Cell Selection and Reselection

Abstract

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to cell selection and reselection. A terminal device can receive system information for a first cell from a network device in a wireless network, the system information providing one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a specified type is permitted to access. The terminal device can determine, based on at least the system information, to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the provided one or more frequencies. In this way, cell selection and reselection for a terminal device of a specified type can be improved.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to methods, devices, apparatus and computer-readable storage media for cell selection and reselection schemes. [Background technology]

[0002] Research has been conducted by 3GPP on reduced-capability (RedCap) terminal devices to improve reduced-capability terminal devices in terms of complexity reduction, coverage restoration, and terminal power saving. A better solution is needed for cell selection and reselection for RedCap terminal devices and other similar terminal devices. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Generally, the example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for performing cell selection and / or cell reselection for a terminal device in a wireless network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. When executed by the at least one processor, the instructions cause the terminal device to at least receive system information of a first cell from a network device in a wireless network, the system information providing one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a predetermined type is allowed to access, and determine, based on at least the system information, to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the provided one or more frequencies.

[0005] In a second aspect, a network device is provided. The network device may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least transmit system information of a first cell in a wireless network to a terminal device, the system information of the first cell providing one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a specified type is allowed to access, so that the terminal device can decide to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0006] In a third aspect, a method is provided, the method including the steps of: receiving, at a terminal device, system information for a first cell from a network device in a wireless network, the system information providing one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a defined type is allowed to access; and determining, based on at least the system information, to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the provided one or more frequencies.

[0007] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided, the method including transmitting, in a network device, system information of a first cell in a wireless network to a terminal device, the system information of the first cell providing one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a defined type is allowed to access, so that the terminal device decides to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0008] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus including: means for receiving, in a terminal device, system information of a first cell from a network device in a wireless network, the system information providing one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a predetermined type is allowed to access; and means for determining, based on at least the system information, to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the provided one or more frequencies.

[0009] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided, the apparatus may include means, in a network device, for transmitting system information of a first cell in a wireless network to a terminal device, the system information of the first cell providing one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a predetermined type is allowed to access, so that the terminal device decides to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0010] In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer program, the computer program may include instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of the third aspect.

[0011] In an eighth aspect, there is provided a computer program, the computer program may include instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of the fourth aspect.

[0012] In a ninth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium, which may include program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least a method according to any one of the third or fourth aspects above.

[0013] In a tenth aspect, a terminal device is provided, the terminal device including: a receiving circuit configured to receive system information of a first cell from a network device in a wireless network, the system information providing one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a predetermined type is allowed to access; and a deciding circuit configured to decide, based on at least the system information, to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the provided one or more frequencies.

[0014] In an eleventh aspect, a network device is provided, the network device can include a transmitting circuit configured to transmit system information of a first cell in a wireless network to a terminal device, the system information of the first cell providing one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a specified type is allowed to access, so that the terminal device can decide to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0015] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or important features of the 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 readily apparent throughout the following description.

[0016] Several exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. [Figure 2]1 illustrates an exemplary scenario of cell selection and / or cell reselection for a terminal device in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates a signaling flow diagram of a communication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 10 is a flow chart illustrating a method implemented in a terminal device according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a method implemented in a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an apparatus suitable for practicing embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers represent the same or similar elements.

[0019] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are set forth for illustrative purposes only, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure, and to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0020] 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 skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0021] In this disclosure, phrases such as "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "exemplary embodiment," and the like indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but do not necessarily mean that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is believed to be within the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in other embodiments, whether or not explicitly stated.

[0022] Terms such as "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, but it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used merely to distinguish one element from another. 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 the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0023] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and are not intended to limit example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprise," "comprising," "having," "having," "including," and / or "comprising," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, "at least one of " and "at least one of " and similar expressions, when a list of two or more elements is connected by "and," mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0024] As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., analog and / or digital-only implementations); and (b) Combinations of hardware circuitry and software (if applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; and (ii) any portion of software (including digital signal processors), hardware processors with software and memory, that work together to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions; and (c) A hardware circuit and / or processor, e.g., a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may be absent when not necessary for operation.

[0025] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of the term in this application, including any claims. As a further example, when used in this application, the term circuit also covers simply a hardware circuit or processor (or processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. The term circuit also covers, for example, a baseband or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, if applicable to a particular claim element.

[0026] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network conforming to any appropriate communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), or Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT). Furthermore, communications between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network may be performed according to any appropriate generation of communication protocols, including, but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or other protocols currently known or developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will, of course, be future communication technologies and systems to which the present disclosure may be applied in embodiments. The scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to only the aforementioned systems.

[0027] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node of a communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. A network device may be referred to as a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), depending on the terminology and technology applied, for example, a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (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, a low-power node such as femto, pico, etc.

[0028] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), mobile subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback equipment, vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain contexts), electronic devices that may include consumer, commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms “terminal device,” “communications device,” “terminal,” “user equipment,” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0029] The usage scenarios that have been identified for 5G are enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC). Another identified area is time-sensitive communications (TSC). In particular, mMTC, URLLC, and TSC are associated with new IoT use cases targeted in vertical industries. It is envisioned that eMBB, mMTC, URLLC, and TSC use cases will all need to be supported by the same network.

