Access offset determination with paging in non-terrestrial networks

Abstract

The communications device may be configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network that includes network nodes communicatively coupled to the communications device via a satellite. The communications device may determine when to perform access offset determination ("AOD") relative to a paging occasion ("PO").

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure relates generally to communications, and more particularly to access offset determination with paging in non-terrestrial based networks ("NTNs"). [Background technology]

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project ("3GPP") Rel-8 specified the Evolved Packet System ("EPS"). EPS is based on the Long Term Evolution ("LTE") radio network and the Evolved Packet Core ("EPC"). EPS was originally intended to provide voice and mobile broadband ("MBB") services but has been continuously enhanced to broaden its functionality. Since Rel-13, Narrowband Internet of Things ("NB-IoT") and LTE for Machines ("LTE-M") have been part of the LTE specification, providing connectivity for massive machine-based communications ("mMTC") services.

[0003] 3GPP Rel-15 specified the first release of the fifth-generation system ("5GS"). 5GS is a new generation of radio access technology intended to serve use cases such as enhanced mobile broadband ("eMBB"), ultra-reliable low-latency communications ("URLLC"), and mMTC. 5G includes the New Radio ("NR") access layer interface and the 5G Core Network ("5GC"). The NR physical layer and higher layers reuse portions of the LTE specification and may add necessary components if motivated by new use cases. One such component introduces an advanced framework for beamforming and beam management, extending support for 3GPP technology to frequency ranges above 6 GHz.

[0004] In Rel-15, 3GPP started work to prepare NR for operation in non-terrestrial networks (NTN). The work was carried out within the study item "NR supporting non-terrestrial networks." In Rel-16, the work to prepare NR for operation in NTN networks continued in the study item "Solutions for NR supporting non-terrestrial networks." In parallel, there is growing interest in adapting NB-IoT and LTE for operation in NTN. As a result, 3GPP Rel-17 includes both a work item on NR NTN and a study item on NB-IoT and LTE-M support for NTN.

[0005] A resurgence in satellite communications is underway. Several plans for satellite networks have been announced over the past few years. Target services for these satellite networks range from backhaul and fixed wireless to transportation, outdoor mobile, and the Internet of Things ("IoT"). Satellite networks can complement terrestrial mobile networks by providing connectivity to underserved areas and multicast / broadcast services.

[0006] To benefit from a strong mobile ecosystem and economies of scale, there is significant interest in adapting terrestrial radio access technologies, including LTE and New Radio Access Technology ("NR"), to satellite networks. For example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project ("3GPP") completed an initial study in Rel-15 on adapting NR to support non-terrestrial networks (primarily satellite networks). This initial study focused on channel models for non-terrestrial networks, specified deployment scenarios, and identified significant potential impacts. 3GPP is conducting a follow-up study item in Rel-16 on evaluating solutions for NR to support non-terrestrial networks.

[0007] 1 illustrates an example architecture of a satellite network with bent-pipe transponders. The satellite radio access network 100 may include a gateway 160 connecting the satellite network to a core network, satellites 150 (e.g., space-based platforms), terminals 120 (e.g., wireless devices and / or user equipment (“UE”)), feeder links 140 (e.g., links between the gateway 160 and the satellites 150), and access links 130 (sometimes referred to as service links) (e.g., links between the satellites 150 and the terminals 120). In this example, the gateway 160 connects to the core network via a base station 170. In additional or alternative examples, the gateway 160 connects to the core network via or includes any suitable network node.

[0008] The link from the gateway 160 to the terminal 120 is often referred to as the forward link, and the link from the terminal 120 to the gateway 160 is often referred to as the return link. Depending on the functionality of the satellite 150 in the satellite radio access network 100, two transponder options may be considered: a bent-pipe transponder and / or a regenerative transponder. When using a bent-pipe transponder, the satellite simply amplifies the received signal and shifts it from the uplink frequency to the downlink frequency before transmitting it back to Earth. When using a regenerative transponder, the satellite includes on-board processing to demodulate and decode the received signal and regenerate the signal before transmitting it back to Earth.

[0009] Depending on their orbital altitude, satellites may be categorized as low Earth orbit ("LEO") satellites, medium Earth orbit ("MEO") satellites, or geostationary Earth orbit ("GEO") satellites. LEO satellites are located at altitudes of 250 to 1,500 km and have orbital periods ranging from 90 to 120 minutes. MEO satellites are located at altitudes of 5,000 to 25,000 km and have orbital periods ranging from 3 to 15 hours. GEO satellites are located at altitudes of 35,786 km and have orbital periods of 24 hours.

[0010] A satellite may generate several beams over a given area. The footprint of a beam is typically elliptical and has been called a cell. A beam footprint is often called a spot beam (e.g., spot beam 110 in FIG. 1). The spot beam footprint may move over the Earth's surface as the satellite moves, or it may be Earth-fixed with some beam-pointing mechanism used by the satellite to compensate for its motion. The size of the spot beam depends on the system design and may range from tens of kilometers to thousands of kilometers.

[0011] Two of the major physical phenomena that affect satellite communications system design are long propagation delays and the Doppler effect, which is particularly pronounced for LEO satellites.

[0012] Propagation delay is an important aspect of satellite communications that differs from the delay expected in terrestrial mobile systems. In bent-pipe satellite networks (such as the satellite radio access network 100 of FIG. 1), round-trip delays can range from tens of milliseconds in LEO to hundreds of milliseconds in GEO, depending on the orbital height. This can be compared to the round-trip delay required in cellular networks, which is limited to 1 ms. Propagation delays can also be highly variable due to the high speeds of LEO and MEO satellites, and can vary by 10-100 μs per second, depending on the orbital altitude and satellite velocity.

[0013] One-way delay can be the delay from the base station ("BS") to the UE via the satellite, or the reverse. Round-trip delay can be the delay from the BS to the UE via the satellite, and the delay from the UE back to the BS via the satellite. Differential delay can be the delay difference between two selected points in the same spot beam. There may be additional delay between the terrestrial BS antenna and the BS, which may or may not be collocated. This delay depends on the deployment. If the delay is not negligible, it should be taken into account in the communication system design. Propagation delay depends on the length of the signal path, which in turn depends on the elevation angle of the satellite as seen by the terrestrial BS and the UE. Minimum elevation angles are typically greater than 10° for the UE and greater than 5° for the terrestrial BS.

[0014] A second important aspect, closely related to timing, is the Doppler frequency offset caused by satellite motion. Access links can be subject to Doppler shifts on the order of 10-100 kHz in frequency bands below 6 GHz, with proportionally higher Doppler shifts at higher frequency bands. Doppler can also vary at rates of up to several hundred Hz per second in S-band and up to several kHz per second in Ka-band. Summary of the Invention

[0015] According to some embodiments, a method of operating a communication device configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a network node communicatively coupled to the communication device via a satellite is provided. The method can include determining when to perform an access offset determination ("AOD") relative to a paging occasion ("PO"). The method can further include communicating information associated with the AOD to the network node.

[0016] According to another embodiment, there is provided a method of operating a network node configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a communications device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite. The method may include communicating information associated with an access offset determination ("AOD") to be performed by the communications device to the communications device. The method may further include transmitting a page to the communications device. The method may further include, in response to transmitting the page, determining that a time period associated with the information has elapsed since transmitting the page. The method may further include, in response to determining that the time period has elapsed, retransmitting the page to the communications device.

[0017] According to other embodiments, a network node, a communication device, a computer program, and / or a computer program product is provided for performing one or more of the methods set forth above.

[0018] Various embodiments described herein enable a UE to reduce power consumption by performing access offset determination (e.g., GNSS measurements) only when necessary. For example, the UE may perform access offset determination after receiving a paging message addressed to the UE.

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain non-limiting embodiments of the inventive concepts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a satellite network with bent-pipe transponders. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of TGNSS, TGNSS,VALID, and TGNSS,DEFAULT, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3]FIG. 1 illustrates an example of ensuring that a UE always has up-to-date GNSS navigation information, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a UE informing a network node when to update its GNSS navigation information, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 5 is a signal flow diagram illustrating the example of FIG. 4 in which a UE notifies a network node when to update its GNSS navigation information, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 10 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of a network informing a communication device of a maximum time for performing an access offset determination, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 10 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of a network notifying a communication device when a UE is enabled to perform access offset determination, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a wireless device (“UE”), in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a radio access network (“RAN”) node (e.g., a base station eNB / gNB) in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] A block diagram illustrating an example of a core network ("CN") node (e.g., an AMF node, an SMF node, an OAM node, etc.) in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operations performed by a communications device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operations performed by a communications device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operations performed by a communications device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 14]1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation performed by a network node, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation performed by a network node, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 1 is a block diagram of a wireless network according to some embodiments. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a user equipment according to some embodiments. [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a virtualized environment, according to some embodiments. [Figure 19] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communications network connected to a host computer through an intermediate network, according to some embodiments. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a host computer that communicates with user equipment through a base station over a partially wireless connection, according to some embodiments. [Figure 21] 1 is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment, according to some embodiments. [Figure 22] 1 is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment, according to some embodiments. [Figure 23] 1 is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment, according to some embodiments. [Figure 24] 1 is a block diagram of a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The inventive concepts will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the inventive concepts are shown. However, the inventive concepts may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. It may be implicitly assumed that elements from one embodiment are present / used in another embodiment.

[0022] The following description presents various embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. These embodiments are presented as instructional examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosed subject matter. For example, certain details of the described embodiments may be modified, omitted, or expanded without departing from the scope of the described subject matter.

[0023] To handle timing and frequency synchronization in NR or LTE-based NTNs, a promising technique is to equip each device with a Global Navigation Satellite System ("GNSS") receiver, which allows the device to estimate its geographic location.

[0024] In one example, a satellite-carrying NTN gNB broadcasts its ephemeris data to GNSS-equipped UEs, which enables the UE to determine one or more of propagation delay, delay rate, Doppler shift, and Doppler shift rate based on its own position and possibly movement (obtained through GNSS measurements) and the satellite's position and movement (derived from the ephemeris data). The GNSS receiver also enables the device to determine a time reference (e.g., relative to Coordinated Universal Time (“UTC”)) and a frequency reference, which can also be used to handle timing and frequency synchronization in NR or LTE-based NTNs.

[0025] In a second example, a satellite-borne NTN gNB broadcasts its timing (e.g., in terms of a UTC timestamp) to a GNSS-equipped UE. The UE can then determine one or more of the propagation delay, delay rate, Doppler shift, and Doppler shift rate based on its time / frequency reference (obtained through GNSS measurements) and the satellite's timing and transmission frequency. The UE may use this knowledge to compensate its UL transmission for the propagation delay and Doppler effect.

[0026] GNSS measurements can take several minutes in the worst case. GPS, for example, uses a bit rate of 50 bps to transmit its navigation information. Transmission of GPS date, time, and ephemeris information can take, for example, 30 seconds. Acquiring the GPS almanac, which contains orbital information for all satellites in the GPS constellation, can take, for example, more than 10 seconds. If the UE already has this information, synchronization to the GPS signals to acquire the UE position and UTC is a very fast procedure.

[0027] The above UE position based pre-compensation method is not limited to GNSS positioning of the UE, but can be used with any UE positioning method supported by the UE and the available network (in some cases the serving 3GPP NTN itself).

[0028] In the context of the embodiments described herein, the term "access offset" is used to refer to a time and / or frequency offset used by a UE when transmitting on the uplink to compensate for timing errors caused by a long distance between the UE and the receiving satellite and / or frequency errors (e.g., Doppler shifts) caused by a high relative velocity between the UE and the receiving satellite.

[0029] Furthermore, the term "access offset determination" is used to refer to any UE method for determining an appropriate access offset.

[0030] The UE is required to support mobile-terminated access by monitoring downlink ("DL") paging occasions ("POs") for paging messages addressed to the UE. The UE PO monitoring interval is determined using the configured DRX cycle.

[0031] In NR, LTE-M, and NB-IoT based NTNs, it can be expected that the base station will at least partially compensate for the Doppler shift induced in the access link to enable NTN UEs to receive DL transmissions, including paging messages.

[0032] Receipt of a paging message addressed to the UE triggers the UE to transmit a PRACH preamble towards the network. The UE is expected to pre-compensate for timing and frequency offsets based on information about the access offset. This may require the UE to have performed access offset determination before UL transmission.

[0033] A typical network implementation can expect the UE to trigger a preamble transmission immediately after receiving a page. If the network does not detect an access attempt from the paged UE, the network may retransmit the page transmission, possibly on a larger number of cells than the previous page transmission. This process is known as paging escalation.

[0034] In some examples, the UE monitors the PO without being paged. In these examples, it may not make sense to always perform an access offset determination (e.g., GNSS measurements) before the PO. Each access offset determination may increase the power consumption of the UE, and this power may be considered wasted if the UE is not paged.

[0035] Various embodiments described herein enable a UE to perform an access offset determination (eg, GNSS measurements) after receiving a paging message addressed to the UE.

[0036] In some embodiments, the amount of access offset determinations that an NTN UE performs in RRC_IDLE and RRC_INACTIVE modes when monitoring a PO may be limited and / or reduced.

