Frequency layer prioritization

Abstract

A first apparatus 601 receives, from a second apparatus 602, an indication 615 of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric. The first apparatus 601 further

Description

FIELD

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatuses and computer readable storage medium for frequency layer prioritization. BACKGROUND

[0002] A communication system may provide various services, including an Extended Reality (XR) service. Some types of traffic such as XR traffic may require low latency, and thus an interruption of the traffic transmission is not expected. In some cases, user equipment (UE) measurements are necessary to ensure the robust mobility. For example, a radio resource management (RRM) measurement may be performed which requires a periodic measurement gap pattern to serve mobility purposes. In some mechanisms, it is proposed to skip the measurement gaps to maintain the performance for XR traffic data. SUMMARY

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to: receive, from a second apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric; receive, from the second apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers; perform at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers according to the configuration; and report, to the second apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement according to the configuration.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to: transmit, to a first apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric; transmit, to the first apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers; receive, from the first apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement; and determine priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the at least one measurement.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: receiving, from a second apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric; receiving, from the second apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers; performing at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers according to the configuration; and reporting, to the second apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement according to the configuration.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: transmitting, to a first apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric; transmitting, to the first apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers; receiving, from the first apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement; and determining priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the at least one measurement.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a second apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric; means for receiving, from the second apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers; means for performing at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers according to the configuration; and means for reporting, to the second apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement according to the configuration.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a first apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric; means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers; means for receiving, from the first apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement; and means for determining priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the at least one measurement.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the third aspect.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0011] It is to be understood that the Summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, where:

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

[0014] FIG. 2 shows an example of measurements without gaps;

[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a signaling flow where a UE indicates that it is capable of performing measurements without gaps with interruptions;

[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of measurements in different Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) based measurement timing configuration (SMTC) windows using measurement gaps;

[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates a signaling flow for frequency layer prioritization in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 6 illustrates a signaling flow for frequency layer prioritization based on a network (NW) sided prioritization metric in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 7 illustrates an example diagram showing intra-frequency and interfrequency radio measurements reference signal received power (RSRP) values;

[0020] FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B illustrate example diagrams of frequency correlation matrix between serving frequency and neighboring frequencies, respectively;

[0021] FIG. 8C and FIG. 8D illustrate further example diagrams of frequency correlation matrix between serving frequency and neighboring frequencies, respectively;

[0022] FIG. 9A shows an example of network indicating UE about the best effort measurements or measurements for low priority Mos in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 9B illustrates an example diagram of behavior for SSB based RRM measurement timing configuration (SMTC) skipping in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 9C illustrates another example diagram of behavior for SMTC skipping in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 10 illustrates a signaling flow for frequency layer prioritization based on a UE-sided prioritization metric in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a process for determining the prioritization order for different frequency layers in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 14 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0030] FIG. 15 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0031] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

[0033] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0034] References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0035] It shall be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,”..., etc. in front of noun(s) and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another and they do not limit the order of the noun(s). For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0036] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0037] As used herein, unless stated explicitly, performing a step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs and one or more intervening steps may be included.

[0038] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “has”, “having”, “includes” and / or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0039] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0040] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0041] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, the sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

[0042] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node such as a femto, a pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. In some example embodiments, radio access network (RAN) split architecture comprises a Centralized Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node comprises a Mobile Terminal (IAB-MT) part that behaves like a UE toward the parent node, and a DU part of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

[0043] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. The terminal device may also correspond to a Mobile Termination (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0044] As used herein, the term “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” may refer to any resource for performing a communication, for example, a communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as a resource in time domain, a resource in frequency domain, a resource in space domain, a resource in code domain, or any other combination of the time, frequency, space and / or code domain resource enabling a communication, and the like. In the following, unless explicitly stated, a resource in both frequency domain and time domain will be used as an example of a transmission resource for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It is noted that example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network 100 may include a first apparatus 110 which may be, for example, a terminal device. In some example embodiments, the terminal device may also be discussed as a UE.

[0046] The communication network 100 may further include a second apparatus 120, which may be, for example, a network device. In some example embodiments, the network device may be discussed as a BS, a gNB, or an eNB. The first apparatus 110 and the second apparatus 120 may communicate with each other.

[0047] A serving area provided by the first apparatus 110 is called a cell. The second apparatus 120 may communicate with the first apparatus 110 within the cell 102. The cell currently serving the second apparatus 120 may be considered as a serving cell 102.

[0048] In the following, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described with the first apparatus 110 operating as a terminal device and the second apparatus 120 operating as a network device. However, in some example embodiments, operations described in connection with a terminal device may be implemented at a network device or other device, and operations described in connection with a network device may be implemented at a terminal device or other device.

[0049] In some example embodiments, if the first apparatus 110 is a terminal device and second apparatus 120 is a network device, a link from the second apparatus 120 to first apparatus 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), while a link from the first apparatus 110 to second apparatus 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In DL, the second apparatus 120 is a transmitting (TX) apparatus (or a transmitter) and the first apparatus 110 is a receiving (RX) apparatus (or a receiver). In UL, the first apparatus 110 is a TX apparatus (or a transmitter) and the second apparatus 120 is an RX apparatus (or a receiver).

[0050] It is to be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices shown in FIG. 1 is given for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0051] Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol(s), comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), the fifth generation (5G), the sixth generation (6G), and the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0052] The reduction of overhead caused by measurements in 5G has been discussed. According to previous discussions, the objectives are defined as follows: to specify enhancements to enable the transmission / reception in gaps / restrictions that are caused by RRM measurements (from inter-frequency RRM measurement gaps, or intra-frequency measurements, or other scheduling restrictions etc.); and to specify the corresponding measurement gap and scheduling restriction to enable the identified enhancements with the RRM performance impact taken into consideration.

[0053] Furthermore, how to minimize the impact of measurement overhead on data traffic with tight latency requirements, particularly in Extended Reality (XR), has also been discussed. In addition to XR, other examples of applications requiring low latency are online gaming, videoconferencing, live streaming, autonomous vehicles, remote surgery.

[0054] In 5G NR, measurements for mobility are performed using one or more approaches, including an approach with measurement gaps, an approach without measurement gaps, and an approach without gaps and with interruptions. For the approach with measurement gaps, gaps may cause a periodic interruption on the data transmission / reception. When data arrives shortly before a gap, or during a gap, it has to be delayed until the gap is over. This is detrimental in particular for data with low latency requirements. For the approach without measurement gaps, measurements without measurement gaps may cause scheduling restrictions around the symbols to be measured, which can impact the network capability to schedule data with low latency requirements. For the approach without gaps and with interruptions, this may cause the same scheduling restrictions, but random interruptions may happen as well. Interruptions are not known by the network and may cause the UE to lose downlink control information (DCIs). Losing the scheduling DCI would increase latency experienced by the user.