[0030] The 3GPP study on "Self-Assessment for IMT-2020 Submission" confirmed that NB-IoT and LTE-MTC (also known as eMTC) can meet the IMT-2020 requirements for nMTC and be certified as 5G technologies. Regarding URLLC support, URLLC features were introduced in Release 15 for both LTE and NR, and NR URLLC will be extended in Release 16 within the enhanced URLLC (eURLLC) and industrial IoT work items. Release 16 also introduced support for time-sensitive networking (TSN) and 5G integration for TSC use cases.

[0031] Besides the use cases already adequately addressed by the mentioned technologies, the following categories of mid-range use cases have been identified that could be the subject of some NR extensions:

[0032] One key goal of 5G is to enable a connected industrial world. 5G connectivity can serve as a catalyst for the next wave of industrial transformation and digitalization, improving versatility, enhancing productivity and efficiency, reducing maintenance costs, and enhancing operational safety. Devices in such environments include, for example, pressure sensors, humidity sensors, thermometers, motion sensors, accelerometers, and actuators. Connecting these sensors and actuators to 5G radio access and core networks is desirable. Large-scale industrial wireless sensor network (IWSN) use cases and requirements, as described in TR 22.804, TS 22.104, TR 22.832, and TS 22.261, include not only URLLC services, which have particularly high requirements, but also relatively low-end services that are fully wireless, have small device form factor requirements, and / or have battery life of several years. The requirements for these services are higher than those for LPWA (i.e., LTE-MTC / NB-IoT), but lower than those for URLLC and eMBB.

[0033] Similar to connected industries, 5G connectivity can act as a catalyst for the next wave of smart city innovation. As an example, TR22.804 describes smart city use cases and their requirements. The smart city vertical covers data collection and processing to efficiently monitor and control city resources and provide services to city residents. In particular, the deployment of surveillance cameras is an essential part of smart cities, but also of factories and industries.

[0034] Finally, wearable use cases include smart watches, devices related to e-health, personal protective equipment (PPE), and medical monitoring devices used in public safety applications, etc. One characteristic of the use cases is the small size of the devices.

[0035] As a baseline, the requirements for these three use cases, including general requirements in terms of device complexity, device size and deployment scenarios, and use case specific requirements in terms of industrial wireless sensors, video surveillance and wearables, are as follows:

[0036] In terms of device complexity, the main theme for new device types is to reduce device cost and complexity compared to high-end eMBB and URLLC devices in Rel-15 / Rel-16. This is especially the case for industrial sensors.

[0037] In terms of device size, a requirement for many use cases is that the standard enables the design of devices with compact form factors.

[0038] In terms of deployment scenarios, the system must support all FR1 / FR2 bands for FDD and TDD.

[0039] For industrial wireless sensors, reference use cases and requirements are described in TR22.832 and TS22.104. The availability of communication services is 99.99% and the end-to-end latency is less than 100 ms. The reference bit rate is less than 2 Mbps for all use cases (potentially asymmetric, e.g., UL heavy traffic) and the devices are stationary. The battery must last at least several years. For safety-related sensors, the latency requirement is low, between 5 and 10 ms (TR22.804).

[0040] In terms of video surveillance, as described in TR22.804, the reference economic video bitrate will be 2-4 Mbps, latency <500 ms, and reliability 99%-99.9%, while high-end video, e.g., for agriculture, will require 7.5-25 Mbps. Note that the traffic pattern is dominated by UL transmission.

[0041] In terms of wearables, the reference bitrates for smart wearable applications will be 5-50Mbps DL and 2-5Mbps UL, with peak bitrates for devices being higher, up to 150Mbps downlink and 50Mbps uplink. Device batteries must last for multiple days (up to 1-2 weeks).

[0042] UE complexity reduction, coverage restoration, and UE power saving techniques for these use cases have been considered in the RedCap study item documented in TR38.875. The intent of this work item is to specify a low-end capable UE feature and parameter list for Release 16 eMBB and URLLC NR to address the three use cases mentioned above.

