Multicast random access channel communications

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a network node may transmit, to a plurality of user equipments (UEs), a multicast Message 4. The network node may identify a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs. Numerous other aspects are described.

Description

MULTICAST RANDOM ACCESS CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONSCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This Patent Application claims priority to India Provisional Patent Application No. 202341046202, filed on July 10, 2023, entitled “MULTICAST RANDOM ACCESS CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS,” and assigned to the assignee hereof. The disclosure of the prior Application is considered part of and is incorporated by reference into this Patent Application.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication and to techniques and apparatuses for multicast random access channel communications.BACKGROUND

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, or the like). Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC- FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE / LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP).

[0004] A wireless network may include one or more network nodes that support communication for wireless communication devices, such as a user equipment (UE) or multiple UEs. A UE may communicate with a network node via downlink communications and uplink communications. “Downlink” (or “DL”) refers to a communication link from the network node to the UE, and “uplink” (or “UL”) refers to a communication link from the UE to the network node. Some wireless networks may support device-to-device communication, such as via a local link (e.g., a sidelink (SL), a wireless local area network (WLAN) link, and / or a wireless personal area network (WPAN) link, among other examples).

[0005] The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different UEs to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and / or global level. New Radio (NR), whichmay be referred to as 5G, is a set of enhancements to the LTE mobile standard promulgated by the 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) (CP-OFDM) on the downlink, using CP-OFDM and / or single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) (also known as discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink, as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation. As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, further improvements in LTE, NR, and other radio access technologies remain useful.SUMMARY

[0006] A non-terrestrial network is a communication network that operates outside of the earth’s terrestrial boundary. A non-terrestrial network may include satellite networks, high- altitude platform systems, and / or low-earth-orbit constellations, among other examples. A nonterrestrial network may provide one or more benefits over terrestrial networks, such as a wide coverage area, global connectivity, rapid deployment, and increased mobility, among other examples. However, a non-terrestrial network may have one or more differences as compared to terrestrial networks. For example, non-terrestrial network communications (such as communications between a non-terrestrial network node and a user equipment (UE) located on the ground) may have long round-trip times due to the distance between the devices. Additionally, the large coverage of non-terrestrial networks may cause the network to experience capacity issues on the radio access air interface, for example, due to the increased load of the random access procedure.

[0007] In some aspects, as part of a multicast contention resolution messaging in a nonterrestrial network (NTN), a network node may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4, and may identify a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs. In some examples, a network node may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast group radio resource control (RRC) message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer. In some examples, the network node may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4, and may receive, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4. In some examples, a UE may receive, from a network node, a multicast Message 4, and may receive, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs. In some examples, a UE may receive, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control planeearly data transfer. In some examples, a UE may receive, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4, and may transmit, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0008] In some aspects, by communicating multicast Message 4 and / or by communicating multicast group RRC messages for early data transfer, the described techniques can be used to reduce communication delays between a network node, such as an NTN node, and a UE. For example, the described techniques may enable multiple UEs to be scheduled in a single narrowband physical downlink shared channel communication, which may improve a downlink capacity of the NTN node. Additionally, the described techniques may reduce the latency of random access channel (RACH) procedures by allowing RACH messages (such as Message 4 communications) to be scheduled and transmitted to groups of UEs, rather than scheduling and transmitting the RACH messages to each UE individually. Even further, the described techniques may reduce a narrowband physical RACH (NPRACH) load due to a reduced number of contention resolution expiries that occur, for example, in RACH peak load conditions. These example advantages, among others, are described in more detail below.

[0009] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by a network node. The method may include transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4. The method may include identifying a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs.

[0010] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by a network node. The method may include transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

[0011] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by a network node. The method may include transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4. The method may include receiving, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0012] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by a UE. The method may include receiving, from a network node, a multicast Message 4. The method may include receiving, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs.

[0013] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by a UE. The method may include receiving, from a network node, a multicastgroup RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

[0014] Some aspects described herein relate to a method of wireless communication performed by a UE. The method may include receiving, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4. The method may include transmitting, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0015] Some aspects described herein relate to a network node for wireless communication. The network node may include one or more memories and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories. The one or more processors may be configured to transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4. The one or more processors may be configured to identify a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs.

[0016] Some aspects described herein relate to a network node for wireless communication. The network node may include one or more memories and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories. The one or more processors may be configured to transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

[0017] Some aspects described herein relate to a network node for wireless communication. The network node may include one or more memories and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories. The one or more processors may be configured to transmit, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4. The one or more processors may be configured to receive, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0018] Some aspects described herein relate to a UE for wireless communication. The UE may include one or more memories and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories. The one or more processors may be configured to receive, from a network node, a multicast Message 4. The one or more processors may be configured to receive, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs.

[0019] Some aspects described herein relate to a UE for wireless communication. The UE may include one or more memories and one or more processors coupled to the one or more memories. The one or more processors may be configured to receive, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

[0020] Some aspects described herein relate to a UE for wireless communication. The UE may include one or more memories and one or more processors coupled to the one or morememories. The one or more processors may be configured to receive, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4. The one or more processors may be configured to transmit, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0021] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions for wireless communication by a network node. The set of instmctions, when executed by one or more processors of the network node, may cause the network node to transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the network node, may cause the network node to identify a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs.

[0022] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions for wireless communication by a network node. The set of instmctions, when executed by one or more processors of the network node, may cause the network node to transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

[0023] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions for wireless communication by a network node. The set of instmctions, when executed by one or more processors of the network node, may cause the network node to transmit, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the network node, may cause the network node to receive, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0024] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions for wireless communication by a UE. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the UE, may cause the UE to receive, from a network node, a multicast Message 4. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the UE, may cause the UE to receive, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs.

[0025] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions for wireless communication by a UE. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the UE, may cause the UE to receive, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

[0026] Some aspects described herein relate to a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions for wireless communication by a UE. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the UE, may cause the UE to receive, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4. The set of instructions, when executed by one or more processors of the UE, may cause the UE to transmit, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0027] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4. The apparatus may include means for identifying a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs.

[0028] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

[0029] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4. The apparatus may include means for receiving, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0030] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for receiving, from a network node, a multicast Message 4. The apparatus may include means for receiving, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs.

[0031] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for receiving, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

[0032] Some aspects described herein relate to an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus may include means for receiving, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4. The apparatus may include means for transmitting, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0033] Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, base station, network entity,network node, wireless communication device, and / or processing system as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the drawings and specification.

[0034] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages, will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purposes of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims.

[0035] While aspects are described in the present disclosure by illustration to some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that such aspects may be implemented in many different arrangements and scenarios. Techniques described herein may be implemented using different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and / or packaging arrangements. For example, some aspects may be implemented via integrated chip embodiments or other non-modulecomponent based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, rctail / purchasing devices, medical devices, and / or artificial intelligence devices). Aspects may be implemented in chip-level components, modular components, non-modular components, non-chip-level components, device-level components, and / or system-level components. Devices incorporating described aspects and features may include additional components and features for implementation and practice of claimed and described aspects. For example, transmission and reception of wireless signals may include one or more components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders, and / or summers). It is intended that aspects described herein may be practiced in a wide variety of devices, components, systems, distributed arrangements, and / or end-user devices of varying size, shape, and constitution.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] So that the above-recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to aspects, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the description may admit to other equallyeffective aspects. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements.

[0037] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0038] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network node in communication with a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0039] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example disaggregated base station architecture, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0040] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a regenerative satellite deployment and an example of a transparent satellite deployment in a non-terrestrial network.

[0041] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of mobile-originated control plane early data transfer, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0042] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a group contention resolution identity message.

[0043] Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating examples of message structures, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0044] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a network node, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0045] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a network node, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0046] Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a network node, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0047] Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a UE, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0048] Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a UE, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0049] Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a UE, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0050] Fig. 14 is a diagram of an example apparatus for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0051] Fig. 15 is a diagram of an example apparatus for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] Various aspects generally relate to wireless networks. Some aspects more specifically relate to multicast contention resolution messaging in a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some examples, a network node may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4, and may identify a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs. In some examples, a network node may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer. In some examples, the network node may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4, and may receive, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4. In some examples, a UE may receive, from a network node, a multicast Message 4, and may receive, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs. In some examples, a UE may receive, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer. In some examples, a UE may receive, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4, and may transmit, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0053] Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In some examples, by communicating multicast Message 4 and / or by communicating multicast group RRC messages for early data transfer, the described techniques can be used to reduce communication delays between a network node, such as an NTN node, and a UE. For example, the described techniques may enable multiple UEs to be scheduled in a single narrowband physical downlink shared channel communication, which may improve a downlink capacity of the NTN node. Additionally, the described techniques may reduce the latency of random access channel (RACH) procedures by allowing RACH messages (such as Message 4 communications) to be scheduled and transmitted to groups of UEs, rather than scheduling and transmitting the RACH messages to each UE individually. Even further, the described techniques may reduce a narrowband physical RACH (NPRACH) load due to a reduced number of contention resolution expiries that occur, for example, in RACH peak load conditions. These example advantages, among others, are described in more detail below.

[0054] Various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will bethorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. One skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined with any other aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim.

[0055] Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and techniques. These apparatuses and techniques will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, or the like (collectively referred to as “elements”). These elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0056] While aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with a 5G or New Radio (NR) radio access technology (RAT), aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other RATs, such as a 3G RAT, a 4G RAT, and / or a RAT subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G).

