Efficient lower layer splitting options enabling centralized beamforming for cascaded distributed multiple inputs and multiple outputs

Abstract

The network entity may be in a communication network, the communication network including a plurality of network nodes communicatively coupled to the network entity via a cascade topology. The network entity may transmit scheduling information to a first network node of the plurality of network nodes. The scheduling information may indicate a user layer to be used for communication with the communication device. The network entity may further receive an indication of intermediate beamforming weights from the first network node. The network entity may further determine a part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights based on the indication of the intermediate beamforming weights. The network entity may further communicate with the communication device via the first network node using the part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to communications, and more particularly to communication methods and associated devices and nodes that support wireless communications. [Background technology]

[0002] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a New Radio ("NR") network (e.g., a 5G network) that includes a fifth generation ("5G") core ("5GC") network 130, network nodes 120 (e.g., 5G base stations ("gNBs")), and multiple communication devices 110 (also referred to as user equipment ("UE")). Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to some embodiments, there is provided a method implemented by a network entity in a communication network. The communication network includes a plurality of network nodes communicatively coupled to the network entity via a cascade topology. The method includes transmitting scheduling information to a first network node of the plurality of network nodes. The scheduling information indicates a user layer to be used for communication with a communication device. The method further includes receiving an indication of intermediate beamforming weights from the first network node. The method further includes determining a part of frequency-domain beamforming weights based on the indication of the intermediate beamforming weights. The method further includes communicating with the communication device via the first network node using the part of frequency-domain beamforming weights.

[0004] According to another embodiment, there is provided a method implemented by a first network node of a plurality of network nodes in a communication network. The plurality of network nodes are communicatively coupled to a first network entity via a cascade topology. The method includes receiving scheduling information from a second network entity in the communication network, the scheduling information indicating a user layer to be used for communication with a communication device. The method further includes determining intermediate beamforming weights based on channel estimates associated with a channel between the first network node and the communication device. The method further includes transmitting an indication of the intermediate beamforming weights to the second network entity. The method further includes determining a portion of the frequency-domain beamforming weights based on the channel estimates. The method further includes communicating data between the second network entity and the communication device using the portion of the frequency-domain beamforming weights.

[0005] According to another embodiment, a network entity, a first network node, a computer program, computer program code, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium are certified for performing the above method.

[0006] Various embodiments herein provide one or more of the following technical advantages: In some embodiments, the superior performance of centralized beamforming is achieved in massive D-MIMO systems without the drawbacks of exponentially increased fronthaul load associated with connecting a large number of RUs to a BBU in a cascaded topology. By utilizing a cascaded topology, both deployment costs (due to the reduced number or length of fibers required) and system complexity (due to the reduced number of BBU ports required) can be significantly reduced compared to a star topology.

[0007] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate several non-limiting embodiments of the inventive concepts. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a fifth generation ("5G") network. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of multiple radio units ("RUs") communicatively coupled to a baseband unit ("BBU") via a star topology. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of multiple RUs communicatively coupled to a BBU via a cascade topology. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of multiple RUs communicatively coupled to a BBU for downlink (“DL”), in accordance with some embodiments of the inventive concept. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of multiple RUs communicatively coupled to a BBU for uplink (“UL”), in accordance with some embodiments of the inventive concept. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a communication device in accordance with some embodiments of the inventive concept. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a radio access network RAN ​​node (e.g., a base station eNB / gNB) in accordance with some embodiments of the inventive concept. [Figure 8] A block diagram illustrating a core network CN node (e.g., an AMF node, an SMF node, etc.) according to some embodiments of the inventive concept. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a network entity (eg, a BBU) in accordance with some embodiments of the inventive concept. [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of a first network node (eg, an RU) according to some embodiments of the inventive concept. [Figure 11]1 is a block diagram of a communication system according to some embodiments. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a user equipment according to some embodiments. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a network node according to some embodiments. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a host computer in communication with user equipment, according to some embodiments. [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a virtualized environment, according to some embodiments. [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a host computer communicating with user equipment via a base station over a partially wireless connection, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Examples of embodiments of the inventive concepts are shown, and the embodiments are provided as examples to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art. 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.

[0010] Massive multiple-input multiple-output ("MIMO") techniques were first adopted for implementation in long term evolution ("LTE") networks. In fifth generation ("5G") networks, massive MIMO techniques have become a key technology component and are deployed on a much larger scale than in LTE. Massive MIMO techniques are characterized by a large number of antennas used at the base station side, and the number of antennas is generally much larger than the number of user layers; for example, in Frequency Range 1 ("FR1") (which includes sub-6 GHz frequency bands), 64 antennas serve 8 or 16 user layers, and in Frequency Range 2 ("FR2") (which includes frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz), 256 / 512 antennas serve 2 or 4 layers.

[0011] As used herein, the term user layer can refer to an independent downlink ("DL") or uplink ("UL") data stream intended for one user. One user, or communication device (also referred to herein as user equipment ("UE")), can have one or multiple user layers. Massive MIMO is sometimes referred to as massive beamforming, which is capable of forming narrow beams focused in different directions to compensate for increased path loss in higher frequency bands. Massive MIMO also benefits multi-user MIMO, which enables transmission from / to multiple users simultaneously on separate spatial channels resolved by massive MIMO technology while maintaining high capacity for each user. Therefore, massive MIMO can significantly increase spectral efficiency and cell capacity.

[0012] On the base station side, the interface between the baseband unit ("BBU") and the radio unit ("RU") is the fronthaul interface, and the interface between the BBU and the core network ("CN") is the backhaul interface. The significant benefits of massive MIMO on the air interface also bring new challenges on the base station side. Legacy common public radio interface ("CPRI")-type fronthaul transports time-domain orthogonal ("IQ") samples per antenna branch. As the number of antennas scales up in a massive MIMO system, the required fronthaul capacity also increases proportionally, which significantly drives up fronthaul costs. To address this challenge, the fronthaul interface evolves from CPRI to enhanced CPRI ("eCPRI"), a packet-based fronthaul interface. In eCPRI, other functional splitting options between the BBU and the RU, called different lower layer splitting ("LLS") options, are supported. The basic idea is to move the frequency-domain beamforming function from the BBU to the RU so that user layer frequency samples or data are transported over the fronthaul interface. Note that frequency domain beamforming is sometimes referred to as precoding in the DL direction and equalization or pre-equalization in the UL direction. By doing this, the required fronthaul capacity, and therefore the fronthaul cost, can be significantly reduced since the number of user layers is typically much smaller than the number of antennas in massive MIMO.

[0013] Massively Distributed MIMO ("D-MIMO") may become important in the context of 5G evolution toward sixth generation ("6G"). Massively D-MIMO is also referred to as a cell-free massive MIMO system. Massively D-MIMO is generally assumed to be based on time division duplexing ("TDD"), which takes into account the reciprocity between the UL and DL channels. Figures 2-3 show an example of the core network 130, network node 120, and communication device 110 of Figure 1 implemented with D-MIMO.

[0014] In D-MIMO, multiple distributed RUs 224a-c connect to the BBU 222 via fronthaul links 250, 350. The RUs 224a-c are deployed over distances. The inter-RU distances can be short or long. The connection between the BBU 222 and the distributed RUs 224a-c can be either in a star topology, as shown in FIG. 2, where each RU 224a-c has a dedicated fronthaul link 250 to the BBU 222 and occupies a dedicated BBU port, or in a cascade topology, as shown in FIG. 3, where the RUs 224a-c share the same fiber connection 350 and the same BBU port, or a combination of the two topologies.

[0015] Compared with the star topology (FIG. 2), the cascade topology (FIG. 3) can help reduce deployment costs (e.g., fiber connections) and system complexity (e.g., BBU ports), especially considering that a large number of RUs are connected. In a massive D-MIMO system, multiple UEs can be served by two or more RUs simultaneously using the same time-frequency resources, and interference between UEs can be mitigated. Theoretically, best performance can be achieved if interference mitigation is performed centrally in the BBU, which uses all available antennas of all RUs for joint processing of all UEs and enables coherent transmission or reception. Partial mitigation can be achieved if interference mitigation is performed locally in each RU, which only uses antennas in each RU and has far fewer degrees of freedom than with central processing in the BBU.

[0016] The following provides definitions of relevant terminology used herein.

[0017] The term radio unit ("RU") may be used herein to refer to a network node (or portion of a network node) that performs radio functions, including portions of the physical layer ("PHY") functions, in accordance with the LLS option. The RU may perform conversion between radio frequency ("RF") signals and baseband signals. On the network side, the RU may transmit and receive frequency-domain IQ data (modulated user data) or unmodulated user data to and from a BBU through a fronthaul interface (e.g., eCPRI). The RU may also transmit and receive RF signals to and from a UE through the RU's antenna.

[0018] The term baseband unit ("BBU") may be used herein to refer to a network entity (e.g., a network node or portion of a network node) that performs baseband processing. The BBU may be communicatively coupled to a CN via a backhaul interface or to a central unit ("CU") via an F1 interface.

[0019] In an open radio access network ("O-RAN"), the BBU and RU may be referred to as the O-DU and O-RU, respectively. In D-MIMO terminology, the RU may also be referred to as the access point ("AP"), and the BBU may be referred to as the central processing unit ("CPU") or edge cloud processor. In some terminology, the RU may also be referred to as the remote radio unit ("RRU"), and the BBU may be referred to as the digital unit or distributed unit ("DU"). In eCPRI terminology, the BBU and RU may be referred to as the eCPRI radio equipment control ("eREC") and eCPRI radio equipment ("eRE"), respectively. In other terminology, the BBU and RU may be referred to as the LLS-CU and LLS-DU, respectively. The BBU and its equivalents may also be softwarized or virtualized as baseband processing functions in a cloud environment. The use of the terms BBU and RU herein does not limit the application of the innovation, and these terms may be used in any suitable wireless field.

