110 (also referred to as user equipment (“UE”)), however, the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to a NR network. Other communications networks used within the embodiments include for example a 6G network (i.e. a 6th Generation network).

[0003] Cell Selection

[0004] In 5GNR, the UE performs a cell selection procedure based on so called Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) defined per cell, which encode a Physical Cell Identity (PCI), located in a synchronization frequency referred as SSB frequency. That SSB frequency, which may also be called a synchronization raster may be defined by an ARFCN.

[0005] In cell selection the UE searches the NR frequency bands and for each carrier frequency identifies the strongest cell per SSB. The UE may search each carrier in turn ("initial cell selection") or make use of stored information to shorten the search ("stored information cell selection"). The UE seeks to identify a suitable cell; if it is not able to identify a suitable cell it seeks to identify an acceptable cell. When a suitable cell is found or if only an acceptable cell is found it camps on that cell and commence the cell reselection procedure:- A suitable cell is one for which the measured cell attributes satisfy the cell selection criteria; the cell PLMN is the selected PLMN, registered or an equivalent PLMN; the cell is not barred or reserved and the cell is not part of a tracking area which is in the list of "forbidden tracking areas for roaming";- An acceptable cell is one for which the measured cell attributes satisfy the cell selection criteria and the cell is not barred.

[0006] There are other uses cases in which the UE performs cell selection.

[0007] For example, on transitions from RRC CONNECTED or RRC INACTIVE to RRC IDLE, a UE should camp on a cell as result of cell selection according to the frequency be assigned by RRC in the state transition message if any.

[0008] Another example is when the UE recovers from out of coverage. In that case, the UE should attempt to find a suitable cell in the manner described for stored information or initial cell selection above. If no suitable cell is found on any frequency or RAT, the UE should attempt to find an acceptable cell.

[0009] Another example is when the UE in RRC CONNECTED declares a Radio Link Failure (RLF) and initiates an RRC Re-establishment procedure. While a timer T311 is running the UE performs cell selection for selecting a cell for which the UE performs a reestablishment procedure.

[0010] Describing it in further details, as specified in TS 38.304, cell selection

[0011] UE shall perform measurements for cell selection and reselection purposes as specified in TS 38.133. The Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol entity at the UE can control the Radio Access Technologies (RAT(s)) in which the cell selection should be performed, for instance by indicating RAT(s) associated with the selected PLMN, and by maintaining a list of forbidden registration area(s) and a list of equivalent PLMNs. The UE shall select a suitable cell based on RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE state measurements and cell selection criteria.

[0012] In order to expedite the cell selection process, stored information for several RATs, if available, may be used by the UE. When camped on a cell, the UE shall regularly search for a better cell according to the cell reselection criteria. If a better cell is found, that cell is selected. The change of cell may imply a change of RAT.

[0013] Cell selection is performed by one of the following two procedures: a) Initial cell selection (no prior knowledge of which RF channels are NR frequencies):1. The UE shall scan all RF channels in the NR bands according to its capabilities to find a suitable cell.2. On each frequency, the UE need only search for the strongest cell.3. Once a suitable cell is found, this cell shall be selected. b) Cell selection by leveraging stored information:1. This procedure requires stored information of frequencies and optionally also information on cell parameters from previously received measurement control information elements or from previously detected cells.2. Once the UE has found a suitable cell, the UE shall select it. 3. If no suitable cell is found, the initial cell selection procedure in a) shall be started.NOTE: Priorities between different frequencies or RATs provided to the UE by system information or dedicated signalling are not used in the cell selection process.

[0014] information or dedicated signalling are not used in the cell selection process.

[0015] The cell selection criterion S is fulfilled when:Srxlev > 0 AND Squal > 0

[0016] where:Srxlev=Qrxlevmeas—(Qrxlevmin + Qrxlevminoffset )—Pcompensation -QoffsettempSqual=Qqualmeas—(Qqualmin + Qqualminoffset) - Qoffsettemp where:

[0017] Mobile networks with multiple frequency bands

[0018] Mobile networks have been deployed all over the world in the past decades: starting with providing voice as the only service and evolved gradually over the years with advanced technologies to support mobile broadband and other use cases.

[0019] The increasing demand to support more and more users (UE) with different use cases have pushed the operators and the technology to increase the capacity of the mobile networks.

[0020] The increased capacity in the Radio Access Network (RAN) part is mainly achieved by additional spectrum, i.e., larger portions of radio frequencies. However, due to different restrictions, most network operators have only access to limited part of the spectrum, usually scattered on different frequency bands. This is the reason why the current LTE / NR networks are deployed with multiple overlaid carriers.

[0021] The supported frequency ranges for mobile network deployment have increased in every new generation. With 5G, even high band spectrums (mmW) are possible to be used. 6G will most probably introduce even higher frequency ranges.

[0022] There are different techniques for how to distribute the users among the overlaid carriers and how to combine them when serving the UE in connected mode.

[0023] There currently exist certain challenge(s).

[0024] Latest generation of cellular networks allows support of higher frequency ranges (such as FR2 in 5G). Today these frequency ranges are mainly utilized via dual connectivity techniques (EN-DC and NR-DC) and / or carrier aggregation (CA) due to challenges of supporting PCells on FR2 (also referred to as mmW standalone operation).

[0025] Thus, currently cells defined in FR2 are either considered as Secondary Cells (SCells), for carrier aggregation and / or PSCell or SCells of a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) for UEs in EN-DC and / or NR-DC i.e., they are used only for UE’s which are in RRC CONNECTED state and are configured / added via dedicated signaling while the UE is in RRC CONNECTED state.

[0026] One challenge related to the usage of cells in FR2 frequencies is mobility, as with higher frequencies the signal strength may fluctuate very quickly due to small changes in the environment, which may lead to frequent handovers and / or link failures such as Radio Link Failure (as defined in TS 38.331) and / or Beam Failure Detection (as defined in TS 38.321). Another challenge is battery, where support of PCell on FR2 may require more power.

[0027] As the radio base stations and UE / devices gets more mature, using PCells on FR2 becomes more attractive, for example due to improved beamforming, antennas, and powersaving. In addition, the higher demand for resources, capacity and improved service performance calls for a better usage of higher frequencies and the overall spectrum, such as the frequencies defined within FR2, so that there needs to be means to use higher frequency cells (e.g. with bands defined in FR2) also for UEs in power saving / sleeping states, such as RRC IDLE and / or RRC INACTIVE state (as in TS 38.331) define for 5G New Radio (NR), or future technologies such as 5G Advanced and the Sixth Generation of Radio Access Networks (6G). As in 6G it is expected an even higher traffic demand, a better utilization of the available spectrum, including the bands in higher frequencies will be very important e.g., FR2 or beyond. In addition, considering that in 6G even higher frequencies are being considered (e.g., in the range of sub THz or even THz), the challenges presented for mmWave would be even higher.

[0028] Thus, in current systems (e.g., 5G NR) and in future mobile systems (e.g., such as 6G), there are specific devices / use cases which could benefit to use PCell(s) or cells with similar functionality on FR2 or even in higher frequencies (e.g., THz, sub-THz, cmWave frequencies, etc.), to increase the overall system capacity and improve the performance per UE. However, it would not be wise for a UE to camp on cells on FR2 frequencies or higher in all scenarios. It might be possible that some cells in higher frequencies (e.g.,FR2, THz, sub- THz, cmWave frequencies, etc.) are indeed very strong and have much better capacity (partially due to their smaller coverage area, with fewer UEs and the fact that more spectrum is available in these higher frequency bands). However, when the UE is highly mobile, the time the UE would spend in such a cell would be very limited anyways, and the risk of failure is higher, considering the lower reliability of the links in FR2 cells.

