Methods and apparatuses relating to handling of restricted user equipment capabilities

Abstract

Embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatuses for enabling restricted user equipment capabilities when transitioning out of a radio resource control connected state A user equipment, UE, may be adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, wherein the UE is configured to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities in an ongoing service with a first network. A method in such a UE comprises responsive to transitioning out of a radio resource control, RRC, connected state, RRC_CONNECTED, with the first network, refraining from storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE and / or releasing the one or more restricted UE capabilities upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

Description

METHODS AND APPARATUSES RELATING TO HANDLING OF RESTRICTED USER EQUIPMENT CAPABILITIESTECHNICAL FIELD[1] Embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatuses for controlling the use of restricted user equipment capabilities when transitioning out of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected state (e.g. RRC_CONNECTED).BACKGROUND[2] Multi-USIM[3] The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is currently studying, in Release 18 (Rel-18), how to best support User Equipments (UEs) that can manage two or more simultaneous subscriptions (also called MultiUniversal Subscriber Identity Module (M-USIM)). A single UE is capable of having two or more subscription credentials and basically to "act” as two UEs within one device / hardware entity. Even though mobile terminals (UEs) with that property exist, most operations are not really optimised as there is no specific standardised support for Multi-USIM, for example, to make it easier for such UE's to manage the two or more subscriptions simultaneously.[4] Several aspects may be addressed. For example, a UE may need to be provided support to easier switch between states related to utilization of subscription 1 (USIM1 , connecting to a Network A) and states related to utilization or communication using subscription 2 (USIM2, connecting to Network B) as such states may be dependent on, e.g. RRC_CONNECTED in Network A and Network B. Such switching may be straightforward, or may not even be necessary, if the UE has the capability of communicating simultaneously towards two networks, using USIM1 and USIM2 simultaneously. For this to work, there may be a need for at least dual receiver and transmitter chains, designed such that frequencies that are used towards both networks don't cause interference wiyh each other and that radio separation is good enough to not cause, e.g., intermodulation effects in the device. Yet other aspects that may be addressed by the standard are to introduce signaling that allows a UE that cannot simultaneously communicate with, e.g., two or more networks, to at least signal a network that it is leaving, or to signal that the UE is becoming unreachable for that network.[5] As described in RP-210316, WID: "Support for Multi-SIM devices for LTE / NR”, the Release 17 (Rel-17) work on Multi-USIM is focusing on devices with Single-Receiver (Rx)ZSingle-Transmitter (Tx) or Dual-Rx / Single- Tx. That is, the Dual-Rx / Dual-Tx UEs were out of scope of this WID.[6] In Rel.18, 3GPP is starting the study of enhancements to the existing procedures to allow a Dual-Rx / Dual- Tx M-USIM UE to operate in RRC_CONNECTED state simultaneously in Network A and Network B (see for example, RP-220955, WID: Dual Transmission / Reception (Tx / Rx) Multi-SIM for NR)[7] In particular, it has been agreed to re-use a mechanism where UE indicates that its (full) UE capabilities are restricted in some way. A UE that is connected to only one network can indicate and use its full UE capabilitieswith this Network. But a UE that is connected to two networks (or to one network using two different subscriptions) indicates to each of the two networks that the (full) UE capabilities are restricted.[8] Figure 1 illustrates a UE state machine and state transitions in NR.[9] In New Radio NR, three Radio Resource Control (RRC) states currently exist, as illustrated in Figure 1 .

[0010] After RRC Connection establishment (RRCJDLE to RRC_CONNECTED), the network may initiate a UE capability transfer procedure (as illustrated in Figure 2) to retrieve UE radio access capability information.

[0011] If the UE is later moved from RRC_CONNECTED to RRCJNACTIVE, the retrieved UE capabilities may be stored as part of the UE context, and may therefore be valid if the connection between the network and the UE is resumed (i.e. transition from RRCJNACTIVE to RRC_CONNECTED).

[0012] SUMMARY

[0013] There currently exist certain challenge(s). The UE may indicate to a network the UE capabilities status (which may for example, be that the UE can only use restricted UE capabilities). However, when the UE transitions out of RRC_CONNECTED state, for example, to RRCJNACTIVE state, it is not clear how to handle any UE indication of restricted UE capabilities that the UE may have sent while in RRC_CONNECTED. The network may therefore try to resume a connection with a UE that has restricted UE capabilities by providing a configuration that does not match those restricted UE capabilities, which can lead to an RRC configuration error.

[0014] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0015] Some embodiments described herein provide a method by which the UE may indicate to a network, before or upon transition out of RRC_CONNECTED state, if its UE capabilities are restricted. The restricted UE capabilities may then be stored in a UE context for the UE by the network so that, if the UE transitions back into the RRC_CONNECTED with the network, the stored restricted UE capabilities may be applicable to the UE.

[0016] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). Embodiments described herein enable both the UE and the Netwrok (NW) to be synchronized regarding the UE status on restricted UE capabilities when transitioning out of RRC_CONNECTED, this may enable the network to resume the connection with the UE without resulting in an RRC configuration error.

[0017] According to some embodiments there is therefore provided A method performed by a user equipment, UE, that is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, wherein the UE is configured to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities in an ongoing service with a first network. The method comprises responsive to transitioning out of a radio resource control, RRC, connected state, RRC_CONNECTED, with the first network, refraining from storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE and / or releasing the one or more restricted UE capabilities upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

[0018] According to some embodiments there is provided a method performed by a user equipment, UE, that is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks. The method comprises whilst in a radio resource control, RRC, connected, RRC_CONNECTED, state with a first network,transmitting an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities to a network node in the first network. The method further comprises transitioning out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network and storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE.

[0019] According to some embodiments there is provided a method performed by a network node in a first network wherein a user equipment, UE, has an ongoing service with the first network, and the UE is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks. The method comprises whilst the UE is in a radio resource control, RRC, connected RRC_CONNECTED state, with the first network, receiving, from the UE, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities. The method further comprises transitioning the UE out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; and storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE.

