Central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. In some examples, a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) may utilize signaling to indicate non-terrestrial location information of a DU. The non-terrestrial location information of the DU may be utilized to verify a location of a user equipment (UE). For example, a network may verify UE location to determine whether to allocate communication resources to a UE or to reject UE network access. In some examples, a CU may transmit a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information associated with the DU. The DU may transmit a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information associated with the DU to the CU. The CU may provide the non-terrestrial to one or more network entities, which may utilize the non-terrestrial location information to determine whether to allow or block network access to a UE.

Description

CENTRAL UNIT AND DISTRIBUTED UNIT SIGNALING FOR NONTERRESTRIAL NETWORKSCROSS REFERENCE

[0001] The present Application for Patent claims priority to India Patent Application No. 202341064977 by SAHA et al., entitled “CENTRAL UNIT AND DISTRIBUTED UNIT SIGNALING FOR NON-TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS,” filed September 27, 2023, assigned to the assignee hereof, and expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0002] The following relates to wireless communications, including central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks.BACKGROUND

[0003] Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE- Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more base stations, each supporting wireless communication for communication devices, which may be known as user equipment (UE).

[0004] Some wireless communication systems employ non-terrestrial network nodes (e.g., satellites). For example, non-terrestrial network nodes may be utilized to provide coverage for one or more UEs.SUMMARY

[0005] In some approaches, a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) may utilize signaling to indicate non-terrestrial location information of the DU (e.g., satellite). The non-terrestrial location information of the DU may be utilized with location information (e.g., global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data) reported by the user equipment (UE) to verify the location of the UE. For example, a network may verify UE location to determine whether to allocate communication resources to a UE or to reject UE network access. In some examples, a CU may transmit a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information associated with the DU. The DU may transmit a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude (LAA) coordinates or earth-centered earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinates, among other examples) associated with the DU to the CU. The CU may provide the non-terrestrial location information to one or more network entities (e.g., an access and mobility management function (AMF) and a location management function (LMF)), which may utilize the non-terrestrial location information (with UE- reported location information) to determine whether to allow or block network access to a UE.

[0006] In some examples, an enhanced cell identity (E-CID) measurement initiation request may be utilized in a mirror point resolution procedure. For instance, a CU may transmit an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure (e.g., a flag for mirror point resolution) with a measurement initiation request (e.g., an E-CID measurement initiation request) to a DU. For instance, a mirror point resolution procedure may be performed to remove a mirror point ambiguity arising from single-satellite positioning, where round-trip-time (RTT) signaling ambiguously indicates multiple potential locations of a UE. The DU may configure a UE to measure one or more signals from one or more neighboring cells. The neighboring cell measurement s) may be utilized to ascertain the correct location from the multiple potential locations of the UE. In a case that the neighbor cell measurement configuration fails, the DU may transmit a failure message indicating a failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration. In a case where the DU successfully receives neighbor cell measurement information, the DU may transmit a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report (e.g., E-CIDmeasurement report) to one or more network entities, which may utilize the mapped cell identifier to verify a UE location.

[0007] In some examples, non-terrestrial information may be utilized for a DU system information broadcast. For example, a DU may transmit coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell of the DU to the CU. The CU may encode a system information block (SIB) based on the coverage information. The CU may transmit the SIB to the DU, and may command the DU to broadcast the SIB. The SIB may be utilized by a UE to request network access.

[0008] A method for wireless communications by a non-terrestrial network node is described. The method may include receiving, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node and transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0009] A non-terrestrial network node for wireless communications is described. The non-terrestrial network node may include one or more memories storing processor executable code, and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories. The one or more processors may individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the non-terrestrial network node to receive, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node and transmit, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0010] Another non-terrestrial network node for wireless communications is described. The non-terrestrial network node may include means for receiving, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node and means for transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0011] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to receive, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the nonterrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node and transmit, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0012] In some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the non-terrestrial location information includes non-terrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell associated with the non-terrestrial network node, or a combination thereof.

[0013] In some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the non-terrestrial coordinate information includes information indicating earth-centered earth-fixed coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node or information indicating latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node.

