Methods for distributing reference measurements for carrier phase based positioning

Abstract

A method performed by a target UE for supporting positioning determination. The method comprises receiving context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more PRUs. The method further comprises retaining the context information and / or measurement information for use in positioning determination. The context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs.

Description

METHODS FOR DISTRIBUTING REFERENCE MEASUREMENTS FOR CARRIER PHASE BASED POSITIONINGTechnical Field[0] The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for supporting positioning determinations, and in particular to methods and apparatuses for supporting User Equipment (UE) positioning determinations using positioning reference units (PRUs).BackgroundNR positioning[1] Positioning in New Radio (NR) is supported by the architecture shown in Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram showing NG-RAN LCS Protocols. The Location management function (LMF) is typically used as the location node in NR. There are also interactions between the location node and the 5thGeneration base station, gNodeB via the NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa) protocol. The interactions between the gNodeB and the device are supported via the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol.[2] With reference to Figure 1, it should be noted that the gNB and ng-eNB may not always both be present. When both the gNB and ng-eNB are present, the NG-C interface is typically only present for one of them.[3] NR currently supports several Radio Access Technology (RAT) Dependent positioning methods, including:Downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA): The DL TDOA positioning method makes use of the DL reference signal time difference (RSTD) and optionally DL positioning reference signal (PRS) reference signal received power (RSRP) of downlink signals received from multiple transmission points (TPs), at the User Equipment (UE). The UE measures the DL RSTD (and optionally DL PRS RSRP) of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to locate the UE in relation to the neighboring TPs.Multi-Round Trip Time (RTT): The Multi-RTT positioning method makes use of the UE Reception and Transmission (Rx-Tx) measurements and DL PRS RSRP of downlink signals received from multiple Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs), measured by the UE and the measured gNB Rx-Tx measurements and Uplink (UL) Sounding Reference Signal RSRP (SRS-RSRP) at multiple TRPs of uplink signals transmitted from UE.UL-TDOA: The UL TDOA positioning method makes use of the UL TDOA (and optionally UL SRS-RSRP) at multiple RPs of uplink signals transmitted from UE. The RPs measure the UL TDOA (and optionally UL SRS-RSRP) of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to estimate the location of the UE.Downlink angle-of-departure (DL-AoD): The DL AoD positioning method makes use of the measured DL PRS RSRP of downlink signals received from multiple TPs, at the UE. The UE measures the DL PRS RSRP of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to locate the UE in relation to the neighboring TPs.Uplink Angle of Arrival (UL-AoA): The UL AoA positioning method makes use of the measured azimuth and zenith of arrival at multiple RPs of uplink signals transmitted from the UE. The RPs measure A- AoA and Z-AoA of the received signals using assistance data received from the positioning server, and the resulting measurements are used along with other configuration information to estimate the location of the UE.NR Enhanced Cell ID (NR-ECID): NR ECID positioning refers to techniques which use additional UE measurements and / or NR radio resource and other measurements to improve the UE location estimate.[4] The positioning modes can be categorized as:UE-Assisted: The UE performs measurements with or without assistance from the network and sends these measurements to the Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centre (E- SMLC) where the position calculation may take place.UE-Based: The UE performs measurements and calculates its own position with assistance from the network.Standalone: The UE performs measurements and calculates its own without network assistance.Carrier phase based positioning[5] Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) carrier phase positioning has been used successfully for centimeter-level accuracy positioning but is limited to outdoor applications. One objective of the 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) release 18 (Rel.18) work items is to specify physical layer measurements and signaling to support NR carrier phase positioning. In the Rel. 18 Work Item Description for Expanded and improved NR positioning, the following objective is stated: “Specify physical layer measurements and signaling tosupport NR DL and UL carrier phase positioning for UE-based, UE-assisted, and NG-RAN node assisted positioning [RANI, RAN2, RAN3, RAN4],Existing DL PRS and UL SRS for positioning are used for NR carrier phase measurements. Specify measurements that are limited to a single carrier / PFL.Specify corresponding new core requirements, as well as identifying and specifying the impact on the existing RAN4 specification, including RRM measurements without measurement gaps in connected and inactive mode (including PRS measurement period / reporting) and procedures [RAN4] ”Carrier phase measurements[6] Assume a link with one transmitter and one receiver. The transmitted pass-band signal is given by[7] where s(t) denotes the baseband signal and fcdenotes the carrier frequency. The term (Φ0is an offset due to Tx imperfect synchronization, it includes the RF phase-difference compared to an ideal oscillator.[8] Assume line-of-sight (LOS) conditions and no multipath, the channel iswhere T0= d / c is the transition delay, c the speed of light and d the length of the LOS path between the transmitter and the receiver. The received passband-signal is the convolution[9] After down-conversion, the received baseband signal iswhere the term (ΦO— Φ1) is an offset due to Rx / Tx imperfect synchronization, it includes the RF phase-difference compared to an ideal oscillator. A carrier phase measurement of this transmission will return the phase

[0010] In the equation above (Equation 1), the term 2πN corresponds to a modulus operation such that the measured phase is in the range [0, 2π]

[0011] Figure 2 illustrates a carrier phase measurement subject to a transmission phase offset and a receive phase offset.

[0012] In the present disclosure, the terms “Tx phase offset” or “transmission phase offset” are used to refer to 0O- and the terms “Rx phase offset” or “receive phase offset” are used to referDifferentiation Schemes

[0013] For carrier-phase based positioning, it is the transmission delay T0in Equation (1) which is of interest. The offset terms 0O— fa need to be estimated or cancelled out for the measurement to be accurate. In a scenario with multiple transmitters and multiple receivers, this can be accomplished by differentiation.

[0014] Rx Phase difference: If the term 0X(which is due to the receiver RF offset) is the same for carrier phase measurements performed by one receiver from multiple transmitters, then 0Xcan be canceled out if the phase difference between transmitters is computed, e.g. differentiating Eq. (1) between the transmitters.

[0015] Tx Phase difference: If the term 0O(which is due to the transmitter RF offset) is the same for carrier phase measurements performed by multiple receivers from one transmitter, then 0Ocan be canceled out if the phase difference between receivers is computed, e.g. differentiating Eq. (1) between the receivers.

[0016] Double differentiation: By combining the two differentiation methods, a doubledifferentiation scheme can be obtained which results in that all the unknown offsets are cancelled out.

[0017] A basic differentiation scheme may use some or all of the following assumptions: Assumption 1: For one specific receiver, the Rx phase offset is the same for received signals from all transmitters, andAssumption 2: For one specific transmitter, the Tx phase offset is the same for transmitted signals to all receivers.

[0018] Assumption 1 implies that the transmitter uses the same RF chain (including beamforming, if used) to transmit the signal to receivers k and K. Assumption 2 implies that the receiver uses the same RF chain (including beamforming, if used) to receive signals from transmitter i and j. This is due to the fact that beamformers introduce additional phase offsets (which can be included in 0Oand 0X) to the transmitted / received signals.

[0019] Figure 1 illustrates assumptions for differentiation schemes: The Rx phase offset fa is the same for signals from all transmitters (i and j). The transmission phase offset (f>^ is the same for all receivers (k and K).

