Method for paging of radio device, and radio access network node

Abstract

To provide a method executed by a radio access network (RAN) node, for paging one radio device of one or more radio devices monitoring paging in a cell controlled by the RAN node.SOLUTION: A method includes: a RAN node receiving, from a core network (CN) node, control signaling for supporting the RAN node in determining a paging group on the basis of paging probability and / or traffic characteristics; broadcasting RAN signaling for use in determining the paging group by a radio device; receiving, from the CN node, a paging request for paging the radio device, the paging request indicating support information for paging of the radio device; and transmitting, to the radio device, a paging indication indicating the paging group determined on the basis of the paging request.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication. The present disclosure relates to a method for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices, an associated wireless device, an associated radio access network node, and an associated core network node. [Background technology]

[0002] In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®) New Radio (NR), when a wireless device is in an idle mode or an RRC inactive mode (RRC stands for Radio Resource Control), the wireless device needs to listen to the channel for potential paging. To reduce power consumption, the wireless device may listen to paging only in a paging occasion (PO) using discontinuous reception (DRX). With the existing settings and configurations of DRX cycles and POs, many wireless devices listen to the same PO and monitor the channel for potential paging, such as monitoring the control channel for paging downlink control information (DCI) and subsequent paging messages in the data shared channel. If a wireless device detects and successfully decodes the paging DCI and subsequent paging messages, but the paging messages were not intended for the wireless device (such as when the Temporary Mobile Subscription Identity (TMSI) of the wireless device is not included in the remaining Minimum System Information (RMSI) of the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)), this is called a false paging, which results in extra overhearing costs at the wireless device. The overhearing cost can be viewed as the increased power consumption in a wireless device due to overhearing a paging message intended for another wireless device. This is particularly detrimental when wireless devices with different paging probabilities are listening to the same PO. For example, if a wireless device with a low paging probability is configured to listen to the same PO as a wireless device with a high paging probability, the energy cost of a false page can be significant. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] Therefore, what is needed is a device and method for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices monitoring paging in a cell controlled by a RAN node that provides a paging grouping mechanism that reduces, mitigates, or overcomes existing shortcomings and reduces the cost of overhearing due to false page(s).

[0004] A method is disclosed that is executed by a Radio Access Network (RAN) node for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices that monitor paging in a cell controlled by the RAN node. The method includes broadcasting RAN signaling for use in determining a paging group by the wireless device. The method includes receiving a paging request from a Core Network (CN) node for paging the wireless device, the paging request indicating assistance information for paging the wireless device. The method includes transmitting a paging indication to the wireless device indicating the paging group determined based on the paging request.

[0005] A Radio Access Network (RAN) node is disclosed, the RAN node comprising circuitry configured to cause the RAN node to perform any of the methods disclosed herein.

[0006] An advantage of the present disclosure is that the number of false pages is reduced since only the wireless devices associated with the paging group indicated in the paging indication proceed to decode the subsequent paging message carried on the PDSCH. The paging procedure according to the present disclosure has the further advantage of enabling group paging of wireless devices without the need for additional wake-up signaling, which allows for more efficient use of available resources. A further benefit is that the paging grouping according to the present disclosure is compatible with legacy wireless devices.

[0007] A method is disclosed that is performed by a core network node for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices that monitor paging in a cell controlled by the Radio Access Network (RAN) node, the method including sending control signaling to the RAN node to assist the RAN node in determining a paging group based on a paging probability, the method including sending a paging request to the RAN node for paging the wireless device, the paging request indicating assistance information for paging.

[0008] Further disclosed is a core network node comprising circuitry configured to cause the core network node to perform any of the methods disclosed herein.

[0009] An advantage of the present disclosure is that the control signaling allows the RAN node to determine the paging group based on the current conditions in the cell, such as the number of wireless devices in the cell that have a certain paging probability. By allowing the RAN node to dynamically group the wireless devices into paging groups, the RAN node can efficiently group the wireless devices. Thus, the number of false pages of the wireless devices can be further reduced. A further advantage is that the paging grouping according to the present disclosure is compatible with legacy wireless devices.

[0010] Further disclosed is a method for processing paging of a wireless device performed by a wireless device, where the wireless device is monitoring paging in a cell controlled by a Radio Access Network (RAN) node. The method includes receiving RAN signaling from the RAN node that enables the wireless device to determine its paging group. The method includes determining the paging group based on the RAN signaling. The method includes monitoring paging occasions for a paging indication indicating the determined paging group.

[0011] Additionally disclosed is a wireless device comprising circuitry configured to cause the wireless device to perform any of the methods disclosed herein.

[0012] An advantage of the present disclosure is that wireless devices may be grouped, such as dynamically grouped, into paging groups, whereby the grouping may be adapted to different conditions in a cell, such as the number of wireless devices in the cell having a particular paging probability at any given time. By grouping into paging groups and monitoring paging occasions for paging indications indicating the paging group of the wireless devices, the number of false pages of the wireless devices is reduced, and thus the energy consumption of the wireless devices is reduced. A further benefit is that the paging grouping according to the present disclosure is compatible with legacy wireless devices.

[0013] The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system including an example radio access network node, an example core network node, and an example wireless device according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a signaling diagram illustrating an example message exchange between an example wireless device 300, an example RAN node 400, and an example core network node 600 during an example paging operation in accordance with the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating multiplexing of paging occasions in the frequency domain in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method performed in a RAN node for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices that monitor paging in a cell controlled by the RAN node in accordance with the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method performed in a core network node for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices that monitor paging in a cell controlled by a RAN node in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method performed in a wireless device for handling paging of the wireless device in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example RAN node in accordance with the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example core network node according to the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless device according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Various exemplary embodiments and details are described below with reference to the drawings where relevant. It should be noted that the drawings may or may not be drawn to scale, and elements of similar structure or function are represented by similar reference numbers throughout the drawings. It should also be noted that the drawings are intended only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the present disclosure, nor as a limitation of the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. An aspect or advantage described in connection with a particular embodiment is not necessarily limited to that embodiment, and may be implemented in any other embodiment, even if not so shown or explicitly described.

[0016] The drawings are schematic and simplified for clarity, and they merely show details that aid in the understanding of the present disclosure, while other details are omitted. The same reference numerals are used throughout for the same or corresponding parts.

[0017] 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system 1 comprising an example network node 400 and an example wireless device 300 according to the present disclosure. The example wireless communication system further comprises an example Core Network (CN) node 600, such as a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or a 5G Core Access Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0018] As detailed herein, the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system 1 comprising a cellular system, such as a 3GPP wireless communication system, comprising one or more wireless devices 300, 300A and / or one or more radio access network nodes 400, such as one or more of a base station, an eNB, a gNB, and / or an access point.

[0019] A Radio Access Network (RAN) node as disclosed herein may be considered as a functional unit that may include a radio access network node 400 operating in a radio access network, such as a base station, an evolved Node B (eNB), and / or a Node B (gNB).

[0020] The wireless communication system 1 may include a core network node 600. The core network node 600 is a part of a core network.

[0021] The CN node disclosed in this specification may be considered as a functional unit that may include a CN node 600 operating in a core network, such as a Mobility Management Entity (MME) or a 5G Core Access Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0022] The wireless device may be a mobile device and / or a user equipment (UE). Optionally, the wireless device may comprise an Internet of Things (IoT) device.

[0023] The wireless devices 300, 300A may be configured to communicate with a RAN node 400 via wireless links (or wireless access links) 10, 10A.

[0024] A Core Network (CN) node as disclosed herein refers to a network node operating in a core network, such as an Evolved Packet Core Network (EPC) and / or a 5G Core Network (5GC). Examples of CN nodes in an EPC include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) and / or an Access Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0025] The wireless device 300, 300A may be configured to communicate with the CN node 600 via the RAN node 400 and may be configured to communicate with the CN node 600 via the link 12.