[0020] The term beam may be used herein to refer to a directional beam formed by multiplying signals with different weights in the frequency domain at multiple antennas so that the energy of a desired signal is concentrated in a certain direction and / or the energy of an interfering signal is nulled in a certain direction.

[0021] The term beamforming may be used herein to refer to a technique of multiplying signals (in the frequency domain) with different weights at multiple antennas, allowing signal energy to be sent in space with a desired beam pattern by forming directional beams that converge in a direction, or by forming nulling in a direction, or a combination of both.

[0022] The term beamforming weight ("BFW") may be used herein to refer to one or more sets of complex weights, each set being multiplied by the signals of one user layer on a subcarrier or group of subcarriers. The weighted signals of different user layers toward the same antenna or transmit beam are linearly combined. As a result, different user layer signals are beamformed in different directions.

[0023] The term user layer may be used herein to refer to an independent downlink or uplink data stream intended for one user (or one user device). In some examples, one user or UE may have one or more user layers.

[0024] The terms desired cell and desired channel may be used herein to refer to a cell / channel connecting to the K user layer UEs.

[0025] The term user plane data may be used herein to refer to frequency domain user layer data sent over the fronthaul.

[0026] The term beamforming performance may be used herein to refer to signal quality in DL at the UE side after beamforming is performed at the base station side, measured, for example, by post-processing the signal-to-interference-and-noise-power ratio ("SINR") at the UE, resulting user throughput, bit rate, etc. In the UL, the term beamforming performance refers to signal quality at the base station side after beamforming is performed at the base station side, measured, for example, by post-processing the signal-to-interference-and-noise-power ratio ("SINR") at the base station side, resulting user throughput, bit rate, etc.

[0027] The term channel information may be used herein to refer to information about channel characteristics conveyed by channel values. A channel value (also called channel data) may refer to one or a set of complex values ​​that represent the amplitude and phase of a channel coefficient in the frequency domain. The channel value relates to the frequency response of a wireless channel.

[0028] Currently, several challenges exist. Centralized massive D-MIMO works best, but implementations are constrained by the fronthaul network because centralized signal processing requires a large amount of fronthaul data (e.g., user plane signals for user layer data and control plane signals for channel information and beamforming weights) to be exchanged between the BBU and the RU. In the case of a star topology deployment, this requires many high-speed RU-BBU fronthaul (“FH”) links, each of which connects one RU to one port of the BBU. This means that the required number of ports on the BBU is the same as the number of connected RUs. Having a BBU with an extremely large number of ports may become infeasible when the number of connected RUs becomes large. To reduce the number of required ports, fronthaul traffic can be aggregated using Ethernet switches or IP routers. However, this may dramatically increase the traffic on the aggregated ports / links and therefore increase costs. The same problem may occur for a cascade topology deployment. Fronthaul traffic may grow rapidly, creating more and more traffic load on the fronthaul links closer to the BBUs in the cascade chain.

[0029] Furthermore, in order for the BBU to perform centralized beamforming in DL, the associated BFW needs to be obtained at the BBU.

[0030] If channel estimation is performed in each RU, then each RU will need to send its estimated channel data to the BBU via a fronthaul link so that the BBU can obtain the channel data from all RRUs and calculate the BFW. l denotes the number of antennas in RU l, and K lLet ℓ denote the number of user layers served by RU l. The amount of channel data sent from RU l is K ℓ per physical resource block ("PRB") bundle when channel estimation is performed on one subcarrier per PRB bundle. l ×N l The aggregation of channel data from a large number of RUs will dramatically increase the traffic load in both aggregated star topologies (on aggregated fronthaul links) and cascaded topologies (on fronthaul links closer to the BBU).

[0031] If channel estimation is performed in the BBU, each RU will need to send a received reference signal (if channel estimation in the UL is to be used in the DL based on reciprocity) to the BBU via the fronthaul link. The amount of data sent from RU l is N l As in the previous case, aggregation of reference signals will dramatically increase the traffic load in both aggregated star topologies (on aggregated fronthaul links) and cascaded topologies (on fronthaul links closer to the BBU).

[0032] For the above reasons, compromise solutions include partially centralized processing that relies on large-scale channel statistics (slow, not instantaneous, channel information), or fully distributed processing (i.e., interference mitigation performed locally at each RU). By implementing such processing, the exchange of instantaneous channel information between the BBU and the RU can be reduced or avoided, but at the expense of reduced spectral efficiency compared to fully centralized processing.

[0033] Some aspects of the present disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these and other problems. Various embodiments herein provide an efficient LLS option to enable centralized processing of massive D-MIMO in a cascaded topology in both DL and UL that considers a minimum mean squared error ("MMSE")-based beamforming algorithm. The new LLS option reduces the FH data related to channel information and allows the FH data to scale with the number of user layers served instead of the total number of antennas of all RUs in the system.

[0034] In some embodiments, channel estimation is performed locally at each RU and stored in a channel state memory at each RU. Each RU can calculate an intermediate BFW (e.g., a covariance matrix of each RU's local channel matrix), with the dimension of these intermediate BFWs scaling only with the number of user layers served by that RU. Each intermediate RU in the chain combines its own intermediate BFW with the intermediate BFW received (possibly combined) from the previous RU in the chain and forwards the updated combined intermediate BFW to the next RU. The BBU can send scheduling information, including user layer identification information, to each RU to assist in the proper combining of the intermediate BFWs at each intermediate RU. This process continues until the intermediate BFW arrives at the BBU. The BBU calculates a first part of a BFW for centralized interference mitigation based on the received combined intermediate BFW. The BBU then performs beamforming for the first part based on the BFW for the first part, and each RU performs beamforming for the second part based on the local channel estimates stored in its channel state memory.

[0035] Some embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages: Some embodiments herein achieve superior performance of centralized beamforming in a massive D-MIMO system without the drawback of exponentially increasing fronthaul load associated with connecting a large number of RUs to a BBU in a cascaded topology. The required fronthaul load in the user plane ("UP") and control plane ("CP") associated with the proposed BFW will scale only with the total number of served user layers. For example, the FH load is independent of 1) the number of cascaded RUs, 2) the number of scheduled user layers in each RU, and 3) the number of equipped antennas in each RU. Some embodiments not only reduce the required fronthaul capacity to support centralized beamforming for a D-MIMO system, but also result in more balanced traffic loads on the links between different RUs and between the RU and the BBU. In some embodiments, by utilizing a cascaded topology, both deployment costs (due to the reduced number or length of required fibers) and system complexity (due to the reduced number of required BBU ports) can be significantly reduced compared to a star topology.

[0036] 6 is a block diagram illustrating elements of a communications device UE 600 (also referred to as a mobile terminal, mobile communications terminal, wireless device, wireless communications device, wireless terminal, mobile device, 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. (Communications device 600 may be provided, for example, as described below with respect to wireless devices UE 1112A, UE 1112B and wired or wireless devices UE 1112C, UE 1112D of FIG. 11 , UE 1200 of FIG. 12 , virtualization hardware 1504 and virtual machines 1508A, 1508B of FIG. 15 , and UE 1606 of FIG. 16 , all of which are considered interchangeable in the examples and embodiments described herein unless otherwise noted and are to be within the intended scope of the present disclosure.) As shown, communications device UE (e.g., 15. The communications device UE may include an antenna 307 (corresponding to antenna 1222) and a transceiver circuit 301 (e.g., corresponding to interface 1212 of FIG. 12 having transmitter 1218 and receiver 1220, also referred to as a transceiver) including a transmitter and a receiver configured to provide uplink and downlink wireless communications with base station(s) of a radio access network (e.g., corresponding to network nodes 1110A, 1110B of FIG. 11, network node 1300 of FIG. 13, and network node 1604 of FIG. 16, also referred to as a RAN node). The communications device UE may also include a processing circuit 603 (e.g., corresponding to processing circuit 1202 of FIG. 12 and control system 1512 of FIG. 15, also referred to as a processor) coupled to the transceiver circuit, and a memory circuit 605 (e.g., corresponding to memory 1210 of FIG. 15, also referred to as a memory) coupled to the processing circuit. The memory circuit 605 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuit 603, causes the processing circuit to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuit 603 may be defined to include memory such that a separate memory circuit is not required.The communication device UE may also include an interface (such as a user interface) coupled to the processing circuit 603 and / or the communication device UE may be incorporated into a vehicle.

[0037] As described herein, operations of the communication device UE may be performed by the processing circuitry 603 and / or the transceiver circuitry 601. For example, the processing circuitry 603 may control the transceiver circuitry 601 to transmit communications through the transceiver circuitry 601 over an air interface to a radio access network node (also called a base station) and / or receive communications through the transceiver circuitry 601 over an air interface from a RAN node. Moreover, modules may be stored in the memory circuitry 605 that, when executed by the processing circuitry 603, cause the processing circuitry 603 to perform respective operations (e.g., operations described below with respect to exemplary embodiments relating to wireless communication devices). According to some embodiments, the communication device UE 600 and / or its element(s) / function(s) may be embodied as one or more virtual nodes and / or one or more virtual machines.

