Inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics

Abstract

A method (1800) by a first network node (110A, 210A, 602, 1004, 1104) for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information is provided. The method includes the first network node receiving (1802), from a second network node (110B, 210B, 604, 1002, 1102), resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell Discontinuous 5 Transmission, DTX, pattern and / or at least one Cell Discontinuous Reception, DRX, pattern.

Description

[0001] INTER-NODE SIGNALING OF RESOURCE USAGE STATISTICS

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates, in general, to wireless communications and, more particularly, systems and methods for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Network energy consumption is a considerable challenge of 5thGeneration (5G) systems today. A major contributor to the network energy consumption is the radio unit of the Radio Access Node (RAN). The network energy consumption for New Radio (NR) is said to be less than for Long Term Evolution (LTE) due to the lean design of NR, i.e., no Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS) and a Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) periodicity of 20 ms by default. However, current NR implementations often consume more energy compared to LTE, partly due to a larger bandwidth (BW), a shorter transmission time interval (TTI), and a massive number of antenna ports, among other things, increasing Layer 1 (LI) processing needs many times over. The network energy consumption is still (too) high even at times when cells and beams are lightly loaded or serve no traffic or users at all. To reduce the network energy consumption, a study item (SI) on network energy saving for NR was initiated by 3GPP in Release 18. The SI was concluded with the outcome captured in 3GPP TR 38.864. See, 3GPP TR 38.864, Study on network energy savings for NR, Version 18.1.0.

[0006] Following the SI, a new work item (WI) on network energy saving for NR was approved during RAN#98. See, RP-223540, New WID: Network energy savings for NR. The objectives of the WI are the following:

[0007] 1. Specify SSB-less Secondary Cell (Scell) operation for inter-band Carrier Aggregation (CA) for Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and co-located cells, if found feasible by RAN4 study, where a User Equipment (UE) measures SSB transmitted on Primary Cell (PCell) or another Secondary Cell (SCell) for an SCell’s time / frequency synchronization (including downlink Automatic Gain Control (AGC)), and LI / Layer 3 (L3) measurements, including potential enhancement on SCell activation procedures if necessary [RAN4, RAN2]

[0008] 2. Specify enhancement on cell Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) / Discontinuous Reception (DRX) mechanism including the alignment of cell DTX / DRX and UE DRX in RRC CONNECTED mode, and inter-node information exchange on cell DTX / DRX [RAN2, RANI, RAN3]

[0009] • Note: No change for SSB transmission due to cell DTX / DRX.

[0010] • Note: The impact to IDLE / INACTIVE UEs due to the above enhancement should be avoided.

[0011] 3. Specify the following techniques in spatial and power domains:

[0012] • Specify necessary enhancements on Channel State Information (CSI) and beam management related procedures including measurement and report, and signaling to enable efficient adaptation of spatial elements (e.g., antenna ports, active transceiver chains) [RANI, RAN2]

[0013] • Specify necessary enhancements on CSI related procedures including measurement and report, and signaling to enable efficient adaptation of power offset values between Physical Donwlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) and Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) [RANI, RAN2]

[0014] • Note: Above objectives are only for UE specific channels / signals

[0015] • Note: Legacy UE CSI / CSI-RS capabilities applies when considering total number of CSI reports and requirements

[0016] 4. Specify mechanism(s) to prevent legacy UEs camping on cells adopting the Release 18 Network Energy Saving (NES) techniques, if necessary [RAN2]

[0017] 5. Specify Conditional Handover (CHO) procedure enhancement(s) in case source / target cell is in NES mode [RAN2]

[0018] 6. Specify inter-node beam activation and enhancements on restricting paging in a limited area [RAN3]

[0019] 7. Specify the corresponding Radio Resource Management (RRM) / Radio Frequency (RF) core requirements, if necessary, for the above features [RAN4]

[0020] See, id.

[0021] Certain techniques described herein relate to the second objective listed above.

[0022] Cell Discontinuous Transmission and Reception (Cell DTX / DRX)

[0023] Like UE DRX, which is used to minimize UE power consumption, cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) and discontinuous reception (DRX) at the network side enables network energy saving. The basic idea of Cell DTX / DRX is to introduce dedicated active and inactive periods, repeating periodically. During inactive periods of Cell DTX and / or Cell DRX, the cell reduces or completely stops all transmission and / or reception or monitoring activity. The cell and corresponding hardware (components) can then go or be put into a sleep state.

[0024] Cell DTX / DRX facilities the use of deeper / advanced sleep modes, which enable higher energy saving but entail a certain transition time, since it enables longer periods of guaranteed and uninterrupted idle / inactive time.

[0025] Cell DTX / DRX Related Discussions in 3GPP

[0026] Only the agreements most relevant to this disclosure are stated below.

[0027] Fundamental principles of how to configure the UE for Cell DTX / DRX were discussed and agreed during RAN2#121bis-e. It was agreed that a periodic Cell DTX / DRX pattern is configured by UE specific RRC signaling. Hence, the periodic Cell DTX / DRX configuration is at least in principle UE specific. Moreover, the periodic Cell DTX / DRX configuration, explicitly sent to the UE via RRC signaling, contains at least the following: periodicity (cycle duration), start slot / offset, on duration.

[0028] As a baseline, Cell DTX / DRX is activated / deactivated implicitly by RRC signaling. This means that it is activated immediately once the RRC configuration is applied and deactivated once the RRC configuration is released. Furthermore, group-common LI -signaling can be used for (deactivation of a cell’s DTX / DRX state.

[0029] Those principles were refined during RAN2#123, where it was agreed that separate DTX and DRX configuration means that the Cell DTX and Cell DRX features can be enabled separately, and, thus, that Cell DTX can be configured without Cell DRX. It was further agreed that, in case both are configured, the on-duration and cycle duration parameters are common between Cell DTX and Cell DRX. It was not yet decided, however, if different start offset configurations for Cell DTX and Cell DRX are possible.

[0030] There currently exist certain challenge(s), however. For example, the introduction of Cell DTX / DRX causes certain radio resource blocks to be used with a higher probability than others. This can result in increased interference between neighboring cells using the same time / frequency resources, which in turn motivates inter-node exchange of information on Cell DTX / DRX to be one of the objectives of the WI. See, RP -223540, New WID: Network energy savings for NR.

[0031] Exchanging a cell-specific Cell DTX / DRX configuration over Xn as discussed in RAN3 does not solve the problem since different UEs may have different Cell DTX / DRX configurations associated to the same cell. Moreover, a Cell DTX / DRX configuration for the UE is basically not more than an agreement between a gNodeB (gNB) and a UE on what signals are to be or are not to be transmitted or received over Un at any given time. This does not by any means imply a high utilization of time / frequency resources during the on / active time of Cell DTX / DRX. Thus, exchanging a cell-specific Cell DTX / DRX configuration over Xn is, in many cases, not effective and, at worst, even misleading or harmful when used for interference awareness and / or coordination. Additionally, even if the Cell DTX / DRX pattern configurations are exchanged, it does not necessarily mean that the pattern is active at a certain given time since different gNBs may be in different traffic load scenarios, hosting different types of UEs and services and hence have different reasons for when to (de-)activate a certain Cell DTX / DRX pattern. The fact that the Cell DTX / DRX (Cell DTRX) configuration can be (de)activated via group common LI signalling indicates that the activation status is too dynamic, it brings little benefit to be signaled over Xn interface.

[0032] Existing similar technology is Inter-cell interference coordination (ICIC). See, 3 GPP TS 36.300 V17.5.0, Section 16.1.5. These methods are used to exchange information of the usage of specific radio resource blocks in a binary manner (true or false). The receiving entity does not understand if some resource blocks are less likely to be used than others, which leads to resources not being used because of the risk of interference.

[0033] SUMMARY

[0034] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, methods and systems are provided for enabling the exchange of information including statistics related to the utilization of time / frequency resources between network nodes, e.g. NG-RAN nodes such as gNB, gNB-CU, gNB-DU, e.g. in the context of Cell DTX / DRX.

[0035] According to certain embodiments, for example, a method performed by a first network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information includes receiving, from a second network node, resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or at least one Cell DRX pattern.

[0036] According to certain embodiments, for example, a first network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information is adapted and / or configured to receive, from a second network node, resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or at least one Cell DRX pattern.

[0037] According to certain embodiments, for example, a method performed by a second network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics includes transmitting, to the first network node, resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or at least one Cell DRX pattern. According to certain embodiments, for example, a second network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics is adapted and / or configured to transmit, to the first network node, resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or at least one Cell DRX pattern.

[0038] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). For example, certain embodiments may provide a technical advantage of scheduling on time / frequency radio resources which are less likely to be in use by other neighbour cells in the network and, thus improving the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR). With such improved signal conditions, more efficient modulation and coding schemes can be used. A more efficient modulation and coding scheme allows higher bitrates which in turn enables the network to perform data transfer to the UEs faster. By completing the data transfer faster, the cell can then enter a low power state more often and for longer time, which reduces the overall energy consumption.

[0039] As another example, certain embodiments may provide a technical advantage of enabling modeling of the interference for a time / frequency radio resource in the cell caused by other cells. By introducing a cost model and considering this as an optimization problem, improvements are expected also for high loads.

[0040] As still another example, certain embodiments may provide a technical advantage of providing a solution based on a statistical model of the load in time / frequency radio resources, while updates of the resource usage can be less frequent compared to existing technologies.

[0041] As still another example, certain embodiments may provide a technical advantage of enabling a network node to indicate a scope of interest (e.g., a list of identifiers of cells, beams, etc.) for which the network node is interested in receiving information. For example, if the first network node does not include a scope indication in the request to the second network node, the second network node reports for all its cells and / or beams since it’s not clear whether the first network node wants beam-level granularity if multiple beams define / span a cell. However, this may lead to a lot of unnecessary signaling overhead over the network interfaces (e.g., Xn and Fl). In some scenarios, only a subset of cells of a neighbor network node will heavily interfere and will, thus, be relevant for resource selection and Cell DTX / DRX pattern optimization purposes. Thus, the network node may be enabled to indicate the subset of cells for which the network node is interested in receiving information.

[0042] Other advantages may be readily apparent to one having skill in the art. Certain embodiments may have none, some, or all of the recited advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0044] FIGURE 1 illustrates example signaling between a first network node and a second network node, according to certain embodiments;

[0045] FIGURE 2 illustrates example signaling between a first network node and a second network node for requesting information for an indicated scope, according to certain embodiments;

[0046] FIGURE 3 illustrates a graph demonstrating a load based resource selection strategy for a UE group, according to certain embodiments;

[0047] FIGURE 4 illustrates a graph indicating an example probability for a specific load for the UE group and cell according to the load index, according to certain embodiments;

[0048] FIGURE 5 illustrates a graph indicating an example probability for a resource to be used given the scheduling strategy and load condition, according to certain embodiments;

[0049] FIGURE 6 illustrates an example signaling diagram of a DU-centric solution, according to certain embodiments;

[0050] FIGURE 7 illustrates an example signaling diagram for cancellation of active resource status statistics reporting, according to certain embodiments;

[0051] FIGURE 8 illustrates an example signaling diagram for a procedure for a DU to retrieve information about cell relations from the CU-CP, according to certain embodiments;

[0052] FIGURE 9 illustrates an example signaling diagram for the CU-CP centric solution where the CU-CP provides parameters to the DU, according to certain embodiments;

[0053] FIGURE 10 illustrates an example signaling diagram for a CU-CP centric solution that includes CU-CP initiated statistics retrieval from a DU in the same NG-RAN node as the CU-CP, according to certain embodiments;

[0054] FIGURE 11 an example signaling diagram for a CU-CP centric solution that includes CU- CPi initiated statistics retrieval from a DU2 in a different NG-RAN node than the CU-CPi, according to certain embodiments;

[0055] FIGURE 12 illustrates an example communication system, according to certain embodiments;

[0056] FIGURE 13 illustrates an example UE, according to certain embodiments;

[0057] FIGURE 14 illustrates an example network node, according to certain embodiments;

[0058] FIGURE 15 illustrates a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized, according to certain embodiments; FIGURE 16 illustrates an example method by a first network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information, according to certain embodiments;

[0059] FIGURE 17 an example method by a second network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information, according to certain embodiments; FIGURE 18 illustrates a method by a first network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information; and

[0060] FIGURE 19 a method by a second network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics, according to certain embodiments.