[0029] To give an idea, 6G systems would probably have a radio access technology which should be able to operate in spectrum ranges beyond 100 GHz, as shown in Fig. 2

[0030] Scanning / searching for cells in these higher frequency bands, such as during initial cell search and cell selection triggered by other procedures e.g., while the UE is in RRC CONNECTED or RRC IDLE, could lead to a high number of measurements performed by the UE, a scanning of larger bandwidths and long beam sweeping procedures, which increases the delay for performing cell selection and increases the amount of energy consumption at the UE, which may lead to battery draining.SUMMARY

[0031] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. The present disclosures provides a method at a UE wherein the UE performs cell selection and camps on a cell of a first carrier frequency depending on a UE mobility condition / state.

[0032] Some embodiments provide a method in a communication device for cell reselection. The method includes determining the mobility condi tion / state of the communication device. In response to the communication device being in a first mobility condi tion / state, the method includes performing cell selection of a first carrier frequency. In response to communication device being in second mobility condition / state, the method includes cell selection of a second carrier frequency. The first carrier frequency is higher than the second carrier frequency and the communication device in the first mobility condition / state moves slower than the communication device in the second mobility condition / state.

[0033] Some embodiments provide a communication device. The communication device including processing circuitry and a memory coupled to the processing circuitry and having instructions stored therein that are executable by the processing circuitry to cause the communication device to perform operations comprising any operations of the methods in the communication device.

[0034] Some embodiments provide computer program comprising program code to be executed by the processing circuitry of a communication device, whereby execution of the program code causes the communication device to perform operations comprising any operations of the methods in the communication device.

[0035] Some embodiments provide a computer program product comprising a non- transitory storage medium including program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a communication device, whereby execution of the program code causes the communication device to perform operations comprising any operations of the methods in the communication device.

[0036] Some embodiments provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein that are executable by processing circuitry (1402) of a communication device (1400) to cause the communication device to perform operations comprising any of the operations of the methods in the communications device.

[0037] According to some embodiments the method further includes camping on a first carrier frequency of the first frequency band when the communication device is in a firstmobility condition / state and camping on a second carrier frequency of the frequency band when the communication device is in a second mobility condition / state.

[0038] According to some embodiments the first mobility condi tion / state corresponds to a stationary condition / state and the second mobility condi tion / state corresponds to a mobile condition / state.

[0039] The method comprises the UE performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a first carrier frequency of a frequency range depending on a UE mobility condition / state e.g., an S SB frequency and / or NR band of FR1 or FR2.

[0040] The method also comprises the UE performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a first carrier frequency when the UE is stationary, and the UE perform cell selection and camps on a second cell of a second carrier frequency when the UE is mobile, wherein the first carrier frequency is higher than the second carrier frequency.

[0041] The method also comprises the UE selecting a cell and responding to a paging message in that cell, wherein in response to the paging message the UE transmits a random access preamble to that cell, and / or an RRC Setup Request and / or transitions from an IDLE state to a CONNECTED state in that cell.

[0042] The method also comprises the UE selecting a cell and responding to a paging message in that cell, wherein in response to the paging message the UE transmits a random access preamble to that cell, and / or an RRC Resume Request and / or transitions from an INACTIVE state to a CONNECTED state in that cell.

[0043] In one set of embodiments the UE performs cell selection and camps on a cell whose Absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) is on a Frequency Range 2 (FR2) when the UE is stationary, and the UE perform cell selection and camps on a second cell whose ARFCN is on a Frequency Range 1 (FR1) when the UE is mobile.

[0044] The method also comprises the UE camping on a first cell of the first carrier frequency in FR2 as PCell when the UE is stationary in NR stand-alone (SA) operation, and the UE is connected to the same first cell of the first carrier frequency in FR2 as SCell when the UE is mobile.

[0045] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). The proposed solution increases the utilization of higher frequency bands (e.g., mmW spectrum, Tera Hertz spectrum, sub-THz, etc.), and the achievable DL and UL throughput of the device since it enables steering of suitable UEs to higher frequency bands (e.g., mmW or THz), for standalone operation already in idle or inactive mode. For example,by camping on higher frequency cells (e.g., FR2 cells), the UE spares some lower frequency spectrum (e.g., FR1) which leaves more capacity to others UEs. At the same time, increases the chances of that UE camping on higher frequency cells (e.g., FR2 cells) to benefit from more spectrum and to have higher throughput when the situation is suitable e.g., when the UE is not highly mobile and is able to have a stable connectivity in FR2.

[0046] Using the method will enable the UE to only spend energy and battery on scanning / searching for cells in this higher frequency band, such as during initial cell search and cell selection, when the UE is stationary or not highly mobile, i.e., when the UE has better chances to stay in these high frequency cells in a stable connectivity. That would reduce the overall number of measurements performed by the UE, as it would prevent an unnecessary scanning of larger bandwidths and long beam sweeping procedures, reducing the overall delay for performing cell selection and improving the energy consumption at the UE.

[0047] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary communications network within the embodiments.

[0049] Figure 2 illustrates current and possible future spectrum ranges for radio access.

[0050] Figure 3 illustrates an SSB according to the embodiments.

[0051] Figure 4 illustrates examples of UE performing cell selection and camping on a cell according to some embodiments.

[0052] Figure 5 illustrates an example deployment scenario with multiple overlaid frequency layers.

[0053] Figure 6 is a flow chart of embodiments in the communication device.

[0054] Figure 7 is a flow chart of embodiments in the communication device.

[0055] Figure 8 is a flow chart of embodiments in the communication device.

[0056] Figure 9 is a flow chart of embodiments in the communication device.

[0057] Figure 10 is a flow chart of embodiments in the communication device.

[0058] Figure 11 is a flow chart of embodiments in the communication device.

[0059] Figure 12 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments.

[0060] Figure 13 shows an example of a UE in accordance with some embodiments.

[0061] Figure 14 shows an example of a network node in accordance with some embodiments.

[0062] Figure 15 is a block diagram of a host.

[0063] Figure 16 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment.

[0064] Figure 17 is a communication diagram of a host.

[0065] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0067] In the context of the disclosure (as in 3GPP TS 38.304), a suitable Cell corresponds to a cell on which a UE may camp. For NR cell, suitability criteria are defined in clause § 4.5 of 3GPP TS 38.304.

[0068] In the context of the present disclosure, an acceptable cell corresponds to a cell on which the UE may camp to obtain limited service (originate emergency calls and receive ETWS and CMAS notifications), and that satisfies certain conditions as specified in § 4.5 of TS 38.304 (e.g., a minimum set of requirements to initiate an emergency call and to receive ETWS and CMAS notification in an NR network, like cell selection criterion being fulfilled).

[0069] Various embodiments herein describe a method at a UE wherein the UE performs cell selection and camps on a cell of a first carrier frequency depending on a UE mobility condition / state.

[0070] The method comprises the UE performing cell selection and camping on a cell of the first carrier frequency (e.g. high frequency) when the UE is on a first UE mobility condition / state, and the UE perform cell selection and camps on a second cell of a second carrier frequency (e.g. lower frequency) when the UE is on a second UE mobility condition / state, wherein the first carrier frequency is higher than the second carrier frequency AND the first UE mobility condition is slower than the second mobility condition.