[0043] This work item has the following objectives: I) Indicates support for the following UE complexity reduction features [RAN1, RAN2, RAN4] a) Reduced maximum UE bandwidth i. The maximum bandwidth for FR1 reduced capability UEs during and after initial access is 20 MHz. ii. The maximum bandwidth for FR2 reduced capability UEs during and after initial access is 100 MHz. b) Minimum number of Rx branches to be reduced i. In frequency bands where a legacy NR UE is required to have a minimum number of 2 Rx antenna ports, the minimum number of Rx branches supported by the specification for a reduced functionality UE is 1. The specification also supports 2 Rx branches for reduced functionality UEs in these bands. ii. In frequency bands where legacy NR UEs (other than 2Rx vehicular UEs) are required to have a minimum number of 4Rx antenna ports, the number of Rx branches supported by the specification for reduced functionality UEs is 1. The specification also supports 2Rx branches for reduced functionality UEs in these bands. iii. The means is specified by the gNB, which can know the number of Rx branches of the UE. c) Maximum number of DL MIMO layers In a reduced functionality UE with i.1Rx branch, 1DL MIMO layer is supported. ii. For reduced capability UE with 2Rx branches, 2DL MIMO layers are supported. d) Relaxed maximum modulation order Support for 256QAM in i.DL is optional (instead of mandatory) for FR1 reduced capability UEs. ii. No other relaxations of maximum modulation order are specified for reduced capability UEs. e) Dual Action i. HD-FDD Type A with minimum specification impact (note that FD-FDD and TDD are also supported). II) Specifying one reduced functionality UE type definition that includes capabilities for reduced functionality UE identification and restricting the use of reduced functionality capabilities to reduced functionality UE only, and further including capabilities to prevent reduced functionality UE from using capabilities not intended for reduced functionality UE, including at least carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, and wide bandwidth [RAN2, RAN1]. a) The existing UE capability framework is used and capability change signaling is specified only when necessary. III) Specifies the ability for reduced capability UEs to be explicitly identified to the network via early indication in Msg1 and / or Msg3, and MsgA, if supported, including the ability to make early indication configurable by the network [RAN2, RAN1]. IV) Specify a system information indication that indicates whether a reduced capability UE can camp on a cell / frequency; the indication can be specific to the number of Rx branches of the UE [RAN2, RAN1]. V) Specify the required updates of UE capabilities (38.306) and RRC parameters (38.331) [RAN2]. VI) Specify support for the following extended DRX enhancements for reduced capability UEs [RAN2, RAN3, RAN4]: a) Extended DRX for RRC inactive and idle with eDRX cycle of up to 10.24 s without using PTW and PH and with a common design between RRC inactive and idle (e.g., a common set of eDRX values). b) RRC inactive and idle extended DRX with eDRX cycle of maximum 10485.76 s, mechanism and feasibility details regarding the maximum length of the RRC inactive and idle extended DRX cycle that needs to be checked by SA2, CT1 and / or RAN4. c) RAN2 determining the nodes that configure eDRX in RRC_Idle and RRC_Inactive. VII) Specify support for the following RRM measurement mitigations for neighboring cells of reduced functionality devices: RRC_Idle / Inactive / Connected [RAN2, RAN4]. a) Specify measurement (RSRP / RSRQ) based fixed criteria and not-at-cell-edge criteria [RAN2]. i. Enabling / disabling of RRM measurement mitigation must be under network control. Specify both broadcast and dedicated signaling for enabling / disabling of RRM measurement mitigation. b) Indicate UE requirements for RRM measurement mitigation [RAN4]. c) RRM measurement mitigation is not specified for the serving cell. VIII) Specify the RAN4 core requirements above.

[0044] It should be noted that the uplink coverage enhancement solution specified in the NR Coverage Enhancement Work Item (NR_cov_enh) is assumed by default to be applicable to reduced-capability UEs (with minor modifications for reduced-capability UEs if found necessary). The power saving enhancement solution specified in the UE Power Saving Enhancement Work Item (NR_UE_pow_sav_enh) is assumed by default to be applicable to reduced-capability UEs. Release 15 SSB bandwidth is reused and L1 changes are minimized. The work defined as part of this work item does not overlap with LAPW use cases. Coexistence with non-reduced-capability UEs is guaranteed. This work item focuses on SA mode and single connection operation on a single band at a time.

[0045] Cell selection and reselection in RRC_IDLE and RRC_INACTIVE modes is described in 3GPP TS38.300v.17.0.0 as follows: 9.2.1 Mobility in RRC_IDLE 9.2.1.1 Cell Selection The principles of PLMN selection in NR are based on the principles of 3GPP PLMN selection. Cell selection is required at the transitions from RM-DEREGISTERED to RM-REGISTERED, from CM-IDLE to CM-CONNECTED, and from CM-CONNECTED to CM-IDLE and is based on the following principles: - The UE NAS layer identifies the selected PLMN and the equivalent PLMN. - Cell selection is always based on CD-SSB positioned on the synchronous raster (see clause 5.2.4). - The UE searches the NR frequency band to identify the strongest cell for CD-SSB for each carrier frequency, then reads the cell system information broadcast to identify this PLMN. - The UE can then search each carrier ("initial cell selection") or use stored information to shorten the search ("stored information cell selection"). The UE seeks to identify a suitable cell, and if no suitable cell can be identified, seeks to identify an acceptable cell, and when a suitable cell or only acceptable cells are found, it camps on this cell and initiates a cell reselection procedure. - A suitable cell is a cell whose measured cell attributes satisfy the cell selection conditions, the cell PLMN is the selected PLMN, the registered or equivalent PLMN, the cell is not barred or reserved, and the cell is not part of a tracking area on the list of "roaming forbidden tracking areas". - An acceptable cell is one whose measured cell attributes satisfy the cell selection conditions and the cell is not barred. - The IAB-MT applies the cell selection procedure described for cells with the following differences: - The IAB-MT ignores cell barred or cell reserved indications contained in the cell system information broadcast. - The IAB-MT only considers a cell as a candidate for cell selection if the cell system information broadcast indicates IAB support for the selected PLMN or the selected SNPN. Transition to RRC_IDLE Upon transition from RRC_CONNECTED or RRC_INACTIVE to RRC_IDLE, the UE shall camp on a cell as a result of cell selection according to the frequency assigned by RRC in the state transition message, if any. Recovering from Outside Coverage The UE should attempt to find a suitable cell using the method described in the stored information or the initial cell selection described above. If a suitable cell is not found on any frequency or RAT, the UE should attempt to find an acceptable cell. In multi-beam operation, cell quality is obtained among beams corresponding to the same cell (see section 9.2.4). 9.2.1.2 Cell reselection The UE in RRC_IDLE performs cell reselection. The principle of the procedure is as follows: - Cell reselection is always based on CD-SSB positioned on the synchronous raster (see clause 5.2.4). - The UE makes measurements of the attributes of the serving and neighboring cells to enable the reselection process. - In the search and measurement of inter-frequency neighboring cells, only the carrier frequency needs to be indicated. - Cell reselection identifies the cell on which the UE should camp. This is based on cell reselection conditions, which include measurements of serving and neighboring cells. Inter-frequency reselection is based on cell rankings; Inter-frequency reselection is based on absolute priority, with the UE attempting to camp on the highest priority frequency available; -NCL is provided by the serving cell to accommodate the specific cases of intra-frequency and inter-frequency neighboring cells; - Exclusion lists can be provided to prevent the UE from reselecting to certain intra-frequency and inter-frequency neighboring cells; - The allowed list is provided only to certain intra-frequency and inter-frequency neighboring cells to request the UE to reselect. - Cell reselection can be speed dependent, - service-specific prioritization; - Slice-specific cell reselection information is provided to facilitate UE reselection to a cell that supports a particular slice. In multi-beam operation, cell quality is obtained among beams corresponding to the same cell (see section 9.2.4). 9.2.2 Mobility in RRC_INACTIVE 9.2.2.2 Cell reselection In RRC_INACTIVE the UE performs cell reselection. The procedure principle is the same as in RRC_IDLE state (see clause 9.2.1.2).