[0014] In some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the non-terrestrial network node may be a DU and the terrestrial network node may be a CU.

[0015] In some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node may be next generation radio access network (NG- RAN) nodes.

[0016] Some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting a SIB based on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell.

[0017] In some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the cell may be a terrestrial network cell and the SIB may be transmitted in a non-terrestrial network cell.

[0018] Some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a command to transmit the SIB based on the coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by the cell.

[0019] In some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the SIB may be a system information block 19 (SIB 19).

[0020] Some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting a SIB based on information of a cell associated with the non-terrestrial network.

[0021] In some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the information of the cell associated with the non-terrestrial network includes ephemeris information, a nonterrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, a service start time, a timing offset associated with a feeder link delay, a polarization for downlink and uplink transmission, a timing advance, a validity duration for uplink synchronization, or a combination thereof.

[0022] Some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting an updated SIB upon an expiration of a validity timer.

[0023] Some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the terrestrial network node, an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure with a measurement initiation request and transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a control message indicating a neighbor cell measurement configuration based on the indication.

[0024] Some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for detecting a failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration and transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a failure message indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration.

[0025] Some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the UE, a measurement indication in accordance with the neighbor cell measurement configuration and transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report of the measurement indication.

[0026] In some examples of the method, non-terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the second message may be transmitted via an Fl interface between the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node.

[0027] A method for wireless communications by a terrestrial network node is described. The method may include transmitting, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the nonterrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node and receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0028] A terrestrial network node for wireless communications is described. The terrestrial network node may include one or more memories storing processor executable code, and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories.The one or more processors may individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the terrestrial network node to transmit, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node and receive, from the nonterrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0029] Another terrestrial network node for wireless communications is described. The terrestrial network node may include means for transmitting, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for nonterrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node and means for receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the nonterrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0030] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to transmit, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node and receive, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0031] In some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the non-terrestrial location information includes non-terrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell associated with the non-terrestrial network node, or a combination thereof.

[0032] In some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the non-terrestrial coordinate information includes information indicating earth-centered earth-fixed coordinatesassociated with the non-terrestrial network node or information indicating latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node.

[0033] In some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the non-terrestrial network node may be a DU and the terrestrial network node may be a CU.

[0034] In some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node may be NG-RAN nodes.

[0035] Some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a SIB based on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell.

[0036] In some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the cell may be a terrestrial network cell and the SIB may be transmitted in a non-terrestrial network cell.

[0037] Some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting a command to transmit the SIB based on the coverage information indicating the geographic region covered by the cell.

[0038] In some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the SIB may be a SIB 19.

[0039] Some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving a SIB based on information of a cell associated with the non-terrestrial network.

[0040] In some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the information of the cell associated with the non-terrestrial network includes ephemeris information, a nonterrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, a service start time, a timing offset associated with a feeder link delay, a polarization for downlink and uplinktransmission, a timing advance, a validity duration for uplink synchronization, or a combination thereof.

[0041] Some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from a network entity, an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure with a measurement initiation request and transmitting, to the non-terrestrial network node, the indication of the mirror point resolution procedure with the measurement initiation request.

[0042] Some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a failure message indicating a failure to apply a neighbor cell measurement configuration and transmitting, to the network entity, the failure message indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration.

[0043] Some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report for the mirror point resolution procedure and transmitting, to the network entity, the mapped cell identifier with the measurement report for the mirror point resolution procedure.

