Radio network node, user equipment, and methods performed in a radio network node and a user equipment

Abstract

Embodiments herein relate, for example, to a method performed by a UE (10) for handling communications in a wireless communication network, the UE determining a first preamble from one or more groups of preambles, the group of preambles being selected based on whether one or more conditions associated with the group are satisfied, and the UE transmitting a PRACH transmission using the determined first preamble.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a wireless communication network, a radio network node, a user equipment (UE), and a method performed in the radio network node and the user equipment. Additionally, a computer program product and a computer-readable storage medium are also provided. In particular, the present disclosure relates to handling communications, such as handling or controlling access to a radio network node, in a wireless communication network. [Background technology]

[0002] In a typical wireless communication network, UEs, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STAs), and / or wireless devices, communicate with one or more core networks (CNs) through a radio access network (RAN). The RAN covers a geographical area that is divided into service areas or cells, and each service area or cell is served by a radio network node, such as an access node, e.g., a Wi-Fi access point or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may be referred to as a Node B, gNode B, or eNode B. A service area or cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by a radio network node. The radio network node operates on radio frequencies to communicate over the air interface with UEs within range of the radio network node. The radio network node communicates to the UE via a downlink (DL), and the UE communicates to the radio network node via an uplink (UL).

[0003] The Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third-generation (3G) communications network that evolved from the second-generation (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) is essentially a RAN that uses Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and / or High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) for communications with user equipment. In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), communications suppliers propose and agree on standards for current and future generations of networks, exploring, for example, enhanced data rates and radio capacity. In some RANs, as in the case of UMTS, several radio network nodes may be connected, for example, by landlines or microwaves, to a controller node, such as a radio network controller (RNC) or base station controller (BSC), which monitors and coordinates the various activities of multiple radio network nodes connected to the controller node. The RNC is typically connected to one or more core networks.

[0004] Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS) are being finalized within 3GPP and will be addressed in upcoming 3GPP releases, such as New Radio (NR). The EPS comprises an Enhanced Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), also known as the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network, and an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also known as the System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network. E-UTRAN / LTE is a 3GPP radio access technology in which radio network nodes are directly connected to the EPC core network. Thus, the Radio Access Network (RAN) in the EPS has an essentially "flat" architecture, with radio network nodes directly connected to one or more core networks.

[0005] In emerging 5G technologies, such as New Radio (NR), using a large number of transmit and receive antenna elements can be important because it allows for the use of beamforming, such as transmit and receive beamforming. Transmit beamforming means that the transmitter can amplify the transmit signal in one or more selected directions and suppress the transmit signal in other directions. Similarly, on the receive side, the receiver can amplify signals from one or more selected directions and suppress unwanted signals from other directions.

[0006] To be able to carry data across the 5G NR RAN, data and information are organized into several data channels. By organizing the data into various channels, the 5G communication system can manage data transfer in a coherent manner, and the system can understand what data is arriving and therefore process the data in the manner required. Since there are many different types of data that need to be transferred, user data obviously needs to be transferred, but also control information for managing wireless communication links, as well as data for providing synchronization, access, etc. All of these functions are essential and require the transfer of data over the RAN.

[0007] In order to group data to be sent over the 5G NR RAN, the data is organized in a very logical way. Because there are many different functions for the data being sent over the wireless communication link, they need to be clearly marked, specifying the location and format. To ensure this happens, there are several different forms of data "channels" used. Higher level ones are "mapped" or contained within others, until finally, at the physical level, channels contain data from higher level channels.

[0008] In this way, there is a logical and manageable flow of data from the higher level protocol stack down to the physical layer.

[0009] There are three main types of data channels used for 5G RAN, and the hierarchy is given below accordingly: - Logical Channels: Logical channels can be one of two groups: control channels and traffic channels. □ Control channel: The control channel is used for the transfer of data from the control plane, and □ Traffic Channel: The traffic logical channel is used for the transfer of user plane data. - Transport Channel: Handles the physical layer over the radio interface and the multiplexing of the logical data to be transported by that channel. Physical Channel: A physical channel is closest to the actual transmission of data over the radio access network / 5G radio frequency (RF) signal. A physical channel is used to carry data over the air interface.

[0010] Physical channels often have higher level channels mapped onto them to provide specific services. Additionally, physical channels carry payload data or details of specific data transmission characteristics such as modulation, reference signal multiplexing, transmit power, RF resources, etc.

[0011] 5G physical channels are used to transport information over the actual air interface, with transport channels that are mapped to 5G physical channels, but they also contain various physical layer data required for the maintenance and optimization of the wireless communication link between the UE and the base station (BS).

[0012] There are three physical channels for each of the uplink and downlink: the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) for the downlink, and the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) for the uplink.

[0013] Two types of random access (RA) procedures are supported in NR Release (Rel)-16, with MsgA PUSCH or Msg3 PUSCH transmissions used for transmitting radio resource control (RRC) setup request messages in the 2-step RACH RA type and the 4-step RA type, respectively. Neither Msg3 PUSCH nor MsgA PUSCH can be repeated in NR until Rel-16.

[0014] The two types of RA procedures are described in the following subclauses.

[0015] Four-step random access procedure in NR.

[0016] A four-step approach is used for the random access procedure, see Figure 1. In this approach, the UE detects the synchronization signal (SS), decodes broadcasted system information that may be delivered on multiple physical channels, such as the PBCH and PDSCH, collects random access transmission parameters, and then transmits a PRACH preamble (message 1) in the uplink.

[0017] The gNB detects Message 1 and replies with a Random Access Response (RAR) message (Message 2). The UE then transmits UE identification information (Message 3) on the PUSCH. The UE transmits the PUSCH (Message 3) after receiving the timing advance command in the RAR and adjusting the timing of the PUSCH transmission, which allows the PUSCH to be received at the gNB with timing accuracy within the cyclic prefix (CP). Without this timing advance capability, a very large CP would be required to be able to demodulate and detect the PUSCH unless the system is applied in cells with very small distances between the UE and the gNB. As NR also supports larger cells, it is necessary to provide the UE with a timing advance, and therefore a four-step approach is required for the random access procedure.

[0018] Two-step RACH work item for Release 16 in 3GPP.

[0019] A two-step RACH work item was approved at the RAN1#82 General Meeting, within the scope of completing the initial access in only two steps, including messages A and B, as shown in Figure 2. Here, the first step of detecting the synchronization signal block (SSB) and system information is the same as in the four-step approach, but then only two steps follow to minimize the number of channel accesses, which is important, for example, for operation in unlicensed frequency bands where listen-before-talk must be performed before transmission. Step 1: The UE sends a message A containing a random access preamble together with higher layer data such as an RRC connection request, possibly with some small additional payload on the PUSCH. Step 2: The gNB sends a RAR (denoted as message B) containing, among other things, a UE identifier allocation, timing advance information, and a contention resolution message.