[0046] As mentioned above, a good solution for cell selection and reselection for reduced-capability terminal devices and other similar terminal devices is needed. For example, the parameter RedCapAccessAllowed was introduced in SIB4 of NR under InterFreqInfo-v1700. The parameter RedCapAccessAllowed indicates whether reduced-capability UEs are allowed to access frequencies. However, it does not specify how this information can be used by the UE.

[0047] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a solution for performing cell selection and / or cell reselection for a terminal device in a wireless network is provided. The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement the solutions proposed herein, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way.

[0048] Referring initially to Figure 1, Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. System 100, which is part of a communication network, can include a terminal device 110 and a network device 120. When in an idle or inactive state, terminal device 110 can select a cell on which to camp. As shown in Figure 1, terminal device 110 can select a cell 130 of network device 120 and camp on cell 130. In a communication system, "UL" refers to a communication uplink, in the direction from the terminal device to the network device, and "DL" refers to a communication downlink, in the direction from the network device to the terminal device.

[0049] FIG. 2 illustrates an example scenario 200 of cell selection and / or cell reselection for a terminal device 110 in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the terminal device 110 is located in cells 130, 210, and 220. The cells 130, 210, and 220 can be associated with the same network device or different network devices. The cells 130 (e.g., a first cell), 210 (e.g., a second cell), and 220 (e.g., a third cell) can be neighboring cells or cells formed in the same geographic area under different frequency coverage. The number of cells is given for illustrative purposes only, without implying any limitation. The terminal device 110 can select a cell to camp on. For example, the terminal device 110 can select the cell 130 (e.g., a first cell) of the network device 120 and camp on the cell 130. The terminal device 110 can receive system information for the cell 130 when camped on the cell 130. After camping on cell 130, terminal device 110 may continue to perform cell reselection to camp on other nearby cells (e.g., second cell 210 or third cell 220) with higher priority / better channel quality.

[0050] It should be understood that the numbers of network devices and terminal devices are given for illustrative purposes only, without any limitation being implied, and system 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and / or terminal devices adapted to implement embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0051] Communications in communication system 100 may be performed according to any suitable communications protocol, including, but not limited to, cellular communications protocols such as first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), and fifth generation (5G), wireless local network communications protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other protocols now known or to be developed in the future. Furthermore, communications may utilize any suitable wireless communications technology, including, but not limited to, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology now known or to be developed in the future.

[0052] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below. Reference is now made to Figure 3, which illustrates a signaling chart showing a process 300 between a terminal device and a network device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes only, process 300 will be described with reference to Figure 1. Process 300 may encompass terminal device 110 and network device 120 of Figure 1.

[0053] In process 300, the network device 120 transmits (302) system information 304 of a first cell in the wireless network to the terminal device 110. The system information 304 provides one or more frequencies (FRS) to which a terminal device of a specified type is permitted to access. The terminal device 110 receives the system information 304 of the first cell from the network device 120. The terminal device 110 determines (308) to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network belonging to the one or more frequencies (FRS) for which frequencies (FRS) are provided, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network not belonging to the one or more frequencies (FRS) for which frequencies (FRS) are provided, based on at least the system information 304 of the first cell. In this manner, cell selection and reselection for a terminal device of a specified type can be improved.

[0054] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 can determine that the terminal device 110 is of a predetermined type. In some embodiments, the predetermined type of terminal device can include at least a first type, which can be fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment. In some embodiments, fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment can comply with bandwidth standards, which can be either a 20 MHz maximum bandwidth in the 600-6000 MHz frequency range or a 100 MHz maximum bandwidth in the 26-47 GHz frequency range. In this manner, cell selection and reselection for reduced capability terminal devices can be improved.

[0055] In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 can identify the second cell within the duration, the terminal device 110 can select or reselect the second cell. If the terminal device 110 cannot identify the second cell within the duration, the terminal device 110 can select or reselect a third cell. In this manner, cell selection and reselection for a defined type of terminal device is energy efficient and reliable.

[0056] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 can further determine the duration based on system information. In some embodiments, the system information can include information on the duration for a terminal device of a specified type to identify the second cell. In this way, the cell selection and reselection of a terminal device of a specified type can be adapted according to actual needs.