[0037] 8 is a block diagram illustrating elements of a wireless device UE 800 (also referred to as a mobile terminal, mobile communications terminal, wireless communication device, wireless terminal, wireless communication terminal, user equipment (UE), user equipment node / terminal / device, etc.) configured to provide wireless communications, in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept. (Wireless device 800 may be provided, for example, as discussed below with respect to wireless device 4110 of FIG. 16.) As shown, wireless device UE may include antenna 807 (e.g., corresponding to antenna 4111 of FIG. 16) and transceiver circuitry 601 (e.g., corresponding to interface 4114 of FIG. 16, also referred to as a transceiver) including a transmitter and a receiver configured to provide uplink and downlink wireless communications with base stations of a radio access network (e.g., corresponding to network node 4160 of FIG. 16). The wireless device UE may also include a processing circuit 803 (e.g., corresponding to processing circuit 4120 in FIG. 16 , also referred to as a processor) coupled to the transceiver circuit, and a memory circuit 805 (e.g., corresponding to device-readable medium 4130 in FIG. 16 , also referred to as a memory) coupled to the processing circuit. The memory circuit 805 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuit 803, causes the processing circuit to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuit 803 may be defined to include a memory, such that a separate memory circuit is not required. The wireless device UE may also include an interface (e.g., a user interface) coupled to the processing circuit 803, and / or the wireless device UE may be incorporated into a vehicle.

[0038] As discussed herein, the operations of the wireless device UE may be performed by the processing circuitry 803 and / or the transceiver circuitry 801. For example, the processing circuitry 803 may control the transceiver circuitry 801 to transmit communications over an air interface to a radio access network node (also referred to as a base station) through the transceiver circuitry 801 and / or receive communications over an air interface from a RAN node through the transceiver circuitry 801. Additionally, modules may be stored in the memory circuitry 805, and these modules may provide instructions such that, when the instructions of the modules are executed by the processing circuitry 803, the processing circuitry 803 performs respective operations.

[0039] 9 is a block diagram illustrating elements of a radio access network (RAN) node 900 (also referred to as a network node, base station, eNodeB / eNB, gNodeB / gNB, etc.) of a radio access network (RAN) configured to provide cellular communications, in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept. (RAN node 900 may be provided, for example, as discussed below with respect to network node 4160 of FIG. 16.) As shown, the RAN node may include transceiver circuitry 901 (e.g., corresponding to part of interface 4190 of FIG. 16, also referred to as a transceiver) including a transmitter and a receiver configured to provide uplink and downlink wireless communications with mobile terminals. The RAN node may also include network interface circuitry 907 (e.g., corresponding to part of interface 4190 of FIG. 16, also referred to as a network interface) configured to provide communications with other nodes of the RAN and / or core network (CN) (e.g., with other base stations). The network node may also include a processing circuit 903 (e.g., corresponding to processing circuit 4170, also referred to as a processor) coupled to the transceiver circuit, and a memory circuit 905 (e.g., corresponding to device-readable medium 4180 of FIG. 16, also referred to as a memory) coupled to the processing circuit. The memory circuit 905 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuit 903, causes the processing circuit to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuit 903 may be defined to include memory, such that a separate memory circuit is not required.

[0040] As discussed herein, the operations of the RAN node may be performed by the processing circuitry 903, the network interface 907, and / or the transceiver 901. For example, the processing circuitry 903 may control the transceiver 901 to transmit downlink communications to one or more mobile terminals UE through the transceiver 901 over the air interface and / or receive uplink communications from one or more mobile terminals UE through the transceiver 901 over the air interface. Similarly, the processing circuitry 903 may control the network interface 907 to transmit communications to one or more other network nodes through the network interface and / or receive communications from one or more other network nodes through the network interface. Additionally, modules may be stored in the memory 905 and may provide instructions such that, when their instructions are executed by the processing circuitry 903, the processing circuitry 903 performs respective operations.

[0041] According to some other embodiments, the network node may be implemented as a core network CN node without a transceiver. In such embodiments, the transmission to the wireless device UE may be initiated by the network node such that the transmission to the wireless device is provided through a network node that includes a transceiver (e.g., through a base station or a RAN node). According to embodiments in which the network node is a RAN node that includes a transceiver, initiating the transmission may include transmitting through the transceiver.

[0042] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating elements of a core network CN node 1000 (e.g., an SMF node, an AMF node, a UDM node, a PCF node, an NEF node, an NRF node, etc.) of a communications network configured to provide cellular communications, in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept. As shown, the CN node 1000 may include a network interface circuit 1007 (also referred to as a network interface) configured to provide communications with other nodes in the core network and / or the radio access network RAN. The CN node 1000 may also include a processing circuit 1003 (also referred to as a processor) coupled to the network interface circuit, and a memory circuit 1005 (also referred to as a memory) coupled to the processing circuit. The memory circuit 1005 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuit 1003, causes the processing circuit to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuit 1003 may be defined to include memory, such that a separate memory circuit is not required.

[0043] As discussed herein, the operations of CN node 1000 may be performed by processing circuitry 1003 and / or network interface circuitry 1007. For example, processing circuitry 1003 may control network interface circuitry 1007 to send communications to one or more other network nodes through network interface circuitry 1007 and / or receive communications from one or more other network nodes through network interface circuitry 1007. Additionally, modules may be stored in memory 1005, and these modules may provide instructions such that, when the instructions of the modules are executed by processing circuitry 1003, processing circuitry 1003 performs its respective operations.

[0044] In some embodiments, the UE may signal information associated with the GNSS measurement to the NTN network node. The information may include a duration T representing the time it takes the UE to complete the GNSS measurement.GNSS , T GNSS The duration T that the UE expects to be valid GNSS,VALID , and T GNSS,VALID The default time T that applies after GNSS,DEFAULT It can include T GNSS、 T GNSS,VALID、 and T GNSS,DEFAULT The use of is shown in Figure 2.

[0045] Some embodiments provide for power efficient use of the GNSS and for measuring the GNSS only when necessary.

[0046] In some examples, the UE may, for example, maintain a short T GNSS T GNSS,VALID The expiration of T may correspond, for example, to the time when the GPS navigation information becomes out of date. GNSS,DEFAULT may correspond to the time required for the GNSS measurement, during which the UE needs to acquire GNSS navigation information as part of the measurement.

[0047] In some embodiments, if the UE implements a strategy to always maintain up-to-date GNSS navigation information, the UE may include, in the information signaled to the NTN network node, GNSS,DEFAULT Parameter and / or T GNSS,VALID The parameter may be omitted.

[0048] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. GNSS,VALID is set to infinity by the UE to indicate that it wants to ensure that it always has the latest GNSS navigation information.

[0049] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 4-5, the UE transmits information associated with the GNSS measurements to the NTN network node each time it reacquires the GNSS navigation information. In Figure 5, at operation 510, the UE 120 updates information (e.g., GNSS navigation information) associated with the access offset determination (e.g., GNSS measurements). At operation 520, the UE 120 transmits an indication to the network node 502 that the UE has updated the information associated with the access offset determination. At operation 530, the network node 502 transmits a page to the UE 120. At operation 540, the UE 120 initiates the access offset determination. At operation 550, the network node 502 assumes that the UE 120 is performing the access offset determination based on knowledge that the UE 120 has updated the information associated with the access offset determination and knowledge of how long it will take for the UE 120 to perform the access offset determination using the updated information (or without the updated information if it is no longer valid). At operation 560, the UE 120 sends a response to the page based on the access offset determination.

[0050] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE may signal any of the above-mentioned information to the network when the UE is in the RRC_CONNECTED state. The information may be stored in the core network (e.g., in the Access and Mobility Management Function (“AMF”)) when the UE is released to the RRC_IDLE state and / or in the Radio Access Network (“RAN”) (e.g., in the gNB) when the UE is released to the RRC_INACTIVE state. The network may then use the information in conjunction with paging.

[0051] In some embodiments, the information is signaled to the network via a non-access stratum ("NAS") layer, including but not limited to, during an "attach" procedure.

[0052] In some embodiments, a maximum time T represents the time that a UE is allowed to use to complete GNSS measurements. GNSS,MAX is determined in a technical specification or broadcast as part of a system information block signaled in the cell. Figure 6 shows an example in which the network transmits the maximum time for which the UE is allowed to perform access offset determination. At operation 610, the network node 502 transmits the maximum time for performing access offset determination to the UE 120. At operation 620, the network node 502 transmits a page to the UE 120. At operation 630, the UE 120 initiates the access offset determination. At operation 640, the network node 502 assumes that the UE 120 has performed the access offset determination based on knowledge of the maximum time for which the UE 120 is allowed to perform the access offset determination. At operation 650, the UE 120 transmits a response to the page based on the access offset determination.

[0053] The broadcasted parameter may be from a range of values ​​determined in a technical specification that indicates the maximum time that a UE is allowed to use to complete GNSS measurements. GNSS,MAX But the parameter T GNSS may be used by the network instead of T. GNSS may not be signaled by the UE. In some embodiments, the decision time is determined by one parameter, e.g., T FULL_GNSS,MAX and one parameter, e.g., T, representing the maximum time allowed to complete a "partial GNSS measurement", i.e., when GNSS navigation information is pre-acquired. PARTIAL_GNSS,MAX Next, the parameter T PARTIAL_GNSS,MAX and T FULL_GNSS,MAX are the parameters T GNSS and T GNSS,DEFAULT may be used by the network instead of T. In this example, GNSS and TGNSS,DEFAULT does not need to be signaled by the UE.

[0054] In some embodiments, T GNSS , T GNSS,VALID , T GNSS,DEFAULT , T GNSS,MAX , T PARTIAL_GNSS,MAX , and T FULL_GNSS,MAX may be mobility state dependent. Different values ​​may be used for different states, which may include a normal mobility state, a medium mobility state, and a high mobility state. In non-limiting examples, a baseline value is set for duration T, and different scaling factor values ​​are set for different mobility states. In these examples, the scaling factor may be used to multiply the baseline value T to derive the corresponding applicable value for the target mobility state set by the scaling factor.

[0055] In some embodiments, the UE may GNSS,VALID However, it takes up to T GNSS,DEFAULT The satellite periodically updates its own GNSS navigation information so that it is also time to subsequently start updating its navigation information, which takes time T GNSS,VALID Following the expiration of T GNSS,DEFAULT After the expiration of timer T GNSS,VALID will resume.

[0056] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE periodically updates its GNSS navigation information and indicates to the network the GNSS navigation information update period at which it should subsequently update its GNSS navigation information, which the network can use to facilitate paging procedures.

[0057] In some examples, based on the periodicity information signaled by the UE, the network can determine whether the paging message overlaps with a GNSS navigation update occasion. If a first page is sent that does not overlap with a GNSS navigation information acquisition, and if the network does not receive a UE response to the first page, the network can still determine whether the paging message overlaps with a GNSS navigation update occasion. GNSS,DEFAULT Without considering T GNSS A second page may be scheduled after the

[0058] Although the innovations herein have been described in terms of GNSS measurements, the innovations are applicable to any access offset determination process. In some embodiments, the UE may determine the time T (method x) Signaling T (method x) is the time it takes for the UE to complete the access offset determination using a given method. Depending on the characteristics of the method, T GNSS,VALID , T GNSS,DEFAULT , and T GNSS、MAX (or T FULL_GNSS,MAX and T PARTIAL_GNSS,MAX ) can also be defined in a straightforward manner.

[0059] In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE may signal its preferred access offset determination method to the network. For example, if in a given system or deployment the UE can make a better estimate using a particular access offset determination method, the UE may indicate this to the network so that the UE can be configured for that access offset determination method.

[0060] In additional or alternative embodiments, the maximum time T that the UE is allowed to use to complete the access offset determination is accessoffsetdetermination,MAXis determined in a technical specification or broadcast as part of the cell's SIB signaling. The broadcasted parameter may be from a range of values ​​determined in the technical specification that indicates the maximum time the UE is allowed to use to complete the access offset determination.

[0061] In additional or alternative embodiments, at least one default offset determination method is mandatorily supported by the UE, and the UE may further report other access offset determination methods that it supports to the network.

[0062] In additional or alternative embodiments, one or more offset determination methods are broadcast as part of the cell's SIB signaling, and if a UE does not support any of the broadcasted offset determination methods, it may be prevented from accessing the cell.

[0063] In some embodiments, the network may calculate the estimated time T 1 required for the UE to perform the access offset determination (and thus the TA and Doppler shift compensation estimation). EXPECTED The time period between the first page sent to the UE and the second retransmission and / or escalated page sent if the UE does not respond to the first page with an uplink transmission is used to determine the time period between the first page sent to the UE and the second retransmission and / or escalated page sent if the UE does not respond to the first page with an uplink transmission. The time period between the first and second pages is determined based on the nominal response time (e.g., one round trip time, and T EXPECTED The predicted time T may be determined by extending the response time that the network would expect without determining the access offset before responding, including the waiting time for the next Physical Random Access Channel ("PRACH") resource according to . In additional or alternative embodiments, the UE is enabled to first perform its access offset determination after receiving a paging message addressed to the UE, but before the UE responds to the network (e.g., before initiating a random access procedure). In additional or alternative embodiments, the predicted time T EXPECTEDmay be determined based on the signaling described above.

