Network dtx / drx with respect to ue in non-connected state

Abstract

Systems and methods related to Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) and / or Discontinuous Reception (DRX) with respect to a User Equipment(s) (UE(s)) in a non-connected state are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a network node of a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a cellular communications system comprises transmitting one or more reference signals needed by User Equipments (UEs) in non-connected state, during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous transmission, DTX, windows, and refraining from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows. In this manner, longer (e.g., longer than, e.g., micro-sleep) sleep opportunities and network DTX in network nodes may be enabled, e.g., to reduce network energy consumption. Embodiments of a UE and methods of operation thereof are also disclosed.

Description

[0001] NETWORK DTX / DRX WITH RESPECT TO UE IN NON-CONNECTED STATE

[0002] RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application serial number 63 / 510,813, filed June 28, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0004] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] The present disclosure relates to a cellular communications network and, more specifically, to discontinuous transmission and / or discontinuous reception at a network node of a cellular communications network.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] LTEIoT- 4G

[0008] Internet of Things (loT) and massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC) use cases started to be addressed by the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) in Release 13 and 4thGeneration (4G) by several technologies: Long Term Evolution (LTE) for MTC (LTE-M) (Cat- Mi), Narrowband loT (NB-IoT), and Extended Coverage Global System for Mobile communications (EC-GSM). The mMTC use case is known as ‘Low Power Wide Area’ (LPWA) and focuses on simpler sensors and devices which should have ubiquitous coverage and long battery life. EC-GSM is an loT adaptation of the Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) standard, LTE-M is an loT adaptation of the LTE standard, whereas NB-IoT is more of a new radio access technology, but still specified in the LTE specifications. The loT adaptations for all three focused on improving the following:

[0009] • Reduced device complexity (cost)

[0010] • Reduced device energy consumption (longer battery life)

[0011] • Improved coverage (e.g., to reach meters and sensors in basements)

[0012] Commercially, NB-IoT and LTE-M have been more successful, network support has been rolled out globally, and enhancements have been specified in 3GPP in every release until Release 17.

[0013] In addition, the lowest regular (Mobile Broadband, MBB) LTE UE categories, e.g., Cat-1, Cat-Ibis, and Cat-4, have been widely used for mid-range loT use cases (LTE-M, and especially NB-IoT, is more low-end). NRIoT- 5G

[0014] 3GPP New Radio (NR) was introduced in Release 15 as 5th Generation (5G) technology. The least capable NR device in Release 15 was of relatively high complexity (cost) and therefore, in Release 17, Reduced Capability NR Devices (RedCap devices or RedCap User Equipments (UEs)) were introduced with mid-range use cases in mind (i.e., as a NR counterpart of LTE Cat-1 to Cat-4). In Release 18, further device complexity reductions are being specified (e.g., UE baseband bandwidth reduction and UE peak rate reduction).

[0015] 6GI0T

[0016] Firstly, there is an ongoing Radio Access Network (RAN) study item in Release 18 on ‘Ambient-IoT’, a device segment clearly below the lowest existing 3GPP device segment, which is NB-IoT. These devices are intended to be very small and cheap (e.g., small tags or stickers), but since the coverage may be considerably shorter than for existing solutions, it is not yet clear how they fit in to the 3GPP eco-system. For example, if this will be passive short-range solution introducing a new backscattering sidelink between UEs (smartphones) and Ambient-IoT devices (tags), or an active solution with relatively better coverage which can be integrated in existing network deployments. This is currently a study at RAN plenary level in Release 18, which will likely be followed up by subsequent studies in RAN working groups in Release 19. It is therefore still somewhat unclear if Ambient-IoT will be a 5G-Advanced technology or 6thGeneration (6G) technology.

[0017] Secondly, discussions have emerged on whether a new 6G native solution will be needed for LPWA use cases. The rationale being to address some shortcomings for NB-IoT and LTE-M which have now existed for some time.

[0018] SUMMARY

[0019] Systems and methods related to Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) and / or Discontinuous Reception (DRX) with respect to a User Equipment(s) (UE(s)) in a non-connected state are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a network node of a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a cellular communications system comprises transmitting one or more reference signals needed by User Equipments (UEs) in non-connected state, during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous transmission, DTX, windows, and refraining from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows. In this manner, longer (e.g., longer than, e.g., micro-sleep) sleep opportunities and network DTX in network nodes may be enabled, e.g., to reduce network energy consumption.

[0020] In one embodiment, transmitting the one or more reference signals comprises, for a network DTX window from among the at least one of the plurality of network DTX windows, transmitting the one or more reference signals such that transmission of the one or more reference signals starts a defined or configured amount of time before a start of the network DTX window.

[0021] In one embodiment, transmitting the one or more reference signals comprises, for a network DTX window from among the at least one of the plurality of network DTX windows, transmitting the one or more reference signals such that transmission of the one or more reference signals ends a defined or configured amount of time after an end of the network DTX window.

[0022] In one embodiment, the plurality of network DTX windows are arranged in accordance with a predefined or configured network DTX window pattern. In one embodiment, the predefined or configured network DTX window pattern comprises any one or more of: a start time, a network DTX window length, and a network DTX window periodicity.

[0023] In one embodiment, transmitting the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting multiple instances of a same reference signal or multiple different reference signals in a same one or more symbols.

[0024] In one embodiment, transmitting the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting multiple instances of a same reference signal or multiple different reference signals in a same one or more symbols via any one of or any combination of two or more of: time domain multiplexing, frequency domain multiplexing, and spatial domain multiplexing.

[0025] In one embodiment, the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in a non-connected state comprise any one or more of: a cell-specific reference signal, a synchronization signal block, a channel state information reference signal, and a tracking reference signal.

[0026] In one embodiment, transmitting the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting a reference signal, needed by UEs in a non-connected state, that spans two or more consecutive symbols in the time domain, two or more physical resource blocks in the frequency domain, or both two or more consecutive symbols in the time domain and two or more physical resource blocks in the frequency domain. In one embodiment, a number of consecutive symbols in the time domain spanned by the reference signal is configurable and / or a number of physical resource blocks in the frequency domain spanned by the reference signal is configurable.

[0027] In one embodiment, transmitting the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting at least one of the one or more reference signals over a bandwidth that exceeds a maximum receive bandwidth of at least one UE that is to receive the at least one of the one or more reference signals. In one embodiment, transmitting the one or more reference signals comprises repeating transmission of at least one of the one or more reference signals in the frequency domain in at least one time instance.

[0028] In one embodiment, transmitting the one or more reference signals comprises frequency multiplexing two or more of the reference signals in a same time instance.

[0029] In one embodiment, the plurality of network DTX windows is one set of network DTX windows from two or more sets of network DTX windows. In one embodiment, the two or more sets of network DTX windows comprises two or more different sets of network DTX windows for different coverage levels.

[0030] In one embodiment, the plurality of network DTX windows are coordinated with another radio access technology.

[0031] In one embodiment, the plurality of network DTX windows are coordinated among two or more cells that belong to a same core network tracking area and / or a same radio access network notification area.

[0032] In one embodiment, the method further comprises deciding to active network DTX operation based on one or more triggering criteria. In one embodiment, transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state during at least one of a plurality of network DTX windows and refraining from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows are performed in response to deciding to active network DTX operation. In one embodiment, the one or more triggering criteria comprise any one or any combination of two or more of the following: network DTX operation is configured in the network node; no UEs in a connected state in a respective cell; no UE configured with persistent scheduling resources in a non-connected state; no handover request received for time period Tl, where T1=N DRX cycles and N is a positive integer value that is greater than or equal to 1 ; and / or no random access preambles received the network node for time period Tl, where T1=N DRX cycles where N is a positive integer value that is greater than or equal to 1.

[0033] In one embodiment, the method further comprises transmitting information that configures one or more UEs with one or more parameters related to network DTX operation. In one embodiment, the one or more parameters are network-specific, tracking-area specific, radio access network notification area specific, or cell-specific.

[0034] In one embodiment, the method further comprises transmitting, to one or more UEs, an indication that network DTX operation is activated. In one embodiment, the method further comprises receiving, from a UE, an indication that the UE desires for the reference signals to be transmitted in an upcoming network DTX period of the plurality of network DTX windows.

[0035] In one embodiment, the method further comprises deciding to deactivate network DTX operation and, in response deciding to deactivate network DTX operation, transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in a non-connected state without consideration of the plurality of network DTX windows.

[0036] In one embodiment, the method further comprises deciding to deactivate network DTX operation and, in response to deciding to deactivate network DTX operation, waking one or more non-anchor network nodes. In one embodiment, the method further comprises instructing one or more UEs to perform measurements on the one or more non-anchor network nodes.

[0037] In one embodiment, the method further comprises monitoring for random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous reception, DRX, windows and refraining from monitoring for random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state during time periods between the plurality network DRX windows.