[0026] When a wireless device such as a UE is in an idle mode or an RRC inactive mode, the wireless device needs to listen to a channel (i.e., a paging channel) for potential paging. The channel may be a downlink channel from a RAN node. To reduce power consumption, the wireless device may use discontinuous reception (DRX). When configured with DRX, the wireless device monitors one PO per DRX cycle, where each PO is a set of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions. Each PO may include one or more time slots, such as one or more subframes or one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, in which paging downlink control information (DCI), such as DCI with a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled by the P_RNTI, may be received by the wireless device. A paging frame (PF) is one radio frame and may include one or more POs or the start of a PO. Typically, one P_RNTI is used by all wireless devices in a cell. Thus, all wireless devices scheduled to monitor paging will proceed to decode the subsequent paging message, even if only one wireless device in the PO is paged.

[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates a signaling diagram illustrating an example message exchange between an example wireless device 300, an example RAN node 400, and an example core network node 600 during an example paging operation in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0028] The wireless device 300 performs an attach procedure with a core network node 600, such as an MME or an AMF, and exchanges wireless device information (such as wireless device capability information) to negotiate information regarding the paging probability of the wireless device 300 (S901). The wireless device 300 may indicate by the capability information whether the wireless device is capable of supporting the paging group operation. For example, the wireless device 300 may provide additional UE paging probability information in the Attach Request message. The CN node may then determine the assistance information based on the UE paging probability information and / or other information such as statistics. The assistance information 901a having the paging probability (such as NASprob) may be transmitted from the CN node 600 to the wireless device 300 in one or more Attach Accept messages and / or Tracking Area Update messages. In other words, if the wireless device 300 supports the group paging operation, the wireless device 300 may exchange information regarding the paging probability (such as NASprob) that may be negotiated between the wireless device and the MME via NAS signaling. prob ) to the wireless device 300. The exchange of information may include the wireless device sending wireless device information to the core network node 600 and receiving a paging probability. The wireless device information may include information that enables the CN node to provide the wireless device with a paging probability for the wireless device. The exchange of information may further include the core network node 600 sending assistance information, e.g., assistance information for paging such as a paging probability, to the wireless device 300.

[0029] A core network node 600 such as an MME or an AMF transmits control signaling to the RAN node 400 to assist the RAN node 400 in determining a paging group (S902). The control signaling may include paging grouping assistance information. For example, the control signaling may enable the RAN node to determine a paging probability threshold that can be transmitted in RRC. For example, the paging grouping configuration information is broadcast by the RAN node via system information in a related cell such as within the cell where data is received, for example, based on upper layer information (see step S903). The paging grouping assistance information may include a paging probability such as the distribution of paging probabilities in the cell of the RAN node. This information can be used by the RAN node to adjust the paging grouping information. The paging grouping information includes one or more paging probability thresholds, and / or a paging group ID for each paging probability threshold and / or paging probability threshold.

[0030] The RAN node 400 may broadcast RAN signaling that enables the wireless device 400 to determine the paging group to which the wireless device belongs (S903). The RAN signaling may include paging group information such as paging grouping configuration information that enables the wireless device to identify or understand which group it belongs to based on its own paging probability. The paging group information may include a paging probability or traffic characteristic, and / or a mapping of the paging group to the paging probability and / or traffic characteristic. The paging group information may indicate additional resources such as K additional resources (K < N, where N is the total number of paging groups) whose frequencies are multiplexed at the same timing occasion shown in FIG. 3, for example.

[0031] The wireless device 300 may be in an idle mode or an RRC inactive mode and may monitor paging occasions according to its DRX cycle and according to broadcasted RAN signaling (e.g., paging group information) (S904). The wireless device 300 may monitor data transmitted on paging occasions and interpret the data based on the paging group information, e.g., its paging group. The wireless device may filter paging indications transmitted on monitored paging occasions based on the paging group information, as described in more detail below.

[0032] A core network node, such as the core network node 600, may send a paging message, such as a paging request for paging a wireless device, to the RAN node 400 (S905). The paging message may indicate assistance information for paging the wireless device, such as a paging probability and / or traffic characteristics of the wireless device to be paged. The RAN node may further use the paging probability and / or traffic characteristics to determine a paging group for the associated wireless device. The paging message is typically sent to the RAN node of the cell in which the wireless device is to be paged.

[0033] A RAN node, such as the RAN node 400, may transmit a paging indication to the wireless device 300 (S906). The paging indication may be considered as an indicator used by the RAN node to indicate to the wireless device that a wireless device in a paging group is about to be paged. For example, the paging indication may include a paging indicator, such as a paging DCI. The paging indication may indicate a paging group determined based on a paging request. The paging indication may include and / or be scrambled with a new paging group identifier (ID) (which may be similar to a P-RNTI) in one or more exemplary ways to trigger wireless devices that belong to the target paging group to prepare and proceed to receive a paging message on a PDSCH. The paging indication may include additional DCI bits to indicate the paging group in one or more exemplary ways.

[0034] A RAN node, such as RAN node 400, may transmit a paging message on the PDSCH (S907).

[0035] When a wireless device to be paged, such as the wireless device 300, is within the cell, the wireless device may respond to the paging message by initiating (S908) a random access procedure towards the RAN node 400. The initiation of the random access procedure may include sending an RRC connection request to the RAN node 400.

[0036] The paging DCI contains details of frequency and time resources for paging. The PDSCH contains the RMSI / TMSI of the wireless device being paged. Only after decoding the PDSCH does the wireless device know if it is being paged or not. The event where the wireless device detects and / or successfully decodes the paging DCI but its own RMSI / TMSI is not included in the PDSCH is called "miss paging". Miss paging results in overhearing costs such as increased power consumption in the wireless device. Miss paging can occur, for example, when a UE overhears a paging intended for another UE. For example, a miss paging can occur when the UE decodes everything correctly but the paging signaling from the radio access network node to other devices is overheard by the UE.

[0037] As detailed in the appendix, with the existing settings and configurations of DRX cycles and POs, many wireless devices may listen to the same PO to monitor the channel for potential paging DCIs. If a wireless device with a low paging probability is configured to listen to the same PO as a wireless device with a high paging probability, the cost of false paging may be significant. The paging probability may be viewed as a metric regarding the probability that a wireless device will receive a paging message over a period of time, and may be based, for example, on statistical information of the wireless device.

[0038] Even for wireless devices with the same paging probability, false paging may occur because not all wireless devices are paged at the same time. However, if a first wireless device listens to the same paging occasion as a second wireless device that has a higher paging probability than the first wireless device, the cost will be even higher.

[0039] The present disclosure provides, among other things, a paging grouping mechanism that addresses the mis-paging problem and reduces the cost of overhearing due to mis-paging.

[0040] An exemplary method according to the present disclosure introduces group paging to prevent overhearing by all wireless devices listening to one PO. Instead of the conventional, wireless devices are grouped based on paging probability. Each wireless device may monitor a paging indicator (PI) based on a paging group calculated based on the paging probability of the wireless device. The paging probability may be reported by the wireless device or determined at the CN node, for example, based on statistics.

[0041] Grouping of wireless devices may be implemented by implementing filtering and / or categorization within the PO.

[0042] According to one or more example methods disclosed herein, the DCI may include additional information, such as additional DCI bits indicating a paging group, and the wireless device may monitor a subsequent PDSCH only if the additional information, such as the additional DCI bits, matches the paging group of the wireless device.

[0043] According to one or more example methods disclosed herein, a paging group identifier (ID) may be assigned. The paging group ID may be used to calculate an enhanced P-RNTI. The CRC of the DCI may be scrambled with this new P-RNTI. The paging group ID may be determined based on a paging probability such that wireless devices with similar paging capabilities are grouped together and listen for the same paging indication.

[0044] In one or more example methods, additional resources may be added in the frequency domain at each paging occasion in the time domain, etc., to page several wireless devices simultaneously.