[0061] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0063] As used herein, ‘node’ can be a network node or a UE. Examples of network nodes are NodeB, base station (BS), multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB (eNB), gNodeB (gNB), Master eNB (MeNB), Secondary eNB (SeNB), integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), Central Unit (e.g., in a gNB), Distributed Unit (e.g., in a gNB), Baseband Unit, Centralized Baseband, C-RAN, access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Remote Radio Head (RRH), nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), core network node (e.g., Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), etc.), Operations & Maintenance (O&M), Operations Support System (OSS), Self Organizing Network (SON), positioning node (e.g., Evolved-Serving Mobile Location Centre (E-SMLC)), etc.

[0064] Another example of a node is user equipment (UE), which is a non-limiting term and refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and / or with another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, vehicular to vehicular (V2V), machine type UE, Machine Type Communication UE (MTC UE) or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), Unified Serial Bus (USB) dongles, etc.

[0065] The term radio access technology (RAT), may refer to any RAT such as, for example, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRA), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRA), narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT), WiFi, Bluetooth, next generation RAT, NR, 4G, 5G, etc. Any of the equipment denoted by the terms node, network node or radio network node may be capable of supporting a single or multiple RATs.

[0066] The term signal or radio signal used herein can be any physical signal or physical channel. Examples of DL physical signals are reference signal (RS) such as Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS), signals in SS / PBCH block (SSB), discovery reference signal (DRS), Cell-specific Reference Signal (CRS), Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), etc. RS may be periodic. For example, RS occasion carrying one or more RSs may occur with certain periodicity such as, for example, 20 ms, 40 ms, etc. The RS may also be aperiodic. Each SSB carries NR-PSS, NR-SSS, and NR-PBCH in 4 successive symbols. One or multiple SSBs are transmited in one SSB burst, which is repeated with certain periodicity such as, for example, 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms. The UE is configured with information about SSB on cells of certain carrier frequency by one or more SS / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) block Measurement Timing Configuration (SMTC) configurations. The SMTC configuration comprising parameters such as SMTC periodicity, SMTC occasion length in time or duration, SMTC time offset with regard to reference time (e.g., serving cell’s system frame number (SFN)), etc. Therefore, SMTC occasion may also occur with certain periodicity such as, for example, 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, and 160 ms. Examples of uplink (UL) physical signals are reference signal such as Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), DMRS, etc. The term physical channel refers to any channel carrying higher layer information such as, for example, data, control, etc. Examples of physical channels are PBCH, Narrowband PBCH (NPBCH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), shortened PDCCH (sPDCCH), shortened PDSCH (sPDSCH), shortened PUCCH (sPUCCH), shortened PUSCH (sPUSCH), MTC PDCCH (MPDCCH), narrowband PDCCH (NPDCCH), narrowband PDSCH (NPDSCH), enhanced PDCCH (E-PDCCH), narrowband PUSCH (NPUSCH), etc.

[0067] The term time resource used herein may correspond to any type of physical resource or radio resource expressed in terms of length of time. Examples of time resources are: symbol, time slot, subframe, radio frame, TTI, interleaving time, slot, sub-slot, mini-slot, SFN cycle, hyper-SFN (H-SFN) cycle, etc.

[0068] As used herein, the term “multi connectivity” may refer to any scenario where a UE is connected to two or more cells that are controlled by two or more network nodes or is utilizing resources that are associated to two or more network nodes. Thus, “multi connectivity” may refer to dual connectivity and / or carrier aggregation, or it may refer to a not yet existing multi connectivity solution.

[0069] As used herein, the terms “Cell DTX / DRX configuration” and “Cell DTX / DRX patern” are used interchangeably and generally refer to the DTX and / or DRX parameters, such as periodicity or cycle duration, start slot or offset, on duration / ON duration, etc., assigned to a UE via UE-specific configuration for a specific cell or transmission and reception point (TRP), or specific resources of a communication network, unless explicitly stated otherwise. As used herein, “Cell DTX / DRX configuration” also includes the case where this only refers to cell DTX configuration, or only refers to cell DRX configuration. As used herein, the terms “resource selection”, “select(ing) resources”, etc. can mean the same as, or in some sense imply, “Cell DTX / DRX configuration selection”, “select(ing) a Cell DTX / DRX configuration”, etc., because an appropriate Cell DTX / DRX configuration for one or more UEs in cell is a direct consequence of which resources are selected to be used in the cell, or selected to be used for a UE, or a group of UEs, in the cell. The same terms can also mean that traffic is preferably sent in selected time / frequency resources not using any Cell DTX / DRX configuration.

[0070] According to certain embodiments, systems and methods are provided to enable the exchange of information including statistics related to the utilization of time / frequency resources between network nodes such as, for example, NG-RAN nodes such as gNB, gNB-CU, gNB-DU, in the context of Cell DTX / DRX. In one example, the said information includes the probability that a certain time / frequency resource is used in a certain cell and / or part of a cell such as within one or more beams (e.g., one or more SSB areas).

[0071] In a particular embodiment, a network node uses the information, originating from at least one network node and relating to at least one neighboring cell and / or SSB area associated to the at least one neighboring cell, to select time / frequency resources with low probability of being in conflict, or a lower probability of being in conflict than other resources, to be used to serve UEs in a given cell.

[0072] In one practical implementation, the network node uses the information to choose a start slot / offset for Cell DTX / DRX for its own cell / node so that the on / active time of Cell DTX / DRX for one or more UEs in the cell coincides with other nodes’ time / frequency resources indicated with low probability of being in conflict, or a lower probability of being in conflict than others, as much as possible.

[0073] According to certain embodiments, the systems, methods, and solutions use a statistical model of the radio resource being used allowing the network to update the information rather or comparably slowly.

[0074] According to certain embodiments, the systems, methods, and solutions disclosed herein also enables a network node to request the information from another network node and, assuming that the request is granted, receive (updates about) the information such as, for example, periodically, upon change, for one time, or when pre-configured thresholds are exceeded.

[0075] According to certain embodiments, the systems, methods, and solutions disclosed herein enable a network node to request the neighboring network node to stop the reporting, and / or a network node to indicate to the neighboring network node that the information transferred is obsolete such as, for example, in case the Cell / network Node falls back to no-NES mode. The stop reporting functionality also addresses fault scenarios such as, for example, if reports not expected are received by a node.

[0076] More specifically, according to certain embodiments, systems, methods, and solutions herein model, such as, for example, in the context of Cell DTX / DRX, information indicating the usage of a time / frequency resource as a probability that is used as input from the neighboring cell / RAN node for scheduling the UEs or choosing an optimal Cell DTX / DRX configuration for UEs for its own cell / RAN node. Network nodes can, with increased probability, schedule UEs on time / frequency resources not simultaneously used by another closely located cell.

[0077] Certain embodiments necessitate an exchange of Cell DTX / DRX related information including statistics about the utilization of time / frequency resources between network nodes. The exchange of Cell DTX / DRX related information in some cases take place between a first and a second network node directly and in other cases via one or more other network nodes. FIGURE 1 is a flowchart illustrating example signaling 100 between a first network node and a second network node, according to certain embodiments.

[0078] As illustrated in FIGURE 1, the first network node 110A (e.g., gNB-CU, gNB-DU, etc.) sends a resource status statistics request to the second network node HOB, at step 120. At step 130, the second network node HOB (e.g., gNB-CU, gNB-DU, etc.) sends a resource status statistics response. At step 140, the second network node HOB sends a resource status statistics update. Though three steps are shown in FIGURE 1, it is recognized that steps 120 and 140 may be optional, in various particular embodiments.

[0079] In a particular embodiment, the resource status statistics response transmitted from the second network node at step 130 includes one or more identifiers (e.g., one or more beam identifiers, SSB Area identifiers, one or more cell identifiers, one or more RAN node identifiers, one or more RAN node component identifiers, one or more Tracking Area (TA) identifiers, one or more RAN-based Notification Area (RNA) identifiers, or a combination thereol) associated with the provided information. In a particular embodiment, the request may include a list of any one or more of the types of identifiers described above.

[0080] Certain embodiments may additionally or alternatively enable a network node to request the information from another network node for an indicated scope and, assuming that the request is granted, receive (updates about) the said information for the indicated scope. For example, FIGURE 2 is a flowchart illustrating example signaling 200 between a first network node 210A and a second network node 210B for requesting information for an indicated scope, according to certain embodiments. In particular embodiments the indicated scope may include one or more beams (e.g., SSB Areas), or one or more cells, or one or more RAN nodes, or one or more RAN node components (e.g., in case of disaggregated RAN nodes), or one or more Tracking Areas (TAs), RAN-based Notification Area (RNAs), or a combination thereof.

[0081] As illustrated in FIGURE 2, the first network node 210A (e.g., gNB-CU, gNB-DU, etc.) sends, to the second network node 210B, a resource status statistics request that includes a scope of interest indication, at step 220. In a particular embodiment, for example, the scope of interest indication may indicate and / or identify specific cells and / or beams that the first network node is interested in. At step 230, the second network node 210B (e.g., gNB-CU, gNB-DU, etc.) sends a resource status statistics response. In a particular embodiment, the resource status statistics response may include information related to the scope of interest indicated in the resource status statistics request. At step 240, the second network node 210B sends a resource status statistics update for the indicated scope of interest.

[0082] In a particular embodiment, the first network node 210A requests the information from the second network node 210B for an indicated scope by including one or more identifiers in the request such as, for example, one or more beam identifiers (e.g., SSB Area identifiers), or one or more cell identifiers, or one or more RAN node identifiers, or one or more RAN node component identifiers, or one or more Tracking Area (TA) identifiers, RAN-based Notification Area (RNA) identifiers, or a combination thereof.

[0083] Additionally or alternatively, in a particular embodiment, the first network node 210A requests the information from the second network node 210B for an indicated scope by including in the request a list of identifiers such as, for example, a list of beam identifiers (e.g., a list of SSB Area identifiers), or a list of cell identifiers, etc., or a combination thereof (e.g., a nested list comprising one or more cell identifiers and one or more beam identifiers for each cell identifier).

[0084] Additionally or alternatively, in a particular embodiment, the first network node 210A requests the information from the second network node 210B for any beam, cell, etc. controlled by the second network node 210B implicitly by not including in the request an indicated scope, or explicitly by including in the request an indication (e.g., a dedicated indication) that the scope of interest extends to any beam, cell, etc. controlled by the second network node 210B.