[0020] According to some embodiments there is provided a user equipment, UE, that is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, wherein the UE is adapted to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities when in an ongoing service with a first network. The UE comprises processing circuitry and memory, memory containing instructions execeutable by the processing circuitry whereby the UE is operable to: responsive to transitioning out of a radio resource control, RRC, connected state, RRC_CONNECTED, with the first network, refrain from storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE and / or release the one or more restricted UE capabilities upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

[0021] According to some embodiments there is provided a user equipment, UE, adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks. The UE comprises processing circuitry and memory, the memory containing instructions execeutable by the processing circuitry whereby the UE is operable to: whilst in a radio resource control, RRC, connected, RRC_CONNECTED, state with a first network, transmit an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities to a network node in the first network; transition out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; store an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE.

[0022] According to some embodiments there is provided a network node in a first network, wherein the network node is adapted to serve a user equipment that is adapted to simultaneously use two orr more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks. The network node comprises processing circuitry and memory, the memory containing instructions execeutable by the processing circuitry whereby the network node is operable to: whilst the UE is in a radio resource control, RRC, connected RRC_CONNECTED state, with the first network, receive, from the UE, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities; transition the UE out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; and store an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE.

[0023] According to some embodiments there is provided a computer program, comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out any of the methods described above.

[0024] According to some embodiments there is provided a carrier containing the computer program as described above, wherein the carrier comprises one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal or computer readable storage medium.

[0025] According to some embodiments there is provided a computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform any of the methods described above.

[0026] According to some embodiments there is provided a computer program product comprising non transitory computer readable media having stored thereon a computer program as described above.

[0027] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] For a better 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:

[0029] Fig. 1 illustrates UE state machine and state transitions in New Radio (NR);

[0030] Fig. 2 illustrates a UE capability transfer procedure;

[0031] Fig. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments;

[0032] Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments;

[0033] Fig.5 is a signalling diagram illustrating an example implementation of Fig. 3 and Fig. 4.

[0034] Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with some embodiments;

[0035] Fig. 7 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0036] Fig. 8 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0037] Fig. 9 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments; and

[0038] Fig. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.DESCRIPTION

[0039] 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.

[0040] Herein, Network A and B may refer to two networks to which a Multi-USIM UE may simultaneously be in RRC_CONNECTED. But the solutions described below are also applicable to a case where the UE is connected to more than 2 networks (or to one network with two different subscriptions).

[0041] A UE may have multiple USIMs, physical SIM cards or eSIMs, and one use case for multiple USIMs is that the different USIMs are associated with different networks, where a network could be a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) or a non-public network (NPN) e.g., a standalone NPN (SNPN) or Public Network Integrated (PNI) NPN. However, it is also possible that a UE has more than one USIM which is associated with the same network, e.g., a UE has two USIMs from the same operator or virtual profile integrated / downloaded via Non-Access Stratum (NAS) in USIM. It will in some descriptions of the methods herein be used as example that the multiple USIMs areassociated to different networks, but the methods can also be applied for the scenario where multiple USIMs are associated with the same network.

[0042] In the examples, PLMNs are described for illustrative purposes, however, without loss of generality these could be any kind of networks including Non-Public Networks (NPNs).

[0043] A USIM of a UE can be in the form of a removable hardware USIM (e.g. a SIM card), or it can be an embedded USIM (eUSIM). A particular UE may be able to receive multiple removable hardware USIMs, or have multiple eUSIMs, or may have one or more of both types of USIM.

[0044] Reference is made herein to "UE capabilities”, and this refers to different capabilities or functions of the UE that can be activated / enabled / de-restricted and deactivated / disabled / restricted. Examples of UE capabilities that are relevant to the use, or not, of multiple subscriptions / USIMs include the use of Dual Connectivity (DC), the use of Carrier Aggregation (CA), the use of Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output (MIMO), the use of aggregated uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) bandwidth for Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and / or Frequency Range 2 (FR2) carriers, the number of DL and UL Secondary Cells (SCells) in a Master Cell Group (MCG) and Primary Secondary Cells (PSCells) / Secondary Cells (SCell) in a Secondary Cell Group (SCG) for a first frequency Range, FR1, and / or a second frequency range, FR2, a list of carrier frequencies and / or carrier frequency combinations, and UE power classes.

[0045] "UE capabilities” may comprise UE radio access capabilities, which can be further defined as:• A list of containers where each container indicates the UE capabilities for a certain Radio Access Technology (RAT) or Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC)• A UE Capability Information message o Which may be segmented o Which may contain filters related to what the network requested from UE capabilities• A UE response to UECapabilityEnquiry message• A container stored within the Core Network (CN) and / or RAT node that may be transferred between CN and RAT node• An ID that may refer to one of the bullets above• A structure (e.g. a message, an IE, a container) which contains features divided in multiple granularities e.g. per UE, per band, per Band Combination (BC), per feature set combination, per feature set, per feature set per contiguous carrier (CC)

[0046] "Restricted UE capabilities” may comprise a version of UE capabilities, i.e. UE capabilities containing at least one different feature compared to UE capabilities previously received by a Radio Access Technology (RAT) node, where the RAT node is informed that a difference is contained within such UE capabilities. It will be appreciated that the restricted UE capabilities may comprise a version of the UE capabilities in which at least one of the UE capabilities has been in some way reduced, disabled or confined in comparison to "full” UE capabilities that have previously been received by an RAT node.

[0047] Restricted UE capabilities may be indicated to the network by:Indicating only the features that are not supported (or have been reduced) by the UE o In this manner, the indication of the restricted UE capabilities may comprise an indication of, for example, NR-DC support. This indication may therefore indicate that the UE does not support NR-DC for this version of restricted UE capabilities. What is supported by the UE does not need to be indicated, since this can be retrieved from the full UE capabilities previously received by a RAT node.• Indicating a list of versions of restricted UE capabilities, for instance: o The UE may indicate one version of restricted UE capabilities in which it supports NR-DC but not NR CA for at least one band combination; in another version, it supports NR CA but not NR-DC for at least one band combination. o The UE may indicate one version of restricted UE capabilities where it does not support features that require 2Tx / 2Tx from the UE, e.g. 2 or more MIMO layers.• A registration update procedure, after which the UE may provide to the RAT node a version of restricted UE capabilities upon requested by the RAT node e.g. via UECapabilityEnquiry message.