[0045] The exemplary method disclosed herein provides a paging grouping mechanism for wireless devices that is compatible with existing paging procedures, such as legacy paging procedures, without using a wake-up signal (WUS) to reduce the number of false pages of non-targeted wireless devices. Non-targeted wireless devices may be considered herein as wireless devices for which paging is not intended.

[0046] A paging grouping mechanism for wireless devices according to one or more example methods disclosed herein may be considered as an extension of the paging procedure by adding grouping to an existing paging procedure that allows a RAN node, such as an eNB or a gNB, to group wireless devices. Signaling of the grouping of wireless devices may be done via a modified paging indication, such as a modified paging DCI, which may be referred to as an enhanced paging DCI. An example method for modifying a DCI according to the present disclosure is provided. In one or more example methods, N additional bits may be added to the paging DCI, where N may be associated with a number of UE paging groups, each bit representing one group. In legacy NR, the paging DCI uses DCI format 1_0, which includes 6 reserved bits. Thus, all or some part of these additional bits may be used to enhance the paging DCI functionality for group paging. The same RNTI as the existing paging RNTI, e.g., P_RNTI, may be used as the paging indication for the enhanced paging DCI.

[0047] In one or more example methods, N new paging group IDs corresponding to the N UE paging groups are introduced in addition to the P_RNTI (or a mix of P_RNTI and N new paging group IDs). For legacy NR, the CRC is scrambled / masked with the P_RNTI (CRC x P_RNTI). For example, the CRC may be scrambled / masked with the P_RNTI and the group ID (CRC x P_RNTI x group ID). To page a wireless device group, the CRC of the paging DCI may be scrambled with a new group ID corresponding to the paging group ID of the target wireless device group. The existing paging RNTI, e.g., P_RNTI, may be used to page a wireless device if multiple paging groups need to be paged.

[0048] In one or more example methods, X additional bits may be added to the enhanced paging DCI. The X additional bits may be equal to ceil(log 2(N)), where N is the total number of paging groups, M=N-1 is the number of paging groups of wireless devices, and one value (e.g., bits set to all 1's (or 0's)) may be reserved for the case where multiple UEs (e.g., all wireless devices) need to be paged. For example, an RNTI that is the same as an existing paging RNTI, e.g., P_RNTI, may be used as a paging indication for the enhanced paging DCI.

[0049] An advantage of the exemplary method is that the wireless device does not need to search at least two paging IDs, namely its own group paging ID and all paging IDs. A paging ID may be used to identify a combination of paging groups. For example, a paging ID may be assigned to two or more paging groups simultaneously.

[0050] A paging grouping mechanism for wireless devices according to the example methods disclosed herein may include paging grouping resource allocation. The wireless device needs to monitor resources on which paging DCI with grouping may be assigned by the RAN node. Different approaches may be used depending on how the signaling of paging groups of wireless devices is performed. In one or more example methods, no additional / separate time or frequency resources are required since the grouping of wireless devices for PO is handled using N additional bits in the DCI. Thereby, legacy PO may be used and may be determined according to the appendix. The wireless device may monitor the channel in the PO for enhanced paging DCI.

[0051] In one or more exemplary ways, multiple configurations can be used. A) There is no change to the PO being used, and no additional resources are allocated to the paging of the paging group. The wireless device may monitor, e.g., search for, its own group ID and all group IDs. By grouping wireless devices based on their paging probability or traffic characteristics, wireless devices with a lower paging probability than other wireless devices will no longer be woken up frequently by mistake. B) K additional resources (K < N, where N is the total number of paging groups) multiplexed at a frequency at the same timing occasion as the PO may be used to enable the paging group of the wireless device (see FIG. 3). Thus, multiple paging groups can be paged simultaneously at the same PO. An example of a mapping strategy regarding how the wireless device groups are associated with these additional resources is shown in FIG. 3. For example, assume that the total number of groupings N is 7 and 3 additional bits are used to address the group IDs of the N groups. With K = 3 additional resources, the group ID for addressing all wireless devices and paging group #1 may be scheduled to listen to the original paging occasion (the original paging occasion may be referred to as the legacy paging occasion or paging occasion #0), paging group #2 and paging group #3 may be scheduled to listen to paging occasion #1 at a frequency position shifted by one paging bandwidth compared to the original paging occasion, paging groups #4 and #5 may be scheduled to listen to paging occasion #2 at a frequency position shifted by two paging bandwidths compared to the original paging occasion, and paging groups #6 and #7 may be scheduled to listen to paging occasion #3 at a frequency position shifted by three paging bandwidths compared to the original paging occasion.This may also be done by multiplexing the paging groupings in the time domain, or by a combination of multiplexing in the time and frequency domains.

[0052] A paging grouping mechanism for wireless devices according to the example methods disclosed herein may include higher layer configuration and structure. Information related to the paging group of the wireless device may be communicated to the wireless device via system information. A RAN node, such as a gNB, is not aware of the traffic characteristics or paging probability of the wireless device. A core network node, such as an MME or AMF, may provide this information to the RAN node. The RAN node may use this information to efficiently assign a set of appropriate wireless devices to the same paging group.

[0053] 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 100 performed by a Radio Access Network (RAN) node for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices monitoring paging in a cell controlled by the RAN node according to the present disclosure. The wireless device may be in an idle mode or a radio resource control (RRC) inactive mode in a cell controlled by the RAN node.

[0054] The method 100 includes broadcasting (S104) RAN signaling for use in determining a paging group by the wireless device, enabling the wireless device to determine a paging group, such as, for example, a paging group to which the wireless device belongs. A paging group may be considered as a group including one or more wireless devices grouped based on their paging probability and / or traffic characteristics such that the wireless devices of the group may be paged according to the paging group. In one or more exemplary methods, the RAN signaling enables the wireless device to determine a paging group based on the paging probability and / or paging probability threshold and / or traffic characteristics of the wireless device. The RAN signaling may include, for example, a mapping between the paging group and any of the paging probability, paging probability threshold, and traffic characteristics. The wireless device may determine a paging group, such as, a paging group to which the wireless device belongs, based on the RAN signaling and optionally the wireless device information. The RAN signaling may include information indicating resources in time and / or frequency of paging occasions associated with the respective paging groups. The RAN signaling may include an increased number of paging occasions N of paging frames to be used by the wireless device when calculating the paging occasions. s The broadcasting (S104) may correspond to S903 in FIG.

[0055] The method 100 includes receiving a paging request for paging the wireless device from a CN node (S106). The paging request indicates to the RAN node that there is data or other information to be transmitted to the wireless device. The paging request indicates, for example, assistance information for paging the wireless device. In one or more exemplary methods, the assistance information for paging includes one or more of a paging probability associated with the wireless device and a traffic characteristic of the wireless device. The RAN node may further use the paging probability and / or the traffic characteristic to determine a paging group for the associated wireless device. The CN node may be a mobility management node located in a core network, such as a multimedia management entity (MME) or a 5G core access mobility management function (AMF). The receiving (S106) may correspond to S905 of FIG. 2.

[0056] The method 100 includes transmitting (S110) a paging indication to the wireless device indicating a paging group determined based on the paging request. For example, the RAN node determines a paging group corresponding to the wireless device using the paging request indicating assistance information (such as paging probability and / or traffic characteristics) and generates a paging indication based on the paging group to indicate the determined paging group. The paging indication instructs the wireless device to decode a subsequent paging message. The transmitting (S110) may correspond to S906 of FIG. 2.

[0057] In one or more example methods, the paging group is indicated by formatting (S108A) a paging indication based on the paging group of the wireless device. In other words, the formatting (S108A) may generate a paging indication for each paging group. The formatting (S108A) may assume that different paging indications are provided for different paging groups. For example, a paging indication for a first paging group is different from a paging indication for a second paging group. For example, the RAN node uses the first paging group to generate and format a paging indication for paging wireless devices belonging to the first paging group.