[0044] In some examples of the method, terrestrial network nodes, and non- transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the second message may be received via an Fl interface between the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] FIG. 1 shows an example of a wireless communications system that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0046] FIG. 2 shows an example of a network architecture that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows an example of a wireless communication system that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0048] FIG. 4 shows an example of a process flow that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0049] FIG. 5 shows an example of a wireless communication system that supports signaling for networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0050] FIGs. 6 and 7 show block diagrams of devices that support central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0051] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a communications manager that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0052] FIG. 9 shows a diagram of a system including a device that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0053] FIGs. 10 and 11 show block diagrams of devices that support central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0054] FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of a communications manager that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0055] FIG. 13 shows a diagram of a system including a device that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0056] FIGs. 14A, 14B, and 14C are block diagrams of devices that support central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

[0057] FIGs. 15 through 18 show flowcharts illustrating methods that support central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] In some wireless communication systems, a user equipment (UE) may report location information purporting to indicate a location of the UE to a network. For example, the UE may provide location information indicating a country or region where the UE is located. The network may utilize the location information to determine whether to allocate communication resources to the UE and how to configure the communication resources based on, for example, regulations and a subscription agreement for the country in which the UE is located. Additionally, the network may utilize the location information to allocate communication resources, such as time, frequency, and spatial resources for communication with the UE. Because the location information is reported by the UE, however, the location information may be inaccurate or spoofed, which may cause the network to configure communications ineffectively for the UE. These issues may be compounded in the context of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), where satellite coverage may span large geographical areas including portions of multiple countries or regions. Additionally, some wireless communication systems may split network functionality into one or more central units (CUs) and one or more distributed units (DUs), where a DU (e.g., a terrestrial network node, a non-terrestrial network node, a satellite, or a ground unit connected to a satellite, among other examples) may be located separately from a CU (e.g., a terrestrial network node or a fifth-generation (5G) NodeB (gNB)). CUs and DUs may lack the signaling capability to handle connection setup signaling or signaling for network-based UE location verification. In some aspects, satellites may be radio hardware units (RUs). In some other aspects, satellites may be relays or may function transparently to a cellular network.

[0059] In some approaches, a CU and a DU may utilize signaling to indicate nonterrestrial location information of the DU (e.g., satellite). The non-terrestrial location information of the DU may be utilized with location information (e.g., global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data) reported by the UE to verify the location of the UE. For example, a network may verify UE location to determine whether to allocate communication resources to a UE or to reject UE network access. In some examples, a CU may transmit a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information associated with the DU. The DU may transmit a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude (LAA) coordinates or earth-centered earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinates, among other examples) associated with the DU to the CU. The CU may provide the non-terrestrial location information to one or more network entities (e.g., an access and mobility management function (AMF) and a location management function (LMF)), which may utilize the non-terrestrial location information (with UE-reported location information) to determine whether to allow or block network access to a UE.

[0060] In some examples, a CU may transmit an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure (e.g., a flag for mirror point resolution) with a measurement initiation request (e.g., an enhanced cell identity (E-CID) measurement initiation request) to a DU. For instance, a mirror point resolution procedure may be performed to remove a mirror point ambiguity arising from single-satellite positioning, where roundtrip-time (RTT) signaling ambiguously indicates multiple potential locations of a UE. The DU may configure a UE to measure one or more signals from one or more neighboring cells. The neighboring cell measurement s) may be utilized to ascertain the correct location from the multiple potential locations of the UE. Some examples of the mirror point ambiguity resolution for network verified UE location with a single satellite described herein may provide mirror point ambiguity resolution with little or no impact to the UE side or little or no impact on an E-CID measurement report. For example, an E-CID measure initiation request or an associated failure message may be utilized for mirror point ambiguity resolution.

[0061] In a case that the neighbor cell measurement configuration fails, the DU may transmit a failure message indicating a failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration. In a case where the DU successfully receives neighbor cell measurementinformation, the DU may transmit a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report (e.g., E-CID measurement report) to one or more network entities, which may utilize the mapped cell identifier to verify a UE location.

[0062] In some examples, non-terrestrial information may be utilized for a DU system information broadcast. For example, a DU may transmit coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell of the DU to the CU. The CU may encode a system information block (SIB) based on the coverage information. The CU may transmit the SIB to the DU, and may command the DU to broadcast the SIB. The SIB may be utilized by a UE to request network access.