[0064] In some embodiments, the network may broadcast an indication of whether the UE supports access offset determination after receiving a page addressed to the UE. In some examples, this indication may indicate that the UE may delay responding to the paging message until access offset determination is performed / completed. In additional or alternative examples, the indication may indicate that the UE is required to perform access offset determination before each PO. In additional or alternative examples, the indication may indicate that the UE is not enabled to perform access offset determination between page reception and the page response. As such, it may be up to the UE to ensure that access offset evaluation before each PO is sufficiently accurate. In additional or alternative embodiments, the broadcast indication may also be omitted, and requirements for the UE may instead be specified in the standard.

[0065] 7, the network node 502 indicates when the UE is enabled to perform access offset determination. At operation 710, the network node 502 indicates when the UE is enabled to perform access offset determination. In some examples, this may be an explicit indication. In other examples, the indication may be implicit by providing a maximum amount of time allowed to perform access offset determination. At either operation 720 or operation 740, the UE 120 performs the access offset determination (before or after the network node 502 sends the page). At operation 750, the UE 120 sends a response to the page based on the access offset determination.

[0066] In some embodiments, the network may communicate (e.g., in system information or during the "attach" procedure) the maximum delay it can tolerate by performing access offset determination. If the UE supports multiple access offset determination mechanisms (one of which at least meets the maximum delay indicated by the network), it can choose to apply such a delay. If the UE does not support any access offset determination method that meets the maximum delay indicated by the network, it can react by performing access offset determination before each PO.

[0067] In additional or alternative embodiments, in addition to being able to provide a maximum delay, the network may confirm / acknowledge that the UE may delay responding to the paging message until the access offset determination is performed based on whether the UE is configured with an eDRX cycle or whether the (e)DRX cycle value is greater than a certain threshold. In additional or alternative embodiments, this confirmation / acknowledgement may be conditional on whether such a delay is supported in the serving cell or tracking area. An indication of support in the serving cell may be broadcast as part of a system information broadcast message. An indication of support in a particular tracking area may be provided during a tracking area update ("TAU").

[0068] In some embodiments, the network does not require the UE to perform access offset determination before each PO, but requires the UE to know its access offset at each PO. Therefore, it is up to the UE to decide whether and when the UE needs to perform access offset determination. The UE may determine that it needs to perform access offset determination before each PO for this purpose, but the UE may also adopt other strategies depending on the situation (UE capabilities, UE velocity, PO frequency, etc.), such as, for example, performing access offset determination before every Nth PO (e.g., if POs are frequent) or relying on continuous movement / location tracking (e.g., using an acceleration sensor) supplemented by infrequent whole-UE positioning measurements. For example, a stationary UE that knows its (fixed) location and relies on UE-location-based access offset determination would not need to perform UE positioning at all.

[0069] In some embodiments, the network may provide an indication that it is required to ensure that the UE always has up-to-date GNSS navigation information (or equivalent information for another access offset determination method), e.g., T GNSS,VALID The UE broadcasts an indication that the GNSS navigation information (or equivalent for another access offset determination method) must be set to infinity by the UE. In additional or alternative embodiments, the above indication is used as an access bar, so that UEs that cannot ensure up-to-date GNSS navigation information (or an equivalent for another access offset determination method) are not allowed to select a cell for camping. In some examples, the UE may select a cell as an acceptable cell rather than as a preferred cell.

[0070] In additional or alternative embodiments, the above-mentioned indications can be sent to the UEs by dedicated signaling instead of broadcasting. This would allow the network to treat different UEs differently depending on the UE's capabilities and service expectations. For example, for a particular UE, a long response time may not be an issue, but energy efficiency may be important, so access offset determination may be performed only when necessary. Other UEs may prefer a quick response over power reduction (e.g., because they are not dependent on battery power) and therefore may be able to perform access offset determination more frequently.

[0071] In additional or alternative embodiments, the above-mentioned indication may be provided to the UE in a redirect message, e.g., an RRCRelease message including a RedirectCarrierInfo IE, so that the UE can reselect a cell / carrier that matches the UE's capabilities or preferences for making access offset decisions. In a generalization, the information may be included in measurement information related to a general NTN. For example, the UE may be informed in measurement information about the cell's access offset or TA accuracy requirements.

[0072] In some embodiments, the information is sent in an RRCRelease message when the UE is released to the RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state. In additional or alternative embodiments, the network includes the information in the page in either an RRC paging message on the PDSCH or a paging DCI on the PDCCH.

[0073] In some embodiments, whether the UE needs to make an access offset determination before or after receiving a paging may be determined at least in part by one or more of the PRACH configuration, the random access type selected by the UE, whether the SS-RSRP or CSI-RSRP exceeds an RSRP threshold, and whether the SS-RSRP or CSI-RSRP variance exceeds a threshold.

[0074] In some examples, whether the UE needs to perform the access offset determination before or after paging reception can be determined based on the PRACH configuration. For example, if a long PRACH format, an NTN-specific PRACH type, or a longer PRACH configuration period compared to the duration of the paging cycle is used, the UE can perform the access offset determination either before or after paging reception.

[0075] In some examples, whether the UE needs to perform the access offset determination before or after receiving the paging can be determined based on the random access selected by the UE. For example, if a two-step RACH type is selected, that is, if a higher RSRP threshold is measured by the UE, the UE can perform the access offset determination either before or after receiving the paging.

[0076] In some examples, whether the UE needs to perform access offset determination before or after paging reception can be determined based on whether SS-RSRP or CSI-RSRP exceeds an RSRP threshold, where the threshold is RRC-configured (either separately or set to an existing RSRP threshold, e.g., rsrp-ThresholdSSB or msgA-RSRP-ThresholdSSB), or is predetermined or fixed in the specification. For example, if the signal level is above the threshold, the link quality may be good enough for PRACH transmission, in which case the UE may not need to perform access offset determination after each paging reception.

[0077] In some examples, whether the UE needs to make an access offset determination before or after paging reception can be determined based on whether the SS-RSRP or CSI-RSRP variation exceeds a threshold, where the threshold may be RRC configured or predetermined, and the variation may be defined, for example, as a function of the average RSRP and maximum RSRP calculated over a particular duration, e.g., within one SSB-to-RO mapping period.

[0078] In some embodiments, when an NTN-specific PRACH configuration (e.g., a dual ZC sequence PRACH design) is configured, the UE can use the NTN-specific PRACH for random access as a response to paging without accurate access offset information, in addition to using the normal PRACH transmission used in the terrestrial network. This means that when the UE selects the normal PRACH, it can perform access offset determination either before or after paging reception, or the UE does not perform any access offset determination and relies only on the NTN-specific PRACH transmission. When only normal RA (single ZC sequence PRACH (legacy)) is configured, the UE accessing this cell is always required to have the latest access offset information for timing / frequency error compensation before random access, which means that access offset determination needs to be performed before paging response transmission.

[0079] In additional or alternative embodiments, explicit indication of access offset determination information (e.g., support for delaying access offset determination until after paging reception) may be provided in the system information. The explicit indication may only apply in cases where one or more of the rules provided in the above embodiments are met, e.g., explicit signaling is ignored by the UE when a long PRACH format is configured or when an NTN-specific PRACH design is supported.

[0080] In some embodiments, the network may allow for increased delays between pages, even if it does not have to do so until there is no response, which triggers page repetition and / or page escalation. If the network has many paging resources, it may choose to do rapid repetition / escalation in case the UE actually misses the page rather than simply delaying the response (i.e., aggressive network behavior is of course not excluded). The network may also base this behavior choice on knowledge about the UE, such as subscription data or capability information.

[0081] In additional or alternative embodiments, even if the network signals that it supports a long time between a page and a page response (e.g., long enough for the UE to perform access offset determination), the UE is not obligated to exploit this possibility (e.g., by performing access offset determination between page receipt and page response). The UE may respond to the page as soon as it has a sufficiently good access offset estimate. This may require access offset determination after receiving the page, but the UE may also ensure that it has a sufficiently good access offset estimate prepared in advance. This is up to the UE implementation and may be configurable by the user and / or application to accommodate user preferences (e.g., which may depend on whether the user is patient or impatient, and on the availability of battery capacity and charging capability) or application requirements (e.g., low or high setup delay tolerance).

[0082] In some embodiments, the network sends an indication before the PO to indicate that the PO includes a paging transmission. This indication triggers one or more UEs configured to monitor the PO to perform access offset determination. The time between the indication and the PO may be determined by TEXPECTED. The indication may be designed to address one or more UEs. The indication may be sent using a wake-up signal (WUS).

[0083] In some embodiments, TA accuracy requirements can be considered for initial access and cell and PLMN selection (UE camping). In some examples, different random access resources may be configured based on the random access TA accuracy requirements, or UEs may be classified based on their capability for a particular level of accuracy for estimating timing advance values.

[0084] In additional or alternative embodiments, the network may configure the UE with the TA accuracy required for RA preamble transmission, which the network will then accommodate by adapting the RA preamble reception window at the gNB.

[0085] In additional or alternative embodiments, based on this configuration by the network, the UE employs different strategies, e.g., determines its TA accuracy "state" before each PO. The UE's TA accuracy state refers to the accuracy (e.g., accuracy interval or error interval) that the UE estimates its currently stored TA has. This may depend on the time elapsed since the last TA update or last TA or access offset determination, the age of acquired measurements, e.g., GNSS measurements, the age of GNSS navigation data, or the magnitude of the distance (e.g., based on an internal accelerometer sensor) that the UE estimates it has traveled since the last positioning measurement (e.g., last GNSS measurement). The UE may choose between different access offset determination methods to achieve the desired access offset accuracy in the most efficient manner (e.g., consuming the least energy). As one option, the UE may choose to proactively maintain a valid access offset estimate, for example based on ephemeris data and knowledge of its own stationarity, or based on intermediate tracking of the UE position by dead reckoning based on ephemeris data, infrequent GNSS measurements, and an acceleration sensor, or based on frequent GNSS measurements (e.g., for UEs where energy consumption is not an issue).

[0086] Operation of a communications device according to some embodiments of the inventive concept will now be discussed with reference to Figures 11-13. For example, modules (also called units) may be stored in memory 805 of Figure 8, and these modules may provide instructions such that, when the instructions of the modules are executed by processing circuitry 803, processing circuitry 803 performs each of the operations of the flowcharts of Figures 11-13.

[0087] 11, a communications device performs operations according to some embodiments. The communications device may be configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network that includes network nodes communicatively coupled to the communications device via satellites.

[0088] At block 1110, the processing circuit 803 determines when to perform access offset determination (“AOD”) for the paging occasion. In some embodiments, determining when to perform AOD includes determining when to perform AOD for the PO based on the information.

[0089] At block 1120, the processing circuit 803 communicates information associated with the AOD to the network node via the transceiver 801. In some embodiments, communicating the information includes receiving an indication from the network node indicating one or more types of AOD processes enabled by the communication network.

[0090] In a further or alternative embodiment, communicating the information includes transmitting the information to a network node. In a further or alternative embodiment, the information includes a first amount of time T that the communication device takes to complete the AOD. AOD Instructions for T AOD The amount of time T that the communication device expects AOD,VALID and a second amount of time T taken by the communication device to complete the AOD. AOD,DEFAULT The instruction includes at least one of the following:

[0091] In a further or alternative embodiment, transmitting the information includes transmitting the information to the network node over a non-access stratum layer during an attach procedure. In a further or alternative embodiment, the information is determined based on a mobility state of the communication device.

[0092] FIG. 12 shows an example of a communications device sending an indication to a network node when to update navigation information associated with an AOD.

[0093] At block 1210, the processing circuit 803 updates the navigation information associated with the AOD. At block 1220, the processing circuit 803 transmits, via the transceiver 801, an indication to the network node that the communication device has updated the navigation information.

[0094] In some embodiments, the communication device AOD,VALID In a further or alternative embodiment, the information is updated periodically by the communication device each T AOD,VALID Later, instructions to periodically update the navigation information associated with the AOD may be included, which in some instances eliminates the need for the communications device to notify a network node when to update the navigation information.

[0095] In additional or alternative embodiments, communicating the information may be performed within an amount of time T that the communications device is allowed to use to complete the access offset determination. AOD,MAX , the amount of time T that the communication device is allowed to perform a complete access offset determination. FULL_AOD,MAX and an amount of time T PARTIAL_AOD,MAX receiving at least one of the following instructions:

[0096] 13 shows an example of a communication device performing AOD after receiving a PO. In block 1310, the processing circuit 803 receives a page from a network node via the transceiver 801. In block 1320, the processing circuit 803 performs AOD. In block 1330, the processing circuit 803 transmits a response to the page based on the AOD via the transceiver 801.

[0097] 11-13 may be optional for some embodiments. For example, for embodiment 1 (described below), block 1120 in FIG. 11, blocks 1210 and 1220 in FIG. 12, and blocks 1310, 1320, and 1330 in FIG. 13 may be optional.

[0098] In some embodiments, the AOD is a process that determines at least one of a propagation delay and a Doppler shift associated with a communication channel between the communication device and the network node. In additional or alternative embodiments, the AOD is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) AOD process.

[0099] Operation of a network node will now be discussed with reference to Figures 14-15, in accordance with some embodiments of the inventive concept. For example, modules (also called units) may be stored in memory 905 of Figure 9, and these modules may provide instructions such that, when the instructions of the modules are executed by processing circuitry 903, the processing circuitry 903 performs each of the operations of the flowcharts of Figures 14-15. Although the operations of Figures 14-15 are described as being performed by a RAN network node, the operations may be performed by any suitable network node.