[0020] Returning to 3GPP Rel.18 WI, the following agreements are made:

[0021] “RAN1#112: AgreementNR DL reference signal carrier phase (RSCP) (of i-th path) is defined as the phase of the channel response at the i-th path delay derived from the resource elements (REs) that carry the DL PRS signals configured for the measurement. A RSCP is associated with a specific RF frequency.• FFS: the reference point of the RSCP• FFS: whether / how the measurement timing is defined• Note: the i-th path is used for the sake of definition, whether only the first path or additional paths will be supported is subject to further discussion• Note: Whether to capture the above definition into TS 38.215 depends on whether RANI decides to introduce DL carrier phase measurement for NR CPPRAN 1 # 112 AgreementFor NR DL reference signal carrier phase difference (RSCPD) measurement for NR CPP, the RSCPD is defined as the difference of RSCPs measured from the DL PRS signals from target TRP and reference TRP.• Note: Whether / how to capture the above definition into TS 38.215 depends on whether RAN 1 decides to introduce DL carrier phase difference measurement for NR CPPRAN1#112bis-e AgreementIntroduce DL reference carrier phase (DL RSCP) and NR DL reference carrier phase difference (DL RSCPD) as DL carrier phase measurements.Note: It is up to RAN4 to decide whether and how to define the requirements for DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD. No LS needed to RAN4 for this note.DL RSCP can be reported together with UE Rx - Tx time difference measurementDL RSCPD can be reported together with RSTD measurementFFS: details on how to eliminate unknown initial Rx phase with RSCP / RSCPD reporting can be further discussedNote: Whether to support standalone DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD reporting, or DL RSCP / DL RSCPD reporting with other new types of measurements (if agreed), can be further discussed. RAN 1 # 113 AgreementFor UE-based carrier phase positioning, support enabling LMF to forward the DL carrier phase measurement reported by a PRU, with additional information of the same PRU to a target UE for UE-based carrier phase positioning in the positioning assistance data.Note: Whether the forwarded DL carrier phase measurement is DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD depends at least on which of them is (are) supported by UE capability. additional information of the same PRU includes at least PRU location.FFS: additional PRU information, e.g. the AoD of PRU to each TRP, etc.

[0022] Some or all of the above agreements may be relevant to the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, the term “PRU” is used as an abbreviation for “Positioning Reference Unit”. A PRU may be a UE with known position. The term “Target UE” is used in the present disclosure to refer to the UE that should be positioned, i.e. the UE that shall receive assistance data from a network node, for example from a Location Management Function (LMF). The DL RSCP measurement that is referred to herein corresponds to the measurement of equation (1). The DL RSCPD measurement corresponds to the (in downlink) Rx phase difference discussed above.

[0023] RP 223549, New WID on Expanded and Improved NR Positioning, available at https: / / www.3gpp.org / ftp / TSG_RAN / TSG_RAN / TSGR_98e / Docs / as of 9 August 2023, discusses solutions for introducing sidelink ranging / positioning, to introduce integrity for RAT-dependent positioning methods, to enable LPHAP use-case 6 defined in TS 22.104, to improve positioning accuracy, and to introduce support of positioning for RedCap UEs.

[0024] 3GPP TR 38.859 V18.0.0, Study on expanded and improved NR positioning (Release 18), available at https: / / portal.3gpp.org / desktopmodules / Specifications / SpecificationDetails. aspx?specificationld=3985 as of 9 August 2023 documents requirements, additional scenarios, evaluations, and technical proposals relating to NR positioning and provides a way forward toward normative work on expanded enhancements to NR positioning in TSG RAN WGs.

[0025] 3GPP TS 37.355 V17.4.0, LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) (Release 17), available at https: / / portal.3gpp.org / desktopmodules / Specifications / SpecificationDetails.aspx7specificatio n!d=3710 as of 9 August 2023 defines the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) for the radio access technologies E-UTRA / LTE and NR.

[0026] There currently exist certain challenge(s). It is expected that network nodes that are or support LMF should forward PRU measurements to target UEs, however several details on the exact information that may be forwarded are not determined. In particular, it is not yet determined:a. Exactly what information about the PRU context and state and PRU measurements should network nodes that are or comprise LMFs forward to Target UEs. b. What shall be done when there is more than one PRU that LMF can forward information for? c. Signaling aspects including1. which messages should include the PRU measurements and PRU context and state,2. how to handle parameters that vary over time?Summary

[0027] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to the above or other challenges. Embodiments may provide solutions for signaling of PRU measurements and related information. Embodiments may provide solutions for signaling of PRU context. Embodiments may provide systems for cases with multiple PRUs by: a. Specifying LMF behavior, b. Forwarding information about multiple PRUs, and / or c. Merging the information about multiple PRUs into a single “non-physical PRU” (also referred to as a virtual PRU).

[0028] Embodiments may provide solutions for periodic or event-triggered signaling of timevarying parameters.

[0029] Embodiments may disclose the content of the messages in which LMF forwards carrier phase measurements from one or multiple PRUs to a Target UE. Embodiments may disclose contents of the messages in which LMF provides context information for one or multiple PRUs to a target UE. Embodiments may introduce the notion of non-physical PRUs and associated signaling. Embodiments may disclose procedural descriptions of how and when the Target UE requests and receives information, including one or more of: a. LMF providing periodic updates on PRU related assistance information to the Target UE. b. LMF providing event-triggered updates on PRU related assistance information to the Target UE.

[0030] It is an object of the present invention to enable differentiation of carrier phase measurements performed by a Target UE and a PRU, which may mitigate the problem of Tx initial phase offset at the network side. Embodiments may provide some or all of:a. Details of the parameters and measurements that need to be provided to enable differentiation. b. Reduced signaling overhead for the assistance information provided by LMF to the Target UE, by means of periodic or event triggered reporting of PRU measurements and context information. c. Signaling providing reduced latency. d. Reduced signaling overhead and improved accuracy by supporting virtual PRUs

[0031] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a target UE for supporting positioning determination. The method comprises receiving context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more PRUs. The method further comprises retaining the context information and / or measurement information for use in positioning determination. The context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs.

[0032] A further embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method performed by a network node for supporting positioning determination. The method comprises obtaining context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more PRUs. The method further comprises initiating transmission of the context information and / or measurement information to a Target UE. The context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs.

[0033] Further embodiments of the present disclosure provide UEs and network nodes configured to execute the methods discussed herein.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0034] For a beter understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how it may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0035] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing NG-RAN LCS Protocols;Fig 2 is an illustration of a carrier phase measurement subject to a transmission phase offset and a receive phase offset;Fig. 3 is an illustration of assumptions for differentiation schemes;Fig 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments;Fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments;Fig. 6 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;Fig. 7 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;Fig. 8 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments;Fig. 9 is a block diagram of a host;Fig. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; andFig. 11 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.Detailed Description

[0036] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0037] Figure 4 depicts a method for supporting positioning determination in accordance with particular embodiments. The method 4 may be performed by a target UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE 612 or UE 700 as described later with reference to Figures 6 and 7 respectively). The method begins at step 402 with the target UE receiving context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more positioning reference units (PRUs). In some embodiments, the context information and / or measurement information is received from a network node, for example, the network node 610 or 800 as described later with reference to Figures 6 and 8 respectively). The method continues at step 404 with the target UE retaining (for example, storing in a memory that is part of or connected to the target UE) the context information and / or measurement information for use in positioning determination.

[0038] Figure 5 depicts a method for supporting positioning determination in accordance with particular embodiments. The method 5 may be performed by a network node (e.g. the network node 610 or network node 800 as described later with reference to Figures 6 and 8 respectively). In some embodiments, the network node may be or may comprise a LMF. The method begins at step 502 with the network node obtaining context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more PRUs. The method continues at step 504 with the network node initiating transmission of the context information and / or measurement information to a Target UE, for example, the target UE 612 or UE 700 as described later with reference to Figures 6 and 7 respectively. References to “initiating transmission” encompass transmitting and also causing a separate node to transmit, for example, in step 504 the network node may transmit the context information and / or measurement information to a Target UE itself, or may cause (for example, by instruction) another node to transmit the context information and / or measurement information to a Target UE.

[0039] Embodiments concern carrier phase-based positioning in downlink and how carrier phase measurements performed by a first UE can be distributed to network nodes and other UEs to enable double differentiation (for example, as discussed above). Typically, a first UE has a known position (henceforth referred to as “positioning reference unit”, PRU), and the other UEs will be referred to as “Target UEs”. In general, there can be more than one PRU that perform carrier phase measurements. In deployments utilizing beamforming, vicinity impliesthe PRU and UEs measure / receive the same signal being transmitted by a network node, and network nodes measure / receive the PRU and the UE transmitted signals with the same receiving beam.