[0063] Some examples of the techniques described herein may provide increased network deployment flexibility or coverage. For instance, combinations of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks may be flexibly deployed in one or more regions or scenarios. In some aspects, one or more non-terrestrial network nodes may be utilized to expand communication service coverage for UEs. Some examples of the techniques described may enable signaling to be carried out between DUs and CUs to enable network-based location verification to be performed, which may provide increased network resource efficiency and security.

[0064] Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communications systems. Aspects of the disclosure are also described in the context of a network architecture diagram and process flow diagram. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks.

[0065] FIG. 1 shows an example of a wireless communications system 100 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE- Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, a New Radio (NR) network, or a network operating inaccordance with other systems and radio technologies, including future systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0066] The network entities 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communications system 100 and may include devices in different forms or having different capabilities. In various examples, a network entity 105 may be referred to as a network element, a mobility element, a radio access network (RAN) node, or network equipment, among other nomenclature. In some examples, network entities 105 and UEs 115 may wirelessly communicate via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) access link). For example, a network entity 105 may support a coverage area 110 (e.g., a geographic coverage area) over which the UEs 115 and the network entity 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. The coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which a network entity 105 and a UE 115 may support the communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies (RATs).

[0067] The UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout a coverage area 110 of the wireless communications system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary, or mobile, or both at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are illustrated in FIG. 1. The UEs 115 described herein may be capable of supporting communications with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 or network entities 105, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0068] As described herein, a node of the wireless communications system 100, which may be referred to as a network node, or a wireless node, may be a network entity 105 (e.g., any network entity described herein), a UE 115 (e.g., any UE described herein), a network controller, an apparatus, a device, a computing system, one or more components, or another suitable processing entity configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a node may be a UE 115. As another example, a node may be a network entity 105. As another example, a first node may be configured to communicate with a second node or a third node. In one aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE 115, the second node may be a network entity 105, and the third node may be a UE 115. In another aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE 115, the second node may be a network entity 105, and the third node may be a network entity 105. In yet other aspects of this example, the first, second, and thirdnodes may be different relative to these examples. Similarly, reference to a UE 115, network entity 105, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like may include disclosure of the UE 115, network entity 105, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like being a node. For example, disclosure that a UE 115 is configured to receive information from a network entity 105 also discloses that a first node is configured to receive information from a second node.

[0069] In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with one another, or both. For example, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130 via one or more backhaul communication links 120 (e.g., in accordance with an SI, N2, N3, or other interface protocol). In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with one another via a backhaul communication link 120 (e.g., in accordance with an X2, Xn, or other interface protocol) either directly (e.g., directly between network entities 105) or indirectly (e.g., via a core network 130). In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with one another via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., in accordance with a midhaul interface protocol) or a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., in accordance with a fronthaul interface protocol), or any combination thereof. The backhaul communication links 120, midhaul communication links 162, or fronthaul communication links 168 may be or include one or more wired links (e.g., an electrical link, an optical fiber link), one or more wireless links (e.g., a radio link, a wireless optical link), among other examples or various combinations thereof. A UE 115 may communicate with the core network 130 via a communication link 155.

[0070] One or more of the network entities 105 described herein may include or may be referred to as a base station 140 (e.g., a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an NR base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB), a next-generation NodeB or a giga-NodeB (either of which may be referred to as a gNB), a 5G NB, a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or other suitable terminology). In some examples, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) may be implemented in an aggregated (e.g., monolithic, standalone) base station architecture, which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single network entity 105 (e.g., a single RAN node, such as a base station 140).

[0071] In some examples, a network entity 105 may be implemented in a disaggregated architecture (e.g., a disaggregated base station architecture, a disaggregated RAN architecture), which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more network entities 105, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, a network entity 105 may include one or more of a central unit (CU) 160, a distributed unit (DU) 165, a radio unit (RU) 170, a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 175 (e.g., a Near-Real Time RIC (Near-RT RIC), a Non-Real Time RIC (Non-RT RIC)), a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) 180 system, or any combination thereof. An RU 170 may also be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radio unit (RRU), or a transmission reception point (TRP). One or more components of the network entities 105 in a disaggregated RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of the network entities 105 may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations). In some examples, one or more network entities 105 of a disaggregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., a virtual CU (VCU), a virtual DU (VDU), a virtual RU (VRU)).