[0057] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network 100, in accordance with the present disclosure. The wireless network 100 may be or may include elements of a 5G (e.g., NR) network and / or a 4G (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)) network, among other examples. The wireless network 100 may include one or more network nodes 110 (shown as a network node 110a, a network node 110b, a network node 110c, and a network node 1 lOd), a user equipment (UE) 120 or multiple UEs 120 (shown as a UE 120a, a UE 120b, a UE 120c, a UE 120d, and a UE 120e), and / or other entities. A network node 110 is a network node that communicates with UEs 120. As shown, a network node 110 may include one or more network nodes. For example, a network node 110 may be an aggregated network node, meaning that the aggregated network node is configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single radio access network (RAN) node (e.g., within a single device or unit). As another example, a network node 110 may be a disaggregated network node (sometimes referred to as a disaggregated base station), meaning that the network node 110 is configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more nodes (such as one or more central units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs)).

[0058] In some examples, a network node 110 is or includes a network node that communicates with UEs 120 via a radio access link, such as an RU. In some examples, a network node 110 is or includes a network node that communicates with other network nodes 110 via a fronthaul link or a midhaul link, such as a DU. In some examples, a network node 110 is or includes a network node that communicates with other network nodes 110 via a midhaul link or a core network via a backhaul link, such as a CU. In some examples, a network node 110 (such as an aggregated network node 110 or a disaggregated network node 110) may include multiple network nodes, such as one or more RUs, one or more CUs, and / or one or more DUs. A network node 110 may include, for example, an NR base station, an LTE base station, a Node B, an eNB (e.g., in 4G), a gNB (e.g., in 5G), an access point, a transmission reception point (TRP), a DU, an RU, a CU, a mobility element of a network, a core network node, a network element, a network equipment, a RAN node, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the network nodes 110 may be interconnected to one another or to one or more other network nodes 110 in the wireless network 100 through various types of fronthaul, midhaul, and / or backhaul interfaces, such as a direct physical connection, an air interface, or a virtual network, using any suitable transport network.

[0059] In some examples, a network node 110 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), the term “cell” can refer to a coverage area of a network node 110 and / or a network node subsystem serving this coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. A network node 110 may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and / or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs 120 with service subscriptions. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs 120 with service subscriptions. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by UEs 120 having association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs 120 in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A network node 110 for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro network node. A network node 110 for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico network node. A network node 110 for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto network node or an in-home network node. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the network node 110a may be a macro network node for a macro cell 102a, the network node 110b may be a pico network node for a pico cell 102b, and the network node 110c may be a femto network node for a femto cell 102c. A network node may support one or multiple (e.g., three) cells. In some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of the cell may move according to the location of a network node 110 that is mobile (e.g., a mobile network node).

[0060] In some aspects, the terms “base station” or “network node” may refer to an aggregated base station, a disaggregated base station, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB)node, a relay node, or one or more components thereof. For example, in some aspects, “base station” or “network node” may refer to a CU, a DU, an RU, a Near-Real Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC), or a Non-Real Time (Non-RT) RIC, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the terms “base station” or “network node” may refer to one device configured to perform one or more functions, such as those described herein in connection with the network node 110. In some aspects, the terms “base station” or “network node” may refer to a plurality of devices configured to perform the one or more functions. For example, in some distributed systems, each of a quantity of different devices (which may be located in the same geographic location or in different geographic locations) may be configured to perform at least a portion of a function, or to duplicate performance of at least a portion of the function, and the terms “base station” or “network node” may refer to any one or more of those different devices. In some aspects, the terms “base station” or “network node” may refer to one or more virtual base stations or one or more virtual base station functions. For example, in some aspects, two or more base station functions may be instantiated on a single device. In some aspects, the terms “base station” or “network node” may refer to one of the base station functions and not another. In this way, a single device may include more than one base station.

[0061] The wireless network 100 may include one or more relay stations. A relay station is a network node that can receive a transmission of data from an upstream node (e.g., a network node 110 or a UE 120) and send a transmission of the data to a downstream node (e.g., a UE 120 or a network node 110). A relay station may be a UE 120 that can relay transmissions for other UEs 120. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the network node 1 lOd (e.g., a relay network node) may communicate with the network node 110a (e.g., a macro network node) and the UE 120d in order to facilitate communication between the network node 110a and the UE 120d. A network node 110 that relays communications may be referred to as a relay station, a relay base station, a relay network node, a relay node, a relay, or the like.

[0062] The wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes network nodes 110 of different types, such as macro network nodes, pico network nodes, femto network nodes, relay network nodes, or the like. These different types of network nodes 110 may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and / or different impacts on interference in the wireless network 100. For example, macro network nodes may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts) whereas pico network nodes, femto network nodes, and relay network nodes may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

[0063] A network controller 130 may couple to or communicate with a set of network nodes 110 and may provide coordination and control for these network nodes 110. The network controller 130 may communicate with the network nodes 110 via a backhaul communication link or a midhaul communication link. The network nodes 110 may communicate with one another directly or indirectly via a wireless or wireline backhaul communication link. In someaspects, the network controller 130 may be a CU or a core network device, or may include a CU or a core network device.

[0064] The UEs 120 may be dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE 120 may be stationary or mobile. A UE 120 may include, for example, an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, and / or a subscriber unit. A UE 120 may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device, a biometric device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, a smart wristband, smart jewelry (e.g., a smart ring or a smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device, and / or a satellite radio), a vehicular component or sensor, a smart meter / sensor, industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, a UE function of a network node, and / or any other suitable device that is configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

[0065] Some UEs 120 may be considered machine-type communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UEs. An MTC UE and / or an eMTC UE may include, for example, a robot, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a remote device, a sensor, a meter, a monitor, and / or a location tag, that may communicate with a network node, another device (e.g., a remote device), or some other entity. Some UEs 120 may be considered Intemet-of-Things (loT) devices, and / or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband loT) devices. Some UEs 120 may be considered a Customer Premises Equipment. A UE 120 may be included inside a housing that houses components of the UE 120, such as processor components and / or memory components. In some examples, the processor components and the memory components may be coupled together. For example, the processor components (e.g., one or more processors) and the memory components (e.g., a memory) may be operatively coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, and / or electrically coupled.

[0066] In general, any number of wireless networks 100 may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network 100 may support a particular RAT and may operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT may be referred to as a radio technology, an air interface, or the like. A frequency may be referred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, or the like. Each frequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area in order to avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. In some cases, NR or 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

[0067] In some examples, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., without using a network node 110 as an intermediary to communicate with one another). For example, the UEs 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communications, device -to -device (D2D)communications, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocol (e.g., which may include a vehicle-to- vehicle (V2V) protocol, a vehicle-to-infrastmcture (V2I) protocol, or a vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) protocol), and / or a mesh network. In such examples, a UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and / or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by the network node 110.

[0068] Devices of the wireless network 100 may communicate using the electromagnetic spectrum, which may be subdivided by frequency or wavelength into various classes, bands, channels, or the like. For example, devices of the wireless network 100 may communicate using one or more operating bands. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “Sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and articles. A similar nomenclature issue sometimes occurs with regard to FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as a “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz - 300 GHz) which is identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a “millimeter wave” band.

[0069] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have identified an operating band for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz - 24.25 GHz). Frequency bands falling within FR3 may inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and thus may effectively extend features of FR1 and / or FR2 into mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz - 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz - 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz - 300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0070] With the above examples in mind, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term “sub-6 GHz” or the like, if used herein, may broadly represent frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. Further, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term “millimeter wave” or the like, if used herein, may broadly represent frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1, and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band. It is contemplated that the frequencies included in these operating bands (e.g., FR1, FR2, FR3, FR4, FR4-a, FR4-1, and / or FR5) may be modified, and techniques described herein are applicable to those modified frequency ranges.

[0071] In some aspects, the network node 110 may include a communication manager 150. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 150 may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4; and identify an radio network identifier associatedwith the plurality of UEs. In some other aspects, as described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 150 may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer. In some other aspects, as described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 150 may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4; and receive, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 150 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0072] In some aspects, the UE 120 may include a communication manager 140. As described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 140 may receive, from a network node, a multicast Message 4; and receive, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs. In some other aspects, as described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 140 may receive, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer. In some other aspects, as described in more detail elsewhere herein, the communication manager 140 may receive, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4; and transmit, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 140 may perform one or more other operations described herein.

[0073] As indicated above, Fig. 1 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 1.

[0074] Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example 200 of a network node 110 in communication with a UE 120 in a wireless network 100, in accordance with the present disclosure. The network node 110 may be equipped with a set of antennas 234a through 234t, such as T antennas (T> 1). The UE 120 may be equipped with a set of antennas 252a through 252r, such as R antennas (R > 1). The network node 110 of example 200 includes one or more radio frequency components, such as antennas 234 and a modem 232. In some examples, a network node 110 may include an interface, a communication component, or another component that facilitates communication with the UE 120 or another network node. Some network nodes 110 may not include radio frequency components that facilitate direct communication with the UE 120, such as one or more CUs, or one or more DUs.

[0075] At the network node 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data, from a data source 212, intended for the UE 120 (or a set of UEs 120). The transmit processor 220 may select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCSs) for the UE 120 based at least in part on one or more channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from that UE 120. The network node110 may process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for the UE 120 based at least in part on the MCS(s) selected for the UE 120 and may provide data symbols for the UE 120. The transmit processor 220 may process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI)) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, and / or upper layer signaling) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. The transmit processor 220 may generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). A transmit (TX) multiple -input multiple -output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and / or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide a set of output symbol streams (e.g., T output symbol streams) to a corresponding set of modems 232 (e.g., T modems), shown as modems 232a through 232t. For example, each output symbol stream may be provided to a modulator component (shown as MOD) of a modem 232. Each modem 232 may use a respective modulator component to process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modem 232 may further use a respective modulator component to process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and / or upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The modems 232a through 232t may transmit a set of downlink signals (e.g., T downlink signals) via a corresponding set of antennas 234 (e.g., T antennas), shown as antennas 234a through 234t.