[0020] PRACH resource selection and SSB to RACH occasion (RO) mapping.

[0021] In both 4-step RACH and 2-step RACH, the PRACH resource is selected based on the SSB selection and the SSB-to-RO / preamble mapping. The detailed procedure for PRACH resource selection can be found in sections 5.1.2 and 5.1.2a of 38.321 v.16.0.0 for 2-step RACH and 4-step RACH, respectively.

[0022] The mapping between SSBs and PRACHs can be one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-one, in a predetermined order specified in the standard, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

[0023] When the UE determines one sufficiently good SSB beam with SS-RSRP above a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) threshold, e.g., rsrp-ThresholdSSB, a preamble in a set of one or more preambles in a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) occasion mapped to this SSB will be selected for random access, and then when the gNB detects that preamble, the determined SSB beam for this UE is indirectly known so that the determined beam can be used to transmit signals to or receive signals from this UE.

[0024] Random access prioritization.

[0025] Prioritized random access is used to allow a UE to have parameters that enable random access so that it has an increased chance of success compared to other UEs. In Release 15, it was possible to configure random access prioritization for beam failure recovery (BFR) and contention-free random access (CFRA) procedures, and in Release 16 random access for specific UEs through so-called access identity was introduced, and prioritized random access was made permissible for two-step random access.

[0026] Priority random access now allows for a scaling factor for the backoff indicator, which allows for faster random access retries after receiving a backoff indicator as Msg2 and higher power ramping steps when performing retries.

[0027] Random access per access identifier can be seen in the following from 38.321 v16.0.0. 2> Otherwise, ra-PrioritizationForAccessIdentityTwoStep is set for the selected carrier, and 2> The MAC entity has been provided with Access Identification 1 or 2 by a higher layer, and 2> If for at least one of these access identities the corresponding bit in ra-PrioritizationForAI is set to 1, 3> If powerRampingStepHighPriority is set in ra-PrioritizationForAccessIdentityTwoStep, 4> Set PREAMBLE_POWER_RAMPING_STEP to powerRampingStepHighPriority. 3> If scalingFactorBI is set in ra-PrioritizationForAccessIdentityTwoStep, 4> Set SCALING_FACTOR_BI to scalingFactorBI.

[0028] Random access prioritization is configured through the following parameters: - RA-Prioritization The IE RA-Prioritization is used to set the prioritized random access. RA-Prioritization Information Element TIFF0007728455000001.tif83170TIFF0007728455000002.tif39170

[0029] Random access for msg3 repetition.

[0030] During the discussions from the first meeting of the NR Coverage Extension Work Item in RAN1#104-e, Rel-17, to the meeting RAN1#105-e, the following agreements were reached on the Msg3 iteration criteria, which can be seen below: The UE determines separate PRACH resources, separate preambles or separate PRACH occasions based on at least the RSRP of the downlink path loss reference and the RSRP threshold. Based on the PRACH resource on which the PRACH is detected, the gNB knows whether Msg3 repetition can be enabled for the UE sending this PRACH. TIFF0007728455000003.tif210170

[0031] Random access for slicing.

[0032] In the case of slicing according to the standard, there will be multiple slices that the UE can choose from based on which slice the UE selects. Each slice can potentially have its own random access resources, i.e., preamble and / or PRACH occasions, so the UE will first select a slice and then select the PRACH resources based on which slicing ID is selected.

[0033] Random access for small data transmission (SDT).

[0034] According to the current standardization discussion, for small data transmission in RRC inactive state, the UE will first decide whether small data transmission shall be initiated by comparing RSRP with a threshold currently named sdt-RSRP-Threshold and also by comparing the amount of data in the buffer across logical channels. Then, the UE will select either configured grant-based small data transmission (CG-SDT) or random access-based small data transmission according to another RSRP threshold also called cg-SDT-RSRP-ThresholdSSB.

[0035] Random access for RedCap.

[0036] In the case of Redcap, an indication that the UE is a Redcap UE, i.e., a UE with a maximum bandwidth of 20 MHz or less, may be required for random access so that the network will not schedule any subsequent messages with a bandwidth greater than 20 MHz. Therefore, the UE will select a set of preambles that indicate that the UE is a Redcap UE. Summary of the Invention

[0037] As part of developing the embodiments herein, one or more problems were initially identified. When implementing random access and indicating something using the preamble for features introduced for coverage extension, slicing, small data, and redcap, conditions were introduced for each. It was also agreed that in RAN2#115-e it should be possible to indicate a combination of the above features.

[0038] A problem with existing solutions relates to the condition on how to select a preamble group when the preamble group consists of multiple features. The problem can be manifested, for example, by the number of RSRP thresholds or threshold offsets introduced for two-step random access. - RACH-ConfigCommonTwoStepRA The IE RACH-ConfigCommonTwoStepRA is used to specify cell-specific two-step random access type parameters. RACH-ConfigCommonTwoStepRA information element TIFF0007728455000004.tif178170TIFF0007728455000005.tif160170

[0039] In this case, there are three thresholds introduced: msgA-RSRP-threshold determines whether the UE shall select 2-step or 4-step random access, msgA-RSRP-threshold is the threshold for selecting a "good" RSRP threshold, and messagePowerOffestGroupB acts as an offset for selecting either random access group A or group B. More thresholds require more complex solutions.

[0040] Another issue is when new features are introduced and new thresholds are introduced to determine whether a particular feature shall be used. As an example, Rel-17 introduced msg3 repetition, where a new threshold is used to determine how the preamble should be selected, and in the future, it is possible that msg1 repetition will be introduced through a different threshold. The problem with this is that when there are two separate thresholds, it may be difficult to combine the two features. In the Rel-17 RACH indication and partitioning work item, it was agreed that multiple features may be combined so that the UE can signal multiple features.

[0041] Another problem that may also be foreseen in the future is when the indications of multiple features are combined, where the conditions are opposite, i.e., in some cases the RSRP threshold is above a value and in other cases the RSRP threshold is below a value. This may be considered in the following examples, and it should be emphasized that the given examples may be sufficient to take into account the final standardization progress.

[0042] Consider a cell with three preamble groups whose utilized features are msg3 repetition and small data transmission. Thus, there are three preamble groups used to indicate msg3-rep, SDT, and msg3-rep+SDT. In this case, msg3 repetition would have a condition for selecting msg3 repetition, which is that RSRP to the cell is below a threshold. Furthermore, SDT would have a threshold for whether SDT should be implemented, which is that RSRP to the cell is above a threshold. A simple solution for evaluating whether the preamble group msg3-rep+SDT should be selected is to compare both individual conditions, and if they are true, the preamble group is selected. However, given that the thresholds could be set in a coverage-based manner, it may be difficult to set the thresholds such that both conditions are always true. This can be seen in Figure 5.