[0038] Corresponding embodiments of a network node for a RAN of a cellular communications system are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a network node for a RAN of a cellular communications system is adapted to transmit one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous transmission, DTX, windows, and refrain from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in nonconnected state, during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows.

[0039] In one embodiment, a network node for a RAN of a cellular communications system comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the network node to transmit one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous transmission, DTX, windows, and refrain from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows.

[0040] Embodiments of a method performed by a UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a UE comprises receiving (400), from a network node, information that configures one or more parameters that define a network DTX pattern / Discontinuous Reception (DRX) pattern comprising a plurality of network DTX / DRX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state and / or during which the network node monitors for one or more reference signals and / or random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state, and performing one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern comprising the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows.

[0041] In one embodiment, the one or more parameters comprise a start time, a DTX / DRX window length, and / or a DTX / DRX window periodicity.

[0042] In one embodiment, the method further comprises receiving, from a network node, an indication that network DTX / DRX operation is activated.

[0043] In one embodiment, the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DTX pattern, the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows is a plurality of network DTX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, and the method further comprises transmitting, to a network node, an indication that transmission of one or more reference signals needed by the UE for at least one non-connected state procedure is desired in an upcoming DTX window of the plurality of network DTX windows.

[0044] In one embodiment, the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DTX pattern, the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows is a plurality of network DTX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, and one or more reference signals needed by the UE for one or more non-connected state procedures are only transmitted within at least some of the plurality of network DTX windows defined by the network DTX pattern.

[0045] In one embodiment, the UE is in non-connected state, the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DTX pattern, the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows is a plurality of network DTX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in nonconnected state, and performing the one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern comprises receiving, during at least one of the plurality of network DTX windows, one or more reference signals needed by UEs in the non-connected state. In one embodiment, the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in the non-connected state comprise any one or more of: a cell-specific reference signal, a synchronization signal block, a channel state information reference signal, and a tracking reference signal. In one embodiment, performing the one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern further comprises performing one or more non-connected state operations based on the one or more reference signals received during at least one of the plurality of DTX windows. In one embodiment, the one or more non-connected state operations comprise one or more Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements. In one embodiment, the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DTX pattern, the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows is a plurality of network DTX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, and the method further comprises receiving, from a network node, information that configures the UE with one or more relaxed measurement parameters that are coordinated with the network DTX pattern.

[0046] In one embodiment, the UE is in non-connected state, the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DRX pattern, the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows is a plurality of network DRX windows during which the network node monitors for one or more reference signals and / or random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state, and performing the one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern comprises transmitting a random access preamble during at least one of the plurality of network DRX windows.

[0047] Corresponding embodiments of a UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a UE is adapted to receive, from a network node, information that configures one or more parameters that define a network DTX / DRX pattern comprising a plurality of network DTX / DRX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state and / or during which the network node monitors for one or more reference signals and / or random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state, and perform one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern comprising the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows.

[0048] In another embodiment, a UE comprises a communication interface comprising a transmitter and a receiver, and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuity is configured to cause the UE to receive, from a network node, information that configures one or more parameters that define a network DTX / DRX pattern comprising a plurality of network DTX / DRX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state and / or during which the network node monitors for one or more reference signals and / or random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state, and perform one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern comprising the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows.

[0049] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. Figure 1 illustrates an example of network DTX downlink reference signals in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] Figure 2 illustrates an example of 'NW DTX' configuration restriction and ‘NW DTX’ window candidates to consider for UE search, in accordance with one example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] Figure 3 is a flow chart that illustrates the operation of a network node in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] Figure 4 is a flow chart that illustrates the operation of a User Equipment (UE) in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0054] Figure 5 illustrates an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0055] Figure 6 illustrates a User Equipment (UE) device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0056] Figure 7 illustrates a network node in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0057] Figure 8 is a block diagram that illustrates a host, which may be an embodiment of the host of Figure 5, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0058] Figure 9 is a block diagram that illustrates a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments of the present disclosure may be virtualized; and

[0059] Figure 10 illustrates a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0062] 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. There currently exist certain challenge(s). As mentioned, device energy consumption reduction has been a design target for Internet of Things (loT) solutions, and several features like power saving mode (PSM / Mobile Initiated Connection Only (MICO)), enhanced Discontinuous Reception (eDRX), Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements relaxations, etc. have been introduced both in Long Term Evolution (LTE) and New Radio (NR) to extend device battery life. Network energy consumption, on the other hand, was not a design target, and unfortunately it has been seen that the network energy consumption can increase more than desired when turning on Narrowband loT (NB-IoT) in a network. A reason for this may be that Long Term Evolution (LTE) for Machine Type Communications (LTE-M) and NB-IoT were introduced as loT adaptations of LTE, which rely on the continuous periodic transmission of Cell Reference Signals (CRSs), which does not provide long enough transmission gaps for the base station / evolved Node B (eNB) to enjoy longer (longer than e.g., micro-sleep / symbol-level) sleep states.

[0063] Such longer ‘Network DTX’ periods would enable deeper sleep states, allowing for more than the power amplifier (PA) to be turned off (e.g., whole transceiver chain Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs)) which would provide significant gains in the eNB energy consumption. At first, in Release 15, NR introduced a lean design where no CRSs are continuously transmitted, and in an unloaded / empty cell only Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) must be transmitted which allows for deeper sleep states than micro-sleep. NB-IoT is lean in the sense that reference signals (Narrowband Reference Signals (NRSs)) must only be transmitted in the 200 kilohertz (kHz) anchor carrier in an unloaded / empty cell, but this may still not allow the PA to be turned off with modest, if any, possibilities for reducing the network energy consumption.

[0064] Certain aspects of the disclosure and its embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Systems and methods are disclosed herein that introduce time windows during which base stations (e.g., next generation Node Bs (gNBs)) transmit reference signals used by User Equipments (UEs) for Idle mode procedures and RRM measurements. In between these time windows, the base station (e.g., gNB) could therefore omit transmission of such reference signals, e.g., when there are no devices in Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connected state, and go to a sleep state to enable ‘Network DTX’ to reduce energy consumption.

[0065] In one example embodiment, the network DTX (NW DTX) time windows and ‘NW DTX’ periodicity are based on a Global Positioning System (GPS) and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC time) and the use of timers. With a network-specific configuration, a UE could then determine when the reference signals needed for RRM measurements (serving cell and neighbor cell measurements for cell selection, and cell re-selection) will be transmitted and perform such during the ‘NW DTX’ time windows. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a detailed solution(s) for achieving ‘Network DTX’. These embodiments may include any one or more of the following aspects:

[0066] • Long-term configuration relying on UTC time.

[0067] • Applying ‘NW DTX’ to RRC Idle and RRC Inactive, such that the ‘NW DTX’ pattern must be considered by UEs for all Idle mode procedures, e.g., RRM mobility measurements, cell selection and reselection.

[0068] • Cell-specific reference signal (CRS) modifications for ‘NW DTX’.

[0069] • Support of multiple ‘NW DTX’ patterns and enhanced coverage support.

[0070] • ‘NW DTX’ coordination between base stations (e.g., gNBs) in cell area (e.g., Core Network (CN) Tracking Area or RAN Notification Area).

[0071] • ‘NW DTX’ support with Centralized Unit (CU)-Distributed Unit (DU) split in the base station (e.g., gNB).

[0072] • Relaxed UE measurements in ‘NW DTX’ operation.

[0073] • Trigger conditions for the base station (e.g., gNB) to enter and leave ‘NW DTX’ operation.

[0074] • Configuration and signaling for ‘NW DTX’ .

[0075] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). Embodiments of the present disclosure may enable longer (e.g., longer than, e.g. micro-sleep) sleep opportunities and ‘Network DTX’ in base stations to reduce network energy consumption.

[0076] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, reference signals needed by UEs in a nonconnected state, e.g., RRC Idle or RRC Inactive, are only sent during configurable ‘NW DTX windows.’ This is to be distinguished from the ongoing Rel-18 work item on network energy efficiency (NW EE), which focus on RRC Connected. When there are no UEs in RRC Connected state which require the transmission of such reference signals (e.g., SSB or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS)), the base station (e.g., gNB) can refrain from sending these reference signals, and any other downlink transmissions, during the periods of time between NW DTX windows to be able to enter a sleep state to reduce energy consumption. UEs (e.g., UEs in a non-connected state) would only attempt RRM measurements (e.g., serving cell measurements, neighbor cell measurements, inter frequency measurements, inter-RAT measurements for cell (re-)selection) during these configured ‘NW DTX windows.’

[0077] Figure 1 illustrates an example of NW DTX windows for three cells. In this example, the NW DTX windows occur periodically at a defined or configured NW DTX periodicity.