[0057] In some embodiments, the duration can be pre-configured in the terminal device 110. In this way, resource overhead can be reduced. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 can determine the duration based on a predefined timer value. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 can determine the duration based on a battery level of the terminal device. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 can determine the duration based on an overheating state of the terminal device. Alternatively or additionally, the terminal device 110 can determine the duration based on whether any cells of one or more frequencies are detectable. In this way, cell selection and reselection of a defined type of terminal device can be further adapted to actual scenarios.

[0058] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may select or reselect a second cell or select or reselect a third cell based on a reselection priority configured for one or more frequencies provided according to the system information. In some embodiments, the reselection priority configured for one or more provided frequencies may have a higher priority for selecting the second cell than a third cell whose frequencies do not belong to the one or more provided frequencies. In some embodiments, the system information may include information for configuring the reselection priority of one or more frequencies such that a terminal device of a certain type has a higher reselection priority than a frequency that does not belong to the one or more frequencies. In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may determine a first reselection priority for a first frequency of the second cell and a second frequency of the third cell. Based on the first reselection priority and the system information, the terminal device 110 may determine a second reselection priority for the first frequency and the second frequency such that the second reselection priority for the first frequency is determined to be higher than the second reselection priority for the second frequency, regardless of whether the first reselection priority for the first frequency is lower than the first frequency reselection priority for the second frequency. The terminal device 110 may then determine whether to reselect the second cell or the third cell based on the second reselection priorities of the first and second frequencies, thereby improving the reliability of cell selection and reselection operations.

[0059] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may further measure the cell quality of the cell. The terminal device 110 may determine that the frequency of the cell belongs to one or more provided frequencies. Based on the determination that the frequency of the cell belongs to one or more provided frequencies, the terminal device 110 may apply an offset value for cell selection or reselection to the measured cell quality. For example, if an offset is applied to a first cell whose frequency belongs to one or more frequencies and an offset is not applied to a second cell whose frequency does not belong to one or more frequencies, the offset may improve / worsen the cell quality measured in the first cell compared to the measured quality of the second cell. In some embodiments, the offset value may be determined by the terminal device 110 or provided in system information. In some embodiments, the system information may include information on the offset value that a specified type of terminal device should apply to the cell quality of a cell whose frequency belongs to one or more frequencies. In this way, the chance that the terminal device will select or reselect the provided frequency may be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0060] In some embodiments, the system information can be received from the first cell via System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In this way, the reliability of cell selection and reselection operations can be improved without increasing resource overhead. In some embodiments, the system information can be indicated by the parameter redcapAccessAllowed in System Information Block 4 (SIB4 improves cell selection and reselection operations).

[0061] In some embodiments, at least one of the second cell and the third cell can be different from the first cell. In this manner, the terminal device 110 can utilize system information of the cell on which the UE is camped as well as system information previously received from some other cells.

[0062] There can be various ways in which the network device 120 performs cell selection and reselection operations utilizing the redcapAccessAllowed parameter. In one embodiment, the terminal device 110 can use the redcapAccessAllowed parameter with an indication of the frequency of the cell selection and reselection procedure. In one example, the terminal device 110 can skip frequencies for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is not provided for cell selection and reselection evaluation. In other words, the terminal device 110 can ignore frequencies for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is not provided.

[0063] In one embodiment, if no suitable cell is identified via the frequency for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is provided within the duration, the terminal device 110 can search for a suitable cell from any frequency. In one embodiment, the duration can be predefined in a specification or provided by the network. Alternatively, the duration can be determined by the UE implementation based on, for example, a predefined timer value, the terminal device 110's battery level, an overheating condition, whether any cells are detectable from a given frequency, etc. In one other embodiment, if another cell providing an indication of a frequency in the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is not applicable to cell evaluation, the terminal device 110 can utilize the redcapAccessAllowed indication for cell selection and reselection and apply the same principle, i.e., skip frequencies not provided by the redcapAccessAllowed parameter for cell selection and reselection evaluation.

[0064] In one embodiment, a reduced-capability terminal device (e.g., terminal device 110) can take into account cell reselection priorities only for frequencies for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is provided. In other words, terminal device 110 does not need to perform cell selection or reselection evaluation for frequencies for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is not indicated.

[0065] For example, a reduced-capability terminal device can regard any frequency for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is not provided as having a lower cell reselection priority than a frequency for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is provided. For example, if frequencies #1, #3, and #4 for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is not provided are configured with cell reconfiguration priorities of 7, 5, and 4, respectively (higher values ​​mean higher priorities), and frequencies #2, #5, and #6 for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is provided are configured with cell reconfiguration priorities of 6, 3, and 3, respectively, the reduced-capability terminal device can regard frequency #2 as the highest priority, frequencies #5 and #6 as the second-highest priority, and frequencies #1, #3, and #4 in descending order of priority. In this case, the terminal device 110 determines these frequency priorities by itself. In other words, frequency priority handling is not specified or signaled to the terminal device 110.

[0066] In one embodiment, the terminal device 110 can add an offset value to the measured cell quality of the frequency for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is provided. The offset value can be added to the measured RSRP / RSRQ / RSSI, for example, in dB or dBM. By doing this, the terminal device 110 has a higher chance of selecting the frequency for which the redcapAccessAllowed parameter is provided compared to other frequencies.

[0067] For example, an exemplary implementation can be carried out as follows. redcapAccessAllowed Indicates whether a reduced capability UE is allowed to access the frequency. If the frequency is not provided in InterFreqCarrierFreqInfo-v1700, a reduced capability UE can skip the frequency upon cell reselection.