[0058] In one or more exemplary methods, formatting the paging indication (S108A) includes encoding the paging indication with a paging group identifier (S108AA). Encoding the paging indication may include scrambling and / or masking the paging indication. Scrambling may be considered as transposing or inverting a signal or otherwise encoding a message to make the message unintelligible to a receiver that does not have a properly configured descrambling means. Scrambling may be achieved by adding components, such as a paging group identifier, to an original signal, such as a paging indication, or by modifying some components of the original signal to make extraction of the original signal difficult. Masking may be considered as a process of hiding original data with modified content, such as characters or other data. For example, here, the content is modified by adding a paging group identifier. For example, N new paging group identifiers may be provided in addition to the P_RNTI (or a mix of the P_RNTI and the N new paging group identifiers), where N is the number of paging groups of the wireless device. In legacy NR, the paging identifier includes a CRC scrambled and / or masked with the P_RNTI (CRC x P_RNTI). According to one or more example methods provided herein, the paging group identifier may be provided by scrambling and / or masking the CRC using the P_RNTI and a group identifier (CRC x P_RNTI x group ID). To page the wireless device group CRC, the paging DCI may be scrambled with a new group identifier, such as a group ID corresponding to the identifier of the target wireless device group. A legacy paging RNTI, such as the legacy P_RNTI, may continue to be used to page wireless devices when multiple groups need to be paged.An advantage associated with providing a paging group identifier in a paging indication as disclosed herein is that no additional bits are required in the paging indication (such as a paging DCI) to signal the paging group.

[0059] In one or more exemplary methods, formatting the paging indication (S108A) includes providing a paging group identifier in the paging indication (S108AB). In other words, the paging indication may include the paging group identifier, for example in additional bits. In one or more exemplary methods, the paging group identifier is indicated by one or more bits of the paging indication. The one or more bits may be associated with a paging group. The paging group identifier may be indicated by a dedicated bit, such as a dedicated bit for each paging group, or by a combination of bits, such as a dedicated combination of bits for each paging group.

[0060] The paging indication can be considered as, for example, an explicit indication (as shown in step S108AB of FIG. 3) or an implicit indication (as shown in step S108AA of FIG. 3) of which PO is to be used for the paging group.

[0061] In one or more exemplary methods, the paging group identifier is indicated by a dedicated bit of the paging indication. The dedicated bit can be considered as an explicit indication. The dedicated bit can be associated with a specific paging group. For example, N additional bits may be added to the paging DCI, where N is the number of paging groups of the wireless device, and each bit may represent one group. In other words, each bit may be associated with one paging group. The DCI with N additional bits may be referred to herein as an enhanced paging DCI. In legacy NR, the paging DCI uses DCI format 1_0, which typically includes 6 reserved bits. The enhanced paging DCI may use one or more of these reserved bits to enhance the paging DCI functionality for group paging. The enhanced paging DCI may use the same RNTI as the existing paging RNTI, e.g., P_RNTI, as the paging indication. By using N additional bits in the paging DCI to indicate the paging group identifier of the wireless device, no additional and / or separate time or frequency resources are required. Thus, the PO can be determined using the formula for the legacy PO as shown in the appendix. These example methods have the advantage of being compatible with legacy wireless devices, since the grouping of wireless devices for a PO can be handled using the N additional bits in the DCI using the legacy PO.

[0062] In one or more exemplary methods, the paging group identifier is indicated by a bit combination of the paging indication. In one or more exemplary methods, the bit combination is associated with a paging group. In these exemplary methods, X additional bits may be added to the paging DCI, where X indicates the number of additional bits added. The X additional bits may be equal to ceil(log 2(N)), where N is the total number of paging groups and M=N-1 is the number of paging groups of the wireless device. One value, such as bits set to all 1's (or 0's), may be reserved for cases where multiple UEs need to be paged (e.g., all UEs need to be paged). Similar to the exemplary method in which N bits are added to the paging DCI, the same RNTI as the existing paging RNTI, such as P_RNTI, may be used as the paging indication for the enhanced paging DCI.

[0063] In one or more example methods, the method includes receiving (S102) control signaling from a CN node to assist the RAN node in determining a paging group based on paging probability and / or traffic characteristics. The control signaling may include one or more of a paging probability range associated with each paging group, a paging probability threshold associated with each paging group, a traffic characteristic associated with each paging group, and a paging group identifier for each paging group. The control signaling may include one or more of the paging probability range, the paging probability threshold, and the traffic characteristic. The control signaling of S102 may be considered as assistance information provided by the CN node. The paging probability, the paging probability threshold, and the traffic characteristic may be associated with wireless devices that monitor paging in a cell controlled by the RAN node. The control signaling may include a paging probability distribution and / or a traffic characteristic distribution of wireless devices associated with a cell of the RAN node. Associated with a cell herein may be considered as a wireless device that has performed an attach procedure to the cell, is in idle mode or RRC inactive mode, and is monitoring paging in the cell controlled by the RAN node. The paging probability distribution and / or traffic characteristic distribution in the cell may change over time.

[0064] In one or more example methods, the method includes determining (S108) a paging indication indicating a paging group based on the paging request and optionally based on the control signaling. The control signaling may be used to determine, e.g., dynamically determine, a paging group for the wireless device. The RAN node may dynamically determine a paging grouping, e.g., a paging group for the wireless device, based on the control signaling received from a core network node. An advantage here is that the paging grouping may be dynamically adjusted at the RAN node such that the paging groups and associated paging indications may be more effectively scheduled. While legacy grouping of wireless devices, such as grouping related to wake-up signaling (WUS), is typically based on a fixed paging probability threshold, e.g., grouping wireless devices having a paging probability in the range of 0-9% in a first group, wireless devices having a paging probability in the range of 10-19% in a second group, ... and wireless devices having a paging probability in the range of 90-100% in a tenth group, a RAN node according to an exemplary embodiment herein may dynamically determine paging groups based on control signaling received from a core network node. For example, if the control signaling indicates that only a few wireless devices have a paging probability of 0-20%, these wireless devices may be grouped into a first paging group. If there are many wireless devices having a paging probability of 31-35%, these wireless devices may be grouped into a second paging group. In other words, for example, by control signaling, an MME may influence the paging grouping configuration set by a RAN node. Once the paging group is determined based on the control signaling, the RAN node may update the paging group configuration, and then the RAN node may determine a paging indication indicating the paging group based on the paging request and the determined paging group.

[0065] In one or more exemplary methods, determining a paging indication (S108) includes determining a paging occasion based on an increased maximum number of paging occasions per paging frame (S108B). In one or more exemplary methods, a paging group is indicated by transmitting a paging indication using a paging resource assigned to at least one paging group. For example, one paging resource for supporting a paging group may be supported by multiplexing in time and frequency. One or more exemplary methods may, for example, use N paging resources to support, for example, eight paging occasions when calculating PO. S (see appendix). This may include increasing the number of POs in each PF. By increasing the number of POs in each PF, the paging groups may be distributed across more POs, so that the number of wireless devices sharing the same paging monitoring occasions is reduced. By combining an increased number of POs with the group paging disclosed herein, wireless devices may be grouped in a more efficient manner, which may further reduce the number of false pages. Another advantage relates to paging of more than one paging group. By using this combined approach, the number of wireless device groups sharing the same paging monitoring occasions may be reduced, and fewer wireless devices may be overhearing pages on one or more paging occasions that are not intended for these wireless device groups.

[0066] In one or more exemplary methods, the paging request includes a request to page multiple wireless devices. If the request includes a request to page multiple wireless devices, the assistance information for the paging may include paging probabilities or traffic characteristics of each of the multiple wireless devices. In other words, the paging request may include assistance information related to each of the wireless devices to be paged.