[0040] In some embodiments discussed herein, the signaling of carrier phase measurements and PRU context and state may be between one or more UEs and an LMF. In other embodiments the signaling may be between one or more UEs and another network node (e.g., gNB, gNB- DU, eNB, and so on).PRU Context and State

[0041] The terms “context” or “state” of a PRU, are used herein to refer to contextual information about the PRU, for example location, orientation or velocity. Also referred to herein are PRU measurements or measurements related information.

[0042] The term PRU is used herein; typically a PRU is a UE (or a virtual UE derived using several UEs). The term PRU is used to emphasize the role that this UE has: it is a UE that performs reference measurements that are used by another (target) UE for positioning.

[0043] In some embodiments, a UE / PRU may share its location and other context information with LMF using the ProvideLocationlnformation message, CommonlEsProvideLocationlnformation IE:CommonlEs ProvideLocationlnf ormation : : = SEQUENCE { locationEstimate Locationcoordinates OPTIONAL , velocityEstimate Velocity OPT IONAL , locationError LocationError OPT IONAL ,• • • r [ [ earlyFixReport-rl 2 EarlyFixReport-rl2 OPTIONAL] 1 , [ [ locationSource-rl 3 LocationSource-rl3 OPTIONAL , locationTimestamp-rl3 UTCTime OPTIONAL] 1 , [ [ segmentationlnf o-rl 4 Segmentationlnf o-rl 4 OPTIONAL - Cond Segmentation ] 1 , [ [ integritylnf o-rl 7 Integritylnf o-rl7 OPTIONAL] ] }

[0044] In some embodiments, a network node (for example, LMF) provides a Target UE with context information about one or multiple PRUs. The context information may include the location information of one or more PRUs and may also include one or more of their velocity,estimated location error or uncertainty (e.g., a number of a geometrical shape), confidence level, location information source (e.g., GNSS, Bluetooth, sensors, wlan, etc.), and timestamp. The location information may comprise one or more of: absolute location or relative location, location coordinates, reference coordinate system, the reference for the relative location, 2D location, 3D location, latitude, longitude, azimuth, GPS coordinates, an area ID, cell ID, cell portion ID, an indication whether it is the same cell or same cell portion as the target UE or not, and so on.

[0045] In some embodiments, the retaining of the PRU context info by the target UE may comprise storing the received PRU context to be used later on. In some embodiments, the stored context can be used for positioning determination(s) only during the positioning session during which it was received. In other embodiments, the stored context can be used for positioning determination in another positioning session. In some embodiments, the stored context can be used for one or more purposes other than positioning, e.g., for sensing or sidelink communication.

[0046] In some embodiments, there is a maximum validity time associated with the received location information. The maximum validity time may be pre-defined, or the validity time may be comprised in the received context.

[0047] In some embodiment, the context information may be for other one or more UEs that are physical (e.g., comprise or are comprised in a physical object and / or equipped with a radio antenna) or non-physical / virtual. A non-physical / virtual UE may comprise a virtual point and the context-information of a non-physical UE may be synthesized by LMF or some other node. For each UE that LMF provides context information about, a LMF may indicate with a flag whether it is physical or non-physical / virtual.

[0048] In some embodiments, prior to providing the context information of a UE (such as a physical UE), a positioning node or a location server may obtain the UE’s consent related to sharing such data.

[0049] For UE-based positioning, a LMF can provide the Target UE with assistance data that is used for position calculation. The NR-PositionCalculationAssistance-r 16 IE is defined in LPP 3GPP TS 37.355 V17.4.0, LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) (Release 17):— ASN1 STARTNR- Pos itionCalculationAs sistance-rl 6 : : = SEQUENCE { nr-TRP-LocationInfo-rl 6 NR-TRP-LocationInfo-rl 6OPT IONAL , — Need ONnr-DL-PRS-Beamlnf o-rl 6 NR-DL- PRS-Beamlnf o-rl 6OPT IONAL , — Need ON nr-RTD- Info-rl 6 NR-RTD- Info-rl 6OPT IONAL , — Need ON• • • r[ [ nr-TRP-BeamAntenna lnf o-rl 7 NR-TRP-BeamAntennalnf o- rl7 OPT IONAL , — Need ON nr-DL-PRS-Expected-LOS -NLOS -As s istance-rl7NR-DL-PRS -ExpectedLOS-NLOS-As s istance- rl7OPT IONAL , — Need ON nr-DL-PRS-TRP-TEG-Inf o-rl7 NR-DL- PRS-TRP-TEG-Inf o-rl7OPTIONAL — Need ON ] ]}— ASN1 STOP

[0050] In some embodiments, the context information for one or multiple PRUs may be included in the NR-PositionCalculationAssistance-rl 6 IE. The context information included in the NR- PositionCalculationAssistance IE may include one or more of: the location information of one or more PRUs, the velocity of the PRU / PRUs, the estimated location error or uncertainty, confidence level, location information source, and timestamp. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the context information for one or multiple PRUs may be included in a new IE that is different from NR-PositionCalculationAssistance-rl6 IE. The context information included in the new IE may include one or more of: the location information of one or more PRUs, the velocity of the PRU / PRUs, the estimated location error or uncertainty, confidence level, location information source, and timestamp.

[0051] In some embodiments, the context information for one or multiple PRUs may be provided by LMF to the Target UE periodically with a configurable periodicity.

[0052] In some embodiments, the context information for the one or multiple PRUs may be provided by LMF to the Target UE based on a triggering event, triggering condition, or a timer. For example, sending of the new / updated context information may be triggered when the position of PRU has changed by more than a threshold value or that some other contextual information has changed by more than a threshold value. The threshold(s) may be pre-defined or configurable. The threshold(s) may depend on the PRU and / or target UE speed.

[0053] In some embodiments, the target UE may receive a message indicating that one or several previously received PRU context(s) may not be used any longer. This prevents the target UEfrom using data that would be erroneous, and allows the network to stop the UE from using a PRU that is not in the target UE vicinity, even when a new PRU in vicinity is not available.

[0054] In some embodiments, the target UE may receive a PRU context superseding (that is, replacing) a previously received context, either from the same PRU or a new PRU. This allows the target UE to efficiently manages the assistance information, and e.g. replace a PRU out of vicinity of the target UE with a PRU in vicinity.

[0055] In some embodiments, when LMF obtains updates of the context information about a PRU, the LMF may directly forward the update to the Target UE. In some examples, the updated data can comprise only the fields which have changed compared to the previously sent data.

[0056] In some embodiments, the target UE requests the LMF for context information or an update to the context information for one or multiple PRUs. In response to the request from the target UE, the LMF may provide the context information for the one or multiple PRUs. In some embodiments, the LMF only provides the fields which have changed compared to a previous provided context information by the LMF to that target UE. In some embodiments, the LMF, in response to the request from the target UE, provides one or more of: the location information of one or more PRUs, the velocity of the one or more PRUs, the estimated location error or uncertainty, confidence level, location information source, and timestamp.