[0076] At the UE 120, a set of antennas 252 (shown as antennas 252a through 252r) may receive the downlink signals from the network node 110 and / or other network nodes 110 and may provide a set of received signals (e.g., R received signals) to a set of modems 254 (e.g., R modems), shown as modems 254a through 254r. For example, each received signal may be provided to a demodulator component (shown as DEMOD) of a modem 254. Each modem 254 may use a respective demodulator component to condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and / or digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. Each modem 254 may use a demodulator component to further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from the modems 254, may perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and may provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, may provide decoded data for the UE 120 to a data sink 260, and may provide decoded control information and system information to a controller / processor 280. The term “controller / processor” may refer to one or more controllers, one or more processors, or a combination thereof. A channel processor may determine a reference signal received power (RSRP) parameter, a received signal strength indicator (RS SI) parameter, a reference signalreceived quality (RSRQ) parameter, and / or a CQI parameter, among other examples. In some examples, one or more components of the UE 120 may be included in a housing 284.

[0077] The network controller 130 may include a communication unit 294, a controller / processor 290, and a memory 292. The network controller 130 may include, for example, one or more devices in a core network. The network controller 130 may communicate with the network node 110 via the communication unit 294.

[0078] One or more antennas (e.g., antennas 234a through 234t and / or antennas 252a through 252r) may include, or may be included within, one or more antenna panels, one or more antenna groups, one or more sets of antenna elements, and / or one or more antenna arrays, among other examples. An antenna panel, an antenna group, a set of antenna elements, and / or an antenna array may include one or more antenna elements (within a single housing or multiple housings), a set of coplanar antenna elements, a set of non-coplanar antenna elements, and / or one or more antenna elements coupled to one or more transmission and / or reception components, such as one or more components of Fig. 2.

[0079] On the uplink, at the UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information (e.g., for reports that include RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, and / or CQI) from the controller / processor 280. The transmit processor 264 may generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 if applicable, further processed by the modems 254 (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM), and transmitted to the network node 110. In some examples, the modem 254 of the UE 120 may include a modulator and a demodulator. In some examples, the UE 120 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of the antenna(s) 252, the modem(s) 254, the MIMO detector 256, the receive processor 258, the transmit processor 264, and / or the TX MIMO processor 266. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., the controller / processor 280) and the memory 282 to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein (e.g., with reference to Figs. 5-15).

[0080] At the network node 110, the uplink signals from UE 120 and / or other UEs may be received by the antennas 234, processed by the modem 232 (e.g., a demodulator component, shown as DEMOD, of the modem 232), detected by a MIMO detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 120. The receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and provide the decoded control information to the controller / processor 240. The network node 110 may include a communication unit 244 and may communicate with the network controller 130 via the communication unit 244. The network node 110 may include a scheduler 246 to schedule one or more UEs 120 for downlink and / or uplink communications. In some examples, the modem 232 of the network node 110 may include a modulator and a demodulator. In some examples, the network node 110 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include anycombination of the antenna(s) 234, the modem(s) 232, the MIMO detector 236, the receive processor 238, the transmit processor 220, and / or the TX MIMO processor 230. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., the controller / processor 240) and the memory 242 to perform aspects of any of the methods described herein (e.g., with reference to Figs. 5-15).

[0081] The controller / processor 240 of the network node 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or any other component(s) of Fig. 2 may perform one or more techniques associated with multicast contention resolution, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 240 of the network node 110, the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120, and / or any other component(s) of Fig. 2 may perform or direct operations of, for example, process 800 of Fig. 8, process 900 of Fig. 9, process 1000 of Fig. 10, process 1100 of Fig. 11, process 1200 of Fig. 12, process 1300 of Fig. 13, and / or other processes as described herein. The memory 242 and the memory 282 may store data and program codes for the network node 110 and the UE 120, respectively. In some examples, the memory 242 and / or the memory 282 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions (e.g., code and / or program code) for wireless communication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed (e.g., directly, or after compiling, converting, and / or interpreting) by one or more processors of the network node 110 and / or the UE 120, may cause the one or more processors, the UE 120, and / or the network node 110 to perform or direct operations of, for example, process 800 of Fig. 8, process 900 of Fig. 9, process 1000 of Fig. 10, process 1100 of Fig. 11, process 1200 of Fig. 12, process 1300 of Fig. 13, and / or other processes as described herein. In some examples, executing instructions may include running the instructions, converting the instructions, compiling the instructions, and / or interpreting the instructions, among other examples.

[0082] In some aspects, the network node 110 includes means for transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4; and / or means for identifying a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs. The means for the network node 110 to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of communication manager 150, transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, modem 232, antenna 234, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, memory 242, or scheduler 246.

[0083] In some aspects, the network node 110 includes means for transmitting, to a plurality of UE), a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer. The means for the network node 110 to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of communication manager 150, transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, modem 232, antenna 234, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, memory 242, or scheduler 246.

[0084] In some aspects, the network node 110 includes means for transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supportscommunicating multicast Message 4; and / or means for receiving, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4. The means for the network node 110 to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of communication manager 150, transmit processor 220, TX MIMO processor 230, modem 232, antenna 234, MIMO detector 236, receive processor 238, controller / processor 240, memory 242, or scheduler 246.

[0085] In some aspects, the UE 120 includes means for receiving, from a network node, a multicast Message 4; and / or means for receiving, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs. The means for the UE 120 to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of communication manager 140, antenna 252, modem 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, controller / processor 280, or memory 282.

[0086] In some aspects, the UE 120 includes means for receiving, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer. The means for the UE 120 to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of communication manager 140, antenna 252, modem 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, controller / processor 280, or memory 282.

[0087] In some aspects, the UE 120 includes means for receiving, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4; and / or means for transmitting, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4. The means for the UE 120 to perform operations described herein may include, for example, one or more of communication manager 140, antenna 252, modem 254, MIMO detector 256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor 266, controller / processor 280, or memory 282.

[0088] In some aspects, an individual processor may perform all of the functions described as being performed by the one or more processors. In some aspects, one or more processors may collectively perform a set of functions. For example, a first set of (one or more) processors of the one or more processors may perform a first function described as being performed by the one or more processors, and a second set of (one or more) processors of the one or more processors may perform a second function described as being performed by the one or more processors. The first set of processors and the second set of processors may be the same set of processors or may be different sets of processors. Reference to “one or more processors” should be understood to refer to any one or more of the processors described in connection with Fig.2. Reference to “one or more memories” should be understood to refer to any one or more memories of a corresponding device, such as the memory described in connection with Fig.2. For example, functions described as being performed by one or more memories can be performed by the same subset of the one or more memories or different subsets of the one or more memories.

[0089] While blocks in Fig. 2 are illustrated as distinct components, the functions described above with respect to the blocks may be implemented in a single hardware, software, or combination component or in various combinations of components. For example, the functions described with respect to the transmit processor 264, the receive processor 258, and / or the TX MIMO processor 266 may be performed by or under the control of the controller / processor 280.

[0090] As indicated above, Fig. 2 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 2.

[0091] Deployment of communication systems, such as 5G NR systems, may be arranged in multiple manners with various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system, or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a RAN node, a core network node, a network element, a base station, or a network equipment may be implemented in an aggregated or disaggregated architecture. For example, a base station (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR base station, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a TRP, or a cell, among other examples), or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality, may be implemented as an aggregated base station (also known as a standalone base station or a monolithic base station) or a disaggregated base station. “Network entity” or “network node” may refer to a disaggregated base station, or to one or more units of a disaggregated base station (such as one or more CUs, one or more DUs, one or more RUs, or a combination thereof).

[0092] An aggregated base station (e.g., an aggregated network node) may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node (e.g., within a single device or unit). A disaggregated base station (e.g., a disaggregated network node) may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more units (such as one or more CUs, one or more DUs, or one or more RUs). In some examples, a CU may be implemented within a network node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed throughout one or multiple other network nodes. The DUs may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU also can be implemented as virtual units, such as a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU), among other examples.

[0093] Base station-type operation or network design may consider aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, disaggregated base stations may be utilized in an IAB network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (such as the networkconfiguration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)) to facilitate scaling of communication systems by separating base station functionality into one or more units that can be individually deployed. A disaggregated base station may include functionality implemented across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as functionality implemented for at least one unit virtually, which can enable flexibility in network design. The various units of the disaggregated base station can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit of the disaggregated base station.

[0094] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example disaggregated base station architecture 300, in accordance with the present disclosure. The disaggregated base station architecture 300 may include a CU 310 that can communicate directly with a core network 320 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 320 through one or more disaggregated control units (such as a Near-RT RIC 325 via an E2 link, or a Non-RT RIC 315 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) Framework 305, or both). A CU 310 may communicate with one or more DUs 330 via respective midhaul links, such as through Fl interfaces. Each of the DUs 330 may communicate with one or more RUs 340 via respective fronthaul links. Each of the RUs 340 may communicate with one or more UEs 120 via respective radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 120 may be simultaneously served by multiple RUs 340.

[0095] Each of the units, including the CUs 310, the DUs 330, the RUs 340, as well as the Near-RT RICs 325, the Non-RT RICs 315, and the SMO Framework 305, may include one or more interfaces or be coupled with one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to one or multiple communication interfaces of the respective unit, can be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. In some examples, each of the units can include a wired interface, configured to receive or transmit signals over a wired transmission medium to one or more of the other units, and a wireless interface, which may include a receiver, a transmitter or transceiver (such as an RF transceiver), configured to receive or transmit signals, or both, over a wireless transmission medium to one or more of the other units.