[0085] Additionally or alternatively, in a particular embodiment, the first network node 210A requests the information from the second network node 210B for a different indicated scope than a previously indicated scope, assuming that a preceding request was granted, and the reporting of the information is ongoing, by including a new (e.g., a modified) scope of interest regarding the information in a modification request to the second network node 210B.

[0086] The methods that enable network nodes in a communication network, e.g., NG-RAN nodes such as gNB, gNB-CU, gNB-DU, to exchange information including statistics related to the utilization of time / frequency resources such as, for example, in the context of Cell DTX / DRX, as illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2, is described in more detail below.

[0087] Method in a First Network Node

[0088] According to certain embodiments, a method is performed by the first network node 110 A, 21 OB in the communication network to exchange information, including statistics related to the utilization of time / frequency resources. In a particular embodiment, the aforementioned resources address time and / or frequency resources of one or more Cell DTX / DRX patterns.

[0089] In a further particular embodiment, the one or more Cell DTX / DRX patterns are UE- specific, or UE-Group-specific, or Cell-specific, cell group specific or node specific.

[0090] In a further particular embodiment, the information is an aggregate of more than one Cell DTX / DRX pattern.

[0091] In a further particular embodiment, the utilization statistics are provided / signaled per time resource(s), where the granularity of the time resources is one or multiples of any of: o Subframe(s), or o Slot(s), or o Frame(s), or o system frame cycle(s), or o DTX / DRX cycle(s), o Milliseconds, seconds, lOs / lOOs of seconds, or alike

[0092] In a further particular embodiment, the utilization statistics are provided / signaled per group of time resource(s) belonging to parts of the Cell DTX / DRX. For example, in particular embodiments, the statistics is per Cell DTX / DRX on-period (ON period) and / or off-period (OFF period) respectively.

[0093] In a further particular embodiment, the utilization statistics are valid for a signaled value of validity duration / period.

[0094] In a further particular embodiment, the utilization statistics are valid for a predefined / prespecified value of a validity period, which may also be referred to herein as a validity duration, period, or duration.

[0095] In a further particular embodiment, the utilization statistics are valid until an update of information is received by the first node.

[0096] In a further particular embodiment, the statistics represent the probability factor / percentage of that the indicated resources are going to be used by the first network node. In a further particular embodiment, the granularity of the statistics is in steps such that each represents a percentage value. For example, onDuration=0.75, offDuration=0.15 would mean that utilization probability of the resources for the Cell DTX / DRX on-duration is 75%, and utilization probability of the resources during the Cell DTX / DRX off-duration is 15%.

[0097] In a further particular embodiment, the granularity of the statistics is such that each is indicative of probability of usage being above / below a percentage level. For example, code points could be used where each code point could mean more / less than a threshold percentage. For example, 00 could mean that there is less than 10% likelihood that a resource will be used and 01 could mean that there is less than 30% likelihood that a resource will be used.

[0098] In a further particular embodiment, the utilization statistics information is exchanged / reported to another node periodically and / or upon updates of the utilization statistics information, or upon updates by more than a certain level.

[0099] In a further particular embodiment, the method may further include sendingito a second network node HOB, 210B a request to receive from the second network node HOB, 210B, information including statistics related to the utilization of time / frequency resources associated to a cell and / or part of a cell such as a beam (e.g., SSB Area) and / or a group of cells and / or a node, e.g. a network node.

[0100] In a particular embodiment, the request includes a scope of interest indication, which indicates and / or identifies specific cells and / or beams that the first network node 110A, 210A is interested in. For example, in a particular embodiment, the request includes one or more identifiers (e.g., one or more beam identifiers, SSB Area identifiers, one or more cell identifiers, one or more RAN node identifiers, one or more RAN node component identifiers, one or more TA identifiers, one or more RNA identifiers, or a combination thereof) associated with the requested information. In a particular embodiment, the request may include a list of any one or more of the types of identifiers described above.

[0101] In a further particular embodiment, the method may further include receiving, from a second network node 110B, 210B, in response to sending a request to the second network node 110B, 210B, a response that the requested information can or cannot (or will or will not) be provided as requested, or cannot (or will not) provided at all.

[0102] In a particular embodiment, where the request indicates a scope of interest indication, the response may include only information related to the indicated scope of interest. Thus, for example, in a particular embodiment, the response may include information associated with one or more identifiers (e.g., one or more beam identifiers, SSB Area identifiers, one or more cell identifiers, one or more RAN node identifiers, one or more RAN node component identifiers, one or more TA identifiers, one or more RNA identifiers, or a combination thereof).

[0103] In a further particular embodiment, the method may further include receiving, from a second network node HOB, 21 OB, information including statistics related to the utilization of time / frequency resources associated to a cell and / or part of a cell such as a beam (e.g., SSB Area) and / or a group of cells and / or a node, e.g. a network node.

[0104] The method may further include the first network node 110A, 21 OA requesting the second network node HOB, 21 OB to stop sending the said information such as, for example, due to the first network node 110A, 210A goes back to legacy non NES mode.

[0105] In a particular embodiment, the first network node 110A, 210A is a first gNB and the second network node 110B, 210B is a second gNB.

[0106] In another particular embodiment, the first network node 110A, 210A is a gNB-CU of a first gNB and the second network node HOB, 210B is a different gNB-CU of a second gNB.

[0107] In yet another particular embodiment, the first network node 110A, 210A is a gNB-DU of a first gNB and the second network node 110B, 21 OB is the gNB-CU of the first gNB.

[0108] In yet another particular embodiment, the first network node 110A, 210A is the gNB-CU of a second gNB and the second network node 110B, 21 OB is a gNB-DU of the second gNB.

[0109] Method in a Second Network Node

[0110] According to certain embodiments, a method executed by a second network node 11 OB, 21 OB in a communication network to exchange information including statistics related to the utilization of time / frequency resources such as, for example, in the context of Cell DTX / DRX, includes exchanging information including statistics related to the utilization of time / frequency resources with a first network node 110 A, 210A.

[0111] In a particular embodiment, the second network node HOB, 21 OB receives, from a first network node 11 OA, 210 A, a request to transmit to the first network node 110 A, 210 A information including statistics related to the second node’s utilization of time / frequency resources associated to a cell and / or part of a cell such as a beam (e.g., SSB Area) and / or a group of cells and / or a node, e.g. a network node.

[0112] In a further particular embodiment, the request from the first network node 110A, 210A includes a scope of interest indication, which indicates and / or identifies specific cells and / or beams that the first network node is interested in. For example, in a particular embodiment, the request includes one or more identifiers (e.g., one or more beam identifiers, SSB Area identifiers, one or more cell identifiers, one or more RAN node identifiers, one or more RAN node component identifiers, one or more TA identifiers, one or more RNA identifiers, or a combination thereof) associated with the provided information. In a particular embodiment, the request may include a list of any one or more of the types of identifiers described above.

[0113] In a further particular embodiment, the information including statistics related to the second node’s utilization of time / frequency resources address time and / or frequency resources of one or more Cell DTX / DRX patterns.

[0114] In a further particular embodiment, the method may include the second network node 110B, 21 OB transmitting, to a first network node 110A, 21 OA, in response to receiving a request from the first network node 110A, 210A, a response that the requested information can or cannot (or will or will not) be provided as requested, or cannot (or will not) provided at all.

[0115] In a further particular embodiment, the second network node HOB, 21 OB transmits, to a first network node 110A, 210A, information including statistics related to the utilization of time / frequency resources associated to a cell and / or part of a cell such as a beam (e.g., SSB Area and / or a group of cells and / or a node, e.g. a network node).

[0116] In a particular embodiment, where the request indicates a scope of interest indication, the response only includes information related to the indicated scope of interest. Thus, for example, in a particular embodiment, the response may include information associated with one or more identifiers (e.g., one or more beam identifiers, SSB Area identifiers, one or more cell identifiers, one or more RAN node identifiers, one or more RAN node component identifiers, one or more TA identifiers, one or more RNA identifiers, or a combination thereol).

[0117] In a further particular embodiment, the method includes the second network node HOB, 21 OB indicating to the first network node 110 A, 210A that the said information is stopped such as, for example, due to the second network node 110B, 21 OB going back to legacy non NES mode.

[0118] In a particular embodiment, the first network node 110A, 210A is a first gNB and the second network node 110B, 210B is a second gNB.

[0119] In another particular embodiment, the first network node 110A, 210A is a gNB-CU of a first gNB and the second network node HOB, 210B is a different gNB-CU of a second gNB.

[0120] In yet another particular embodiment, the first network node 110A, 210A is a gNB-DU of a first gNB and the second network node 110B, 21 OB is the gNB-CU of the first gNB.

[0121] In yet another particular embodiment, the first network node 110A, 210A is the gNB-CU of a second gNB and the second network node 110B, 21 OB is a gNB-DU of the second gNB.

[0122] In a particular embodiment, based on exchanged statistics information, a node (re-) configures its Cell DTX / DRX settings for one or more UEs such that it has the no / small overlap with other nodes’ resources that have high probability of being used. In a related particular embodiment, certain UEs (e.g., UEs of a specific type, or involved in a specific service) are treated with higher priority such that least overlapping patterns are used for those UEs.

[0123] Exemplary call flows related to these and other embodiments described herein are discussed below with regard to FIGURE 6 and FIGURE 7.

[0124] Estimating the Time / Frequency Radio Resource Usage

[0125] According to certain embodiments, the time / frequency radio resource usage is estimated in each of the network nodes. Two exemplary methods (including combination thereof) to do this are: measuring the time / frequency resource usage during some recent time interval (e.g., during last X minutes or hours), or estimating / predicting the time / frequency resource usage based on estimated / predicted load conditions for UEs and / or groups of UEs and resource selection options for each UE group.

[0126] Herein, according to the first exemplary method, the measured time / frequency resource usage during the recent time interval is referred to as R. The second method provides the time / frequency resource usage in cell m as Rm= R(Lc,m, Sc,m) where

[0127] L,.m. LG,M = [Lm,i, Lm,N\ and Lm,n n=l,...N describes the load situation for UE group n in cell m.

[0128] SG,m'. G,m [Xw.7, ... , Sm,jv] where Sm,nn=l,...N describes the resource selection strategy for UE group n in cell m (i.e., how the node selects time / frequency resources given a specific load).

[0129] A UE group is a set of UEs that the cell considers beneficial to handle in a similar way. One factor could be different latency requirements where a UE configured with a service with requirements for low latency needs to have the opportunity to be scheduled more often compared to a UE configured with services with lower requirements on low latency. It is also possible for an implementation to only use one group, however. With one group in use, the cell may not even need to be aware of the UE group concept. It shall be noted that even though the term group is used here, e.g., in low load scenarios, there may be a single UE that is considered per group.

[0130] In a particular embodiment, even though there are multiple Cell DTX / DRX patterns, each assigned to a group of UEs, the network node may consider the aggregate of the Cell DTX / DRX patterns in the resource utilization estimation process. In one example, the node may consider the Cell DTX / DRX pattern with the longest Cell DTX / DRX cycle duration, also called periodicity. More precisely, the network node may consider the cycle duration / periodicity of the Cell DTX / DRX pattern with the longest Cell DTX / DRX cycle duration / periodicity as cycle duration / periodicity for the resource utilization estimation process.