[0072] The split of functionality between a CU 160, a DU 165, and an RU 170 is flexible and may support different functionalities depending on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, RF functions, and any combinations thereof) are performed at a CU 160, a DU 165, or an RU 170. For example, a functional split of a protocol stack may be employed between a CU 160 and a DU 165 such that the CU 160 may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU 165 may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some examples, the CU 160 may host upper protocol layer (e.g., layer 3 (L3), layer 2 (L2)) functionality and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC), service data adaption protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)). The CU 160 may be connected to one or more DUs 165 or RUs 170, and the one or more DUs 165 or RUs 170 may host lower protocol layers, such as layer 1 (LI) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer) functionality and signaling, and may each be at least partially controlled by the CU 160.Additionally, or alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack may be employed between a DU 165 and an RU 170 such that the DU 165 may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU 170 may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU 165 may support one or multiple different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs 170). In some cases, a functional split between a CU 160 and a DU 165, or between a DU 165 and an RU 170 may be within a protocol layer (e.g., some functions for a protocol layer may be performed by one of a CU 160, a DU 165, or an RU 170, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU 160, the DU 165, or the RU 170). A CU 160 may be functionally split further into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. A CU 160 may be connected to one or more DUs 165 via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., Fl, Fl-c, Fl-u), and a DU 165 may be connected to one or more RUs 170 via a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interface). In some examples, a midhaul communication link 162 or a fronthaul communication link 168 may be implemented in accordance with an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of a protocol stack supported by respective network entities 105 that are in communication via such communication links.

[0073] In wireless communications systems (e.g., wireless communications system 100), infrastructure and spectral resources for radio access may support wireless backhaul link capabilities to supplement wired backhaul connections, providing an IAB network architecture (e.g., to a core network 130). In some cases, in an IAB network, one or more network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) may be partially controlled by each other. One or more IAB nodes 104 may be referred to as a donor entity or an IAB donor. One or more DUs 165 or one or more RUs 170 may be partially controlled by one or more CUs 160 associated with a donor network entity 105 (e.g., a donor base station 140). The one or more donor network entities 105 (e.g., IAB donors) may be in communication with one or more additional network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) via supported access and backhaul links (e.g., backhaul communication links 120). IAB nodes 104 may include an IAB mobile termination (IAB-MT) controlled (e.g., scheduled) by DUs 165 of a coupled IAB donor. An IAB-MT may include an independent set of antennas for relay of communications with UEs 115, or may share the same antennas (e.g., of an RU 170) of an IAB node 104 used for access via the DU165 of the IAB node 104 (e.g., referred to as virtual IAB-MT (vIAB-MT)). In some examples, the IAB nodes 104 may include DUs 165 that support communication links with additional entities (e.g., IAB nodes 104, UEs 115) within the relay chain or configuration of the access network (e.g., downstream). In such cases, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., one or more IAB nodes 104 or components of IAB nodes 104) may be configured to operate according to the techniques described herein.

[0074] In the case of the techniques described herein applied in the context of a disaggregated RAN architecture, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured to support central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks as described herein. For example, some operations described as being performed by a UE 115 or a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) may additionally, or alternatively, be performed by one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., IAB nodes 104, DUs 165, CUs 160, RUs 170, RIC 175, SMO 180).

[0075] A UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the “device” may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. A UE 115 may also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, a UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (loT) device, an Internet of Everything (loE) device, or a machine type communications (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances, or vehicles, meters, among other examples.

[0076] The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 that may sometimes act as relays as well as the network entities 105 and the network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, among other examples, as shown in FIG. 1.

[0077] The UEs 115 and the network entities 105 may wirelessly communicate with one another via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., an access link) using resources associated with one or more carriers. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of RF spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication links 125. For example, a carrier used for a communication link 125 may include a portion of a RF spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP)) that is operated according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling that coordinates operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communications system 100 may support communication with a UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. A UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) component carriers. Communication between a network entity 105 and other devices may refer to communication between the devices and any portion (e.g., entity, subentity) of a network entity 105. For example, the terms “transmitting,” “receiving,” or “communicating,” when referring to a network entity 105, may refer to any portion of a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, a CU 160, a DU 165, a RU 170) of a RAN communicating with another device (e.g., directly or via one or more other network entities 105).