[0048] "Restricted UE capabilities” can be further defined as basic restricted capabilities and UE-specific restricted capabilities as illustrated in Table 1 below:

[0049] Figure 3 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 3 may be performed by a UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE 712 or UE 800 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 8 respectively). The UE may be adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks. The method begins at step 302 with, whilst in a radio resource control, RRC, connected, RRC_CONNECTED, state with the first network, transmitting an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities to a network node in the first network.

[0050] In step 304 the method comprises transitioning out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network. Step 304 may comprise transitioning the UE into RRCJDLE or RRCJNACTIVE. It will be appreciated that step 404 may occur due to an instruction in an RRC message (e.g. RRC release set to INACTIVE) or due to expiration of a timer (e.g. inactivity timer).

[0051] In step 306 the method comprises storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE. In some examples, step 306 may be performed after or upon performance of step 304.

[0052] In some examples, the method of Figure 3 may then comprise upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, utilizing the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

[0053] In other words, in some example implementations of Figure 3 The UE sends a message to the network (e.g. UE assistance information) informing on the restricted UE capabilities (e.g. step 302). When transitioning outof RRC_CONNECTED (step 304), such restricted UE capabilities are stored (step 306). When the UE transitions back to RRC_CONNECTED, the stored restricted UE capabilities are still applicable to this UE.

[0054] In some examples, when transmitting the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities (e.g. when performing step 302), the UE is utilizing the one or more restricted UE capabilities. In other words, in some examples when performing step 302 the UE may be simultaneously using two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks comprising the first network. As the UE is using two or more subscriptions, the UE may be using restricted UE capabilities with the first network.

[0055] However, in some examples, when transmitting the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities (e.g. when performing step 302), the UE is utilizing full UE capabilities with the first network. For example, the UE may not yet have had the need to utilize restricted UE capabilities, for example, it may not yet be utilizing two or more subscriptions. In this example, the UE may perform step 302 responsive to determining that one of: an inactivity timer will expire within a predetermined amount time; and the UE will commence utilizing two or more subscriptions within a predetermined amount of time.

[0056] In other words, the UE may not have sent restricted UE capabilities while in RRC_CONNECTED since it may not yet have had the need for restricted UE capabilities. However, the UE may trigger the sending of restricted UE capabilities based on the knowledge that it may soon transition out of RRC_CONNECTED e.g. due to inactivity timer or RRC multisim leaving procedure (e.g. to commence utilising multiple SIMs).

[0057] The one or more restricted UE capabilities of step 302 may comprise restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: dual connectivity, DC; carrier aggregation, CA; Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output, MIMO; use of aggregated uplink, UL, and downlink, DL, bandwidth for Frequency Range 1 , FR1 , and / or Frequency Range 2, FR2 carriers; a number of DL and UL Secondary Cells, SCells, in a Master Cell Group, MCG, and Primary Secondary Cells, PSCells / Secondary Cells, SCell, in a Secondary Cell Group, SCG, for FR1 and / or FR2; carrier frequencies and / or carrier frequency combinations; and UE power classes.

[0058] Figure 4 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 4 may be performed by a network node (e.g. the network node 710 or network node 900 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 9 respectively). The network node may be in a first network wherein a user equipment, UE, has an ongoing service with the first network, and the UE is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks. The method begins at step 402 with, whilst the UE is in a radio resource control, RRC, connected RRC_CONNECTED state, with the first network, receiving, from the UE, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities.

[0059] Step 404 comprises transitioning the UE out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network. Step 404 may comprise transitioning the UE into RRCJDLE or RRCJNACTIVE. It will be appreciated that step 404 may occur due to an instruction in an RRC message (e.g. RRC release set to INACTIVE) or due to expiration of a timer (e.g. inactivity timer).

[0060] Step 406 comprises storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE. In some examples, step 406 may be performed after or upon performance of step 404.

[0061] In some examples, the method of Figure 4 further comprises upon the UE resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, determining that the one or more restricted UE capabilities are maintained as valid for the UE.

[0062] The one or more restricted UE capabilities of step 402 may comprise restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: dual connectivity, DC; carrier aggregation, CA; Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output, MIMO; use of aggregated uplink, UL, and downlink, DL, bandwidth for Frequency Range 1 , FR1 , and / or Frequency Range 2, FR2 carriers; a number of DL and UL Secondary Cells, SCells, in a Master Cell Group, MCG, and Primary Secondary Cells, PSCells / Secondary Cells, SCell, in a Secondary Cell Group, SCG, for FR1 and / or FR2; carrier frequencies and / or carrier frequency combinations; and UE power classes.

[0063] It will be appreciated that by performing the method of Figure 4, the network node acquires the UE status on restricted UE capabilities before or upon transition out of RRC_CONNECTED state.

[0064] In some examples, step 302 or step 402 are performed responsive to the network node transmitting, to the UE, a request for information on restricted UE capabilities. The request may be comprised in an RRCReconfiguration message or a UE InformationRequest message. The indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities (e.g. of step 302 or 402) may then be comprised within a UEAssitancelnformation message or a UElnformationResponse message.

[0065] In other words, the UE may receive a network request to provide updated information on restricted UE capabilities, prior to being instructed to transition out of RRC_CONNECTED state. i) Such network request can be included in RRCReconfiguration message or UElnformationRequest ii) The UE response can be included in UEAssistancelnformation message or UElnformationRespone message.

[0066] For UEs supporting storing of restricted UE capabilities and / or sending restricted capabilities, it may be advised for the NW (if able) to retrieve information on restricted UE capabilities from the UE prior to transition the UE to RRCJNACTIVE (or in some cases, RRCJDLE).

[0067] Figure 5 illustrates an example signaling diagram in which the network transmits a request to the UE, for information on restricted UE capabilities. Figure 5 is an example implementation of the methods of Figures 3 and 4.