[0055] Some schemes for skipping measurement gaps and scheduling restrictions due to measurements are being discussed. The latest discussion includes several alternatives for skipping measurements. For example, for solutions based on the triggering or enabling by the network signaling to enable the Tx / Rx in gaps / restrictions that are caused by RRM measurements, the following alternatives and combinations of alternatives are considered.

[0056] A first alternative (referred to as Alternative 1) may use a dynamic indication to enable the Tx / Rx in particular gap(s) / restriction(s) that are caused by RRM measurements. In an option, the indication may be an explicit indication by DCI to skip a particular gap(s) or restriction(s). The indication may be included as part of the scheduling DCI, the bit field size of the indication may be one bit or more than one bit. Minimum time offset(s) between the end of (the first) received dynamic indication and start of corresponding gap(s) / restriction(s) occasion that is going to be skipped may be introduced. In another option, the indication may be an explicit indication by the DCI to indicate a time window where to skip a particular gap(s) or restriction(s). The minimum time offset between the end of received dynamic indication and start of the gap(s) / restriction(s) occasion in time window that is going to be skipped may be introduced. In a further option, the indication may be an implicit indication by the DCI scheduling a transmission / reception overlapping with a gap(s) / restriction(s) to skip the gap(s) / restriction(s). The minimum time offset between the end of received dynamic indication and start of the gap(s) / restriction(s) occasion that is going to be skipped may be introduced. DCI format, DCI content and DCI bit-field size may be defined for such indication. The indication may be used for a single occasion or a plurality of occasions. Time offset between the end of received dynamic indication and start of the gap(s) / restriction(s) occasion that is going to be skipped needs to be discussed.

[0057] Another alternative (referred to Alternative 3) may use semi-static solution to enable TX / RX in gaps / restrictions that are caused by RRM measurements. In an option, a pattern(s) may be configured via the radio resource control to indicate occasions where to skip gaps / restrictions. The pattern may be based on periodicity, offset and duration. The pattern may alternatively be based on a bitmap. The pattern may be applied to all or subset of configured MG configurations / scheduling restrictions. In another option, gaps / restrictions that are caused by RRM measurements are skipped if collided with particular semi-statically pre-configured Tx / Rx occasions. In a further option, gaps / restrictions that are caused by RRM measurements are skipped based on semi-statically configured priority information for a particular semi-statically pre-configured Tx / Rx and / or particular gaps / restriction.

[0058] In general, Alternative 1 refers to a set of options based on a dynamic indication indicating whether to skip a gap using the DCI signaling. In Alternative 3, a fixed skipping pattern is configured via the radio resource control (RRC), hence resulting in a more static solution due to the higher RRC reconfiguration time.

[0059] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which shows an example of measurements without gaps. As shown in FIG. 2, the SMTC period 220 is configured for the UE. The duration of SMTC period 220 may be configurable by the network. It is to be understood that the period of 20 milliseconds of the SMTC period 220 is merely an example, the SMTC period 220 may be longer or shorter according to actual needs.

[0060] For example, the block 210 shows an occasion where no data traffic is transmitted and / or received (scheduled to transmit and / or scheduled to receive data in some other scenarios), therefore no interruption is caused since the channel is idle. The block 215 shows an occasion where an interruption occurs.

[0061] Specifically, when the UE is trying to read the SMTC configured by the network to, for example, identify the neighboring cell, the UE may need to switch to another frequency for the SMTC occasion. However, the network may not be aware of the switching of the frequency by the UE. The switch of the frequency may cause the UE to move away from the frequency that the current serving cell 102 is using for data transmission, and as a result an interruption of data transmission is caused if there is a date transmission scheduled between the serving cell and the UE when the UE switches to another frequency for SMTC occasion. In other words, UE may cause interruptions at random locations. Network may be not aware of time of interruptions. Therefore, loss of scheduling and data may happen.

[0062] FIG. 3 shows a signaling flow 300 where a UE 301 indicates that it is capable of performing measurements without gaps with interruptions. As shown in FIG. 3, the network 302 may send (305) a configuration, e.g. a RRC reconfiguration message, to the UE 301 indicating a need for the measurement gap configuration. Upon receiving the configuration, e.g. the RRC reconfiguration message, the UE 301 may be aware of that the network 302 will perform measurements with measurement gaps. Then the UE 301 may send (310) a RRC reconfiguration complete message to the network 302 indicating whether the UE 301 will need the measurement gaps for certain frequencies. For example, the UE 301 may indicate to the network 302 that it will perform measurements without measurement gap(s) or it will perform measurements without measurement gaps despite interruptions will be caused.

[0063] Based on the information carried in the RRC reconfiguration complete message, the network 302 may take some switching occasions and / or frequencies into consideration while performing the measurements. As a result, the throughput of the network may be improved.

[0064] Reference is now made to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows an example of measurements in short (e.g., 2ms in Case 410) and long (e.g., 4ms in Case 420) SMTC windows using measurement gaps. Depending on the application, the SMTC window length may be configured differently, for example, the length for the SMTC window may be 10-20 ms when performing positioning related tasks. Within each SMTC window, there may be one or more SSB bursts such as SSB burst #0, #1, #2, or the like. The UE may sense and read the SSB bursts to obtain the information regarding the identity of the cell.

[0065] When performing measurements in gaps, the UE has to tune to a measured carrier frequency (e.g., 15 kHz) at start of the measurement gap length (MGL) and tune back to serving cell frequency at end of the MGL. Hence, only the outer parts of MGL will cause interruptions and thus the MGL is always longer than the actual measurement window. As shown in FIG. 4, for the case 410, the MGL 412 is 4ms, the actual measurement window 414 is 3ms, and the SMTC window 416 is 2ms. For the case 420, the MGL 422 is 6ms, the actual measurement window 424 is 5ms, and the SMTC window 426 is 4ms. It is to be understood that the lengths of the MGL, the actual measurement window and the SMTC window shown in FIG. 4 are only for the purpose of illustration. Any suitable length of MGL, actual measurement window and SMTC window may be configured.

[0066] However, these outer parts are not specified in duration. Also, the UE may switch, in the middle part, to another carrier frequency to measure with another SMTC window. Hence, interruptions may be caused also in the middle part of the MGL.

[0067] The technical problem to be solved here is the conflict between requested RRM measurements requiring a periodic measurement gap pattern in order to serve mobility purposes and at the same time maintaining the requested or guaranteed throughput and latency performance for XR traffic data. Thus, skipping of measurement gaps has been proposed in 3GPP with criteria being defined by Technical Specification Group (TSG) RANI.