[0038] 7 is a block diagram illustrating elements of a radio access network (RAN) node 700 (also referred to as a network node, base station, eNodeB / eNB, gNodeB / gNB, etc.) of a RAN configured to provide cellular communications, in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept. (The RAN node 700 may be provided, for example, as described below with reference to network nodes 1110A, 1110B of FIG. 11 , network node 1300 of FIG. 13 , hardware 1504 or virtual machines 1508A, 1508B of FIG. 15 , and / or base station 1604 of FIG. 16 , all of which are considered interchangeable in the examples and embodiments described herein unless otherwise noted and are within the intended scope of the present disclosure.) As shown, the RAN node may include transceiver circuitry 701 (also referred to as a transceiver, e.g., corresponding to portions of RF transceiver circuitry 1312 and radio front-end circuitry 1318 of FIG. 13 ) including a transmitter and a receiver configured to provide uplink and downlink wireless communications with mobile terminals. The RAN node may include a network interface circuit 707 (e.g., corresponding to a portion of the communication interface 1306 of FIG. 13 ) configured to provide communication 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 703 (e.g., corresponding to a portion of the processing circuit 1302 of FIG. 13 ) coupled to the transceiver circuit, and a memory circuit 705 (e.g., corresponding to a memory 1304 of FIG. 13 ) coupled to the processing circuit. The memory circuit 705 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuit 703, causes the processing circuit to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuit 703 may be defined to include memory such that a separate memory circuit is not required.

[0039] As described herein, operations of the RAN node may be performed by the processing circuitry 703, the network interface 707, and / or the transceiver 701. For example, the processing circuitry 703 may control the transceiver 701 to transmit downlink communications through the transceiver 701 over the air interface to one or more mobile terminals UE and / or receive uplink communications through the transceiver 701 from one or more mobile terminals UE over the air interface. Similarly, the processing circuitry 703 may control the network interface 407 to transmit communications through the network interface 707 to one or more other network nodes and / or receive communications from one or more other network nodes through the network interface. Moreover, modules may be stored in the memory 705 that, when executed by the processing circuitry 703, provide instructions that cause the processing circuitry 703 to perform respective operations (e.g., operations described below with respect to exemplary embodiments relating to a RAN node). According to some embodiments, the RAN node 700 and / or its element(s) / function(s) may be embodied as one or more virtual nodes and / or one or more virtual machines.

[0040] According to some other embodiments, the network node may be implemented as a core network CN node lacking a transceiver. In such embodiments, a transmission to the wireless communication device UE may be initiated by the network node such that the transmission to the wireless communication device UE 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.

[0041] 8 is a block diagram illustrating elements of a core network (CN) node (e.g., an SMF (Session Management Function) node, an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) node, etc.) of a communications network configured to provide cellular communications, in accordance with an embodiment of the inventive concept. (The CN node 800 may be provided, for example, as described below with respect to the core network node 1108 of FIG. 11 , the hardware 1504 of FIG. 15 , or the virtual machines 1508A, 1508B, all of which, unless otherwise noted, are considered interchangeable in the examples and embodiments described herein and are within the intended scope of the present disclosure.) As shown, the CN node may include a network interface circuit 807 configured to provide communications with other nodes of the core network and / or radio access network RAN. The CN node may also include a processing circuit 803 (also referred to as a processor) coupled to the network interface circuit, and a memory circuit 805 (also referred to as memory) coupled to the processing circuit. The memory circuitry 805 may include computer-readable program code that, when executed by the processing circuitry 803, causes the processing circuitry to perform operations according to embodiments disclosed herein. According to other embodiments, the processing circuitry 803 may be defined to include memory such that a separate memory circuitry is not required.

[0042] As described herein, the operations of the CN node may be performed by the processing circuitry 803 and / or the network interface circuitry 807. For example, the processing circuitry 803 may control the network interface circuitry 807 to transmit communications to one or more other network nodes through the network interface circuitry 807 and / or to receive communications from one or more other network nodes through the network interface circuitry. Moreover, modules may be stored in the memory 505 that, when executed by the processing circuitry 503, cause the processing circuitry 503 to perform respective operations (e.g., operations described below with respect to exemplary embodiments relating to core network nodes). According to some embodiments, the CN node 500 and / or its element(s) / function(s) may be embodied as one or more virtual nodes and / or one or more virtual machines.

[0043] 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of handling DL signals, according to some embodiments. In some examples, a total of K user layers are served by a BBU 222 connected to L RUs 224a-c cascaded in a daisy chain, as shown in FIG. 3. RU 224a is an RU with a fronthaul interface connecting to BBU 222. Each RU 1 has N l It is equipped with K antennas. l (K l ≦K) user layers, whose indices are in the set R for l=1,...,L. l Note that in this context, RU l serving a certain user layer k means that the channel between RU l and user layer k is set up (e.g., by BBU 222) to be measured, and this channel information is used to serve wireless communication to user layer k. lThe desired DL channels between the user layers are given by TIFF0007734828000001.tif5170. For simplicity, without loss of generality, we use the channel H l and the channel estimate The representation of TIFF0007734828000002.tif5170 is not distinguished in the following derivation. l For K user layers in a network, if a certain user layer k is not measured by RU l (meaning that the channel information is not used by RU l), the channel between RU l and user layer k is 0 T which can be shown as 1×N l are zero vectors. The kth row of TIFF0007734828000003.tif5170 is The expanded channel matrix is ​​TIFF0007734828000004.tif11170 Specify TIFF0007734828000005.tif5170.

[0044] Since the BBU 222 performs centralized beamforming, it is considered that L RUs form a large antenna array equivalently. Without loss of generality, the effective channel of the large antenna array assembled by all RUs 224a-c is It can be represented as TIFF0007734828000006.tif7170.

[0045] For centralized reciprocity-assisted transmission ("RAT") in DL, the beamforming weights are It can be calculated as TIFF0007734828000007.tif17170.

[0046] where H H is the Hermitian transpose of H, I is the K × K identity matrix, and δ 2 For example, HH His a normalization factor that can be calculated based on the trace of σ and the interference and noise power. 2 When = 0, it is equivalent to zero-forcing ("ZF") based beamforming.

[0047] TIFF0007734828000008.tif15170, matrix The element at row k and column k' of TIFF0007734828000009.tif6170 is Note that the image is represented as TIFF0007734828000010.tif13170.

[0048] So, essentially, TIFF0007734828000011.tif6170 is TIFF0007734828000012.tif6170, and its elements are l The inputs are arranged in a K×K matrix indexed by

[0049] Therefore, H l After obtaining the channel estimate of TIFF0007734828000013.tif6170 may be calculated in each RU l. According to the present invention, each RU 224a-c calculates a composite intermediate BFW and forwards the composite intermediate BFW to the next RU 224a-c in the cascade chain. Thus, RU l also receives the composite intermediate BFW C from the previous RU. com To distinguish between the received combined intermediate BFW and the updated combined intermediate BFW at RU l, the received combined intermediate BFW from the previous RU is also com,prev where, for RU l, TIFF0007734828000014.tif8170. RU l composite intermediate BFW C com When updating, RU l, Do TIFF0007734828000015.tif25170.

[0050] In this process, C com Note that the dimension of is always K×K, i.e., its dimension does not increase with respect to the number L of RUs.

[0051] Furthermore, C com is always a Hermitian matrix, which means Note that this means that the file is TIFF0007734828000016.tif5170. com Transporting only the upper or lower triangular component of C com C is sufficient to convey the information carried by com The upper triangle of is constructed from all entries above and including the main diagonal entries. com The lower triangular component of is constructed by all entries including the lower and upper diagonal entries of the main diagonal. In this case, the number of intermediate BFWs that need to be transported between the cascade RUs 224a-c and between the RU 224a and the BBU 222 is K 2 From (K 2 +K) / 2. RU l is reduced from the previous RU to C com If you receive the upper or lower triangular components of C, RU l l Use the upper or lower triangular components of com You just need to update the

[0052] Then, the BBU 222 generates the aggregate composite intermediate BFW from RU1. You will receive TIFF0007734828000017.tif8170. C com,u Denoted by, C com If only the upper triangle of C is received, the BBU com of, Restore as TIFF0007734828000018.tif13170.

[0053] where [Ccom,u (k',k)] * is C com,u denotes the complex conjugate of (k',k). C com,l Denoted by, C com If only the lower triangular component of C is received, the BBU 222 com of, Restore as TIFF0007734828000019.tif13170.

[0054] Received or restored C com =HH H Using this, the BBU 222 also calculates the normalization factor δ 2 , and thus the first part of the BFW W BBU =(HH H +δ 2 I) -1 =(C com +δ 2 I) -1 can be calculated.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 4, the BBU 22 uses the first part of the BFW W to perform beamforming on the first part of the K user layer symbols. BBU In this way, the number of DL user plane data streams is equal to K.

[0056] As shown in equation (2), the effective BFW applied to the user layer signal at RU l is TIFF0007734828000020.tif6170, where TIFF0007734828000021.tif6170 may be obtained based on local channel estimation at RU l. If the number of user layers served by RU l is less than the total number of layers, the complexity of the second part of the beamforming may be reduced by performing the second part of the beamforming only on the user layer signals served by RU l (avoiding multiplication with a zero-valued BFW). Since TIFF0007734828000022.tif6170 has some zero vector columns according to formula (1), it is TIFF0007734828000023.tif6170, where in RU l: TIFF0007734828000024.tif6170 is W BBU From K l The row indices are assembled by the selected rows, and the row indices are in the set R. l In some embodiments, the same K user layer signals after the first part of beamforming is performed in the BBU 222 are transported from the BBU 222 to the RUs 224a-c via the RU 224a. In this case, Applying TIFF0007734828000025.tif6170 is RU l, R l According to the index indicated by K l This can be achieved by selecting the user layer signals. Then, RU 1 selects the BFW of the second part. TIFF0007734828000026.tif6170 by K l The second part of the user layer signals is beamformed.