[0068] In this example, the UE is utilizing two subscriptions (USIM1 and USIM2) to communicate with two networks, NW-1 and NW-2. In this example, a network node in NW-2 performs the method according to Figure 4. The UE performs the method according to Figure 3.

[0069] In alternative 1 , the network node in NW-2 requests the restricted UE capabilities prior to sending the UE to RRCJNACTIVE via an UElnformationRequest message. The UE then provides the restricted UE capabilities in a UElnformationResponse message (example implementation of step 302 or 402).

[0070] In alternative 2, the network node in NW-2 requests the restricted UE capabilities in an RRCReconfiguration (otherConfig) message, and UE indicates the restricted UE capabilities to be used at later resume from RRCJNACTIVE in an UEAssistancelnformation message (examples implementation of step 302 or 402).

[0071] Figure 6 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 6 may be performed by a UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE 712 or UE 800 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 8 respectively). The UE may be adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks. The UE may be configured to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities in an ongoing service with a first network The method begins at step 602 with, responsive to transitioning out of a radio resource control, RRC, connected state, RRC_CONNECTED, with the first network, refraining from storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE and / or releasing the one or more restricted UE capabilities upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network. It will be appreciated that the UE may transition out of RRC_CONNECTED into RRCJDLE or RRCJNACTIVE.

[0072] In some examples, the method of Figure 6 further comprises determining to refrain from storing the indication based on an instruction received one of the one or more networks.

[0073] For example, by performing the method of Figure 6, the UE may refrain from storing restricted UE capabilities e.g. based on previous information sent by the UE or as instructed by the NW; In this way, the UE does not include the restricted UE capabilities in the UE context or releases it upon resuming.