[0057] In some embodiments, In one detailed embodiment, the context information is provided periodically where periodicity (periodic interval) is based upon one or more of the below factors: a. the rate of change of PRU context information b. the transport delay (e.g., considering the time duration in obtaining the information from PRUs and in providing LPP assistance data to the target UE) c. upon UE request and desired / requested periodic interval

[0058] In some embodiments, the context information provided to UE may depend on UE capability to perform different types of carrier phase measurements.PeriodicAssistanceDataControlParametersIn some embodiments, the below LPP change is done to support the periodic transfer of PRU Assistance data. The IE PeriodicAssistanceDataControlParameters is used in a periodic assistance data (AD) delivery procedure as described in clauses 5.2.1a and 5.2.2a:— ASN1 STARTPeriodicAssistanceDataControlParameters-rl5 : := SEQUENCE { periodicSessionID-rl5 PeriodicSessionID-rl5 ,• • • r [ [ updateCapabilities-rl5 UpdateCapabilities-rl5 OPTIONAL — Need ON ] ] } PeriodicSessionID-rl5 : := SEQUENCE { periodicSession!nitiator-rl5 ENUMERATED { locationserver , targetDevice , ... }, periodicSessionNumber-rl5 INTEGER (0. .255) ,• • • r pr u-AD- Deli very Inter val-r 18 ENUMERATED { ms80, msl60, ms240, ms320... } OPTIONAL }UpdateCapabilities-rl5 : := BIT STRING {primaryCellID-rl5 (0) , pru (1) } (SIZE (1. .8) )— ASN1STOP

[0059] In some embodiments, the PRU context information may be provided to Target UE to validate positioning measurement performed by target UE. The target UE may use received PRU context information to check and validate its positioning measurement not limited to carrier phase measurement.PRU Carrier Phase MeasurementsSignal ContentIt is intended that DL RSCPD may be reported together with DL PRS RSTD measurement and DL RSCP may be reported together with UE Rx - Tx time difference measurement. DL PRS RSTD is reported by a UE (e.g., a PRU) to LMF in the NR-DL-TDOA-MeasElement-r 16in LPP as defined in 3GPP TS 37.355 V17.4.0, LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) (Release 17):NR-DL-TD0A-MeasElement-rl6 : := SEQUENCE { dl-PRS-ID-rl 6 INTEGER (0..255) , nr-PhysCellID-rl6 NR-PhysCelllD-rl 6OPTIONAL, nr-CellGloballD-rl 6 NCGI-rl5OPTIONAL, nr-ARFCN-r!6 ARFCN-ValueNR-rl5OPTIONAL, nr-DL-PRS-ResourceID-r!6 NR-DL-PRS-ResourceID-rl6OPTIONAL, nr- DL-PRS -Re sourceSet ID-rl 6 NR-DL-PRS-ResourceSet ID-rl 6OPTIONAL, nr-TimeStamp-rl 6 NR-TimeStamp-rl 6 , nr-RSTD-rl6 CHOICE { k0-rl6 INTEGER (0..1970049) , kl-rl6 INTEGER (0. .985025) , k2-rl6 INTEGER (0. .492513) , k3-rl6 INTEGER (0. .246257) , k4-rl6 INTEGER (0. .123129) , k5-r!6 INTEGER (0. .61565) ,}, nr-AdditionalPathList-rl 6 NR-AdditionalPathList-rl 6OPTIONAL, nr-TimingQuality-rl 6 NR-TimingQuality-rl 6 , nr-DL-PRS-RSRP-Result-rl 6 INTEGER (0..126)OPTIONAL, nr-DL-TDOA-AdditionalMeasurements-rl 6NR-DL-TDOA-AdditionalMeasurements-rl 6 OPTIONAL, nr-UE-Rx-TEG-ID-rl7 INTEGER ( 0. . maxNumOf RxTEGs -1- rl7) OPTIONAL, nr-DL-PRS-FirstPathRSRP-Result-rl7 INTEGER (0..126) OPTIONAL, nr-los-nlos-Indicator-rl7 CHOICE { perTRP-rl7 LOS-NLOS-Indicator-rl7 , perResource-rl7 LOS-NLOS-Indicator-rl7} OPTIONAL, nr-AdditionalPathListExt-rl7 NR-AdditionalPathListExt-rl7OPTIONAL, nr-DL-TD0A-AdditionalMeasurementsExt-rl7NR-DL-TDOA- AdditionalMeasurementsExt-rl7 OPTIONAL ] ]

[0060] UE Rx-Tx time difference measurement may be reported by a UE (e.g. a PRU) to LMF in the NR-Multi-RTT-MeasElement-rl6 in LPP as defined in 3GPP TS 37.355 V17.4.0, LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) (Release 17):NR-Multi-RTT-MeasElement-rl6 : := SEQUENCE { dl-PRS-ID-rl 6 INTEGER (0..255) , nr-PhysCellID-rl6 NR-PhysCelllD-rl 6OPTIONAL, nr-CellGloballD-rl 6 NCGI-rl5OPTIONAL, nr-ARFCN-r!6 ARFCN-ValueNR-rl5OPTIONAL, nr-DL-PRS-ResourceID-r!6 NR-DL-PRS-ResourceID-rl6OPTIONAL, nr- DL-PRS -Re sourceSet ID-rl 6 NR-DL-PRS-ResourceSet ID-rl 6OPTIONAL, nr-UE-RxTxTimeDif f-rl6 CHOICE { k0-rl6 INTEGER (0. 1970049) , kl-rl6 INTEGER (0. 985025) , k2-rl6 INTEGER (0. 492513) , k3-rl6 INTEGER (0. 246257) , k4-rl6 INTEGER (0. 123129) , k5-r!6 INTEGER (0. 61565) ,}, nr-AdditionalPathList-rl 6 NR-AdditionalPathList-rl 6OPTIONAL, nr-TimeStamp-rl 6 NR-TimeStamp-rl 6 , nr-TimingQuality-rl 6 NR-TimingQuality-rl 6 , nr-DL-PRS-RSRP-Result-rl 6 INTEGER (0..126)OPTIONAL, nr-Multi-RTT-AdditionalMeasurements-rl 6NR-Multi-RTT-AdditionalMeasurements-rl 6OPTIONAL, nr-UE-RxTx-TEG-Inf o-rl7 NR-UE-RxTx-TEG-Inf o-rl7OPTIONAL, nr-DL-PRS-FirstPathRSRP-Result-rl7 INTEGER (0..126)OPTIONAL, nr-los-nlos-Indicator-rl7 CHOICE { perTRP-rl7 LOS-NLOS-Indicator-rl7 , perResource-r!7 LOS-NLOS-Indicator-rl7} OPTIONAL, nr-AdditionalPathListExt-rl7 NR-AdditionalPathListExt-rl7OPTIONAL, nr-Multi-RTT-AdditionalMeasurementsExt-rl7NR-Multi-RTT-AdditionalMea surementsExt-rl 7 OPTIONAL] ]}

[0061] Some, but typically not all, of the parameters and measurements in NR-DL-TDOA- MeasElement-rl6 or NR-Multi-RTT-MeasElement-rl6 from a UE (physical or non-physical) may be beneficial for LMF to forward to the Target UE.

[0062] In some embodiments, LMF may provide as assistance data to a Target UE, DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD measurements from one or multiple other physical or non-physical / virtual UEs (i.e. PRUs). The carrier phase measurements may be performed by the PRU / PRUs on DL PRS signals transmitted by one or multiple Network TRPs.

[0063] In some embodiments, DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD may be performed by one or more PRUs at one or multiple frequencies or subcarriers within the positioning frequency layer. LMF may provide as assistance data to a Target UE the PRU measurements from some or all of these frequencies or subcarriers.

[0064] In some embodiments, for each of the reported DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD measurements, LMF also provides related information. The related information can include one or more of:• a downlink positioning reference signal identifier, DL PRS ID,• Physical Cell ID,• Cell Global ID,• an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number, ARFCN,• a DL PRS Resource ID,• aDL PRS Resource Set ID,• a Time Stamp,• a reference signal timing difference, RSTD,• a Timing Quality,• a DL PRS reference signal received power, RSRP,• a UE received timing error group, Rx TEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx TEG ID,• a UE Rx phase error group, PEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx PEG ID,• DL PRS First Path RSRP,• a Line-of-sight / non line-of-sight, LoS / NLoS, Indicator, and• a Transmit / Receive Point, TRP, Transmission, Tx, TEG ID.