[0071] The method also comprises the UE performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a first carrier frequency when the UE is mobile, and the UE perform cell selection andcamps on a second cell of a second carrier frequency when the UE is stationary, wherein the first carrier frequency is higher than the second carrier frequency.

[0072] The method also comprises the UE camping on a cell and responding to a paging message in that cell, wherein in response to the paging message the UE transmits a random access preamble to that cell, and / or an RRC Setup Request and / or transitions from an IDLE state to a CONNECTED state in that cell.

[0073] In one set of embodiments, characterizing a typical implementation, the UE performs cell selection and camping on a cell of a Synchronization Sequence Block (SSB) frequency whose Absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) is on a Frequency Range 2 (FR2) when the UE is stationary, and the UE perform cell selection and camps on a second cell of a Synchronization Sequence Block (SSB) frequency whose ARFCN is on a Frequency Range 1 (FR1) when the UE is mobile.

[0074] The method describes a first carrier frequency (e.g., high frequency) and a second carrier frequency. A carrier frequency in this context may be characterized by one or more of:- An absolute frequency number, such as an ARFCN, which characterizes the frequency position of a reference signal and / or a synchronization signal (e.g., SSB) which the UE needs to search in order to find a cell. For example, such a signal (e.g., SSB) encodes a cell identity (e.g., Physical Cell ID) so that when the UE searches for a cell in that frequency position defined by the ARFCN the Ue is searching for that cell identity.- A sync raster (e.g., as defined in TS 38.133).- An SSB frequency e.g., an indication of the frequency position of one of the subcarriers which comprises an SSB and / or the frequency position in which one of the signal(s) in the SSB (e.g., PSS and / or SSS and / or DRMS) are comprised as illustrated in Fig. 3.- Point A frequency: the Absolute frequency position of the reference resource block (Common RB 0). Its lowest subcarrier is also known as Point A (see TS 38.211

[0016] , clause 4.4.4.2).- A physical frequency w / wo bandwidth information in Hz.- A frequency band number, possibly defined by an integer e.g., “nx”, with x being an integer, such as nl to refer to an FFD band on FR1 between 1920 MHz - 1980 MHz in the UL, and 2110 MHz - 2170 MHz in the DL. For example, the frequency ranges in which NR can operate (according to TS 38.101) are within frequency range(s) asfollows:

[0075] Further examples of frequency bands are the following:

[0076] The UE performing cell selection and camping includes one or more of:- UE choosing a cell and monitoring system information and (in most cases) paging information in that chosen cell.- UE searching for a suitable cell of a selected PLMN, and choosing that cell to provide available services, and monitoring its control channel(s).- The UE Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer indicating the RAT(s), e.g., 4G / LTE / EUTRAN, 3G / UTRAN, 5G / NR, NG-RAN, 6G) associated with the selected PLMN to be used initially in the search of a cell in the cell selection.- The UE performing measurements needed to support cell selection.- The UE detecting and synchronizing to a broadcast channel of a cell.- The UE receiving and handling broadcast information.- The UE forwarding NAS system information to NAS.- The UE searching for a suitable cell i.e., a cell whose quality (e.g., radio signal strength or RSRP) is above a threshold. o The cells broadcast one or more 'PLMN identity' in the system information, so the UE responding to NAS whether such cell is found or not. If associated RATs is (are) set for the PLMN, the UE performs the search in this (these) RAT(s) and other RATs for that PLMN.- The UE finding a cell which satisfies cell selection criteria and camp on that cell.The UE performing the selection of a PLMN i.e., the UE performing cell selection in order to select a suitable cell of that PLMN to camp on.- The UE evaluating Srxlev and Squal of cells on an SSB frequency.- The UE using in cell selection process stored information for several RATs, if available.- The UE using in cell selection process stored information in the USIM card.- The UE camping on a cell and regularly searching for a better cell according to the cell reselection criteria.- The UE NAS layer informing if the cell selection and reselection result in changes inthe received system information relevant for NAS.- The UE performing initial cell selection i.e., without prior knowledge of which Radio Frequency (RF) channels are NR frequencies: o The UE scanning one or more RF channels in the NR bands according to its capabilities to find a suitable cell. o On the one or more frequencies, the UE need only search for the strongest cell e.g., highest RSRP value. o Once a suitable cell is found, this cell shall be selected.- The UE performing cell selection by leveraging stored information: o The UE using stored information of frequencies and optionally also information on cell parameters from previously received measurement control information elements or from previously detected cells. o The UE finding a suitable cell and selecting it.- The UE performing initial cell search for example can include the following steps from the UE side to identify the cell to camp on. o Depending on the multi-RAT, frequency bands and channel bandwidth attached to the frequency bands, supported by the UE, the UE tunes the RF transceiver to measure the overall receiver power from RS SI with certain order of granularity and location in frequency, e.g., 5MHz each first starting from the center frequency of the frequency band as mostly commonly deployed. After this step the overall frequencies with received power on certain channel bandwidths can be ranked by the UE on each frequency band and RAT. o For LTE and NR search for PSS / SSS or SSB to calculate the correlation over a time period e.g., 5ms or 20ms as accumulated time within the frequencies identified from the previous step, where the frequency range can be extended with another granularity e.g., 3.75kHz based on the frequencies with channel bandwidth identified from the previous step.■ The PSS with the physical layer ID is the first identity to be identified with matched filter to calculate the correlation peak among all primary cell IDs. After the PSS is identified the subframe level synchronization is achieved and the channel estimation done by the PSS can be used for the SSS identification.■ The SSS with the cell ID group is the second identity to be identified with also matched filter to calculate the correlation. After the SSS is identified the symbol timing, Cell ID group together with PCI are identified, together with the cyclic prefix length, duplex mode, frequency errors and radio frame timing. So after that the UE is able to read the PBCH for the system information.

[0077] In a set of embodiments, the UE performs initial cell selection based on the UE mobility state. The UE determines its UE mobility state and based on that, the UE scans a first set of RF channels in the NR bands according to its capabilities to find a suitable cell, or a second set of RF channels in the NR bands according to its capabilities to find a suitable cell (e.g., in case two UE mobility states are defined, such as mobile and stationary). On each frequency of the selected set, based on the UE mobility state, the UE need only search for the strongest cell, except for operation with shared spectrum channel access where the UE may search for the next strongest cell(s). Once a suitable cell is found, this cell shall be selected.

[0078] In a set of embodiments, the UE performs cell selection by leveraging stored information based on UE mobility state. The UE has stored information of frequencies and optionally also information on cell parameters from previously received measurement control information elements or from previously detected cells, but selects a cell and / or one of the frequency to perform cell selection based on the stored information and the UE mobility state. Once the UE has found a suitable cell, the UE selects it. If no suitable cell is found, the initial cell selection procedure is to be started.

[0079] The method comprises the UE performing cell selection and camping based on UE mobility state / condition (e.g., select a cell on a higher frequency when UE is stationary and select a cell on a lower frequency when UE is mobile) when a cell selection is triggered by a procedure, wherein the procedure may corresponds to when the UE is powered on, during initial cell selection, when the UE transitions from RRC CONNECTED to RRC INACTIVE, when the UE transitions from RRC CONNECTED to RRC IDLE, when the UE performs cell selection while timer T311 is running (i.e., when the UE initiates an RRC Re-establishment procedure and selects a cell to reestablish the connection and transmit the RRCReestablishmentRequest, etc.). For example, the UE performs cell selection according to the method on transition from RM-DEREGISTERED to RM-REGISTERED, from CM-IDLE to CM-CONNECTED and from CM-CONNECTED to CM-IDLE.