[0096] In some aspects, the CU 310 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions can include radio resource control (RRC) functions, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) functions, or service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) functions, among other examples. Each control function can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 310. The CU 310 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (for example, Central Unit - User Plane (CU-UP)functionality), control plane functionality (for example, Central Unit - Control Plane (CU-CP) functionality), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 310 can be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. A CU-UP unit can communicate bidirectionally with a CU-CP unit via an interface, such as the El interface when implemented in an O-RAN configuration. The CU 310 can be implemented to communicate with a DU 330, as necessary, for network control and signaling.

[0097] Each DU 330 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions to control the operation of one or more RUs 340. In some aspects, the DU 330 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers depending, at least in part, on a functional split, such as a functional split defined by the 3 GPP. In some aspects, the one or more high PHY layers may be implemented by one or more modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, and modulation and demodulation, among other examples. In some aspects, the DU 330 may further host one or more low PHY layers, such as implemented by one or more modules for a fast Fourier transform (FFT), an inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, or physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, among other examples. Each layer (which also may be referred to as a module) can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 330, or with the control functions hosted by the CU 310.

[0098] Each RU 340 may implement lower-layer functionality. In some deployments, an RU 340, controlled by a DU 330, may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low-PHY layer functions, such as performing an FFT, performing an iFFT, digital beamforming, or PRACH extraction and filtering, among other examples, based on a functional split (for example, a functional split defined by the 3 GPP), such as a lower layer functional split. In such an architecture, each RU 340 can be operated to handle over the air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 120. In some implementations, real-time and non-real- time aspects of control and user plane communication with the RU(s) 340 can be controlled by the corresponding DU 330. In some scenarios, this configuration can enable each DU 330 and the CU 310 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0099] The SMO Framework 305 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 305 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operations and maintenance interface (such as an 01 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 305 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) platform 390) to perform network element life cycle management (such as to instantiate virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface(such as an 02 interface). Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, CUs 310, DUs 330, RUs 340, non-RT RICs 315, and Near-RT RICs 325. In some implementations, the SMO Framework 305 can communicate with a hardware aspect of a 4G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 311, via an 01 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO Framework 305 can communicate directly with each of one or more RUs 340 via a respective 01 interface. The SMO Framework 305 also may include a Non-RT RIC 315 configured to support functionality of the SMO Framework 305.

[0100] The Non-RT RIC 315 may be configured to include a logical function that enables non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updates, or policy -based guidance of applications / features in the Near-RT RIC 325. The Non-RT RIC 315 may be coupled to or communicate with (such as via an Al interface) the Near-RT RIC 325. The Near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to include a logical function that enables near-realtime control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions over an interface (such as via an E2 interface) connecting one or more CUs 310, one or more DUs 330, or both, as well as an O-eNB, with the Near-RT RIC 325.

[0101] In some implementations, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the Near-RT RIC 325, the Non-RT RIC 315 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from external servers. Such information may be utilized by the Near-RT RIC 325 and may be received at the SMO Framework 305 or the Non-RT RIC 315 from non-network data sources or from network functions. In some examples, the Non-RT RIC 315 or the Near-RT RIC 325 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the Non-RT RIC 315 may monitor long-term trends and patterns for performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO Framework 305 (such as reconfiguration via an 01 interface) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as Al interface policies).

[0102] As indicated above, Fig. 3 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 3.

[0103] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example 400 of a regenerative satellite deployment and an example 410 of a transparent satellite deployment in a non-terrestrial network.

[0104] Example 400 shows a regenerative satellite deployment. In example 400, a UE 120 is served by a satellite 420 via a service link 430. For example, the satellite 420 may include a network node 110 (e.g., network node 110a) or a gNB. In some aspects, the satellite 420 may be referred to as a non-terrestrial base station, a regenerative repeater, or an on-board processing repeater. In some aspects, the satellite 420 may demodulate an uplink radio frequency signal, and may modulate a baseband signal derived from the uplink radio signal to produce a downlinkradio frequency transmission. The satellite 420 may transmit the downlink radio frequency signal on the service link 430. The satellite 420 may provide a cell that covers the UE 120.

[0105] Example 410 shows a transparent satellite deployment, which may also be referred to as a bent-pipe satellite deployment. In example 410, a UE 120 is served by a satellite 440 via the service link 430. The satellite 440 may be a transparent satellite. The satellite 440 may relay a signal received from gateway 450 via a feeder link 460. For example, the satellite may receive an uplink radio frequency transmission, and may transmit a downlink radio frequency transmission without demodulating the uplink radio frequency transmission. In some aspects, the satellite may frequency convert the uplink radio frequency transmission received on the service link 430 to a frequency of the uplink radio frequency transmission on the feeder link 460, and may amplify and / or filter the uplink radio frequency transmission. In some aspects, the UEs 120 shown in example 400 and example 410 may be associated with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) capability or a Global Positioning System (GPS) capability, though not all UEs have such capabilities. The satellite 440 may provide a cell that covers the UE 120.

[0106] The service link 430 may include a link between the satellite 440 and the UE 120, and may include one or more of an uplink or a downlink. The feeder link 460 may include a link between the satellite 440 and the gateway 450, and may include one or more of an uplink (e.g., from the UE 120 to the gateway 450) or a downlink (e.g., from the gateway 450 to the UE 120). An uplink of the service link 430 may be indicated by reference number 430-U (not shown in Fig. 4) and a downlink of the service link 430 may be indicated by reference number 430-D (not shown in Fig. 4). Similarly, an uplink of the feeder link 460 may be indicated by reference number 460-U (not shown in Fig. 4) and a downlink of the feeder link 460 may be indicated by reference number 460-D (not shown in Fig. 4).

[0107] The feeder link 460 and the service link 430 may each experience Doppler effects due to the movement of the satellites 420 and 440, and potentially movement of a UE 120. These Doppler effects may be significantly larger than in a terrestrial network. The Doppler effect on the feeder link 460 may be compensated for to some degree, but may still be associated with some amount of uncompensated frequency error. Furthermore, the gateway 450 may be associated with a residual frequency error, and / or the satellite 420 / 440 may be associated with an on-board frequency error.

[0108] As indicated above, Fig. 4 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 4.

[0109] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example 500 of mobile-originated control plane early data transfer, in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0110] As shown by reference number 0, a network node, such as an eNB, may transmit, to one or more UEs, an indication that a feature is enabled in a cell. For example, eNB may transmit an indication that multicast Message 4 (Msg 4) is to be supported. The eNB may transmit the indication, for example, to UE1 and UEn.[oni] As shown by reference number 1, the UEs (e.g., UE1 and UEn) may transmit, and the eNB may receive, a random access preamble. The random access preamble may include an early data transfer (EDT) resource. The random access preamble may be associated with mobile-originated (MO) data and / or small data. UEs that satisfy MO EDT criteria may select the EDT narrowband PRACH (NPRACH) resource and may trigger a contention-based RACH procedure.

[0112] As shown by reference number 2, the eNB may transmit, and the UEs may receive, a random access response. In some aspects, the UEs may be allocated a temporary cell radio network identifier (T-CRNTI) and msg3 uplink grant in msg2.

[0113] As shown by reference number 3, the UEs may transmit, and the eNB may receive, an RRC early data request (RRCEarlyDataRequesf) message. For example, UE1 may transmit, and the eNB may receive, an RRC early data request message that includes a serving temporary mobile subscriber identity (S-TMSI) indication, an establishment cause indication, a dedicated information NAS indication, which encapsulates user small data. Additionally, UEn may transmit, and the eNB may receive, an RRC early data request message that includes an S-TMSI indication, an establishment cause indication, a dedicated information NAS indication. In some aspects, UEs which are capable of multicast Msg4 feature may set the ‘multiCastMsg4’ bit in msg3. After sending the msg3, the UEs may monitor narrowband physical downlink control channel (NPDCCH) CSS scrambled with T-CRNTI and the new multicast group RNTI and mobile RNTI (M-RNTI).

[0114] As shown by reference number 4, the eNB may transmit, and a mobile management entity (MME) may receive, an Sl-AP initial UE message. For example, the eNB may transmit a first Sl-AP initial UE message that includes UL NAS transport information associated with UE1 in accordance with receiving the RRC early data request indication from UE1, and may transmit a second Sl-AP initial UE message that includes UL NAS transport information associated with UEn in accordance with receiving the RRC early data request indication from UE / / . In some aspects, the eNB sends the initial UE message along with the user plane data (received in msg3) to the MME.

[0115] As shown by reference number 5, the MME may transmit, and a serving gateway (SGW) may receive, protocol data unit (PDU) session information and data. In some aspects, the core network establishes a PDU session and sends the user data to SGW.

[0116] As shown by reference number 6, the eNB may transmit, and the UEs may receive, a multicast RRC early data complete (RRCEarlyDataComplete) indication and a multicast contention resolution identity (CRI) medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE). In some aspects, the eNB may transmit dedicated information for the NAS. In some aspects, the eNB may group the RRCEarlyDataComplete messages of several UEs along with the CRI MAC CEs in a group CRI MAC CE, and may schedule using an M-RNTI. An example structure of the group CRI MAC-CE is shown in Fig. 6. An example structure of the multicast Msg 4 is shown in Fig. 7.