[0131] In a general case, the load situation Lm,nfor UE group n in cell m is a random variable with a corresponding probability density function. By using this information and a set of candidate scheduling strategies Sm,nthe cell can predict which resources will be used depending on the selected scheduling strategy.

[0132] FIGURE 3 illustrates a graph 300 of load based resource selection strategy for a UE group, according to certain embodiments. More specifically, graph 300 demonstrates how a network node could predict which resources would be selected for a UE group, according to certain embodiments. The load index, / , corresponds to a load for the UE group and the resource index k indicates a time / frequency radio resource. The probability pk,i is the probability that the resource indicated by index k is selected at a load condition indicated by load index 1.

[0133] Load index in this example is related to the load situation as follows:

[0134] I = 1 corresponds to load = 0%

[0135] I = 2 corresponds to 0% < load < 10%

[0136] I = n corresponds to («-2)*10% < load < («-l)*10%

[0137] I = 11 corresponds to 90% < load < 100%

[0138] For example, a load at 40% corresponds to / = 5 where the resources used are indicated by resource index 1,2, 3, 4, 5. The particular selection strategy is denoted Sm,n, where pk,i indicates the probability that resource with index k is selected if the corresponding load index is 1. In this example the probabilities pk,i are all 0 or one in order to provide a simple example. However, the values pk,i is a probability hence 0< pk,i <1.

[0139] The load is normally not constant. Thus, the required resources change over time and is described by a Load condition Lnn = l.JV in LG exemplified in FIGURE 4, which illustrates a graph 400 indicating an example probability for a specific load for the UE group and cell according to the load index, according to certain embodiments. Here the load condition is described as a probability P that the load corresponds to load index i (i.e., P(i) where i = 1 ... 11).

[0140] From the load condition and the selection strategy the probability rk for a resource indicated by index k to be used can be calculated. Using the information in FIGURE 3 and FIGURE 4 this probability is calculated as rk= P(V)rk,i- The result in this example is according to FIGURE 5, which illustrates a graph 500 indicating an example probability for a resource to be used given the scheduling strategy and load condition, according to certain embodiments. The vector R contains the probabilities rk.

[0141] In this example, FIGURE 5 describes the time / frequency resource usage R where R(k) = rk where k = 1,... ,10 indicates the resource index.

[0142] Note that the resource index mentioned above (for which a usage probability value is given) is only exemplary and might differ depending on chosen granularity. For example, in one aspect, the resource indices may be referring to individual time units such as slots, frames, symbols, or a group of two or more consecutive slots, frames, symbols, or alike. In another aspect, the resource is a specific time-domain pattern such as a Cell DTX / DRX pattern including an offset, an on- duration, and a period / cycle and the probability is given for the whole pattern. For example, a second network node 110B, 210B can indicate to a first network node 110A, 210A that there is a 90% probability that the second network node HOB, 21 OB will conform to the pattern; i.e. 90% probable that the second network node HOB, 210B will be silent during the off-duration of the Cell DTX / DRX, and active (using the resources) during the on-duration of Cell DTX / DRX.

[0143] In a particular embodiment, the resource index is a portion of the Cell DTX / DRX pattern. For example a usage probability value is provided for the on-duration and another usage probability is provided for the off-duration.

[0144] Selecting Time / Frequency Radio Resources

[0145] Since the purpose is to avoid interference, it should be considered that the interference caused by different cells cmon a cell ck can be different. The disturbance depends on several parameters such as antenna gain, transmission power, physical environment, cell distance, etc. The parameter Ak, m is introduced to indicate the interference in cell Ck from cell cmwhen both cells use the same time / frequency radio resource.

[0146] The parameter Ak,mcan have several different meanings depending on the context. Some examples are: o Ak,mis 0 or 1 and indicates if the cell k is aware of cell m, e.g., 1 means aware. o Ak,m is 0 or 1 and indicates if the cell k is a direct neighbor of cell m, e.g., 1 means direct neighbor.

[0147] ■ A direct neighbor cell can be defined as a neighbor cell to which UE handovers can be performed and / or have been performed in the past. o Ak,m is a number indicative of the signal strength causing the disturbance from cell m where this is an weighted value in cell k. o Ak,m indicate the disturbance per time / frequency resource of cell k from cell m. o Ak,mis a number indicative of the path loss from the cell / antenna site of cell m to the users in cell k, e.g., the average, minimum, or maximum path loss, or a combination thereof. o Ak,m is a number indicative of the path loss from the users in cell m to the cell / antenna site of cell k. o Ak,mis a number indicative of the path loss from the cell / antenna site of cell m to the users in cell k and the path loss from the users in cell m to the cell / antenna site of cell k.

[0148] If a cell knows its power output and / or beamforming gain per time / frequency resource, such information can also be considered. We denote this information Bmindicating the power per time / frequency for cell m or SSB area in the cell m.

[0149] Given the load conditions (£G) for all cells and UE groups in the cells and all interference levels Ak,m, the task is to select the resources for each UE group in each cell to achieve some objective. For example, the objective may be to avoid selecting the same time / frequency radio resources when the interference levels are high. The function of selecting the resources can be in different network nodes in the network. Considering the 5G NG-RAN architecture, for example, it may be assumed that the function of selecting the resources in NG-RAN is located in the DU, CU-Control Plane (CU-CP) or CU-User Plane (CU-UP). It is also possible to locate the function selecting the resources in another node either in RAN or the core network or in operation and maintenance or in some artificial intelligence (Al) or machine learning (ML) dedicated nodes.

[0150] Example DU Centric Solution

[0151] FIGURE 6 illustrates an example signaling diagram 600 of a DU-centric solution for when a DUi 602 requests statistics from another cell located in DU2604 in a different NG-RAN node, according to certain embodiments. Since no direct interface exists between DUi and DU2, the messages are forwarded via the CU-CPi 606 and CU-CP2 608. Here, the CU-CPi provides information about which neighbors exist to the cell(s) in the DUi which may also, or alternatively, be available from configuration. Messages shown in FIGURE 6 are provided as examples and other variants may be additionally or alternatively relevant.

[0152] As illustrated in FIGURE 6, the signalling includes the DUi 602 requesting statistics from a cell that is a neighbor by sending the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Request message to its CU- CPi , at step 610. The target cell from which resource statistics are requested is included in the message. In a particular embodiment, an identifier indicative of the cell destination (i.e., the target cell) is included in the message as well as an identifier indicative of the destination (i.e., network node DUi 602 that sent the request 610) where the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics response message and Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Update messages are expected to be delivered. As an example, in a particular embodiment, the identifier may be the NR-CGI which globally identifies the cell and contains a gNB identifier. Another example is that this parameter is part of an association applicable over the Fl-C interface only towards the CU-CP. The CU-CPi retrieves information about the destination from the identifier indicative of the destination cell. In this example, the target indicates that the cell is in another NG-RAN node containing CU-CP2. At step 615, The CU-CPi 606 sends the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Request message to CU-CP2608.

[0153] The CU-CP2 608 receives the Xn-C Resource Status Request message from CU-CPi 606. CU-CP2 608 retrieves the identifier indicative of the cell which indicates a cell in DU2 604. The CU-CPi 606 sends the CU-CP initiated Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Request message to DU2 604, at step 620.

[0154] If DU2 604 accepts the Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Request message, DU2 604 indicates success by responding with the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Response message to CU-CP2 608, at step 625. The DU2604 indicates the target destination for the message as the received identifier indicative of the cell which requested the measurement which enables the network to return the message where it is expected to be delivered.

[0155] CU-CP2 608 receives the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Response message and, from the identifier indicative of the target cell, CU-CP2 608 checks the target node, which is CU-CPi 606. CU-CP2 608 sends the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Response message to CU-CPi 606, at step 630.

[0156] When the CU-CPi 606 receives the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Response message, the CU-CPi 606 retrieves the cell identifier indicative of the destination. In this example, the cell identifier matches a cell in DUi 602, and the CU-CPi 606 sends the Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Response message to the DUi 602, at 635.

[0157] When DU2 604 needs to deliver a statistics update, DU2 604 sends the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Update message, at 640. The Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Update message includes an indication about the destination such as, for example, the indication received in the Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Request message from step 620.

[0158] CU-CP2 608 receives the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Update message and, at step 645, forwards the information to the CU-CPi 606 using the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Update message. CU-CPi 606 receives the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Update message and, at step 650, forwards the information in the Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Update message to the final destination, which in this example is DUi 602.

[0159] In addition to the above, signaling may be added for the DU2 604 to indicate that the request received in the Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Request fails or partially fails.

[0160] In one alternative case, DUi 602 needs measurements from another cell located in DU2 604 in the same NG-RAN node. In this case DUi 602 and DU2 604 are connected to / communicating with the same CU-CP and the signaling steps / messages 615, 630, and 645 above are not needed.

[0161] A direct signaling interface defined between two DUs may be defined in future versions of the corresponding 3GPP specifications or may be implemented proprietarily. In this case, the DUi 602 andDU2 604 may be communicating with each other directly.

[0162] According to certain embodiments, a mechanism is also needed to request ongoing statistics reporting to stop. FIGURE 7 illustrates an example signaling diagram 700 for cancellation of active resource status statistics reporting, according to certain embodiments. Messages shown in FIGURE 7 are provided as examples, and other variants may be additionally or alternatively relevant.

[0163] As illustrated in FIGURE 7, the DUi has no need for the ongoing status report from a cell and needs to stop it. Accordingly, in the illustrated example, the DUi 702 sends the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Stop Request to the CU-CPi 706, at step 710. The message includes an indication of the source cell and an indication of the target cell.

[0164] The CU-CPi 706 receives the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Stop Request message and understands from the indication of the target cell that the message is intended for a cell in a DU connected to CU-CP2 708. Accordingly, at step 715, CU-CPi 706 sends the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Stop Request message to the CU-CP2 708.

[0165] The CU-CP2 708 receives the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Stop Request message and selects the target node, here DU2 704, based on the indication of the target cell. At step 720, the CU-CP2 708 sends the Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Stop request to DU2 704.

[0166] DU2 704 receives the Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Stop Request message and stops the statistics reporting to the indicated source cell. At step 725, DU2 704 sends the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Stop Response message to the CU-CP2 708 with indication of the destination cell in DUi 702 and an indication of for which cell the Resource Status Statistics was stopped. CU-CP2 708 receives the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Stop Response message and, based on the indication of the destination cell (i.e. , the source cell), CU-CP2 708 sends the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Stop Response message to the CU-CPi 706, at step 730.

[0167] CU-CPi 706 receives the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Stop Response message and, based on the indication of the destination cell, CU-CPi 706 sends the Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Stop Response message to DUi 702, at 735.

[0168] FIGURE 8 illustrates an example signaling diagram 800 for a procedure for a DU 802 to retrieve information about cell relations from the CU-CP 804, according to certain embodiments. The CU-CP 804 provides the information to the DU 802 about the relations between the cells such as, for example, which cells are neighboring cells to the cells known in the DU 802 or the strength of interference levels between cells. When the CU-CP 804 retrieves new information about the cell neighbor relations or interference levels, the CU-CP 804 needs to update the information previously sent. The messages shown in FIGURE 8 are provided as examples and other variants may be additionally or alternatively relevant.