[0100] 14, a network node performs operations according to some embodiments: The network node is configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including communication devices communicatively coupled to the network node via satellites.

[0101] In block 1410, the processing circuit 903 communicates information with the communication device via the transceiver 901. The information may be associated with an AOD to be implemented by the communication device.

[0102] In some embodiments, communicating the information includes sending an indication to the communication device indicating one or more types of AOD processes enabled by the communication network. In additional or alternative embodiments, communicating the information further includes receiving an indication from the communication device indicating a type of AOD process that the communication device preferably implements.

[0103] In some embodiments, communicating the information includes receiving information from the communication device, the information including a first amount of time T that the communication device will take to complete the AOD. AOD Instructions for T AOD The amount of time T that the communication device expects AOD,VALID and a second amount of time T taken by the communication device to complete the AOD. AOD,DEFAULT In a further or alternative embodiment, receiving the information includes receiving the information from the communication device over a non-access stratum layer during the attach procedure.

[0104] In additional or alternative embodiments, communicating the information may be performed within an amount of time T that the communications device is allowed to use to complete the access offset determination. AOD,MAX , the amount of time T that the communication device is allowed to perform a complete access offset determination. FULL_AOD,MAX and an amount of time T PARTIAL_AOD,MAX In a further or alternative embodiment, the information may be determined based on a mobility state of the communication device.

[0105] At block 1420, the processing circuit 903 transmits the page via the transceiver 901 to the communication device.

[0106] In block 1430, the processing circuit 903 determines that a time period associated with the information has elapsed since transmitting the page. In some embodiments, the information is used to determine whether the communication device has received a page for each T AOD,VALID In these embodiments, the time period is T AOD can be set to

[0107] At block 1440, the processing circuit 903 retransmits the page to the communication device via the transceiver 901. In some embodiments, the page is retransmitted in response to the lapse of a period of time.

[0108] FIG. 15 shows an example of a UE informing a network node when to update navigation information associated with an AOD.

[0109] At block 1510, the processing circuitry 903 receives an indication via the transceiver 901 that the communication device has updated navigation information associated with the AOD. At block 1520, the processing circuitry 903 AOD,VALID At block 1530, the processing circuit 903 starts a timer based on whether the timer has expired. AOD or T AOD,DEFAULT At block 1540, the processing circuit 903 retransmits the page to the communication device via the transceiver 901.

[0110] 14-15 may be optional for some embodiments. For example, for embodiment 14 (described below), block 1410 of FIG. 14 and blocks 1510, 1520, 1530, and 1540 of FIG. 15 may be optional.

[0111] In some embodiments, the AOD is a process that determines at least one of a propagation delay and a Doppler shift associated with a communication channel between the communication device and the network node. In additional or alternative embodiments, the AOD is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) AOD process.

[0112] Exemplary embodiments are discussed below, where reference numbers / letters are provided in parentheses as examples / illustrations without limiting the exemplary embodiments to the particular elements indicated by the reference numbers / letters.

[0113]

[0013] Embodiment 1. A method of operating a communications device configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a network node communicatively coupled to the communications device via a satellite, comprising: determining (1110) when to perform an access offset determination (AOD) relative to a paging occasion (PO); and communicating (1120) information associated with the AOD to a network node.

[0114] Embodiment 2. The communicating of information includes transmitting the information to a network node; The method of embodiment 1, wherein the information includes at least one of an indication of a first amount of time TAOD that the communication device takes to complete the AOD, an indication of an amount of time TAOD,VALID that the communication device expects the TAOD to be valid, and an indication of a second amount of time TAOD,DEFAULT that the communication device takes to complete the AOD.

[0115]

[0022] Embodiment 3. The method of embodiment 2, wherein transmitting the information includes transmitting the information to the network node via a non-access stratum layer during an attach procedure.

[0116]

[0022] Embodiment 4. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 3, wherein transmitting the information to the network node includes determining the information based on a mobility state of the communication device.

[0117]

[0023] Embodiment 5. The method further comprising periodically updating (1210) navigation information associated with the AOD after each AOD,VALID; 5. A method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4, wherein the information further includes an instruction that the communication device periodically updates the navigation information associated with the AOD after each TAOD,VALID.

[0118]

[0023] Embodiment 6. Updating (1210) navigation information associated with an AOD; 5. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 4, further comprising: in response to updating the navigation information, sending (1220) to the network node an indication that the communication device has updated the navigation information.

[0119]

[0023] Embodiment 7. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 6, wherein communicating the information includes receiving at least one of an indication of an amount of time T AOD,MAX that the communications device is allowed to use to complete an access offset determination, an indication of an amount of time T FULLL_AOD,MAX that the communications device is allowed to use to perform a full access offset determination, and an indication of an amount of time T PARTIAL_AOD,MAX that the communications device is allowed to perform a partial access offset determination.

[0120]

[0020] Embodiment 8. The method of embodiment 7, wherein determining when to implement the AOD includes determining when to implement the AOD for the PO based on the information.

[0121] Embodiment 9. Determining when to implement AOD relative to the PO includes determining to implement AOD after the PO; The method further receiving (1310) a page from a network node; In response to receiving the page, performing AOD (1320); 9. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 8, comprising: in response to performing the AOD, sending a response to the page based on the AOD (1330).

[0122]

[0023] Embodiment 10. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the AOD is a process for determining at least one of a propagation delay and a Doppler shift associated with a communication channel between the communication device and the network node.

[0123]

[0023] Embodiment 11. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the AOD is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) AOD process.

[0124]

[0023] Embodiment 12. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein communicating information includes receiving an indication from a network node indicating one or more types of AOD processes enabled by the communication network.

[0125]

[0023] Embodiment 13. The method of any one of embodiments 1 to 12, wherein communicating information includes sending an indication to a network node indicating a type of AOD process that the communication device preferably performs.

[0126]

[0023] Embodiment 14. A method of operating a network node configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a communications device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite, comprising: communicating (1410) information associated with an access offset determination (AOD) to be performed by the communication device to the communication device; transmitting the page to a communication device (1420); In response to transmitting the page, determining (1430) that a time period associated with the information has elapsed since transmitting the page; and resending (1440) the page to the communication device in response to determining that the period of time has elapsed.

[0127] Embodiment 15. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the information includes receiving the information from a communication device. 15. The method of embodiment 14, wherein the information includes at least one of an indication of a first amount of time TAOD that the communication device takes to complete the AOD, an indication of an amount of time TAOD,VALID that the communication device expects the TAOD to be valid, and an indication of a second amount of time TAOD,DEFAULT that the communication device takes to complete the AOD.

[0128]

[0022] Embodiment 16. The method of embodiment 15, wherein receiving the information includes receiving the information from the communication device over a non-access stratum layer during an attach procedure.

[0129]

[0023] Embodiment 17. The information further includes an indication that the communication device periodically updates navigation information associated with the AOD after each TAOD,VALID; 17. The method of embodiment 15 or 16, wherein the period is TAOD.

[0130]

[0023] Embodiment 18. Receiving (1510) an indication that a communication device has updated navigation information associated with an AOD; In response to receiving an indication that the communication device has updated navigation information associated with the AOD, starting a timer based on TAOD,VALID (1520); 17. The method of embodiment 15 or 16, further comprising: determining (1530) that the period is TAOD or TAOD,DEFAULT based on whether the timer has expired.

[0131]

[0023] Embodiment 19. The method of any one of embodiments 14 to 18, wherein communicating the information includes sending at least one of an indication of an amount of time T AOD,MAX that the communications device is allowed to use to complete an access offset determination, an indication of an amount of time T FULLL_AOD,MAX that the communications device is allowed to use to perform a full access offset determination, and an indication of an amount of time T PARTIAL_AOD,MAX that the communications device is allowed to perform a partial access offset determination.

[0132]

[0022] Embodiment 20. The method of embodiment 19, wherein communicating the information further comprises determining the information based on a mobility state of the communication device.

[0133]

[0023] Embodiment 21. The method of any one of embodiments 14 to 20, wherein the AOD is a process that determines at least one of a propagation delay and a Doppler shift associated with a communication channel between the communication device and the network node.

[0134]

[0023] Embodiment 22. The method of any one of embodiments 14 to 21, wherein the AOD is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) AOD process.

[0135]

[0023] Embodiment 23. The method of any one of embodiments 14 to 22, wherein communicating the information further comprises sending an indication to the communication device indicating one or more types of AOD processes enabled by the communication network.

[0136]

[0023] Embodiment 24. The method of any one of embodiments 14 to 23, wherein communicating the information further comprises receiving an indication from the communication device indicating a type of AOD process that the communication device preferably implements.

[0137]

[0023] Embodiment 25. A communications device (800) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a network node communicatively coupled to the communications device via a satellite, comprising: A processing circuit (803); a memory (805) coupled to the processing circuit and storing instructions executable by the processing circuit to cause the communications device to perform operations, the operations comprising: determining (1110) when to perform an access offset determination (AOD) relative to a paging occasion (PO); and communicating (1120) information associated with the AOD to a network node.

[0138]

[0033] Embodiment 26. The communications device of embodiment 24, wherein the operations further include any of the operations of embodiments 2 to 13.

[0139]

[0082] Embodiment 27. A network node (900, 1000) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a communication device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite, comprising: a processing circuit (903, 1003); a memory (905, 1005) coupled to the processing circuitry and storing instructions executable by the processing circuitry to cause the network node to perform operations, the operations comprising: communicating (1410) information associated with an access offset determination (AOD) to be performed by the communication device to the communication device; transmitting the page to a communication device (1420); In response to transmitting the page, determining (1430) that a time period associated with the information has elapsed since transmitting the page; and retransmitting (1440) the page to the communication device in response to determining that the period of time has elapsed.

[0140]

[0033] Embodiment 28. The network node of embodiment 27, wherein the operations further include any of the operations of embodiments 15 to 24.

[0141]

[0044] Embodiment 29. A communications device (800) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a network node communicatively coupled to the communications device via a satellite, comprising: determining (1110) when to perform an access offset determination (AOD) relative to a paging occasion (PO); and communicating (1120) information associated with the AOD to a network node.

[0142]

[0030] Embodiment 30. The communications device of embodiment 29, further adapted to perform any of the operations of embodiments 2 to 14.

[0143]

[0033] Embodiment 31. A network node (900, 1000) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a communication device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite, comprising: communicating (1410) information associated with an access offset determination (AOD) to be performed by the communication device to the communication device; transmitting the page to a communication device (1420); In response to transmitting the page, determining (1430) that a time period associated with the information has elapsed since transmitting the page; and in response to determining that the period of time has elapsed, retransmitting (1440) the page to the communication device.

[0144]

[0032] Embodiment 32. The network node of embodiment 31, further adapted to perform any of the operations of embodiments 15 to 24.

[0145] Embodiment 33. A computer program product comprising program code executed by processing circuitry (803) of a communication device (800) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a network node communicatively coupled to the communication device via a satellite, thereby causing the communication device to perform operations upon execution of the program code, the operations comprising: determining (1110) when to perform an access offset determination (AOD) relative to a paging occasion (PO); and communicating (1120) information associated with the AOD to a network node.

[0146]

[0033] Embodiment 34. The computer program of embodiment 33, wherein the operations further include any of the operations of embodiments 2 to 14.

[0147] Embodiment 35. A computer program product comprising program code executed by a processing circuit (903, 1003) of a network node (900, 1000) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a communication device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite, thereby causing the network node to perform operations upon execution of the program code, the operations comprising: communicating (1410) information associated with an access offset determination (AOD) to be performed by the communication device to the communication device; transmitting the page to a communication device (1420); In response to transmitting the page, determining (1430) that a time period associated with the information has elapsed since transmitting the page; and retransmitting (1440) the page to the communication device in response to determining that the period of time has elapsed.

[0148]

[0036] Embodiment 36. The computer program of embodiment 35, wherein the operations further include any of the operations of embodiments 15 to 24.

[0149] Embodiment 37. A computer program product comprising: a non-transitory storage medium including program code executed by a processing circuit (803) of a communication device (800) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a network node communicatively coupled to the communication device via a satellite, thereby causing the communication device to perform operations upon execution of the program code, the operations comprising: determining (1110) when to perform an access offset determination (AOD) relative to a paging occasion (PO); and communicating (1120) information associated with the AOD to a network node.

[0150]

[0039] Embodiment 38. The computer program product of embodiment 37, wherein the operations further include any of the operations of embodiments 2 to 14.

[0151] Embodiment 39. A computer program product comprising: a non-transitory storage medium including program code executed by a processing circuit (903, 1003) of a network node (900, 1000) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial-based network including a communication device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite, whereby execution of the program code causes a second network node to perform an operation, the operation comprising: communicating (1410) information associated with an access offset determination (AOD) to be performed by the communication device to the communication device; transmitting the page to a communication device (1420); In response to transmitting the page, determining (1430) that a time period associated with the information has elapsed since transmitting the page; and retransmitting (1440) the page to the communication device in response to determining that the period of time has elapsed.

[0152]

[0039] Embodiment 40. The computer program product of embodiment 39, wherein the operations further include any of the operations of embodiments 15 to 24.