[0074] In some examples, the one or more restricted UE capabilities (as referred to in any method described herein) may comprise one or more of the following:• a maximum aggregated bandwidth across all downlink and uplink carrier(s) of a first frequency range, FR1 , and / or a second frequency range, FR2 (FR1 defines bands in the sub-6 GHz spectrum (although 7125 MHz may be a maximum) and FR2 defines bands in the mmWave spectrum);• a maximum number of downlink and uplink secondary cells in a master cell group and / or a maximum number of downlink and uplink primary cells and secondary cells in a secondary cell group for a first frequency range, FR1 and / or a second frequency range, FR2;• a maximum number of receiving, Rx, chains or panels for a second frequency range, FR2;• a list of carrier frequencies and / or carrier frequency combinations that need to be released;• a list of band combinations on whether measurement gap / Network Controlled Small Gap (NCSG) is needed for a target New Radio (NR) / Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) band that need to be updated;• one or more restricted UE power classes for operation in the second network. The restricted power class(es) may be indicated by the UE as per UE (e.g. applied to all bands), per band (e.g. applies to specific band) or per band combination (e.g. applies to specific band combination such as certain UL CA configuration). The UE power class may define the maximum output power supported by the UE for transmitting signals when operating on certain frequency band or band combination. Examples of UE power classes are power class 1 (e.g. 31 dBm), power class 1.5 (e.g. 29 dBm), power class 2 (e.g. 26 dBm), power class 3 (e.g. 23 dBm), power class 5 (e.g. 20 dBm), etc. For example, the UE may support and be capable of a maximum UE power class 1.5 (29 dBm) andmay indicate that its restricted UE power class is power class 3 and / or power class 2 when operating in network B. In another example, the UE may support and be capable of maximum UE power class 2 (26 dBm) may indicate that its restricted UE power class is power class 3 when operating in network B. Since network A and network B do not coordinate and / or schedule UE independently, therefore restriction in UE power class may enable the UE to meet regulatory requirements related to radiation exposure to humans e.g. electromagnetic power density exposure requirements provided by regulatory bodies such as Specific Absorption Rate (SAR).• a restricted maximum uplink duty cycle, MUDC. In other words, the UE may indicate a restricted maximum uplink duty cycle (MUDC) as part of the reduced UE configuration / capability to enable the UE to perform the operation in network B. The MUDC indicates the maximum percentage of time resources (e.g. symbols, slots, subframes) during a certain evaluation period (e.g. T 1 seconds such as 1 second) that can be scheduled for uplink transmission to ensure the UE meets the exposure requirements (e.g. electromagnetic energy absorption requirements such as SAR) specified by regulatory bodies. For example, the UE may support certain maximum value of MUDC (e.g. X1 percentage). However, for operation in network B, the UE may indicate to the network node in the assistance information to use the MUDC lower (restricted) value (e.g. X2 percentage). In one example, X2 < X1. In another example, X1= 80% while X2= 50%. Thanks to the reduced capability / configuration of the MUDC when operating in network B, in one example the UE may be able to use its maximum UE power class (e.g. PC 1.5). In another example the UE may indicate to use the restrict UE power class (e.g. PC2 or PC3) even when using restricted MUDC for operation in network B.• a restricted Ml MO configuration for the UE operation in the second network. For example, the UE may indicate that the UE may at most be configured with N number of MIMO layers for operating signals in network B. Where N < Nmax; Nmax is the maximum (unrestricted) number of MIMO layers supported by the UE. The parameter N may be the same for uplink and downlink MIMO operation in network B, or N may be different for uplink MIMO operation and downlink MIMO operation in network B e.g. N1 for restricted number of UL downlink MIMO layer and N2 for restricted number of downlink MIMO layers. In one example, N=2 whereas Nmax=4. In another example, N1 =1 and N2=2. The UE may have to restrict the MIMO configuration due to insufficient base band resources e.g. when operating on two networks, A and B.• restricted receiving, Rx, chains and / or panels for the UE operation in the second network. For example, the UE may indicate that the UE may at most be configured with N number of Rx chains for operating signals in network B. Where N < Nmax; Nmax is the maximum (unrestricted) number of Rx chains / panels supported by the UE. In one example, N=2 whereas Nmax=4. In another example, N1 =1 and N2=2. The UE may have to restrict the Rx chains configuration due to insufficient beam resources e.g. when operating on two networks, A and B.• a restricted UE receiver configuration for the UE operation the second network. The UE receiver configuration may be characterized by one or more of the following: a number of receivers or receive antenna ports (Rx), an ability to mitigate or cancel or minimize intra-cell interference and / or inter-cell interference or interfering signals (e.g. interference mitigation receiver such as interference rejection and combining (IRC), interference cancellation receiver etc). Examples of interfering signals are reference signals (e.g. CRS) in the serving or interfering cells, signals transmitted by a network node (e.g. a base station (BS)) to other UEs in the serving or interfering cells, inter-MIMO layer or inter-stream interference caused by signals transmitted by a network node to the same UE but on different MIMO / other layers. o For example, the UE may indicate that the UE may at most use M number of receivers for receiving signals in network B. Where M < Mmax; Mmax is the maximum (unrestricted) number of receivers (e.g. receive antenna ports) supported by the UE. In one example, M=2 whereas Mmax=4. In another example, M=1 and Mmax=2. The UE may have to restrict the UE receiver configuration due to insufficient base band resources e.g. when operating on two networks, A and B. o In another example, the UE may indicate that the UE cannot perform interference mitigation for receiving signals in network B. The indication about the restricted UE receiver configuration may further indicate that the UE cannot perform certain type of interference mitigation e.g. UE cannot perform inter-cell interference mitigation but can perform intra-cell interference mitigation, UE cannot perform CRS interference cancellation / mitigation etc. o In another example, the UE may indicate that the UE can receive signals without restricting number of receiver antennas but cannot perform interference mitigation for receiving signals in network B. o In another example, the UE may indicate that the UE can receive signals with restricted number of receiver antennas but can perform interference mitigation for receiving signals in network B.• a restricted duplex mode, DM, for the UE operation in the second network. The restricted DM may be indicated by the UE as per UE (e.g. applied to all bands), per band (e.g. applies to specific band) or per band combination (e.g. applies to specific band combination such as certain UL CA configuration). Examples of duplex modes are: frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (FDD), half duplex FDD (HD-FDD), full duplex (FD) etc. In FDD mode of operation, the transmission of signals by the device and reception of signals by the same device take place on different carrier frequency channels. In TDD mode of operation, the transmission of signals by the device and reception of signals by the same device take place on the same carrier frequency channel but in different time resources, which do not overlap in time. In HD-FDD mode of operation, the transmission of signals by the device and reception of signals by the same device take place take place on different carrier frequencies as well as on different time resources, which do not overlap in time. In FD mode of operation, the transmission of signals by the device and reception of signals by the same device take place on the same carrier frequency as well as during the same time resource. Some examples of restricted DM as indicated by the UE are: o For example the UE supporting FDD may indicate that it can operate using only HD-FDD in network B.o In another example the UE supporting FD may indicate that it can operate using any one of more of HD- FDD, FDD and TDD in network B.• restricted processing capability for the UE operation in the second network. Examples of restricted processing capability are longer processing delay requirements for RRC procedures compared to unrestricted processing capability, longer HARQ feedback delay for reception of DL channel (e.g. PDSCH) compared to unrestricted processing capability, longer channel state indicator (CSI) feedback delay for reporting the CSI results (e.g. Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), rank indicator, L1 -Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI) etc) compared to unrestricted processing capability etc.• restricted sidelink (SL) operation in the second network when the UE operates in the second network. SL operation may comprise operating (transmitting to and / or receiving) signals between at least two UEs on sidelink, which is direct communication link between the UEs. Examples of SL operation / communication are V2X, device to device (D2D) etc. The restricted SL operation may comprise any one or more of the following: o not performing any type of SL while operating in network B, o not performing certain type of SL while operating in network B e.g. not performingSL on shared carrier (between cellular / WAN and SL operations), not performing SL on dedicated carrier (carrier used only on SL operation), not performing SL relay operation (e.g. the UE cannot be configured as SL relay to serve other SL UEs) etc. o performing SL only on single carrier while operating in network B e.g. not performing SL CA. o performing SL only on carriers on the same band while operating in network B e.g. not performing inter-band SL CA. o performing SL only using subset of the SL mode of operations e.g.■ using only broadcast or multicast mode of operation i.e. transmitting and / or receiving broadcast or multicast signals on the SL.■ only using unicast mode of operation i.e. transmitting to and / or receiving from SL another UE in peer to peer communication.• restricted operation of Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC) in the second network when the UE operates in the second network. This enables the UE to use its limited resources to perform and operate enhanced Mobile Broadband (MBB) operation in network B. The restricted URLLC operation may comprise restricted one or more features associated with the URLLC. The restricted feature may comprise any one or more of the following: o UE cannot support PUCCH cell switching. For example, the UE indicates that it cannot switch PUCCH transmission between PCell, PSCell, PUCCH SCell or the PUCCH sSCell etc.o UE cannot support PUSCH transmission over duration below threshold (e.g. 7 symbols).• a restricted measurement capability for the UE operation in the second network for NeedForGaps and / or NCSG (Network Controlled Small Gap) capability. The spare Radio Frequency (RF) chain for measurement on network A may be used for network B processing, and UE may update the band combination status on which band may require the measurement gap or NCSG for measurement. o When UE reports to support NeedForGaps in network A and further indicates to operate in network B, the Information element (IE) NeedForGapsInfoNR indicates whether measurement gap is required for the UE to perform SSB based measurements on an NR target band should be updated. o When UE reports to support NCSG in network A and further indicates to operate in network B, the IE NeedForGapNCSG-InfoNR and NeedForGapNCSG-InfoEUTRA indicate whether measurement gap or NCSG is required for the UE to perform SSB based measurements on an target band should be updated.• restricted enhanced measurement capabilities for the UE operation in the second network, such as NeedForGaps and / or NCSG capability. In other words, when UE operates in network B, the enhanced measurement capabilities may be restricted, such as NeedForGaps and / or NCSG capability. The measurement gap for network A may be needed in default regardless of whether UE reporting the band combination status for gap and / or NCSG.

[0075] Technical Specification Impact

[0076] Two examples of Specification impacts are given below. In section 5.3.13.2 the impact of the method of Figure 6 on on TS 38.331 v 17.5.0 is shown (in bold and underlined) in which the UE may release the configuration related to restricted UE capability information upon sending a resume request message.