[0043] Another problem is that a UE may meet conditions for multiple features, which means that the UE may therefore be considered to apply multiple preamble ranges based on those conditions. In these situations, it may be unclear which of the multiple preamble ranges the UE should use. Different UEs may apply different strategies for selecting which of the multiple preamble ranges they select in these situations, which may cause uneven utilization of preambles.

[0044] It is an object of this specification to provide a mechanism for handling communications in a wireless communication network in an efficient and reliable manner.

[0045] According to one aspect, the object is achieved by providing a method, executed by a UE, for handling communications in a wireless communication network according to an embodiment of the present specification, wherein the UE determines or selects a first preamble from one or more groups of preambles, the group of preambles being selected based on whether one or more conditions associated with the group are met, and the UE sends a PRACH transmission to a radio network node using the determined first preamble.

[0046] According to one aspect, the object is achieved by providing a method, performed by a radio network node, for handling communications in a wireless communication network according to an embodiment of the present specification, wherein the radio network node configures a configuration for PRACH transmissions in a UE, the configuration including one or more groups of preambles, each group of preambles including one or more respective conditions associated with the group that need to be satisfied in order to be selected.

[0047] According to one aspect, the object is achieved by providing a radio network node and a UE, each configured to perform a method according to an embodiment of the present specification. Thus, according to one aspect, the object is achieved by providing a UE for handling communications in a wireless communication network according to an embodiment of the present specification. The UE is configured to determine a first preamble from one or more groups of preambles, the group of preambles being selected based on whether one or more conditions associated with the group are met, and the UE is configured to send a PRACH transmission to the radio network node using the determined first preamble.

[0048] According to another aspect, the object is achieved by providing a radio network node for handling communications in a wireless communication network according to an embodiment of the present specification, wherein the radio network node is configured to configure a configuration for PRACH transmissions in a UE, the configuration including one or more groups of preambles, each group of preambles including one or more respective conditions associated with the group that need to be satisfied in order to be selected.

[0049] Further provided herein is a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the methods herein, performed by a radio network node or a UE, respectively. Further provided herein is a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the methods herein, performed by a UE or a radio network node, respectively.

[0050] Embodiments herein disclose solutions that provide a method, under which conditions are used for a preamble group, that may also dictate one or more characteristics of how a preamble group should be prioritized / selected over another preamble group. 1. The introduction of a set of conditions, one or more conditions, that apply to a preamble group rather than to a specific feature. 2. How to select a preamble group based on a set of conditions and priorities for different preamble groups.

[0051] This allows a forward compatible and efficient way for the UE to combine features and a more clear and traceable way to select several preamble groups.

[0052] Thus, embodiments herein provide a solution that results in efficient and reliable communication in wireless communication networks.

[0053] Embodiments will now be described in more detail with reference to the enclosed drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0054] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a four-step RACH process according to the prior art. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates a two-step RACH process according to the prior art. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 shows an example of one SSB per PRACH occasion. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 shows an example with two SSBs per PRACH occasion. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 shows a preamble grouping for feature groups, where it is seen that the preamble group msg3-rep+SDT will never be selected. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a wireless communication network illustrating an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a UE according to an embodiment herein. [Figure 8] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a radio network node, according to embodiments herein. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a UE, according to embodiments herein. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a radio network node, according to embodiments herein. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication network connected to a host computer via an intermediate network. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a generalized block diagram of a host computer communicating with user equipment via a base station over a partially wireless connection. [Figure 13] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment. [Figure 14] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment. [Figure 15] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment. [Figure 16] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0055]

[0003] Embodiments herein generally relate to wireless communication networks. Figure 6 is an overview illustrating a wireless communication network 1. The wireless communication network 1 comprises one or more RANs and one or more CNs. The wireless communication network 1 may use one or several different technologies. Although the embodiments herein relate to recent technology trends of particular interest in a New Radio (NR) context, the embodiments are also applicable in further developments of existing wireless communication systems, such as LTE or Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA).

[0056] The wireless communication network 1 includes user equipment (UE) 10, exemplified herein as a wireless device such as a mobile station, a non-access point (non-AP) station (STA), a STA, and / or a wireless terminal, that communicates via one or more access networks (ANs), e.g., radio access networks (RANs), to one or more core networks (CNs). It should be understood by those skilled in the art that "UE" is a non-limiting term meaning any terminal, wireless communication terminal, user equipment, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) device, machine-type communication (MTC) device, device-to-device (D2D) terminal, or node, e.g., a smartphone, laptop computer, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablet, or even small base station, capable of communicating using wireless communication with a wireless network node within an area served by the wireless network node.

[0057] The wireless communication network 1 comprises a radio network node 12 providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a first service area 11, or a first cell of a first radio access technology (RAT), such as NR, LTE, or the like. The radio network node 12 may be a transmitting and receiving point, such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, e.g., a radio base station such as a gNodeB (gNB), an evolved NodeB (eNB, eNodeB), a NodeB, a base transceiver station, a wireless remote unit, an access point base station, a base station router, a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point or access point station (AP STA), a radio base station transmission arrangement, a standalone access point, or any other network unit or node capable of communicating with wireless devices in the area served by the radio network node, e.g., depending on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The radio network node may be referred to as a serving radio network node, the service area may be referred to as a serving cell, and the serving network node communicates with wireless devices in the form of DL transmissions to the wireless devices and UL transmissions from the wireless devices. It should be noted that a service area may be referred to as a cell, beam, beam group, or the like to define an area of ​​wireless coverage.

[0058] Embodiments herein address a UE 10 receiving and applying a random access configuration consisting of one or more conditions for selecting a preamble group, which may be a group of preambles used to indicate one or more features in a preamble (msg1), such as msg3 repetition, small data transmission, two-step random access, msg1 repetition, reduced capability, etc.

[0059] The preamble groups for preamble group B may be configured for different features. The UE may determine a first preamble from two or more groups of preambles indicated by the received configuration based at least in part on the received configuration and one or more measurements at the UE, where the first preamble indicates whether one or more features are required. Thus, signaling multiple features in a preamble group may be implemented, and the embodiments herein focus on the configuration and conditions thereon.

[0060] The random access configuration is typically signaled by the network, such as the radio network node 12, as part of the bandwidth portion (BWP) configuration, and can either be broadcast or configured UE-specifically when the UE is in connected mode.

[0061] The terms "preamble group," "early indication group," or "RACH partition" are used interchangeably herein. All terms refer to a set of preambles with one or more features indicated using the preamble.