[0067] In one or more example methods, the method includes scheduling (S109) paging occasions for each paging group based on the paging group. For example, upon determining the paging group for the wireless device based on control signaling received from a core network node, the RAN node may schedule paging occasions for the determined paging group. In other words, the RAN node may assign paging occasions to the paging groups.

[0068] In one or more exemplary methods, scheduling paging occasions for each paging group based on the paging group (S109) includes multiplexing the paging occasions in time and / or frequency (S109A). K additional resources (K < N, where N is the number of paging groups) may be multiplexed in frequency at the same timing occasion as the PO and used to enable paging grouping of simultaneous wireless devices for the same-time PO. Examples of mapping strategies regarding how a wireless device group is associated with these additional resources are also shown herein. For example, assume that the total number of groupings N is 7 and 3 additional bits are used to address the group IDs of the N groups. As shown in FIG. 3, with K = 3 additional resources, the group ID for addressing all wireless devices and paging group #1 may be scheduled to listen to the original paging occasion (the original paging occasion may be referred to as the legacy paging occasion or paging occasion #0), and paging groups #2 and #3 may be scheduled to listen to paging occasion #1 at a frequency position shifted by one paging bandwidth compared to the original paging occasion, paging groups #4 and #5 may be scheduled to listen to paging occasion #2 at a frequency position shifted by two paging bandwidths compared to the original paging occasion, and paging groups #6 and #7 may be scheduled to listen to paging occasion #3 at a frequency position shifted by three paging bandwidths compared to the original paging occasion. This may also be done by multiplexing paging grouping in the time domain or by a combination of multiplexing in the time domain and frequency domain.

[0069] 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 200 performed by a core network node for paging one wireless device of one or more wireless devices monitoring paging in a cell controlled by the RAN node according to the present disclosure. The core network node may be an MME and / or an AMF. The method 200 includes transmitting control signaling to the RAN node to assist the RAN node in determining a paging group based on a paging probability (S206). In one or more example methods, the control signaling includes one or more of a paging probability range associated with each paging group, a paging probability threshold associated with each paging group, a traffic characteristic associated with each paging group, and a paging group identifier for each paging group. The transmitting control signaling (S206) may correspond to S902 of FIG. 2.

[0070] The method 200 includes transmitting a paging request to the RAN node for paging the wireless device (S208). The paging request may indicate assistance information for paging. In one or more example methods, the paging request includes one or more of a paging probability associated with the wireless device and a traffic characteristic of the wireless device. Transmitting the paging request (S208) may correspond to S905 of FIG. 2.

[0071] In one or more exemplary methods, the paging request includes a request to page multiple wireless devices. If the request includes a request to page multiple wireless devices, the assistance information for the paging may include paging probabilities or traffic characteristics of each of the multiple wireless devices. In other words, the paging request may include assistance information related to each of the wireless devices to be paged.

[0072] In one or more example methods, the method includes receiving wireless device information from the wireless device (S202). The wireless device information may include capability information of whether the wireless device supports paging grouping. If so, the wireless device information may include further information related to paging probability of the wireless device. The wireless device information may be received from the wireless device using Non-Access Stratum, NAS signaling. The NAS signaling may be conveyed via a RAN node. The wireless device information may further include information regarding a radio access technology (RAT) supported by the wireless device (e.g., a power class or frequency band supported by the wireless device). The receiving (S202) may be similar to S901 of FIG. 2.

[0073] In one or more exemplary methods, the method includes transmitting assistance information, such as assistance information for paging, to the wireless device (S204). The core network node may determine the assistance information for the wireless device based on previous statistical information, such as received paging probability and / or traffic characteristics. This assists the wireless device to update its paging probability and also the associated paging group of the paging probability. In one or more exemplary methods, the assistance information for paging includes one or more of paging probability and traffic characteristics. In some exemplary methods, the assistance information may include paging probability thresholds for different paging groups, and the paging thresholds do not need to be broadcast by the RAN node. The assistance information may be transmitted to the wireless device using NAS signaling. The NAS signaling may be carried via the RAN node. It will be understood that the wireless device knows the paging probability assigned to the wireless device by the CN node to identify which group the WD belongs to. The transmitting (S204) may be similar to S901a of FIG. 2.

[0074] 6 is a flow diagram of an example method 3000 for processing paging of a wireless device performed by a wireless device (e.g., a wireless device disclosed herein, wireless device 300) monitoring paging in a cell controlled by a RAN node according to the present disclosure.

[0075] In one or more example methods, the method includes transmitting wireless device information to a core network node (S302). The wireless device information may include information related to a paging probability of the wireless device. The wireless device information may be transmitted to the core network node using NAS signaling. The NAS signaling may be carried via a RAN node. The wireless device information may further include traffic characteristics of the wireless device. Transmitting the wireless device information (S302) corresponds to S901 of FIG. 2.

[0076] In one or more example methods, the method includes receiving assistance information from a core network node, such as assistance information for paging obtained based on negotiation with a CN node (S304). The core network node may determine the assistance information based on received wireless device information, such as previous statistical information, such as paging probability and / or traffic characteristics, for the wireless device. In one or more example methods, the assistance information for paging includes one or more of paging probability and traffic characteristics. The assistance information may include paging probability thresholds for different paging groups in some example methods disclosed herein. The assistance information may be received from the core network node using NAS signaling. The NAS signaling may be conveyed via a RAN node. Receiving the assistance information (S304) corresponds to S901a of FIG. 2.

[0077] The method 3000 includes receiving RAN signaling from a RAN node (S306) that enables the wireless device to determine its paging group. The RAN signaling of S306 is typically a part of the broadcast information of S104 of FIG. 4. This is also shown in S903 of FIG. 2. The RAN signaling may indicate rules for interpreting the paging indication. In one or more exemplary methods, the RAN signaling indicates resources in time and / or frequency of the paging occasion. In one or more exemplary methods, the RAN signaling enables the wireless device to determine its paging group based on the paging probability and / or traffic characteristics of the wireless device. The RAN signaling may include, for example, a mapping between the paging group and any of the paging probability, paging probability threshold, and traffic characteristics. The RAN signaling may include information indicating resources in time and / or frequency of the paging occasion associated with each paging group. The RAN signaling includes an increased number of paging occasions N of paging frames to be used by the wireless device when calculating and determining the paging occasions. s The information may include information indicating the above.

[0078] The method 3000 includes determining a paging group based on the RAN signaling (S308). The wireless device may determine a paging group, such as a paging group to which the wireless device belongs, by comparing the RAN signaling with wireless device information, such as its traffic characteristics and / or paging probability.

[0079] The method 3000 includes monitoring (S312) a paging occasion for a paging indication indicating the determined paging group. The wireless device may use the paging group, such as a paging group identifier, to determine whether a received paging indication is relevant to the wireless device and / or to discover a paging occasion associated with (or corresponding to) the paging group, for example, in the case where an additional paging occasion has been added. A paging occasion associated with (or corresponding to) the paging group may be considered a paging occasion that has been determined and / or scheduled based on the paging group. The monitoring (S312) may correspond to S904 of FIG. 2.

[0080] In one or more example methods, the monitoring (S312) includes receiving (S312A) a paging indication from the RAN node indicating a paging group. The receiving (S312A) may correspond to S906 of FIG. 2.

[0081] In one or more example methods, monitoring (S312) includes interpreting, such as reading, the paging indication based on a paging group identifier of the determined paging group (S312B). The wireless device may use the paging group identifier of the paging group to determine whether a paging DCI is targeted to the wireless device, for example, by determining whether the RMSI / TMSI of the wireless device is included in the DCI.

[0082] In one or more example methods, interpreting the paging indication based on the paging group identifier (S312B) includes decoding the paging indication based on the paging group identifier (S312BA). Decoding the paging indication (S312BA) may include descrambling and / or unmasking the paging indication using the paging group identifier, such as a paging group identifier for a paging group to which the wireless device belongs.