[0117] Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) feedback for msg4 may not be able to be supported as in legacy communications. In legacy NB, the msg4 ACK / NACK resource, e.g., narrowband physical uplink shared channel (NPUSCH) format 2, is specified in downlink control information (DCI) which provides a msg4 narrowband physical downlink shared channel (NPDSCH) grant. In some aspects, the msg4 HARQ ACK may be implicit. In case of ACK, the UE may not need to send NPUSCH format 2. In case of NACK, a MAC contention resolution timer may expire, and a RACH procedure may be restarted. In some aspects, each UE in the multicast message may have its own ACK resource. This can be indicated, e.g., in a MAC PDU (e.g., using different offsets or subcarriers for different UEs). In some aspects, there may be a “NACK-only resource” that the UEs are to use if they can decode NPDCCH and they cannot decode NPDSCH. This resource can be common for all UEs.

[0118] Example proposals and associated benefits are shown in Table 1 below.Table 1

[0119] As indicated above, Fig. 5 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 5.

[0120] Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example 600 of a group contention resolution identity (CRI) message. The group CRI message may be a group CRI MAC-CE (CRI-CE). In some aspects, the group CRI-CE may be a logical channel identifier (LCID). The group CRI- CE can be used in cases of early contention resolution or in combined msg4 for procedure termination. For that purpose, two group CRI-CE LCIDs can be defined. A max transportblock (TB) size of 680 bits for the downlink MAC TB can be supported for the multicast msg4. In legacy, the CRI MAC-CE is of size 7 bytes, where 6 bytes are for the contention resolution identity and 1 byte is for the MAC sub header. To increase the number of UEs in the multicast msg4, the CRI-CE in the group CRI-CE may be truncated. The first octet of the CRI-CE may be the same for all of the UEs, for example, due to the structure of the S-TMSI / resume-ID which is the first information element (IE) in msg3 :S-TMSI structure 40 bits = <MMEC 8 bits> + <M-TMSI 32 bits> where M-TMSI 32 bits = <P-TMSI [0 to 15] (16 bits)> + <P-TMSI signature [16 to 23] (8 bits)> + <P-TMSI [24 to 29] (6 bits)> + 2 bits.In some cases, the S-TMSI may also be used as a contention resolution identity. The S-TMSI may not necessarily be a truncated ID of 24 bits, but rather may be 32 bits or a whole 40 bits.

[0121] To ensure that there is no false match of the truncated CRI-CE in the group CRI-CE, the eNB may include 24 bits from the third octet of the common control channel (CCCH) service data unit (SDU) (msg3).

[0122] As indicated above, Fig. 6 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 6.

[0123] Fig. 7 are diagrams illustrating examples 700 and 705 of message structures, in accordance with the present disclosure. In a first example, a group CRI-CE may be used for early contention resolution in the case of non-EDT. An example of a group CRI-CE is shown by reference number 700. In a second example, such as when an RRCEarlyDataComplete message does not carry UE specific data or configuration, a single RRCEarlyDataComplete message can be scheduled to terminate the EDT procedure of multiple UEs. An example of a single, common RRCEarlyDataComplete message is shown by reference number 705. In an example where there is no subsequent downlink data (e.g., as in the second example), a size of an RRCEarlyDataComplete message is approximately 8 bits without any optional fields. Thus, 24 bits (for truncated CRI-CE) may be used as common for all UEs, where 16 bits are for the MAC sub-header and 8 bits for the RRCEarlyDataComplete message. The total number of UEs that can be multiplexed in a single TB of size 680 bits is approximately 26 or 27 UEs. In an example where there is subsequent downlink data, the RRCEarlyDataComplete can include a dedicatedlnfoNAS message. Assuming the DL data is an application-level acknowledgement packet, the approximate size of the RRCEarlyDataComplete message can be estimated as 8 bits (ack) + 120 bits (NAS evolved packet system session management (ESM) header) + 8 bits RRC PDU = approximately 136 bits. Thus, per UE, 160 bits (24 bits CRI CE + 136 bits RRC PDU) may be assumed. Common bits may be 16 (for the MAC sub-header). The total number of UEs that can be included in a single TB of size 680 bits is 3 UEs.

[0124] As indicated above, Fig. 7 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from what is described with regard to Fig. 7.

[0125] Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example process 800 performed, for example, by a network node, in accordance with the present disclosure. Example process 800 is an example where the network node (e.g., network node 110) performs operations associated with multicast contention resolution.

[0126] As shown in Fig. 8, in some aspects, process 800 may include transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4 (block 810). For example, the network node (e.g., using transmission component 1504 and / or communication manager 1506, depicted in Fig. 15) may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4, as described above.

[0127] As further shown in Fig. 8, in some aspects, process 800 may include identifying a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs (block 820). For example, the network node (e.g., using communication manager 1506, depicted in Fig. 15) may identify a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs, as described above.

[0128] Process 800 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0129] In a first aspect, process 800 includes transmitting, to the plurality of UEs, an indication of the group radio network identifier.

[0130] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, identifying the group radio network identifier comprises identifying the group radio network identifier for scrambling a narrowband physical downlink control channel.

[0131] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, transmitting the multicast Message 4 comprises transmitting a medium access control message that includes an indication of the multicast Message 4.

[0132] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, process 800 includes receiving, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the UE is configmed to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0133] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, receiving the indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4 comprises receiving a Message 3 indicating that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0134] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, process 800 includes transmitting, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0135] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, transmitting the indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4 comprises transmitting a system information blockindicating that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0136] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, the system information block is a system information block 2 (SIB2).

[0137] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighth aspects, process 800 includes transmitting, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that HARQ transmissions are implicit.

[0138] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, the indication that the HARQ transmissions are implicit indicates that the UE is not to send a narrowband physical uplink shared channel format 2 message in accordance with an acknowledgement.

[0139] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through tenth aspects, the indication that the HARQ transmissions are implicit indicates that a medium access control contention resolution timer is to expire, and a random access channel procedure is to be restarted, in accordance with a negative acknowledgement.

[0140] In a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eleventh aspects, process 800 includes transmitting, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication of a HARQ resource to be used for HARQ transmissions.

[0141] In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through twelfth aspects, transmitting the indication of the HARQ resource comprises transmitting a medium access control protocol data unit that includes the indication of the HARQ resource.

[0142] In a fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through thirteenth aspects, process 800 includes transmitting, to the plurality of UEs, a negative acknowledgement resource to be used by the plurality of UEs in accordance with one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink control channel and not being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink shared channel.

[0143] In a fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourteenth aspects, the network node is a non-terrestrial network node.

[0144] Although Fig. 8 shows example blocks of process 800, in some aspects, process 800 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 8. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 800 may be performed in parallel.

[0145] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example process 900 performed, for example, by a network node, in accordance with the present disclosure. Example process 900 is an example where the network node (e.g., network node 110) performs operations associated with multicast contention resolution.

[0146] As shown in Fig. 9, in some aspects, process 900 may include obtaining configuration information associated with transmitting group RRC messages (block 910). For example, the network node (e.g., using reception component 1502 and / or communication manager 1506, depicted in Fig. 15) may obtain configuration information associated with transmitting group RRC messages, as described above.

[0147] As shown in Fig. 9, in some aspects, process 900 may include transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer (block 920). For example, the network node (e.g., using transmission component 1504 and / or communication manager 1506, depicted in Fig. 15) may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer, as described above.

[0148] Process 900 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0149] In a first aspect, process 900 includes scheduling a transmission of the multicast group RRC message with at least one of a multicast Message 4 or a group radio network identifier.

[0150] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, transmitting the multicast group RRC message comprises transmitting the multicast group RRC message in a same transmission as at least one of the multicast Message 4 or the group radio network identifier.

[0151] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, process 900 includes receiving, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0152] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, receiving the indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message comprises receiving a Message 3 that includes the indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0153] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, process 900 includes transmitting, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0154] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, transmitting the indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message comprises transmitting a system information block that includes an indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0155] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, the system information block is a SIB2.

[0156] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, process 900 includes grouping a plurality of RRC early data complete messages, received from a plurality of UEs, with CRI-CE in a group CRI-CE, and scheduling using a master radio network identifier.

[0157] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighth aspects, the group CRI-CE is a logical channel identifier.

[0158] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, process 900 includes truncating a CRI-CE in the group CRI-CE to increase a number of UEs included in a multicast Message 4.

[0159] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through tenth aspects, process 900 includes including twenty -four bits from a third octet of a common control channel service data unit in the group CRI-CE.

[0160] In a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eleventh aspects, the network node is a non-terrestrial network node.

[0161] Although Fig. 9 shows example blocks of process 900, in some aspects, process 900 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 9. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 900 may be performed in parallel.

[0162] Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example process 1000 performed, for example, by a network node, in accordance with the present disclosure. Example process 1000 is an example where the network node (e.g., network node 110) performs operations associated with multicast contention resolution.

[0163] As shown in Fig. 10, in some aspects, process 1000 may include transmitting, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4 (block 1010). For example, the network node (e.g., using transmission component 1504 and / or communication manager 1506, depicted in Fig. 15) may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4, as described above.

[0164] As further shown in Fig. 10, in some aspects, process 1000 may include receiving, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4 (block 1020). For example, the network node (e.g., using reception component 1502 and / or communication manager 1506, depicted in Fig. 15) may receive, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4, as described above.

[0165] Process 1000 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0166] In a first aspect, transmitting the network node capability information comprises transmitting a system information block that includes an indication of the network node capability information.

[0167] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, the system information block is a SIB2.

[0168] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, transmitting the network node capability information comprises transmitting a broadcast message that includes an indication of the network node capability information.

[0169] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, receiving the UE capability information comprises receiving an indication that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0170] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, receiving the UE capability information comprises receiving a Message 3 indicating that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0171] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, process 1000 includes receiving an indication that a UE of the plurality of UEs has set a multicast Message 4 bit in the Message 3 to indicate that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0172] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, the network node is a non-terrestrial network node.