[0080] The UE performs cell selection according to the method based on cell defined SSBs located on the synchronization raster i.e., the UE camps on a CD-SSB of a higher frequency (e.g., FR2 cell) when it is stationary and camps on a CD-SSB of a lower frequency (e.g., FR1 cell) when it is mobile. The UE searches the NR frequency bands, based on the UE mobility state / condition (e.g., stationary, mobile) and for each carrier frequency the UE determines to search the UE identifies the strongest cell as per the CD-SSB. The UE then reads cell system information broadcast to identify its PLMN(s). the UE may search each carrier according to the method in turn ("initial cell selection") or make use of stored information to shorten the search ("stored information cell selection"), wherein the selected carrier for which to perform cell selection is determined based on the UE mobility state / condition.

[0081] The method comprises the UE performing cell selection on a frequency based on the UE mobility state / condition, comprising the UE trying to identify a suitable cell e.g., a suitable cell in a higher frequency when the UE is stationary, or a suitable cell in a lower frequency when the UE is mobile. And, when the UE is not able to identify a suitable cell in the determined frequency and / or frequency range according to the method (i.e., determined based on UE mobility state / condition), the UE tries to identify an acceptable cell based on the UE mobility condition. For example, when the UE is at a high speed (or highly mobile), the UE search for cells on FR1 (or another lower frequency) and tries to camp on a suitable cell, and if a suitable cell is not found, the UE selects an acceptable cell in that same frequency. In an alternative option, for example, when the UE is in high speed, the UE search for cells on FR1 (and not FR2) and tries to camp there in a suitable cell, and if a suitable cell is not found, the UE ignores the rule based on the UE mobility state and tries to select a suitable cell in another carrier frequency e.g., FR2.

[0082] The method comprises the UE performing cell selection on a frequency (i.e., selects a cell on a carrier frequency) based on UE mobility state (e.g., selects a cell on FR1 when the UE is mobile or selects a cell on FR2 when the UE is stationary) when the UE transitions to RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE, such as when the UE in RRC CONNECTED receives an RRCRelease message (with a suspend configuration indicates the UE to transition to RRC INACTIVE). For example, while the UE is in RRC CONNECTED the UE may be on a cell X of frequency Fl (in a high frequency band, e.g., FR2) and, when the UE is stationary, the UE selects a cell in that same frequency Fl e.g., the same cell which was the PCell, cell X. When the UE is mobile (or highly mobile), upon reception of the RRC Releasemessage, the UE selects a cell in another frequency F2, this time in lower frequency band e.g., a cell in FR1.

[0083] The method also comprises the UE performing cell selection on a frequency (i.e., selects a cell on a carrier frequency) based on UE mobility state (e.g., selects a cell on FR1 when the UE is mobile or selects a cell on FR2 when the UE is stationary) when the UE transitions to RRC IDLE (or RRC INACITVE) from RRC CONNECTED in response to an RRCRelease message including frequency and / or RAT information for the UE to perform release with redirect. The frequency and / or RAT information for release and redirect is applied by the UE depending on the UE mobility state / condition. For example:

[0084] When the UE is mobile and the frequency and / or RAT information indicates a low frequency band (e.g., a carrier frequency in FR1), the UE performs cell selection in the indicated frequency and / or RAT.

[0085] When the UE is stationary and the frequency and / or RAT information indicates a low or high frequency band, the UE performs cell selection in the indicated frequency and / or RAT.

[0086] When the UE is mobile and the frequency and / or RAT information indicates a high frequency band (e.g., a carrier frequency in FR2), the UE does not perform cell selection in the indicated frequency and / or RAT, and instead, performs cell selection on a low frequency band. In other words, the UE ignores the release with redirect information depending on the UE mobility state / condition.

[0087] The method also comprises the UE performing cell selection on a frequency based on the UE mobility state upon recovery from out of coverage.

[0088] In one option, the UE attempts to find a suitable cell in a low frequency band when the UE is recovering from out of coverage and the UE is mobile (notice that the UE might have not been mobile when it was in coverage). And, if no suitable cell is found on any frequency or RAT in that low frequency band, the UE should attempt to find an acceptable cell also in a low frequency band.

[0089] In another option, the UE attempts to find a suitable cell in a high frequency band when the UE is recovering from out of coverage and the UE is stationary (notice that the UE might have not been stationary when it was in coverage). And, if no suitable cell is found on any frequency or RAT in that high frequency band, the UE should attempt to find an acceptable cell also in a high frequency band.

[0090] In one option, the UE attempts to find a suitable cell in a low frequency band when the UE is recovering from out of coverage and the UE is mobile (notice that the UE might have not been mobile when it was in coverage). And, if no suitable cell is found on any frequency or RAT in that low frequency band, the UE should attempt to find a suitable cell in another frequency band e.g., a high frequency band.

[0091] In another option, the UE attempts to find a suitable cell in a high frequency band when the UE is recovering from out of coverage and the UE is stationary (notice that the UE might have not been stationary when it was in coverage). And, if no suitable cell is found on any frequency or RAT in that high frequency band, the UE should attempt to find a suitable cell in another frequency band e.g., low frequency band.

[0092] In multi-beam operations, the cell quality is derived amongst the beams corresponding to the same cell, either by considering the cell quality (e.g., cell based RSRP) as the RSRP of the strongest SSB, or by averaging the strongest SSB with the K-l strongest SSB RSRP values (above a threshold), with K being configurable.

[0093] There may be other scenarios in which the UE perform cell selection, as specified in TS 38.304. The following parts lists as examples where we can apply such cell selection and camping procedure according to the method by considering the mobility state and frequency. In addition, we can consider these scenarios to be used as the example of test scenarios for measurability when possible.

[0094] As one of the embodiments, for examples, the UE performing cell selection and camping on a cell can be applied to the scenarios as shown in Fig. 4 from TS 38.304, as a UE implementation step to select a cell by considering the UE mobility state / condition (e.g., speed) and the frequency, as the following list:- Initial Cell Selection (block 400) -> suitable cell found (operation 401)-> camped normally (block 402)-> leave idle / inactive model-(operation 403) > Connected mode (block 404)Stored information Cell Selection (block 406)-> suitable cell found (operation 405) -> camped normally (block 402) -> leave idle / inactive model- (operation 403) > Connected mode (block 404)- Cell Selection upon leaving connected mode (block 408)-> suitable cell found (operation 407) -> camped normally (block 402) -> leave idle / inactive model (operation 403) -> Connected mode (block 404)- Any Cell Selection-(block 410) > suitable cell found (operation 409) -> campednormally (block 402) (via 2)-> leave idle / inactive model-(operation 403) > Connected mode (block 404)