[0068] As network in typical case configures both intra-frequency and inter-frequency measurement objects, there may be too many measurement objects (MOs) for ongoing XR traffic (or other traffic with low latency requirements), hence skipping those measurements would yield a too high effective CSSF (carrier specific scheduling factor) inside the gap and hence those measurements would have high latency at the time of reporting. To reduce latency of such RRM measurements, the skipping of measurement gaps has to be avoided, causing in turn degradation of the XR traffic as pointed out above.

[0069] The present disclosure proposes a solution of communication to at least address the above-mentioned problems. In this solution, a first apparatus receives, from a second apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric. The first apparatus receives, from the second apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination. For example, the frequency prioritization metric may be a frequency correlation matrix. The configuration is indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers. Furthermore, the first apparatus performs measurements of the plurality of frequency layers based on the configuration. The first apparatus reports, to the second apparatus, information related to the measurements based on the configuration. The second apparatus determines priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the at least one measurement. In this way, the second apparatus may prioritize the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the measurements.

[0070] As mentioned, in some example embodiments, the frequency prioritization metric may be a frequency correlation matrix. Various models have been defined under the consideration of frequency correlated channels model when the first apparatus is configured to measure a plurality of frequency layers in inter-frequency mobility. The frequency correlated channel generation method provides a robust framework for modeling frequency correlations in a multi-frequency environment. By balancing consistency and frequency-specific adjustments, e.g., DS (Delay Spread), ASD (Azimuth Spread of Departure), ASA (Azimuth Spread of Arrival), ZSD (Zenith Spread of Departure), ZSA (Zenith Spread of Arrival), such solution enhances the realism and accuracy of simulations, supporting better performance evaluation and optimization of 5G NR systems.

[0071] Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0072] FIG. 5 illustrates a signaling flow 500 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purposes of discussion, the signaling flow 500 will be discussed with reference to FIG. 1, for example, by using the first apparatus 110 and the second apparatus 120. In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 110 may include a terminal device, and the second apparatus 120 may include a network device.

[0073] In the signaling flow 500, the second apparatus 120 transmits (510), to the first apparatus 110, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric. Correspondingly, the first apparatus 110 receives (515) the indication from the second apparatus 120. The indication may be an explicit indication such as a flag or an implicit indication. The implicit indication may alternatively be e.g., a certain measurement or reporting configuration.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the frequency prioritization metric may be a frequency correlation matrix or any other suitable parameter. The indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on the frequency prioritization metric may be referred to as a frequency correlation method support flag or frequency layer prioritization support flag. Such flag may be transmitted by the second apparatus 120 along with a best effort RRM measurement support flag per measurement object. As used herein, the term “best effort measurement” may refer to a measurement with a priority lower than a prioritized measurement. The best effort measurement may be skipped in some situations. Details regarding the best effort RRM measurement skipping will be described with respect to FIG. 9A to FIG. 9C.

[0075] In addition, the second apparatus 120 transmits (520), to the first apparatus 110, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination. The configuration is indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers. A frequency layer may correspond to a frequency or a frequency band. The plurality of frequency layers may include intra-frequency layers and / or inter-frequency layers. Correspondingly, the first apparatus 110 receives (525) the configuration from the second apparatus 120. The configuration may be an RRC configuration or any other suitable configuration message.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the configuration may include a time window for measuring the plurality of frequency layers, such as a time window (which may be denoted as T input measurement) in millisecond (ms) for calculation of frequency correlation measure. Additionally, or alternatively, the configuration may include at least one triggering event for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement. Examples of the at least one triggering event may include but are not limited to, (1) a predefined triggering event for a radio measurement, such as a legacy measurement event (e.g., Event A3 or the like) entering condition; (2) a periodic triggering event based on a periodicity, such as a periodic triggering event with a network configured periodicity T trigger in ms; (3) a triggering event based on at least one measured signal strength of the plurality of frequency layers within the time window and a threshold strength, such as a comparison result between an average reference signal received power (RSRP) within the time window TJnput^measurement and a configured threshold. By way of example rather than limitation, the at least one triggering event may include the at least one measured signal strength being smaller than the threshold strength. Alternatively, the at least one triggering event may include the at least one measured signal strength being larger than the threshold strength.

[0077] In some additional or alternative example embodiments, the configuration may include at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation. By way of example, the frequency prioritization metric may include but not limited to frequency correlation matrix or matrices, absolute measurement difference(s) in dB between serving frequency and configured neighbor frequencies, principal component analysis (PCA), or an entropy of the RSRP distribution for each frequency carrier (a lower entropy may indicate more consistent and predictable performance). For example, the PCA may be applied to the measurement results such as RSRP values to reduce the dimensionality of RSRP data and identify which frequency carriers contribute most to the variability in signal strength.

[0078] In some following example embodiments, for the purpose of discussion, the frequency prioritization metric will be described as a frequency correlation matrix. It is to be understood that other metric calculated based on the measurement results and reflecting attributes or correlations of frequency layers may also be used as a frequency prioritization metric. Some example embodiments described with the frequency correlation matrix or matrices as an example may also be applied to other frequency prioritization metric such as absolute measurement difference(s), PCA or entropy. Those frequency prioritization metrics may be calculated by using any possible existing calculation method or calculation method to be developed in the future. Scope of embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited here.

[0079] The at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation may include a method for calculating a frequency correlation matrix based on reference signal received power values measured from the plurality of frequency layers (such as, such as a correlation matrix based on RSRP values), and / or a method for calculating a frequency correlation matrix based on gradients of reference signal received power values measured from the plurality of frequency layers (such as, a correlation matrix based on gradient of RSRP curves). Details regarding the calculation of the frequency correlation matrix will be described with respect to FIG. 11.

[0080] In addition or alternatively, the configuration may include at least one format for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, such as, layer one (LI) control information (for example, DCI), a layer two (L2) medium access control control element (MAC CE), a layer three (L3) measurement report format configured by the second apparatus 120, a layer three measurement report for radio measurements, and / or the like. Examples of the at least one format include, but are not limited to, (1) encoded into N bits signal (for L1 / L2 signaling), where N is an integer; (2) a new L3 measurement report format configured via reportConfig, or (3) embedded into a legacy L3 measurement report.

[0081] In some additional or alternative example embodiments, the configuration may include an indication indicative of including the frequency prioritization metric in the information related to the at least one measurement. For example, the configuration may indicate to include only the measurement results in the measurement report or to include the measurement results together with the frequency prioritization metric in the measurement report. The configuration may include a configuration of a channel for transmitting the information related to the at least one measurement. The channel may be a dedicated channel for transmitting the information related to the at least one measurement such as for transmitting the frequency prioritization metric. It is to be understood that the above illustrations are described merely for purpose of description. The configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers may include any other suitable configuration parameter(s). It is also to be understood that some example parameters in the configuration mentioned above may alternatively not included in the configuration but instead defined or specified in a standard. Scope of embodiments of the present disclosure is not in this regard.