[0065] Phase error groups (PEG) may be used as a method to mitigate problems related to phase coherency of different measurements performed by a device or a network TRP. The UE Rx PEG ID defines whether the phase error difference between two carrier phase measurements at the PRU is larger than a predefined threshold or not. If the phase error difference is larger than the threshold, then a different UE Rx PEG ID (compared to the previous carrier phase measurement) is reported along with the carrier phase measurement. If the phase error difference is smaller than the threshold, then the same UE Rx PEG ID (compared to the previous carrier phase measurement) is reported along with the carrier phase measurement). As such when the PRU reports the UE Rx PEG ID associated with the carrier phase measurement to the LMF, the LMF can tell if the carrier phase measurement has changed beyond the threshold or not. This information can be used by the LMF to decide if the measurement related information from the PRU needs to be sent to the target LMF. However, in some embodiments, the UE Rx PEG ID of the PRU may not be forwarded from the target UE by the LMF.

[0066] In some embodiments, the threshold value used by the PRU to determine its UE Rx TEG ID may also be forwarded by the LMF to the target UE. In some embodiments, the threshold value used by the PRU to determine its UE Rx PEG ID may also be forwarded by the LMF to the target UE. In some embodiments, the TRP Tx TEG ID used by the TRP to transmit the DL PRS that was measured by the PRU may also forwarded by the LMF to the target UE.

[0067] In some embodiments, a positioning node may selectively include IES associated with other positioning measurement(s), adaptively to their need, relevance, or importance for RSCP or RSCPD.

[0068] In some embodiments, a LMF may indicate PFL ID corresponding to the carrier phase measurement performed / reported by PRU or multiple PRUs. In some embodiments, Target UEs may perform carrier phase measurement on the LMF indicated PFL. In other embodiments, Target UEs may not be able to perform carrier phase measurement on the LMF indicated PFL or the PFL corresponding to the carrier phase measurement performed by PRU. In this case LMF may request PRU to perform carrier phase measurement on the PFL indicated by target UE.Signalling procedures

[0069] As with PRU context info, there are many ways in which LMF may provide PRU carrier phase measurements to a Target UE. The term PRU is used to refer to one or more UEs: aPRU is one or more UEs that perform reference measurements that may be used by another (target) UE for positioning.

[0070] In some embodiments, the measurement information for the one or multiple PRUs, physical or non-physical / virtual (i.e., PRUs), may be included in the NR- PositionCalculationAssistance-rl6 IE. In some embodiments, the measurement information for the one or multiple UEs, physical or non-physical / virtual (i.e., PRUs), may be included in a new information element in LPP.

[0071] In some embodiments, the measurement information for the one or multiple PRUs, physical or non-physical, may be provided by LMF to the Target UE periodically with a configurable periodicity. The periodicity may be different compared to the periodicity with which the context information is provided (where this information is provided periodically). A higher update rate / periodicity may be needed for the measurement information, including carrier phase measurements, as compared to the PRU context information.

[0072] In some embodiments, the measurement information for the one or multiple PRUs, physical or non-physical, may be provided by LMF to the Target UE based on a triggering event, triggering condition, or timer. This may be for example that the DL RSCPD or DL RSCP measurement of one UE has changed more than a threshold or that some other measurement information has changed more than a threshold.

[0073] In some embodiments, the target UE may request the LMF for measurement information or an update to the context information for one or multiple PRUs. In response to the request from the target UE, the LMF may provide the measurement information for the one or multiple PRUs. In some embodiments, the LMF may only provides the fields which have changed compared to a previously provided measurement information by the LMF to that target UE. In some embodiments, the LMF, in response to the request from the target UE, provides one or more of the following measurement related information:• a downlink positioning reference signal identifier, DL PRS ID,• Physical Cell ID,• Cell Global ID,• an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number, ARFCN,• a DL PRS Resource ID,• aDL PRS Resource Set ID,• a Time Stamp,• a reference signal timing difference, RSTD,• a Timing Quality,• a DL PRS reference signal received power, RSRP,• a UE received timing error group, Rx TEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx TEG ID,• a UE Rx phase error group, PEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx PEG ID,• DL PRS First Path RSRP,• a Line-of-sight / non line-of-sight, LoS / NLoS, Indicator, and• a Transmit / Receive Point, TRP, Transmission, Tx, TEG ID.

[0074] In some embodiments, the measurement information for the one or multiple physical or non-physical / virtual UEs (i.e. PRUs) may be provided by means of deducing the Positioning Integrity parameters of each PRUs. The Positioning Integrity and related KPIs are defined in TS 38.305 v 17.4.0 (available at https: / / portal.3gpp.org / desktopmodules / Specifications / SpecificationDetails.aspx?specificationId=3310 as of 10 August 2023) and TS 37.355 v 17.4.0 (available at https: / / portal.3gpp.org / desktopmodules / Specifications / SpecificationDetails.aspx?specificationId=3710 as of 10 August 2023). A LMF may build the statistics (error distribution model) of PRU measurements and provide this as an assistance data to the UEs. As defined in TS 38.305; Positioning integrity: A measure of the trust in the accuracy of the position-related data and the ability to provide associated alerts.

[0075] In some embodiments, the mean, variance, standard deviation, and / or maximal absolute value for each measurement DL RSTD, DL RSCP , DL RSCPD may be provided to target UE using LPP Assistance data.

[0076] In some embodiments, the measurement information may be provided by means of positioning system information block (posSIBs) where LMF gathers the information of PRU from each cell and provides the content to gNB to broadcast the PRU context information in the relevant cells. The information is typically grouped per cell; where characteristics (context information) of PRU (especially stationary PRUs) from a cell is retrieved and a statistical error distribution is drawn / deduced and provided as a broadcast information. An example structure is as below:PRU ID: I where I is integer between ( 1 to 4096)PRU Location: (x, y, z), cell IDPRU Mobility Status: Stationary / MobileMean RSTD / RSCPD Error: Integer (0..100)Variance of RSTD / RSCPD Error: variance vStandard Deviation of RSTD / RSCPD Error: sigma p

[0077] In some embodiments, the measurement information may include the frequency information of corresponding RSCP and / or RSCPD measurement. Frequency#! used for corresponding RSCP and / or RSCPD measurement may be different from Frequency#2 used for associated RSTD measurement, for example frequency#! may be one subset of frequency#2.

[0078] Figure 6 shows an example of a communication system 600 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0079] In the example, the communication system 600 includes a telecommunication network 602 that includes an access network 604, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 606, which includes one or more core network nodes 608. The access network 604 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 610a and 610b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 610), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 602 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 602 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 602, including one or more network nodes 610 and / or core network nodes 608.

[0080] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may beimplemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 610 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 612a, 612b, 612c, and 612d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 612) to the core network 606 over one or more wireless connections.

[0081] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 600 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 600 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0082] The UEs 612 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 610 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 610 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 612 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 602 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 602.

[0083] In the depicted example, the core network 606 connects the network nodes 610 to one or more hosts, such as host 616. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 606 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 608) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 608. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), SessionManagement Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0084] The host 616 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 604 and / or the telecommunication network 602, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 616 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include the provision of live and / or pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services, for example, retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0085] As a whole, the communication system 600 of Figure 6 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0086] In some examples, the telecommunication network 602 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 602 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 602. For example, the telecommunications network 602 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0087] In some examples, the UEs 612 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 604 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal orexternal event, or in response to requests from the access network 604. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi -RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0088] In the example illustrated in Figure 6, the hub 614 communicates with the access network 604 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 612c and / or 612d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 610b). In some examples, the hub 614 may be a controller, router, a content source and analytics node, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 614 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 606 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 614 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 610, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 614. As another example, the hub 614 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 614 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 614 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 614 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 614 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0089] The hub 614 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 610b. The hub 614 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 614 and UEs (e.g., UE 612c and / or 612d), and between the hub 614 and the core network 606. In other examples, the hub 614 is connected to the core network 606 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 614 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 604 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 610 while still connected via the hub 614 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 614 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 610b. In other embodiments, the hub 614 may be anon-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable ofoperating to route communications between the UEs and network node 610b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0090] Figure 7 shows a UE 700 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0091] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0092] The UE 700 includes processing circuitry 702 that is operatively coupled via a bus 704 to an input / output interface 706, a power source 708, a memory 710, a communication interface 712, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 7. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0093] The processing circuitry 702 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions storedas machine-readable computer programs in the memory 710. The processing circuitry 702 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 702 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuitry 702 may be operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other UE 700 components, such as the memory 710, UE 700 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 702 may be configured to cause the UE 702 to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 4.