[0062] Preamble groups may be in either a single PRACH occasion or in separate PRACH occasions. Thus, in principle, "preamble group" may be replaced by a general PRACH resource set, which may also be a subset of the PRACH occasion used for indication of one or more features, but in the embodiments herein it is sufficient to refer to "preamble group."

[0063] According to embodiments herein, each preamble group will have its own one or more preamble-specific conditions. This means that instead of having a preamble group with its characteristic having its separate conditions, each preamble group will have its own separate one or more conditions. The one or more conditions may, for example, relate to signal strength and include, for example, an RSRP threshold above / below a threshold, feature support, data volume above a threshold, and / or the like.

[0064] In the embodiments described herein, the UE 10 may be configured with one or more preamble groups with one or more conditions associated with the group that must be met in order to be selected. The UE 10 determines a first preamble from the group of preambles from one or more groups of preambles, and the group of preambles is selected based on whether one or more conditions associated with the group are met. The embodiments herein may disclose the following: 1. Introducing a set of conditions that apply to preamble groups rather than specific features. 2. How to select a preamble group based on the conditions and priorities for different preamble groups.

[0065] The embodiments herein allow a forward compatible and efficient way for the UE 10 to combine features and a more clear and traceable method for selecting several preamble groups.

[0066] Another benefit of the embodiments herein for 6G considerations is that some concepts that are determined to be used based on RSRP thresholds, such as preamble group B, supplemental uplink (SUL) vs. normal uplink (NUL) selection, and more, may be simplified and consolidated into a single set of selections, making the signaling determining the selection in UE 10 more straightforward.

[0067] Method actions performed by a UE 10 for handling communications, e.g., performing a random access procedure, in a wireless communication network 1 according to an embodiment will now be described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in Figure 7. The actions do not have to be taken in the order set out below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Dashed boxes indicate optional features.

[0068] Action 701. The UE 10 may obtain a configuration for PRACH transmission, the configuration including one or more groups of preambles each having one or more conditions (its own separate one or more conditions), for example, receiving the configuration from a radio network node or the configuration being pre-configured.

[0069] Action 702. The UE 10 determines a first preamble from one or more groups of preambles, where the group of preambles is selected based on whether one or more conditions associated with the group are met. For example, the UE 10 may determine a first preamble from one or more groups of preambles, where the one or more groups are associated with respective one or more conditions, and the first preamble is determined based on whether the respective one or more conditions are met. Thus, the UE 10 may determine the first preamble from one or more groups of preambles as dictated by the acquired configuration and based on whether one or more conditions are met. Each group of preambles may include a list or set of conditions. The one or more conditions may be related to signal strength, such as may specify one or more RSRPs related to one or more thresholds. Each of the one or more groups may further exhibit one or more characteristics associated with the respective group. The one or more features may include one or more of msg3 repetition, slicing, small data transmission, reduced capability, carrier selection such as SUL / NUL, a preamble group for indicating a larger buffer size, whether the UE is prioritized, and which UE state the UE is currently in. The preamble group may be selected further based on the capabilities of the UE 10, for example, capabilities that match one or more features. Thus, the UE 10 may further determine the first preamble based on the capabilities of the UE 10. Thus, the UE 10 determines which of the preamble groups to use from the acquired configuration according to its own one or more capabilities. For example, if the UE 10 does not support a feature or if there is an extension in the feature combination that the UE cannot read, the UE 10 may ignore the preamble group associated with such a feature. The UE 10 may check one or more conditions of each preamble group in the configuration.For example, the UE 10 may ignore one or more preamble groups for which one or more conditions associated with the preamble groups are not met. The UE may further select or choose one or more of the preamble groups for which one or more conditions are met.

[0070] Random access preamble group selection priority.

[0071] In some cases, when there are multiple groups that are supported and one or more conditions are met, it may not be clear which preamble group should be selected. The group of preambles may be selected based on a priority rule that specifies the order of selection of one or more groups of preambles. The priority rule may be based on a configured priority index, the amount of preambles in each group, a performance metric, a group characteristic, a number of conditions, setting different levels of signal strength for different characteristics, and / or a priority of the UE. Thus, the UE 10 may determine the first preamble to use based further on the priority rule. For example, the UE 10 may select a preamble group to use for selection of the first preamble based on a threshold level. Thus, the UE 10 may select the largest preamble group among a set of preamble groups whose threshold, e.g., an RSRP threshold, is not greater than or less than the RSRP measured by the UE. As an example, four groups of preambles (groups A, B, C, and D) are configured, and the four groups of preambles are each configured with a RSRP threshold T A , T B , T C , T D where T A <T B <T C <T D The RSRP value measured based on the synchronization signaling block (SSB) is TA , T B , T C is larger than T D Assume that ≠ 0. The first preamble will be selected from preamble group C. The priority rule may be further based on the number of conditions for each preamble group. Thus, the UE 10 may determine the first preamble to use based on the selected preamble group for which the most conditions are met. For example, if there is one condition for preamble group A and two conditions for preamble group B, the UE 10 may select preamble group B if the UE 10 meets both the conditions for preamble group A and the conditions for preamble group B. The priority rule may specify a priority order for the preamble groups. This priority order may be used by the UE 10 when multiple conditions are met and it is unclear which group to select. This makes it clear to the UE 10 which group shall be selected when there are multiple groups that are met. This may be implemented as an index that indicates which is to be prioritized first, provided the UE supports the desired feature. 0 indicates that the preamble group should be prioritized first, 1 indicates that the preamble group has a lower priority compared to 0, etc. In one example, the msg1+msg3 preamble group may have a lower priority than a group that would require higher coverage, which may be, for example, a group consisting of slicing and small data transmission (SDT). This means that when the condition is met for both preamble groups, the UE will select the group with the highest priority. The priority indexes are underlined below. --------------------------------------------------------------- TIFF0007728455000006.tif122170-------------------------------------------------------------------

[0072] The priority of the priority rule can be specified, hard-coded, or rule-based. The priority can be based, for example, on the preamble group with the largest or smallest amount of preambles. The benefit of selecting the preamble group with the smallest amount of preambles is that those preamble groups may be used rarely.

[0073] The UE 10 may perform feature-based prioritization. When a condition for selection of a set of preamble groups is met, i.e., multiple preamble groups satisfy the configured threshold, the UE 10 may prioritize preamble groups associated with a particular feature or set of features based on a network configuration, e.g., priorityIndex. The radio network node 12 may configure prioritized preamble groups associated with a particular feature or set of features. For example, if one group has a threshold of "17" and a second group has a threshold of "19" associated with the same feature set(s), a UE using a higher priority feature will select the strongest preamble group, i.e., the preamble group with the threshold of 19.