[0082] According to the received configuration, the first apparatus 110 performs (530) at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers. For example, the at least one measurement may be performed within a time window configured by the second apparatus 120. The at least one measurement may include intra-frequency measurements and / or inter-frequency measurements. The plurality of frequency layers may also be configured by the second apparatus 120. Moreover, the first apparatus 110 reports (535), to the second apparatus 120, information related to the at least one measurement according to the configuration. For example, the first apparatus 110 may use a configured report format and / or a configured channel to report the information. The report of the information may be triggered by the at least one triggering event configured by the second apparatus 120.

[0083] In some example embodiments, the information may include measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers. Additionally, or alternatively, the information may include at least one frequency prioritization metric calculated by the first apparatus 110 based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers. In one example embodiment, the measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers may comprise results of intra-frequency radio measurements of the plurality of frequency layers within a time window for the frequency correlation measurement. In an additional or alternative example embodiment, the measurement results may include results of inter-frequency radio measurements of the plurality of frequency layers within the time window. It should be understood that the above examples are described merely for purpose of description. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0084] Correspondingly, the second apparatus 120 receives (540) the information related to the at least one measurement from the first apparatus 110. In some example embodiments, the information related to the at least one measurement may include measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers. In this case, the second apparatus 120 may calculate at least one frequency prioritization metric based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers, and determine (545) the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the at least one frequency prioritization metric. By way of example rather than limitation, the at least one frequency prioritization metric may comprise at least one frequency correlation matrix.

[0085] In some further example embodiments, the first apparatus 110 may calculate the at least one frequency prioritization metric based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers, and report the at least one frequency prioritization metric to the second apparatus 120. In this case, the information related to the at least one measurement may include at least one frequency prioritization metric calculated by the first apparatus 110. Moreover, the second apparatus 120 may further determine (545) the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the at least one frequency prioritization metric.

[0086] As mentioned, the second apparatus 120 determines (545) priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the at least one measurement. For example, the priority information may indicate at least one prioritized frequency layer and at least one further frequency layer with a priority lower than the at least one prioritized frequency layer. As used herein, the further frequency layer with a lower priority may be referred to as a “best effort frequency layer”. Moreover, the second apparatus 120 may transmit the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers to the first apparatus 110.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus 110 may transmit, to the second apparatus 120, capability information indicative of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric. Correspondingly, the second apparatus 120 may receive the capability information from the first apparatus 110.

[0088] In view of the above, the proposed solutions can advantageously enable lower measurement reporting delay. Measurements that are more relevant for mobility purposes are prioritized over less relevant measurements. Thus, measurement reporting delay can be reduced versus conventional solution assuming measurements for all configured measurement objects would need to be reported.

[0089] Furthermore, different example embodiments show that measurements during XR data transfer may be limited to either serving cell and intra-frequency measurements or serving cell and intra-frequency plus inter-frequency subset 1 measurements. As such, the proposed solutions can advantageously enable adaptation of radio resource management (RRM) measurements to XR traffic.

[0090] In addition, the adaptation of RRM measurements can be controlled by the network with dedicated signalling to activate or deactivate the best-effort RRM measurement behavior. For instance, if XR traffic increases, just serving cell and intra-frequency measurements are considered for RRM. The solutions presented in FIG. 5 will be described in more details below with reference to FIGS. 6-11.

[0091] To effectively implement the solutions described above, it is necessary to determine and prioritize carrier frequencies for UE measurement. There is proposed a solution that leverages radio measurements at the UE or UE measurement reports received by the network to establish a frequency correlation mechanism. This embodiment may enable a policy-based solution at the network level to determine the prioritized and besteffort frequency layers for UE measurement. The entity responsible for calculating the frequency prioritization measure, e.g., an absolute value and correlation of measurements, or correlation matrix, determines whether the embodiment is UE-sided or NW-sided. However, the process of deriving the prioritized and best-effort frequency layers should always be performed by the network.

[0092] The frequency prioritization metric may be determined at the network side and / or the UE side. FIG. 6 describes a signaling flow 600 for the network-sided embodiments for frequency prioritization measure calculation in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 describes a signaling flow 1000 for UE-sided embodiments for frequency prioritization measure calculation in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. In example embodiments discussed with respect to FIGS. 6 and 10, the first apparatus 110, which may be a UE, is denoted by UE 601, and the second apparatus 120, which may be a base station, is denoted by gNB 602.

[0093] The UE 601 may send (610) the capability information to the gNB 602 to support frequency correlation-based prioritization method. The gNB 602 may send (615) the frequency correlation method support flag along with the best effort RRM measurements support flag per measurement object. Moreover, the gNB 602 may send (620) the RRC configuration including common parameters for RRM best effort measurements and the report configuration (per measurement configuration) for enabling reporting of frequency prioritization measure, e.g., a correlation matrix or an absolute value and correlation of measurements. Details of the configuration were described above with respect to FIG. 5, and thus not repeated here.

[0094] In the network-sided embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the UE 601 may perform (625) intra-frequency and inter-frequency radio measurements, e.g., RSRP (in dBm) and buffer the historical measurements within T input measurement 630 for correlation matrix calculation at gNB side. FIG. 7 provides a simulation example of measurement traces over time from all the configured measurement objects. More specifically, FIG. 7 illustrates intra-frequency and inter-frequency radio measurements RSRP (in dBm) vs time (in ms), including a curve 710 for RSRP of the serving frequency layer (referred to as fO) and curves 720, 730, 740 and 750 for RSRP of different frequency layers fl, f2, f3 and f4, respectively.

[0095] Referring back to FIG. 6, the UE 601 may transmit (635) the measurement report to the gNB 602. The reporting of the measurement may be periodic, or event triggered. The measurement report may include measurement results of the intra-frequency and inter-frequency radio measurement results. In some example embodiments, the gNB 602 may calculate (640) the correlation matrix among radio measurements from different frequency layers within T input measurement as per UE report and determine (645) the prioritized layers according to the correlation level. Details regarding the correlation matrix calculation will be described with respect to FIG. 11.

[0096] FIGS. 8A and 8B provide a simulation example for generated correlation matrix from inter-frequency and intra-frequency measurements. More specifically, FIG. 8A illustrates a heatmap 800 of frequency correlation matrix between serving frequency fO and neighbor frequencies fl to f4 (for Option-1: RSRP correlation), and FIG. 8B illustrates an example diagram 820 of frequency layers sorted by RSRP correlation priority. In this example, given that the fO is the serving frequency for the UE 601, and its correlated frequency layer would be fl, thus fl may be the prioritized and the other less correlated layers may be with best effort.