[0057] By doing so, some embodiments may use the H for l=1,...,L acquired by each RU, which imposes much higher requirements on fronthaul capacity compared to the requirements on fronthaul capacity of the present invention. l (2) without requiring all instantaneous channel estimates of .times. ...

[0058] 4 from the perspective of the RUs 224a-c are described below. The operations may be performed by a first radio unit (RU) 224a of a distributed base station system, the first RU 224a including N1 antennas, the distributed base station system further including a baseband unit (BBU) 222 connected to the first RU 224a over a fronthaul link, a second RU 224b connected to the first RU 224a over an RU link, the second RU 224b including N2 antennas, and a third RU 224c connected to the second RU 224b over an RU link, the third RU 224c including N3 antennas.

[0059] In some embodiments, the operation comprises: The operations may further include obtaining a first downlink (DL) channel estimate for the first RU 224a, shown as TIFF0007734828000027.tif5170. In some examples, the channel estimate is between the first RU and several user layers, and its size is shown as K1. In additional or alternative examples, the channel estimate is based on a reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (“SRS”)) transmitted by the served UE. The operations may further include storing the channel estimate in a channel state memory. Essentially, the channel state memory stores the most recent channel estimates for all served UEs.

[0060] The operations may further include receiving scheduling information from the BBU 222 (e.g., from a scheduler) indicating which user layers are to be transmitted in the next transmission time interval (“TTI”) and which user layers will be served by each RU 224a-c, and forwarding the scheduling information to the second RU 224b, which will also forward the scheduling information to the subsequent RU 224c (as well as any other RUs connected in the cascade chain). In some examples, the RU 224a may receive channel estimates for the scheduled user layers of the first RU 224a. Extract TIFF0007734828000028.tif5170 from channel state memory.

[0061] The operation is performed by first calculating a channel estimate TIFF0007734828000029.tif5170. In some examples, the first part of the intermediate BFW may further include determining a first part C1 of the intermediate BFW to be used for centralized interference mitigation at the BBU 222 based on the first part C1 of the intermediate BFW. This can be determined by TIFF0007734828000030.tif5170.

[0062] The operations may further include receiving, from the second RU 224b, a combined intermediate BFW based on C2 and C3 to be used for centralized interference cancellation at the BBU 222, where C2 is a second channel estimate C3 is the third channel estimate determined by the second RU 224b based on TIFF0007734828000031.tif5170 In some examples, the received composite intermediate BFW is assembled by an upper triangular component or a lower triangular component.

[0063] The operations may further include combining the first intermediate BFW C1 with a received combined intermediate BFW that is based on C2 and C3. If the row dimension of TIFF0007734828000033.tif5170, i.e., K1, is equal to the total number K of user layers served by the BBU, then the matrix dimension of C1 will be the same as the received composite intermediate BFW. Combining is then performed by directly adding C1 and the received composite intermediate BFW matrix. If the row dimension of TIFF0007734828000034.tif5170, i.e., K1, is smaller than the total number of user layers served by the BBU, combining is performed by adding elements of C1 to some elements of the received combined intermediate BFW matrix. The corresponding index information of where the addition is performed is indicated by the received scheduling information. If the received combined intermediate BFW contains only the upper or lower triangular component, combining is performed based on the upper or lower triangular component of C1.

[0064] The operations may further include sending a combined intermediate BFW based on C1, C2, and C3 to a next unit in an uplink direction of the distributed base station system. In an example where the operations are performed by the first RU 224a, the next unit is the BBU 222. In another example where the operations are performed by another RU 224b-c in the chain, the next unit is another RU (e.g., 224a-b). In additional or alternative examples, the sent combined intermediate BFW includes only the upper or lower triangular component.

[0065] The operations may further include receiving, from the BBU 222, K user layer downlink data streams to be sent to a number of UEs, where K is a total number of user layers served by the BBU 222. The K data streams include frequency-domain complex symbols (in-phase and quadrature (IQ) data) after a first part of beamforming is performed in the BBU 222.

[0066] The operations may further include forwarding the K user layer downlink data streams to the second RU 224b.

[0067] The operation involves using a first channel estimate stored in a channel state memory and extracted from the channel state memory. TIFF0007734828000035.tif5170. In some examples, the frequency domain BFW may be TIFF0007734828000036.tif5170, which implements maximum ratio transmission ("MRT") as the second part of frequency domain beamforming.

[0068] The operations may further include extracting K1 user layer IQ data from among the K received data streams for further beamforming. Identifying the K1 user layers for the first RU 224a is based on the received scheduling information from the BBU 222. Performing frequency-domain beamforming based on the determined BFW on each subcarrier and the K1 user layer IQ data by multiplying the IQ data by the BFW on each subcarrier.

[0069] The operations may further include sending the beamformed signal to a next step of the transmitter.

[0070] 4 from the perspective of the BBU 222 are described below. The operations may be performed by a baseband unit (BBU) 222 system of a wireless communication network. The wireless communication network may include a distributed base station system having the BBU 222, a first RU 224a connected to the BBU 222 over a fronthaul link, where the first RU 224 may include N antennas, a second RU 224b connected to the first RU 224a over an RU link, where the second RU 224b is equipped with N antennas, and a third RU 224c connected to the second RU 224b over an RU link, where the third RU 224c includes N antennas.

[0071] The operations may include sending scheduling information from the BBU 222 (scheduler) to the first RU 224a indicating which user layers should be transmitted in the next TTI and which user layers will be served by each RU 224a-c. The first RU 224a will forward the scheduling information to the second RU 224b, which will also forward the scheduling information to subsequent RUs connected in the cascade chain.

[0072] The operations may further include receiving, from the first RU 224a via a fronthaul link, a combined intermediate BFW based on a first part C1 of the intermediate BFW, a second part C2 of the intermediate BFW, and a third part C3 of the intermediate BFW, wherein the first part C1 of the intermediate BFW is a first channel estimate of a wireless communication channel H1 in a frequency domain between the N1 antennas and the number of UEs. The second part C2 of the intermediate BFW is determined by the first RU 224a based on TIFF0007734828000037.tif5170, and the ... The third part C3 of the intermediate BFW is determined by the second RU 224b based on TIFF0007734828000038.tif5170, and the ... TIFF0007734828000039.tif5170. In some examples, the UEs served by different RUs may be the same UE or different UEs. If the received composite intermediate BFW contains only the upper or lower triangular component, the operation is to use the original composite intermediate BFW C com The restoring may further include restoring C com can be based on the Hermitian symmetry of

[0073] The operation is performed by receiving or restoring the composite intermediate BFW C com Based on BFW Part 1 W BBU In some examples, the first part of the BFW may further include determining W BBU =(C com +δ 2 I) -1 where δ 2 is C com where I is a K×K identity matrix. 2 can be equal to 0.

[0074] The operation is the first part of BFW BBU and the modulated symbols of the K user layers in the DL, determining K beamformed user layer downlink data streams.

[0075] The operations may further include sending the K beamformed user layer DL data streams to be sent to a number of UEs via a fronthaul link to the first RU 224a, where K is a total number of user layers served by the BBU 222.

[0076] The same operation can be implemented in the UL direction if an MMSE-based beamforming algorithm is to be used, as shown in Figure 5. In this example, each RU l, for l=1,...,L, is UL channel estimation for each of TIFF0007734828000040.tif6170 and the lth part of the intermediate BFW TIFF0007734828000041.tif6170. The channel estimate is saved and the composite intermediate BFW C com,UL is obtained similarly to the DL process by combining the intermediate BFW at RU l with the received combined intermediate BFW from the previous RU. Based on TIFF0007734828000042.tif13170.

[0077] Final synthesis intermediate BFW TIFF0007734828000043.tif8170 is also a K × K matrix that will be sent to the BBU 222 over the fronthaul interface via the RU 224a. As in the DL direction, C com,UL The transport of C com,UL can be based on only the upper or lower triangle of

[0078] The BBU 222 then outputs the received composite intermediate BFW C com,UL Based on the second part of BFW Calculate as TIFF0007734828000044.tif7170.

[0079] In RU l, it also includes the first part of BFW Determine TIFF0007734828000045.tif6170 and the first part of BFW W RU l,UL Using the received UL signal The first part of the beamforming is performed in TIFF0007734828000046.tif5170. By doing so, it is possible to obtain the intermediate received signal. Get TIFF0007734828000047.tif6170. Let TIFF0007734828000048.tif5170 show the enlarged intermediate received signal, where: The file is TIFF0007734828000049.tif13170.

[0080] RU l also receives the composite intermediate received signal y from the previous RU. com In order to distinguish between the received composite intermediate signal and the updated composite intermediate signal in RU l, the received composite intermediate signal is also com,prev where: TIFF0007734828000050.tif8170. RU l is the intermediate signal y l and received y com,prev and using TIFF0007734828000051.tif13170 by y com Update

[0081] Updated y com and updated y com RU 224a then sends the final combined intermediate signal y com Send.

[0082] The BBU 222 then receives the beamformed received signal r=W BBU,UL y com To get the second part of BFW W BBU,UL By using com The second part of the beamforming is performed.

[0083] In some embodiments, the control plane data (i.e., the composite intermediate BFW C com,UL) and user plane data (i.e., composite intermediate received signal y com ) are communicated in a dimension that is related only to the number of user layers K, not to the number of RUs L.