[0169] As illustrated, the signaling in FIGURE 8 begins when, at 810, an internal trigger in the DU 802 triggers the DU 802 to send an Fl-C Neighbor Information Request message to the CU- CP 804.

[0170] When the CU-CP 804 receives the Fl-C Neighbor Information Request message, the CU- CP 804 responds at 815 with an Fl-C Neighbor Information Response, which includes known cell relations for the cells in the DU 802.

[0171] If at a later time, the cell relations change as compared to what was provided in the Fl-C Neighbor Information Response, the CU-CP 804 provides the new information in the Fl-C Neighbor Information Update message, at 820.

[0172] With the Fl-C Neighbor Information Update Acknowledge message, the DU 802 acknowledges to the CU-CP 804 that the information in the Fl-C Neighbor Information Update message was successfully received.

[0173] In addition to the above, signaling may be added for the CU-CP 804 to indicate if and when the requests received in the Fl-C Neighbor Information Request at 810 fail or partially fail.

[0174] Example messages and content are provided below for the DU centric solution described above. It is noted that all information elements are provided as examples and that other variations may be additionally or alternatively relevant. For example, statistics for several cells could be requested or reported in one message, in a particular embodiment.

[0175] Fl-C Neighbor Information Request Direction gNB-DU -> gNB-CU-CP

[0176] This information may in one implementation option be included in Fl Setup Request message as disclosed in 3GPP TS 38.473. See, 3GPP TS 38.473 - NG-RAN; Fl Application Protocol (F1AP) - Version 17.5.0.

[0177] Fl-C Neighbor Information Response

[0178] Direction gNB-CU-CP -> gNB-DU

[0179] This information may in one implementation option be included in Fl Setup Response message as disclosed in in 3 GPP TS 38.473.

[0180] Fl-C Neighbor Information Update Direction gNB-CU-CP -> gNB-DU

[0181] This information may in one implementation option be included in GNB-CU Configuration Update message as disclosed in 3GPP TS 38.473.

[0182] Fl-C Neighbor Information Update Acknowledge

[0183] Direction gNB-DU -> gNB-CU-CP

[0184] This information may in one implementation option be included in GNB-CU Configuration Update Acknowledge message as disclosed in 3GPP TS 38.473.

[0185] Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Request

[0186] Direction gNB-DU -> gNB-CU It is noted that source indication indicates the routing destination where, for example, the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Response and the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Update messages associated to the request are expected. The target indication is a global identifier of the destination. One example of the target indication is the NR-CGI, another the GGNBID. If the target is identified by one cell identifier (cell id), statistics may still be requested for several cells controlled by the same network node. The source statistics report identifier (report id) is an implementation option that simplifies the management in the network nodes.

[0187] Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Request Direction gNB-CU-CPi -> gNB-CU-CP2

[0188] Fl-C CU-CP Initiated Resource Status Statistics Request

[0189] Direction gNB-CU-CP2-> gNB-DU2

[0190] Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Response

[0191] Direction gNB-Dl -> gNB-CU-CP2

[0192] It is noted that the Target indication in the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Response message in this example contains the source indication received in the Fl-C CU-CP Initiated Resource Status Statistics Request.

[0193] Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Response

[0194] Direction gNB-CU-CP2-> gNB-CU-CPi

[0195] Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Response

[0196] Direction gNB-CU-CPi -> gNB-DUi

[0197] Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Update

[0198] Direction gNB-DU -> gNB-CU-CP

[0199] Resource Status Group List

[0200]

[0201] Statistics Information

[0202] Contains resource statistics for agreed groups of resources.

[0203] Alt la, Resource status group ID used, as defined in Resource Status Group List

[0204] Alt lb, Resource status ID not used

[0205]

[0206] Alt 2a, Cell DTX / DRX pattern

[0207] Alt 2b, Cell DTX / DRX pattern

[0208] Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Update

[0209] Direction gNB-CU-CP2-> gNB-CU-CP i

[0210] Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Update

[0211] Direction gNB-CU-CP -> gNB-DU Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Stop Request

[0212] Direction gNB-DU -> gNB-CU Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Stop Request

[0213] Direction gNB-CU-CPi -> gNB-CU-CP2

[0214] Fl-C CU-CP Initiated Resource Status Statistics Stop Request

[0215] Direction gNB-CU-CP -> gNB-DU

[0216] DU Centric Solution

[0217] According to certain embodiments, the function of selecting the resources is in the DU. The DU knows Ak,m, and 5 and the UE groups. The missing information is the Rmfrom all cells not in the DU. From the Ak,m the DU requests the Rmfrom cells in other DUs via the Fl-C.

[0218] Periodic or change based reporting

[0219] In a particular embodiment, the DU sends a Resource Status Statistics Request message to the CU-CP indicating the cell m from which the DU needs information. The DU indicates which information it is interested in for the cells such as, for example, Rmand / or Bm. The DU may also indicate how it wants the reporting. Some alternatives are:

[0220] Periodically with some defined time between reports.

[0221] Change based i.e. when the other cell detects a change of Rmand / or Bm.

[0222] Acknowledgement of periodic reporting

[0223] In a particular embodiment, the DU receives either a Resource Status Statistics response acknowledging successful start of the statistics reporting or a Resource Status Statistics failure message indicating that the receiver does not start the statistics reporting.

[0224] Reception of Resource Status Statistics update

[0225] In a particular embodiment, when the Resource Status Statistics Update message is received, the DU updates the stored information with the new information. In case of periodic reporting, an option is that the sender indicates “no changes since last update”. Request based reporting

[0226] In a particular embodiment, the DU sends a Resource Status Statistics Request message to the CU-CP requesting one report only which is delivered in the Resource Status Statistics Response message.

[0227] CU-CP in DU centric solution

[0228] According to certain embodiments, when the CU-CP receives a Resource Status Statistics Request message, the CU-CP retrieves the destination by retrieving the destination CU-CP from the information in the message. If the cell belongs to a DU in the NG-RAN node itself, the CU- CP forwards the message to that DU over Fl-C. One option is to identify the cell using the NR CGI which globally identifies the cell and contains the gNB ID. If the Ak,m were provided by the CU-CP to the DU, a different cell identifier only known by the CU-CP could be provided where the CU-CP has the mapping to which NG-RAN node the message should be sent.

[0229] CU-CP in a different NG-RAN node receives Resource Status Statistics Request in DU centric solution

[0230] In a further particular embodiment, when a CU-CP receives a Resource Status Statistics Request message from another CU-CP, the CU-CP retrieves the destination cell. If the cell exists in any of the DUs in the NG-RAN node, the CU-CP forwards the message over Fl-C to that DU.

[0231] CU-CP in DU centric solution receives Resource Status Statistics Request message

[0232] In the successful case, the DU prepares to provide the measurements to the requesting DU / cell according to the request and responds with the Resource Status Statistics Response message.

[0233] CU-CP receives a Resource Status Statistics Response message from a DU

[0234] In a particular embodiment, the CU-CP retrieves the destination CU-CP from the message. If the destination CU-CP is the CU-CP itself, the CU-CP forwards the message to the indicated DU. If the destination CU-CP is another CU-CP it sends the message to that CU-CP.

[0235] CU-CP receives a Resource Status Statistics Response message from a CU-CP

[0236] In a particular embodiment, the CU-CP retrieves the destination CU-CP from the message. If the destination CU-CP is the CU-CP itself, the CU-CP forwards the message to the indicated DU. CU-CP provides theAk,™ to the DU(s) in DU centric solution

[0237] In a particular embodiment, when the CU-CP receives a Request to provide the known neighbors to a cell m in the DU from the DU it responds with the list of known neighbors. Optionally, the CU-CP provides a list of estimated interference levels from the neighbor into the cell m for each known neighbor cell. Optionally, the CU-CP provides a new identifier of the cell only known to the CU-CP to be used by the DU to request Resource Status Statistics.

[0238] CU-CP Centric Solution

[0239] In an example CU-CP centric solution, the CU-CP is assumed to know the cell relations and, optionally, the interference levels. If the time / frequency resource information is not available in the CU-CP, the CU-CP requests reporting either from its own DUs (same NG-RAN node) as illustrated in FIGURE 10 or from cells in DUs in other NG-RAN nodes as illustrated in FIGURE 11. In the CU-CP centric solution, the CU-CP assists the DU to select the resources.

[0240] For example, FIGURE 9 illustrates an example signaling diagram 900 for the CU-CP centric solution where the CU-CP 904 provides parameters to the DU 902, according to certain embodiments. In a particular embodiment, for example, the parameters may include offset and / or periodicity for a Cell DTX / DRX pattern.

[0241] As illustrated, the signalling includes the DU 902 sending the Fl-C Energy Saving Parameters Information message to the CU-CP 904, at 910.

[0242] At 915, the CU-CP 904 acknowledges to the DU 902 that it received the Fl-C Energy Saving Parameters Information by sending a Fl-C Energy Savings Parameters Information Acknowledge message to the DU 902.

[0243] At 920, when the CU-CP 904 has derived a set of parameters, the CU-CP 904 sends the parameters in the Fl-C Energy Saving Parameter Update message.

[0244] At 925, the DU 902 confirms that the new parameters were received in the Fl-C Energy Savings Parameters Update Acknowledge message.

[0245] Fl-C Energy Savings Parameters Information

[0246] Direction gNB-DU -> gNB-CU

[0247] Fl-C Energy Savings Parameters Information Acknowledge

[0248] Direction gNB-CU -> gNB-DU Fl-C Energy Savings Parameters Update

[0249] Direction gNB-CU -> gNB-DU

[0250] Fl-C Energy Savings Parameters Update Acknowledge

[0251] Direction gNB-DU -> gNB-CU

[0252] FIGURE 10 illustrates an example signaling diagram 1000 for a CU-CP centric solution that includes CU-CP 1004 initiated statistics retrieval from a DU 1002 in the same NG-RAN node as the CU-CP 1004, according to certain embodiments. As illustrated in FIGURE 10, the signalling includes the CU-CP 1004 requesting statistics by sending the Fl-C CU-CP Initiated Resource Status Statistics Request message to DU 1002, at step 1010. At step 1015, the DU 1002 sends the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Response message to CU-CP 1004.

[0253] At step 1020, DU 1002 sends the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Update message to CU- CP 1004..

[0254] FIGURE 11 illustrates an example signaling diagram 1100 for a CU-CP centric solution that includes CU-CPi 1104 initiated statistics retrieval from a DU2 1102 in a different NG-RAN node as the CU-CPi 1104, according to certain embodiments. Messages shown in FIGURE 11 are provided as examples and other variants may be additionally or alternatively relevant.

[0255] As illustrated in FIGURE 11, the signalling includes the CU-CPi 1104 requesting statistics from a cell that is a neighbor by sending the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Request message to CU-CP2, at step 1110. The cell from which resource statistics are requested is included in the message. In a particular embodiment, an identifier indicative of the cell destination is included in the message as well as an identifier indicative of the destination where the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics response message and Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Update messages are expected to be delivered. As an example, in a particular embodiment, the identifier may be the NR-CGI which globally identifies the cell and contains a gNB identifier. The DU2 1102 retrieves information about the destination from the identifier indicative of the destination cell.

[0256] At step 1115, the CU-CP2 1106 sends an Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Request message to DU2 1102.