[0153] Explanations of abbreviations from the above disclosure are provided below. Abbreviation Description 3GPP 3rd Generation Partnership Project 5G (5th Generation) 5GS 5G System CN Core Network CSI Channel State Information DCI Downlink Control Information DRX Intermittent Reception eDRX (Extended DRX) eMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband eMTC (Extended MTC) EPC Evolved Packet Core EPS Evolved Packet System gNB 5G / NR wireless base station. GEO Geostationary Earth Orbit GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System GPS Global Positioning System IE Information Elements LEO low earth orbit LTE Long Term Evolution LTE-M LTE machine-type communication MBB Mobile Broadband MEO Intermediate Earth Orbit NB-IoT Narrowband Internet of Things mMTC Large-scale MTC MTC Machine Type Communication NR new radio NTN non-terrestrial network PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel PO Paging Opportunity PRACH Physical Random Access Channel RA Random Access RACH Random Access Channel RAN Radio Access Network RO PRACH Opportunity / RACH Opportunity RRC Radio Resource Control RSRP reference signal received power SID Research Item Description SS Sync Signal SSB SS / PBCH block containing the synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel, also called synchronization signal block TA Timing Advance TAU Tracking Area Update TR technical report UE User Equipment URLLC Ultra-reliable low latency communication UTC Coordinated Universal Time WUS wake-up signal ZC Zadoff-Chu

[0154] Further explanation is provided below.

[0155] In general, all terms used herein should be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field unless a different meaning is clearly given and / or suggested by the context of use. All references to elements, devices, components, means, steps, etc. should be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless expressly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein need not be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and / or unless it is implied that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, where appropriate. Similarly, any advantage of any embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment, and vice versa. Other objects, features, and advantages of the included embodiments will become apparent from the following description.

[0156] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, and the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided as examples to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0157] FIG. 16 illustrates a wireless network according to some embodiments.

[0158] Although the subject matter described herein may be implemented in any suitable type of system using any suitable components, the embodiments disclosed herein are described with reference to a wireless network, such as the example wireless network shown in FIG. 16. For simplicity, the wireless network of FIG. 16 illustrates only network 4106, network nodes 4160 and 4160b, and WDs 4110, 4110b, and 4110c (also referred to as mobile terminals). In practice, a wireless network may further include any additional elements suitable for supporting communication between wireless devices or between a wireless device and another communication device, such as a landline telephone, a service provider, or any other network node or end device. Of the illustrated components, network node 4160 and wireless device (WD) 4110 are illustrated with additional detail. A wireless network may provide communication and other types of services to one or more wireless devices to facilitate wireless devices accessing and / or using services offered by or via the wireless network.

[0159] A wireless network may comprise and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and / or wireless network, or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, a wireless network may be configured to operate according to a particular standard or other type of predefined rules or procedures. As such, particular embodiments of a wireless network may implement communications standards such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards, wireless local area network (WLAN) standards such as the IEEE 802.11 standard, and / or any other suitable wireless communication standard such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and / or ZigBee standards.

[0160] The network 4106 may comprise one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTN), packet data networks, optical networks, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks that enable communication between devices.

[0161] The network node 4160 and the WD 4110 comprise various components, described in further detail below, that cooperate to provide the functionality of the network node and / or wireless device, such as providing wireless connectivity in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may comprise any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or be involved in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via wired or wireless connections.

[0162] As used herein, a network node refers to equipment that can, is configured to, is arranged to, and / or is operable to communicate, directly or indirectly, with wireless devices and / or other network nodes, or equipment in a wireless network that enables and / or provides wireless access to wireless devices and / or performs other functions (e.g., management) of the wireless network. Examples of network nodes include, without limitation, access points (APs) (e.g., wireless access points) and base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR Node Bs (gNBs)). Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, in other words, their transmit power levels) and may therefore also be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may also be a relay node or a relay donor node that controls a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed wireless base station, such as a centralized digital unit and / or a remote radio unit (RRU), sometimes referred to as a remote radio head (RRH). Such a remote radio unit may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna-integrated radio. Portions of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes of a distributed antenna system (DAS). Other further examples of network nodes include multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as an MSR BS, a network controller such as a radio network controller (RNC) or base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a transmission point, a transmitting node, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), a core network node (e.g., MSC, MME), an O&M node, an OSS node, a SON node, a positioning node (e.g., E-SMLC), and / or an MDT. As another example, a network node may be a virtual network node as described in more detail below.However, more generally, a network node may represent any suitable device (or group of devices) configured, arranged, and / or operable to enable and / or provide access to a wireless network for a wireless device or to provide some service to a wireless device accessing the wireless network.

[0163] In FIG. 16 , the network node 4160 includes a processing circuit 4170, a device-readable medium 4180, an interface 4190, auxiliary equipment 4184, a power source 4186, a power circuit 4187, and an antenna 4162. While the network node 4160 shown in the example wireless network of FIG. 16 may represent a device including the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise network nodes having different combinations of components. It should be understood that a network node comprises any suitable combination of hardware and / or software necessary to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Furthermore, while the components of the network node 4160 are shown as a single box located within a larger box or as a single box nested within multiple boxes, in reality the network node may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component (e.g., the device-readable medium 4180 may comprise multiple separate hard drives as well as multiple RAM modules).

[0164] Similarly, the network node 4160 may be comprised of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), each of which may have its own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 4160 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., a BTS component and a BSC component), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such scenarios, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may, in some cases, be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 4160 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate device-readable media 4180 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 4162 may be shared by the RATs). The network node 4160 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, integrated into the network node 4160. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or chipsets and other components within the network node 4160.

[0165] The processing circuit 4170 is configured to perform any decision, computation, or similar operations (e.g., certain acquisition operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by the processing circuit 4170 may include processing information acquired by the processing circuit 4170, e.g., by transforming the acquired information to other information, comparing the acquired or transformed information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or transformed information, and making a decision as a result of said processing.

[0166] The processing circuit 4170 may comprise one or more combinations of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic operable, alone or in conjunction with other network node 4160 components, such as device readable medium 4180, to provide the functionality of the network node 4160. For example, the processing circuit 4170 may execute instructions stored on the device readable medium 4180 or instructions stored in a memory within the processing circuit 4170. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 4170 may include a system on a chip (SOC).

[0167] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 4170 may include one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 4172 and a baseband processing circuit 4174. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 4172 and the baseband processing circuit 4174 may be on separate chips (or chipsets), boards, or units such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 4172 and the baseband processing circuit 4174 may be on the same chip or chipset, board, or unit.

[0168] In particular embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as provided by a network node, base station, eNB, or other such network device may be performed by the processing circuitry 4170 executing instructions stored on a device-readable medium 4180, or on a memory within the processing circuitry 4170. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry 4170 without executing instructions stored on a separate or distinct device-readable medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those embodiments, the processing circuitry 4170 can be configured to perform the described functionality, whether or not it executes instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium. Benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to only the processing circuitry 4170 or to other components of the network node 4160, but are enjoyed by the network node 4160 and / or by end users and wireless networks generally.

[0169] The device-readable medium 4180 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., flash drive, compact disc (CD), or digital video disc (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuit 4170. The device-readable medium 4180 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including computer programs, software, applications (including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc.), and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 4170 and utilized by the network node 4160. The device-readable medium 4180 may be used to store any calculations performed by the processing circuit 4170 and / or any data received via the interface 4190. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 4170 and the device-readable medium 4180 may be considered to be integrated.

[0170] The interface 4190 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between the network node 4160, the network 4106, and / or the WD 4110. As illustrated, the interface 4190 comprises a port / terminal 4194 for sending and receiving data to and from the network 4106, for example, over a wired connection. The interface 4190 also includes a radio front-end circuit 4192 that is coupled to the antenna 4162 or may be part of the antenna 4162 in certain embodiments. The radio front-end circuit 4192 comprises a filter 4198 and an amplifier 4196. The radio front-end circuit 4192 may be connected to the antenna 4162 and the processing circuit 4170. The radio front-end circuit 4192 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 4162 and the processing circuit 4170. The radio front-end circuit 4192 may receive digital data to be sent to another network node or WD via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 4192 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 4198 and / or amplifiers 4196. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 4162. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 4162 may collect the radio signal, which is then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 4192. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 4170. In other embodiments, the interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0171] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 4160 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 4192; instead, the processing circuit 4170 may comprise a radio front-end circuit and may be connected to the antenna 4162 without a separate radio front-end circuit 4192. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or a portion of the RF transceiver circuit 4172 may be considered part of the interface 4190. In still other embodiments, the interface 4190 may include one or more ports or terminals 4194, the radio front-end circuit 4192, and the RF transceiver circuit 4172 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the interface 4190 may communicate with baseband processing circuit 4174, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0172] The antenna 4162 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 4162 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 4192 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, the antenna 4162 may comprise one or more omnidirectional sector or panel antennas operable to transmit / receive wireless signals, for example, between 2 GHz and 66 GHz. An omnidirectional antenna may be used to transmit / receive wireless signals in any direction, a sector antenna may be used to transmit / receive wireless signals from devices within a specific area, and a panel antenna may be a line-of-sight antenna used to transmit / receive wireless signals in a relatively straight line. In some instances, the use of two or more antennas may be referred to as MIMO. In certain embodiments, the antenna 4162 may be separate from the network node 4160 or connectable to the network node 4160 through an interface or port.

[0173] The antenna 4162, the interface 4190, and / or the processing circuit 4170 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain acquisition operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 4162, the interface 4190, and / or the processing circuit 4170 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0174] The power circuit 4187 may comprise or be coupled to power management circuitry and is configured to supply power to the components of the network node 4160 for performing the functionality described herein. The power circuit 4187 may receive power from a power source 4186. The power source 4186 and / or the power circuit 4187 may be configured to provide power to the various components of the network node 4160 in a form suitable for each component (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required for each component). The power source 4186 may either be included in the power circuit 4187 and / or the network node 4160 or be external thereto. For example, the network node 4160 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source provides power to the power circuit 4187. As a further example, the power source 4186 may comprise a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated with the power circuit 4187. The battery may provide backup power in the event that the external power source fails. Other types of power sources may also be used, such as photovoltaic devices.

[0175] 16 , which may be responsible for providing particular aspects of the network node's functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 4160 may include user interface devices that allow for the input of information into the network node 4160 and the output of information from the network node 4160. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other management functions on the network node 4160.

[0176] As used herein, a wireless device (WD) refers to a device that is capable of, configured to, arranged to, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Unless otherwise specified, the term WD may be used interchangeably herein with user equipment (UE). Communicating wirelessly may involve transmitting and / or receiving radio signals using electromagnetic, radio, infrared, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information over the air. In some embodiments, a WD may be configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, a WD may be designed to transmit information to a network on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from the network. Examples of WDs include, but are not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones, cell phones, voice-over-IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, gaming consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback appliances, wearable terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptop computers, laptop embedded equipment (LEEs), laptop mounted equipment (LMEs), smart devices, wireless customer premises equipment (CPEs), in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, etc. A WD may support device-to-device (D2D) communications, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communications, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X), in which case it may be referred to as a D2D communications device. As yet another specific example, in an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario, a WD may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another WD and / or network node.The WD, in this case, may be a machine-to-machine (M2M) device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in the 3GPP context. As one particular example, the WD may be a UE implementing the 3GPP Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) standard. Specific examples of such machines or devices are sensors, metering devices such as power meters, industrial machinery, or household or personal appliances (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, etc.), and personal wearables (e.g., watches, fitness trackers, etc.). In other scenarios, the WD may represent a vehicle or other equipment capable of monitoring and / or reporting its operating status or other functions associated with its operation. A WD such as described above may represent an endpoint of a wireless connection, in which case the device may be referred to as a wireless terminal. Furthermore, a WD such as described above may be mobile, in which case the device may be referred to as a mobile device or mobile terminal.

[0177] As shown, the wireless device 4110 includes an antenna 4111, an interface 4114, a processing circuit 4120, a device-readable medium 4130, a user interface device 4132, auxiliary devices 4134, a power source 4136, and a power circuit 4137. The WD 4110 may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies that the WD 4110 supports, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, to name just a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated on the same or different chip or chipset as other components in the WD 4110.

[0178] The antenna 4111 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and is connected to the interface 4114. In certain alternative embodiments, the antenna 4111 may be separate from the WD 4110 and connectable to the WD 4110 through an interface or port. The antenna 4111, the interface 4114, and / or the processing circuit 4120 may be configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a WD. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a network node and / or another WD. In some embodiments, the wireless front-end circuit and / or the antenna 4111 may be considered an interface.

[0179] As illustrated, the interface 4114 comprises a radio front-end circuit 4112 and an antenna 4111. The radio front-end circuit 4112 comprises one or more filters 4118 and an amplifier 4116. The radio front-end circuit 4112 is connected to the antenna 4111 and the processing circuit 4120 and is configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 4111 and the processing circuit 4120. The radio front-end circuit 4112 may be coupled to or part of the antenna 4111. In some embodiments, the WD 4110 may not include a separate radio front-end circuit 4112; rather, the processing circuit 4120 may comprise the radio front-end circuit and be connected to the antenna 4111. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 4122 may be considered part of the interface 4114. The radio front-end circuit 4112 may receive digital data to be sent to another network node or WD via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 4112 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 4118 and / or amplifiers 4116. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 4111. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 4111 may collect the radio signal, which is then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 4112. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 4120. In other embodiments, the interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0180] The processing circuitry 4120 may comprise one or more combinations of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or coded logic operable, alone or in conjunction with other WD 4110 components, such as the device-readable medium 4130, to provide the functionality of the WD 4110. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, the processing circuitry 4120 may execute instructions stored on the device-readable medium 4130 or in memory within the processing circuitry 4120 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.