[0084] In the following description, a network entity may be any of the BBU 222, the RAN node 700, the network nodes 1110A, 1110B, 1300, 1606, the hardware 1504, or the virtual machines 1508A, 1508B, however, the RAN node 700 will be used to describe the operational functionality of the network entity. Next, the operation of the RAN node 700 (implemented using the structure of FIG. 7) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9, in accordance with some embodiments of the inventive concept. For example, modules may be stored in the memory 705 of FIG. 7, and these modules may provide instructions such that, when the instructions of the modules are executed by the respective RAN node processing circuitry 703, the processing circuitry 703 performs the respective operations of the flowchart.

[0085] 9 illustrates an example of operations performed by a network entity in a communications network including a plurality of network nodes communicatively coupled to the network entity via a cascade topology. In some embodiments, the network entity includes a baseband unit (BBU), and each network node of the plurality of network nodes includes a radio unit (RU) with one or more antennas.

[0086] At block 910, the processing circuit 703 transmits the scheduling information via the network interface 707 to a first network node of the plurality of network nodes.

[0087] At block 920, the processing circuit 703 receives an indication of intermediate beamforming weights via the network interface 707. In some embodiments, receiving the indication of intermediate beamforming weights includes receiving, from a first network node, an indication of composite intermediate beamforming weights (e.g., C com ), where the composite intermediate beamforming weight is a composite of intermediate beamforming weights (e.g., C1 and C2 of FIGS. 4-5) each associated with one of the plurality of network nodes.

[0088] In additional or alternative embodiments, the composite intermediate beamforming weights are Hermitian matrices of size K×K, where K is the total number of user layers served by the network entity.

[0089] In additional or alternative embodiments, the indication of the combined intermediate beamforming weights is an indication of the upper or lower triangle component of a Hermitian matrix.

[0090] In a further or alternative embodiment, the Hermitian matrix is ​​a covariance matrix of a channel estimate for a channel between the first network node and the communication device.

[0091] In block 930, the processing circuitry 703 generates a part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights (e.g., the W BBUIn some embodiments, determining the portion of the frequency-domain beamforming weights includes determining a normalization factor based on the intermediate beamforming weights, determining an identity matrix of size K×K, where K is a total number of user layers served by the network entity, and determining the portion of the frequency-domain beamforming weights based on the inverse of an addition of the intermediate beamforming weights and a multiplication of the identity matrix and the normalization factor.

[0092] At block 940, the processing circuit 703 communicates with the communication device via the first network node using the part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights via the network interface 707. In some embodiments, communicating with the communication device includes determining an intermediate downlink (DL) signal based on DL data associated with the communication device and the part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights, and transmitting the intermediate DL signal to the first network node. In additional or alternative embodiments, determining the intermediate DL signal includes determining a beamformed user layer DL data stream based on modulated symbols of a user layer associated with the communication device and based on the part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights.

[0093] In a further or alternative embodiment, communicating with the communication device includes receiving an intermediate uplink (UL) signal associated with the communication device from a first network node, and determining a beamformed received signal associated with the communication device based on the intermediate UL signal and a portion of the frequency-domain beamforming weights. In a further or alternative embodiment, receiving the intermediate UL signal includes receiving a combined intermediate UL signal from the first network node, the combined intermediate UL signal being a combination of intermediate UL signals each associated with one of a plurality of network nodes, and determining the intermediate UL signal based on the combined intermediate UL signal.

[0094] Various operations from the flowchart of FIG. 9 may be optional with respect to some embodiments of network entities and related methods.

[0095] In the following description, the first network node may be any of the RUs 224a-c, the RAN node 700, the network nodes 1110A, 1110B, 1300, 1606, the hardware 1504, or the virtual machines 1508A, 1508B, but the RAN node 700 will be used to describe the operational features of the first network node. Next, the operation of the RAN node 700 (implemented using the structure of FIG. 7) will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 10, according to some embodiments of the inventive concept. For example, modules may be stored in the memory 705 of FIG. 7, and these modules may provide instructions such that, when the instructions of the modules are executed by the respective RAN node processing circuitry 703, the processing circuitry 703 performs the respective operations of the flowchart.

[0096] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of operations performed by a first network node of a plurality of network nodes in a communications network, the plurality of network nodes being communicatively coupled to a first network entity via a cascade topology.

[0097] At block 1010, the processing circuit 703 determines a channel estimate associated with a channel between the first network node and the communication device.

[0098] In block 1020, processing circuit 703 stores the channel estimate in local memory.

[0099] At block 1030, the processing circuit 703 receives scheduling information from a second network entity via the network interface 707. In some embodiments, the second network entity is a first network entity and includes a baseband unit (BBU), and each network node of the plurality of network nodes includes a radio unit (RU) with one or more antennas. In alternative embodiments, the first network entity includes a baseband unit (BBU), and the plurality of network nodes includes a second network entity, and each network node of the plurality of network nodes includes a radio unit (RU) with one or more antennas.

[0100] At block 1040, the processing circuit 703 transmits the scheduling information via the network interface 707 to a second network node of a plurality of network nodes communicatively coupled to the first network entity via the cascade topology.

[0101] At block 1050, the processing circuit 703 determines intermediate beamforming weights based on the channel estimates. In some embodiments, the intermediate beamforming weights include a first intermediate beamforming weight (e.g., C1 in FIGS. 4-5). Sending the indication of the intermediate beamforming weights may include receiving an indication of a second intermediate beamforming weight (e.g., C2 in FIGS. 4-5) from a second network node of the plurality of network nodes and sending an indication of a composite intermediate beamforming weight (e.g., C com and sending an indication of the combined intermediate beamforming weight to the second network entity.

[0102] In additional or alternative embodiments, the first intermediate beamforming weight, the second intermediate beamforming weight, and the composite intermediate beamforming weight are each a Hermitian matrix of size K×K, where K is the total number of user layers.

[0103] In additional or alternative embodiments, the indication of the first intermediate beamforming weight, the indication of the second beamforming weight, and the indication of the combined intermediate beamforming weight are each indications of the upper or lower triangular elements of their respective Hermitian matrices.

[0104] In an additional or alternative embodiment, the Hermitian matrix associated with the first intermediate beamforming weight is the covariance matrix of the channel estimate.

[0105] At block 1060, the processing circuit 703 sends an indication of the intermediate beamforming weights to the second network entity via the network interface 707.

[0106] At block 1070, the processing circuit 703 determines the portion of the frequency-domain beamforming weights based on the channel estimates. In some embodiments, determining the portion of the frequency-domain beamforming weights includes determining a conjugate of the channel estimates. In additional or alternative embodiments, determining the portion of the frequency-domain beamforming weights includes retrieving the channel estimates from a local memory based on scheduling information.

[0107] At block 1080, the processing circuit 703 communicates data between the second network entity and the communication device using the part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights via the transceiver 701 and the network interface 707. In some embodiments, receiving the scheduling information includes receiving an indication of a user layer to be transmitted in a next transmission time interval. Communicating the data may include receiving an intermediate downlink (DL) signal from the second network entity, generating a beamformed DL signal based on the intermediate DL signal and the part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights, and transmitting the beamformed DL signal to the communication device.

[0108] In a further or alternative embodiment, receiving the intermediate DL signal includes receiving a user layer downlink data stream to be transmitted to the communication device, and generating the beamformed DL signal includes extracting user layer in-phase and quadrature (IQ) data from the user layer downlink data stream based on the scheduling information, and generating the beamformed DL signal based on the user layer IQ data and part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights.

[0109] In some embodiments (DL where the first network node is not the last network node in the chain of network nodes), in block 1085, the processing circuit 703 transmits the intermediate DL signal to the second network node via the network interface 707.

[0110] In a further or alternative embodiment, receiving scheduling information includes receiving an indication of a user layer to be received in a next transmission time interval. Communicating data includes receiving an uplink (UL) signal from the communication device, generating an intermediate UL signal based on the UL signal and a portion of the frequency-domain beamforming weights, and transmitting the intermediate UL signal to a second network entity. In a further or alternative embodiment, the intermediate UL signal is a first intermediate UL signal. Transmitting the intermediate UL signal to the second network entity includes receiving a second intermediate UL signal from the second network node, combining the first intermediate UL signal and the second intermediate UL signal to form a combined intermediate UL signal, and transmitting the combined intermediate UL signal to the second network entity.

[0111]

[0112] 10 may be optional with respect to some embodiments of the network entities and associated methods, for example, blocks 1010, 1020, 1040, and 1085 may be optional.

[0113] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a communication system 1100, according to some embodiments.

[0114] In this example, the communications system 1100 includes a communications network 1102 including an access network 1104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 1106 including one or more core network nodes 1108. The access network 1104 includes one or more access network nodes (one or more of which may be generically referred to as network nodes 1110), such as network nodes 1110a and 1110b, or any other similar Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. The network nodes 1110 facilitate direct or indirect connectivity of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 1112a, 1112b, 1112c, and 1112d (one or more of which may be generically referred to as UEs 1112), to the core network 1106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0115] Exemplary wireless communication over a wireless connection includes sending and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, communication system 1100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals, whether via a wired or wireless connection. Communication system 1100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, wireless network, and / or other similar type systems.

[0116] The UE 1112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including a wireless device configured, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network node 1110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network node 1110 is configured, capable of, configured, and / or operable to communicate, directly or indirectly, with the UE 1112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the communications network 1102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration, in the communications network 1102.