[0074] The thresholds for preamble group selection for a UE may be ramped up when implementing feature-based prioritization and prioritizing features based on network configuration. The network may set a ramping factor for prioritizing features for the thresholds. In other words, different features may have different thresholds based on network configuration. For example, if a feature should meet a threshold of 17 for a preamble group, other features should meet a threshold of 19.

[0075] Additionally or alternatively, preamble groups that apply feature-based random access may be prioritized using feature-based random access (RA) prioritization, such as feature-based power ramping or feature-based scaling factor backoff indicators. Features within a feature set that are grouped to use a particular preamble group may also be prioritized using RA-prioritization.

[0076] If the UE is prioritized through a random access prioritization technique, the UE 10 may select a particular preamble group. This may be done, for example, through network signaling, in which the network includes the ID of the preamble group that the UE shall apply if the UE 10 determines it is prioritized. The UE 10 may, in some cases, or may not, look at other configured conditions, e.g., if configured or specified, before deciding to use a preamble group.

[0077] This can be seen in the following example. - RA-Prioritization The IE RA-Prioritization is used to set the prioritized random access. RA-Prioritization Information Element TIFF0007728455000007.tif64170

[0078] The UE 10 may select the (best) configuration to either maximize throughput or minimize delay. The priority rule may be based on a performance-related metric. This may be done, for example, by a UE implementation where the UE 10 may select itself, or the network may configure the UE to use a certain metric (latency or throughput) to decide whether one preamble group should be selected over another. This decision may be made, for example, through an artificial intelligence (AI) agent in the UE 10 that determines a first preamble from the selected preamble group to maximize a certain metric, such as delay, throughput, or power consumption, using, for example, past experience.

[0079] The above section described how conditions are provided for feature preamble groups, not for individual features themselves. This section also described how the UE 10 may determine priorities for preamble groups, for example, based on configuration. However, it should be noted that it is possible to address at least part of the problem by the UE 10 determining priorities for features or feature combinations. It should be noted that it is possible to have priorities for each feature or feature combination without the above-described embodiment that describes what the conditions are for each feature combination, i.e., it is possible to have priorities for each feature or feature combination even when conditions are provided for the feature or feature combination. For example, it is possible for the UE 10 to determine, for example, based on network configuration, a priority for feature X, for example, SDT, a priority for feature Y, for example, msg3 repetition, and a priority for the combination of feature X and feature Y. The UE 10 may then determine which feature combination to apply based on the priorities and then select the corresponding preamble group.

[0080] Action 703. The UE 10 sends a PRACH transmission to the radio network node 12 using the determined first preamble.

[0081] Method actions performed by a radio network node 12 for handling communications in a wireless communication network according to an embodiment will now be described with reference to the flowchart illustrated in Figure 8. The actions do not have to be taken in the order set out below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Dashed boxes indicate optional features.

[0082] Action 801. The radio network node 12 configures a configuration for PRACH transmission in the UE 10, the configuration including one or more groups of preambles, each group of preambles including one or more conditions associated with the group that must be met to be selected or each group of preambles has its own separate condition or conditions. Each group of preambles may include one or more conditions, such as a list or set of conditions, and / or the one or more conditions may relate to signal strength. Each of the one or more groups may further indicate one or more features associated with the group. The one or more features may include one or more of msg3 repetition, slicing, small data transmission, reduced capability, carrier selection such as SUL / NUL, a preamble group for indicating a larger buffer size, whether the UE is prioritized, and which UE state the UE is currently in. The configuration may include a priority rule that specifies the order of selection of the one or more groups of preambles. The priority rules may be based on a set priority index, may be based on the amount of preambles in each group, may be based on a performance metric, may be based on the number of conditions, may be based on the characteristics of the group, may be setting different levels of signal strength for different characteristics, and / or may be based on the priority of the UE.

[0083] Action 802. The radio network node 12 may then receive a PRACH transmission using a first preamble determined from among one or more groups of preambles, for example according to a configuration.

[0084] Implementation The above may be implemented by having a list or set of conditions for each preamble group, such as, for example, RSRP above a threshold, RSRP below a threshold, data buffer above a threshold, data buffer below a threshold, whether the UE is prioritized, etc. Examples are underlined below. --------------------------------------------------------------- - BWP-UplinkCommon The IE BWP-UplinkCommon is used to configure the common parameters of the uplink BWP. The common parameters are "cell specific" and the network ensures the necessary alignment with the corresponding parameters of other UEs. The common parameters for the initial bandwidth part of the PCell are also provided via system information. For all other serving cells, the network provides the common parameters via dedicated signaling. BWP-UplinkCommon Information Element TIFF0007728455000008.tif237170-------------------------------------------------------------------

[0085] As an example, rsrp-ThresholdBelow is used when the feature combination should be used under more extended coverage conditions. rsrp-ThresholdAbove can be used when RSRP exceeds a threshold, such as when the feature combination will require higher coverage. buffer-ThresholdAbove / buffer-ThresholdBelow are used in a similar manner.

[0086] As another example, the rrc-State parameter is used when a preamble group is for a specific RRC state only, meaning, for example, that only UEs in RRC connected mode are allowed to use the preamble group. Thus, the characteristics may relate to the type of transmission, and one or more conditions of the preamble group may relate to signal strength, amount of buffered data, priority, and / or state of the UE.

[0087] 6G considerations.

[0088] In this implementation, some additional features / concepts are selected when comparing RSRP thresholds. For example, SUL / NUL selection or carrier selection can be performed when comparing a single threshold. This means that, for example, 1) preamble groups to indicate a higher amount of data in the buffer, 2) SUL / NUL, 3) feature combinations, and 4) actions to select 2-step vs. 4-step can be performed under a single RSRP threshold.

[0089] The SUL / NUL selection based on the RSRP threshold is to select the NUL, which is the main carrier, or the SUL, which is the carrier designed to provide better coverage. In generalization, the preamble group may also include multiple carriers, and the threshold, in combination with other characteristics, can dictate which carrier should be selected from among the multiple carriers. BWP-UplinkCommon Information Element TIFF0007728455000009.tif233170-------------------------------------------------------------------

[0090] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a UE 10 for handling communications in a wireless communication network 1 according to an embodiment herein.

[0091] The UE 10 may comprise processing circuitry 901, eg, one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0092] The UE 10 may include an acquiring unit 902, e.g., a reader, a receiver, or a transceiver. The UE 10, the processing circuit 901, and / or the acquiring unit 902 may be configured to acquire a configuration for PRACH transmission, the configuration including one or more groups of preambles having respective one or more conditions.