[0078] In general, all downlink broadcast signals will, in the “empty cell” (i.e., a cell in which there are no UEs in a non-connected state), be turned off in between ‘NW DTX’ windows. However, during the ‘NW DTX’ windows, all reference signals, system broadcast, etc. are transmitted, just as in a non-empty cell. In one example embodiment, the base station (e.g., gNB) may transmit reference signals (e.g., SSBs, Tracking Reference Signals (TRS) / CSI-RS) over a period of time (DI) prior to the start of NW DTX window which allows the UE to perform time and frequency tracking to be able to receive the channels at the start of NW DTX window. Similarly, the base station (e.g., gNB) may transmit reference signals over time period (D2) after end of NW DTX window to allow the UE to cool-down the receiver. The time periods DI and D2 may be referred to as warm-up and cool-down periods. Note that time periods DI and D2 are optional.

[0079] In one implementation, the network DTX and sleep state applies both to transmission in downlink and to reception in uplink, i.e. ‘NW DRX’ . i.e., allowing for the base station (e.g., gNB) to omit both transmission and reception and therefore for the base station (e.g., gNB) to be able to power down more components and hence achieve a larger energy saving gain. That is, the base station (e.g., gNB) does not receive Msgl preamble transmissions in Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) resources in between ‘NW DTX’ windows, and UEs would have to adapt to this. This can be referred to as NW DRX operation. (Most of the description herein refers to ‘NW DTX’, but is generally applicable to ‘NW DTX / DRX’).

[0080] In another implementation, the network DTX and sleep state applies only to transmission in downlink, and UEs can transmit in uplink at any time, e.g., Msgl preamble transmission in PRACH.

[0081] As mentioned, in the ongoing Rel-18 WI on NW EE which focuses on RRC Connected, it is not possible to apply to ‘NW DTX’ to Idle / Inactive since legacy NR UEs (prior to Rel-18). One of the new aspects here is that ‘NW DTX’ also applies to RRC Idle and RRC Inactive, and UEs must therefore consider the ‘NW DTX’ pattern for Idle mode procedures, such as RRM measurement and cell selection and reselection (ref. to 3GPP TS 38.304).

[0082] In one embodiment, signaling from the UE can be supported for UEs to be able to indicate a preference that downlink (DL) transmission of reference signals and broadcast information should be carried out by the base station (e.g., gNB) in the subsequent ‘NW DTX’ period. A new RACH preamble could for example be configured for this purpose, and if received from any UE, the base station (e.g., gNB) should transmit DL reference signals and broadcast information during the subsequent ‘NW DTX’ period (or during configurable time period).

[0083] In one embodiment, the ‘NW DTX’ pattern is, in case of in carrier coexistence with another Radio Access Technology (RAT), coordinated with the reference signals needed for the other RAT (since the base station (e.g., gNB) cannot be in a sleep state then anyway). For example, for a 6G LPWA loT solution coexisting with NR the ‘NW DRX’ pattern would be configured to match the NR SSB broadcast (e.g., every 40 milliseconds (ms)).

[0084] Time / Frequency / Beam Mapping of each NW DTX Window

[0085] In one embodiment, the reference signals transmitted by the base station (e.g., gNB) during the ‘NW DTX’ windows include a cell-specific reference signal. Such a reference signal spans over a number of consecutive symbols (e.g., Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols) in the time domain, and spans over a number of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) in the frequency domain. The values of number of time-domain symbols and number of PRB can be configurable. The duration of the reference signal can be longer than one time slot. This reference signal may be used by UEs of various bandwidth capabilities; thus, it may have a larger bandwidth beyond the maximum bandwidth capability of a specific UE that needs to monitor the reference signal. In that case, the UE would have to utilize only the subset of the PRBs of this reference signal within its receiving bandwidth or downlink bandwidth part. Such a design avoids a need for the base station (e.g., gNB) to transmit different reference signals for UEs of different bandwidth capabilities. The reference signal can be used for RRM measurements as well as for maintaining time and frequency synchronization. In one embodiment, the reference signal can be based on the Zadoff-Chu sequence, with elements in the sequence mapped to the timefrequency resource elements, first in the frequency dimension then in the time dimension.

[0086] In a sub-embodiment, the same reference signal is repeated in frequency domain per time instance (symbol) in a Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) manner. Alternately different reference signals, or same signal with different characteristics (e.g., encodings) are transmitted per reference signal repetition in frequency domain. As such, a UE with large receive (Rx) bandwidth (BW) capability may receive multiple instances of the reference signal in a single symbol. The number of reference signal instances the UE chooses to receive per time instance (I.e., the Rx BW of the UE) may however depend on coverage level of the UE. For example, if the UE is in poor coverage, it may choose to receive a larger BW to receive multiple instances of the reference signal, whereas the same UE in good coverage may choose to receive fewer (e.g., one) instances (i.e., process a smaller BW) of the reference signal as operating with a smaller BW comes with energy saving benefits for the UE. In case the UE capability does not allow for receiving adequate number of instances in the same symbol, multiple symbols are received and processed instead.

[0087] In yet another sub-embodiment, the reference signals transmitted per frequency resource are transmitted from different beams of the same base station (e.g., gNB) rather than sequentially “swept” in time-domain. For example, a base station (e.g., gNB) capable of digital / hybrid beamforming deployed with multiple beams each accompanied with reference symbols (e.g., SSBs or a new reference signal) may be able to co-transmit several reference symbols from different beams in one time unit (e.g., symbol) in different frequency resources rather than “sweeping” in time. As such a UE with large BW capability may receive multiple reference signals from multiple beams in one symbol and perform measurements. In case there are deployments with UEs with less BW capabilities, the base station (e.g., gNB) may repeat the reference signals in time. Two options are possible in this case, either the base station (e.g., gNB) repeats exactly the same transmission in time and the UE needs to perform frequency hopping to receive reference signals from various beams, or alternately, the base station (e.g., gNB) shifts the frequency resources per repetition in time domain (per symbol) whereby the UE despite receiving over the same frequency resources will have the possibility to receive the reference signals from various beams per symbol.

[0088] In one embodiment, the above-mentioned reference signal can be frequency-division multiplexed with other reference signals such as SSB / System Information Blocks (SIBs) that the base station (e.g., gNB) needs to transmit (e.g., for coexistence with NR in a carrier, or another RAT in general). This would increase the time that the base station (e.g., gNB) can be in the DTX state. In another embodiment, the above-mentioned reference signal can be transmitted in adjacent symbols, relative to SSB / SIBs, with a gap between them as small as possible.

[0089] In one embodiment, multiple NW DTX window configurations are supported simultaneously, where each configuration corresponds to a different coverage level. This may be beneficial in scenarios where the base station (e.g., gNB) needs to support UEs in challenging coverage conditions. In such scenarios, the base station (e.g., gNB) may need to transmit reference signals, system information, etc., with relatively high energy, which may require relatively long transmission times. If these long transmissions need to take place often, this reduces the possibility for the base stations (e.g., gNBs ) transmitter to sleep. However, if it can be assumed that UEs in challenging coverage conditions can accept somewhat degraded performance in terms of latency, it may be beneficial to configure one or more NW DTX window configurations intended for UEs in challenging coverage situations, where the windows are long enough to allow for long transmissions with high enough energy, but the windows occur seldom enough to not be too detrimental to the possibility for the base station’s (gNB’s) transmitter to sleep. These NW DTX configuration(s) would be configured in addition to the normal NW DTX configuration intended for UEs in normal coverage, which would typically have more frequent but shorter NW DTX windows, to support normal latency in normal coverage. To minimize overhead, the transmissions belonging to different NW DTX window configurations can be partly overlapping. Inter gNB Coordination for Supporting NW DTX / DRX

[0090] In one embodiment, an anchor base station (e.g., gNB) is providing coverage over a larger area in which several non-anchor base stations (e.g., gNBs) are deployed. Here, the base stations are described as gNBs but are not limited thereto. The anchor gNB is applying NW DTX / DRX according to one or more of the above embodiments while the non-anchor gNBs are turning off both receiver and / or transmitters to save power. When the anchor gNB is triggered to leave its NW DTX / DRX operation due to UEs attempting to access the cell, the anchor gNB wakes up one or more of the non-anchor gNBs and request the UE to measure received signal strength and quality on them and report the measurement to the anchor gNB that can request to UE to perform a handover to the most suitable non-anchor gNB, and then again enter the power efficient NW DTX / DRX operation.

[0091] The anchor gNB may wake up all non-anchor gNBs that are deployed within its coverage area. It may alternatively wake up a subset of the non-anchor gNBs. The sub-set of gNBs can be selected based on one or more of the below methods:

[0092] A first distance dl between a non-anchor gNB and the anchor gNB and a second distance d2 between the UE and the anchor gNB which can be estimated based on the UE timing advance to the anchor gNB. the gNB beam in which the UE accesses the anchor gNB and the location of the non- anchor gNB which can be signaled from the non-anchor gNB to the anchor gNB. the location of the non-anchor gNB and the location of the UE which can be signaled to the anchor gNB as part of the UE system access procedure.