[0077] In section 6.3.4, the impact on TS 38.331 v 17.5.0 is shown (in bold and underlined) in which the NW may have a flag to request updated (e.g. restricted) UE capabilities before sending the UE to RRCJNACTIVE.5.3.13.2 InitiationThe UE initiates the procedure when upper layers or AS (when responding to RAN paging, upon triggering RNA updates while the UE is in RRC_INACTIVE, for NR sidelink communication / discovery / V2X sidelink communication as specified in clause 5.3.13.1a) requests the resume of a suspended RRC connection or requests the resume for initiating SDT as specified in clause 5.3.13.1b.The UE shall ensure having valid and up to date essential system information as specified in clause 5.2.2.2 before initiating this procedure.Upon initiation of the procedure, the UE shall:1> if the resumption of the RRC connection is triggered by response to NG-RAN paging:2> select 'O' as the Access Category;2> perform the unified access control procedure as specified in 5.3.14 using the selected Access Category and one or more Access Identities provided by upper layers;3> if the access attempt is barred, the procedure ends;1> else if the resumption of the RRC connection is triggered by upper layers:2> if the upper layers provide an Access Category and one or more Access Identities:3> perform the unified access control procedure as specified in 5.3.14 using the Access Category and Access Identities provided by upper layers;4> if the access attempt is barred, the procedure ends;2> if the upper layers provide NSAG information and one or more S-NSSAI(s) triggering the access attempt (TS 23.501

[0032] and TS 24.501

[0023] ):3> apply the NSAG with highest NSAG priority among the NSAGs that are included in SIB1 (i.e., in FeatureCombination and / or in RA-PrioritizationSlicelnfo), and that are associated with the S- NSSAI(s) triggering the access attempt, in the Random Access procedure (TS 38.321 [3], clause 5.1);NOTE: If there are multiple NSAGs with the same highest NAS-provided NSAG priority identified for access attempt as above, it is left to UE implementation to select the NSAG to be applied in the Random Access procedure.2> if the resumption occurs after release with redirect with mpsPrioritylndication'.3> set the resumeCause to mps-PriorityAccess;2> else:3> set the resumeCause in accordance with the information received from upper layers;1> else if the resumption of the RRC connection is triggered due to an RNA update as specified in 5.3.13.8:2> if an emergency service is ongoing:NOTE 1 : How the RRC layer in the UE is aware of an ongoing emergency service is up to UE implementation.3> select '2' as the Access Category;3> set the resumeCause to emergency;2> else:3> select '8' as the Access Category;2> perform the unified access control procedure as specified in 5.3.14 using the selected Access Category and one or more Access Identities to be applied as specified in TS 24.501

[0023] ;3> if the access attempt is barred:4> set the variable pendingRNA-Update to true;4> the procedure ends;NOTE 2: In case the L2 U2N Relay UE initiates RRC connection resume triggered by reception of message from a L2 U2N Remote UE via SL-RLCO or SL-RLC1 as specified in 5.3.13.1a, the L2 U2N Relay UE sets the resumeCause by implementation, but it can only set the emergency, mps- PriorityAccess, or mcs-PriorityAccess as resumeCause, if the same cause value in the message received from the L2 U2N Remote UE via SL-RLCO.1> if the UE is in NE-DC or NR-DC:2> if the UE does not support maintaining SCG configuration upon connection resumption:3> release the MR-DC related configurations (i.e., as specified in 5.3.5.10) from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> if the UE does not support maintaining the MCG SCell configurations upon connection resumption:2> release the MCG SCell(s) from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> if the UE is acting as L2 U2N Remote UE:2> establish a SRAP entity as specified in TS 38.351

[0066] , if no SRAP entity has been established;2> apply the default configuration of SL-RLC1 as defined in 9.2.4 for SRB1;2> apply the default PDCP configuration as defined in 9.2.1 for SRB1;2> apply the default configuration of SRAP as defined in 9.2.5 for SRB1;1> else:2> apply the default LI parameter values as specified in corresponding physical layer specifications, except for the parameters for which values are provided in SIB1 ;2> apply the default SRB1 configuration as specified in 9.2.1;2> apply the default MAC Cell Group configuration as specified in 9.2.2;***** omitted unchanged parts*****1> stop all instances of timer T346k, if running;1> release releasePreferenceConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> release wlanNameList from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> release btNameList from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> release sensorNameList from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> release obtainCommonLocation from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> stop timer T346f, if running;1> stop timer T346i, if running;1> release referenceTimePreferenceReporting immXhe UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> release sl-AssistanceConfigNR from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> release musim-GapAssistanceConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored and stop timer T346h, if running;1> release musim-GapConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> release musim-LeaveAssistanceConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> release propDelayDiffReportConfig immXhe UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> release ul-GapFR2-PreferenceConfig, if configured;1> release rrm-MeasRelaxationReportingConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;1> release restrictedCapAssistanceConfig from the UE Inactive AS context, if stored;***** omitted unchanged parts*****6.3.4 Other information elements- OtherConfigThe IE OtherConfig contains configuration related to miscellaneous other configurations.OtherConfig information element

[0078] Figure 7 shows an example of a communication system 700 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0079] In the example, the communiication system 700 includes a telecommunication network 702 that includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706, which includes one or more core network nodes 708. The access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 710a and 710b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 710), 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 702 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. AnORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 702 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 702, including one or more network nodes 710 and / or core network nodes 708.

[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 A1 , F1 , W1 , E1, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 712a, 712b, 712c, and 712d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to the core network 706 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 700 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 700 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 712 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 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 710 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 712 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 702 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 702.