[0093] The UE 10 may include a determining unit 903. The UE 10, the processing circuit 901, and / or the determining unit 903 may be configured to determine a first preamble from one or more groups of preambles, where the group of preambles is selected based on whether one or more conditions associated with the group are met. Each group of preambles may include one or more, such as a list or set of conditions. The one or more conditions may relate to signal strength. Each of the one or more groups may further refer to one or more features associated with the group. The one or more features may include one or more of msg3 repetition, slicing, small data transmission, reduced capability, carrier selection such as SUL / NUL, a preamble group for indicating a larger buffer size, whether the UE is prioritized, and which UE state the UE is currently in. The UE 10, the processing circuit 901, and / or the determining unit 903 may be configured to select the group of preambles further based on the capabilities of the UE 10. The UE 10, the processing circuit 901, and / or the determination unit 903 may be configured to ignore groups of preambles for which one or more conditions associated with the groups of preambles are not satisfied and to select groups of preambles for which the one or more conditions are satisfied. The UE 10, the processing circuit 901, and / or the determination unit 903 may be configured to select groups of preambles based on a priority rule that specifies an order of selection of one or more groups of preambles. The priority rule may be based on a set priority index, may be based on the amount of preambles in each group, may be based on a performance metric, may be based on a feature of the group, may be based on the number of conditions, may be setting different levels of signal strength for different features, and / or may be based on the priority of the UE.

[0094] The UE 10 may comprise a transmitting unit 904, e.g., a transmitter or transceiver. The UE 10, the processing circuit 801 and / or the transmitting unit 904 are configured to transmit a PRACH transmission to the radio network node 12 using the determined first preamble.

[0095] The UE 10 may comprise a memory 905. The memory 905 comprises one or more units to be used for storing data, such as data packets, grants, preambles, groups of preambles, conditions, features, priority rules, instructions, mobility events, measurements, events, and the like, and applications for performing the methods disclosed herein when executed. Additionally, the UE 10 may comprise a communication interface 908, such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, and / or one or more antennas.

[0096] Methods according to embodiments described herein for a UE 10 are implemented, for example, by a computer program product 906 or computer program comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform actions described herein to be performed by the UE 10. The computer program product 906 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 907, such as a disk, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) stick, or the like. The computer-readable storage medium 907 having the computer program product stored thereon may comprise instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform actions described herein to be performed by the UE 10. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transient or non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose a UE for handling communications in a wireless communication network, the UE comprising a processing circuit and a memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processing circuit, such that the UE is operable to perform any of the methods herein.

[0097] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a radio network node 12 for handling communications in a wireless communication network 1 according to an embodiment herein.

[0098] The radio network node 12 may comprise processing circuitry 1001, eg, one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0099] The radio network node 12 may include a configuration unit 1002, e.g., a transmitter or transceiver. The radio network node 12, the processing circuit 1001, and / or the configuration unit 1002 are configured to configure the UE 10 with a configuration for PRACH transmission, the configuration including one or more groups of preambles, each group of preambles including one or more conditions associated with the group that must be met to be selected. Each group of preambles may include one or more conditions, such as a list or set of conditions. The one or more conditions may relate to signal strength. Each of the one or more groups may further indicate one or more features associated with the group. The one or more features may include one or more of: msg3 repetition, slicing, small data transmission, reduced capability, carrier selection such as SUL / NUL, a preamble group for indicating a larger buffer size, whether the UE is prioritized, and which UE state the UE is currently in. The configuration may include a priority rule that specifies the order of selection of the one or more groups of preambles. The priority rule may be based on a set priority index, may be based on the amount of preambles in each group, may be based on the number of conditions, may be based on a performance metric, may be based on a feature of the group, may be setting different levels of signal strength for different features, and / or may be based on a priority of the UE. The radio network node 12 may comprise a receiving unit 1003, e.g., a receiver or transceiver. The radio network node 12, the processing circuit 1001 and / or the receiving unit 1003 may be configured to receive a PRACH transmission from the UE 10 using a first preamble determined from among the one or more groups of preambles.

[0100] The radio network node 12 may comprise a memory 1005. The memory 1005 comprises one or more units to be used for storing data, such as data packets, mobility events, measurements, preambles, groups of preambles, settings, condition(s), events, and the like, and applications for performing the methods disclosed herein when executed. Additionally, the radio network node may comprise a communication interface 1008, such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, and / or one or more antennas.

[0101] Methods according to embodiments described herein for radio network node 12 are implemented by, e.g., a computer program product 1006 or computer program comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform actions described herein to be performed by radio network node 12. The computer program product 1006 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 1007, e.g., a disk, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) stick, or the like. The computer-readable storage medium 1007 having the computer program product stored thereon may comprise instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform actions described herein to be performed by radio network node 12. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Accordingly, embodiments herein may disclose a radio network node 12 for handling communications in a wireless communication network, the radio network node 12 comprising processing circuitry and memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processing circuitry, whereby the radio network node 12 is operable to perform any of the methods herein.

[0102] In some embodiments, the more general term “radio network node” is used, and the term “radio network node” can correspond to any type of radio network node or any network node that communicates with wireless devices and / or other network nodes. Examples of network nodes are Node Bs, MeNBs, SeNBs, network nodes belonging to a Master Cell Group (MCG) or a Secondary Cell Group (SCG), base stations (BSs), MSR radio nodes such as Multi-Standard Radio (MSR) BSs, eNodeBs, gNodeBs, network controllers, Radio Network Controllers (RNCs), Base Station Controllers (BSCs), relays, donor node controlled relays, base transceiver stations (BTSs), access points (APs), transmission points, transmitting nodes, remote radio units (RRUs), remote radio heads (RRHs), nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS), etc.

[0103] In some embodiments, the non-limiting term wireless device or user equipment (UE) is used, where the term wireless device or UE refers to any type of wireless device that communicates with network nodes and / or other wireless devices in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UEs are target devices, device to device (D2D) UEs, proximity-enabled UEs (also known as ProSe UEs), machine-type UEs or UEs capable of machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, tablets, mobile terminals, smartphones, laptop embedded equipment (LEEs), laptop mounted equipment (LMEs), USB dongles, etc.

[0104] The embodiments are applicable to any RAT or multi-RAT system in which wireless devices receive and / or transmit signals (e.g., data), such as New Radio (NR), Wi-Fi, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) / Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (GSM / EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), to name just a few possible implementations.

[0105] As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, the functional means or circuits may be implemented using digital logic and / or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, some or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and / or software interfaces therebetween. Some of the functions may be implemented, for example, on a processor shared with other functional components of a wireless device or network node.

[0106] Alternatively, some of the functional elements of the described processing means may be provided by using dedicated hardware, while other functional elements are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the terms "processor" or "controller" as used herein do not refer solely to hardware capable of executing software, but may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware and / or program or application data. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Designers of communications devices will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices.