[0093] In another embodiment, the ‘NW DTX’ configuration is coordinated either between cells belonging to the same CN Tracking Area or to the same RAN Notification Area, such that UEs know that the same ‘NW DTX’ configuration applies for cells in the configured area. This is necessary for Idle mode procedures, since for e.g., RRM mobility measurements on adjacent cells, so called neighbor cell measurements, the UE must know when (and where) the reference signals used for measurements are transmitted.

[0094] Intra-gNB Coordination for Supporting NW DTX / DRX

[0095] In one embodiment, a gNB comprises the gNB control unit (gNB-CU), the digital unit (gNB-DU), and the radio unit (gNB-RU). The gNB-CU is further split in the control plane (gNB- CU-CP) and user plane (gNB-CU-UP) parts. The lower layer split (LLS) interface supports signaling between the gNB-DU and the gNB-RU. The Fl-C interface supports the gNB-DU to gNB-CU-CP signaling, while the Fl-U interface supports the gNB-DU to gNB-CU-CP signaling. Finally, the El interface supports the gNB-CU-UP to gNB-CU-CP signaling.

[0096] In one embodiment, the NW DTX / DRX operation is distributed across the mentioned parts of a gNB. The gNB-RU could be configured to transmit e.g., the SSB and / or receive the PRACH while the gNB-DU, the gNB-CU-UP, and gNB-CU-CP are powered down in a sleep state. A trigger to wake up, or to again put the gNB-DU, the gNB-CU-UP and gNB-CU-CP to a sleep state is signaled over the LLS, Fl and / or El interfaces.

[0097] Optionally both the gNB-RU and the gNB-DU are configured to transmit e.g., the SSB and / or receive the PRACH while the gNB-CU-UP and the gNB-CU-CP are powered down in a sleep state. A trigger to wake up, or to again put the gNB-CU-UP and gNB-CU-CP to a sleep state, is signaled over the Fl and / or El interfaces.

[0098] Relaxed Measurements with NW DTX

[0099] The UE can be configured with relaxed measurement criteria which allows the UE to operate in relaxed mode (interchangeably called as relaxation state) upon fulfilling those criteria. Examples of relaxation criteria are low mobility criterion, not-at-cell-edge criterion, stationary criterion, and any combination of those. The UE evaluates those criteria with respect to the serving cell measurements or neighbor cells measurements, and the criteria can be same or different for same serving and neighbor cells, respectively. In relaxed mode, the UE is not required to perform frequent measurements on the serving cell or neighbor cells as a legacy NR UE, instead the UE is allowed to perform measurements less frequently or not to measure at all based on fulfilling certain type of relaxation criteria. This enables power saving gain in the UE. According to this embodiment, the relaxation parameters are coordinated or aligned with the NW DTX windows. An example of a relaxation parameter is relaxation factor (KI), which scales with the configured DRX cycles. For example, the UE measures every KlxDRX cycle when in relaxed mode while it measures every DRX cycle when in non-relaxed mode. Coordination of relaxation parameters to the NW DTX windows comprises:

[0100] Aligning KI to the NW DTX periodicity, e.g. K1=NW DTX periodicity, or Kl=NlxNW DTX periodicity etc. where Kl=l,2,3 etc. and Nl=l,2,3 etc.

[0101] Aligning NW DTX periodicity to the relaxation factor KI .

[0102] Other examples of relaxation include relaxed radio link monitoring (RLM) and beam failure detection (BFD) which are procedures performed in RRC CONNECTED mode and the principle of relaxation follows concepts as described above, i.e. the evaluations are carried out over longer time period compared to evaluations performed over non-relaxed evaluation period. For example, the legacy evaluation period can be scaled by K2, where K2=l, 2, 3, 4, etc.

[0103] The alignment or coordination can be predefined or configured by the NW. In one example, the relaxation factors can be configurable by the NW node based on the NW DTX window periodicity. In another example, the relaxation factors can be predefined in the specification as function of NW DTX periodicity, e.g. K2=N2*NW DTX window periodicity.

[0104] Trigger Conditions

[0105] Conditions for the base station (e.g., gNB) to enter ‘NW DTX’ (sleep state) could be any one or any combination of two or more of the following:

[0106] • ‘NW DTX’ configured in base station (e.g., gNB) (e.g., configuration provided by CN).

[0107] • Timing information indicating it is not during a ‘NW DTX window’, or ‘NW DTX’ window length / timer has expired.

[0108] • No UEs in RRC Connected state in the cell (i.e., “empty cell”)

[0109] • No UE configured with persistent scheduling resources in a non-connected state, e.g. Idle or Inactive (for example LTE PUR, or NR CG-SDT).

[0110] • No handover (HO) request received for time period Tl, where T1=N DRX cycles, N=l,2,3, etc.

[0111] • No preambles received by base station (e.g., gNB), i.e. legacy Msgl transmissions not responded to, or ongoing RACH or RRC procedures, or the dedicated ‘NW DTX’ preamble described above for time period Tl, where T1=N DRX cycles, N=l,2,3, etc...

[0112] • Traffic is, and is expected to be, low or non-existent during the coming period.

[0113] Conditions for base station (e.g., gNB) to leave ‘NW DTX’ (sleep state) could be any one or any combination of two or more of the following:

[0114] • ‘NW DTX’ has been de-configured in the base station (e.g., gNB).

[0115] • Timing information indicating it is during a ‘NW DTX window’, or ‘NW DTX’ periodicity timer has expired.

[0116] • Preamble detection, either legacy preamble or new ‘NW DTX’ preamble (see above).

[0117] • Handover of UE from another cell.

[0118] • RRC connection setup, resumption, or re-establishment by any UE.

[0119] • A signal from a neighboring base station (e.g., gNB) that is e.g., sent over the Xn interface or sent via the core network that both base stations (e.g., gNBs) are connected to. • A signal from different logical parts of the base station (e.g., gNB) over e.g., the Fl, El or LLS interfaces.

[0120] • Upon detection radio link problems (RLPs). Examples of RLPs are declarations of radio link failure (RLF) or RLF (T310) timer running, detection of out-of-sync indications, detection of beam failure, initiation of candidate beam detection, etc.

[0121] Configuration and Signaling

[0122] In different implementations, the configuration of the ‘NW DTX window’ length, startpoint and periodicity is configured on any of the following levels:

[0123] • Network specific: The same configuration is provided in the entire network. In this case the ‘NW DTX’ configuration would be provided for a certain Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) code (e.g., provided from CN to gNB, and communicated to UEs via system information), and within the same PLMN the ‘NW DTX’ configuration would be the same. If the UE remains within the same PLMN, it implicitly knows which ‘NW DTX’ parameters to apply.

[0124] • Tracking area specific: The same configuration is provided in an entire tracking area (TA). The responsible CN node (e.g., Mobility Management Entity (MME) or Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)), provides the NW DTX’ configuration to gNB, and gNB further communicates the configuration to UEs via system information. If the UE remains within the same TA, it implicitly knows which ‘NW DTX’ parameters to apply.

[0125] • RAN notification area specific: The same configuration is provided in an entire RAN notification area. The responsible gNB, i.e. anchor gNB, provides the ‘NW DTX’ configuration to other gNBs in the RAN notification area, and the gNBs further communicate the configuration to UEs via system information. If the UE remains within the same RAN notification area it implicitly knows which ‘NW DTX’ parameters to apply.

[0126] • Cell specific: The ‘NW DTX’ configuration is cell specific and provided to UEs by gNB via system information. The benefit with this alternative is that gNB would be in control of its own energy saving configuration, the drawback is that system information will have to include the configurations of neighbor cells to allow UEs to measure on cells other than the serving cell.

[0127] In one embodiment, the possible values for the ‘NW DTX’ window length, start-point, and periodicity are limited to simplify the UE search and minimize UE energy consumption upon move between PLMNs, TAs, or RAN notification areas. In one example, the ‘NW DTX’ start-point is fixed, the ‘NW DTX’ window length has a shortest required window, and the possible values for the ‘NW DTX’ periodicity is multiples of each other. This means that a UE upon PLMN, TA, RAN notification change, or upon power on, would not need to monitor continuously to find downlink reference signals and system information broadcast, but could only consider certain ‘NW DTX’ windows as candidates, as indicated in Figure 2 (and apply DRX in between to save power). Figure 2 illustrates an example of 'NW DTX' configuration restriction, and ‘NW DTX’ window candidates to consider for UE search.

[0128] Note that the ‘NW DTX’ window length could be allowed to be longer than the minimum window length, and that a UE could relatively quickly determine if reference signals are being sent or not within a certain ‘NW DTX’ window candidate.