[0173] Although Fig. 10 shows example blocks of process 1000, in some aspects, process 1000 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 10. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 1000 may be performed in parallel.

[0174] Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example process 1100 performed, for example, by a UE, in accordance with the present disclosure. Example process 1100 is an example where the UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with multicast contention resolution.

[0175] As shown in Fig. 11, in some aspects, process 1100 may include receiving, from a network node, a multicast Message 4 (block 1110). For example, the UE (e.g., using reception component 1402 and / or communication manager 1406, depicted in Fig. 14) may receive, from a network node, a multicast Message 4, as described above.

[0176] As further shown in Fig. 11, in some aspects, process 1100 may include receiving, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs(block 1120). For example, the UE (e.g., using reception component 1402 and / or communication manager 1406, depicted in Fig. 14) may receive, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs, as described above.

[0177] Process 1100 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0178] In a first aspect, receiving the multicast Message 4 comprises receiving a medium access control message that includes an indication of the multicast Message 4.

[0179] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, process 1100 includes transmitting, to the network node, an indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0180] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, transmitting the indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4 comprises transmitting a Message 3 indicating that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0181] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, process 1100 includes receiving, from the network node, an indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0182] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, receiving the indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4 comprises receiving a system information block indicating that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0183] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, the system information block is a SIB2.

[0184] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, process 1100 includes receiving, from the network node, an indication that HARQ transmissions are implicit.

[0185] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, the indication that the HARQ transmissions are implicit indicates that the UE is not to send a narrowband physical uplink shared channel format 2 message in accordance with an acknowledgement.

[0186] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighth aspects, the indication that the HARQ transmissions are implicit indicates that a medium access control contention resolution timer is to expire, and a random access channel procedure is to be restarted, in accordance with a negative acknowledgement.

[0187] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, process 1100 includes receiving, from the network node, an indication of a HARQ resource to be used for HARQ transmissions.

[0188] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through tenth aspects, receiving the indication of the HARQ resource comprises receiving a medium access control protocol data unit that includes the indication of the HARQ resource.

[0189] In a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eleventh aspects, process 1100 includes receiving, from the network node, a negative acknowledgement resource to be used by the UE in accordance with the UE being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink control channel and not being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink shared channel.

[0190] In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through twelfth aspects, the network node is a non-terrestrial network node.

[0191] Although Fig. 11 shows example blocks of process 1100, in some aspects, process 1100 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 11. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 1100 may be performed in parallel.

[0192] Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example process 1200 performed, for example, by a UE, in accordance with the present disclosure. Example process 1200 is an example where the UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with multicast contention resolution.

[0193] As shown in Fig. 12, in some aspects, process 1200 may include obtaining configuration information associated with receiving group RRC messages (block 1210). For example, the UE (e.g., using reception component 1402 and / or communication manager 1406, depicted in Fig. 14) may obtain configuration information associated with receiving group RRC messages, as described above.

[0194] As shown in Fig. 12, in some aspects, process 1200 may include receiving, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer (block 1220). For example, the UE (e.g., using reception component 1402 and / or communication manager 1406, depicted in Fig. 14) may receive, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer, as described above.

[0195] Process 1200 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0196] In a first aspect, the multicast group RRC message is transmitted to a plurality of UEs that includes the UE.

[0197] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, process 1200 includes transmitting, to the network node, an indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0198] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, transmitting the indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message comprises transmitting a Message 3 that includes the indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0199] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, process 1200 includes receiving, from the network node, an indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0200] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, receiving the indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message comprises receiving a system information block that includes an indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0201] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, the system information block is a SIB2.

[0202] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, a plurality of RRC early data complete messages, associated with a plurality of UEs, are grouped with a CRI-CE in a group CRI-CE.

[0203] In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, the group CRI-CE is a logical channel identifier.

[0204] In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighth aspects, a CRI-CE in the group CRI-CE is truncated to increase a number of UEs included in a multicast Message 4.

[0205] In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, twenty -four bits from a third octet of a common control channel service data unit are included in the group CRI-CE.

[0206] In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through tenth aspects, the network node is a non-terrestrial network node.

[0207] Although Fig. 12 shows example blocks of process 1200, in some aspects, process 1200 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Fig. 12. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 1200 may be performed in parallel.

[0208] Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example process 1300 performed, for example, by a UE, in accordance with the present disclosure. Example process 1300 is an example where the UE (e.g., UE 120) performs operations associated with multicast contention resolution.

[0209] As shown in Fig. 13, in some aspects, process 1300 may include receiving, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4 (block 1310). For example, the UE (e.g., using reception component 1402 and / or communication manager 1406, depicted in Fig. 14) may receive, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4, as described above.

[0210] As further shown in Fig. 13, in some aspects, process 1300 may include transmitting, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4 (block 1320). For example, the UE (e.g., using transmission component 1404 and / or communication manager 1406, depicted in Fig. 14) may transmit, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4, as described above.

[0211] Process 1300 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and / or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein.

[0212] In a first aspect, receiving the network node capability information comprises receiving a system information block that includes an indication of the network node capability information.

[0213] In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, the system information block is a SIB2.

[0214] In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, receiving the network node capability information comprises receiving a broadcast message that includes an indication of the network node capability information.

[0215] In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, transmitting the UE capability information comprises transmitting an indication that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0216] In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, transmitting the UE capability information comprises transmitting a Message 3 indicating that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0217] In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, process 1300 includes setting a multicast Message 4 bit in the Message 3 to indicate that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0218] In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, the network node is a non-terrestrial network node.

[0219] Although Fig. 13 shows example blocks of process 1300, in some aspects, process 1300 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arrangedblocks than those depicted in Fig. 13. Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 1300 may be performed in parallel.

[0220] Fig. 14 is a diagram of an example apparatus 1400 for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure. The apparatus 1400 may be a UE, or a UE may include the apparatus 1400. In some aspects, the apparatus 1400 includes a reception component 1402, a transmission component 1404, and / or a communication manager 1406, which may be in communication with one another (for example, via one or more buses and / or one or more other components). In some aspects, the communication manager 1406 is the communication manager 140 described in connection with Fig. 1. As shown, the apparatus 1400 may communicate with another apparatus 1408, such as a UE or a network node (such as a CU, a DU, an RU, or a base station), using the reception component 1402 and the transmission component 1404.

[0221] In some aspects, the apparatus 1400 may be configured to perform one or more operations described herein in connection with Figs. 5-7. Additionally, or alternatively, the apparatus 1400 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein, such as process 1100 of Fig. 11, process 1200 of Fig. 12, process 1300 of Fig. 13, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the apparatus 1400 and / or one or more components shown in Fig. 14 may include one or more components of the UE described in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components shown in Fig. 14 may be implemented within one or more components described in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in a memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instmctions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by a controller or a processor to perform the functions or operations of the component.

[0222] The reception component 1402 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, from the apparatus 1408. The reception component 1402 may provide received communications to one or more other components of the apparatus 1400. In some aspects, the reception component 1402 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, de-mapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, among other examples), and may provide the processed signals to the one or more other components of the apparatus 1400. In some aspects, the reception component 1402 may include one or more antennas, a modem, a demodulator, a MIMO detector, a receive processor, a controller / processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of the UE described in connection with Fig. 2.

[0223] The transmission component 1404 may transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, to the apparatus 1408. In some aspects, one or more other components of the apparatus 1400 may generate communications and may provide the generated communications to the transmission component 1404 for transmission to the apparatus 1408. In some aspects, the transmission component 1404 may perform signal processing on the generated communications (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, among other examples), and may transmit the processed signals to the apparatus 1408. In some aspects, the transmission component 1404 may include one or more antennas, a modem, a modulator, a transmit MIMO processor, a transmit processor, a controller / processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of the UE described in connection with Fig. 2. In some aspects, the transmission component 1404 may be co-located with the reception component 1402 in a transceiver.

[0224] The communication manager 1406 may support operations of the reception component 1402 and / or the transmission component 1404. For example, the communication manager 1406 may receive information associated with configuring reception of communications by the reception component 1402 and / or transmission of communications by the transmission component 1404. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 1406 may generate and / or provide control information to the reception component 1402 and / or the transmission component 1404 to control reception and / or transmission of communications.

[0225] The reception component 1402 may receive, from a network node, a multicast Message 4. The reception component 1402 may receive, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs. The transmission component 1404 may transmit, to the network node, an indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4. The reception component 1402 may receive, from the network node, an indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4. The reception component 1402 may receive, from the network node, an indication that HARQ transmissions are implicit. The reception component 1402 may receive, from the network node, an indication of a HARQ resource to be used for HARQ transmissions. The reception component 1402 may receive, from the network node, a negative acknowledgement resource to be used by the UE in accordance with the UE being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink control channel and not being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink shared channel.

[0226] The reception component 1402 may receive, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer. The transmission component 1404 may transmit, to the network node, an indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message. Thereception component 1402 may receive, from the network node, an indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0227] The reception component 1402 may receive, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4. The transmission component 1404 may transmit, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4. The communication manager 1406 may set a multicast Message 4 bit in the Message 3 to indicate that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0228] The number and arrangement of components shown in Fig. 14 are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown in Fig. 14. Furthermore, two or more components shown in Fig. 14 may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown in Fig. 14 may be implemented as multiple, distributed components. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of (one or more) components shown in Fig. 14 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components shown in Fig. 14.