[0078] In some examples, such as in a carrier aggregation configuration, a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling that coordinates operations for other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an evolved universal mobile telecommunication system terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) absolute RF channel number (EARFCN)) and may be identified according to a channel raster for discovery by the UEs 115. A carrier may be operated in a standalone mode, in which case initial acquisition and connection may be conducted by the UEs 115 via the carrier, or the carrier may be operated in a non- standalone mode, in which case a connection is anchored using a different carrier (e.g., of the same or a different radio access technology).

[0079] The communication links 125 shown in the wireless communications system 100 may include downlink transmissions (e.g., forward link transmissions) from a network entity 105 to a UE 115, uplink transmissions (e.g., return link transmissions) from a UE 115 to a network entity 105, or both, among other configurations of transmissions. Carriers may carry downlink or uplink communications (e.g., in an FDD mode) or may be configured to carry downlink and uplink communications (e.g., in a TDD mode).

[0080] A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the RF spectrum and, in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as a “system bandwidth” of the carrier or the wireless communications system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of a set of bandwidths for carriers of a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 megahertz (MHz)). Devices of the wireless communications system 100 (e.g., the network entities 105, the UEs 115, or both) may have hardware configurations that support communications using a particular carrier bandwidth or may be configurable to support communications using one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may include network entities 105 or UEs 115 that support concurrent communications using carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured for operating using portions (e.g., a sub-band, a BWP) or all of a carrier bandwidth.

[0081] Signal waveforms transmitted via a carrier may be made up of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may refer to resources of one symbol period (e.g., a duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, in which case the symbol period and subcarrier spacing may be inversely related. The quantity of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both), such that a relatively higher quantity of resource elements (e.g., in a transmission duration) and a relatively higher order of a modulation scheme may correspond to a relatively higher rate of communication. A wireless communications resource may refer to a combination of an RF spectrum resource, atime resource, and a spatial resource (e.g., a spatial layer, a beam), and the use of multiple spatial resources may increase the data rate or data integrity for communications with a UE 115.

[0082] One or more numerologies for a carrier may be supported, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing (A ) and a cyclic prefix. A carrier may be divided into one or more BWPs having the same or different numerologies. In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP for a carrier may be active at a given time and communications for the UE 115 may be restricted to one or more active BWPs.

[0083] The time intervals for the network entities 105 or the UEs 115 may be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit which may, for example, refer to a sampling period of Ts= l / (A / mflx■ Ay) seconds, for which fmaxmay represent a supported subcarrier spacing, and Ay may represent a supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. Time intervals of a communications resource may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0084] Each frame may include multiple consecutively-numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a quantity of slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable quantity of slots, and the quantity of slots may depend on subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include a quantity of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period). In some wireless communications systems 100, a slot may further be divided into multiple mini-slots associated with one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may be associated with one or more (e.g., Ay) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation.

[0085] A subframe, a slot, a mini-slot, or a symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communications system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., a quantity of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally, oralternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0086] Physical channels may be multiplexed for communication using a carrier according to various techniques. A physical control channel and a physical data channel may be multiplexed for signaling via a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of time division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET)) for a physical control channel may be defined by a set of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) may be configured for a set of the UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search control regions for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or multiple control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. An aggregation level for a control channel candidate may refer to an amount of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with encoded information for a control information format having a given payload size. Search space sets may include common search space sets configured for sending control information to multiple UEs 115 and UE-specific search space sets for sending control information to a specific UE 115.