[0129] Embodiments of the present disclosure could be based on network defined time in a (reasonably) synchronized network. For example, system frame number (SFN) and hyper-system frame number (H-SFN), in which case the ‘NW DTX’ window length, start-point, and periodicity would be defined in terms of a number of radio frames. ‘NW DTX’ start-point (for candidates) could be determined by:

[0130] SFN mod 256 = 0

[0131] That is, with one ‘NW DTX’ window starting point every 2.56s with SFN wrap-around at 1024 radio frames. Further in this example, ‘NW DTX’ window length could be configured to be {2, 5, 10, 20, 40, 100, 200} radio frames, and ‘NW DTX’ window periodicity could be configured to be N x 256 radio frames where N={ 1, 2, 4, 8, 16}.

[0132] Alternatively, embodiments of the present disclosure could be based on absolute time, e.g. GPS and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC time), and the use of timers. In LTE, UTC time is broadcasted to UEs in SIB9, and it is of course the same in the entire network. In an example, ‘NW DTX’ window start-points could be defined at the start of every even second, i.e. at 0s, 2s, 4s, and so on. ‘NW DTX’ window length could be configured to be {20, 50, 100, 200, 400, 1000, 2000} milliseconds (ms), and ‘NW DTX’ window periodicity could be configured to be N x 200 milliseconds (ms) where N={ 1, 2, 4, 8, 16}

[0133] For the UE not to miss any reference signals or DL transmissions due to timing inaccuracies, it could be required that the base station (e.g., gNB) has to transmit any DL signals that fall on the border of the ‘NW DTX’ window, or even that the network transmits DL signals in a slightly longer ‘NW DTX’ window than UEs apply for monitoring.

[0134] An indication could be introduced and transmitted from base station (e.g., gNB) to UEs to indicate whether the base station (e.g., gNB) will apply ‘NW DTX’ in the subsequent period (i.e., after the current ‘NW DTX’ window). This could apply to omitted DL transmissions and / or RA reception. Signaling bits in system information broadcast could be used for this purpose, e.g. a spare bit in the Master Information Block (MIB) and an extension in SIB1, but would strictly not be needed outside the ‘NW DTX’ window since the reception of DL reference signals and broadcast would be a direct indication that gNB is not applying ‘NW DTX’ and being is a sleep state.

[0135] An indication could be sent to UEs to inform UEs about if the ‘NW DTX’ operation applies to a stop in base station (e.g., gNB) transmission only, or if it also applies also to gNB reception (e.g., of Random Access (RA) preambles in PRACH resources, see above). Such indication could be an addition to the ‘NW DTX’ parameters in system information broadcast.

[0136] An ASN. l example of the configuration provided in system information is given below: nwDtx-Config ::= SEQUENCE { nwDtx-windowLength ENUMERATED {2, 5, 10, 20, 40, 100, 200} OPTIONAL, -

[0137] - Need N nwDtx- start ENUMERATED { 1, 2, 3, 4} OPTIONAL,

[0138] Need N nwDtx-periodicity ENUMERATED { 1, 2, 4, 8, 16} OPTIONAL,

[0139] - Need N nwDTX-PlmnCode PLMN-Identity OPTIONAL,

[0140] Need N nwDtx-ulRecepti on ENUMERATED {true} OPTIONAL,

[0141] Need N

[0142] }

[0143] Embodiments of the present disclosure have loT solutions in mind but are not restricted to such and are generally applicable.

[0144] Figure 3 is a flow chart that illustrates the operation of a network node in accordance with at least some of the embodiments described above. Optional steps are represented by dashed lines / boxes. Further, while the actions performed by the network node in Figure 3 are referred to as “steps”, these steps may be performed in any desired order or even in parallel unless otherwise explicitly stated or required. Note that not all of the details of the embodiments described above are repeated here in the description of Figure 3; however, it is to be understood that those details are equally applicable to the corresponding steps of the process of Figure 3. Further, the network node may be a base station (e.g., a gNB) or a network node that performs some of the functionality of a base station (e.g., gNB-CU, gNB-CU-UP, gNB-CU-CP, gNB-DU, or the like). Further, in the case of a split architecture, the illustrated steps may be performed by the same or different nodes of the base station in such a split architecture (e.g., some steps may be performed by the gNB-CU, others may be performed by the gNB-UP, and / or others may be performed by the gNB-RU).

[0145] As illustrated, the network node optionally transmits, to one or more UEs, information that configures the UE(s) with one or more parameters related to NW DTX operation and / or NW DRX operation (step 300). The one or more parameters may include, for example, a start time of a set of NW DTX windows, a length of a NW DTX window, and / or a periodicity of the NW DTX windows, and / or corresponding parameters for NW DRX windows. In this example, the network optionally decides to activate NW DTX operation and / or NW DRX operation (step 302). This decision may be based on one or more criteria, as described above. The network node transmits, to one or more UEs, an indication that NW DTX operation is activated and / or an indication that NW DRX operation is activated (step 304).

[0146] The network node optionally transmits, to one or more UEs, information that configures the UE(s) with one or more relaxed measurement parameters that are coordinated with the NW DTX windows (step 306). The network node optionally receives, from a UE, an indication that the UE desires for downlink reference signals needed for one or more non-connected state operations to be transmitted in an upcoming (e.g., next) NW DTX window (step 308).

[0147] In the case that NW DTX operation is activated, the network node transmits, during at least one of the NW DTX windows, one or more reference signals that are needed for UEs in a nonconnected state to perform one or more non-connected state operations (e.g., RRM measurements) (step 310). Many embodiments about these reference signals and the transmission thereof are described above and are equally applicable here to step 310. In one embodiment, when NW DTX operation is activated, these reference signals needed by UEs in a non-connected state are only transmitted in the NW DTX windows. The network node refrains from transmitting the reference signal(s) needed by UEs in a non-connected state during time periods between the NW DTX windows (step 312).

[0148] In the case that NW DRX operation is activated, during at least one of the NW DRX windows, the network node monitors for random access preambles from UEs that are in a nonconnected state (step 314). In one embodiment, the network node monitors for such random access preambles only during the NW DRX windows. During time periods between the NW DRX windows, the network node refrains from monitoring for random access preambles from UEs that are in a non-connected state (step 316). Optionally, the network node subsequently decides that NW DTX operation and / or NW DRX operation is to be deactivated (step 318). In response to deciding the NW DTX operation and / or NW DRX operation is to be deactivated, the network node optionally sends, to one or more UEs, an indication that NW DTX operation and / or NW DRX operation is deactivated (step 320) and performs one or more actions that deactivate NW DTX operation and / or NW DRX operation (step 322). For example, if NW DTX operation is deactivated, the network node may start transmitting reference signals for UEs that are in a non-connected state without consideration of the NW DTX windows (e.g., in the conventional manner). If NW DRX operation is deactivated, the network node may start monitoring for random access preambles without consideration of the NW DRX windows (e.g., in the conventional manner). In addition, or alternatively, if the network node is an anchor base station and the network node decides to deactivate NW DTX operation, the network node may wake-up one or more non-anchor base stations and instruct a UE(s) to perform measurements one downlink reference signals transmitted by the one or more non-anchor base stations, as described above (step 324).

[0149] Figure 4 is a flow chart that illustrates the operation of a UE in accordance with at least some of the embodiments described above. Optional steps are represented by dashed lines / boxes. Further, while the actions performed by the network node in Figure 4 are referred to as “steps”, these steps may be performed in any desired order or even in parallel unless otherwise explicitly stated or required. Note that not all of the details of the embodiments described above are repeated here in the description of Figure 4; however, it is to be understood that those details are equally applicable to the corresponding steps of the process of Figure 4.

[0150] As illustrated, the UE optionally receives, from a network node (e.g., a base station), information that configures the UE with one or more parameters related to NW DTX operation and / or NW DRX operation (step 400). The one or more parameters may include, for example, a start time of a set of NW DTX windows, a length of a NW DTX window, and / or a periodicity of the NW DTX windows, and / or corresponding parameters for NW DRX windows. The UE optionally receives, from a network node, an indication that NW DTX operation is activated and / or an indication that NW DRX operation is activated (step 402).

[0151] The UE optionally receives, from a network node, information that configures the UE with one or more relaxed measurement parameters that are coordinated with the NW DTX windows (step 404). The UE optionally transmits, to a network node, an indication that the UE desires for downlink reference signals needed for one or more non-connected state operations to be transmitted in an upcoming (e.g., next) NW DTX window (step 406). The UE performs one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the NW DTX windows and / or the NW DRX windows (steps 408-412). More specifically, for NW DTX (e.g., if NW DTX operation is activated), during at least one of the NW DTX windows, the UE receives one or more reference signals that are needed by the UE for one or more non-connected state procedures (e.g., RRM measurements) (step 408) and performs the one or more nonconnected state procedures based thereon (step 410). During time periods between the NW DTX windows, the UE refrains from attempting to receive such reference signals and from performing the non-connected state operations. For NW DRX (e.g., if NW DRX operation is activated), during at least one of the NW DRX windows, the UE transmits a random access preamble (step 412). During time periods between the NW DRX windows, the UE refrains from transmitting a random access preamble.