[0068] 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 400 implemented in a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of explanation, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of the terminal device 110 with respect to FIG. 1. The method 400 may improve cell selection and reselection for a defined type of terminal device.

[0069] At block 420, the terminal device 110 receives system information for a first cell from a network device 120 in the wireless network. The system information may provide one or more frequencies to which a defined type of terminal device is authorized to access. At block 420, the terminal device 110 determines, based at least on the system information, to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the provided one or more frequencies.

[0070] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 can determine that the terminal device 110 is of a predetermined type. In some embodiments, the predetermined type of terminal device can include at least a first type, which can be fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment. In some embodiments, the fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment can comply with bandwidth standards, which can be either a 20 MHz maximum bandwidth in the 600-6000 MHz frequency range or a 100 MHz maximum bandwidth in the 26-47 GHz frequency range.

[0071] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may select or reselect a second cell if the terminal device can identify the second cell within the duration, and may select or reselect a third cell if the terminal device cannot identify the second cell within the duration.

[0072] In some embodiments, terminal device 110 can further determine the duration based on system information. In some embodiments, the duration can be pre-configured in terminal device 110. In some embodiments, terminal device 110 can determine the duration based on at least one of a predetermined timer value, a battery level of the terminal device, an overheating state of the terminal device, or whether any cells on one or more frequencies are detectable.

[0073] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may select or reselect the second cell or select or reselect the third cell based on a reselection priority configured for the one or more provided frequencies according to the system information. In some embodiments, the reselection priority configured for the one or more provided frequencies may have a higher priority for selecting the second cell over a third cell whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0074] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may further determine a first reselection priority for the first frequency of the second cell and the second frequency of the third cell, and determine, based on the first reselection priority and the system information, a second reselection priority for the first frequency and the second frequency, such that the second reselection priority for the first frequency is determined to be higher than the second reselection priority for the second frequency, regardless of whether the first reselection priority for the first frequency is lower than the first reselection priority for the second frequency, and determine to reselect the second cell or the third cell based on the second reselection priorities for the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0075] In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may further measure a cell quality of the cell, determine that the frequency of the cell belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, and apply an offset value for cell selection or reselection to the measured cell quality based on the determination that the frequency of the cell belongs to the one or more provided frequencies. In some embodiments, the offset value may be determined by the terminal device 110 or may be provided in system information.

[0076] In some embodiments, the system information can be received from the first cell via System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In some embodiments, the system information can be indicated in System Information Block 4 (SIB4) by a parameter redcapAccessAllowed. In some embodiments, at least one of the second cell and the third cell can be different from the first cell.

[0077] 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 500 implemented in a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For purposes of explanation, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the network device 120 with reference to FIG. 1. The method 500 may support an improved scheme for cell selection and reselection.

[0078] In block 520, the network device 120 transmits system information of a first cell in the wireless network to the terminal device 110. The system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a given type is allowed access for the terminal device 110 to determine whether to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the provided one or more frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the provided one or more frequencies.

[0079] In some embodiments, the defined types of terminal devices can include at least a first type that can be fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment. In some embodiments, the fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment can comply with bandwidth standards that can be either a 20 MHz maximum bandwidth in the 600-6000 MHz frequency range or a 100 MHz maximum bandwidth in the 26-47 GHz frequency range.

[0080] In some embodiments, the system information may include information on a duration for a terminal device of a predetermined type to identify the second cell. In some embodiments, the system information may include information for configuring a reselection priority for one or more frequencies for a terminal device of the predetermined type to be higher than a reselection priority for a frequency that does not belong to the one or more frequencies. In some embodiments, the system information may include information on an offset value that a terminal device of the predetermined type applies to cell quality of a cell whose frequency belongs to the one or more frequencies.

[0081] In some embodiments, when transmitting the system information, network device 120 may transmit the system information via System Information Block 4 (SIB4) of the first cell. In some embodiments, the system information may be indicated by a parameter redcapAccessAllowed in System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In some embodiments, at least one of the second cell and the third cell may be different from the first cell.

[0082] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., terminal device 110) capable of performing any of methods 400 may include means for performing each step of method 400. The means may be embodied in any suitable form. For example, the means may be embodied in a circuit or a software module.

[0083] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include, at the terminal device 110, means for receiving system information for a first cell from a network device in the wireless network, the system information being characterized in that the system information provides one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a defined type is allowed to access, and means for determining, based at least on the system information, to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0084] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes means for determining that the terminal device is of a predetermined type. In some embodiments, the terminal device of the predetermined type includes at least a first type that may include fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment. In some embodiments, fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment may comply with bandwidth standards that may include either a 20 MHz maximum bandwidth in the 600-6000 MHz frequency range or a 100 MHz maximum bandwidth in the 26-47 GHz frequency range.

[0085] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for selecting or reselecting the second cell if the terminal device can identify the second cell within the duration, and means for selecting or reselecting the third cell if the terminal device cannot identify the second cell within the duration.

[0086] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes means for determining the duration based on system information. In some embodiments, the duration may be pre-configured in the terminal device 110.

[0087] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for determining the duration based on at least one of a predetermined timer value, a battery level of the terminal device, an overheating condition of the terminal device, or whether any cells on one or more frequencies are detectable.