[0181] As illustrated, the processing circuit 4120 includes one or more of an RF transceiver circuit 4122, a baseband processing circuit 4124, and an application processing circuit 4126. In other embodiments, the processing circuit may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components. In a particular embodiment, the processing circuit 4120 of the WD 4110 may comprise an SOC. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuit 4122, the baseband processing circuit 4124, and the application processing circuit 4126 may be on separate chips or chipsets. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the baseband processing circuit 4124 and the application processing circuit 4126 may be combined into one chip or chipset, and the RF transceiver circuit 4122 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In further alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 4122 and the baseband processing circuit 4124 may be on the same chip or chipset, and the application processing circuit 4126 may be on a separate chip or chipset. In yet other alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 4122, the baseband processing circuitry 4124, and the application processing circuitry 4126 may be combined within the same chip or chipset. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 4122 may be part of the interface 4114. The RF transceiver circuitry 4122 may condition RF signals for the processing circuitry 4120.

[0182] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being performed by the WD may be provided by the processing circuitry 4120 executing instructions stored on a device-readable medium 4130, which may, in certain embodiments, be a computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry 4120 without executing instructions stored on a separate or distinct device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of these particular embodiments, the processing circuitry 4120 may be configured to perform the above-described functionality, regardless of whether it executes instructions stored on a device-readable storage medium. Benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to just the processing circuitry 4120 or other components of the WD 4110, but are enjoyed by the WD 4110 as a whole and / or by end users and wireless networks generally.

[0183] The processing circuit 4120 may be configured to perform any decision, calculation, or similar operation (e.g., a particular acquisition operation) described herein as being performed by a WD. These operations as performed by the processing circuit 4120 may include processing information acquired by the processing circuit 4120, for example, by transforming the acquired information into other information, comparing the acquired or converted information with information stored by the WD 4110, and / or performing one or more operations based on the acquired or converted information, and making a decision as a result of said processing.

[0184] The device-readable medium 4130 may be operable to store computer programs, software, applications (including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc.), and / or other instructions that may be executed by the processing circuit 4120. The device-readable medium 4130 may include computer memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM) or read-only memory (ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., compact discs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory device that stores information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuit 4120. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 4120 and the device-readable medium 4130 may be considered to be integrated.

[0185] The user interface device 4132 may provide components that allow a human user to interact with the WD 4110. Such interaction may be in many forms, such as visual, auditory, tactile, etc. The user interface device 4132 may be operable to produce output to the user and to allow the user to provide input to the WD 4110. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface device 4132 installed in the WD 4110. For example, if the WD 4110 is a smartphone, interaction may be via a touchscreen; if the WD 4110 is a smart meter, interaction may be through a screen that provides usage (e.g., number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alert (e.g., if smoke is detected). The user interface device 4132 may include input interfaces, devices, and circuits, as well as output interfaces, devices, and circuits. The user interface device 4132 is configured to allow information to be input to the WD 4110 and is connected to the processing circuit 4120 to allow the processing circuit 4120 to process the input information. The user interface devices 4132 may include, for example, a microphone, proximity or other sensors, keys / buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. The user interface devices 4132 are also configured to enable the output of information from the WD 4110 and to enable the processing circuit 4120 to output information from the WD 4110. The user interface devices 4132 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, vibration circuitry, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits of the user interface devices 4132, the WD 4110 may communicate with end users and / or wireless networks, enabling the end users and / or wireless networks to benefit from the functionality described herein.

[0186] The auxiliary device 4134 is operable to provide more specific functionality that a WD cannot generally perform. It may include specialized sensors that take measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communication, etc. The inclusion and type of components of the auxiliary device 4134 may vary depending on the embodiment and / or scenario.

[0187] The power source 4136 may, in some embodiments, be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may also be used, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The WD 4110 may further include a power circuit 4137 for delivering power from the power source 4136 to various portions of the WD 4110 that require power from the power source 4136 to perform any functionality described or indicated herein. The power circuit 4137 may, in certain embodiments, include a power management circuit. The power circuit 4137 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source, in which case the WD 4110 may be connectable to an external power source (such as an electrical outlet) via an interface such as an input circuit or a power cable. The power circuit 4137 may also, in certain embodiments, be operable to deliver power from the external power source to the power source 4136. This may be, for example, to charge the power source 4136. The power circuitry 4137 may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification to the power from the power source 4136 to make it suitable for each component of the WD 4110 being powered.

[0188] FIG. 17 illustrates a user equipment according to some embodiments.

[0189] FIG. 17 illustrates one embodiment of a UE in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, user equipment or UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates an associated device. Instead, a UE may represent a device (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller) that is intended for sale to or operation by a human user but may not be associated with or may not initially be associated with a particular human user. Alternatively, a UE may represent a device (e.g., a smart power meter) that is not intended for sale to or operation by an end user but may be associated with or operated for the user's benefit. The UE 42200 may be any UE specified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including an NB-IoT UE, a machine-type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. UE 4200, as shown in Figure 17, is an example of a WD configured to communicate according to one or more communications standards promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 3GPP's GSM, UMTS, LTE, and / or 5G standards. As noted above, the terms WD and UE may be used interchangeably. Thus, while Figure 17 illustrates a UE, the components discussed herein are equally applicable to a WD, and vice versa.

[0190] In FIG. 17, UE 4200 includes a processing circuit 4201 operably coupled to an input / output interface 4205, a radio frequency (RF) interface 4209, a network connection interface 4211, a memory 4215 (including, for example, a random access memory (RAM) 4217, a read-only memory (ROM) 4219, and a storage medium 4221), a communication subsystem 4231, a power source 4213, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 4221 includes an operating system 4223, application programs 4225, and data 4227. In other embodiments, the storage medium 4221 may include other similar types of information. A particular UE may utilize all of the components shown in FIG. 17 or only a subset of the components. The level of integration between components may vary from UE to UE. Additionally, a particular UE may include multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0191] 17, processing circuit 4201 may be configured to process computer instructions and data. Processing circuit 4201 may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute machine instructions stored in memory as a machine-readable computer program, such as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FPGA, ASIC, etc.), programmable logic with appropriate firmware, one or more pre-programmed, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) with appropriate software, or any combination of the above. For example, processing circuit 4201 may include two central processing units (CPUs). Data may be information in a format suitable for use by a computer.

[0192] In the illustrated embodiment, the input / output interface 4205 may be configured to provide an input device, an output device, or a communication interface for an input / output device. The UE 4200 may be configured to use an output device via the input / output interface 4205. The output device may use the same type of interface port as the input device. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to and output from the UE 4200. The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smart card, another output device, or any combination thereof. The UE 4200 may be configured to enable a user to capture information into the UE 4200 using an input device via the input / output interface 4205. The input device may include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, digital video camera, webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, etc. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor that senses input from a user. The sensor may be, for example, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, another similar sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device may be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and a light sensor.

[0193] In FIG. 17 , the RF interface 4209 may be configured to provide a communications interface to RF components, such as a transmitter, receiver, and antenna. The network connection interface 4211 may be configured to provide a communications interface to a network 4243a. The network 4243a may encompass a wired and / or wireless network, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a communications network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 4243a may include a Wi-Fi network. The network connection interface 4211 may be configured to include a receiver and transmitter interface used to communicate with one or more other devices over a communications network according to one or more communications protocols, such as Ethernet, TCP / IP, SONET, ATM, etc. The network connection interface 4211 may implement receiver and transmitter functionality appropriate for a communications network link (e.g., optical, electrical, etc.). The transmitter and receiver functionality may share circuitry, software, or firmware, or may be implemented separately.

[0194] The RAM 4217 may be configured to interface to the processing circuit 4201 via the bus 4202 for storing or caching data or computer instructions during execution of software programs, such as an operating system, application programs, and device drivers. The ROM 4219 may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to the processing circuit 4201. For example, the ROM 4219 may be configured to store unchanging low-level system code or data for basic system functions, such as basic input / output (I / O), booting, or receiving keystrokes from a keyboard, stored in non-volatile memory. The storage medium 4221 may be configured to include memory, such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk, optical disk, floppy disk, hard disk, removable cartridge, or flash drive. In one example, storage medium 4221 may be configured to include an operating system 4223, an application program 4225, such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine, or another application, and data files 4227. Storage medium 4221 may store any of a wide variety of different operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by UE 4200.

[0195] The storage medium 4221 may be configured to include multiple physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), a floppy disk drive, a flash memory, a USB flash drive, an external hard disk drive, a thumb drive, a pen drive, a key drive, a high-density digital versatile disk (HD-DVD) optical disk drive, an internal hard disk drive, a Blu-ray optical disk drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disk drive, an external mini dual in-line memory module (DIMM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), an external micro-DIMM SDRAM, a smart card memory such as a subscriber identity module or removable user identity module (SIM / RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof. The storage medium 4221 may enable the UE 4200 to access, offload data, or upload data stored on a temporary or non-transitory memory medium. An article of manufacture, such as an article of manufacture utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied in the storage medium 4221, which may include a device-readable medium.

[0196] In FIG. 17, the processing circuit 4201 may be configured to communicate with network 4243b using a communications subsystem 4231. Network 4243a and network 4243b may be the same network(s) or different networks(s). The communications subsystem 4231 may be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with network 4243b. For example, the communications subsystem 4231 may be configured to include one or more transceivers used to communicate with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication, such as another WD, UE, or base station of a radio access network (RAN), according to one or more communications protocols, such as IEEE 802.11, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, LTE, UTRAN, WiMax, etc. Each transceiver may include a transmitter 4233 and / or a receiver 4235 to implement transmitter or receiver functionality, respectively, appropriate for the RAN link (e.g., frequency allocation, etc.). Furthermore, the transmitter 4233 and receiver 4235 of each transceiver may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or may be implemented separately.

[0197] In the example embodiment, the communication capabilities of the communication subsystem 4231 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communication such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as using a global positioning system (GPS) to determine location, another similar communication capability, or any combination thereof. For example, the communication subsystem 4231 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. The network 4243b may encompass wired and / or wireless networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a communication network, another similar network, or any combination thereof. For example, the network 4243b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and / or a near-field network. The power supply 4213 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to the components of the UE 4200.

[0198] The features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of the UE 4200 or distributed across multiple components of the UE 4200. Furthermore, the features, benefits, and / or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software, or firmware. In one example, the communication subsystem 4231 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Furthermore, the processing circuit 4201 may be configured to communicate with any of such components via the bus 4202. In another example, any of such components may be represented by program instructions stored in memory that, when executed by the processing circuit 4201, perform the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any of such components may be distributed between the processing circuit 4201 and the communication subsystem 4231. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware, and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0199] FIG. 18 illustrates a virtualized environment according to some embodiments.

[0200] 18 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 4300 in which functionality implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In this context, virtualization means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device, which may include virtualizing a hardware platform, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization may apply to a node (e.g., a virtualized base station or a virtualized radio access node) or to a device (e.g., a UE, a wireless device, or any other type of communication device) or component thereof, and relates to implementations in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components (e.g., via one or more applications, components, functions, virtual machines, or containers executing on one or more physical processing nodes in one or more networks).

[0201] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 4300 hosted by one or more of the hardware nodes 4330. Furthermore, in embodiments where the virtual nodes are not wireless access nodes or do not require wireless connectivity (e.g., core network nodes), the network nodes may be fully virtualized.

[0202] The functionality may be implemented by one or more applications 4320 (which may alternatively be referred to as software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) operable to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. The applications 4320 execute in a virtualization environment 4300, which provides hardware 4330 comprising processing circuitry 4360 and memory 4390. The memory 4390 includes instructions 4395 executable by the processing circuitry 4360, thereby causing the applications 4320 to operate to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and / or functions disclosed herein.

[0203] The virtualization environment 4300 includes general-purpose or dedicated network hardware devices 4330 that include one or more sets of processors or processing circuits 4360, which may be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, dedicated application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitry, including digital or analog hardware components or dedicated processors. Each hardware device may include memory 4390-1, which may be non-persistent memory that temporarily stores instructions 4395 or software to be executed by the processing circuits 4360. Each hardware device may include one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 4370, also known as network interface cards, that include physical network interfaces 4380. Each hardware device may also include a non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage medium 4390-2 on which software 4395 and / or instructions executable by the processing circuits 4360 are stored. Software 4395 may include any type of software, including software that instantiates one or more virtualization layers 4350 (also called hypervisors), software that runs virtual machines 4340, and software that enables the software to perform the functions, features, and / or benefits described in connection with some of the embodiments described herein.

[0204] The virtual machines 4340 may comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and may be executed by a corresponding virtualization layer 4350 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of the virtual appliance 4320 instance may be implemented in one or more of the virtual machines 4340, and the implementations may be done in different ways.

[0205] In operation, processing circuitry 4360 executes software 4395 to instantiate a hypervisor or virtualization layer 4350, sometimes referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM), which may present a virtual operating platform to virtual machine 4340 that looks like networking hardware.