[0097] In some further example embodiments, the gNB 602 may compute the gradient of signals representing radio measurements associated to inter-frequency and interfrequency measurements. Then, the gNB 602 may compute the correlation matrices for original signals (i.e., pairwise correlation of radio measurements of two frequency layers) and gradient signals (i.e., pairwise correlation of gradients of radio measurements of two frequency layers). Priorities associated to frequency layers may be determined (645) based on correlation matrices for original signals and gradient signals. FIG. 8C and FIG. 8D provide a simulation example for generated correlation matrix from the gradients of the inter- and intra-frequency measurements. More specifically, FIG. 8C illustrates a heatmap 840 of frequency correlation matrix between serving frequency fO and neighbor frequencies fl to f4 (for Option-2: RSRP gradient correlation), and FIG. 8D illustrates an example diagram 860 of frequency layers sorted by RSRP correlation priority.

[0098] With embodiments with respect to FIG. 6, the gNB may determine the correlation matrix or matrices and then prioritize different frequency layers based on the correlation matrix or matrices. With such frequency layer prioritization, the gNB 602 may configure the UE 601 of measurement skip and / or RRM measurements. As illustrated, the gNB 602 may transmit (650) an indication for activating or deactivating best effort RRM measurement (BERM) behavior to UE 601 in case of DCI based beam activation or deactivation. In response to receiving the indication, UE 601 may perform (655) measurement skip and RRM measurements based on rules. The rules may be predefined or configured by gNB 602. Details of activating or deactivating best effort measurement based on frequency layer prioritization will be described with respect to FIG. 9A to FIG. 9C. By using frequency layer prioritization-based measurement skipping, uninterrupted traffic such as uninterrupted XR traffic may be achieved.

[0099] Based on the frequency correlation matrix or other frequency prioritization metric, skipping of measurement gaps may be done in a selective manner. In particular, for mobility purposes, intra-frequency measurements in the active BWP of the serving cell do not require measurement gaps, hence these may be performed concurrently with XR traffic transmission and reception. Alternatively, inter-frequency measurements require measurement gaps (unless UE indicates support of gapless measurements for these, e.g. using a spare RF chain). These inter-frequency measurements on a different intra-band or inter-band carrier are not considered as important as the intra-frequency measurements in terms of mobility purposes.

[0100] In some example embodiments, the network may classify those inter-frequency measurements as best effort RRM measurements and assign a lower priority to their corresponding MOs versus the intra-frequency measurements. Hence, the network may reduce the number of MOs and skip those measurement gaps which are serving those MOs, provided that there is ongoing XR traffic. Inter-frequency measurements are only performed if there is no need to perform intra-frequency measurements, i.e. these measurements are done on best effort basis, e.g. in order of the configured MOs. Additionally, the network may indicate to the UE when best effort measurements (or measurements for low priority MOs) might be made.

[0101] FIG. 9A shows an example of network indicating UE about the best effort measurements or measurements for low priority Mos. As shown, the network identifies that it needs to schedule XR traffic 911 in slots where the UE is likely to use gap-based measurements. In such scenario, the network may send a skip command 920 to the UE. As a response, the UE is not allowed to use the configured measurement gap occasion, which would just increase latency of the XR data, and hence the next measurement gap occasion 914 is skipped. In addition, the SMTC occasion 912 is skipped. If the gNB does not send the measurement skipping command prior to the next SMTC occasion, the UE resumes RRM measurements using measurement gaps. To do measurements in efficient manner, UE may only perform serving cell and intra-frequency measurements according to the assigned higher priority for the intra-frequency MO during XR data transfer. For example, UE may perform intra-frequency measurements without gap in active BWP and / or with gap outside active BWP. Inter-frequency measurements are only performed if there is no need to perform intra-frequency measurements. That is, UE may not perform inter-frequency measurements with gap (such as best effort inter-frequency measurements), if intra-frequency measurements still need to be performed.

[0102] FIG. 9B illustrates an example diagram of behavior for SMTC skipping. In the example of FIG. 9B, it is assumed that the UE is measuring an intra-frequency layer 930 (referred to as Fl), if causing scheduling restrictions (thus may not be performed concurrently with XR traffic) and an inter-frequency layer 940 (referred to as F2). The frequency layer 930 is assigned a high priority and the frequency layer 940 is assigned with best effort priority (low priority). Before skipping command, every SMTC occasion is either used for measuring Fl or F2 with an equal distribution. This behavior may be observed in SMTC occasion index from 0 to 3. In SMTC occasions 4 to 6, the network sends in each a command for the UE to skip those measurements. As a result, no measurement is performed during those occasions. The 7th SMTC occasion is the next one after skipping commands. This occasion would be normally used for F2 measurement, but since the UE should prioritize intra-frequency measurements, it uses that occasion for Fl. Since the UE lost 2 measurement opportunities between SMTC occasions 4 and 6, the UE also prioritizes measurements on Fl on the SMTC occasion 9. The result of this method is that intra-frequency measurement delay is increased only to a minimum extent, since one lost intra-frequency measurement occasion is compensated after measurement skipping. On the other hand, the inter-frequency measurement will have a longer measurement delay.

[0103] Alternatively, in some example embodiments, the network may provide a higher priority to a first subset of inter-frequency carriers than to a second subset of interfrequency carriers. In such case, the UE will skip all measurements for the second subset and perform only measurements for the first subset on top of the intra-frequency measurements, provided that there is ongoing XR traffic. Inter-frequency measurements for second subset may only be performed if there is no need to perform intra-frequency measurements and inter-frequency measurements for first subset, i.e. these measurements are done on best effort basis, e.g. in order of the configured MOs. Additionally, the network may indicate to the UE when best effort RRM measurements (or measurements for low priority MOs) might be made.

[0104] Still referring to FIG. 9A, the network identifies that it needs to schedule XR traffic 911 in slots where the UE is likely to use gap-based measurements. In such scenario, the network may send a skip command 920 to the UE. As a response, the UE is not allowed to use the configured measurement gap occasion, and hence the next measurement gap occasion 914 and the SMTC occasion 912 are skipped. If the gNB does not send the measurement skipping command prior to the next SMTC occasion, the UE resumes RRM measurements using measurement gaps.

[0105] In some scenarios, the inter-frequency measurements are distinguished for two subsets, i.e. inter-frequency measurements are prioritized for certain frequencies (MOs) over other frequencies. To do measurements in efficient manner, UE may only perform serving cell and intra-frequency measurements and inter-frequency measurements for the first subset according to the assigned higher priority for both intra-frequency and interfrequency MOs during XR data transfer. For example, the UE may perform intra-frequency measurements without gap in active BWP and with gap outside active BWP. The UE may perform inter-frequency subset 1 measurements with gap. Inter-frequency measurements for the second subset are only performed if there is no need to perform intra-frequency measurements or inter-frequency first subset measurements. In other words, UE may perform inter-frequency subset 2 measurements (the best effort interfrequency subset 2 measurements) only if neither the intra=frequency measurements nor the inter-frequency subset 1 measurements need to be performed.