[0094] In the example, the input / output interface 706 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 700. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0095] In some embodiments, the power source 708 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 708 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 708 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 700 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 708. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the powerfrom the power source 708 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 700 to which power is supplied.

[0096] The memory 710 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 710 includes one or more application programs 714, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 716. The memory 710 may store, for use by the UE 700, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0097] The memory 710 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 710 may allow the UE 700 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 710, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0098] The processing circuitry 702 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 712. The communication interface 712 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 722. The communication interface 712 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 718 and / or a receiver 720 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical,frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 718 and receiver 720 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 722) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0099] In some embodiments, communication functions of the communication interface 712 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0100] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 712, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0101] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or controls a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0102] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are devices which are or which are embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voicecontrolled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence on the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 700 shown in Figure 7.

[0103] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0104] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0105] Figure 8 shows a network node 800 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations,Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0106] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0107] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0108] The network node 800 includes processing circuitry 802, a memory 804, a communication interface 806, and a power source 808, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. The network node 800 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 800 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 800 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 804 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 810 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 800 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologiesintegrated into network node 800, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z- wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 800.

[0109] The processing circuitry 802 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 800 components, such as the memory 804, network node 800 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to cause the network node to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 5.[HO] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 812 and baseband processing circuitry 814. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 812 and the baseband processing circuitry 814 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 812 and baseband processing circuitry 814 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.[Hl] The memory 804 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 802. The memory 804 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 802 and utilized by the network node 800. The memory 804 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 802 and / or any data received via the communication interface 806. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 and memory 804 is integrated.

[0112] The communication interface 806 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 806 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 816 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 806 also includes radio front-end circuitry 818 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 810. Radio front-end circuitry 818 comprises filters 820 and amplifiers 822. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may be connected to an antenna 810 and processing circuitry 802. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 810 and processing circuitry 802. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 820 and / or amplifiers 822. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 810. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 810 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 818. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 802. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0113] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 800 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 818, instead, the processing circuitry 802 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 810. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 812 is part of the communication interface 806. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 806 includes one or more ports or terminals 816, the radio frontend circuitry 818, and the RF transceiver circuitry 812, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 806 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 814, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0114] The antenna 810 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 810 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 818 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 810 is separate from the network node 800 and connectable to the network node 800 through an interface or port.

[0115] The antenna 810, communication interface 806, and / or the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signalsmay be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 810, the communication interface 806, and / or the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0116] The power source 808 provides power to the various components of network node 800 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 808 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 800 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 800 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 808. As a further example, the power source 808 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0117] Embodiments of the network node 800 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 8 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 800 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 800 and to allow output of information from the network node 800. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 800.

[0118] Figure 9 is a block diagram of a host 900, which may be an embodiment of the host 616 of Figure 6, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 900 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 900 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0119] The host 900 includes processing circuitry 902 that is operatively coupled via a bus 904 to an input / output interface 906, a network interface 908, a power source 910, and a memory 912. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures,such as Figures 7 and 8, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 900.

[0120] The memory 912 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 914 and data 916, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 900 or data generated by the host 900 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 900 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 914 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FL AC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 914 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 900 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 914 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0121] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1000 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1000 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1000 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0122] Applications 1002 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0123] Hardware 1004 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1006 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1008a and 1008b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1008), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1006 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1008.

[0124] The VMs 1008 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1006. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1002 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1008, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0125] In the context of NFV, a VM 1008 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1008, and that part of hardware 1004 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1008 on top of the hardware 1004 and corresponds to the application 1002.

[0126] Hardware 1004 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1004 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1004 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1010, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications1002. In some embodiments, hardware 1004 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1012 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0127] Figure 11 shows a communication diagram of a host 1102 communicating via a network node 1104 with a UE 1106 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 612a of Figure 6 and / or UE 700 of Figure 7), network node (such as network node 610a of Figure 6 and / or network node 800 of Figure 8), and host (such as host 616 of Figure 6 and / or host 900 of Figure 9) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 11.

[0128] Like host 900, embodiments of host 1102 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1102 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1102 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1106 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1150 extending between the UE 1106 and host 1102. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1150.

[0129] The network node 1104 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1102 and UE 1106. The connection 1160 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 606 of Figure 6) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0130] The UE 1106 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1106 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1106 with the support of the host 1102. In the host 1102, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1150 terminating at the UE 1106 and host 1102. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from thehost's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1150 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1150.

[0131] The OTT connection 1150 may extend via a connection 1160 between the host 1102 and the network node 1104 and via a wireless connection 1170 between the network node 1104 and the UE 1106 to provide the connection between the host 1102 and the UE 1106. The connection 1160 and wireless connection 1170, over which the OTT connection 1150 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1102 and the UE 1106 via the network node 1104, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0132] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1150, in step 1108, the host 1102 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1106. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1106 that shares data with the host 1102 without explicit human interaction. In step 1110, the host 1102 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1106. The host 1102 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1106. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1106 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1106. The transmission may pass via the network node 1104, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1112, the network node 1104 transmits to the UE 1106 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1102 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1114, the UE 1106 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1106 associated with the host application executed by the host 1102.

[0133] In some examples, the UE 1106 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1102. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1102. Accordingly, in step 1116, the UE 1106 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1106. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1106 initiates, in step 1118, transmission of the user data towards the host 1102 via the network node1104. In step 1120, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1104 receives user data from the UE 1106 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1102. In step 1122, the host 1102 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1106.

[0134] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1106 using the OTT connection 1150, in which the wireless connection 1170 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the positioning efficiency of Target UEs and thereby provide benefits such as reduced signalling overhead, reduced latency, improved accuracy, and so on.