[0087] A network entity 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells, for example a macro cell, a small cell, a hot spot, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof. The term “cell” may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with a network entity 105 (e.g., using a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier for distinguishing neighboring cells (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID), or others). In some examples, a cell also may refer to a coverage area 110 or a portion of a coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) over which the logical communication entity operates. Such cells may range from smaller areas (e.g., a structure, a subset of structure) to larger areas depending on various factors such as the capabilities of the network entity 105. For example, a cell may be or include a building, a subset of a building, or exterior spaces between or overlapping with coverage areas 110, among other examples.

[0088] A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by the UEs 115 with service subscriptions with the network provider supporting the macro cell. A small cell may be associated with a lower-powered network entity 105 (e.g., a lower-powered base station 140), as compared with a macro cell, and a small cell may operate using the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed) frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may provide unrestricted access to the UEs 115 with service subscriptions with the network provider or may provide restricted access to the UEs 115 having an association with the small cell (e.g., the UEs 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG), the UEs 115 associated with users in a home or office). A network entity 105 may support one or multiple cells and may also support communications via the one or more cells using one or multiple component carriers.

[0089] In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, narrowband loT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)) that may provide access for different types of devices.

[0090] In some examples, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) may be movable and therefore provide communication coverage for a moving coverage area 110. In some examples, different coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same network entity 105. In some other examples, the overlapping coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different network entities 105. The wireless communications system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of the network entities 105 provide coverage for various coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

[0091] The wireless communications system 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140) may have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different network entities 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, network entities 105 may have different frame timings, and transmissions from differentnetwork entities 105 may, in some examples, not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous or asynchronous operations.

[0092] Some UEs 115, such as MTC or loT devices, may be low cost or low complexity devices and may provide for automated communication between machines (e.g., via Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with one another or a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application program that uses the information or presents the information to humans interacting with the application program. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business charging.

[0093] The wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communications or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). The UEs 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions. Ultra-reliable communications may include private communication or group communication and may be supported by one or more services such as push-to-talk, video, or data. Support for ultra-reliable, low-latency functions may include prioritization of services, and such services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably herein.

[0094] In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured to support communicating directly with other UEs 115 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., in accordance with a peer-to-peer (P2P), D2D, or sidelink protocol). In some examples, one or more UEs 115 of a group that are performing D2D communications may bewithin the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170), which may support aspects of such D2D communications being configured by (e.g., scheduled by) the network entity 105. In some examples, one or more UEs 115 of such a group may be outside the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 or may be otherwise unable to or not configured to receive transmissions from a network entity 105. In some examples, groups of the UEs 115 communicating via D2D communications may support a one-to-many (1 :M) system in which each UE 115 transmits to each of the other UEs 115 in the group. In some examples, a network entity 105 may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In some other examples, D2D communications may be carried out between the UEs 115 without an involvement of a network entity 105.

[0095] In some systems, a D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel, such as a sidelink communication channel, between vehicles (e.g., UEs 115). In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to- everything (V2X) communications, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, or some combination of these. A vehicle may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information relevant to a V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure, such as roadside units, or with the network via one or more network nodes (e.g., network entities 105, base stations 140, RUs 170) using vehicle-to- network (V2N) communications, or with both.

[0096] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) and at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for the UEs 115 served by the network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140) associated with the core network 130. User IP packets maybe transferred through the user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to IP services 150 for one or more network operators. The IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, Intranet(s), an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or a Packet-Switched Streaming Service.

[0097] The wireless communications system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, which may be in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). Generally, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, which may be referred to as clusters, but the waves may penetrate structures sufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to the UEs 115 located indoors. Communications using UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to communications using the smaller frequencies and longer waves of the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

[0098] The wireless communications system 100 may also operate using a super high frequency (SHF) region, which may be in the range of 3 GHz to 30 GHz, also known as the centimeter band, or using an extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz), also known as the millimeter band. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between the UEs 115 and the network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140, RUs 170), and EHF antennas of the respective devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, such techniques may facilitate using antenna arrays within a device. The propagation of EHF transmissions, however, may be subject to even greater attenuation and shorter range than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions that use one or more different frequency regions, and designated use of bands across these frequency regions may differ by country or regulating body.