[0106] FIG. 9C illustrates an example diagram of behavior for SMTC skipping for different frequency sets. As shown, there may be two frequency measurements sets 950 and 960 (also referred to as frequency measurements subsets). The frequency measurement set 950 is assigned with a high priority, and includes an intra-frequency layer (referred to as Fl) and an inter-frequency layer (referred to as F2). The frequency measurement set 960 is best effort set (that is, with lower priority) and includes two interfrequency layers F3 and F4.

[0107] Before skipping command, each SMTC occasion is either used for measuring Fl, F2, F3 or F4 with an equal distribution. This behavior may be observed in SMTC occasion index from 0 to 3. In SMTC occasion 4, the network sends a command for the UE to skip those measurements. As a result, no measurement is performed during this occasion. The 6th SMTC occasion is the next one after skipping commands. This occasion would be normally used for F2 measurement which belongs to the high priority frequency measurement set 950. Thus, UE may use this 6th SMTC occasion for F2. In 7th SMTC occasion which would be normally used for F3 frequency, since the UE may prioritize the frequency measurement set 950, the UE may use the 7th SMTC occasion for Fl. In 8th to 10th SMTC occasions, the network sends in each a command for the UE to skip those measurements. As a result, no measurement is performed during those occasions. The 11th and 12th SMTC occasions may be used for Fl and F2 respectively based on the frequency layer prioritization.

[0108] Several example embodiments regarding measurements skipping based on frequency layer prioritization have been described. The frequency layer prioritization may be performed by the network based on the frequency prioritization metric. The frequency prioritization metric such as frequency correlation matrix may be determined by the network (as shown in FIG. 6) and / or by UE. FIG. 10 illustrates a signaling flow 1000 for frequency layer prioritization based on a UE-sided prioritization metric in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0109] Some operations or signaling in FIG. 10 is similar to those of FIG. 6, which will not be repeated here. The difference between the signaling flow 600 and the signaling flow 1000 is that the frequency correlation matrix (or matrices) may be determined at UE side instead of gNB side in the signaling flow 1000.

[0110] In the UE-sided embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the UE 601 may perform (625) intra-frequency and inter-frequency radio measurements, e.g., RSRP (in dBm). The UE 601 may calculate (1010) the correlation matrix calculation and then send (1020) the measurement report along with the matrix to the gNB 602 for decision making. In one example embodiment, the signal of correlation matrix from UE 601 to the gNB 602 may be embedded into a measurement report. Alternatively, it may be sent via a dedicated signaling channel that is configured by the gNB 602.

[0111] In some alternative example embodiments, the UE 601 may compute the gradient of signals representing radio measurements associated to inter-frequency and interfrequency measurements. Then, the UE 601 may compute the correlation matrices for original signals (i.e., pairwise correlation of radio measurements of two frequency layers) and gradient signals (i.e., pairwise correlation of gradients of radio measurements of two frequency layers). The correlation matrices for original signals and gradient signals are then transmitted to the gNB 602 together with the measurement report.

[0112] In some further example embodiments, for the UE-sided solution, the UE 601 may be configured to send a plurality of correlation matrices that are calculated with respect to a certain sampling period within T input measurement. In addition, the gNB 602 may be in charge of the postprocessing for the received matrices, and then derive the prioritization order for the measured frequency layers. For example, the gNB 602 may determine (1030) prioritized frequency layer(s) and best effort frequency layer(s).

[0113] With embodiments with respect to FIG. 10, the UE 601 may determine the correlation matrix or matrices and then report to the gNB 602. The gNB 602 may prioritize different frequency layers based on the correlation matrix or matrices. With such frequency layer prioritization, the gNB 602 may configure the UE 601 of measurement skip and / or RRM measurements. In response to receiving the indication, UE 601 may perform (655) measurement skip and RRM measurements based on rules. The rules may be predefined or configured by gNB 602. In this way, uninterrupted traffic such as uninterrupted XR traffic may be achieved.

[0114] As mentioned, the frequency layer prioritization such as, prioritization order for different frequency layers may be determined by the second apparatus 120. FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a process 1100 for determining the prioritization order for different frequency layers in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The process 1100 may be implemented by the second apparatus 120 such as gNB.

[0115] The process 1100 may include a data preparation phase 1110. In the data preparation phase 1110, at block 1112, the second apparatus 120 may load historical measurement results such as historical RSRP data received from the first apparatus 110. For example, the second apparatus 120 may buffer the RSRP measurement data from the configured time window T input measurement. It is to be understood that RSRP data is only illustrated as an example of measurement results data, the measurement result data may include other suitable measured parameter. At block 1114, the second apparatus 120 may prepare data, for example, creating a data frame. The data preparation phase 1110 may be triggered based on the network configured triggering of the frequency correlation calculation method as discussed above.

[0116] The process 1110 may include a processing phase. In a first option, the processing phase may include an RSRP correlation phase 1120. In the RSRP correlation phase 1120, at block 1122, the second apparatus 120 may compute the mean RSRP value for each frequency band. At block 1124, the second apparatus 120 may subtract the mean from each RSRP measurement to center the data. Centering the data by subtracting the mean may remove any bias in the data. At block 1126, the second apparatus 120 may compute the covariance between each pair of frequency bands using the centered data. At block 1128, the second apparatus 120 may compute the standard deviation for each frequency band. At block 1130, the second apparatus 120 may calculate the correlation coefficient between each pair of frequency bands using the covariance and standard deviation. At block 1132, the second apparatus 120 may assemble the correlation coefficients into a correlation matrix for the RSRP measurements. In this way, the correlation matrix may be calculated based on the RSRP correlation.

[0117] In a second option, the processing phase may include an RSRP gradient correlation phase 1140. In the RSRP gradient correlation phase 1140, at block 1142, the second apparatus 120 may calculate the gradient (difference) of RSRP values for each frequency band over time. At block 1144, the second apparatus 120 may compute the mean of the gradients for each frequency band. At block 1146, the second apparatus 120 may subtract the mean gradient from each gradient value to center the data. At block 1148, the second apparatus 120 may compute the covariance between each pair of frequency band gradients using the centered gradient data. At block 1150, the second apparatus 120 may compute the standard deviation for each frequency band gradient. At block 1152, the second apparatus 120 may calculate the correlation coefficient between each pair of frequency band gradients using the covariance and standard deviation. At block 1154, the second apparatus 120 may assemble the correlation coefficients into a correlation matrix for the gradients.

[0118] The processing phase may use the RSRP correlation phase 1120 or the RSRP gradient correlation phase 1140 to calculate the at least one frequency correlation matrix. The process 1100 may further include an output phase 1160 (also referred to a decisionmaking phase). In the output phase 1160, at block 1162, the second apparatus 120 may output the correlation matrices. At block 1164, the second apparatus 120 may determine prioritization order for measured frequency layers based on the correlation matrices.