[0135] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1102. As another example, the host 1102 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1102 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1102 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1102 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1102 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0136] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1150 between the host 1102 and UE 1106, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1102 and / or UE 1106. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1150 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1150 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1104. Such procedures and functionalities may be knownand practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1102. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1150 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0137] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0138] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to theprocessing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.The following numbered statements provide further information on the disclosure:1. A method performed by a target user equipment, UE, for supporting positioning determination, the method comprising:Receiving context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more positioning reference units, PRUs; andRetaining the context information and / or measurement information for use in positioning determination.2. The method of statement 1, wherein: the context information and / or measurement information is deleted at the end of a positioning session during which the context information and / or measurement information is received by the target UE, or wherein the context information and / or measurement information is retained at the end of a positioning session during which the context information and / or measurement information is received by the target UE for subsequent use.3. The method of statement 2, wherein the subsequent use comprises a further positioning session and / or wherein the subsequent use comprises a purpose other than positioning.4. The method of any preceding statement further comprising initiating transmission to a network node of a request for context information updates and / or measurement information updates.5. The method of statement 4, further comprising receiving context information updates and / or measurement information updates.6. The method of statement 5, wherein: the context information update modifies all of a plurality of fields in the context information or wherein the context information update modifies a subset of the fields in the context information, and / or the measurement information update modifies all of a plurality of fields in the measurement information or wherein the measurement information update modifies a subset of the fields in the measurement information.7. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs and a maximum validity time that is associated with the location information.8. The method of statement 7, further comprising discarding the location information when the maximum validity time elapses.9. The method of any preceding statement further comprising receiving a messageindicating that previously transmitted context information is no longer valid.10. The method of statement 9, further comprising discarding the context information in response to receiving the message.11. The method of any preceding statement, further comprising: performing a positioning measurement using the received context information and / or measurement information; and / or validating a positioning measurement using the received context information and / or measurement information.12. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the context information and / or measurement information is received from a network node, optionally wherein the network node is or comprises a Location Management Function, LMF.13. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the one or more PRUs comprise one or more physical User Equipments, UEs.14. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the one or PRUs comprise one or more virtual User Equipments, UEs.15. The method of any preceding statement, wherein the context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs.16. The method of statement 15, wherein the location information comprises one or more of: absolute location or relative location of one or more PRUs, location coordinates, reference coordinate system, a reference for a relative location, 2D location, 3D location, latitude, longitude, azimuth, GPS coordinates, an area ID, cell ID, cell portion ID, and an indication of whether a PRU is supported by the same cell or same cell portion as the target UE or not.17. The method of any of the previous statements, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.18. A method performed by a network node for supporting positioning determination, the method comprising: obtaining context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more positioning reference units, PRUs; and initiating transmission of the context information and / or measurement information to a Target User Equipment, UE.19. The method of statement 18, wherein the one or more PRUs comprise one or more physical User Equipments, UEs.20. The method of any of statements 18 and 19, wherein the one or PRUs comprise one or more virtual User Equipments, UEs.21. The method of any of statements 18 to 20, wherein the context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs.22. The method of statement 21, wherein the location information comprises one or more of: absolute location or relative location of one or more PRUs, location coordinates, reference coordinate system, a reference for a relative location, 2D location, 3D location, latitude, longitude, azimuth, GPS coordinates, an area ID, cell ID, cell portion ID, and an indication of whether a PRU is supported by the same cell or same cell portion as the target UE or not.23. The method of any of statements 21 and 22, wherein a maximum validity time is associated with the location information.24. The method of statement 23, wherein the maximum validity time is predefined, or wherein the maximum validity time is comprised within the context information.25. The method of any of statements 18 to 24, wherein the context information comprises one or more of: velocity information for one or more PRUs, estimated location error or uncertainty, confidence level information, location information source, and timestamp information.26. The method of any of statements 18 to 25 wherein the method further comprises, prior to initiating transmission of the context information and / or measurement information, obtaining permission to transmit the context information and / or measurement information from one or more PRUs to which the context information relates.27. The method of any of statements 18 to 26, wherein the method further comprises initiating transmission, to the target UE, of a message indicating that previously transmitted context information is no longer valid.28. The method of any of statements 18 to 27, wherein the method further comprises initiating transmission, to the target UE, of a context information update.29. The method of statement 28, wherein the context information update modifies all of a plurality of fields in the context information, or wherein the context information update modifies a subset of the fields in the context information.30. The method of any of statement 28 and 29, wherein the method further comprises: initiating transmission of context information updates periodically, and / orinitiating transmission of context information updates in response to requests from the target UE.31. The method of any of statements 18 to 30 wherein the method further comprises, prior to initiating transmission of the context information and / or measurement information, determining the content of the context information based on the capabilities of the target UE.32. The method of any of statements 18 to 31, wherein the network node is or comprises a Location Management Function, LMF.33. The method of statement 32, wherein the context information comprises downlink reference carrier phase, DL RSCP and / or downlink reference carrier phase difference, DL RSCPD measurements for one or more PRUs.34. The method of statement 33, wherein the context information comprises DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD measurements performed at one or more frequencies or subcarriers within a positioning frequency layer.35. The method of any of statements 33 and 34, wherein, for each DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD measurement, the context information further comprises one or more of:• a downlink positioning reference signal identifier, DL PRS ID,• a Physical Cell ID,• a Cell Global ID,• an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number, ARFCN• a DL PRS Resource ID,• a DL PRS Resource Set ID,• a Time Stamp,• a reference signal timing difference, RSTD,• a Timing Quality,• a DL PRS reference signal received power, RSRP,• a UE received timing error group, Rx TEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx TEG ID,• a UE Rx phase error group, PEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx PEG ID,• a DL PRS First Path RSRP,• a Line-of-sight / non line-of-sight, LoS / NLoS, Indicator, and• a Transmit / Receive Point, TRP, Transmission, Tx, TEG ID.36. The method of any of statements 32 to 35, wherein the step of initiating transmission of the measurement information comprises: initiating transmission of measurement information for one or more PRUs in aNR-PositionCalculationAssistance-rl6 Information Element, IE, or initiating transmission of measurement information for one or more PRUs in a further IE.37. The method of any of statements 32 to 36, wherein the method further comprises initiating transmission, to the target UE, of a measurement information update.38. The method of statement 37, wherein the method further comprises: initiating transmission of measurement information updates periodically, and / or initiating transmission of measurement information updates in response to requests from the target UE; and / or initiating transmission of measurement information updates in response to a triggering event.39. The method of any of statements 37 and 38, wherein the measurement information update modifies all of a plurality of fields in the measurement information, or wherein the measurement information update modifies a subset of the fields in the measurement information.40. The method of any of statements 18 to 39, wherein the measurement information comprises one or more of:• a downlink positioning reference signal identifier, DL PRS ID,• Physical Cell ID,• Cell Global ID,• an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number, ARFCN,• a DL PRS Resource ID,• aDL PRS Resource Set ID,• a Time Stamp,• a reference signal timing difference, RSTD,• a Timing Quality,• a DL PRS reference signal received power, RSRP,• a UE received timing error group, Rx TEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx TEG ID,• a UE Rx phase error group, PEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx PEG ID,• DL PRS First Path RSRP,• a Line-of-sight / non line-of-sight, LoS / NLoS, Indicator, and• a Transmit / Receive Point, TRP, Transmission, Tx, TEG ID.41. The method of any of statements 18 to 40, wherein the method further comprises deducing measurement information relating to one or more PRUs by deducing positioning integrity parameters for the one or more PRUs;42. The method of any of statements 18 to 41, wherein the measurement information comprises downlink reference carrier phase, DL RSCP and / or downlink reference carrier phase difference, DL RSCPD measurements for one or more PRUs.43. The method of statement 42 wherein, for one or more of the DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPDmeasurements comprised in the measurement information, the measurement information further comprises one or more of: a mean, a variance, a standard deviation, a maximal absolute value, and / or frequency information.44. The method of any of statements 18 to 43, wherein the measurement information is provided using a positioning system information block, posSIB.45. The method of any of statements 18 to 44, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.46. A user equipment for supporting positioning determination, comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of statements 1 to 17; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.47. A network node for supporting positioning determination, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of any statements 18 to 45; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.48. A user equipment (UE) for supporting positioning determination, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of statements 1 to 17; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.49. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in acellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of statements 18 to 45 to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.50. The host of statement 49, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.51. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of statements 18 to 45 to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.52. The method of statement 51, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.53. The method of any of statements 51 and 52, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.54. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of statements 18 to 45 to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.55. The communication system of statement 54, further comprising:the network node; and / or the UE.56. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of statements 18 to 45 to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.57. The host of statement 56, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that receives the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.58. The host of statements 56 and 57, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.59. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of statements 18- to 45 to receive the user data from the UE for the host.60. The method of statement 59, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.61. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the operations of any of statements 1 to 17 to receive the userdata from the host.62. The host of statement 61, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.63. The host of statements 61 and 62, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.64. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of statements 1 to 17 to receive the user data from the host.65. The method of statement 64, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the host application.66. The method of statement 65, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.67. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of statements 1 to 17 to transmit the user data to the host.68. The host of statement 67, wherein the cellular network further includes a network nodeconfigured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.69. The host of statements 67 and 68, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.70. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of statements 1 to 17 to transmit the user data to the host.71. The method of statement 70, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.72. The method of statements 70 and 71, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

Claims

Claims1. A method performed by a target user equipment, UE, (612) for supporting positioning determination, the method comprising:Receiving context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more positioning reference units, PRUs; andRetaining the context information and / or measurement information for use in positioning determination; wherein the context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: the context information and / or measurement information is deleted at the end of a positioning session during which the context information and / or measurement information is received by the target UE (612), or wherein the context information and / or measurement information is retained at the end of a positioning session during which the context information and / or measurement information is received by the target UE (612) for subsequent use, optionally wherein the subsequent use comprises a further positioning session and / or wherein the subsequent use comprises a purpose other than positioning.