[0257] The DU2 1102 receives the Fl-C CU-CP initiated Resource Status Statistics Request message from CU-CP2 1106. DU2 1102 retrieves the identifier indicative of the cell from which resource statistics are requested. The DU2 1102 sends the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Response message to CU-CP2 1106, at step 1120.

[0258] CU-CP2 1106 receives the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Response message and, from the identifier indicative of the destination where the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics response message and Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Update messages are expected to be delivered, CU- CP2 1106 checks the target node, which is CU-CPi 1104. CU-CP2 1106 sends the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Response message to CU-CPi 1104, at step 1125.

[0259] When DU2 1102 needs to deliver a statistics update, DU2 1102 sends the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Update message, at 1130. The Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Update message includes an indication / identifier about the destination such as, for example, the indication / identifier that was received in the CU-CP initiated Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Request message from step 1115. CU-CP2 1106 receives the Fl-C Resource Status Statistics Update message and, at step 1135, forwards the information to the CU-CPi 1104 using the Xn-C Resource Status Statistics Update message.

[0260] Disaggregated gNB (Split Architecture)

[0261] Certain methods, techniques and embodiments described herein take disaggregated gNB into account by the separation of DU and CU-CP. For a non-disaggregated NG-RAN node, the Fl-C messages are not needed.

[0262] FIGURE 12 shows an example of a communication system 1200 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 1200 includes a telecommunication network 1202 that includes an access network 1204, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 1206, which includes one or more core network nodes 1208. The access network 1204 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1210A and 1210B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1210), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 1210 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 1212A, 1212B, 1212C, and 1212D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1212) to the core network 1206 over one or more wireless connections.

[0263] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting 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, the communication system 1200 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 wired or wireless connections. The communication system 1200 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0264] The UEs 1212 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 1210 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 1210 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 1212 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 1202 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 1202.

[0265] In the depicted example, the core network 1206 connects the network nodes 1210 to one or more hosts, such as host 1216. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 1206 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1208) that are 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, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 1208. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0266] The host 1216 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 1204 and / or the telecommunication network 1202, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1216 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0267] As a whole, the communication system 1200 of FIGURE 12 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are 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); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox. In some examples, the telecommunication network 1202 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 1202 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 1202. For example, the telecommunications network 1202 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0268] In some examples, the UEs 1212 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 1204 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 1204. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0269] In the example, the hub 1214 communicates with the access network 1204 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1212C and / or 1212D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 1210B). In some examples, the hub 1214 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 1214 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 1206 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 1214 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 1210, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 1214. As another example, the hub 1214 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 1214 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 1214 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 1214 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 1214 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0270] The hub 1214 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 1210B. The hub 1214 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 1214 and UEs (e.g., UE 1212C and / or 1212D), and between the hub 1214 and the core network 1206. In other examples, the hub 1214 is connected to the core network 1206 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 1214 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 1204 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 1210 while still connected via the hub 1214 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 1214 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 1210B. In other embodiments, the hub 1214 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 1210B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0271] FIGURE 13 shows a UE 1300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0272] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0273] The UE 1300 includes processing circuitry 1302 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1304 to an input / output interface 1306, apower source 1308, amemory 1310, a communication interface 1312, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIGURE 13. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0274] The processing circuitry 1302 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1310. The processing circuitry 1302 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 1302 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0275] In the example, the input / output interface 1306 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1300. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0276] In some embodiments, the power source 1308 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 1308 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1308 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1300 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1308. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1308 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1300 to which power is supplied. The memory 1310 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 disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1310 includes one or more application programs 1314, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1316. The memory 1310 may store, for use by the UE 1300, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0277] The memory 1310 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 1310 may allow the UE 1300 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 1310, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0278] The processing circuitry 1302 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1312. The communication interface 1312 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1322. The communication interface 1312 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 a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1318 and / or a receiver 1320 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1318 and receiver 1320 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1322) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately. In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1312 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0279] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1312, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0280] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0281] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, amotion detector, a thermostat, asmoke detector, adoor / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like 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 tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or itemtracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1300 shown in FIGURE 13.

[0282] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. 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, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0283] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be 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 operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0284] FIGURE 14 shows a network node 1400 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)).

[0285] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0286] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0287] The network node 1400 includes a processing circuitry 1402, a memory 1404, a communication interface 1406, and a power source 1408. The network node 1400 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1400 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1400 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1404 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1410 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1400 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1400, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1400.

[0288] The processing circuitry 1402 may comprise a combination of one or more 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 encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1400 components, such as the memory 1404, to provide network node 1400 functionality. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1402 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1402 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1412 and baseband processing circuitry 1414. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1412 and the baseband processing circuitry 1414 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1412 and baseband processing circuitry 1414 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0289] The memory 1404 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1402. The memory 1404 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1402 and utilized by the network node 1400. The memory 1404 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1402 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1406. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1402 and memory 1404 is integrated.

[0290] The communication interface 1406 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between anetwork node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1406 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1416 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1406 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1418 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1410. Radio front-end circuitry 1418 comprises filters 1420 and amplifiers 1422. The radio frontend circuitry 1418 may be connected to an antenna 1410 and processing circuitry 1402. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1410 and processing circuitry 1402. The radio front-end circuitry 1418 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1418 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1420 and / or amplifiers 1422. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1410. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1410 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1418. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1402. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0291] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1400 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1418, instead, the processing circuitry 1402 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1410. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1412 is part of the communication interface 1406. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1406 includes one or more ports or terminals 1416, the radio frontend circuitry 1418, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1412, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1406 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1414, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0292] The antenna 1410 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1410 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1418 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1410 is separate from the network node 1400 and connectable to the network node 1400 through an interface or port.

[0293] The antenna 1410, communication interface 1406, and / or the processing circuitry 1402 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1410, the communication interface 1406, and / or the processing circuitry 1402 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0294] The power source 1408 provides power to the various components of network node 1400 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1408 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1400 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1400 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1408. As a further example, the power source 1408 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0295] Embodiments of the network node 1400 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIGURE 14 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1400 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1400 and to allow output of information from the network node 1400. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1400.

[0296] FIGURE 15 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.

[0297] In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions 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 hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized.

[0298] Applications 1502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 1500 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0299] Hardware 1504 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be 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 may be generally referred to as VMs 1508), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1508. The VMs 1508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1508, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function 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 can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0300] In the context of NFV, a VM 1508 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1508, and that part of hardware 1504 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1508 on top of the hardware 1504 and corresponds to the application 1502.

[0301] Hardware 1504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1504 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1502. In some embodiments, hardware 1504 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0302] FIGURE 16 illustrates an example method 1600 by a first network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information, according to certain embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the method includes a receiving step at 1602. For example, at step 1602, the first network node receives, from a second network node, resource usage statistics information.

[0303] FIGURE 17 illustrates an example method 1700 by a second network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information, according to certain embodiments. In the illustrated embodiment, the method includes atransmitting step at 1702. For example, at step 1702, the second network node transmits, to the first network node, resource usage statistics information.

[0304] FIGURE 18 illustrates a method 1800 performed by a first network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information, according to certain embodiments. As illustrated, the method includes the first network node (such as, for example, first network node 110A, 210A, 602, 1004, 1104) receiving, at step 1802, from a second network node (such as, for example, HOB, 210B, 604, 1002, 1102), resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or at least one Cell DRX pattern.

[0305] In a particular embodiment, the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern comprises a Cell DTX / DRX on-period and a Cell DTX / DRX off-period.

[0306] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information indicates a probability of a usage by the second network node of at least one time and / or frequency resource associated with the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern.

[0307] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information indicating the probability of the usage comprises at least one of: an estimate and / or a probability indicating whether the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node; an indication of a likelihood that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node; an indication of a likelihood that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is not going to be used by the second network node; an indication that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network with a probability or likelihood that is greater than a threshold; and an indication that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node with a probability or likelihood that is less than a threshold.

[0308] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information includes a plurality of Cell DTX patterns and / or a plurality of Cell DRX patterns, and each Cell DTX pattern and / or each Cell DRX pattern is associated with a respective one of a plurality of cells and / or beams.

[0309] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information indicates at least one of: an actual usage of at least one time and / or frequency resource during a time interval by the second network node; and an actual usage of the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern during a time interval by the second network node.

[0310] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information is associated with a validity period, and the method includes receiving, by the first network node, information indicating the validity period. In a particular embodiment, prior to receiving the resource usage statistics information, the first network node transmits a request for the resource usage statistics information, and the resource usage statistics information is received from the second network node based on the request.

[0311] In a particular embodiment, the request comprises at least one identifier associated with at least one cell and / or beam for which the first network node requests the resource usage statistics information.

[0312] In a particular embodiment, the first network node receives a resource status statistics update from the second network node, and wherein the resource usage statistics information is valid until the resource status statistics update is received from the second network node.

[0313] In a particular embodiment, based on the resource usage statistics information received from the second network node, the first network node selects at least one time and / or frequency resource for use by the first network node.

[0314] In a particular embodiment, when selecting the at least one time and / or frequency resource for use by the first network node, the first network node selects the at least one time and / or frequency resource for which the resource usage statistics information indicates that a probability of usage by the second network node of the at least one time and / or frequency resource is less than a threshold.

[0315] In a particular embodiment, the first network node performs at least one of: transmitting additional resource usage statistics information to the second network node; and transmitting, to the second network node, information indicating at least one time and / or frequency resource selected for use by the first network node, based on the resource usage statistics information received from the second network node.

[0316] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information is associated with at least one of: at least one UE served by the first network node and at least one UE served by the second network node.

[0317] FIGURE 19 illustrates a method by a second network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics, according to certain embodiments. As illustrated, the method includes the second network node (such as, for example second network node HOB, 210B, 604, 1002, 1102) transmitting, at step 1902, to the first network node (such as, for example first network node 110A, 210A, 602, 1004, 1104), resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or at least one Cell DRX pattern.

[0318] In a particular embodiment, the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern is a Cell DTX / DRX on-period and / or a Cell DTX / DRX off-period. In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information indicates a probability of a usage by the second network node of at least one time and / or frequency resource associated with the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern.

[0319] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information indicating the probability of the usage includes at least one of: an estimate and / or a probability indicating whether the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node; an indication of a likelihood that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node; an indication of a likelihood that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is not going to be used by the second network node; an indication that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node with a probability or likelihood that is greater than a threshold; and an indication that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node with a probability or likelihood that is less than a threshold.

[0320] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information includes a plurality of Cell DTX patterns and / or a plurality of Cell DRX patterns, and each Cell DTX pattern and / or each Cell DRX pattern is associated with a respective one of a plurality of cells and / or beams.

[0321] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information indicates at least one of: an actual usage of at least one time and / or frequency resource during a time interval by the second network node; and an actual usage of the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern during a time interval by the second network node.

[0322] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information is associated with a validity period, and the second network node transmits, to the first network node, information indicating the validity period.

[0323] In a particular embodiment, prior to transmitting the resource usage statistics information, receiving, from the first network node, a request for the resource usage statistics information, and the resource usage statistics information is transmitted to the first network node based on the request.

[0324] In a particular embodiment, the request includes at least one identifier associated with at least one cell and / or beam for which the first network node requests the resource usage statistics information.