[0152] Optionally, the UE receives, from a network node, an indication that NW DTX operation and / or NW DRX operation is deactivated (step 414) and operates accordingly (e.g., does not limit performing measurements on downlink reference signals to only within the NW DTX windows when in a non-connected state and / or does not limit transmission of a random access preamble to only within one of the NW DRX windows). In addition, or alternatively, if the network node is an anchor base station and the network node decides to deactivate NW DTX operation, the UE may receive, from the network node, an instruction to perform measurements on downlink reference signals transmitted by one or more non-anchor base stations that are woken-up by the network node upon deactivation of NW DTX operation, as described above (step 416).

[0153] Figure 5 shows an example of a communication system 500 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0154] In the example, the communication system 500 includes a telecommunication network 502 that includes an access network 504, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 506, which includes one or more core network nodes 508. The access network 504 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 510A and 510B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 510), or any other similar Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP Access Points (APs). 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 502 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 502 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 502, including one or more network nodes 510 and / or core network nodes 508.

[0155] 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 O-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 510 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 512A, 512B, 512C, and 512D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 512) to the core network 506 over one or more wireless connections.

[0156] 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 500 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 500 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0157] The UEs 512 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 510 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 510 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 512 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 502 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 502.

[0158] In the depicted example, the core network 506 connects the network nodes 510 to one or more hosts, such as host 516. 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 506 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 508) 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 508. 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).

[0159] The host 516 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 504 and / or the telecommunication network 502, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 516 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services . 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.

[0160] As a whole, the communication system 500 of Figure 5 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 500 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 Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., Sixth Generation (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.

[0161] In some examples, the telecommunication network 502 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 502 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 502. For example, the telecommunication network 502 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 Internet of Things (loT) services to yet further UEs.

[0162] In some examples, the UEs 512 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 504 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 504. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) or multi -standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e. being configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0163] In the example, a hub 514 communicates with the access network 504 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 512C and / or 512D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 510B). In some examples, the hub 514 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 514 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 506 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 514 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 510, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 514. As another example, the hub 514 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 514 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 514 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 514 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 514 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices. The hub 514 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 510B. The hub 514 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 514 and UEs (e.g., UE 512C and / or 512D), and between the hub 514 and the core network 506. In other examples, the hub 514 is connected to the core network 506 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 514 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 504 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 510 while still connected via the hub 514 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 514 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 510B. In other embodiments, the hub 514 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and the network node 510B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0164] Figure 6 shows a UE 600 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 Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless camera, 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 3 GPP, including a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0165] A UE may support Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), or Vehicle-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). The UE 600 includes processing circuitry 602 that is operatively coupled via a bus 604 to an input / output interface 606, a power source 608, memory 610, a communication interface 612, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 6. 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.

[0166] The processing circuitry 602 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 610. The processing circuitry 602 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 602 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0167] In the example, the input / output interface 606 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 600. 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 resistive touch 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.

[0168] In some embodiments, the power source 608 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 608 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 608 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 600 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 608. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 608 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 600 to which power is supplied.

[0169] The memory 610 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 610 includes one or more application programs 614, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 616. The memory 610 may store, for use by the UE 600, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0170] The memory 610 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 RAM (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a tamper resistant module in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a Universal SIM (USIM) and / or Internet Protocol Multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as a ‘SIM card.’ The memory 610 may allow the UE 600 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 610, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0171] The processing circuitry 602 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 612. The communication interface 612 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 622. The communication interface 612 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 618 and / or a receiver 620 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 618 and receiver 620 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 622) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0172] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 612 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, NFC, 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 according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Quick User Datagram Protocol Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0173] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 612, 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 from several 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).

[0174] 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.

[0175] A UE, when in the form of an 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 television, 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 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 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0176] 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 3 GPP 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, an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0177] 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.

[0178] Figure 7 shows a network node 700 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, APs (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR Node Bs (gNBs)), and 0-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., 0-RU, 0-DU, O-CU).

[0179] 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 O-RAN access node), and / or Remote Radio Units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such RRUs 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).

[0180] Other examples of network nodes include multiple Transmission Point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, Multi-Standard Radio (MSR) equipment such as MSRBSs, network controllers such as Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) or BS 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).

[0181] The network node 700 includes processing circuitry 702, memory 704, a communication interface 706, and a power source 708. The network node 700 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a Node B component and an 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 700 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 Node Bs. In such a scenario, each unique Node B and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 700 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 704 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 710 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 700 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 700, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (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 the network node 700.

[0182] The processing circuitry 702 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, 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 700 components, such as the memory 704, to provide network node 700 functionality. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 702 includes a System on a Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 702 includes one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 712 and baseband processing circuitry 714. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 712 and the baseband processing circuitry 714 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 the RF transceiver circuitry 712 and the baseband processing circuitry 714 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0183] The memory 704 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, RAM, 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 computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 702. The memory 704 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 702 and utilized by the network node 700. The memory 704 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 702 and / or any data received via the communication interface 706. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 702 and the memory 704 are integrated.

[0184] The communication interface 706 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 706 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 716 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 706 also includes radio front-end circuitry 718 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 710. The radio front-end circuitry 718 comprises filters 720 and amplifiers 722. The radio front-end circuitry 718 may be connected to the antenna 710 and the processing circuitry 702. The radio front-end circuitry 718 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 710 and the processing circuitry 702. The radio front-end circuitry 718 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 718 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 720 and / or the amplifiers 722. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 710. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 710 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 718. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 702. In other embodiments, the communication interface 706 may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0185] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 700 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 718; instead, the processing circuitry 702 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 710. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 712 is part of the communication interface 706. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 706 includes the one or more ports or terminals 716, the radio front-end circuitry 718, and the RF transceiver circuitry 712 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 706 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 714, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0186] The antenna 710 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 710 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 718 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 710 is separate from the network node 700 and connectable to the network node 700 through an interface or port.

[0187] The antenna 710, the communication interface 706, and / or the processing circuitry 702 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 700. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 710, the communication interface 706, and / or the processing circuitry 702 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node 700. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0188] The power source 708 provides power to the various components of the network node 700 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 708 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 700 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 700 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid or an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 708. As a further example, the power source 708 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.

[0189] Embodiments of the network node 700 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 7 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 700 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 700 and to allow output of information from the network node 700. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 700.

[0190] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a host 800, which may be an embodiment of the host 516 of Figure 5, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 800 may be or comprise various combinations of 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 800 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0191] The host 800 includes processing circuitry 802 that is operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input / output interface 806, a network interface 808, a power source 810, and memory 812. 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 6 and 7, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host 800.

[0192] The memory 812 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 814 and data 816, which may include user data, e.g. data generated by a UE for the host 800 or data generated by the host 800 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 800 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 814 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), Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., Free Lossless Audio Codec (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, and heads-up display systems). The host application programs 814 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 800 may select and / or indicate a different host for Over-The-Top (OTT) services for a UE. The host application programs 814 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 (DASH or MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0193] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 900 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 900 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 900 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0194] Applications 902 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 900 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0195] Hardware 904 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 906 (also referred to as hypervisors or VM Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 908A and 908B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 908), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 906 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 908.

[0196] The VMs 908 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 906. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 902 may be implemented on one or more of the VMs 908, 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.

[0197] In the context of NFV, a VM 908 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 908, and that part of the hardware 904 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs 908, 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 908 on top of the hardware 904 and corresponds to the application 902.

[0198] The hardware 904 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 904 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 904 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 910, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 902. In some embodiments, the hardware 904 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 RAN or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 912 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0199] Figure 10 shows a communication diagram of a host 1002 communicating via a network node 1004 with a UE 1006 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as the UE 512A of Figure 5 and / or the UE 600 of Figure 6), the network node (such as the network node 510A of Figure 5 and / or the network node 700 of Figure 7), and the host (such as the host 516 of Figure 5 and / or the host 800 of Figure 8) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 10.

[0200] Like the host 800, embodiments of the host 1002 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1002 also includes software, which is stored in or is accessible by the host 1002 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 1006 connecting via an OTT connection 1050 extending between the UE 1006 and the host 1002. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1050.

[0201] The network node 1004 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1002 and the UE 1006. The connection 1060 may be direct or pass through a core network (like the core network 506 of Figure 5) 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.

[0202] The UE 1006 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by the UE 1006 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 the UE 1006 with the support of the host 1002. In the host 1002, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1050 terminating at the UE 1006 and the host 1002. 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 1050 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 1050.

[0203] The OTT connection 1050 may extend via the connection 1060 between the host 1002 and the network node 1004 and via a wireless connection 1070 between the network node 1004 and the UE 1006 to provide the connection between the host 1002 and the UE 1006. The connection 1060 and the wireless connection 1070, over which the OTT connection 1050 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1002 and the UE 1006 via the network node 1004, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0204] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1050, in step 1008, the host 1002 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 1006. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1006 that shares data with the host 1002 without explicit human interaction. In step 1010, the host 1002 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1006. The host 1002 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1006. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1006 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1006. The transmission may pass via the network node 1004 in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1012, the network node 1004 transmits to the UE 1006 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1002 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1014, the UE 1006 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1006 associated with the host application executed by the host 1002.