[0117] In the illustrated example, the core network 1106 connects the network node 1110 to one or more hosts, such as the host 1116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediate networks or devices. In other examples, the network node may be directly coupled to the host. The core network 1106 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., the core network node 1108) structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, and therefore, those descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 1108. Exemplary core network nodes include one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Home Subscriber Server (HSS), an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), a Session Management Function (SMF), an Authentication Server Function (AUSF), a Subscription Identifier De-concealing Function (SIDF), a Unified Data Management (UDM), a Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), a Network Publishing Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0118] The host 1116 may be owned or under the control of, and operated by or on behalf of, a service provider other than the operator or provider of the access network 1104 and / or the communication network 1102. The host 1116 may host various applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data about various ambient conditions detected by multiple UEs, analytics functions, social media, functions for controlling or possibly interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0119] 11 enables connectivity between UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as a particular standard, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G), a wireless local area network (WLAN) standard such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard (WiFi), and / or any low power wide area network (LPWAN) standard such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, near field communications (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or LoRa and Sigfox.

[0120] In some examples, the communication network 1102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Thus, the communication network 1102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices connected to the communication network 1102. For example, the communication network 1102 may provide Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs and / or providing Massive Machine-Based Communication (mMTC) / Massive IoT services to still further UEs.

[0121] In some examples, the UE 1112 is configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For example, the UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 1104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to a request from the access network 1104. Furthermore, the UE may be configured to operate in a single or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, the UE may operate in any one or a combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio), and LTE, i.e., configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Enhanced UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio-Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0122] In this example, the hub 1114 communicates with the access network 1104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UEs 1112c and / or 1112d) and a network node (e.g., network node 1110b). In some examples, the hub 1114 may be a controller, a router, a content source, a content analyzer, or any of the other communication devices described herein with respect to UEs. For example, the hub 1114 may be a broadband router that enables access to the core network 1106 for the UE. As another example, the hub 1114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UE. The commands or instructions may be received from the UE, the network node 1110, or may be due to executable code, scripts, processes, or other instructions in the hub 1114. As another example, the hub 1114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 1114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker, or other media distribution device, the hub 1114 may retrieve, via a network node, VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information, which the hub 1114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In yet another example, the hub 1114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, particularly in the case where one or more of the UEs are low-energy IoT devices.

[0123] The hub 1114 may have a constant / permanent or intermittent connection to the network node 1110b. The hub 1114 may also enable different communication schemes and / or schedules between the hub 1114 and UEs (e.g., UEs 1112c and / or 1112d) and between the hub 1114 and the core network 1106. In other examples, the hub 1114 is connected to the core network 1106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Additionally, the hub 1114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 1104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, a UE may establish a wireless connection with the network node 1110 while still connected via a wired or wireless connection through the hub 1114. In some embodiments, the hub 1114 may be a dedicated hub, i.e., a hub whose primary function is to route communications from / to the UE to / from the network node 1110b. In other embodiments, the hub 1114 may be a non-dedicated hub, i.e., a device that is capable of operating to route communications between the UE and the network node 1110b, but that is further capable of operating as a communication initiation and / or termination point for some data channels.

[0124] Figure 12 illustrates a UE 1200, according to some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable of, set up, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smartphone, a mobile phone, a cell phone, a voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a desktop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless camera, a gaming console or device, a music storage device, a playback appliance, a wearable terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a tablet, a laptop computer, a laptop embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop mounted equipment (LME), a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), a vehicle-mounted or vehicle-embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine-type communications (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0125] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communications, for example, by implementing 3GPP standards for sidelink communications, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE does 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 initially 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.

[0126] The UE 1200 includes a processing circuit 1202 operably coupled to an input / output interface 1206, a power source 1208, a memory 1210, a communication interface 1212, and / or any other components, or any combination thereof, via a bus 1204. Some UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIG. 12. The level of integration between components may vary from UE to UE. Additionally, some UEs may include multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0127] The processing circuit 1202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operable to execute instructions stored in memory 1210 as a machine-readable computer program. The processing circuit 1202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.), programmable logic together with appropriate firmware, one or more stored computer programs such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) together with appropriate software, a general-purpose processor, or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuit 1202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0128] In this example, the input / output interface 1206 may be configured to provide one or more interfaces to an input device, an output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of output devices include 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. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1200. Examples of input devices include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a webcam, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smart card, etc. A presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor for detecting 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, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as the input device. For example, a universal serial bus (USB) port may be used to accommodate input and output devices.

[0129] In some embodiments, the power source 1208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources may be used, such as an external power source (e.g., an electrical outlet), a photovoltaic device, or a battery. The power source 1208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power to various portions of the UE 1200 from the power source 1208 itself and / or from an external power source via an input circuit or an interface such as a power cable. Delivering power may be for charging the power source 1208, for example. The power circuitry may perform any formatting, conversion, or other modification on the power from the power source 1208 to make it suitable for the respective component of the UE 1200 being powered.

[0130] The memory 1210 may be or be configured to include memory, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk, optical disk, hard disk, removable cartridge, flash drive, etc. In one example, the memory 1210 includes one or more application programs 1214, such as an operating system, a web browser application, a widget, a gadget engine, or other applications, and corresponding data 1216. The memory 1210 may store any of a variety of different operating systems or combinations of operating systems for use by the UE 1200.

[0131] The memory 1210 may be configured to include several physical drive units, such as a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), 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 disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, an internal hard disk drive, a Blu-ray optical disc drive, a holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc 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 tamper-resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) containing one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may be, for example, an embedded UICC (eUICC), an integrated UICC (iUICC), or a removable UICC, commonly known as a "SIM card." The memory 1210 may enable the UE 1200 to access, offload, or upload data, instructions, application programs, etc. 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 as or in the memory 1210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0132] The processing circuit 1202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other networks using a communication interface 1212. The communication interface 1212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1222. The communication interface 1212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or network node in the access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1218 and / or a receiver 1220 suitable for providing network communication (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocation, etc.). Moreover, the transmitter 1218 and receiver 1220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1222) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or may alternatively be implemented separately.

[0133] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication capabilities of communication interface 1212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, 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. Communications may be implemented in accordance with one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), etc.

[0134] Regardless of the type of sensor, the UE may provide an output of data captured by the UE's sensors to a network node via a wireless connection through the UE's communications interface 1212. Data captured by the UE's sensors may be communicated to a network node via another UE over a wireless connection. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes when reporting detected temperature), in response to a triggering event (e.g., an alert is sent when humidity is detected), in response to a request (e.g., a user-initiated request), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0135] As another example, the UE may include an actuator, motor, or switch associated with a communications interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input, the state of the actuator, motor, or switch may change. For example, the UE may include a motor that adjusts a control surface or rotor of a drone in flight according to the received input, or a robotic arm that performs a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0136] The UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (IoT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application areas, including but not limited to urban wearable technology, expanded industrial applications, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such IoT devices are devices that are or are embedded in a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an energy meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice-controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a water / humidity sensor, an electronic door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system such as a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR), a wearable for haptic augmentation or sensory augmentation, a water sprinkler, an animal or merchandise tracking device, a sensor for monitoring plants or animals, an industrial robot, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and any type of medical device such as a heart rate monitor or a remotely controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an IoT device comprises circuitry and / or software depending on the intended application of the IoT device, in addition to the other components described with respect to the UE 1200 shown in FIG. 12.

[0137] As yet another particular example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or network node. The UE, in this case, may be an M2M device, which may be referred to as an MTC device in a 3GPP context. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, bus, truck, ship, and airplane, or other equipment capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operating status or other functions related to its operation.

[0138] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together for a single use case. For example, a first UE may be a drone or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone's speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller that operates the drone. When a user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust a throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone's speed. The first and / or second UE may also include two or more of the functions described above. For example, a UE may include a sensor and an actuator and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuator.

[0139] 13 illustrates a network node 1300 according to some embodiments. As used herein, a network node refers to a device capable of, set up, configured, and / or operable to communicate, directly or indirectly, with UEs and / or other network nodes or devices in a communication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., wireless access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), and NR Node Bs (gNBs)).

[0140] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated another way, their transmit power level) and may therefore be referred to as femto, pico, micro, or macro base stations depending on the amount of coverage provided. A base station may 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 radio 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 remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna, as in an antenna-integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0141] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, MSR equipment such as a multi-standard radio (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), an operation and maintenance (O&M) node, an operation support system (OSS) node, a self-organizing network (SON) node, a positioning node (e.g., an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC)), and / or a minimization of drive test (MDT).

[0142] The network node 1300 includes a processing circuit 1302, a memory 1304, a communication interface 1306, and a power source 1308. The network node 1300 may be assembled from multiple physically separate components (e.g., a Node B component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In some scenarios in which the network node 1300 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 Node Bs. In such scenarios, each unique Node B and RNC pair may, in some instances, be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 1310 may be shared by different RATs). Network node 1300 may also include multiple sets of the various shown components for different wireless technologies, e.g., GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, radio frequency identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies, integrated into network node 1300. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or sets of chips and other components within network node 1300.

[0143] The processing circuit 1302 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, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1300 components such as memory 1304, operable to provide the network node 1300 functionality.

[0144] In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1302 comprises a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1302 includes one or more of a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 1312 and a baseband processing circuit 1314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit 1312 and the baseband processing circuit 1314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as a radio unit and a digital unit. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the RF transceiver circuit 1312 and the baseband processing circuit 1314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, board, or unit.

[0145] The memory 1304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory, including, but not limited to, 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 1302. The memory 1304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including applications including one or more of computer programs, software, logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions that can be executed by the processing circuit 1302 and utilized by the network node 1300. The memory 1304 may be used to store computations performed by the processing circuit 1302 and / or data received via the communications interface 1306. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 1302 and the memory 1304 are integrated.