[0206] 18, hardware 4330 may be a standalone network node having general or specific components. Hardware 4330 may also include antenna 43225 and may implement some functionality through virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 4330 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., as in a data center or customer premises equipment (CPE)) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via a management and orchestration (MANO) 43100 that, among other things, oversees the lifecycle management of application 4320.

[0207] Hardware virtualization, in some contexts, is referred to as network functions virtualization (NFV), which may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry-standard high-capacity server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage that can be located in data centers and customer premises equipment.

[0208] In the context of NFV, a virtual machine 4340 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were running on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each virtual machine 4340 and the portion of hardware 4330 on which it runs forms a separate virtual network element (VNE), whether that hardware is dedicated to that virtual machine and / or hardware that the virtual machine shares with other virtual machines 4340.

[0209] Also in the context of NFV, a virtual network function (VNF) is responsible for handling a specific network function running in one or more virtual machines 4340 on top of the hardware networking infrastructure 4330 and corresponds to the application 4320 in FIG. 18.

[0210] In some embodiments, one or more radio units 43200, each including one or more transmitters 43220 and one or more receivers 43210, may be coupled to one or more antennas 43225. The radio units 43200 may communicate directly with the hardware node 4330 via one or more suitable network interfaces or may be used in combination with virtualization components to provide a virtual node with wireless capabilities, such as a wireless access node or base station.

[0211] In some embodiments, some signaling can be accomplished using a control system 43230, which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware node 4330 and the radio unit 43200.

[0212] FIG. 19 illustrates a communications network connected to a host computer through an intermediate network, according to some embodiments.

[0213] 19 , according to one embodiment, a communication system includes a communication network 4410, such as a 3GPP-type cellular network, comprising an access network 4411, such as a wireless access network, and a core network 4414. The access network 4411 comprises a plurality of base stations 4412a, 4412b, 4412c, such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs, or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 4413a, 4413b, 4413c. Each base station 4412a, 4412b, 4412c can be connected to the core network 4414 through a wired or wireless connection 4415. A first UE 4491 located within the coverage area 4413c wirelessly connects to the corresponding base station 4412c or is configured to be paged by the corresponding base station 4412c. A second UE 4492 within the coverage area 4413a can be wirelessly connected to the corresponding base station 4412a. In this example, multiple UEs 4491, 4492 are shown, but the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where only one UE is present in the coverage area or where only one UE is connected to the corresponding base station 4412.

[0214] The communications network 4410 itself is connected to a host computer 4430, 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 4430 may be owned or controlled by a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 4421 and 4422 between the communications network 4410 and the host computer 4430 may extend directly from the core network 4414 to the host computer 4430, or may be made via an optional intermediate network 4420. The intermediate network 4420 may be one or a combination of two or more of a public network, a private network, or a hosted network; if present, the intermediate network 4420 may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, the intermediate network 4420 may comprise two or more subnetworks (not shown).

[0215] The communication system of FIG. 19 as a whole enables connectivity between connected UEs 4491, 4492 and a host computer 4430. The connectivity may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection 4450. The host computer 4430 and connected UEs 4491, 4492 are configured to communicate data and / or signaling via the OTT connection 4450 using the access network 4411, the core network 4414, any intermediate networks 4420, and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection 4450 may be transparent in the sense that the involved communication devices through which the OTT connection 4450 passes are unaware of the routing of uplink and downlink communications. For example, when data originating from the host computer 4430 is forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected UE 4491, the base station 4412 may not be informed, or need not be informed, of the past routing of incoming downlink communications. Similarly, base station 4412 does not need to be aware of the future routing of outgoing uplink communications originating from UE 4491 and destined for host computer 4430 .

[0216] FIG. 20 illustrates a host computer communicating with user equipment via a base station over a partially wireless connection, according to some embodiments.

[0217] An exemplary implementation according to one embodiment of the UE, base station, and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIG. 20 . In the communication system 4500, the host computer 4510 comprises hardware 4515 including a communication interface 4516 configured to set up and maintain wired or wireless connections with interfaces of different communication devices of the communication system 4500. The host computer 4510 further comprises processing circuitry 4518, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. In particular, the processing circuitry 4518 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 4510 further comprises software 4511 stored on or accessible by the host computer 4510 and executable by the processing circuitry 4518. The software 4511 includes a host application 4512. The host application 4512 may be operable to provide services to a remote user, such as the UE 4530, connecting via an OTT connection 4550 that terminates at the UE 4530 and the host computer 4510. In providing services to the remote user, the host application 4512 may provide user data that is transmitted using the OTT connection 4550.

[0218] The communications system 4500 further includes a base station 4520 provided in the telecommunications system, the base station 4520 comprising hardware 4525 that enables the base station 4520 to communicate with the host computer 4510 and the UE 4530. The hardware 4525 may include a communications interface 4526 for setting up and maintaining wired or wireless connections with interfaces of different communications devices of the communications system 4500, as well as a wireless interface 4527 for setting up and maintaining at least a wireless connection 4570 with a UE 4530 located within a coverage area (not shown in FIG. 20) served by the base station 4520. The communications interface 4526 may be configured to facilitate a connection 4560 to the host computer 4510. The connection 4560 may be direct or may go through a core network of the telecommunications system (not shown in FIG. 20) and / or through one or more intermediate networks external to the telecommunications system. In the illustrated embodiment, the hardware 4525 of the base station 4520 further includes processing circuitry 4528, 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 4520 further includes software 4521 stored internally or accessible via an external connection.

[0219] The communications system 4500 further includes the previously mentioned UE 4530. The hardware 4535 of the UE 4530 may include a wireless interface 4537 configured to set up and maintain a wireless connection 4570 with a base station serving a coverage area in which the UE 4530 is currently located. The hardware 4535 of the UE 4530 further includes a processing circuit 4538, 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 4530 further includes software 4531 stored on or accessible by the UE 4530 and executable by the processing circuit 4538. The software 4531 includes a client application 4532. The client application 4532 may be operable to provide services to a human or non-human user via the UE 4530 with support from the host computer 4510. At the host computer 4510, a running host application 4512 may communicate with a running client application 4532 via an OTT connection 4550 that terminates at the UE 4530 and the host computer 4510. In providing services to a user, the client application 4532 may receive request data from the host application 4512 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 4550 may transport both the request data and the user data. The client application 4532 may interact with the user to generate the user data to provide.

[0220] It should be noted that the host computer 4510, base station 4520, and UE 4530 shown in Figure 20 may be similar to or identical to the host computer 4430, one of the base stations 4412a, 4412b, 4412c, and one of the UEs 4491, 4492, respectively, of Figure 19. That is, the internal workings of these entities may be as shown in Figure 20, and alternatively, the surrounding network topology may be that of Figure 19.

[0221] 20 , the OTT connection 4550 is depicted abstractly to illustrate communication between the host computer 4510 and the UE 4530 via the base station 4520, without explicit reference to intermediate devices and the exact routing of messages through those devices. The network infrastructure may determine the routing, and the network infrastructure may be configured to hide the routing from the UE 4530, the service provider operating the host computer 4510, or both. The network infrastructure may also make decisions while the OTT connection 4550 is in effect that cause the network infrastructure to dynamically change the routing (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or network reconfiguration).

[0222] The wireless connection 4570 between the UE 4530 and the base station 4520 follows the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of various embodiments may improve performance of the OTT service provided to the UE 4530 using the OTT connection 4550 of which the wireless connection 4570 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve random access speeds and / or reduce random access failure rates, thereby providing benefits such as faster and / or more reliable random access.

[0223] Measurement procedures may be provided for purposes of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors that one or more embodiments improve. Additionally, there may be optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 4550 between the host computer 4510 and the UE 4530 in response to fluctuations in the measurement results. The measurement procedures and / or network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 4550 may be implemented in the software 4511 and hardware 4515 of the host computer 4510, or in the software 4531 and hardware 4535 of the UE 4530, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or associated with the communications devices through which the OTT connection 4550 passes, and the sensors may participate in the measurement procedures by providing values ​​of monitored quantities, as exemplified above, or values ​​of other physical quantities from which the software 4511, 4531 may calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 4550 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc., and the reconfiguration need not affect the base station 4520 and may be unknown or imperceptible to the base station 4520. Such procedures and functionality may be known and practiced in the art. In particular embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates the host computer 4510 measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. Measurements may be implemented in that software 4511 and 4531 cause messages, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, to be sent using the OTT connection 4550 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0224] FIG. 21 illustrates a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment, according to some embodiments.

[0225] FIG. 21 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. 19-20. To simplify this disclosure, only drawing references to FIG. 21 are included in this section. In step 4610, the host computer provides user data. In sub-step 4611 of step 4610 (which may be optional), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 4620, the host computer initiates a transmission conveying the user data to the UE. In step 4630 (which may be optional), the base station transmits the user data conveyed in the host computer-initiated transmission to the UE, in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 4640 (which may also be optional), the UE executes a client application associated with the host application executed by the host computer.

[0226] FIG. 22 illustrates a method implemented in a communications system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment, according to some embodiments.

[0227] FIG. 22 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. 19-20. To simplify this disclosure, only a drawing reference to FIG. 22 is included in this section. In step 4710 of the method, the host computer provides user data. In an optional substep (not shown), the host computer provides the user data by executing a host application. In step 4720, the host computer initiates a transmission that conveys the user data to the UE. The transmission may go through a base station in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 4730 (which may be optional), the UE receives the user data conveyed in the transmission.

[0228] FIG. 23 illustrates a method implemented in a communications system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment, according to some embodiments.

[0229] FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating a method implemented in a communications system according to one embodiment. The communications system includes a host computer, a base station, and a UE, which may be as described with reference to FIGS. 19-20. To simplify this disclosure, only a drawing reference to FIG. 23 is included in this section. In (optional) step 4810, the UE receives input data provided by the host computer. Additionally or alternatively, in step 4820, the UE provides user data. In (optional) sub-step 4821 of step 4820, the UE provides the user data by executing a client application. In (optional) sub-step 4811 of step 4810, 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 begins transmitting the user data to the host computer in (optional) sub-step 4830. At method step 4840, the host computer receives user data transmitted from the UE according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

[0230] FIG. 24 illustrates a method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a base station, and user equipment, according to some embodiments.

[0231] Figure 24 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 19-20. To simplify this disclosure, only drawing references to Figure 24 are included in this section. In step 4910 (which may be optional), the base station receives user data from the UE in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 4920 (which may be optional), the base station initiates transmission of the received user data to the host computer. In step 4930 (which may be optional), the host computer receives the user data conveyed in the transmission initiated by the base station.

[0232] 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 telecommunications and / or data communication protocols, as well as instructions for executing one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause each functional unit to perform corresponding functions in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0233] The term unit may have its conventional meaning in the fields of electronics, electrical devices, and / or electronic devices, and may include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuits, devices, modules, processors, memories, logical solids, and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions, etc., for performing respective tasks, procedures, calculations, output, and / or display functions, such as those described herein.

[0234] Further definitions and embodiments are discussed below.

[0235] In the above description of various embodiments of the inventive concept, it should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the inventive concept. Unless otherwise specified, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the inventive concept belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning in accordance with the meaning of those terms in the context of this specification and the related art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0236] When an element is referred to as being "connected," "coupled," or "responsive" to another element, or variations thereof, the element may be directly connected, coupled, or responsive to the other element, or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected," "directly coupled," or "directly responsive" to another element, or variations thereof, there are no intervening elements present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, as used herein, "coupled," "connected," "responsive," or variations thereof may include wirelessly coupled, wirelessly connected, or wirelessly responsive. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For brevity and / or clarity, well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail. The term "and / or" (abbreviated " / ") includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0237] Although terms such as first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements / operations, it will be understood that these elements / operations are not intended to be limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one element / operation from another. Thus, a first element / operation in some embodiments may be referred to as a second element / operation in other embodiments without departing from the teachings of the inventive concept. The same reference numbers or characters may refer to the same or similar elements throughout this specification.

[0238] As used herein, the terms "comprise," "comprising," "comprises," "include," "including," "includes," "have," "has," "having," or variations thereof, are open-ended and include one or more stated features, integers, elements, steps, components, or functions, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, elements, steps, components, functions, or groups thereof. Furthermore, as used herein, the common abbreviation "eg," from the Latin phrase "exempli gratia," may be used to introduce or specifically name one or more general examples of the aforementioned items and is not intended to be limiting of such items. The common abbreviation "ie," from the Latin phrase "id est," may be used to specifically name a specific item from a more general list.

[0239] Exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations of computer-implemented methods, apparatus (systems and / or devices), and / or computer program products. It should be understood that blocks of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer program instructions performed by one or more computer circuits. These computer program instructions can be provided to processor circuits of general-purpose computer circuits, special-purpose computer circuits, and / or other programmable data processing circuits to create machines, such that the instructions executing via the processor of the computer and / or other programmable data processing apparatus transform and control transistors, values ​​stored in memory locations, and other hardware components within such circuits to implement the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and thereby create means (functions) and / or structures for implementing the function / acts specified in the block diagram and / or flowchart block(s).