[0119] In this way, the prioritization order for measured frequency layers may be determined based on the frequency prioritization metric such as frequency correlation matrices. It is to be understood that in some example embodiments, the first apparatus 110 such as UE may use a process similar to the RSRP correlation phase 1120 or the RSRP gradient correlation phase 1140 to calculate the at least one frequency correlation matrix. The first apparatus 110 may report the calculated frequency correlation matrix (matrices) to the second apparatus 120. The second apparatus 120 may determine prioritization order for measured frequency layers based on the received frequency correlation matrices.

[0120] With the prioritization order for measured frequency layers, the skipping of measurement gaps may be achieved in a selective manner based on the prioritization order. The RRM measurement for mobility purpose may be maintained and at the same time the throughput and latency performance for XR traffic may be maintained.

[0121] It would be appreciated that some example specifications and embodiments are provided above, and the detailed description may be varied. It is to be understood that these signaling flows 500, 600, 1000, and / or the process 1100, can be used in any suitable combinations.

[0122] FIG. 12 shows a flowchart of an example method 1200 implemented at a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 1200 will be described from the perspective of the first apparatus 110 in FIG. 1.

[0123] At block 1210, the first apparatus 110 receives, from a second apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric.

[0124] At block 1220, the first apparatus 110 receives, from the second apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers.

[0125] At block 1230, the first apparatus 110 performs at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers according to the configuration.

[0126] At block 1240, the first apparatus 110 reports, to the second apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement according to the configuration.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the configuration comprises at least one of: a time window for measuring the plurality of frequency layers, at least one triggering event for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation, at least one format for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, an indication indicative of including the frequency prioritization metric in the information related to the at least one measurement, or a configuration of a channel for transmitting the information related to the at least one measurement.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the at least one triggering event comprises at least one of: a triggering event based on at least one measured signal strength of the plurality of frequency layers within the time window and a threshold strength, a predefined triggering event for a radio measurement, or a periodic triggering event based on a periodicity.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the frequency prioritization metric comprises a frequency correlation matrix, and the at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation comprises at least one of: a method for calculating a frequency correlation matrix based on reference signal received power values measured from the plurality of frequency layers, or a method for calculating a frequency correlation matrix based on gradients of reference signal received power values measured from the plurality of frequency layers.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the at least one format comprises at least one of: layer one control information, a layer two medium access control control element, a layer three measurement report format configured by the second apparatus, or a layer three measurement report for radio measurements.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the information related to the at least one measurement comprises at least one of: measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers, or at least one frequency prioritization metric calculated by the first apparatus based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the measurement results of the plurality of layers comprises at least one of: results of intra-frequency radio measurements of the plurality of frequency layers within a time window for the frequency correlation measurement, or results of inter-frequency radio measurements of the plurality of frequency layers within the time window.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the method 1200 further comprises: calculating at least one frequency prioritization metric based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers; and reporting the at least one frequency prioritization metric to the second apparatus.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the method 1200 further comprises: transmitting, to the second apparatus, capability information indicative of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric.

[0135] FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of an example method 1300 implemented at a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 1300 will be described from the perspective of the second apparatus 120 in FIG. 1.

[0136] At block 1310, the second apparatus 120 transmits, to a first apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric.

[0137] At block 1320, the second apparatus 120 transmits, to the first apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers.

[0138] At block 1330, the second apparatus 120 receives, from the first apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement.

[0139] At block 1340, the second apparatus 120 determines priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the at least one measurement.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus 120 may calculate at least one frequency prioritization metric based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers. The second apparatus 120 may determine the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the at least one frequency prioritization metric.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the information related to the at least one measurement comprises at least one frequency prioritization metric calculated by the first apparatus. The second apparatus 120 may determine the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the at least one frequency prioritization metric.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the at least one frequency prioritization metric comprises at least one frequency correlation matrix.

[0143] In some example embodiments, the method 1300 further comprises: transmitting the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers to the first apparatus.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the priority information indicates at least one prioritized frequency layer and at least one further frequency layer with a priority lower than the at least one prioritized frequency layer.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the configuration comprises at least one of: a time window for measuring the plurality of frequency layers, at least one triggering event for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation, at least one format for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, an indication indicative of including frequency prioritization metric in the information related to the at least one measurement, or a configuration of a channel for transmitting the information related to the at least one measurement.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the method 1300 further comprises: receiving, from the first apparatus, capability information indicative of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric.

[0147] In some example embodiments, a first apparatus capable of performing any of the method 1200 (for example, the first apparatus 110 in FIG. 1) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 1200. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The first apparatus may be implemented as or included in the first apparatus 110 in FIG. 1.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a second apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric; means for receiving, from the second apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers; means for performing at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers according to the configuration; and means for reporting, to the second apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement according to the configuration.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the configuration comprises at least one of: a time window for measuring the plurality of frequency layers, at least one triggering event for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation, at least one format for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, an indication indicative of including the frequency prioritization metric in the information related to the at least one measurement, or a configuration of a channel for transmitting the information related to the at least one measurement.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the at least one triggering event comprises at least one of: a triggering event based on at least one measured signal strength of the plurality of frequency layers within the time window and a threshold strength, a predefined triggering event for a radio measurement, or a periodic triggering event based on a periodicity.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the frequency prioritization metric comprises a frequency correlation matrix, and the at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation comprises at least one of: a method for calculating a frequency correlation matrix based on reference signal received power values measured from the plurality of frequency layers, or a method for calculating a frequency correlation matrix based on gradients of reference signal received power values measured from the plurality of frequency layers.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the at least one format comprises at least one of: layer one control information, a layer two medium access control control element, a layer three measurement report format configured by the second apparatus, or a layer three measurement report for radio measurements.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the information related to the at least one measurement comprises at least one of: measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers, or at least one frequency prioritization metric calculated by the first apparatus based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers.

[0154] In some example embodiments, the measurement results of the plurality of layers comprises at least one of: results of intra-frequency radio measurements of the plurality of frequency layers within a time window for the frequency correlation measurement, or results of inter-frequency radio measurements of the plurality of frequency layers within the time window.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for calculating at least one frequency prioritization metric based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers; and means for reporting the at least one frequency prioritization metric to the second apparatus.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting, to the second apparatus, capability information indicative of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric.