[0083] In one or more example methods, the paging indication includes one or more bits associated with a paging group. In one or more example methods, interpreting the paging indication based on the paging group identifier (S312B) includes interpreting the paging indication based on the one or more bits associated with the paging group (S312BB). The wireless device may monitor a subsequent PDSCH only if the one or more bits in the DCI match a paging group of the wireless device.

[0084] Figure 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example RAN node 400 according to the present disclosure. The RAN node 400 comprises circuitry, such as a memory circuit 401, a processor circuit 402, and an interface 403, configured to cause the RAN node 400 to perform any of the methods disclosed in Figure 4. In other words, the RAN node 400 may be configured to page one of one or more wireless devices that monitor paging in a cell controlled by the RAN node.

[0085] The RAN node 400 is configured to broadcast, for example via interface 403, RAN signaling for use by wireless devices in determining paging groups.

[0086] The RAN node 400 is configured to receive, for example via interface 403, a paging request for paging a wireless device from a core network (CN) node, where the paging request indicates assistance information for paging the wireless device.

[0087] The RAN node 400 is configured to transmit, for example via the interface 403, a paging indication indicating a paging group determined based on the paging request.

[0088] The interface 403 is configured for wired and / or wireless communication via a wireless communication system, such as a 3GPP system, such as a 3GPP system supporting NR or LTE.

[0089] 4 (e.g., any one or more of S102, S108, S108A, S108AA, S108AB, S108B, S109, S109A, S110). The operations of the RAN node 400 may be embodied in the form of executable logic routines (e.g., lines of code, software programs, etc.) stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory circuitry 401) and executed by the processor circuitry 402.

[0090] Moreover, the operations of the RAN node 400 may be thought of as methods that the RAN node 400 is configured to perform. Also, while the functions and operations described may be implemented in software, such functions may also be performed via dedicated hardware or firmware, or any combination of hardware, firmware and / or software.

[0091] The memory circuit 401 may be one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a hard drive, a removable media, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or other suitable device. In a typical configuration, the memory circuit 401 may include a non-volatile memory for long-term data storage and a volatile memory that serves as a system memory for the processor circuit 402. The memory circuit 401 may exchange data with the processor circuit 402 via a data bus. There may also be control lines and an address bus between the memory circuit 401 and the processor circuit 402 (not shown in FIG. 7). The memory circuit 401 is considered a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0092] The memory circuit 401 may be configured to store information (eg, assistance information, paging group information, and / or paging requests) in a portion of the memory.

[0093] 8 illustrates a block diagram of an example core network node 600 according to the present disclosure. The core network node 600 includes circuits such as a memory circuit 601, a processor circuit 602, and an interface 603. The core network node 600 may be configured to perform any of the methods disclosed in FIG. 5. In other words, the core network node 600 may be configured to page one wireless device of one or more wireless devices that monitor paging in a cell controlled by a radio access network (RAN) node. The core network node 600 may be, for example, an MME or an AMF.

[0094] The core network node 600 is configured to communicate with a RAN node, such as the RAN node 400 disclosed herein, using an interface 603, such as an S1 or NG interface.

[0095] The core network node 600 is optionally configured to transmit control signaling to the RAN node (eg, via interface 603) that assists the RAN node in determining the paging group based on the paging probability.

[0096] The core network node 600 is configured to send a paging request to the RAN node (eg, via the interface 603) for paging the wireless device, where the paging request indicates assistance information for the paging.

[0097] The core network node 600 is optionally configured to perform any of the operations (e.g., any one or more of S202, S204) disclosed in Figure 5. The operations of the core network node 600 may be embodied in the form of executable logic routines (e.g., lines of code, software programs, etc.) stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory circuitry 601) and executed by processor circuitry 602.

[0098] Furthermore, the operations of the core network node 600 may be considered as methods that the core network node 600 is configured to perform. Also, while the functions and operations described may be implemented in software, such functions may also be performed via dedicated hardware or firmware, or any combination of hardware, firmware and / or software.

[0099] The memory circuit 601 may be one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a hard drive, a removable media, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or other suitable device. In a typical configuration, the memory circuit 601 may include a non-volatile memory for long-term data storage and a volatile memory that serves as a system memory for the processor circuit 602. The memory circuit 601 may exchange data with the processor circuit 602 via a data bus. There may also be control lines and an address bus between the memory circuit 601 and the processor circuit 602 (not shown in FIG. 8). The memory circuit 601 is considered a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0100] The memory circuit 601 may be configured to store information (eg, assistance information, paging group information, and / or paging requests) in a portion of the memory.

[0101] 9 shows a block diagram of an example wireless device 300 according to the present disclosure. The wireless device 300 includes circuits such as a memory circuit 301, a processor circuit 302, and a radio interface 303. The wireless device 300 may be configured to perform any of the methods disclosed in FIG. 6. In other words, the wireless device 300 may be configured to process paging of the wireless device, which is monitoring paging in a cell controlled by a RAN node.

[0102] The wireless device 300 is configured to communicate with a network node, such as the RAN node 400 disclosed herein, using a wireless communication system.

[0103] The wireless device 300 is configured to receive, eg, over the air interface 303, from a RAN node, RAN signaling that enables the wireless device to determine its paging group.

[0104] The wireless device 300 is configured, for example by the processor circuitry 302, to determine the paging group based on the RAN signaling.

[0105] The wireless device 300 is configured to monitor, eg, via the air interface 303 and / or the processor circuitry 302, paging occasions for paging indications indicating the determined paging group.

[0106] The radio interface 303 is configured for wireless communication via a wireless communication system, such as a 3GPP system supporting one or more of New Radio (NR), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), and Long Term Evolution-Enhanced Machine Type Communications (LTE-M).

[0107] The wireless device 300 is configured to perform any of the operations disclosed in Figure 6 (e.g., any one or more of S302, S304, S312A, S312B, S312BA, S312BB). The operations of the wireless device 300 may be embodied in the form of executable logic routines (e.g., lines of code, software programs, etc.) stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory circuitry 301) and executed by processor circuitry 302.

[0108] Moreover, the operations of the wireless device 300 may be thought of as methods that the wireless device 300 is configured to perform. Also, while the functions and operations described may be implemented in software, such functions may also be performed via dedicated hardware or firmware, or any combination of hardware, firmware and / or software.

[0109] The memory circuit 301 may be one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a hard drive, a removable media, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or other suitable device. In a typical configuration, the memory circuit 301 may include a non-volatile memory for long-term data storage and a volatile memory that serves as a system memory for the processor circuit 302. The memory circuit 301 may exchange data with the processor circuit 302 via a data bus. There may also be control lines and an address bus between the memory circuit 301 and the processor circuit 302 (not shown in FIG. 9). The memory circuit 301 is considered a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0110] The memory circuit 301 may be configured to store information (wireless device information, assistance information, etc.) in a portion of the memory.