[0095] Other scenarios in Fig. 4 include:- Cell Selection upon leaving connected mode (block 408)-> suitable cell not found (operation 411) -> Stored information Cell Selection (block 406)-> suitable cell found (operation 405) -> camped normally (block 402) -> leave idle / inactive modeloperation 403) > Connected mode (block 404)- Cell Selection upon leaving connected mode (block 408)-> suitable cell not found (operation 411) -> Stored information Cell Selection (block 406)-> suitable cell not found (operation 413) - Initial Cell Selection (block 400) suitable cell found (operation 401)-> camped normally (block 402)-> leave idle / inactive modeloperation 403) > Connected mode (block 404)- Cell Selection upon leaving connected mode (block 408)-> suitable cell not found (operation 411) -> Stored information Cell Selection (block 406)-> suitable cell not found (operation 413) -> Initial Cell Selection (block 400) -> suitable cell not found (operation 415)- Camped normally (block 402)-> NAS indicates that registration on selected PLMN or selection NSPN is rejected (operation 417) -> any cell selection (block 410)- Any cell selection (block 410) -> acceptable cell found - move to idle mode (operation 419) -> camped on any cell (block 412)- Camped on any cell (block 412) -> leave idle mode (operation 421) ->connected mode (emergency calls only) (block 414) -> return to idle mode (operation 423) -> Cell Selection when leaving connected mode (block 416) -> acceptable cell found (operation 425) -> camped on any cell (block 412)- Camped on any cell (block 412) -> leave idle mode (operation 421) ->connected mode (emergency calls only) (block 414) -> return to idle mode (operation 423) -> Cell Selection when leaving connected mode (block 416) ->no acceptable cell found (operation 427) -> any cell selection (block 410)- Camped on any cell (block 412) -> suitable cell found (operation 429) -> camped normally (block 402) (via 2)-> leave idle / inactive model-(operation 403) > Connected mode (block 404)- Go here when no USIM in UE and no subscription for an SNPN (operation 43 l)->any cell selection (block 410) -> USIM inserted or SNPN subscription added (operation433) ->cell information stored for the PLMN or the SNPM (operation 435) -> stored information cell selection (block 406)- Go here when no USIM in UE and no subscription for an SNPN (operation 43 l)->any cell selection (block 410) -> USIM inserted or SNPN subscription added (operation 433) ->no cell information stored for the PLMN or the SNPM (operation 437) -> initial cell selection (block 400)- Camped normally (block 402) -> trigger for cell reselection (operation 439) -> cell reselection evaluation process (block 418) -> suitable cell found (operation 441) -> camped normally (block 402)- Camped normally (block 402) -> trigger for cell reselection (operation 439) -> cell reselection evaluation process (block 418) -> no suitable cell found (operation 443) -> any cell selection (block 410)- Camped on any cell (block 412) -> trigger for cell reselection (operation 445) -> cell reselection evaluation process (block 420) -> suitable cell found (operation 447) -> camped on any cell (block 412)- Camped normally (block 402) -> trigger for cell reselection (operation 445) -> cell reselection evaluation process (block 420) -> no suitable cell found (operation 449) -> any cell selection (block 410)

[0096] In a set of embodiments, the camping on a cell comprises the “camped normally” status which is applicable for RRC IDLE and RRC INACTIVE state and in which the UE performs one or more of the following tasks: monitor the paging channel of the cell as specified in clause 7 according to information broadcast in SIB1; monitor Short Messages transmitted with P-RNTI over DCI as specified in clause 6.5 in TS 38.331 [3]; monitor relevant System Information as specified in TS 38.331 [3]; perform necessary measurements for the cell reselection evaluation procedure; execute the cell reselection evaluation process on the following occasions / triggers:1) UE internal triggers, so as to meet performance as specified in TS 38.133 [8];2) When information on the BCCH used for the cell reselection evaluation procedure has been modified.3) When the network slice(s) and / or NSAG information received from NAS changes.

[0097] In a set of embodiments, the UE actions aim to facilitate using higher frequency spectrums (e.g., FR2 a.k.a. mmW in NR) in standalone (SA) mode operation by introducing a method at the UE for cell selection in which the UE selects a cell to camp on a frequency or another depending on its UE mobility state e.g., the UE camps on a cell on higher frequency (like FR2) when it is stationary. Fig. 5 illustrates an example deployment scenario with multiple overlaid frequency layers, where the stationary UE is camped on the frequency fe in FR2 as the PCell, while the moving UE can only use frequency fe in FR2 as a PSCell or SCell.

[0098] In the context of the present disclosure, SA operation of a UE in a frequency and / or cell comprises the UE performing cell selection and camping on a cell in that frequency and transitioning to RRC CONNECTED (e.g. from RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE) in that cell, e.g., by performing random access, transmitting an RRC Setup Request (or RRC Resume Request when coming from RRC INACTIVE), receiving an RRC Setup (or RRC Resume when coming from RRC INACTIVE), entering RRC CONNECTED, transmitting an RRC Setup Complete (or RRC Resume Complete when coming from RRC INACTIVE), and operating in RRC CONNECTED in that cell, without being required to be configured with additional cell, like secondary cells (that option is not precluded).

[0099] Another way to describe the SA operation is to say that the cell in FR2 is configured to the UE as a PCell, during the transition to RRC CONNECTED.

[0100] Appendix 1, incorporated by reference herein, describes examples of test scenarios for test the SA operation with UE mobility.

[0101] Operations of the communication device 1400 (implemented using the structure of Figure 14) will now be discussed with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 6 according to some embodiments of inventive concepts. For example, modules may be stored in memory 1410 of Figure 14, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective communication device processing circuitry 1402, communication device 1400 performs respective operations of the flow chart.

[0102] Fig. 6 illustrates operations of a communication device 1400 for cell selection depending on a mobility state / condition.

[0103] At block 601, the communication device 1400 determines the mobility condi tion / state of the communication device.

[0104] At block 603, the communication device 1400, in response to the communication device being in a first mobility condi tion / state, performing cell selection of a first carrier frequency.

[0105] At block 607, the communication device camping on a cell of a first carrier frequency of the first frequency band when the communication device is in a first mobility condition / state.

[0106] At block 605, the communication device 1400, in response to communication device being in second mobility condition / state, performing cell selection of a second carrier frequency.

[0107] At block 609, the communication device camping on a cell of a second carrier frequency of a second frequency band when the communication device is in a second mobility condition / state.

[0108] In some embodiments, the first carrier frequency is higher than the second carrier frequency and the communication device in the first mobility condition / state moves slower than the communication device in the second mobility condition / state.

[0109] In some embodiments the mobility state is defined according to the 3GPP standard, see for example section 5.2.4.3 “Mobility states of a UE” in TS 38.304 (v.17.4.0)..5.2.4.3 Mobility states of a UE5.2.4.3.0 IntroductionThe UE mobility state is determined if the parameters (TcRmax, NCR_H, NCR_M, TcRmaxHyst and cellEquivalentSize) are broadcasted in system information for the serving cell.State detection criteria:Normal-mobility state criteria:If number of cell reselections during time period TcRmax is less than NCR_M. Medium-mobility state criteria:If number of cell reselections during time period TcRmax is greater than or equal to NCR_M but less than or equal to NCR_H.High-mobility state criteria:If number of cell reselections during time period TcRmax is greater than NCR_H.The UE shall not consider consecutive reselections where a cell is reselected again right after one reselection for mobility state detection criteria. If the UE is capable of HSDN and the cellEquivalentSize is configured, the UE counts the number of cell reselections for this cell as cellEquivalentSize configured for this cell.State transitions:The UE shall: if the criteria for High-mobility state is detected: enter High-mobility state. else if the criteria for Medium-mobility state is detected: enter Medium-mobility state. else if criteria for either Medium- or High-mobility state is not detected during time period TcRmaxHyst: enter Normal-mobility state.If the UE is in High- or Medium-mobility state, the UE shall apply the speed dependent scaling rules as defined in clause 5.2.4.3.1.5.2.4.3.1 Scaling rulesUE shall apply the following scaling rules:If neither Medium- nor High-mobility state is detected: no scaling is applied.If High -mobility state is detected:Add the sf-High of "Speed dependent ScalingF actor for Qhyst" to Qhyst if broadcasted in system information;For NR. cells, multiply TreselectionNR by the sf-High of "Speed dependent ScalingF actor for TreselectionNR1' if broadcasted in system information;For EUTRA cells, multiply TreselectionEUTRA by the sf-High of "Speed dependent ScalingFactor for TreselectionEUTRA" if broadcasted in system information.If Medium-mobility state is detected:Add the sf-Medium of "Speed dependent ScalingFactor for Qhyst" to Qhyst if broadcasted in system information;For NR. cells, multiply TreselectionNR by the sf-Medium of " Speed dependent ScalingFactor for TreselectionNR1' if broadcasted in system information;For EUTRA cells, multiply TreselectionEUTRA by the sf-Medium of "Speed dependent ScalingFactor for TreselectionEUTRA" if broadcasted in system information.In case scaling is applied to any TreselectionRAT parameter, the UE shall round up the result after all scalings to the nearest second.