[0229] Fig. 15 is a diagram of an example apparatus 1500 for wireless communication, in accordance with the present disclosure. The apparatus 1500 may be a network node, or a network node may include the apparatus 1500. In some aspects, the apparatus 1500 includes a reception component 1502, a transmission component 1504, and / or a communication manager 1506, which may be in communication with one another (for example, via one or more buses and / or one or more other components). In some aspects, the communication manager 1506 is the communication manager 150 described in connection with Fig. 1. As shown, the apparatus 1500 may communicate with another apparatus 1508, such as a UE or a network node (such as a CU, a DU, an RU, or a base station), using the reception component 1502 and the transmission component 1504.

[0230] In some aspects, the apparatus 1500 may be configured to perform one or more operations described herein in connection with Figs. 5-7. Additionally, or alternatively, the apparatus 1500 may be configured to perform one or more processes described herein, such as process 800 of Fig. 8, process 900 of Fig. 9, process 1000 of Fig. 10, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the apparatus 1500 and / or one or more components shown in Fig. 15 may include one or more components of the network node described in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components shown in Fig. 15 may be implemented within one or more components described in connection with Fig. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the set of components may be implemented at least in part as software stored in a memory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may be implemented as instmctions or code stored in a non-transitory computer-readablemedium and executable by a controller or a processor to perform the functions or operations of the component.

[0231] The reception component 1502 may receive communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, from the apparatus 1508. The reception component 1502 may provide received communications to one or more other components of the apparatus 1500. In some aspects, the reception component 1502 may perform signal processing on the received communications (such as filtering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion, demultiplexing, deinterleaving, de-mapping, equalization, interference cancellation, or decoding, among other examples), and may provide the processed signals to the one or more other components of the apparatus 1500. In some aspects, the reception component 1502 may include one or more antennas, a modem, a demodulator, a MIMO detector, a receive processor, a controller / processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of the network node described in connection with Fig. 2. In some aspects, the reception component 1502 and / or the transmission component 1504 may include or may be included in a network interface. The network interface may be configured to obtain and / or output signals for the apparatus 1500 via one or more communications links, such as a backhaul link, a midhaul link, and / or a fronthaul link.

[0232] The transmission component 1504 may transmit communications, such as reference signals, control information, data communications, or a combination thereof, to the apparatus 1508. In some aspects, one or more other components of the apparatus 1500 may generate communications and may provide the generated communications to the transmission component 1504 for transmission to the apparatus 1508. In some aspects, the transmission component 1504 may perform signal processing on the generated communications (such as filtering, amplification, modulation, digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, or encoding, among other examples), and may transmit the processed signals to the apparatus 1508. In some aspects, the transmission component 1504 may include one or more antennas, a modem, a modulator, a transmit MIMO processor, a transmit processor, a controller / processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of the network node described in connection with Fig. 2. In some aspects, the transmission component 1504 may be co-located with the reception component 1502 in a transceiver.

[0233] The communication manager 1506 may support operations of the reception component 1502 and / or the transmission component 1504. For example, the communication manager 1506 may receive information associated with configuring reception of communications by the reception component 1502 and / or transmission of communications by the transmission component 1504. Additionally, or alternatively, the communication manager 1506 may generate and / or provide control information to the reception component 1502 and / or the transmission component 1504 to control reception and / or transmission of communications.

[0234] The transmission component 1504 may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast Message 4. The communication manager 1506 may identify a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs. The transmission component 1504 may transmit, to the plurality of UEs, an indication of the group radio network identifier. The reception component 1502 may receive, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4. The transmission component 1504 may transmit, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4. The transmission component 1504 may transmit, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that HARQ transmissions are implicit. The transmission component 1504 may transmit, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication of a HARQ resource to be used for HARQ transmissions. The transmission component 1504 may transmit, to the plurality of UEs, a negative acknowledgement resource to be used by the plurality of UEs in accordance with one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink control channel and not being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink shared channel.

[0235] The transmission component 1504 may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer. The communication manager 1506 may schedule a transmission of the multicast group RRC message with at least one of a multicast Message 4 or a group radio network identifier. The reception component 1502 may receive, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message. The transmission component 1504 may transmit, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message. The communication manager 1506 may group a plurality of RRC early data complete messages, received from a plurality of UEs, with a CRI-CE in a group CRI-CE, and scheduling using a master radio network identifier. The communication manager 1506 may truncate a CRI-CE in the group CRI-CE to increase a number of UEs included in a multicast Message 4. The communication manager 1506 may include twenty -four bits from a third octet of a common control channel service data unit in the group CRI-CE.

[0236] The transmission component 1504 may transmit, to a plurality of UEs, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4. The reception component 1502 may receive, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4. The reception component 1502 may receive an indication that a UE of the plurality of UEs has set a multicast Message 4 bit in the Message 3 to indicate that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0237] The number and arrangement of components shown in Fig. 15 are provided as an example. In practice, there may be additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown in Fig. 15. Furthermore, two or more components shown in Fig. 15 may be implemented within a single component, or a single component shown in Fig. 15 may be implemented as multiple, distributed components. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of (one or more) components shown in Fig. 15 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components shown in Fig. 15.

[0238] The following provides an overview of some Aspects of the present disclosure:

[0239] Aspect 1 : A method of wireless communication performed by a network node, comprising: transmitting, to a plurality of user equipments (UEs), a multicast Message 4; and identifying a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs.

[0240] Aspect 2: The method of Aspect 1, further comprising transmitting, to the plurality of UEs, an indication of the group radio network identifier.

[0241] Aspect 3: The method of any of Aspects 1-2, wherein identifying the group radio network identifier comprises identifying the group radio network identifier for scrambling a narrowband physical downlink control channel.

[0242] Aspect 4: The method of any of Aspects 1-3, wherein transmitting the multicast Message 4 comprises transmitting a medium access control message that includes an indication of the multicast Message 4.

[0243] Aspect 5: The method of any of Aspects 1-4, further comprising receiving, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0244] Aspect 6: The method of Aspect 5, wherein receiving the indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4 comprise receiving a Message 3 indicating that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0245] Aspect 7: The method of any of Aspects 1-6, further comprising transmitting, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0246] Aspect 8: The method of Aspect 7, wherein transmitting the indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4 comprises transmitting a system information block indicating that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0247] Aspect 9: The method of Aspect 8, wherein the system information block is a system information block 2 (SIB2).

[0248] Aspect 10: The method of any of Aspects 1-9, further comprising transmitting, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) transmissions are implicit.

[0249] Aspect 11 : The method of Aspect 10, wherein the indication that the HARQ transmissions are implicit indicates that the UE is not to send a narrowband physical uplink shared channel format 2 message in accordance with an acknowledgement.

[0250] Aspect 12: The method of Aspect 10, wherein the indication that the HARQ transmissions are implicit indicates that a medium access control contention resolution timer is to expire, and a random access channel procedure is to be restarted, in accordance with a negative acknowledgement.

[0251] Aspect 13: The method of any of Aspects 1-12, further comprising transmitting, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication of a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) resource to be used for HARQ transmissions.

[0252] Aspect 14: The method of Aspect 13, wherein transmitting the indication of the HARQ resource comprises transmitting a medium access control protocol data unit that includes the indication of the HARQ resource.

[0253] Aspect 15: The method of any of Aspects 1-14, further comprising transmitting, to the plurality of UEs, a negative acknowledgement resource to be used by the plurality of UEs in accordance with one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink control channel and not being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink shared channel.

[0254] Aspect 16: The method of any of Aspects 1-15, wherein the network node is a nonterrestrial network node.

[0255] Aspect 17: A method of wireless communication performed by a network node, comprising: obtaining capability information associated with transmitting multicast group radio resource control (RRC) messages; and transmitting, to a plurality of user equipments (UEs), a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

[0256] Aspect 18: The method of Aspect 17, further comprising scheduling a transmission of the multicast group RRC message with at least one of a multicast Message 4 or a group radio network identifier.

[0257] Aspect 19: The method of Aspect 18, wherein transmitting the multicast group RRC message comprises transmitting the multicast group RRC message in a same transmission as at least one of the multicast Message 4 or the group radio network identifier.

[0258] Aspect 20: The method of Aspect 19, further comprising receiving, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0259] Aspect 21 : The method of Aspect 20, wherein receiving the indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message comprises receiving a Message 3 that includes the indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0260] Aspect 22: The method of any of Aspects 17-21, further comprising transmitting, to each UE of the plurality of UEs, an indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0261] Aspect 23 : The method of Aspect 22, wherein transmitting the indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message comprises transmitting a system information block that includes an indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0262] Aspect 24: The method of Aspect 23, wherein the system information block is a system information block 2 (SIB2).

[0263] Aspect 25: The method of any of Aspects 17-24, further comprising grouping a plurality of RRC early data complete messages, received from a plurality of UEs, with a contention resolution identity (CRI) control element (CE) (CRI-CE) in a group CRI-CE, and scheduling using a master radio network identifier.

[0264] Aspect 26: The method of Aspect 25, wherein the group CRI-CE is a logical channel identifier.

[0265] Aspect 27: The method of Aspect 25, further comprising truncating a CRI-CE in the group CRI-CE to increase a number of UEs included in a multicast Message 4.

[0266] Aspect 28: The method of Aspect 25, further comprising including twenty -four bits from a third octet of a common control channel service data unit in the group CRI-CE.

[0267] Aspect 29: The method of any of Aspects 17-28, wherein the network node is a nonterrestrial network node.

[0268] Aspect 30: A method of wireless communication performed by a network node, comprising: transmitting, to a plurality of user equipments (UEs), network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4; and receiving, from each UE of the plurality of UEs, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0269] Aspect 31 : The method of Aspect 30, wherein transmitting the network node capability information comprises transmitting a system information block that includes an indication of the network node capability information.

[0270] Aspect 32: The method of Aspect 31, wherein the system information block is a system information block 2 (SIB2).