[0083] In the depicted example, the core network 706 connects the network nodes 710 to one or more hosts, such as host 716. 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 706 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 708) that are structured with hardware and software components. Featuresof 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 708. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0084] The host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 704 and / or the telecommunication network 702, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 716 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 700 of Figure 7 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 702 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 702 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 702. For example, the telecommunications network 702 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)ZMassive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0087] In some examples, the UEs 712 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 704 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 704. 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 7, the hub 714 communicates with the access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 710b). In some examples, the hub 714 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 714 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 706 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 714 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 710, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 714. As another example, the hub 714 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 714 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 714 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 714 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 714 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 714 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 710b. The hub 714 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 714 and UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d), and between the hub 714 and the core network 706. In other examples, the hub 714 is connected to the core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 714 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 704 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 710 while still connected via the hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 714 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 710b. In other embodiments, the hub 714 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 710b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0090] Figure 8 shows a UE 800 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-loT) 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 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to- infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0092] The UE 800 includes processing circuitry 802 that is operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input / output interface 806, a power source 808, a memory 810, a communication interface 812, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 8. 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 802 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 810. The processing circuitry 802 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 802 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuitry 802 may be operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other UE 800 components, such as the memory 810, UE 800 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to cause the UE 802 to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 3 or 6.

[0094] In the example, the input / output interface 806 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 800. 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., orany 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 808 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 808 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 808 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 800 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 808. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 808 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 800 to which power is supplied.

[0096] The memory 810 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 810 includes one or more application programs 814, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 816. The memory 810 may store, for use by the UE 800, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0097] The memory 810 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 (eUlCC), integrated UICC (IUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.' The memory 810 may allow the UE 800 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 810, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0098] The processing circuitry 802 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 812. The communication interface 812 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 822. The communication interface 812 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 818 and / or a receiver 820 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, andso forth). Moreover, the transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 822) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0099] In some embodiments, communication functions of the communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, locationbased communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11 , Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0100] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 812, 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 voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence on the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 800 shown in Figure 8.

[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-loT 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 9 shows a network node 900 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, multistandard 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 900 includes processing circuitry 902, a memory 904, a communication interface 906, and a power source 908, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. The network node 900 may becomposed 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 900 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 900 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 904 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 910 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 900 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 900, 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 900.

[0109] The processing circuitry 902 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 900 components, such as the memory 904, network node 900 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to cause the network node to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 4.

[0110] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and the baseband processing circuitry 914 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 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0111] The memory 904 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 902. The memory 904 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 902 and utilized by the network node 900. The memory 904 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 902 and / or any data received via the communication interface 906. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 and memory 904 is integrated.

[0112] The communication interface 906 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 906 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 916 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 906 also includes radio front-end circuitry 918 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 910. Radio front-end circuitry 918 comprises filters 920 and amplifiers 922. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may be connected to an antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry 918 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 918 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 920 and / or amplifiers 922. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 910. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 910 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 918. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 902. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0113] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 900 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 918, instead, the processing circuitry 902 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 910. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 is part of the communication interface 906. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, the radio front-end circuitry 918, and the RF transceiver circuitry 912, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 906 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 914, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0114] The antenna 910 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 910 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 918 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 910 is separate from the network node 900 and connectable to the network node 900 through an interface or port.

[0115] The antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 910, the communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 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 908 provides power to the various components of network node 900 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 908 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 900 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the networknode 900 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 908. As a further example, the power source 908 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 900 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 9 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 900 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 900 and to allow output of information from the network node 900. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 900.

[0118] 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.

[0119] 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.

[0120] 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.

[0121] 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 avirtual 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.

[0122] 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.

[0123] 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 applications 1002. 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.

[0124] 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 functionsof any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0125] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.EMBODIMENTSGroup A Embodiments1. A method performed by a user equipment, UE, that is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, the method comprising: whilst in a radio resource control, RRC, connected, RRC_CONNECTED, state with the first network, transmitting an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities to a network node in the first network; transitioning out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE.2. The method of embodiment 1 further comprising: upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, utilizing the one or more restricted UE capabilities.3. The method of embodiment 1 or 2 further comprising: transmitting the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities to the network node responsive to receiving a request for information on restricted UE capabilities from the network node.4. The method of embodiment 3 wherein the request is comprised in an RRCReconfiguration message or a UE InformationRequest message.5. The method of embodiment 4 wherein the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities is comprised within a UEAssitancelnformation message or a UElnformationResponse message.6. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 5 wherein when transmitting the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities, the UE is utilizing the one or more restricted UE capabilities.7. The method of any one of embodiment 1 to 5 wherein when transmitting the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities, the UE is utilizing full UE capabilities with the first network.8. The method of embodiment 6 further comprising transmitting the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities responsive to determining that one of: an inactivity timer will expire within a predetermined amount time; and the UE will commence utilizing two or more subscriptions within a predetermined amount of time.9. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 7 wherein the one or more restricted UE capabilities comprise restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: dual connectivity, DC; carrier aggregation, CA; Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output, MIMO; use of aggregated uplink, UL, and downlink, DL, bandwidth for Frequency Range 1 , FR1 , and / or Frequency Range 2, FR2 carriers; a number of DL and UL Secondary Cells, SCells, in a Master Cell Group, MCG, and Primary Secondary Cells, PSCells / Secondary Cells, SCell, in a Secondary Cell Group, SCG, for FR1 and / or FR2; carrier frequencies and / or carrier frequency combinations; and UE power classes.10. A method performed by a user equipment, UE, that is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, wherein the UE is configured to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities in an ongoing service with a first network, the method comprising: responsive to transitioning out of a radio resource control, RRC, connected state, RRC_CONNECTED, with the first network, refraining from storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE and / or releasing the one or more restricted UE capabilities upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.11. The method of embodiment 10, further comprising determining to refrain from storing the indication based on an instruction received one of the one or more networks.12. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.Group B Embodiments13. A method performed by a network node in a first network wherein a user equipment, UE, has an ongoing service with the first network, and the UE is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, the method comprising: whilst the UE is in a radio resource control, RRC, connected RRC_CONNECTED state, with the first network, receiving, from the UE, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities; transitioning the UE out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; and storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE.14. The method of embodiment 13 further comprising, upon the UE resuming the RRC_CONNECTEDstate with the first network, determining that the one or more restricted UE capabilities are maintained as valid for the UE.15. The method of embodiment 14 further comprising: receiving, from the UE, the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities responsive to transmitting a request for information on restricted UE capabilities to the UE.16. The method of embodiment 15 wherein the request is comprised in an RRCReconfiguration message or a UE InformationRequest message.17. The method of embodiment 16 wherein the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities is comprised within a UEAssitancelnformation message or a UElnformationResponse message.18. The method of any one of embodiments 13 to 17 wherein the one or more restricted UE capabilities comprise restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: dual connectivity, DC; carrier aggregation, CA; Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output, MIMO; use of aggregated uplink, UL, and downlink, DL, bandwidth for Frequency Range 1 , FR1 , and / or Frequency Range 2, FR2 carriers; a number of DL and UL Secondary Cells, SCells, in a Master Cell Group, MCG, and Primary Secondary Cells, PSCells / Secondary Cells, SCell, in a Secondary Cell Group, SCG, for FR1 and / or FR2; carrier frequencies and / or carrier frequency combinations; and UE power classes.19. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.Group C Embodiments20. A user equipment, comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.21 . A network node, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.22. A user equipment (UE), 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 the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a user equipment, UE, that is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, wherein the UE is configured to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities in an ongoing service with a first network, the method comprising: responsive to transitioning out of a radio resource control, RRC, connected state, RRC_CONNECTED, with the first network, refraining from storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE and / or releasing the one or more restricted UE capabilities upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining to refrain from storing the indication based on an instruction received on of the one or more networks.