[0088] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for selecting or reselecting the second cell or selecting or reselecting the third cell based on a reselection priority configured for the one or more provided frequencies according to the system information. In some embodiments, the reselection priority configured for the one or more provided frequencies may have a higher priority for selecting the second cell over a third cell whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

[0089] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes means for determining a first reselection priority for a first frequency of the second cell and a second frequency of the third cell; means for determining, based on the first reselection priority and the system information, second reselection priorities for the first frequency and the second frequency, such that the second reselection priority for the first frequency is determined to be higher than the second reselection priority for the second frequency, regardless of whether the first reselection priority for the first frequency is lower than the first reselection priority for the second frequency; and means for determining to reselect the second cell or reselect the third cell based on the second reselection priorities for the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0090] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes means for measuring a cell quality of the cell, means for determining that the frequency of the cell belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, and means for adding an offset value for cell selection or reselection to the measured cell quality based on a determination that the frequency of the cell belongs to the one or more provided frequencies. In some embodiments, the offset value can be determined by the terminal device 110 or provided in system information.

[0091] In some embodiments, the system information can be received from the first cell via System Information Block 4 (SIB4). In some embodiments, the system information can be indicated in System Information Block 4 (SIB4) by a parameter redcapAccessAllowed. In some embodiments, at least one of the second cell and the third cell can be different from the first cell.

[0092] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 400. In some embodiments, the means may include at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured by the at least one processor to provide the performance of the apparatus.

[0093] In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., network device 120) capable of performing any of methods 500 may include means for performing each step of method 500. The means may be embodied in any suitable form. For example, the means may be embodied in a circuit or a software module.

[0094] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include means, at the network device 120, for transmitting to the terminal device 110 system information of a first cell in the wireless network, the system information of the first cell being characterized in that it provides one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a defined type is allowed to access, in order for the terminal device to decide to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the one or more offered frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more offered frequencies.

[0095] In some embodiments, the defined types of terminal devices can include at least a first type that can be fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment. In some embodiments, the fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment can comply with bandwidth standards that can be either a 20 MHz maximum bandwidth in the 600-6000 MHz frequency range or a 100 MHz maximum bandwidth in the 26-47 GHz frequency range.

[0096] In some embodiments, the system information may include information on a duration for a terminal device of a predetermined type to identify the second cell. In some embodiments, the system information may include information for a terminal device of a predetermined type to configure a reselection priority of one or more frequencies to be higher than a reselection priority of a frequency not belonging to the one or more frequencies. In some embodiments, the system information may include information on an offset value that a terminal device of a predetermined type applies to the cell quality of a cell to which the one or more frequencies belong.

[0097] In some embodiments, the means for transmitting the system information may include means for transmitting the system information via System Information Block 4 (SIB4) of the first cell. In some embodiments, the system information may be indicated in System Information Block 4 (SIB4) by a parameter redcapAccessAllowed. In some embodiments, at least one of the second cell and the third cell may be different from the first cell.

[0098] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 500. In some embodiments, the means may include at least one processor and at least one memory containing computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured by the at least one processor to provide the performance of the apparatus.

[0099] 6 is a schematic block diagram of a device 600 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as the terminal device 110 or the network device 120 shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processors 610, and one or more transmitters and / or receivers (TX / RX) 640 coupled to the processors 610.

[0100] The TX / RX 640 is for bidirectional communication. The TX / RX 640 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can refer to any interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0101] Processor 601 can be of any type suitable for the local technology network and can include one or more of the following, by way of non-limiting example: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 600 can have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time-slaved to a clock that is synchronous to a main processor.

[0102] Memory 620 can include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 624, electronically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disks, compact disks (CDs), digital video disks (DVDs), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power-down periods.

[0103] The computer program 630 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 610. The program 630 may be stored in ROM 620. The processor 610 may load the program 630 into RAM 620 to perform any appropriate operations and processes.

[0104] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 630 that enables the device 600 to perform any of the disclosed processes described with respect to Figures 2 to 5. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0105] In some embodiments, the program 630 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 600 (such as in memory 620) or other storage device accessible by the device 600. The device 600 may load the program 630 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 622 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile storage, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 7 shows an example of a computer-readable medium 700 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer-readable medium stores the program 630.

[0106] In general, 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, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that can be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or other pictorial representations, it should be understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller, or other computing device, or any combination thereof.

[0107] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that execute on a target real or virtual processor device to perform the methods described above with respect to Figures 2-5. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided among program modules as desired in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions of the program modules may be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, the program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0108] Program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the functions / acts specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams are performed. The program code can run entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0109] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or associated data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, and the like.

[0110] The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium. Computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media 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 thereof. As used herein, the term "non-transitory" refers to the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to the permanence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0111] Furthermore, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown, or sequentially, or that all of the operations depicted be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain situations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0112] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure as defined by 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. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 110 Terminal Devices 120 Network Devices 300 Processing Between a Terminal Device and a Network Device According to Some Embodiments of the Present Disclosure 302 Send 304 System information of the first cell providing frequencies to which terminal devices of a given type are allowed to access 306 Received 308 decides to select or reselect a second cell whose frequency belongs to the offered frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell whose frequency does not belong to the offered frequencies.

Claims

1. A terminal device, at least one processor; at least one memory for storing instructions; Equipped with The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: receiving system information for a first cell from a network device in a wireless network, the system information providing one or more frequencies to which terminal devices of a defined type are allowed to access; determining, based on at least the system information, to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies; A terminal device that causes

2. The terminal device of claim 1 , further comprising: determining that the terminal device is of the defined type.

3. 3. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the defined types of terminal devices include at least a first type comprising fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment.