[0325] In a particular embodiment, the second network node transmits, to the first network node, a resource status statistics update, and the resource usage statistics information is valid until the resource statistics usage update has been transmitted to the first network node. In a particular embodiment, the second network node performs at least one of: receiving, from the first network node, additional resource usage statistics information associated with the first network node; and receiving, from the first network node, information indicating at least one time and / or frequency resource selected for use by the first network node, based on the resource usage statistics information transmitted to the first network node by the second network node.

[0326] In a particular embodiment, based on the additional resource usage statistics information received from the first network node and / or the information indicating the at least one time and / or frequency resource received from the first network node, the second network node selects at least one time and / or frequency resource for use by the second network node.

[0327] In a particular embodiment, when selecting the at least one time and / or frequency resource for use by the second network node, the second network node selects the at least one time and / or frequency resource for which a probability of usage of the at least one time and / or frequency resource by the first network node is less than a threshold.

[0328] In a particular embodiment, the resource usage statistics information is associated with at least one of: at least one UE served by the first network node; and at least one UE served by the second network node.

[0329] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0330] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain 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 circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry 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 a wireless network generally.

[0331] EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0332] Group A Example Embodiments

[0333] Example Embodiment Al. A method by a user equipment for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics, the method comprising: any of the user equipment steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.

[0334] Example Embodiment A2. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising one or more additional user equipment steps, features or functions described above.

[0335] Example Embodiment A3. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host computer via the transmission to the network node.

[0336] Group B Example Embodiments

[0337] Example Embodiment Bl. A method performed by a network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics, the method comprising: any of the network node steps, features, or functions described above, either alone or in combination with other steps, features, or functions described above.

[0338] Example Embodiment B2. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising one or more additional network node steps, features or functions described above.

[0339] Example Embodiment B3. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

[0340] Group C Example Embodiments

[0341] Example Embodiment Cl. A method by a first network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information, the method comprising: receiving, from a second network node, resource usage statistics information.

[0342] Example Embodiment C2(a). The method of Example Embodiment Cl, wherein the resource usage statistics information comprises Cell DTX / DRX information.

[0343] Example Embodiment C2(b). The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C2(a), wherein the resource usage statistics information comprises a plurality of Cell DTX / DRX information associated with a plurality of respective cells and / or beams, and wherein each cell and / or beam is associated with at least one identifier.

[0344] Example Embodiment C2(c). The method of Example Embodiment C2(b), wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one of: a beam identifier, a cell identifier, a SSB Area identifier, a RAN node identifier, a RAN node component identifier, a TA identifier, and a RNA identifier.

[0345] Example Embodiment C3. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C2(c), wherein the resource usage statistics information indicates at least one of: an actual usage of at least one time and / or frequency resource during a time interval by the first and / or second network node; an actual usage of Cell DTX pattern and / or Cell DRX pattern during a time interval by the first and / or second network node; an estimate and / or probability of a usage of at least one time and / or frequency by the first and / or the second network node; and an estimate and / or probability of a usage of at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or Cell DRX pattern by the first and / or the second network node.

[0346] Example Embodiment C4. The method of Example Embodiment C3, where the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or Cell DRX pattern is UE-specific, UE-Group-specific, Cell-specific, Cell Group-Specific, or node specific.

[0347] Example Embodiment C5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C4, wherein the resource usage statistics information is an aggregate of a plurality of Cell DTX and / or Cell DRX patterns.

[0348] Example Embodiment C6. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C5, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with a time resource, and wherein the time resource comprises at least one of: one or more Subframes, one or more slots, one or more frames, one or more system frame cycles, one or more DTX / DRX cycles, one or more milliseconds, one or more seconds, one or more 10s of seconds, and one or more 100s of seconds.

[0349] Example Embodiment C7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C6, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with a group of time resource(s) belonging to a Cell DTX / DRX on-period and / or a Cell DTX / DRX off-period.

[0350] Example Embodiment C8. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C7, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with a validity duration and / or period, and the method comprises receiving information indicating the validity duration and / or period.

[0351] Example Embodiment C9. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C8, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with a preconfigured validity duration and / or preconfigured validity period.

[0352] Example Embodiment CIO. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C9, wherein the resource usage statistics information are valid until updated resource usage statistics information is received from the second network node.

[0353] Example Embodiment Cl 1. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to CIO, wherein the resource usage statistics information represents and / or indicates a probability factor and / or a percentage indicating whether the indicated resources are going to be used by the first network node.

[0354] Example Embodiment Cl 2. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 1, wherein the resource usage statistics information represents and / or indicates a probability factor and / or a percentage indicating whether the indicated resources are going to be used by the second network node.

[0355] Example Embodiment Cl 3. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 2, wherein the resource usage statistics information comprises a percentage value.

[0356] Example Embodiment Cl 4. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 3, wherein the resource usage statistics information is indicative of being above / below a percentage level.

[0357] Example Embodiment Cl 5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 4, wherein the resource usage statistics information indicates a probability of a usage of at least one time and / or frequency resource by the second network node.

[0358] Example Embodiment Cl 6(a). The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C15, wherein prior to receiving the resource usage statistics information, the method comprises transmitting a request for the resource usage statistics information, and wherein the resource usage statistics information is received from the second network node based on the request. Example Embodiment Cl 6(b). The method of Example Embodiment Cl 6(a), wherein the request comprises at least one identifier associated with at least one cell and / or beam for which the first network node requests the resource usage statistics information.

[0359] Example Embodiment Cl 6(c). The method of Example Emboidment Cl 6(b), wherein the resource usage statistics information comprises a plurality of Cell DTX / DRX information, each of the plurality of Cell DTX / DRX information being associated with the at least one identifier(s).

[0360] Example Embodiment Cl 6(d). The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl 6(b) to Cl 6(c), wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one of: a beam identifier, a cell identifier, a SSB Area identifier, a RAN node identifier, a RAN node component identifier, a TA identifier, and a RNA identifier.

[0361] Example Embodiment Cl 7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 6(d), comprising receiving a resource status statistics usage update.

[0362] Example Embodiment C18.The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C17, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with at least one of: a cell, a part of a cell, a beam, a SSB area, a group of cells, and / or a network node.

[0363] Example Embodiment Cl 9. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 8, comprising transmitting, to the second network node, a request for the second network node to stop sending the resource usage statistics information.

[0364] Example Embodiment C20.The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to Cl 9, comprising receiving, from the second network node, information indicating that the second network node will not send further resource usage statistics information.

[0365] Example Embodiment C21.The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C20, wherein at least one of: the first network node is associated with a first cell and the second network node is associated with a second cell that neighbors the first cell; the first network node is a first gNB and the second network node is a second gNB; the first network node is a gNB-CU of a first gNB and the second network node is a second gNB-CU of a second gNB; the first network node is a first gNB-DU of a first gNB and the second network node is a gNB-CU of the first gNB; and the first network node is a gNB-CU of a second gNB and the second network node is a gNB-of the second gNB.

[0366] Example Embodiment C22.The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C21, comprising: based on the resource usage statistics information received from the second network node, selecting at least one time and / or frequency resource for the first network node.

[0367] Example Embodiment C23.The method of Example Embodiment C22, wherein selecting the at least one time and / or frequency resource for the first network node comprises selecting the at least one time and / or frequency resource for which the resource usage statistics information indicates that a probability of usage of the at least one time and / or frequency resource is less than a threshold.

[0368] Example Embodiment C24.The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C23, comprising at least one of: transmitting additional resource usage statistics information to the second network node; and transmitting, to the second network node, information indicating at least one time and / or frequency resource selected by the first network node, based on the resource usage statistics received from the second network node, for usage by the first network node.

[0369] Example Embodiment C25. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C24, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with at least one of: at least one UE served by the first network node; at least one UE served by the second network node; a group of UEs served by the first network node; and a group of UEs served by the second network node.

[0370] Example Embodiment C26. The method of any one of Example Embodiments Cl to C25, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

[0371] Example Embodiment C27. A first network node comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C26.

[0372] Example Embodiment C28. A first network node configured to and / or adapted to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C26.

[0373] Example Embodiment C29. A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C26.

[0374] Example Embodiment C30. A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C6.

[0375] Example Embodiment C31. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments Cl to C26.

[0376] Group D Example Embodiments

[0377] Example Embodiment DI. A method by a second network node for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics, the method comprising: transmitting, to the first network node, resource usage statistics information.

[0378] Example Embodiment D2(a). The method of Example Embodiment DI, wherein the resource usage statistics information comprises Cell DTX / DRX information.

[0379] Example Embodiment D2(b). The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D2(a), wherein the resource usage statistics information comprises a plurality of Cell DTX / DRX information associated with a plurality of respective cells and / or beams, and wherein each cell and / or beam is associated with at least one identifier.

[0380] Example Embodiment D2(c). The method of Example Embodiment D2(b), wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one of: a beam identifier, a cell identifier, a SSB Area identifier, a RAN node identifier, a RAN node component identifier, a TA identifier, and a RNA identifier.

[0381] Example Embodiment D3. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D2(c), wherein the resource usage statistics information indicates at least one of: an actual usage of at least one time and / or frequency resource during a time interval by the first and / or second network node; an actual usage of Cell DTX pattern and / or Cell DRX pattern during a time interval by the first and / or second network node; an estimate and / or probability of a usage of at least one time and / or frequency by the first and / or the second network node; and an estimate and / or probability of a usage of at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or Cell DRX pattern by the first and / or the second network node.

[0382] Example Embodiment D4. The method of Example Embodiment D3, where the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or Cell DRX pattern is UE-specific, UE-Group-specific, Cell-specific, Cell Group-Specific, or node specific.

[0383] Example Embodiment D5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D4, wherein the resource usage statistics information is an aggregate of a plurality of Cell DTX and / or Cell DRX patterns.

[0384] Example Embodiment D6. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D5, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with a time resource, and wherein the time resource comprises at least one of: one or more Subframes, one or more slots, one or more frames, one or more system frame cycles, one or more DTX / DRX cycles, one or more milliseconds, one or more seconds, one or more 10s of seconds, and one or more 100s of seconds.

[0385] Example Embodiment D7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D6, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with a group of time resource(s) belonging to a Cell DTX / DRX on-period and / or a Cell DTX / DRX off-period.

[0386] Example Embodiment D8. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D7, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with a validity duration and / or period, and the method comprises transmitting, to the first network node, information indicating the validity duration and / or period.

[0387] Example Embodiment D9. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D8, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with a preconfigured validity duration and / or preconfigured validity period.

[0388] Example Embodiment DIO. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D9, wherein the resource usage statistics information are valid until updated resource usage statistics information is transmitted to the first network node.

[0389] Example Embodiment Dl l. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DIO, wherein the resource usage statistics information represents and / or indicates a probability factor and / or a percentage indicating whether the indicated resources are going to be used by the first network node.

[0390] Example Embodiment DI 2. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to Dll, wherein the resource usage statistics information represents and / or indicates a probability factor and / or a percentage indicating whether the indicated resources are going to be used by the second network node.

[0391] Example Embodiment DI 3. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 2, wherein the resource usage statistics information comprises a percentage value.

[0392] Example Embodiment DI 4. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 3, wherein the resource usage statistics information is indicative of being above / below a percentage level.

[0393] Example Embodiment DI 5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 4, wherein the resource usage statistics information indicates a probability of a usage of at least one time and / or frequency resource by the second network node.