[0240] These computer program instructions may also be stored on a tangible computer-readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored on the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture containing instructions that implement the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the block diagrams and / or flowcharts. Thus, embodiments of the inventive concepts may be embodied in hardware and / or in software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.) running on a processor, such as a digital signal processor, which may be collectively referred to as a "circuit," "module," or variations thereof.

[0241] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions / acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the flowcharts. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially in parallel, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions / acts involved. Moreover, the functionality of a given block in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be divided among multiple blocks, and / or the functionality of two or more blocks in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be at least partially integrated. Finally, other blocks may be added / inserted between the illustrated blocks, and / or blocks / acts may be omitted without departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Furthermore, while some of the figures include arrows on communication paths to indicate a primary direction of communication, it should be understood that communication may occur in the opposite direction to the illustrated arrows.

[0242] Numerous variations and modifications can be made to the embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the inventive concept. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of the inventive concept. Accordingly, the subject matter disclosed above should be considered illustrative and not limiting, and the example embodiments are intended to cover all such modifications, extensions, and other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the inventive concept. Therefore, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the scope of the inventive concept should be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of this disclosure, including example embodiments and their equivalents, and should not be limited or restricted by the above detailed description.

Claims

1. 1. A method of operating a communications device configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a network node communicatively coupled to the communications device via a satellite, the method comprising: receiving an indication if the communication device is authorized to perform access offset determination (AOD); determining a paging occasion (PO) for receiving a paging message; and determining, based on the received instruction, whether the AOD needs to be performed before the paging occasion or after the paging occasion.

2. the AOD includes a plurality of AOD processes for compensating for timing errors; Determining when to implement the AOD for the PO includes determining when to implement the AOD for the PO based on information associated with the AOD, the information comprising: a first amount of time T required for the communication device to complete the AOD; ＡＯＤ instructions, The communication device is ＡＯＤ The amount of time T that we expect ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ instructions, The amount of time T ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ a second amount of time T required for the communication device to complete the AOD after expiration of ＡＯＤ，ＤＥＦＡＵＬＴ instructions, the amount of time T that the communication device is allowed to use to complete the AOD; ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ instructions, an amount of time T during which the communication device is allowed to perform a complete access offset determination including the plurality of AOD processes; ＦＵＬＬ＿ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ instructions, and an amount of time T during which the communication device is allowed to perform a partial access offset determination that includes a portion of the plurality of AOD processes; ＰＡＲＴＩＡＬ＿ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ Instructions for The method of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

3. and communicating the information associated with the AOD to the network node (1120). The method of claim 2.

4. communicating the information includes transmitting the information to the network node; The information indicates a first amount of time T required for the communication device to complete an AOD. ＡＯＤ Instructions, T ＡＯＤ The amount of time T that the communication device expects ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ and the instructions for T ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ a second amount of time T required for the communication device to complete the AOD after expiration of ＡＯＤ，ＤＥＦＡＵＬＴ Contains at least one of the following instructions: The method of claim 3.

5. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein transmitting the information comprises transmitting the information to the network node over a non-access stratum layer during an attach procedure.

6. The method of claim 4 or 5, wherein transmitting the information to the network node comprises determining the information based on a mobility state of the communication device.

7. Said T ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ Repeatedly constructing Each T ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ and subsequently periodically updating (1210) navigation information associated with the AOD; The information is provided so that the communication device ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ and further including instructions to subsequently periodically update the navigation information associated with the AOD.

7. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6.

8. updating (1210) navigation information associated with said AOD; In response to updating the navigation information, transmitting (1220) to the network node an indication that the communications device has updated the navigation information; The method of any one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising:

9. The amount of time T that the communication device is allowed to use to complete the access offset determination by communicating the information. ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ an amount of time T that the communication device is allowed to perform a complete access offset determination including the multiple AOD processes; ＦＵＬＬ＿ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ and an amount of time T during which the communication device is allowed to perform a partial access offset determination that includes a portion of the plurality of AOD processes. ＰＡＲＴＩＡＬ＿ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ The method of claim 3 , further comprising receiving at least one of the following indications:

10. determining when to implement the AOD relative to the point of arrival includes determining to implement the AOD after the point of arrival; The method comprises: receiving 1310 a page from the network node; responsive to receiving the page, performing the AOD (1320); In response to performing the AOD, transmitting a response to the page based on the AOD (1330); 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

11. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the AOD is a process that determines at least one of a propagation delay and a Doppler shift associated with a communication channel between the communication device and the network node.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the AOD comprises a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) AOD process.

13. 13. The method of claim 10, wherein each of claims 10 to 12 cites claim 2, wherein communicating the information includes receiving an indication from the network node indicating one or more types of AOD processes enabled by the non-terrestrial network.

14. 14. The method of any one of claims 3 to 13, when each of claims 10 to 12 cites claim 2, wherein communicating the information includes sending an indication to the network node indicating a type of AOD process that the communication device preferably performs.

15. 1. A method of operating a network node configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a communications device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite, the method comprising: If the communication device is authorized to perform Access Offset Determination (AOD), sending an indication to the communication device for use in determining whether the AOD needs to be performed before or after a paging occasion; Sending 1420 a page to the communication device; determining (1430) in response to transmitting the page that a time period associated with information associated with the AOD has elapsed since transmitting the page; retransmitting (1440) the page to the communication device in response to determining that the period has elapsed; A method comprising:

16. the AOD includes a plurality of AOD processes for compensating for timing errors; The information is a first amount of time T required for the communication device to complete the AOD; ＡＯＤ instructions, The communication device is ＡＯＤ The amount of time T that we expect ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ instructions, Said T ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ a second amount of time T required for the communication device to complete the AOD after expiration of ＡＯＤ，ＤＥＦＡＵＬＴ instructions, the amount of time T that the communication device is allowed to use to complete the AOD; ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ instructions, an amount of time T during which the communication device is allowed to perform a complete access offset determination including the plurality of AOD processes; ＦＵＬＬ＿ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ instructions, and an amount of time T during which the communication device is allowed to perform a partial access offset determination that includes a portion of the plurality of AOD processes; ＰＡＲＴＩＡＬ＿ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ Instructions for 16. The method of claim 15, comprising at least one of:

17. communicating the information with the communication device (1410); 17. The method of claim 15 or 16, further comprising:

18. communicating the information includes receiving the information from the communication device; The information indicates a first amount of time T required for the communication device to complete an AOD. ＡＯＤ Instructions, T ＡＯＤ The amount of time T that the communication device expects ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ and the instructions for T ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ a second amount of time T required for the communication device to complete the AOD after expiration of ＡＯＤ，ＤＥＦＡＵＬＴ Contains at least one of the following instructions:

18. The method of claim 17.

19. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving the information comprises receiving the information from the communication device over a non-access stratum layer during an attach procedure.

20. T ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ is repeatedly set by the communication device, The information is provided so that the communication device ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ and further including instructions to subsequently periodically update navigation information associated with said AOD; The period is T ＡＯＤ is 20. The method of any one of claims 15 to 19.

21. receiving 1510 an indication that the communication device has updated navigation information associated with the AOD; In response to receiving the indication that the communication device has updated the navigation information associated with the AOD, ＡＯＤ，ＶＡＬＩＤ starting a timer based on the Based on whether the timer has expired, the period is T ＡＯＤ or T ＡＯＤ，ＤＥＦＡＵＬＴ determining (1530) that 20. The method of any one of claims 15 to 19, further comprising:

22. the AOD includes a plurality of AOD processes for compensating for timing errors; The amount of time T that the communication device is allowed to use to complete the access offset determination by communicating the information. ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ an amount of time T that the communication device is allowed to perform a complete access offset determination including the multiple AOD processes; ＦＵＬＬ＿ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ and an amount of time T ＰＡＲＴＩＡＬ＿ＡＯＤ，ＭＡＸ 22. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting at least one of the following instructions:

23. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein communicating the information further comprises determining the information based on a mobility state of the communication device.

24. 24. The method of any one of claims 15 to 23, wherein the AOD includes a process for determining at least one of a propagation delay and a Doppler shift associated with a communication channel between the communication device and the network node.

25. 25. The method of any one of claims 15 to 24, wherein the AOD comprises a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) AOD process.

26. 26. The method of any one of claims 17 to 25, wherein communicating the information further comprises sending an indication to the communication device indicating one or more types of AOD processes enabled by the non-terrestrial network.

27. 27. The method of any one of claims 17 to 26, wherein communicating the information further comprises receiving an indication from the communication device indicating a type of AOD process that the communication device preferably implements.

28. 1. A communications device (800) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a network node communicatively coupled to the communications device via a satellite, the network node comprising: A processing circuit (803); a memory (805) coupled to the processing circuitry and storing instructions executable by the processing circuitry to cause the communications device to perform operations, the operations comprising: receiving an indication if the communication device is authorized to perform access offset determination (AOD); determining a paging occasion for receiving a paging message; and determining, based on the received instruction, whether the AOD needs to be performed before the paging occasion or after the paging occasion. Communication devices.

29. 29. The communications device of claim 28, wherein the operations further comprise any of the operations of any one of claims 2 to 14.

30. A network node (900, 1000) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a communication device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite, A processing circuit (903, 1003); a memory (905, 1005) coupled to the processing circuitry and storing instructions executable by the processing circuitry to cause the network node to perform operations, the operations comprising: If the communication device is authorized to perform Access Offset Determination (AOD), sending an indication to the communication device for use in determining whether the AOD needs to be performed before or after a paging occasion; Sending 1420 a page to the communication device; determining (1430) in response to transmitting the page that a time period associated with information associated with the AOD has elapsed since transmitting the page; and retransmitting (1440) the page to the communication device in response to determining that the period of time has elapsed. Network node.

31. 31. The network node of claim 30, wherein the operations further comprise any of the operations of any one of claims 16 to 27.

32. 1. A communications device (800) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a network node communicatively coupled to the communications device via a satellite, the network node comprising: receiving an indication if the communication device is authorized to perform access offset determination (AOD); determining a paging occasion for receiving a paging message; and determining, based on the received instruction, whether the AOD needs to be performed before the paging occasion or after the paging occasion. A communication device adapted to perform the operations.

33. 33. A communications device according to claim 32, further adapted to perform any of the operations according to any one of claims 2 to 14.

34. A network node (900, 1000) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a communication device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite, If the communication device is authorized to perform Access Offset Determination (AOD), sending an indication to the communication device for use in determining whether the AOD needs to be performed before or after a paging occasion; Sending 1420 a page to the communication device; determining 1430 that a time period has elapsed since transmitting the page in response to transmitting the page, the time period being associated with information associated with an access offset determination (AOD) to be performed by the communications device; and retransmitting (1440) the page to the communication device in response to determining that the period of time has elapsed. A network node adapted to perform the operations.

35. 35. A network node according to claim 34, further adapted to perform any of the operations according to any one of claims 16 to 27.

36. 1. A computer program product comprising: program code that is executed by processing circuitry (803) of a communication device (800) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial network including network nodes communicatively coupled to the communication device via a satellite, the computer program product causing the communication device to perform an operation upon execution of the program code, the operation comprising: receiving an indication if the communication device is authorized to perform access offset determination (AOD); determining a paging occasion for receiving a paging message; and determining, based on the received instruction, whether the AOD needs to be performed before the paging occasion or after the paging occasion. Computer program.

37. 37. The computer program of claim 36, wherein the operations further comprise any of the operations of any one of claims 2 to 14.

38. 1. A computer program comprising: program code executed by processing circuitry (903, 1003) of a network node (900, 1000) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial network including a communication device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite, the computer program causing the network node to perform an operation upon execution of the program code, the operation comprising: If the communication device is authorized to perform Access Offset Determination (AOD), sending an indication to the communication device for use in determining whether the AOD needs to be performed before or after a paging occasion; Sending 1420 a page to the communication device; determining (1430) in response to transmitting the page that a time period associated with information associated with the AOD has elapsed since transmitting the page; retransmitting (1440) the page to the communication device in response to determining that the period has elapsed; a computer program comprising:

39. 39. The computer program of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise any of the operations of any one of claims 16 to 27.

40. 1. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code that is executed by processing circuitry (803) of a communication device (800) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial network including network nodes communicatively coupled to the communication device via a satellite, the program code causing the communication device to perform an operation by executing the program code, the operation comprising: receiving an indication if the communication device is authorized to perform access offset determination (AOD); determining a paging occasion for receiving a paging message; and determining, based on the received instruction, whether the AOD needs to be performed before the paging occasion or after the paging occasion. Non-transitory storage medium.

41. 41. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 40, wherein the operations further include any of the operations of any one of claims 2 to 14.

42. 1. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code executed by a processing circuit (903, 1003) of a network node (900, 1000) configured to operate in a non-terrestrial based network including a communication device communicatively coupled to the network node via a satellite, the program code causing a second network node to perform an operation by executing the program code, the operation comprising: If the communication device is authorized to perform Access Offset Determination (AOD), sending an indication to the communication device for use in determining whether the AOD needs to be performed before or after a paging occasion; Sending 1420 a page to the communication device; determining (1430) in response to transmitting the page that a time period associated with information associated with the AOD has elapsed since transmitting the page; retransmitting (1440) the page to the communication device in response to determining that the period has elapsed; Non-transitory storage media, including

43. 43. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 42, wherein the operations further include any of the operations of any one of claims 16 to 27.

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