[0111] Embodiments of the method and product (network node and wireless device) according to the present disclosure are described in the following items. Item 1. A method, performed by a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices that monitor paging in a cell controlled by the RAN node, comprising: - broadcasting RAN signaling for use in determining a paging group by wireless devices (S104); receiving a paging request for paging the wireless device from a core network (CN) node (S106); the paging request indicating assistance information for paging the wireless device; - transmitting (S110) a paging indication to the wireless device indicating a paging group determined based on the paging request. Item 2. The method of item 1, wherein the paging group is indicated by formatting (S108A) the paging indication based on the paging group of the wireless device. Item 3. The method of item 2, wherein formatting the paging indication (S108A) includes encoding the paging indication with a paging group identifier (S108AA). Item 4. The method of item 2, wherein formatting the paging indication (S108A) includes providing a paging group identifier in the paging indication (S108AB). Item 5. The method of item 4, wherein the paging group identifier is indicated by one or more bits of the paging indication, and the one or more bits are associated with a paging group. Item 6. A method according to any one of items 4 to 5, wherein the paging group identifier is indicated by a dedicated bit in the paging indication, and the dedicated bit is associated with the paging group. Item 7. A method according to any one of items 4 to 6, wherein a paging group identifier is indicated by a bit combination of a paging indication, and the bit combination is associated with a paging group. Item 8. The method according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the paging groups are indicated by transmitting a paging indication using a paging resource assigned to at least one of the paging groups. Item 9. A method according to any one of items 1 to 8, the method including receiving (S102) control signaling from the CN node to assist the RAN node in determining a paging group based on paging probability and / or traffic characteristics. Item 10. The method of item 9, wherein the control signaling includes one or more of a paging probability range, a paging probability distribution, a paging probability threshold associated with each paging group, traffic characteristics associated with each paging group, and a paging group identifier for each paging group. Item 11. A method according to any one of items 1 to 10, wherein the assistance information for paging includes one or more of a paging probability associated with the wireless device and a traffic characteristic of the wireless device. Item 12. A method according to any one of items 1 to 11, wherein the paging request includes a request to page a plurality of wireless devices, and the assistance information for paging includes a paging probability or traffic characteristics of each of the plurality of wireless devices. Item 13. A method according to any one of items 1 to 12, the method including determining (S108) a paging indication indicating a paging group based on the paging request and the control signaling. Item 14. The method of item 13, wherein determining the paging indication (S108) includes determining the paging occasion based on an increased maximum number of paging occasions per paging frame (S108B). Item 15. The method is -The method according to any one of items 1 to 14, comprising: scheduling paging occasions for each paging group based on the paging group (S109). Item 16. The method of item 15, wherein scheduling paging occasions for each paging group based on the paging group (S109) includes multiplexing the paging occasions in time and / or frequency (S109A). Item 17. A method according to any one of items 1 to 16, wherein RAN signaling enables the wireless device to determine a paging group based on paging probability or traffic characteristics of the wireless device. Item 18. A method performed by a core network node for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices that monitor paging in a cell controlled by a radio access network (RAN) node, the method comprising: - transmitting a paging request to a RAN node for paging a wireless device (S208), the paging request including indicating assistance information for paging. Item 19. The method of item 18, wherein the method includes transmitting control signaling to the RAN node to assist the RAN node in determining a paging group based on a paging probability (S206). Item 20. The method of item 19, wherein the control signaling includes one or more of a paging probability range associated with each paging group, a paging probability threshold associated with each paging group, a traffic characteristic associated with each paging group, and a paging group identifier for each paging group. Item 21. A method according to any one of Items 18 to 20, wherein the paging request includes one or more of a paging probability associated with the wireless device and a traffic characteristic of the wireless device. Item 22. A method according to any one of Items 18 to 21, wherein the paging request includes a request to page a plurality of wireless devices, and the paging request indicates a paging probability or traffic characteristic of each of the plurality of wireless devices. Item 23. A method according to any one of Items 18 to 22, the method including: receiving wireless device information from the wireless device (S202); and transmitting assistance information to the wireless device (S204). Item 24. A method according to any one of Items 18 to 23, wherein the assistance information for paging includes one or more of a paging probability and a traffic characteristic. Item 25. A method for processing paging of a wireless device, performed by a wireless device, the wireless device monitoring paging in a cell controlled by a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, the method comprising: Receiving RAN signaling from a RAN node that enables the wireless device to determine a paging group for the wireless device (S306); -Determining a paging group based on RAN signaling (S308); - monitoring (S312) a paging occasion for a paging indication indicating the determined paging group. Item 26. The method of item 25, wherein monitoring (S312) includes interpreting the paging indication based on a paging group identifier of the determined paging group (S312B). Item 27. The method of item 26, wherein interpreting the paging indication based on the paging group identifier (S312B) includes decoding the paging indication based on the paging group identifier (S312BA). Item 28. A method according to any one of Items 26 to 27, wherein the paging indication includes one or more bits associated with a paging group, and interpreting the paging indication based on the paging group identifier (S312B) includes interpreting the paging indication based on one or more bits associated with the paging group (S312BB). Item 29. A method according to any one of Items 25 to 28, the method including receiving a paging indication from the RAN node indicating a paging group (S314). Item 30. A method according to any one of items 25 to 29, wherein RAN signaling indicates rules for interpreting paging indications. Item 31. A method according to any one of items 25 to 30, wherein RAN signaling indicates resources in time and / or frequency for paging occasions. Item 32. A method according to any one of items 25 to 31, wherein RAN signaling enables the wireless device to determine a paging group based on paging probability or traffic characteristics of the wireless device. Item 33. A radio access network (RAN) node comprising circuitry, the circuitry configured to cause the RAN node to perform any of the methods described in any one of items 1 to 17. Item 34. A core network node comprising circuitry, the circuitry configured to cause the core network node to perform any of the methods described in any one of items 18 to 24. Item 35. A wireless device comprising a circuit, the circuit being configured to cause the wireless device to perform any of the methods described in any one of items 25 to 32.

[0112] The use of terms such as "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc. does not imply a particular order, but is included to identify individual elements. Additionally, the use of terms such as "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc. does not indicate an order or importance, but rather terms such as "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc. are used to distinguish one element from another. It should be noted that terms such as "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "tertiary", etc. are used herein and elsewhere for labeling purposes only, and are not intended to indicate a particular spatial or temporal order. Additionally, the labeling of a first element does not imply the presence of a second element, and vice versa.

[0113] It will be appreciated that Figures 1-9 include some circuits or operations shown with solid lines and some circuits or operations shown with dashed lines. The circuits or operations included in the solid lines are the circuits or operations included in the broadest exemplary embodiment. The circuits or operations included in the dashed lines are exemplary embodiments that may be included in, or may be part of, or may be additional circuits or operations that are addressed in addition to the circuits or operations of the solid line exemplary embodiment. It will be appreciated that these operations do not have to be performed in the order presented. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that not all operations need to be performed. The exemplary operations may be performed in any order and in any combination.

[0114] It should be noted that the word "comprising" does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.

[0115] It should be noted that the word "a" or "a" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

[0116] Furthermore, it should be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims, and that the exemplary embodiments may be implemented at least partly by both hardware and software, and that several "means", "units" or "devices" may be represented by the same hardware.

[0117] Various exemplary methods, devices, nodes, and systems described herein are described in the general context of method steps or processes that may be implemented in one aspect by a computer program product embodied in a computer-readable medium, including computer-executable instructions, such as program code, executed by a computer in a network environment. The computer-readable medium may include removable and non-removable storage devices, including, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), and the like. In general, program circuitry may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the like that perform specified tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program circuitry represent examples of program code for performing steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps or processes.

[0118] While features have been illustrated and described, they are not intended to be limitations of the claimed disclosure, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claimed disclosure. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The claimed disclosure is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.

[0119] [Additional Notes] The detailed configuration and settings of the PF, PO, and PDCCH monitoring occasions are shown below.

[0120] The PF and PO for paging are determined by the following formula: - The SFN of the PF is determined by: (SFN+PF_offset)mod T=(T div N)*(UE_ID'mod N) The index (i_s) indicating the index of the -PO is determined by the following. i_s = floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns Where: T: UE DRX cycle (T is determined by the shortest UE-specific DRX value, if configured by RRC and / or higher layers, and the default DRX value broadcasted in the system information. In RRC_IDLE state, if UE-specific DRX is not configured by higher layers, the default value applies). Total number of PFs in N:T Ns: Number of POs in PF PF_offset: Offset used for PF determination UE_ID:5 GS-TMSI mod 1024

[0121] If the UE does not have 5G-S-TMSI, for example if the UE has not yet registered with the network, the UE shall use the default identity UE_ID=0 in the above formulas for PF and i_s.