4. 4. The terminal device of claim 3, wherein the fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment complies with bandwidth standards including either a 20 MHz maximum bandwidth within a frequency range of 600 to 6000 MHz or a 100 MHz maximum bandwidth within a frequency range of 26 to 47 GHz.

5. The terminal device If the terminal device can identify the second cell within a duration, it is configured to select or reselect the second cell; If the terminal device cannot identify the second cell within a duration, it is adapted to select or reselect the third cell. The terminal device according to claim 1 .

6. The terminal device of claim 5 , wherein the terminal device is further adapted to determine the duration based on the system information.

7. The terminal device of claim 5 , wherein the duration is preconfigured in the terminal device.

8. The terminal device further comprises: a predetermined timer value, the battery level of the terminal device; an overheating condition of the terminal device, or whether any cell on said one or more frequencies is detectable; 6. The terminal device of claim 5, wherein the terminal device is adapted to determine the duration based on at least one of:

9. The terminal device 2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is configured to select or reselect the second cell or select or reselect the third cell based on a reselection priority configured for the one or more frequencies provided according to the system information.

10. 10. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the reselection priority configured for the one or more provided frequencies has a higher priority for selecting the second cell than the third cell whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

11. The terminal device further comprises: determining a first reselection priority of a first frequency of the second cell and a second frequency of the third cell; determining second reselection priorities of the first frequency and the second frequency based on the first reselection priority and the system information such that the second reselection priority of the first frequency is determined to be higher than the second reselection priority of the second frequency, regardless of whether the first reselection priority of the first frequency is lower than the first reselection priority of the second frequency; determining to reselect the second cell or the third cell based on a second reselection priority of the first frequency and the second frequency; The terminal device according to claim 10, wherein

12. The terminal device further comprises: Measure the cell quality of the cells, determining that the frequency of the cell belongs to the one or more provided frequencies; applying an offset value to the measured cell quality for cell selection or reselection based on a determination that the frequency of the cell belongs to the one or more provided frequencies. The terminal device according to claim 1 , wherein

13. The terminal device of claim 12 , wherein the offset value is determined by the terminal device or is provided in the system information.

14. A terminal device according to any preceding claim, wherein the system information is received from the first cell via System Information Block 4 (SIB4).

15. The terminal device according to claim 14 , wherein the system information is indicated by a parameter redcapAccessAllowed in the System Information Block 4 (SIB4).

16. A terminal device according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the second cell and the third cell is different from the first cell.

17. 1. A network device, comprising: at least one processor; at least one memory for storing instructions; Equipped with The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: A network device that causes a terminal device to transmit system information of a first cell in a wireless network, the system information of the first cell providing one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a specified type is allowed to access, so that the terminal device can decide to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to one or more of the provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

18. 20. The network device of claim 17, wherein the defined types of terminal devices include at least a first type comprising fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment.

19. 20. The network device of claim 18, wherein the fifth generation (5G) reduced capability (REDCAP) user equipment complies with bandwidth standards including either a 20 MHz maximum bandwidth within a frequency range of 600-6000 MHz or a 100 MHz maximum bandwidth within a frequency range of 26-47 GHz.

20. The network device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, wherein the system information includes information on a duration for the terminal device of the specified type to identify the second cell.

21. A network device according to any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein the system information includes information for configuring a reselection priority of the one or more frequencies for a terminal device of the specified type to be higher than a reselection priority of a frequency that does not belong to the one or more frequencies.

22. The system information includes information on an offset value to be applied by the terminal device of the specified type to the cell quality of a cell whose frequency belongs to the one or more frequencies. A network device as described in any one of claims 17 to 21.

23. The network device Transmitting the system information via System Information Block 4 (SIB4) of the first cell 23. The network device according to claim 17, wherein the network device is adapted to transmit the system information by:

24. The network device according to any one of claims 17 to 23, wherein the system information is indicated by a parameter redcapAccessAllowed in the System Information Block 4 (SIB4).

25. The network device according to any one of claims 17 to 24, wherein at least one of the second cell and the third cell is different from the first cell.

26. receiving, at the terminal device, system information for a first cell from a network device in a wireless network, the system information providing one or more frequencies to which terminal devices of a defined type are allowed to access; determining, based on at least the system information, to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies; A method comprising:

27. 1. A method comprising, at a network device, transmitting system information of a first cell in a wireless network to a terminal device, the method comprising: The system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a specified type is allowed to access, so that the terminal device can decide to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

28. 1. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, in a terminal device, system information for a first cell from a network device in a wireless network, the system information providing one or more frequencies to which terminal devices of a defined type are allowed to access; means for determining, based on at least the system information, to select or reselect a second cell in the radio network whose frequency belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the radio network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies; An apparatus comprising:

29. 1. An apparatus comprising: means for transmitting system information of a first cell in a wireless network to a terminal device; The system information of the first cell provides one or more frequencies to which a terminal device of a specified type is allowed to access, so that the terminal device can decide to select or reselect a second cell in the wireless network whose frequency belongs to the one or more provided frequencies, or to select or reselect a third cell in the wireless network whose frequency does not belong to the one or more provided frequencies.

30. 27. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of claim 25 or claim 26.

31. 28. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method of claim 26 or claim 27.

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