3. A method performed by a user equipment, UE, that is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, the method comprising: whilst in a radio resource control, RRC, connected, RRC_CONNECTED, state with a first network, transmitting an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities to a network node in the first network; transitioning out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; and storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, utilizing the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, further comprising: transmitting the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities to the network node responsive to receiving a request for information on restricted UE capabilities from the network node.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request is comprised in an RRCReconfiguration message or a UE InformationRequest message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities is comprised within a UEAssitancelnformation message or a UElnformationResponse message.

8. The method of any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein when transmitting the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities, the UE is utilizing the one or more restricted UE capabilities.

9. The method of any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein, when transmitting the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities, the UE is utilizing full UE capabilities with the first network.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities responsive to determining that one of: an inactivity timer will expire within a predetermined amount time; and the UE will commence utilizing two or more subscriptions within a predetermined amount of time.

11. The method of any one of embodiments 3 to 10 wherein the one or more restricted UE capabilities comprise restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: dual connectivity, DC; carrier aggregation, CA; Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output, Ml MO; use of aggregated uplink, UL, and downlink, DL, bandwidth for Frequency Range 1 , FR1 , and / or Frequency Range 2, FR2 carriers; a number of DL and UL Secondary Cells, SCells, in a Master Cell Group, MCG, and Primary Secondary Cells, PSCells / Secondary Cells, SCell, in a Secondary Cell Group, SCG, for FR1 and / or FR2; carrier frequencies and / or carrier frequency combinations; and UE power classes.

12. A method performed by a network node in a first network wherein a user equipment, UE, has an ongoing service with the first network, and the UE is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, the method comprising: whilst the UE is in a radio resource control, RRC, connected RRC_CONNECTED state, with the first network, receiving, from the UE, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities; transitioning the UE out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; and storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising, upon the UE resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network, determining that the one or more restricted UE capabilities are maintained as valid for the UE.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:receiving, from the UE, the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities responsive to transmitting a request for information on restricted UE capabilities to the UE.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the request is comprised in an RRCReconfiguration message or a UE InformationRequest message.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities is comprised within a UEAssitancelnformation message or a UElnformationResponse message.

17. The method of any one of claims 12 to 16 wherein the one or more restricted UE capabilities comprise restricted versions of one or more of the following capabilities: dual connectivity, DC; carrier aggregation, CA; Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output, MIMO; use of aggregated uplink, UL, and downlink, DL, bandwidth for Frequency Range 1 , FR1 , and / or Frequency Range 2, FR2 carriers; a number of DL and UL Secondary Cells, SCells, in a Master Cell Group, MCG, and Primary Secondary Cells, PSCells / Secondary Cells, SCell, in a Secondary Cell Group, SCG, for FR1 and / or FR2; carrier frequencies and / or carrier frequency combinations; and UE power classes.

18. A user equipment, UE, that is adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, wherein the UE is adapted to utilize one or more restricted UE capabilities when in an ongoing service with a first network, the UE comprising processing circuitry and memory, memory containing instructions execeutable by the processing circuitry whereby the UE is operable to: responsive to transitioning out of a radio resource control, RRC, connected state, RRC_CONNECTED, with the first network, refrain from storing an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE and / or release the one or more restricted UE capabilities upon resuming the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network.

19. The UE as claimed in claim 18 wherein the memory contains further instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the UE is operable to perform the method as claimed in claim 2.

20. A user equipment, UE, adapted to simultaneously use two or more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, the UE comprising processing circuitry and memory, the memory containing instructions execeutable by the processing circuitry whereby the UE is operable to: whilst in a radio resource control, RRC, connected, RRC_CONNECTED, state with a first network, transmit an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities to a network node in the first network; transition out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; store an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE.

21. The UE as claimed in claim 20 wherein the memory contains further instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the UE is operable to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 11.

22. A network node in a first network, wherein the network node is adapted to serve a user equipment that is adapted to simultaneously use two orr more subscriptions to communicate with one or more networks, the network node comprising processing circuitry and memory, the memory containing instructions execeutable by the processing circuitry whereby the network node is operable to: whilst the UE is in a radio resource control, RRC, connected RRC_CONNECTED state, with the first network, receive, from the UE, an indication of one or more restricted UE capabilities; transition the UE out of the RRC_CONNECTED state with the first network; and store an indication of the one or more restricted UE capabilities in a UE context for the UE.

23. The network node as claimed in claim 22 wherein the memory contains further instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the network node is operable to perform the method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 17.

24. A computer program, comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method according to any of claims 1 to 17.

25. A carrier containing the computer program according to claim 24, wherein the carrier comprises one of an electronic signal, optical signal, radio signal or computer readable storage medium.

26. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any of claims 1 to 17.

27. A computer program product comprising non transitory computer readable media having stored thereon a computer program according to claim 24.

Images