[0205] In some examples, the UE 1006 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1002. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1002. Accordingly, in step 1016, the UE 1006 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 1006. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1006 initiates, in step 1018, transmission of the user data towards the host 1002 via the network node 1004. In step 1020, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1004 receives user data from the UE 1006 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1002. In step 1022, the host 1002 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1006.

[0206] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1006 using the OTT connection 1050, in which the wireless connection 1070 forms the last segment.

[0207] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1002. As another example, the host 1002 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1002 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1002 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1002 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 1002 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.

[0208] 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 1050 between the host 1002 and the UE 1006 in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1050 may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1002 and / or the UE 1006. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1050 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or by supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1050 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1004. 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 1002. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1050 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0209] 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.

[0210] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored 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 hardwired 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.

[0211] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

[0212] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure are as follows:

[0213] Group A Embodiments

[0214] Embodiment 1 : A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: performing (408-412) one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with a network DTX / DRX pattern comprising a plurality of network DTX / DRX windows.

[0215] Embodiment 2: The method of embodiment 1, further comprising receiving (400), from a network node, information that configures one or more parameters that define the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows.

[0216] Embodiment 3: The method of embodiment 2, wherein the one or more parameters comprise a start time, a DTX / DRX window length, and / or a DTX / DRX window periodicity.

[0217] Embodiment 4: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 3, further comprising receiving (402), from a network node, an indication that network DTX / DRX operation is activated.

[0218] Embodiment 5: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DTX pattern, and the method further comprises transmitting, to a network node, an indication that transmission of one or more reference signals needed by the UE for at least one non-connected state procedure is desired in an upcoming DTX window of the plurality of network DTX windows. Embodiment 6: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DTX pattern, and one or more reference signals needed by the UE for one or more non-connected state procedures are only transmitted within at least some of the plurality of network DTX windows defined by the network DTX pattern.

[0219] Embodiment 7: The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

[0220] Group B Embodiments

[0221] Embodiment 8: A method performed by a network node, the method comprising: transmitting (310) one or more reference signals needed by User Equipments, UEs, in nonconnected state, during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous transmission, DTX, windows; and refraining (312) from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows.

[0222] Embodiment 9: The method of embodiment 8, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises, for a network DTX window from among the at least one of the plurality of network DTX windows, transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals such that transmission of the one or more reference signals starts a defined or configured amount of time before a start of the network DTX window.

[0223] Embodiment 10: The method of embodiment 8 or 9, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises, for a network DTX window from among the at least one of the plurality of network DTX windows, transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals such that transmission of the one or more reference signals ends a defined or configured amount of time after an end of the network DTX window.

[0224] Embodiment 11 : The method of any of embodiments 8 to 10, wherein the plurality of network DTX windows are arranged in accordance with a predefined or configured network DTX window pattern.

[0225] Embodiment 12: The method of embodiment 11, wherein the predefined or configured network DTX window pattern comprises any one or more of: a start time, a network DTX window length, and a network DTX window periodicity.

[0226] Embodiment 13: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 12, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting multiple instances of a same reference signal or multiple different reference signals in a same one or more symbols. Embodiment 14: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 12, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting multiple instances of a same reference signal or multiple different reference signals in a same one or more symbols via time, frequency, and / or spatial multiplexing.

[0227] Embodiment 15: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 14, wherein the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in a non-connected state comprise any one or more of: a cell- specific reference signal, a synchronization signal block, a channel state information reference signal, and a tracking reference signal.

[0228] Embodiment 16: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 15, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting a reference signal, needed by UEs in a non-connected state, that spans two or more consecutive symbols in the time domain and / or two or more physical resource blocks in the frequency domain.

[0229] Embodiment 17: The method of embodiment 16, wherein a number of consecutive symbols in the time domain spanned by the reference signal is configurable and / or a number of physical resource blocks in the frequency domain spanned by the reference signal is configurable.

[0230] Embodiment 18: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 17, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting (310) at least one of the one or more reference signals over a bandwidth that exceeds a maximum receive bandwidth of at least one UE that is to receive the at least one of the one or more reference signals.

[0231] Embodiment 19: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 18, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises repeating transmission of at least one of the one or more reference signals in the frequency domain in at least one time instance (e.g., symbol).

[0232] Embodiment 20: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 18, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises frequency multiplexing two or more of the reference signals in a same time instance (e.g., same symbol or same group of consecutive symbols).

[0233] Embodiment 21 : The method of any of embodiments 8 to 20, wherein the plurality of network DTX windows is one set of network DTX windows from two or more sets of network DTX windows.

[0234] Embodiment 22: The method of embodiment 21, wherein the two or more sets of network DTX windows comprises two or more different sets of network DTX windows for different coverage levels.

[0235] Embodiment 23: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 22, wherein the plurality of network DTX windows are coordinated with another radio access technology. Embodiment 24: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 23, wherein the plurality of network DTX windows are coordinated among two or more cells that belong to a same core network tracking area and / or a same radio access network notification area.

[0236] Embodiment 25: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 24, further comprising deciding (302) to active network DTX operation based on one or more triggering criteria.

[0237] Embodiment 26: The method of embodiment 25 wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state during at least one of a plurality of network DTX windows and refraining from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows are performed in response to deciding to active network DTX operation.

[0238] Embodiment 27: The method of embodiment 25 or 26 wherein the one or more triggering criteria comprise any one or any combination of two or more of the following:

[0239] • network DTX operation is configured in the network node;

[0240] • no UEs in a connected state in a respective cell;

[0241] • no UE configured with persistent scheduling resources in a non-connected state;

[0242] • no handover request received for time period Tl, where T1=N DRX cycles, N=l,2,3, etc.; and / or

[0243] • no random access preambles received the network node for time period Tl, where T1=N DRX cycles, N=l,2,3, etc.

[0244] Embodiment 28: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 27, further comprising transmitting (300) information that configures one or more UEs with one or more parameters related to network DTX operation (e.g., one or more parameters that define the plurality of network DTX windows).

[0245] Embodiment 29: The method of embodiment 28 wherein the one or more parameters are network-specific, tracking-area specific, radio access network notification area specific, or cellspecific.

[0246] Embodiment 30: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 29, further comprising transmitting (304), to one or more UEs, an indication that network DTX operation is activated.

[0247] Embodiment 31 : The method of any of embodiments 8 to 30, further comprising receiving (308), from a UE, an indication that the UE desires for the reference signals to be transmitted in an upcoming (e.g., next) network DTX period of the plurality of network DTX windows.

[0248] Embodiment 32: The method of any of embodiments 8 to 31, further comprising: deciding (318) to deactivate network DTX operation; and, in response thereto, transmitting (322) the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in a non-connected state without consideration of the plurality of network DTX windows.

[0249] Embodiment 33 : The method of any of embodiments 8 to 31, further comprising: deciding (320) to deactivate network DTX operation; and, in response thereto, waking (324) one or more non-anchor network nodes.

[0250] Embodiment 34: The method of embodiment 33, further comprising instructing (324) one or more UEs (e.g., one or more UEs in non-connected state) to perform measurements on the one or more non-anchor network nodes.

[0251] Embodiment 35: A method performed by a network node (e.g., base station) comprising: monitoring (314) for random access preambles from User Equipments, UEs, in non-connected state during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous reception, DRX, windows; and refraining (316) from monitoring for random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows.

[0252] Embodiment 36: The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

[0253] Group C Embodiments

[0254] Embodiment 37: A user equipment comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0255] Embodiment 38: A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0256] Embodiment 39: A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0257] Embodiment 40: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0258] Embodiment 41 : The host of the previous embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0259] Embodiment 42: A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0260] Embodiment 43: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0261] Embodiment 44: The method of any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0262] Embodiment 45: A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the- top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0263] Embodiment 46: The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the UE.

[0264] Embodiment 47: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

[0265] Embodiment 48: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that receives the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0266] Embodiment 49: The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0267] Embodiment 50: A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

[0268] Embodiment 51 : The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

[0269] Embodiment 52: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0270] Embodiment 53: The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.

[0271] Embodiment 54: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0272] Embodiment 55: A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0273] Embodiment 56: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the host application.

[0274] Embodiment 57: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0275] Embodiment 58: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0276] Embodiment 59: The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

[0277] Embodiment 60: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0278] Embodiment 61 : A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0279] Embodiment 62: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0280] Embodiment 63: The method of the previous 2 embodiments, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a network node of a Radio Access Network, RAN, of a cellular communications system, the method comprising: transmitting (310) one or more reference signals needed by User Equipments, UEs, in nonconnected state, during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous transmission, DTX, windows; and refraining (312) from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in nonconnected state, during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises, for a network DTX window from among the at least one of the plurality of network DTX windows, transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals such that transmission of the one or more reference signals starts a defined or configured amount of time before a start of the network DTX window.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises, for a network DTX window from among the at least one of the plurality of network DTX windows, transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals such that transmission of the one or more reference signals ends a defined or configured amount of time after an end of the network DTX window.

4. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of network DTX windows are arranged in accordance with a predefined or configured network DTX window pattern.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predefined or configured network DTX window pattern comprises any one or more of: a start time, a network DTX window length, and a network DTX window periodicity.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting multiple instances of a same reference signal or multiple different reference signals in a same one or more symbols.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting multiple instances of a same reference signal or multiple differentreference signals in a same one or more symbols via any one of or any combination of two or more of: time domain multiplexing, frequency domain multiplexing, and spatial domain multiplexing.

8. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in a non-connected state comprise any one or more of: a cell-specific reference signal, a synchronization signal block, a channel state information reference signal, and a tracking reference signal.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting a reference signal, needed by UEs in a non-connected state, that spans two or more consecutive symbols in the time domain, two or more physical resource blocks in the frequency domain, or both two or more consecutive symbols in the time domain and two or more physical resource blocks in the frequency domain.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a number of consecutive symbols in the time domain spanned by the reference signal is configurable and / or a number of physical resource blocks in the frequency domain spanned by the reference signal is configurable.

11. The method of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises transmitting (310) at least one of the one or more reference signals over a bandwidth that exceeds a maximum receive bandwidth of at least one UE that is to receive the at least one of the one or more reference signals.

12. The method of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises repeating transmission of at least one of the one or more reference signals in the frequency domain in at least one time instance.

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals comprises frequency multiplexing two or more of the reference signals in a same time instance.

14. The method of any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the plurality of network DTX windows is one set of network DTX windows from two or more sets of network DTX windows.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the two or more sets of network DTX windows comprises two or more different sets of network DTX windows for different coverage levels.

16. The method of any of claims 1 to 15, wherein the plurality of network DTX windows are coordinated with another radio access technology.

17. The method of any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the plurality of network DTX windows are coordinated among two or more cells that belong to a same core network tracking area and / or a same radio access network notification area.

18. The method of any of claims 1 to 17, further comprising deciding (302) to active network DTX operation based on one or more triggering criteria.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein transmitting (310) the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state during at least one of a plurality of network DTX windows and refraining (312) from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in nonconnected state during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows are performed in response to deciding (302) to active network DTX operation.

20. The method of claim 18 or 19, wherein the one or more triggering criteria comprise any one or any combination of two or more of the following:• network DTX operation is configured in the network node;• no UEs in a connected state in a respective cell;• no UE configured with persistent scheduling resources in a non-connected state;• no handover request received for time period Tl, where T1=N DRX cycles and N is a positive integer value that is greater than or equal to 1; and / or• no random access preambles received the network node for time period Tl, where T1=N DRX cycles where N is a positive integer value that is greater than or equal to 1.

21. The method of any of claims 1 to 20, further comprising transmitting (300) information that configures one or more UEs with one or more parameters related to network DTX operation.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the one or more parameters are network-specific, tracking-area specific, radio access network notification area specific, or cell-specific.

23. The method of any of claims 1 to 22, further comprising transmitting (304), to one or more UEs, an indication that network DTX operation is activated.

24. The method of any of claims 1 to 23, further comprising receiving (308), from a UE, an indication that the UE desires for the reference signals to be transmitted in an upcoming network DTX period of the plurality of network DTX windows.

25. The method of any of claims 1 to 24, further comprising: deciding (318) to deactivate network DTX operation; and in response deciding (318) to deactivate network DTX operation, transmitting (322) the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in a non-connected state without consideration of the plurality of network DTX windows.

26. The method of any of claims 1 to 24, further comprising: deciding (318) to deactivate network DTX operation; and in response to deciding (318) to deactivate network DTX operation, waking (324) one or more non-anchor network nodes.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising instructing (324) one or more UEs to perform measurements on the one or more non-anchor network nodes.

28. The method of any of claims 1 to 27, further comprising: monitoring (314) for random access preambles from User Equipments, UEs, in nonconnected state during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous reception, DRX, windows; and refraining (316) from monitoring for random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state during time periods between the plurality network DRX windows.

29. A network node for a Radio Access Network, RAN, of a cellular communications system, the network node adapted to: transmit (310) one or more reference signals needed by User Equipments, UEs, in nonconnected state, during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous transmission, DTX, windows; andrefrain (312) from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in nonconnected state, during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows.

30. The network node of claim 29, further adapted to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 28.

31. A network node (700) for a Radio Access Network, RAN, of a cellular communications system, the network node (700) comprising: a communication interface (706); and processing circuitry (702) associated with the communication interface (706), the processing circuitry (702) configured to cause the network node (700) to: transmit (310) one or more reference signals needed by User Equipments, UEs, in non-connected state, during at least one of a plurality of network discontinuous transmission, DTX, windows; and refrain (312) from transmitting the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, during time periods between the plurality network DTX windows.

32. The network node (700) of claim 31, wherein the processing circuitry (702) is further configured to cause the network node (700) to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 28.

33. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: receiving (400), from a network node, information that configures one or more parameters that define a network Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) / Discontinuous Reception (DRX) pattern comprising a plurality of network DTX / DRX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state and / or during which the network node monitors for one or more reference signals and / or random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state; and performing (408-412) one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern comprising the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the one or more parameters comprise a start time, a DTX / DRX window length, and / or a DTX / DRX window periodicity.

35. The method of any of claims 33 to 34, further comprising receiving (402), from a networknode, an indication that network DTX / DRX operation is activated.

36. The method of any of claims 33 to 35, wherein the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DTX pattern, the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows is a plurality of network DTX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, and the method further comprises transmitting (406), to a network node, an indication that transmission of one or more reference signals needed by the UE for at least one non-connected state procedure is desired in an upcoming DTX window of the plurality of network DTX windows.

37. The method of any of claims 33 to 36, wherein the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DTX pattern, the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows is a plurality of network DTX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, and one or more reference signals needed by the UE for one or more non-connected state procedures are only transmitted within at least some of the plurality of network DTX windows defined by the network DTX pattern.

38. The method of any of claims 33 to 37, wherein the UE is in non-connected state, the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DTX pattern, the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows is a plurality of network DTX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, and performing (408, 410) the one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern comprises receiving (408), during at least one of the plurality of network DTX windows, one or more reference signals needed by UEs in the non-connected state.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the one or more reference signals needed by UEs in the non-connected state comprise any one or more of: a cell-specific reference signal, a synchronization signal block, a channel state information reference signal, and a tracking reference signal.

40. The method of claim 38 or 39, wherein performing (408, 410) the one or more nonconnected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern further comprises performing (410) one or more non-connected state operations based on the one or more reference signals received during at least one of the plurality of DTX windows.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the one or more non-connected state operations comprise one or more Radio Resource Management, RRM, measurements.

42. The method of any of claims 33 to 41, wherein the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DTX pattern, the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows is a plurality of network DTX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state, and the method further comprises receiving (404), from a network node, information that configures the UE with one or more relaxed measurement parameters that are coordinated with the network DTX pattern.

43. The method of any of claims 33 to 37, wherein the UE is in non-connected state, the network DTX / DRX pattern is a network DRX pattern, the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows is a plurality of network DRX windows during which the network node monitors for one or more reference signals and / or random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state, and performing (412) the one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern comprises transmitting (412) a random access preamble during at least one of the plurality of network DRX windows.

44. A User Equipment, UE, adapted to: receive (400), from a network node, information that configures one or more parameters that define a network Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) / Discontinuous Reception (DRX) pattern comprising a plurality of network DTX / DRX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state and / or during which the network node monitors for one or more reference signals and / or random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state; and perform (408-412) one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern comprising the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows.

45. The UE of claim 44, further adapted to perform the method of any of claims 34 to 43.

46. A User Equipment, UE, (600) comprising: a communication interface (612) comprising a transmitter (618) and a receiver (620); and processing circuitry (602) associated with the communication interface (612), the processing circuity (602) configured to cause the UE (600) to:receive (400), from a network node, information that configures one or more parameters that define a network Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) / Discontinuous Reception (DRX) pattern comprising a plurality of network DTX / DRX windows during which the network node transmits reference signals needed by UEs in non-connected state and / or during which the network node monitors for one or more reference signals and / or random access preambles from UEs in non-connected state; and perform (408-412) one or more non-connected state procedures in accordance with the network DTX / DRX pattern comprising the plurality of network DTX / DRX windows.

47. The UE (600) of claim 46, wherein the processing circuitry (602) is further configured to cause the UE (600) to perform the method of any of claims 34 to 43.

Images