[0271] Aspect 33 : The method of any of Aspects 30-32, wherein transmitting the network node capability information comprises transmitting a broadcast message that includes an indication of the network node capability information.

[0272] Aspect 34: The method of any of Aspects 30-33, wherein receiving the UE capability information comprises receiving an indication that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0273] Aspect 35: The method of Aspect 34, wherein receiving the UE capability information comprises receiving a Message 3 indicating that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0274] Aspect 36: The method of Aspect 35, further comprising receiving an indication that a UE of the plurality of UEs has set a multicast Message 4 bit in the Message 3 to indicate that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0275] Aspect 37: The method of any of Aspects 30-36, wherein the network node is a nonterrestrial network node.

[0276] Aspect 38: A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a network node, a multicast Message 4; and receiving, from the network node, a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs.

[0277] Aspect 39: The method of Aspect 38, wherein receiving the multicast Message 4 comprises receiving a medium access control message that includes an indication of the multicast Message 4.

[0278] Aspect 40: The method of any of Aspects 38-39, further comprising transmitting, to the network node, an indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0279] Aspect 41 : The method of Aspect 40, wherein transmitting the indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4 comprise transmitting a Message 3 indicating that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0280] Aspect 42: The method of any of Aspects 38-41, further comprising receiving, from the network node, an indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0281] Aspect 43 : The method of Aspect 42, wherein receiving the indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4 comprises receiving a system information block indicating that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4.

[0282] Aspect 44: The method of Aspect 43, wherein the system information block is a system information block 2 (SIB2).

[0283] Aspect 45: The method of any of Aspects 38-44, further comprising receiving, from the network node, an indication that hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) transmissions are implicit.

[0284] Aspect 46: The method of Aspect 45, wherein the indication that the HARQ transmissions are implicit indicates that the UE is not to send a narrowband physical uplink shared channel format 2 message in accordance with an acknowledgement.

[0285] Aspect 47 : The method of Aspect 45, wherein the indication that the HARQ transmissions are implicit indicates that a medium access control contention resolution timer is to expire, and a random access channel procedure is to be restarted, in accordance with a negative acknowledgement.

[0286] Aspect 48: The method of any of Aspects 38-47, further comprising receiving, from the network node, an indication of a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) resource to be used for HARQ transmissions.

[0287] Aspect 49: The method of Aspect 48, wherein receiving the indication of the HARQ resource comprises receiving a medium access control protocol data unit that includes the indication of the HARQ resource.

[0288] Aspect 50: The method of any of Aspects 38-49, further comprising receiving, from the network node, a negative acknowledgement resource to be used by the UE in accordance with the UE being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink control channel and not being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink shared channel.

[0289] Aspect 51 : The method of any of Aspects 38-50, wherein the network node is a nonterrestrial network node.

[0290] Aspect 52: A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: obtaining capability information associated with transmitting multicast group radio resource control (RRC) messages; and receiving, from a network node, a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

[0291] Aspect 53 : The method of Aspect 52, wherein the multicast group RRC message is transmitted to a plurality of UEs that includes the UE.

[0292] Aspect 54: The method of any of Aspects 52-53, further comprising transmitting, to the network node, an indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0293] Aspect 55: The method of Aspect 54, wherein transmitting the indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message comprises transmitting a Message 3that includes the indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0294] Aspect 56: The method of any of Aspects 52-55, further comprising receiving, from the network node, an indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0295] Aspect 57: The method of Aspect 56, wherein receiving the indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message comprises receiving a system information block that includes an indication that the network node supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

[0296] Aspect 58: The method of Aspect 57, wherein the system information block is a system information block 2 (SIB2).

[0297] Aspect 59: The method of any of Aspects 52-58, wherein a plurality of RRC early data complete messages, associated with a plurality of UEs, are grouped with a contention resolution identity (CRI) control element (CE) (CRI-CE) in a group CRI-CE.

[0298] Aspect 60: The method of Aspect 59, wherein the group CRI-CE is a logical channel identifier.

[0299] Aspect 61 : The method of Aspect 59, wherein a CRI-CE in the group CRI-CE is truncated to increase a number of UEs included in a multicast Message 4.

[0300] Aspect 62: The method of Aspect 59, wherein twenty -four bits from a third octet of a common control channel service data unit are included in the group CRI-CE.

[0301] Aspect 63 : The method of any of Aspects 52-62, wherein the network node is a nonterrestrial network node.

[0302] Aspect 64: A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a network node, network node capability information indicating that the network node supports communicating multicast Message 4; and transmitting, to the network node, UE capability information indicating that the UE supports communicating multicast Message 4.

[0303] Aspect 65: The method of Aspect 64, wherein receiving the network node capability information comprises receiving a system information block that includes an indication of the network node capability information.

[0304] Aspect 66: The method of Aspect 65, wherein the system information block is a system information block 2 (SIB2).

[0305] Aspect 67: The method of any of Aspects 64-66, wherein receiving the network node capability information comprises receiving a broadcast message that includes an indication of the network node capability information.

[0306] Aspect 68: The method of any of Aspects 64-67, wherein transmitting the UE capability information comprises transmitting an indication that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0307] Aspect 69: The method of Aspect 68, wherein transmitting the UE capability information comprises transmitting a Message 3 indicating that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0308] Aspect 70: The method of Aspect 69, further comprising setting a multicast Message 4 bit in the Message 3 to indicate that the UE supports multicast Message 4 communications.

[0309] Aspect 71: The method of any of Aspects 64-70, wherein the network node is a nonterrestrial network node.

[0310] Aspect 72: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising a processor; memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-71.

[0311] Aspect 73: A device for wireless communication, comprising a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the one or more processors configured to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-71.

[0312] Aspect 74: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one means for performing the method of one or more of Aspects 1-71.

[0313] Aspect 75: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instmctions executable by a processor to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-71.

[0314] Aspect 76: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of one or more of Aspects 1-71.

[0315] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise forms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.

[0316] As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construed as hardware and / or a combination of hardware and software. “Software” shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, and / or functions, among other examples, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. As used herein, a “processor” is implemented inhardware and / or a combination of hardware and software. It will be apparent that systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware and / or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not limiting of the aspects. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code, since those skilled in the art will understand that software and hardware can be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based, at least in part, on the description herein.

[0317] The hardware and data processing apparatus used to implement the various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose single- or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor also may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some aspects, particular processes and methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.

[0318] As used herein, “satisfying a threshold” may, depending on the context, refer to a value being greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, or the like.

[0319] Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. Many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification. The disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set. As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of’ a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a + b, a + c, b + c, and a + b + c, as well as any combination with multiples of the same element (e.g., a + a, a + a + a, a + a + b, a + a + c, a + b + b, a + c + c, b + b, b + b + b, b + b + c, c + c, and c + c + c, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0320] No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Further, asused herein, the article “the” is intended to include one or more items referenced in connection with the article “the” and may be used interchangeably with “the one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, the terms “set” and “group” are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Where only one item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similar language is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms that do not limit an element that they modify (e.g., an element “having” A may also have B). Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “or” is intended to be inclusive when used in a series and may be used interchangeably with “and / or,” unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., if used in combination with “either” or “only one of’).

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories, configured to cause the UE to: receive a multicast random access channel (RACH) message; and receive a group radio network identifier associated with a plurality of UEs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multicast RACH message is a multicast Message 4 received from a network node.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors, to receive the multicast RACH message, are configured to cause the UE to: receive, from a network node, a medium access control message that includes an indication of the multicast RACH message.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the UE to: transmit, to a network node, an indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast RACH message.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors, to transmit the indication that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4, are configured to cause the UE to: transmit, to the network node, a RACH message indicating that the UE is configured to support communicating the multicast RACH message.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the UE to: receive, from a network node, an indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast RACH message.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors, to receive the indication that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast Message 4, are configured to cause the UE to:receive, from the network node, a system information block indicating that the network node is configured to support communicating the multicast RACH message.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the system information block is a system information block 2 (SIB2).

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the UE to: receive, from a network node, an indication that hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) transmissions are implicit.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the indication that the HARQ transmissions are implicit indicates that the UE is not to send a narrowband physical uplink shared channel format 2 message in accordance with an acknowledgement.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the indication that the HARQ transmissions are implicit indicates that a medium access control contention resolution timer is to expire, and a random access channel procedure is to be restarted, in accordance with a negative acknowledgement.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the UE to: receive, from a network node, an indication of a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) resource to be used for HARQ transmissions.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors, to receive the indication of the HARQ resource, are configured to cause the UE to: receive, from the network node, a medium access control protocol data unit that includes the indication of the HARQ resource.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the UE to: receive, from a network node, a negative acknowledgement resource to be used by the UE in accordance with the UE being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink control channel and not being able to decode a narrowband physical downlink shared channel.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the multicast RACH message and the group radio network identifier are received from a network node, and the network node is a non-terrestrial network node.

16. An apparatus for wireless communication at a network node, comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories, configured to cause the network node to: transmit, to a plurality of user equipments (UEs), a multicast random access channel (RACH) message; and identify a group radio network identifier associated with the plurality of UEs.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the multicast RACH message is a multicast Message 4.

18. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, coupled to the one or more memories, configured to cause the UE to: obtain capability information associated with receiving multicast group radio resource control (RRC) messages; and receive a multicast group RRC message that includes an indication of an RRC early data complete for control plane early data transfer.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the multicast group RRC message is transmitted to a plurality of UEs that includes the UE.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are configured to cause the UE to: transmit, to a network node, an indication that the UE supports communicating the multicast group RRC message.

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