[0146] The communication interface 1306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between network nodes, access networks, and / or UEs. As shown, the communication interface 1306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1316 for sending and receiving data to and from a network, e.g., over a wired connection. The communication interface 1306 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1318, which is coupled to an antenna 1310 or, in some embodiments, may be part of the antenna 1310. The radio front-end circuitry 1318 comprises a filter 1320 and an amplifier 1322. The radio front-end circuitry 1318 may be connected to the antenna 1310 and the processing circuit 1302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 1310 and the processing circuit 1302. The radio front-end circuitry 1318 may receive digital data to be sent to another network node or UE via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1318 may convert the digital data into radio signals having appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1320 and / or amplifiers 1322. The radio signals may then be transmitted via the antenna 1310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1310 may collect the radio signals, which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0147] In some alternative embodiments, the network node 1300 does not include a separate radio front-end circuit 1318; instead, the processing circuit 1302 includes the radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or a portion of the RF transceiver circuitry 1312 is part of the communications interface 1306. In still other embodiments, the communications interface 1306 includes one or more ports or terminals 1316, the radio front-end circuitry 1318, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1312 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communications interface 1306 communicates with baseband processing circuitry 1314 that is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0148] The antenna 1310 may include one or more antennas or an antenna array configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1318 and may be any type of antenna capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data and / or signals. In some embodiments, the antenna 1310 is separate from the network node 1300 and connectable to the network node 1300 through an interface or port.

[0149] The antenna 1310, the communication interface 1306, and / or the processing circuit 1302 may be configured to perform any receiving operation and / or some obtaining operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signal may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1310, the communication interface 1306, and / or the processing circuit 1302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operation described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data, and / or signal may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0150] The power source 1308 provides power to the various components of the network node 1300 in a form suitable for each component (e.g., at the voltage and current levels required for each respective component). The power source 1308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry for supplying power to the components of the network node 1300 for performing the functions described herein. For example, the network node 1300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., a power grid, an electrical outlet) via an input circuit or interface, such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to the power circuitry of the power source 1308. As a further example, the power source 1308 may comprise a power source in the form of a battery or battery pack connected to or integrated in the power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power if the external power source fails.

[0151] Embodiments of network node 1300 may include additional components other than those shown in Figure 13 to provide certain aspects of the network node's functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, network node 1300 may include user interface devices to enable input of information into network node 1300 and output of information from network node 1300. This may enable a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for network node 1300.

[0152] 14 is a block diagram of a host 1400, which may be an embodiment of the host 1116 of FIG. 11 in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1400 may be or comprise various combinations of hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, a container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0153] Host 1400 includes a processing circuit 1402 operably coupled to an input / output interface 1406, a network interface 1408, a power supply 1410, and memory 1412 via a bus 1404. In other embodiments, other components may be included. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as FIGS. 12-13, and therefore, those descriptions are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1400.

[0154] Memory 1412 may include one or more computer programs, including one or more host application programs 1414 and data 1416, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for host 1400 or data generated by host 1400 for a UE. Embodiments of host 1400 may utilize only a subset or all of the shown components. Host application program 1414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UE (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application program 1414 may also provide user authentication and license checks, and may periodically report health, route, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in the core network or a device on the edge of the core network. Thus, the host 1400 may select and / or direct different hosts for over-the-top services for the UE. The host application program 1414 may support various protocols, such as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0155] FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1500 in which functionality implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In this context, virtualizing means creating a virtual version of an apparatus or device, which may include virtualizing a hardware platform, storage devices, and networking resources. Virtualization, as used herein, may apply to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to implementations in which at least a portion of functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functionality described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1500 hosted by one or more of the hardware nodes, such as a network node, a UE, a core network node, or a hardware computing device acting as a host. Furthermore, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require wireless connectivity (e.g., to a core network node or host), the node may be fully virtualized.

[0156] An application 1502 (which may alternatively be referred to as a software instance, a virtual appliance, a network function, a virtual node, a virtual network function, etc.) is run in the virtualized environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0157] The hardware 1504 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by the hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices described herein, such as network interfaces, input / output interfaces, etc. Software is executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1508a and 1508b (one or more of which are generally referred to as VMs 1508), and / or implement any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described with respect to some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1506 may present to the VMs 1508 a virtual operating platform that appears to be networking hardware.

[0158] The VMs 1508 may comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interfaces, and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1506. Different embodiments of the virtual appliance 1502 instance may be implemented on one or more of the VMs 1508, and the implementation may be done in different ways. Hardware virtualization is referred to in some contexts as network functions virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry-standard high-volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which may be located in data centers and customer premises equipment.

[0159] In the context of NFV, a VM 1508 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if those programs were running on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each VM 1508 and the portion of the hardware 1504 on which it runs, whether hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with other VMs, form a separate virtual network element. Further, in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling a particular network function running in one or more VMs 1508 on the hardware 1504 and corresponds to the application 1502.

[0160] The hardware 1504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with general or specific components. The hardware 1504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1504 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes cooperate and are managed via a management and orchestration 1510 that, among other things, oversees the lifecycle management of the application 1502. In some embodiments, the hardware 1504 is coupled to one or more radio units, each including one or more transmitters and one or more receivers, which may be coupled to one or more antennas. The radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with virtual components to provide a virtual node with wireless capabilities, such as a wireless access node or base station. In some embodiments, some signaling may be provided using a control system 1512, which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware nodes and the radio units.

[0161] 16 shows a communication diagram of a host 1602 communicating with a UE 1606 via a network node 1604 over a partial wireless connection, according to some embodiments. Exemplary implementations according to various embodiments of a UE (such as the UE 1112a of FIG. 11 and / or the UE 1200 of FIG. 12), a network node (such as the network node 1110a of FIG. 11 and / or the network node 1300 of FIG. 13), and a host (such as the host 1116 of FIG. 11 and / or the host 1400 of FIG. 14) described in the previous paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIG. 16.

[0162] Similar to the host 1400, an embodiment of the host 1602 includes hardware such as a communications interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1602 also includes software stored on or accessible by the host 1602 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide services to a remote user, such as a UE 1606 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1650 extending between the UE 1606 and the host 1602. In providing services to the remote user, the host application may provide user data that is transmitted using the OTT connection 1650.

[0163] The network node 1604 includes hardware that enables the network node 1604 to communicate with the host 1602 and the UE 1606. The connection 1660 may be direct or may pass through one or more other intermediate networks, such as a core network (similar to the core network 1106 of FIG. 11 ) and / or one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, the intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0164] The UE 1606 includes hardware and software stored on or accessible by the UE 1606 and executable by the UE's processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific "app," which, with the support of the host 1602, may be operable to provide services to a human or non-human user via the UE 1606. An executing host application on the host 1602 may communicate with an executing client application via an OTT connection 1650 that terminates at the UE 1606 and the host 1602. In providing services to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1650 may transfer both request data and user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate user data that the UE's client application provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1650.

[0165] The OTT connection 1650 may extend via a connection 1660 between the host 1602 and a network node 1604 and via a wireless connection 1670 between the network node 1604 and the UE 1606 to provide connectivity between the host 1602 and the UE 1606. The connections 1660 and wireless connections 1670 over which the OTT connection 1650 may be provided are depicted abstractly to show communication between the host 1602 and the UE 1606 via the network node 1604, without explicit reference to intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages through these devices.

[0166] As an example of transmitting data over the OTT connection 1650, in step 1608, the host 1602 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with the UE 1606 sharing data with the host 1602 without explicit human interaction. In step 1610, the host 1602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data toward the UE 1606. The host 1602 may initiate the transmission in response to a request sent by the UE 1606. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1606 or by the operation of a client application executing on the UE 1606. The transmission may proceed via the network node 1604 in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Thus, in step 1612, the network node 1604 transmits the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host 1602 to the UE 1606, in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1614, the UE 1606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executing on the UE 1606 associated with the host application executed by the host 1602.

[0167] In some examples, the UE 1606 executes a client application that provides user data to the host 1602. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to data received from the host 1602. Thus, in step 1616, the UE 1606 may provide the user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from a user via an input / output interface of the UE 1606. Regardless of the particular manner in which the user data is provided, the UE 1606 initiates transmission of the user data towards the host 1602 via the network node 1604 in step 1618. In step 1620, the network node 1604 receives the user data from the UE 1606 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1602, in accordance with the teachings of embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1622, the host 1602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1606.

[0168] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of the OTT service provided to the UE 1606 using the OTT connection 1650, of which the radio connection 1670 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments improve the performance of centralized beamforming in a massive D-MIMO system without the drawbacks of the exponential fronthaul load associated with connecting a large number of RUs to the BBU in a cascaded topology, which may provide benefits such as reducing both deployment costs (due to the reduced number or length of required fibers) and system complexity (due to the reduced number of required BBU ports) compared to a star topology.

[0169] In an exemplary scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by host 1602. As another example, host 1602 may process audio and video data that may have been retrieved from UEs for use in creating maps. As another example, host 1602 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicular congestion (e.g., controlling traffic signals). As another example, host 1602 may store surveillance video uploaded by UEs. As another example, host 1602 may store or control access to media content, such as video, audio, VR or AR, that host 1602 may broadcast, multicast, or unicast to UEs. As other examples, host 1602 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time-critical electrical loads to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams, etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or transmitting data.