[0394] Example Embodiment DI 6(a). The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 5, wherein prior to transmitting the resource usage statistics information, the method comprises receiving, from the first network node, a request for the resource usage statistics information, and wherein the resource usage statistics information is transmitted to the first network node based on the request.

[0395] Example Embodiment DI 6(b). The method of Example Embodiment DI 6(a), wherein the request comprises at least one identifier associated with at least one cell and / or beam for which the first network node requests the resource usage statistics information.

[0396] Example Embodiment DI 6(c). The method of Example Emboidment DI 6(b), wherein the resource usage statistics information comprises a plurality of Cell DTX / DRX information, each of the plurality of Cell DTX / DRX information being associated with the at least one identifier(s).

[0397] Example Embodiment DI 6(d). The method of Example Embodiments DI 6(b) to DI 6(c), wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one of: a beam identifier, a cell identifier, a SSB Area identifier, a RAN node identifier, a RAN node component identifier, a TA identifier, and a RNA identifier.

[0398] Example Embodiment DI 7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 6(d), comprising transmitting, to the first network node, a resource status statistics usage update.

[0399] Example Embodiment DI 8. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 7, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with at least one of: a cell, a part of a cell, a beam, a SSB area, a group of cells, and / or a network node.

[0400] Example Embodiment DI 9. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 8, comprising receiving, from the first network node, a request for the second network node to stop sending the resource usage statistics information.

[0401] Example Embodiment D20. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to DI 9, comprising transmitting, to the first network node, information indicating that the second network node will not send further resource usage statistics information.

[0402] Example Embodiment D21. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D20, wherein at least one of: the first network node is associated with a first cell and the second network node is associated with a second cell that neighbors the first cell; the first network node is a first gNB and the second network node is a second gNB; the first network node is a gNB-CU of a first gNB and the second network node is a second gNB-CU of a second gNB; the first network node is a first gNB-DU of a first gNB and the second network node is a gNB-CU of the first gNB; and the first network node is a gNB-CU of a second gNB and the second network node is a gNB-of the second gNB.

[0403] Example Embodiment D22. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D21, comprising at least one of: receiving, from the first network node, additional resource usage statistics information associated with the first network node; and receiving, from the first network node, information indicating at least one time and / or frequency resource selected by the first network node, based on the resource usage statistics transmitted to the first network node to the second network node.

[0404] Example Embodiment D23. The method of Example Embodiment D22, comprising: based on the additional resource usage statistics information received from the first network node and / or the information received from the first network node, selecting at least one time and / or frequency resource for the first second node.

[0405] Example Embodiment D24. The method of Example Embodiment D23, wherein selecting the at least one time and / or frequency resource for the second network node comprises selecting the at least one time and / or frequency resource for which a probability of usage of the at least one time and / or frequency resource by the first network node is less than a threshold.

[0406] Example Embodiment D25. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D24, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with at least one of: at least one UE served by the first network node; at least one UE served by the second network node; a group of UEs served by the first network node; and a group of UEs served by the second network node.

[0407] Example Embodiment D26. The method of any one of Example Embodiments DI to D25, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

[0408] Example Embodiment D27. A network node comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D26.

[0409] Example Embodiment D28. A network node configured to and / or adapted to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D26.

[0410] Example Embodiment D29. A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D26.

[0411] Example Embodiment D30. A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D26.

[0412] Example Embodiment D31. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments DI to D26.

[0413] Group E Example Embodiments

[0414] Example Embodiment El. A user equipment for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information, the UE comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0415] Example Embodiment E2. A network node (e.g., first or second network node) for internode signaling of resource usage statistics information with another network node (e.g., second or first network node), the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B, C, and D Example Embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0416] Example Embodiment E3. A user equipment (UE) for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0417] Example Embodiment E4. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0418] Example Embodiment E5. The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.

[0419] Example Embodiment E6. The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0420] Example Embodiment E7. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0421] Example Emboidment E8. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0422] Example Embodiment E9. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0423] Example Emboidment E10. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0424] Example Emboidment Ell. The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

[0425] Example Embodiment El 2. The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0426] Example Embodiment El 3. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0427] Example Embodiment E14. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0428] Example Embodiment El 5. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0429] Example Embodiment E16. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B, C, and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0430] Example Embodiment El 7. The host of the previous Example Embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0431] Example Embodiment El 8. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B, C, and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0432] Example Embodiment E19. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0433] Example Emboidment E20. The method of any of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0434] Example Embodiment E21. A communication system configured to provide an over-the- top service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B, C, and D Example Embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0435] Example Embodiment E22. The communication system of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the user equipment.

[0436] Example Embodiment E23. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B, C, and D Example Embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

[0437] Example Embodiment E24. The host of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0438] Example Embodiment E25.The host of the any of the previous 2 Example Embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0439] Example Embodiment E26. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B, C, and D Example Embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host. Example Embodiment E27. The method of the previous Example Embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method (1800) by a first network node (110A, 210A, 602, 1004, 1104) for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information, the method comprising: receiving (1802), from a second network node (HOB, 210B, 604, 1002, 1102), resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell Discontinuous Transmission, DTX, pattern and / or at least one Cell Discontinuous Reception, DRX, pattern.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern comprises a Cell DTX / DRX on-period and a Cell DTX / DRX off-period.

3. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 2, wherein the resource usage statistics information indicates a probability of a usage by the second network node of at least one time and / or frequency resource associated with the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern.

4. The method of Claim 3, wherein the resource usage statistics information indicating the probability of the usage comprises at least one of: an estimate and / or a probability indicating whether the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node, an indication of a likelihood that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node, an indication of a likelihood that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is not going to be used by the second network node, an indication that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network with a probability or likelihood that is greater than a threshold, and an indication that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node with a probability or likelihood that is less than a threshold.

5. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the resource usage statistics information comprises a plurality of Cell DTX patterns and / or a plurality of Cell DRX patterns, and wherein each Cell DTX pattern and / or each Cell DRX pattern is associated with a respective one of a plurality of cells and / or beams.

6. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the resource usage statistics information indicates at least one of: an actual usage of at least one time and / or frequency resource during a time interval by the second network node; andan actual usage of the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern during a time interval by the second network node.

7. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with a validity period, and the method comprises receiving information indicating the validity period.

8. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the method comprises, prior to receiving the resource usage statistics information, transmitting a request for the resource usage statistics information, and wherein the resource usage statistics information is received from the second network node based on the request.

9. The method of Claim 8, wherein the request comprises at least one identifier associated with at least one cell and / or beam for which the first network node requests the resource usage statistics information.

10. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 9, comprising receiving a resource status statistics update from the second network node, and wherein the resource usage statistics information is valid until the resource status statistics update is received from the second network node.

11. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 10, comprising: based on the resource usage statistics information received from the second network node, selecting at least one time and / or frequency resource for use by the first network node.

12. The method of Claim 11, wherein selecting the at least one time and / or frequency resource for use by the first network node comprises selecting the at least one time and / or frequency resource for which the resource usage statistics information indicates that a probability of usage by the second network node of the at least one time and / or frequency resource is less than a threshold.

13. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 12, comprising at least one of: transmitting additional resource usage statistics information to the second network node; and transmitting, to the second network node, information indicating at least one time and / or frequency resource selected for use by the first network node, based on the resource usage statistics information received from the second network node.

14. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 13, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with at least one of: at least one User Equipment, UE, served by the first network node; andat least one UE served by the second network node.

15. A method (1900) by a second network node (110B, 210B, 604, 1002, 1102) for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics, the method comprising: transmitting (1902), to the first network node (110A, 210A, 602, 1004, 1104), resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell Discontinuous Transmission, DTX, pattern and / or at least one Cell Discontinuous Reception, DRX pattern.

16. The method of Claim 15, wherein the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern comprises a Cell DTX / DRX on-period and a Cell DTX / DRX off-period.

17. The method of any one of Claims 15 to 16, wherein the resource usage statistics information indicates a probability of a usage by the second network node of at least one time and / or frequency resource associated with the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern.

18. The method of Claim 17, wherein the resource usage statistics information indicating the probability of the usage comprises at least one of: an estimate and / or a probability indicating whether the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node, an indication of a likelihood that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node, an indication of a likelihood that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is not going to be used by the second network node, an indication that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node with a probability or likelihood that is greater than a threshold, and an indication that the at least one time and / or frequency resource is going to be used by the second network node with a probability or likelihood that is less than a threshold.

19. The method of any one of Claims 15 to 18, wherein the resource usage statistics information comprises a plurality of Cell DTX patterns and / or a plurality of Cell DRX patterns, and wherein each Cell DTX pattern and / or each Cell DRX pattern is associated with a respective one of a plurality of cells and / or beams.

20. The method of any one of Claims 15 to 19, wherein the resource usage statistics information indicates at least one of: an actual usage of at least one time and / or frequency resource during a time interval by the second network node; andan actual usage of the at least one Cell DTX pattern and / or the at least one Cell DRX pattern during a time interval by the second network node.

21. The method of any one of Claims 15 to 20, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with a validity period, and the method comprises transmitting, to the first network node, information indicating the validity period.

22. The method of any one of Claims 15 to 21, wherein the method comprises, prior to transmitting the resource usage statistics information, receiving, from the first network node, a request for the resource usage statistics information, and wherein the resource usage statistics information is transmitted to the first network node based on the request.

23. The method of Claim 22, wherein the request comprises at least one identifier associated with at least one cell and / or beam for which the first network node requests the resource usage statistics information.

24. The method of any one of Claims 15 to 23, comprising transmitting, to the first network node, a resource status statistics update, and wherein the resource usage statistics information is valid until the resource statistics usage update has been transmitted to the first network node.

25. The method of any one of Claims 15 to 24, comprising at least one of: receiving, from the first network node, additional resource usage statistics information associated with the first network node; and receiving, from the first network node, information indicating at least one time and / or frequency resource selected for use by the first network node, based on the resource usage statistics information transmitted to the first network node by the second network node.

26. The method of Claim 25, comprising: based on the additional resource usage statistics information received from the first network node and / or the information indicating the at least one time and / or frequency resource received from the first network node, selecting at least one time and / or frequency resource for use by the second network node.

27. The method of Claim 26, wherein selecting the at least one time and / or frequency resource for use by the second network node comprises selecting the at least one time and / or frequency resource for which a probability of usage of the at least one time and / or frequency resource by the first network node is less than a threshold.

28. The method of any one of Claims 15 to 27, wherein the resource usage statistics information is associated with at least one of:at least one User Equipment, UE, served by the first network node; and at least one UE served by the second network node.

29. A first network node (110A, 210A, 602, 1004, 1104) for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics information, the first network node configured to: receive, from a second network node (HOB, 210B, 604, 1002, 1102), resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell Discontinuous Transmission, DTX, pattern and / or at least one Cell Discontinuous Reception, DRX, pattern.

30. The first network node of Claim 29 configured to perform any of the methods of Claims 2 to 14.

31. A second network node ( 110B, 210B, 604, 1002, 1102) for inter-node signaling of resource usage statistics, the second network node configured to: transmit, to the first network node (110A, 210A, 602, 1004, 1104) , resource usage statistics information associated with at least one Cell Discontinuous Transmission, DTX, pattern and / or at least one Cell Discontinuous Reception, DRX, pattern.

32. The second network node of Claim 31 , configured to perform any of the methods of Claims 16 to 28.

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