[0107] Any suitable step, method, feature, function, or benefit disclosed herein may be implemented through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual devices. Each virtual device may comprise several of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), dedicated digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, and the like. The program code stored in memory includes program instructions for implementing one or more communication and / or data communication protocols, as well as instructions for performing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause each functional unit to perform a corresponding function according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0108] 11 , according to one embodiment, a communication system includes a communication network 3210, such as a 3GPP-type cellular network, comprising an access network 3211, such as a radio access network, and a core network 3214. The access network 3211 includes a plurality of base stations 3212a, 3212b, 3212c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs, or other types of wireless access points, which are examples of radio network nodes 12 herein, each defining a corresponding coverage area 3213a, 3213b, 3213c. Each base station 3212a, 3212b, 3212c can be connected to the core network 3214 over a wired or wireless connection 3215. A first UE 3291, which is an example of a user equipment (UE) 10 and relay UE 13 located in the coverage area 3213c, is configured to wirelessly connect to or be paged by the corresponding base station 3212c. A second UE 3292 in the coverage area 3213a can wirelessly connect to the corresponding base station 3212a. Although multiple UEs 3291, 3292 are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where only one UE is in the coverage area or connects to the corresponding base station 3212a.

[0109] The communications network 3210 is itself connected to a host computer 3230, which may be embodied in hardware and / or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server farm. The host computer 3230 may be owned or controlled by a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The connection 3221, 3222 between the communications network 3210 and the host computer 3230 may extend directly from the core network 3214 to the host computer 3230 or may proceed via an optional intermediate network 3220. The intermediate network 3220 may be one of a public network, a private network, or a hosted network, or a combination of two or more of them; the intermediate network 3220 may be a backbone network or the Internet, if any; in particular, the intermediate network 3220 may comprise two or more subnetworks (not shown).

[0110] The communication system of FIG. 11 as a whole enables connectivity between one of the connected UEs 3291, 3292 and a host computer 3230. The connectivity may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 3250. The host computer 3230 and the connected UEs 3291, 3292 are configured to communicate data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 3250 using the access network 3211, the core network 3214, any intermediate networks 3220, and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 3250 may be transparent in the sense that the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection 3250 passes are unaware of the routing of the uplink and downlink communications. For example, the base station 3212 may not, or need not, be informed about the past routing of an incoming downlink communication involving data originating from the host computer 3230 that is to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 3291. Similarly, base station 3212 does not need to be aware of the future routing of outgoing uplink communications originating from UE 3291 and destined for host computer 3230.

[0111] An exemplary implementation of the UE, base station, and host computer described in the previous paragraph, according to one embodiment, will now be described with reference to FIG. 12 . In the communication system 3300, the host computer 3310 comprises hardware 3315, including a communication interface 3316 configured to set up and maintain wired or wireless connections with interfaces of different communication devices of the communication system 3300. The host computer 3310 further comprises processing circuitry 3318, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuitry 3318 may comprise one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown), adapted to execute instructions. The host computer 3310 further comprises software 3311, which is stored on or accessible by the host computer 3310 and executable by the processing circuitry 3318. The software 3311 includes a host application 3312. The host application 3312 may be operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 3330 connecting via an OTT connection 3350 that terminates at the UE 3330 and the host computer 3310. In providing services to the remote user, the host application 3312 may provide user data that is transmitted using the OTT connection 3350.

[0112] The communications system 3300 further includes a base station 3320 provided in the communications system, the base station 3320 comprising hardware 3325 that enables the base station 3320 to communicate with the host computer 3310 and the UE 3330. The hardware 3325 may include a communications interface 3326 for setting up and maintaining wired or wireless connections with interfaces of different communications devices of the communications system 3300, as well as a wireless interface 3327 for setting up and maintaining at least a wireless connection 3370 with a UE 3330 located in a coverage area (not shown in FIG. 12 ) served by the base station 3320. The communications interface 3326 may be configured to facilitate a connection 3360 to the host computer 3310. The connection 3360 may be direct, or alternatively, the connection 3360 may pass through a core network of the communications system (not shown in FIG. 12 ) and / or one or more intermediate networks external to the communications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 3325 of the base station 3320 further includes processing circuitry 3328, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The base station 3320 further has software 3321 that is stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0113] The communication system 3300 further includes the already-mentioned UE 3330. The hardware 3335 of the UE 3330 may include a wireless interface 3337 configured to set up and maintain a wireless connection 3370 with a base station serving a coverage area in which the UE 3330 is currently located. The hardware 3335 of the UE 3330 further includes a processing circuit 3338, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, or combinations thereof (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. The UE 3330 further includes software 3331 stored on or accessible by the UE 3330 and executable by the processing circuit 3338. The software 3331 includes a client application 3332. The client application 3332, with the support of the host computer 3310, may be operable to provide services to a human or non-human user via the UE 3330. On the host computer 3310, a running host application 3312 may communicate with a running client application 3332 via an OTT connection 3350 that terminates at the UE 3330 and the host computer 3310. In providing a service to a user, the client application 3332 may receive request data from the host application 3312 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 3350 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The client application 3332 may interact with the user to generate the user data that the client application 3332 provides.

[0114] It should be noted that the host computer 3310, base station 3320, and UE 3330 shown in Figure 12 may be equivalent to the host computer 3230, one of the base stations 3212a, 3212b, and 3212c, and one of the UEs 3291 and 3292, respectively, of Figure 11. That is, the inner workings of these entities may be as shown in Figure 12, and separately, the surrounding network topology may be that of Figure 11.

[0115] 12, the OTT connection 3350 is depicted abstractly to show communication between the host computer 3310 and the user equipment 3330 via the base station 3320, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages through these devices. The network infrastructure may determine the routing, and the network infrastructure may be configured to hide the routing from the UE 3330, the service provider operating the host computer 3310, or both. While the OTT connection 3350 is active, the network infrastructure may also make decisions to dynamically change the routing (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or reconfiguration of the network).

[0116] The wireless connection 3370 between the UE 3330 and the base station 3320 follows the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of the OTT service provided to the UE 3330 using the OTT connection 3350 of which the wireless connection 3370 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve performance because the preamble is selected in an efficient manner, thereby providing benefits such as reduced user latency and better responsiveness.

[0117] Measurement procedures may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors that one or more embodiments improve upon. There may further be optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 3350 between the host computer 3310 and the UE 3330 in response to fluctuations in the measurement results. The measurement procedures and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 3350 may be implemented in the software 3311 of the host computer 3310 or in the software 3331 of the UE 3330, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with communication devices through which the OTT connection 3350 passes, and the sensors may participate in the measurement procedures by providing values ​​of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or other physical quantities from which the software 3311, 3331 may calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 3350 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc., and the reconfiguration need not affect the base station 3320, and the reconfiguration may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 3320. Such procedures and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates the host computer 3310 measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. The measurements may be implemented in software 3311, 3331 causing messages, particularly empty or “dummy” messages, to be sent using the OTT connection 3350 while the software 3311, 3331 monitors propagation times, errors, etc.