[0110]

[0111] In some examples, the first mobility condition / state is the communication device being stationary and performing the cell selection and camping on the cell of the first carrier frequency is performed when the communication device is stationary.

[0112] In other examples, the second mobility condition / state is the communication device being mobile and performing the cell selection and camping on the cell of the second carrier frequency is performed when the communication device is mobile.

[0113] In additional or alternative embodiments, performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a first carrier frequency when the communication device is on a first mobility condition / state includes performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a first carrier frequency of a frequency range when the communication device is on the first mobility condition / state.

[0114] In additional or alternative embodiments, performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a first carrier frequency comprises performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a Synchronization Sequence Block (SSB) frequency whose Absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) is on a Frequency Range 2 (FR2) when the UE is stationary.

[0115] In additional or alternative embodiments, performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a second carrier frequency comprises performing cell selection and camping on a second cell of a Synchronization Sequence Block (SSB) frequency whose Absolute radiofrequency channel number (ARFCN) is on a Frequency Range 1 (FR1) when the UE is stationary.

[0116] In additional or alternative embodiments, the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency are each characterized by at least one of: an absolute frequency number; a sync raster; a synchronization signal frequency; a Point A frequency; a physical frequency; and a frequency band number.

[0117] In additional or alternative embodiments, performing cell selection on the first carrier frequency or the second carrier frequency includes at least one of: choosing a cell and monitoring system information and (in most cases) paging information in that chosen cell;searching for a suitable cell of a selected public land mobility network, PLMN, and choosing that cell to provide available services, and monitoring control channels of the PLMN; performing measurements needed to support cell selection; detecting and synchronizing to a broadcast channel of a cell; receiving and handling broadcast information; forwarding non- access stratum, NAS, system information to NAS; searching for a suitable cell whose quality is above a threshold; finding a cell which satisfies cell selection criteria and camp on that cell; performing the selection of a PLMN to select a suitable cell of that PLMN to camp on; evaluating Srxlev and Squal of cells on an synchronization signal frequency; using in cell selection process stored information for several radio access technologies, RATs, if available; using in cell selection process stored information in the universal subscriber identity module, USIM, card; camping on a cell and regularly searching for a better cell according to cell reselection criteria; informing if the cell selection and reselection result in changes in the received system information relevant for NAS; performing initial cell selection without prior knowledge of which Radio Frequency (RF) channels are NR frequencies; and performing cell selection by leveraging stored information.

[0118] Fig. 7 illustrates additional operations of the communication device 1400 in responding to paging messages. Turning to Fig. 7, at block 701, the communication device 1400 responds to a paging message in a cell the communication device 1400 is camped on. At block 703, the communication device 1400, in response to the paging message, performs at least one of: transmitting a random access preamble to the cell; transmitting a radio resource control, RRC, Setup Request; and / or transitioning from an IDLE state to a CONNECTED state in the cell.

[0119] Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate embodiments of operations the communication device 1400 performs when no suitable cell is found.

[0120] Turning to Fig. 8, at block 901, the communication device 1400, responsive to not finding a suitable cell on the first carrier frequency when the communication device is on the first mobility condition / state, finds an acceptable cell on the first carrier frequency.

[0121] Turning to Fig. 9, at block 1001, the communication device 1400, responsive to not finding a suitable cell on the second carrier frequency when the communication device is on the second mobility condition / state, finds an acceptable cell on the second carrier frequency.

[0122] In additional or alternative embodiments, the communication device 1400 is out of coverage and performs cell selection upon recovery from out of coverage. Figs 10 and 11illustrate embodiments of operations the communication device 1400 performs upon recovery from out of coverage.

[0123] Turning to Fig. 10, at block 1101, the communication device 1400 attempts to find a suitable cell in a first frequency band when the UE is recovering from out of coverage and the UE is mobile. At block 1103, the communication device 1400, if no suitable cell is found on any frequency or RAT in the first frequency band, attempts to find a suitable cell in a frequency band higher than the first frequency band.

[0124] In an additional or alternative embodiment, at block 1201 of Fig. 11, the communication device 1400 attempts to find a suitable cell in a first frequency band when the UE is recovering from out of coverage and the UE is mobile. At block 1203, the communication device 1400, if no suitable cell is found on any frequency or RAT in the first frequency band, attempts to find a suitable cell in a frequency band lower than the first frequency band.

[0125] Figure 12 shows an example of a communication system 1300 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0126] In the example, the communication system 1300 includes a telecommunication network 1302 that includes an access network 1304, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 1306, which includes one or more core network nodes 1308. The access network 1304 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1310a and 1310b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1310), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 1302 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 1302 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O- RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 1302, including one or more network nodes 1310 and / or core network nodes 1308.

[0127] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O- RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 1310 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 1312a, 1312b, 1312c, and 1312d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1312) to the core network 1306 over one or more wireless connections.

[0128] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 1300 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 1300 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0129] The UEs 1312 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 1310 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 1310 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 1312 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 1302 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 1302.

[0130] In the depicted example, the core network 1306 connects the network nodes 1310 to one or more hosts, such as host 1316. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 1306 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1308) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 1308. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0131] The host 1316 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 1304 and / or the telecommunication network 1302, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1316 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0132] As a whole, the communication system 1300 of Figure 12 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0133] In some examples, the telecommunication network 1302 is a cellular network that implements 3 GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 1302 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 1302. For example, the telecommunications network 1302 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0134] In some examples, the UEs 1312 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 1304 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 1304.Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multistandard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e., being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0135] In the example, the hub 1314 communicates with the access network 1304 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1312c and / or 1312d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 1310b). In some examples, the hub 1314 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 1314 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 1306 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 1314 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs.Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 1310, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 1314. As another example, the hub 1314 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 1314 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 1314 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which thehub 1314 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 1314 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0136] The hub 1314 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 1310b. The hub 1314 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 1314 and UEs (e.g., UE 1312c and / or 1312d), and between the hub 1314 and the core network 1306. In other examples, the hub 1314 is connected to the core network 1306 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 1314 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 1304 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 1310 while still connected via the hub 1314 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 1314 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 1310b. In other embodiments, the hub 1314 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 1310b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0137] Figure 13 shows a UE 1400 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0138] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), orvehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0139] The UE 1400 includes processing circuitry 1402 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1404 to an input / output interface 1406, a power source 1408, a memory 1410, a communication interface 1412, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 13. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0140] The processing circuitry 1402 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1410. The processing circuitry 1402 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 1402 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0141] In the example, the input / output interface 1406 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1400. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistivetouch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0142] In some embodiments, the power source 1408 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 1408 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1408 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1400 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1408. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1408 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1400 to which power is supplied.