[0170] In some examples, measurement procedures may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latency, and other factors that one or more embodiments improve upon. There may further be optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1650 between the host 1602 and the UE 1606 in response to fluctuations in the measurement results. The measurement procedures and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware in the host 1602 and / or the UE 1606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1650 passes, and the sensors may participate in the measurement procedures by providing values ​​of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or other physical quantities from which software can calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. Reconfiguration of the OTT connection 1650 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc., and the reconfiguration need not directly change the operation of the network node 1604. Such procedures and functionality may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. by the host 1602. The measurements may be implemented in software causing messages, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, to be sent using the OTT connection 1650 while monitoring propagation time, errors, etc.

[0171] While the computing devices (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) described herein may include the depicted combinations of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It should be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software required to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. The determining, calculating, obtaining, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, transforming the obtained information to other information, comparing the obtained or transformed information to information stored in a network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained or transformed information and as a result of the processing making a decision. Moreover, while a component is illustrated as a single box located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in reality the computing device may comprise multiple different physical components that make up the single depicted component, and functionality may be partitioned among the separate components. For example, a communications interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of those components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communications interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functionality of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware, and computationally intensive functionality may be implemented in hardware.

[0172] In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by a processing circuit executing instructions stored in a memory, which in some embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuit without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of these particular embodiments, the processing circuit may be configured to perform the described functionality, regardless of whether or not it executes instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuit alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or by end users and wireless networks generally.

[0173] Further definitions and embodiments are described below.

[0174] 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.

[0175] 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 the sake of 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.

[0176] 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 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.

[0177] 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," derived from the Latin phrase "exempli gratia," may be used to introduce or specifically name one or more general examples of the aforementioned items, without limiting such items. The common abbreviation "ie," derived from the Latin phrase "id est," may be used to designate a specific item from a more general statement.

[0178] Exemplary embodiments have been 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, may be implemented by computer program instructions performed by one or more computer circuits. These computer program instructions may 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 functions / acts specified in the block diagram and / or flowchart block(s).

[0179] The 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.

[0180] 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 concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the functions / acts involved. Moreover, the functionality of a given block of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be separated into multiple blocks, and / or the functionality of two or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be at least partially integrated. Finally, other blocks may be added / inserted between the shown blocks, and / or blocks / acts may be omitted without departing from the scope of the inventive concept. Moreover, 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.

[0181] Numerous variations and modifications may 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 implemented by a network entity in a communications network, the communications network including a plurality of network nodes communicatively coupled to the network entity via a cascade topology, the method comprising: transmitting (910) scheduling information to a first network node of the plurality of network nodes, the scheduling information indicating a user layer to be used for communication with a communication device; receiving 920 an indication of intermediate beamforming weights from the first network node; determining 930 a portion of frequency-domain beamforming weights based on the indication of the intermediate beamforming weights; communicating with the communication device via the first network node using the part of the frequency domain beamforming weights (940); Including, receiving an indication of the intermediate beamforming weight from the first network node, the indication of a composite intermediate beamforming weight being a combination of intermediate beamforming weights each associated with one of the plurality of network nodes.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the composite intermediate beamforming weights are a Hermitian matrix of size KxK, where K is the total number of user layers served by the network entity.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the indication of the combined intermediate beamforming weights is an indication of an upper triangular element or a lower triangular element of the Hermitian matrix.

4. 4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein the Hermitian matrix comprises a covariance matrix of a channel estimate for a channel between the first network node and the communication device.

5. Determining the part of the frequency domain beamforming weights comprises: determining a normalization factor based on the intermediate beamforming weights; determining an identity matrix of size K×K, where K is a total number of user layers served by the network entity; determining the part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights based on the inverse of the sum of the intermediate beamforming weights and the multiplication of the identity matrix and the normalization factor; 5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

6. communicating with the communication device, determining an intermediate downlink (DL) signal based on DL data associated with the communication device and the portion of the frequency domain beamforming weights; transmitting the intermediate DL signal to the first network node; 6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the intermediate DL signal comprises determining a beamformed user layer DL data stream based on modulated symbols of a user layer associated with the communication device and based on the part of the frequency-domain beamforming weights.

8. communicating with the communication device, receiving an intermediate uplink (UL) signal associated with the communication device from the first network node; determining a beamformed received signal associated with the communication device based on the intermediate UL signal and the portion of the frequency-domain beamforming weights; 6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

9. receiving the intermediate UL signal receiving a combined intermediate UL signal from the first network node, the combined intermediate UL signal being a combination of intermediate UL signals each associated with one of the plurality of network nodes; determining the intermediate UL signal based on the combined intermediate UL signal; The method of claim 8, comprising:

10. the network entity comprises a baseband unit (BBU); each network node of the plurality of network nodes comprising a radio unit (RU) having one or more antennas; 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. 1. A method implemented by a first network node of a plurality of network nodes in a communications network, the plurality of network nodes being communicatively coupled to a first network entity via a cascade topology, the method comprising: receiving 1030 scheduling information from a second network entity in the communications network, the scheduling information indicating a user layer to be used for communications with the communications device; determining 1050 intermediate beamforming weights based on channel estimates associated with a channel between said first network node and said communication device; sending 1060 an indication of the intermediate beamforming weights to the second network entity; determining 1070 a portion of frequency domain beamforming weights based on the channel estimates; communicating data between the second network entity and the communication device using the part of the frequency domain beamforming weights (1080); Including, the intermediate beamforming weights include first intermediate beamforming weights; transmitting the indication of the intermediate beamforming weights receiving an indication of second intermediate beamforming weights from a second network node of the plurality of network nodes; combining the first intermediate beamforming weight and the second intermediate beamforming weight to form a combined intermediate beamforming weight; sending an indication of the combined intermediate beamforming weights to the second network entity; and A method comprising:

12. 12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first intermediate beamforming weight, the second intermediate beamforming weight, and the combined intermediate beamforming weight are each Hermitian matrices of size K×K, where K is a total number of user layers.

13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the indication of the first intermediate beamforming weight, the indication of the second intermediate beamforming weight, and the indication of the combined intermediate beamforming weight are each indications of upper or lower triangular elements of their respective Hermitian matrices.

14. 14. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the Hermitian matrix associated with the first intermediate beamforming weight comprises a covariance matrix of the channel estimate.

15. receiving the scheduling information includes receiving an indication of a user layer to be transmitted in a next transmission time interval; communicating the data receiving an intermediate downlink (DL) signal from the second network entity; generating a beamformed DL signal based on the intermediate DL signal and the part of the frequency domain beamforming weights; transmitting the beamformed DL signal to the communication device; 15. The method of any one of claims 11 to 14, comprising:

16. receiving the intermediate DL signal includes receiving a user layer downlink data stream to be transmitted to the communication device; generating the beamformed DL signal, extracting user layer in-phase and quadrature (IQ) data from the user layer downlink data stream based on the scheduling information; generating the beamformed DL signal based on the user layer IQ data and the part of the frequency domain beamforming weights; 16. The method of claim 15, comprising:

17. In response to receiving the scheduling information, transmitting (1040) the scheduling information to a second network node of the plurality of network nodes; transmitting the intermediate DL signal to the second network node in response to receiving the intermediate DL signal (1085); 17. The method of claim 15 or 16, further comprising:

18. receiving the scheduling information includes receiving an indication of a user layer to be received in a next transmission time interval; communicating the data receiving an uplink (UL) signal from the communication device; generating an intermediate UL signal based on the UL signal and the portion of the frequency domain beamforming weights; transmitting the intermediate UL signal to the second network entity; 15. The method of any one of claims 11 to 14, comprising:

19. In response to receiving the scheduling information, transmitting the scheduling information to a second network node of the plurality of network nodes (1040). further comprising the intermediate UL signal is a first intermediate UL signal; transmitting the intermediate UL signal to the second network entity; receiving a second intermediate UL signal from the second network node; combining the first intermediate UL signal and the second intermediate UL signal to form a combined intermediate UL signal; transmitting the combined intermediate UL signal to the second network entity; 20. The method of claim 18, comprising:

20. 20. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the part of the frequency domain beamforming weights comprises determining a conjugate transpose of the channel estimate.

21. determining the channel estimate (1010); storing the channel estimate in a local memory (1020); further comprising determining the part of the frequency domain beamforming weights extracting the channel estimate from the local memory based on the scheduling information; 21. The method of any one of claims 11 to 20, comprising:

22. the second network entity is the first network entity and comprises a baseband unit (BBU); each network node of the plurality of network nodes comprising a radio unit (RU) having one or more antennas; 22. The method of any one of claims 11 to 21.

23. the first network entity comprises a baseband unit (BBU); the plurality of network nodes comprises the second network entity; each network node of the plurality of network nodes comprising a radio unit (RU) having one or more antennas; 22. The method of any one of claims 11 to 21.

24. A network entity (222, 600) in a communications network, said network entity being adapted to perform a method comprising any of the operations set forth in claims 1 to 10.

25. 11. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by a processing circuit (603) of a network entity (222, 600) in a communications network, whereby execution of said program code causes said network entity to perform a method comprising any of the operations set forth in claims 1 to 10.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, the instructions being executable by a processing circuit (603) of a network entity (222, 600) to cause the network entity to perform a method including any of the operations of claims 1 to 10.

27. A first network node (224a, 224b, 600) in a communication network, said first network node being adapted to perform a method comprising any of the operations set forth in claims 11 to 23.

28. 24. A computer program comprising program code to be executed by a processing circuit (603) of a first network node (224a, 224b, 600) in a communications network, whereby execution of the program code causes the first network node to perform a method comprising any of the operations of claims 11 to 23.

29. 24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a processing circuit of a first network node to cause the first network node to perform a method including any of the operations of claims 11 to 23.

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