[0122] 5G-S-TMSI is a bit string 48 bits long as defined in TS 23.501. In the above formula, 5G-S-TMSI shall be interpreted as a binary number with the left-most bit representing the most significant bit.

[0123] PDCCH monitoring occasions include configurations that also support multi-beam operation. PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging are determined according to the pagingSearchSpace as specified in TS 38.213, and firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO and nrofPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionPerSSB-InPO if configured as specified in TS 38.331.

[0124] If SearchSpaceId=0 is set in pagingSearchSpace, the PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging are the same as those for RMSI defined in Clause 13 of TS38.213.

[0125] If SearchSpaceId=0 is set in pagingSearchSpace, Ns is either 1 or 2. If Ns=1, there is only one PO starting from the first PDCCH monitoring occasion for paging in the PF. If Ns=2, the PO is in either the first frame (i_s=0) or the second frame (i_s=1) of the PF.

[0126] If pagingSearchSpace is configured with a non-zero SearchSpaceId, the UE monitors the (i_s+1)th PO. PO is a set of "S*X" consecutive PDCCH monitoring occasions, where "S" is the number of actually transmitted SSBs determined according to ssb-PositionsInBurst in SIB1, and X is nrofPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionPerSSB-InPO if configured, and equals 1 otherwise. The [x*S+K]th PDCCH monitoring occasion for paging in PO corresponds to the Kth transmitted SSB, with x=0,1,...,X-1,K=1,2,...,S. The PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging that do not overlap with UL symbols (determined according to tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon) are numbered sequentially from 0 starting from the first PDCCH monitoring occasion for paging in PF. If firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO is present, the starting PDCCH monitoring occasion number of the (i_s+1)th PO is the (i_s+1)th value of the firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO parameter, otherwise it is equal to i_s*S*X. If X>1, once the UE detects a PDCCH transmission addressed to the P-RNTI in that PO, the UE does not need to monitor subsequent PDCCH monitoring occasions of this PO.

[0127] NOTE 1: A PO associated with a PF may start within the PF or after the PF. NOTE 2: A PDCCH monitoring occasion for a PO may span multiple radio frames. If a SearchSpaceId other than 0 is set in the paging-SearchSpace, a PDCCH monitoring occasion for a PO may span multiple periods of the paging search space.

[0128] In the above formula, the parameters Ns, nAndPagingFrameOffset, nrofPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionPerSSB-InPO and the length of the default DRX cycle are signaled in SIB1. The values ​​of N and PF_offset are derived from the parameter nAndPagingFrameOffset as defined in TS38.331 and in the table below. The parameter first-PDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO is signaled in SIB1 for paging in an initial DL BWP. In case of paging in a DL BWP other than the initial DL BWP, the parameter first-PDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO is signaled in the corresponding BWP configuration.

[0129] [Table 1]

[0130] [Table 2]

Claims

1. 1. A method, performed by a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices monitoring paging in a cell controlled by the RAN node, the method comprising: - broadcasting RAN signaling for use in determining a paging group by said wireless device (S104); receiving a paging request for paging the wireless device from a Core Network (CN) node (S106), the paging request indicating assistance information for paging the wireless device; - sending (S110) a paging indication to the wireless device indicating a paging group determined based on the paging request.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the paging group is indicated by formatting (S108A) the paging indication based on the paging group of the wireless device.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein formatting the paging indication (S108A) comprises encoding the paging indication with a paging group identifier (S108AA).

4. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein formatting the paging indication (S108A) includes providing a paging group identifier in the paging indication (S108AB).

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the paging group identifier is indicated by one or more bits of the paging indication, the one or more bits being associated with the paging group.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the paging group identifier is indicated by a dedicated bit in the paging indication, the dedicated bit being associated with the paging group.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein said paging group identifier is indicated by a bit combination of said paging indication, said bit combination being associated with said paging group.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said paging groups are indicated by transmitting said paging indication using a paging resource allocated to at least one of said paging groups.

9. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the method comprises receiving (S102) control signalling from the CN node to assist the RAN node in determining a paging group based on paging probability and / or traffic characteristics.

10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the control signaling includes one or more of a range of paging probabilities, a distribution of paging probabilities, a paging probability threshold associated with each paging group, a traffic characteristic associated with each paging group, and a paging group identifier for each paging group.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the assistance information for paging comprises one or more of a paging probability associated with the wireless device and a traffic characteristic of the wireless device.

12. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the paging request comprises a request to page a plurality of wireless devices, and the assistance information for paging comprises a paging probability or traffic characteristics of each of the plurality of wireless devices.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the method comprises determining (S108) the paging indication indicating the paging group based on the paging request and the control signaling.

14. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the paging indication (S108) comprises determining a paging occasion based on an increased maximum number of paging occasions per paging frame (S108B).

15. The method further comprising: The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, comprising - scheduling (S109) paging occasions for each paging group based on said paging groups.

16. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein scheduling (S109) the paging occasions for each paging group based on the paging groups comprises multiplexing (S109A) the paging occasions in time and / or frequency.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the RAN signaling enables the wireless device to determine a paging group based on a paging probability or traffic characteristics of the wireless device.

18. 1. A method performed by a core network node for paging a wireless device of one or more wireless devices monitoring paging in a cell controlled by a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, the method comprising: - sending a paging request to the RAN node for paging the wireless device (S208), the paging request including indicating assistance information for paging.

19. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the method comprises: transmitting (S206) control signaling to the RAN node to assist the RAN node in determining a paging group based on a paging probability.

20. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the control signaling includes one or more of a paging probability range associated with each paging group, a paging probability threshold associated with each paging group, a traffic characteristic associated with each paging group, and a paging group identifier for each paging group.

21. The method of any one of claims 18 to 20, wherein the paging request includes one or more of a paging probability associated with the wireless device and a traffic characteristic of the wireless device.

22. The method of any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein the paging request includes a request to page a plurality of wireless devices, the paging request indicating a paging probability or traffic characteristic for each of the plurality of wireless devices.

23. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 22, wherein the method includes receiving wireless device information from the wireless device (S202); and transmitting assistance information to the wireless device (S204).

24. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 23, wherein the assistance information for paging includes one or more of the following: paging probability and traffic characteristics.

25. 1. A method, performed by a wireless device, for processing paging of the wireless device, the wireless device monitoring paging in a cell controlled by a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, the method comprising: - receiving from the RAN node RAN signaling enabling the wireless device to determine a paging group of the wireless device (S306); - determining a paging group based on the RAN signaling (S308); - monitoring (S312) paging occasions for paging indications indicating the determined paging group.

26. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein said monitoring (S312) includes interpreting (S312B) said paging indication based on a paging group identifier of said determined paging group.

27. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein interpreting the paging indication based on a paging group identifier (S312B) comprises decoding the paging indication based on the paging group identifier (S312BA).

28. 28. The method of claim 26 or 27, wherein the paging indication includes one or more bits associated with the paging group, and interpreting the paging indication based on a paging group identifier (S312B) includes interpreting the paging indication based on the one or more bits associated with the paging group (S312BB).

29. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 28, wherein the method comprises receiving (S314) the paging indication from the RAN node, the paging indication indicating the paging group.

30. The method according to any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein the RAN signaling indicates rules for interpreting the paging indication.

31. A method according to any one of claims 25 to 30, wherein the RAN signalling indicates resources in time and / or frequency for the paging occasions.

32. The method of any one of claims 25 to 31, wherein the RAN signaling enables the wireless device to determine a paging group based on a paging probability or traffic characteristics of the wireless device.

33. A Radio Access Network (RAN) node comprising circuitry, said circuitry configured to cause said RAN node to perform any of the methods according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

34. A core network node comprising circuitry, said circuitry configured to cause said core network node to perform any of the methods according to any one of claims 18 to 24.

35. A wireless device comprising a circuit, said circuit being configured to cause said wireless device to perform any of the methods according to any one of claims 25 to 32.

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