[0143] The memory 1410 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1410 includes one or more application programs 1414, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1416. The memory 1410 may store, for use by the UE 1400, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0144] The memory 1410 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removableUICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 1410 may allow the UE 1400 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 1410, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0145] The processing circuitry 1402 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1412. The communication interface 1412 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1422. The communication interface 1412 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1418 and / or a receiver 1420 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1418 and receiver 1420 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1422) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0146] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1412 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0147] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1412, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting fromseveral sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0148] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0149] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1400 shown in Figure 13.

[0150] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and anairplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0151] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0152] Figure 14 shows a network node 1500 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NRNodeBs (gNBs)), 0-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., 0-RU, 0-DU, O-CU).

[0153] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an 0-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0154] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi- TRP) 5G access nodes, multi -standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g.,Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0155] The network node 1500 includes a processing circuitry 1502, a memory 1504, a communication interface 1506, and a power source 1508. The network node 1500 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1500 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1500 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1504 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1510 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1500 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1500, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1500.

[0156] The processing circuitry 1502 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1500 components, such as the memory 1504, to provide network node 1500 functionality.

[0157] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1502 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1502 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1512 and baseband processing circuitry 1514. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1512 and the baseband processing circuitry 1514 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry1512 and baseband processing circuitry 1514 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0158] The memory 1504 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computerexecutable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1502. The memory 1504 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1502 and utilized by the network node 1500. The memory 1504 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1502 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1506. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1502 and memory 1504 is integrated.

[0159] The communication interface 1506 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1506 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1516 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1506 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1518 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1510. Radio front-end circuitry 1518 comprises filters 1520 and amplifiers 1522. The radio front-end circuitry 1518 may be connected to an antenna 1510 and processing circuitry 1502. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1510 and processing circuitry 1502. The radio front-end circuitry 1518 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1518 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1520 and / or amplifiers 1522. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1510. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1510 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1518. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1502. In other embodiments,the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0160] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1500 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1518, instead, the processing circuitry 1502 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1510. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1512 is part of the communication interface 1506. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1506 includes one or more ports or terminals 1516, the radio front-end circuitry 1518, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1512, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1506 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1514, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0161] The antenna 1510 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1510 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1518 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1510 is separate from the network node 1500 and connectable to the network node 1500 through an interface or port.

[0162] The antenna 1510, communication interface 1506, and / or the processing circuitry 1502 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1510, the communication interface 1506, and / or the processing circuitry 1502 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0163] The power source 1508 provides power to the various components of network node 1500 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1508 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1500 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1500 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1508. As afurther example, the power source 1508 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0164] Embodiments of the network node 1500 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 14 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1500 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1500 and to allow output of information from the network node 1500. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1500.

[0165] Figure 15 is a block diagram of a host 1600, which may be an embodiment of the host 1316 of Figure 12, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1600 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1600 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0166] The host 1600 includes processing circuitry 1602 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1604 to an input / output interface 1606, a network interface 1608, a power source 1610, and a memory 1612. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 13 and 14, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1600.

[0167] The memory 1612 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1614 and data 1616, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1600 or data generated by the host 1600 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1600 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1614 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host applicationprograms 1614 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1600 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1614 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0168] Figure 16 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1700 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1700 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1700 includes components defined by the 0-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0169] Applications 1702 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0170] Hardware 1704 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1706 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1708a and 1708b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1708), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with someembodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1706 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1708.

[0171] The VMs 1708 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1706. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1702 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1708, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0172] In the context of NFV, a VM 1708 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1708, and that part of hardware 1704 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1708 on top of the hardware 1704 and corresponds to the application 1702.

[0173] Hardware 1704 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1704 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1704 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1710, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1702. In some embodiments, hardware 1704 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1712 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0174] Figure 17 shows a communication diagram of a host 1802 communicating via a network node 1804 with a UE 1806 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, ofthe UE (such as a UE 1312a of Figure 12 and / or UE 1400 of Figure 13), network node (such as network node 1310a of Figure 12 and / or network node 1500 of Figure 14), and host (such as host 1316 of Figure 12 and / or host 1600 of Figure 15) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 17.

[0175] Like host 1600, embodiments of host 1802 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1802 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1802 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1806 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1850 extending between the UE 1806 and host 1802. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1850.

[0176] The network node 1804 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1802 and UE 1806. The connection 1860 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 1306 of Figure 12) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0177] The UE 1806 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1806 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1806 with the support of the host 1802. In the host 1802, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1850 terminating at the UE 1806 and host 1802. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1850 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1850.

[0178] The OTT connection 1850 may extend via a connection 1860 between the host 1802 and the network node 1804 and via a wireless connection 1870 between the network node 1804 and the UE 1806 to provide the connection between the host 1802 and the UE 1806. The connection 1860 and wireless connection 1870, over which the OTT connection 1850 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication betweenthe host 1802 and the UE 1806 via the network node 1804, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0179] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1850, in step 1808, the host 1802 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1806. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1806 that shares data with the host 1802 without explicit human interaction. In step 1810, the host 1802 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1806. The host 1802 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1806. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1806 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1806. The transmission may pass via the network node 1804, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1812, the network node 1804 transmits to the UE 1806 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1802 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1814, the UE 1806 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1806 associated with the host application executed by the host 1802.

[0180] In some examples, the UE 1806 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1802. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1802. Accordingly, in step 1816, the UE 1806 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1806. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1806 initiates, in step 1818, transmission of the user data towards the host 1802 via the network node 1804. In step 1820, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1804 receives user data from the UE 1806 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1802. In step 1822, the host 1802 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1806.

[0181] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1802. As another example, the host 1802 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1802 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g.,controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1802 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1802 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1802 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0182] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1850 between the host 1802 and UE 1806, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1802 and / or UE 1806. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1850 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1850 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1804. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1802. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1850 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0183] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example,converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0184] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0185] REFERENCES