[0157] In some example embodiments, a second apparatus capable of performing any of the method 1300 (for example, the second apparatus 120 in FIG. 1) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 1300. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The second apparatus may be implemented as or included in the second apparatus 120 in FIG. 1.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a first apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric; means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers; means for receiving, from the first apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement; and means for determining priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the at least one measurement.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the means for determining priority information may comprise: means for calculating at least one frequency prioritization metric based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers; and means for determining the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the at least one frequency prioritization metric.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the information related to the at least one measurement comprises at least one frequency prioritization metric calculated by the first apparatus, and the means for determining the priority information may comprise: means for determining the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the at least one frequency prioritization metric.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the at least one frequency prioritization metric comprises at least one frequency correlation matrix.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers to the first apparatus.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the priority information indicates at least one prioritized frequency layer and at least one further frequency layer with a priority lower than the at least one prioritized frequency layer.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the configuration comprises at least one of: a time window for measuring the plurality of frequency layers, at least one triggering event for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation, at least one format for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, an indication indicative of including frequency prioritization metric in the information related to the at least one measurement, or a configuration of a channel for transmitting the information related to the at least one measurement.

[0165] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the first apparatus, capability information indicative of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric.

[0166] FIG. 14 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1400 that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1400 may be provided to implement a communication device, for example, the first apparatus 110 or the second apparatus 120 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 1400 includes one or more processors 1410, one or more memories 1420 coupled to the processor 1410, and one or more communication modules 1440 coupled to the processor 1410.

[0167] The communication module 1440 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 1440 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interfaces may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 1440 may include at least one antenna.

[0168] The processor 1410 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 1400 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

[0169] The memory 1420 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 1424, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), an optical disk, a laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random-access memory (RAM) 1422 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

[0170] A computer program 1430 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 1410. The instructions of the program 1430 may include instructions for performing operations / acts of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 1430 may be stored in the memory, e.g., the ROM 1424. The processor 1410 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 1430 into the RAM 1422.

[0171] The example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 1430 so that the device 1400 may perform any process of the disclosure as discussed with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 13. The example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0172] In some example embodiments, the program 1430 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 1400 (such as in the memory 1420) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 1400. The device 1400 may load the program 1430 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 1422 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may include any types of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0173] FIG. 15 shows an example of the computer readable medium 1500 which may be in form of CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 1500 has the program 1430 stored thereon.

[0174] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. Although various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0175] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer readable medium, such as a non-transitory computer readable medium. The computer program product includes computerexecutable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to carry out any of the methods as described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0176] Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[0177] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

[0178] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0179] Further, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, although several specific implementation details are contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated, certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in a plurality of embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0180] Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first apparatus comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to:receive, from a second apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric;receive, from the second apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers;perform at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers according to the configuration; andreport, to the second apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement according to the configuration.

2. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration comprises at least one of:a time window for measuring the plurality of frequency layers,at least one triggering event for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement,at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation,at least one format for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, an indication indicative of including the frequency prioritization metric in the information related to the at least one measurement, ora configuration of a channel for transmitting the information related to the at least one measurement.

3. The first apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one triggering event comprises at least one of:a triggering event based on a threshold strength and at least one measured signal strength of the plurality of frequency layers within the time window,a predefined triggering event for a radio measurement, ora periodic triggering event based on a periodicity.

4. The first apparatus of claim 2 or 3, wherein the frequency prioritization metric comprises a frequency correlation matrix, and the at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation comprises at least one of:a method for calculating a frequency correlation matrix based on reference signal received power values measured from the plurality of frequency layers, ora method for calculating a frequency correlation matrix based on gradients of reference signal received power values measured from the plurality of frequency layers.

5. The first apparatus of any of claims 2-4, wherein the at least one format comprises at least one of:layer one control information,a layer two medium access control control element,a layer three measurement report format configured by the second apparatus, ora layer three measurement report for radio measurements.

6. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-5, wherein the information related to the at least one measurement comprises at least one of:measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers, orat least one frequency prioritization metric calculated by the first apparatus based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers.

7. The first apparatus of claim 6, wherein the measurement results of the plurality of layers comprises at least one of:results of intra-frequency radio measurements of the plurality of frequency layers within a time window for the frequency correlation measurement, orresults of inter-frequency radio measurements of the plurality of frequency layers within the time window.

8. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-7, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: calculate at least one frequency prioritization metric based on measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers; andreport the at least one frequency prioritization metric to the second apparatus.

9. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-8, wherein the first apparatus is caused to:transmit, to the second apparatus, capability information indicative of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric.

10. A second apparatus comprising:at least one processor; andat least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to:transmit, to a first apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric;transmit, to the first apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers;receive, from the first apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement; anddetermine priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the at least one measurement.

11. The second apparatus of claim 10, wherein the information related to the at least one measurement comprises measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers, and the second apparatus is further caused to:calculate at least one frequency prioritization metric based on the measurement results of the plurality of frequency layers; anddetermine the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the at least one frequency prioritization metric.

12. The second apparatus of claim 10, wherein the information related to the at least one measurement comprises at least one frequency prioritization metric calculated by the first apparatus, and the second apparatus is further caused to:determine the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the at least one frequency prioritization metric.

13. The second apparatus of any of claims 10-12, wherein the frequency prioritization metric comprises a frequency correlation matrix.

14. The second apparatus of any of claims 10-13, wherein the second apparatus is further caused to:transmit the priority information of the plurality of frequency layers to the first apparatus.

15. The second apparatus of any of claims 10-14, wherein the priority information indicates at least one prioritized frequency layer and at least one further frequency layer with a priority lower than the at least one prioritized frequency layer.

16. The second apparatus of any of claims 10-15, wherein the configuration comprises at least one of:a time window for measuring the plurality of frequency layers,at least one triggering event for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement,at least one method for frequency prioritization metric calculation,at least one format for reporting the information related to the at least one measurement, an indication indicative of including the frequency prioritization metric in the information related to the at least one measurement, ora configuration of a channel for transmitting the information related to the at least one measurement.

17. The first apparatus of any of claims 10-16, wherein the second apparatus is caused to:receive, from the first apparatus, capability information indicative of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric.

18. A method comprising:receiving, at a first apparatus from a second apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric;receiving, from the second apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, theconfiguration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers;performing at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers according to the configuration; andreporting, to the second apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement according to the configuration.

19. A method comprising:transmitting, at a second apparatus to a first apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric;transmitting, to the first apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers;receiving, from the first apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement; anddetermining priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the at least one measurement.

20. A first apparatus comprising:means for receiving, from a second apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric;means for receiving, from the second apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers;means for performing at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers according to the configuration; andmeans for reporting, to the second apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement according to the configuration.

21. A second apparatus comprising:means for transmitting, to a first apparatus, an indication of support of frequency layer prioritization based on a frequency prioritization metric;means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a configuration of at least one measurement of a plurality of frequency layers for frequency prioritization metric determination, the configuration being indicative of reporting information related to the at least one measurement of the plurality of frequency layers;means for receiving, from the first apparatus, information related to the at least one measurement; andmeans for determining priority information of the plurality of frequency layers based on the information related to the at least one measurement.

22. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus at least to perform the method of claim 18 or the method of claim 19.45

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