[0118] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be as described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. For simplicity of this disclosure, only a drawing reference to FIG. 13 is included in this section. In a first step 3410 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step 3411 of the first step 3410, the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In a second step 3420, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. In an optional third step 3430, the base station transmits the user data carried in the host computer initiated transmission to the UE, according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In an optional fourth step 3440, the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0119] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be as described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. For simplicity of this disclosure, only a drawing reference to FIG. 14 is included in this section. In a first step 3510 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In a second step 3520, the host computer initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the UE. The transmission may proceed via the base station in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In an optional third step 3530, the UE receives the user data carried in the transmission.

[0120] FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be as described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. For simplicity of the disclosure, only a drawing reference to FIG. 15 is included in this section. In an optional first step 3610 of the method, the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in an optional second step 3620, the UE provides user data. In optional sub-step 3621 of the second step 3620, the UE provides the user data by executing a client application. In a further optional sub-step 3611 of the first step 3610, the UE executes a client application that provides the user data in response to the received input data provided by the host computer. In providing the user data, the executed client application may further take into account user input received from the user. Regardless of the particular manner in which the user data is provided, the UE initiates transmission of the user data to the host computer in optional third sub-step 3630. In a fourth step 3640 of the method, the host computer receives user data transmitted from the UE according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

[0121] Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communication system according to one embodiment. The communication system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be as described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. For simplicity of this disclosure, only a drawing reference to Figure 16 is included in this section. In an optional first step 3710 of the method, the base station receives user data from the UE in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In an optional second step 3720, the base station initiates transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In a third step 3730, the host computer receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0122] It will be appreciated that the above description and the accompanying drawings represent non-limiting examples of the methods and apparatus taught herein. Accordingly, the apparatus and techniques taught herein are not limited by the above description and the accompanying drawings. Instead, embodiments herein are limited only by the following claims and their legal equivalents.

[0123] Abbreviation Description BFR Beam Failure Recovery MAC Media Access Control SSB sync signal block PRACH Physical Random Access Channel RACH Random Access Channel RO (P)RACH occasion, i.e., the timing frequency resource used for PRACH transmission. RRC Radio Resource Control RSRP reference signal received power TA Timing Advance

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) (10) for handling communications in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: - determining (702) a first preamble from one or more groups of preambles, wherein the group of preambles is selected based on whether one or more conditions associated with the group are met, and the group of preambles is further selected based on priority rules that define an order of selection of the one or more groups of preambles, and the group of preambles is selected based on the number of conditions in the respective group of preambles; sending (703) a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission to a radio network node (12) using said determined first preamble; A method comprising:

2. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining (701) a configuration for the PRACH transmission, the configuration comprising the one or more groups of preambles having respective one or more conditions.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each group of the one or more groups further exhibits one or more characteristics associated with the respective group.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the group of preambles is selected further based on a level of signal strength and / or a capability of the UE.

5. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining (702) the first preamble comprises: disregarding the group of preambles for which one or more conditions associated with the group of preambles are not met; and selecting the group of preambles for which one or more conditions are met.

6. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority rule is based on a set priority index, based on the amount of preambles in each group, based on a performance metric, based on a number of conditions, based on characteristics of the group, setting different levels of signal strength for different characteristics, and / or based on the priority of the UE.

7. 1. A method performed by a radio network node (12) for handling communications in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: - configuring (801) a configuration for Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission in a user equipment (UE) (10), the configuration including one or more groups of preambles, each group of preambles including one or more respective conditions associated with the group that must be met in order to be selected, the configuration including a priority rule that specifies an order of selection of the one or more groups of preambles, the one or more conditions including a level of signal strength, and the priority rule including a number of conditions for each group of preambles.

8. receiving a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission using a determined first preamble from the one or more groups of preambles (802); The method of claim 7 further comprising:

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein each group of the one or more groups further exhibits one or more characteristics associated with the respective group.

10. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the priority rule is based on a set priority index, based on the amount of preambles in each group, based on a performance metric, based on a number of conditions, based on characteristics of the group, setting different levels of signal strength for different characteristics, and / or based on the priority of the UE.

11. 11. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, implemented by a radio network node and a UE, respectively.

12. 11. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, implemented by a UE or a radio network node, respectively.

13. A user equipment (UE) (10) for handling communications in a wireless communication network, said UE comprising: determining a first preamble from one or more groups of preambles, the group of preambles being selected based on whether one or more conditions associated with the group are satisfied, the group of preambles being further selected based on a priority rule that defines an order of selection of the one or more groups of preambles, and the group of preambles being selected based on the number of conditions in each group of preambles; transmitting a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmission to a radio network node (12) using the determined first preamble; A user equipment (UE) (10) configured to:

14. The UE 14. The UE of claim 13, further configured to obtain a configuration for the PRACH transmission, the configuration including the one or more groups of preambles having respective one or more conditions.

15. The UE of claim 13 , wherein each group of the one or more groups further exhibits one or more characteristics associated with the respective group.

16. 14. The UE of claim 13, wherein the UE is configured to select the group of preambles further based on a level of signal strength and / or a capability of the UE.

17. 14. The UE of claim 13, wherein the UE is configured to ignore a group of preambles for which one or more conditions associated with the group of preambles are not met, and to select the group of preambles for which one or more conditions are met.

18. 14. The UE of claim 13, wherein the priority rule is based on a set priority index, based on the amount of preambles in each group, based on a performance metric, based on a number of conditions, based on characteristics of the group, setting different levels of signal strength for different characteristics, and / or based on the priority of the UE.

19. A radio network node (12) for handling communications in a wireless communication network, said radio network node comprising:

1. A radio network node (12) configured to configure a configuration for a physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission in a user equipment (UE) (10), the configuration including one or more groups of preambles, each group of preambles including one or more respective conditions associated with the group that must be satisfied in order to be selected, the configuration including a priority rule that specifies an order of selection of the one or more groups of preambles, the one or more conditions including a level of signal strength, and the priority rule including a number of conditions for each group of preambles.

20. the radio network node: receiving a physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission using the determined first preamble from the one or more groups of preambles; 20. A radio network node according to claim 19, configured to:

21. 20. The radio network node of claim 19, wherein each group of the one or more groups further exhibits one or more characteristics associated with the respective group.

22. 20. The radio network node of claim 19, wherein the priority rules are based on a set priority index, based on an amount of preambles in each group, based on a number of conditions, based on a performance metric, based on characteristics of the group, setting different levels of signal strength for different characteristics, and / or based on a priority of the UE.

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