[0186] [1] 3GPP technical specification (TS) 38.304 vl7.4.0 (2023-03); 3rdGeneration Partnership; Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network; NR; User Equipment (UE) procedures in Idle mode and RRC Inactive state (Release 17)APPENDIX 1Examples of test scenarios for testing the SA operation with UE mobility.In general, the UE performing cell selection based on UE mobility state may be tested byemulating for each test a UE mobility state and checking in which cell the UE is either trying to perform the initial access for establishing an RRC CONNECTED during initial attach, or in which cell the UE would be responding to a Paging message (transmitted in multiple cells). For example, we can test whether a UE is implementing the method in which it selects a cell in FR1 when it is mobile and in FR2 when it is stationary by a lab set in which we provide two cells: cell A in FR1 and cell B in FR2 (with overlapping coverage and the UE being under the coverage of both). Then, in the lab set we can perform one or more of the actions: Power on a UE which is stationary (i.e., initial cell selection) to verify that the UE camps on the FR2 cell. We can verify that the UE has camped on FR2 because in initial cell selection, after camping on a cell the UE performs a random access procedure (i.e., the UE transmits a preamble, received a Random Access Response, transmits msg3 and receives msg4) and transmits an RRC Setup Request, for entering RRC CONNECT to attach to the network. For a UE which has already been attached to the network and / or is registered to the network, we can use a Paging message to verify that the UE implements the method. For example, the UE is in IDLE or INACTIVE state and, in principle, we are not certain in which of the two cells the UE is camping. Then, we can make the UE stationary, and send a Paging message to the UE in both FR2 and FR1 cells (notice that we would need to configure both cells as part of the UE(s) tracking area information lists). We verify that the UE implements the method when the UE is mobile in the lab setup and the UE responds in the FR1 cell and / or when the UE is stationary in the lab setup and the UE responds in the FR2 cell. Responding to Paging in this context means that the UE transmits a Random access preamble, receives a random access response, transmits msg3, receives msg4 and transmits an RRC Setup Request (if it is in IDLE) or an RRC Resume Request (if it is in INACTIVE).- For a UE which has already been attached to the network and / or is registered to the network, we can also force the UE to transmit UL data e.g., by setting up an app which transmits UL data periodically from the UE or by pressing a button to trigger that, to verify that the UE implements the method. For example, the UE is in IDLE or INACTIVE state and, in principle, we are not certain in which of the two cells the UE is camping. Then, we can make the UE stationary, and trigger the UL data transmission at the UE. We verify that the UE implements the method when the UE is mobile in the lab setup and the UE responds in the FR1 cell and / or when the UE is stationary in the lab setup and the UE responds in the FR2 cell. Responding to Paging in this context means that the UE transmits a Random access preamble, receives a random access response, transmits msg3, receives msg4 and transmits an RRC Setup Request (if it is in IDLE) or an RRC Resume Request (if it is in INACTIVE).

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method in a communication device (1400) for cell selection, the method comprising: determining (601) the mobility condi tion / state of the communication device, in response to the communication device being in a first mobility condition / state, performing (603) cell selection of a first carrier frequency; and in response to the communication device being in a second mobility condition / state, performing (605) cell selection of a second carrier frequency, wherein the first carrier frequency being higher than the second carrier frequency and wherein the communication device in the first mobility condition / state moves slower than the communication device in the second mobility condition / state.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the first mobility condition / state corresponds to a stationary condition / state and the second mobility condition / state corresponds to a mobile condition / state.

3. The method of Claim 1 or 2, wherein the method further comprises camping (607) on a cell of a first carrier frequency of a first frequency band when the communication device is in a first mobility condition / state; and camping (609) on a cell of second carrier frequency of a second frequency band when the communication device is in a second mobility condition / state.

4. The method of Claim 1, wherein performing the cell selection and camping on the cell of the first carrier frequency comprises performing the cell selection and camping on the cell of the first carrier frequency when the communication device is stationary.

5. The method of any of Claims 1-4, wherein performing the cell selection and camping on the cell of the second carrier frequency comprises performing cell selection and camping on the cell of the second carrier frequency when the communication device is mobile.

6. The method of Claim 1, wherein performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a first carrier frequency when the communication device is on a first mobility condition / state comprises performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a first carrier frequency of a first frequency range when the communication device is on the first mobility condition / state,and wherein performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a second carrier frequency when the communication device is on a second mobility condition / state comprises performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a second carrier frequency of a second frequency range when the communication device is on the second mobility condition / state.

7. The method of Claim 4, wherein performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a first carrier frequency comprises performing cell selection and camping on a cell whose Absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) is on a Frequency Range 2 (FR2) when the UE is stationary.

8. The method of any of Claims 1 or 7, wherein performing cell selection and camping on a cell of a second carrier frequency comprises performing cell selection and camping on a second cell whose Absolute radio-frequency channel number (ARFCN) is on a Frequency Range 1 (FR1) when the UE is mobile.

9. The method of any of Claims 1-8, wherein the first carrier frequency and the second carrier frequency are each characterized by at least one of: an absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN); a sync raster; a synchronization signal frequency; a Point A frequency; a physical frequency; and a frequency band number.

10. The method of any of Claims 1-9, wherein performing cell selection on the first carrier frequency or the second carrier frequency comprises at least one of: selecting a cell and monitoring system information and / or paging information in the selected cell; searching for a suitable cell of a selected public land mobility network, PLMN, and choosing that cell to provide available services, and monitoring control channels of the PLMN; performing measurements needed to support cell selection; detecting and synchronizing to a broadcast channel of a cell; receiving and handling broadcast information; forwarding non-access stratum, NAS, system information to NAS;searching for a suitable cell whose quality is above a threshold; finding a cell which satisfies cell selection criteria and camp on that cell; performing the selection of a PLMN to select a suitable cell of that PLMN to camp on; evaluating Srxlev and Squal of cells on an synchronization signal frequency; using in cell selection process stored information for several radio access technologies, RATs, if available; using in cell selection process stored information in the universal subscriber identity module, USIM, card; camping on a cell and regularly searching for a better cell according to cell reselection criteria; informing if the cell selection and reselection result in changes in the received system information relevant for NAS; performing initial cell selection without prior knowledge of which Radio Frequency (RF) channels are NR frequencies; and performing cell selection by leveraging stored information.

11. The method of any of Claims 1-10, further comprising: responding (701) to a paging message in a cell the communication device (1400) is camped on; and in response to the paging message, performing (703) at least one of: transmitting a random access preamble to the cell; transmitting a radio resource control, RRC, Setup Request; and / or transitioning from an IDLE state to a CONNECTED state in the cell.

12. The method of any of Claims 1-11, further comprising: responsive to not finding a suitable cell on the first carrier frequency when the communication device is on the first mobility condition / state, finding (901) an acceptable cell on the first carrier frequency.

13. The method of any of Claims 1-12, further comprising: responsive to not finding a suitable cell on the second carrier frequency when the communication device is on the second mobility condition / state, finding (1001) an acceptable cell on the second carrier frequency.

14. The method of any of Claims 1-13, wherein performing cell selection and camping on a cell comprises performing cell selection on a frequency based on the UE mobility state upon recovery from out of coverage.

15. The method of Claim 14, wherein performing cell selection on a frequency based on the UE mobility state upon recovery from out of coverage comprises: attempting (1101) to find a suitable cell in a first or second frequency band when the UE is recovering from out of coverage and the UE is mobile; and if no suitable cell is found on any frequency or RAT in the first or second frequency band, attempting (1103) to find a suitable cell in a frequency band higher than the first frequency band.

16. The method of Claim 15, wherein performing cell selection on a frequency based on the UE mobility state upon recovery from out of coverage comprises: attempting (1201) to find a suitable cell in a first or second frequency band when the UE is recovering from out of coverage and the UE is mobile; and if no suitable cell is found on any frequency or RAT in the first or second frequency band, attempting (1203) to find a suitable cell in a frequency band lower than the first frequency band.

17. A communication device (1400) adapted to perform any of the operations of Claims 1- 16.

18. A communication device (1400), the communication device comprising: processing circuitry (1402); and memory (1410) coupled to the processing circuitry and having instructions stored therein that are executable by the processing circuitry to cause the communication device to perform operations comprising any of the operations of Claims 1-16.

19. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by processing circuitry (1402) of a communication device (1400), whereby execution of the program code causes the communication device to perform operations comprising any operations of Claims 1-16.

20. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory storage medium (1410) including program code to be executed by processing circuitry (1402) of a communication device (1400), whereby execution of the program code causes the communication device toperform operations comprising any operations of Claims 1-16.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored therein that are executable by processing circuitry (1402) of a communication device (1400) to cause the communication device to perform operations comprising any of the operations of Claims 1- 16.

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