3. The method of any preceding claim further comprising initiating transmission to a network node (610) of a request for context information updates and / or measurement information updates.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving context information updates and / or measurement information updates, optionally wherein: the context information update modifies all of a plurality of fields in the context information or wherein the context information update modifies a subset of the fields in the context information, and / or the measurement information update modifies all of a plurality of fields in the measurement information or wherein the measurement information update modifies a subset of the fields in the measurement information.

5. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the context information comprises a maximum validity time that is associated with the location information.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising discarding the location information when the maximum validity time elapses.

7. The method of any preceding claim further comprising receiving a message indicating that previously transmitted context information is no longer valid, optionally comprising discarding the context information in response to receiving the message.

8. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising: performing a positioning measurement using the received context information and / or measurement information; and / or validating a positioning measurement using the received context information and / or measurement information.

9. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the context information and / or measurement information is received from a network node (610), optionally wherein the network node (610) is or comprises a Location Management Function, LMF, optionally wherein the measurement information is broadcast by the network node (610).

10. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the one or more PRUs comprise one or more physical User Equipments, UEs (612).

11. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the one or PRUs comprise one or more virtual User Equipments, UEs (612).

12. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the location information comprises one or more of: absolute location or relative location of one or more PRUs, location coordinates, reference coordinate system, a reference for a relative location, 2D location, 3D location, latitude,longitude, azimuth, GPS coordinates, an area ID, cell ID, cell portion ID, and an indication of whether a PRU is supported by the same cell or same cell portion as the target UE (612) or not.

14. A method performed by a network node (610) for supporting positioning determination, the method comprising: obtaining context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more positioning reference units, PRUs; and initiating transmission of the context information and / or measurement information to a Target User Equipment, UE, (612) wherein the context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more PRUs comprise one or more physical User Equipments, UEs (612).

16. The method of any of claims 14 and 15, wherein the one or PRUs comprise one or more virtual User Equipments, UEs (612).

17. The method of any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the location information comprises one or more of: absolute location or relative location of one or more PRUs, location coordinates, reference coordinate system, a reference for a relative location, 2D location, 3D location, latitude, longitude, azimuth, GPS coordinates, an area ID, cell ID, cell portion ID, and an indication of whether a PRU is supported by the same cell or same cell portion as the target UE (612) or not.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a maximum validity time is associated with the location information optionally wherein: the maximum validity time is predefined or the maximum validity time is comprised within the context information.

19. The method of any of claims 14 to 18, wherein the context information comprises one or more of: velocity information for one or more PRUs, estimated location error oruncertainty, confidence level information, location information source, and timestamp information.

20. The method of any of claims 14 to 19 wherein the method further comprises, prior to initiating transmission of the context information and / or measurement information, obtaining permission to transmit the context information and / or measurement information from one or more PRUs to which the context information relates.

21. The method of any of claims 14 to 20, wherein the method further comprises initiating transmission, to the target UE (612), of a message indicating that previously transmitted context information is no longer valid.

22. The method of any of claims 14 to 21, wherein the method further comprises initiating transmission, to the target UE (612), of a context information update.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the context information update modifies all of a plurality of fields in the context information, or wherein the context information update modifies a subset of the fields in the context information.

24. The method of any of claim 22 and 23, wherein the method further comprises: initiating transmission of context information updates periodically, and / or initiating transmission of context information updates in response to requests from the target UE (612).

25. The method of any of claims 14 to 24 wherein the method further comprises, prior to initiating transmission of the context information and / or measurement information, determining the content of the context information based on the capabilities of the target UE (612).

26. The method of any of claims 14 to 25, wherein the network node is or comprises a Location Management Function, LMF, optionally wherein the context information comprises downlink reference carrier phase, DL RS CP and / or downlink reference carrier phasedifference, DL RSCPD measurements for one or more PRUs, optionally wherein the measurement information is broadcast by the network node (610).

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the context information comprises DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD measurements performed at one or more frequencies or subcarriers within a positioning frequency layer.

28. The method of any of claims 26 and 27, wherein, for each DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD measurement, the context information further comprises one or more of:• a downlink positioning reference signal identifier, DL PRS ID,• a Physical Cell ID,• a Cell Global ID,• an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number, ARFCN• a DL PRS Resource ID,• a DL PRS Resource Set ID,• a Time Stamp,• a reference signal timing difference, RSTD,• a Timing Quality,• a DL PRS reference signal received power, RSRP,• a UE received timing error group, Rx TEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx TEG ID,• a UE Rx phase error group, PEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx PEG ID,• a DL PRS First Path RSRP,• a Line-of-sight / non line-of-sight, LoS / NLoS, Indicator, and• a Transmit / Receive Point, TRP, Transmission, Tx, TEG ID.

29. The method of any of claims 26 to 28, wherein the step of initiating transmission of the measurement information comprises: initiating transmission of measurement information for one or more PRUs in aNR-PositionCalculationAssistance-rl6 Information Element, IE, or initiating transmission of measurement information for one or more PRUs in a further IE.

30. The method of any of claims 26 to 29, wherein the method further comprises initiating transmission, to the target UE (612), of a measurement information update, optionally wherein the method further comprises: initiating transmission of measurement information updates periodically, and / or initiating transmission of measurement information updates in response to requests from the target UE (612); and / or initiating transmission of measurement information updates in response to a triggering event.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the measurement information update modifies all of a plurality of fields in the measurement information, or wherein the measurement information update modifies a subset of the fields in the measurement information.

32. The method of any of claims 14 to 31, wherein the measurement information comprises one or more of:• a downlink positioning reference signal identifier, DL PRS ID,• Physical Cell ID,• Cell Global ID,• an Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number, ARFCN,• a DL PRS Resource ID,• aDL PRS Resource Set ID,• a Time Stamp,• a reference signal timing difference, RSTD,• a Timing Quality,• a DL PRS reference signal received power, RSRP,• a UE received timing error group, Rx TEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx TEG ID,• a UE Rx phase error group, PEG, ID, optionally with a threshold value used to determine the UE Rx PEG ID,• DL PRS First Path RSRP,• a Line-of-sight / non line-of-sight, LoS / NLoS, Indicator, and• a Transmit / Receive Point, TRP, Transmission, Tx, TEG ID.

33. The method of any of claims 14 to 32, wherein the method further comprises deducing measurement information relating to one or more PRUs by deducing positioning integrity parameters for the one or more PRUs;34. The method of any of claims 14 to 33, wherein the measurement information comprises downlink reference carrier phase, DL RS CP and / or downlink reference carrier phase difference, DL RSCPD measurements for one or more PRUs, optionally wherein, for one or more of the DL RSCP and / or DL RSCPD measurements comprised in the measurement information, the measurement information further comprises one or more of: a mean, a variance, a standard deviation, a maximal absolute value, and / or frequency information.

35. The method of any of claims 14 to 34, wherein the measurement information is provided using a positioning system information block, posSIB.

36. A user equipment (700) for supporting positioning determination, comprising: processing circuitry (702) configured to cause the user equipment (700) to: receive context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more positioning reference units, PRUs, and retain the context information and / or measurement information for use in positioning determination, wherein the context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs; and power supply circuitry (708) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry (702).

37. A network node (800) for supporting positioning determination, the network node (800) comprising: processing circuitry (802) configured to cause the network node (800) to: obtain context information and / or measurement information relating to one or more positioning reference units, PRUs, and initiate transmission of the context information and / or measurement information to a Target User Equipment, UE, (700) wherein the context information comprises location information for the one or more PRUs; power supply circuitry (808) configured to supply power to the processing circuitry (802).

38. A communication system comprising one or more of: the UE (700) of claim 36, and the network node (800) of claim 37.

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