[0099] The wireless communications system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed RF spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communications system 100may employ License Assisted Access (LAA), LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology using an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. While operating using unlicensed RF spectrum bands, devices such as the network entities 105 and the UEs 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operations using unlicensed bands may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with component carriers operating using a licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operations using unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.

[0100] A network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) or a UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of a network entity 105 or a UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some examples, antennas or antenna arrays associated with a network entity 105 may be located at diverse geographic locations. A network entity 105 may include an antenna array with a set of rows and columns of antenna ports that the network entity 105 may use to support beamforming of communications with a UE 115. Likewise, a UE 115 may include one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally, or alternatively, an antenna panel may support RF beamforming for a signal transmitted via an antenna port.

[0101] The network entities 105 or the UEs 115 may use MIMO communications to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such techniques may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. The multiple signals may, for example, be transmitted by the transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Likewise, the multiple signals may be received by the receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry information associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., differentcodewords). Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), for which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multiple-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), for which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0102] Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., a network entity 105, a UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining the signals communicated via antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating along particular orientations with respect to an antenna array experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. The adjustment of signals communicated via the antenna elements may include a transmitting device or a receiving device applying amplitude offsets, phase offsets, or both to signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., with respect to the antenna array of the transmitting device or receiving device, or with respect to some other orientation).

[0103] A network entity 105 or a UE 115 may use beam sweeping techniques as part of beamforming operations. For example, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to conduct beamforming operations for directional communications with a UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted by a network entity 105 multiple times along different directions. For example, the network entity 105 may transmit a signal according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different directions of transmission. Transmissions along different beam directions may be used to identify (e.g., by a transmitting device, such as a network entity 105, or by a receiving device, such as a UE 115) a beam direction for later transmission or reception by the network entity 105.

[0104] Some signals, such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device, may be transmitted by transmitting device (e.g., a transmitting network entity 105, a transmitting UE 115) along a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with the receiving device, such as a receiving network entity 105 or a receiving UE 115). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along a single beam direction may be determined based on a signal that was transmitted along one or more beam directions. For example, a UE 115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the network entity 105 along different directions and may report to the network entity 105 an indication of the signal that the UE 115 received with a highest signal quality or an otherwise acceptable signal quality.

[0105] In some examples, transmissions by a device (e.g., by a network entity 105 or a UE 115) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from a network entity 105 to a UE 115). The UE 115 may report feedback that indicates precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback may correspond to a configured set of beams across a system bandwidth or one or more sub-bands. The network entity 105 may transmit a reference signal (e.g., a cell-specific reference signal (CRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI- RS)), which may be precoded or unprecoded. The UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., a multi-panel type codebook, a linear combination type codebook, a port selection type codebook). Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted along one or more directions by a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170), a UE 115 may employ similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times along different directions (e.g., for identifying a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by the UE 115) or for transmitting a signal along a single direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a receiving device).

[0106] A receiving device (e.g., a UE 115) may perform reception operations in accordance with multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals from a transmitting device (e.g., a network entity 105), such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals. For example, a receiving device may perform reception in accordance withmultiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets (e.g., different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, or by processing received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, any of which may be referred to as “listening” according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, a receiving device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). The single receive configuration may be aligned along a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have a highest signal strength, highest signal-to- noise ratio (SNR), or otherwise acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0107] The wireless communications system 100 may be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or PDCP layer may be IP -based. An RLC layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate via logical channels. A MAC layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer also may implement error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, an RRC layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection between a UE 115 and a network entity 105 or a core network 130 supporting radio bearers for user plane data. A PHY layer may map transport channels to physical channels.

[0108] The UEs 115 and the network entities 105 may support retransmissions of data to increase the likelihood that data is received successfully. Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback is one technique for increasing the likelihood that data is received correctly via a communication link (e.g., a communication link 125, a D2D communication link 135). HARQ may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using a cyclic redundancy check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ)). HARQ may improve throughputat the MAC layer in poor radio conditions (e.g., low signal-to-noise conditions). In some examples, a device may support same-slot HARQ feedback, in which case the device may provide HARQ feedback in a specific slot for data received via a previous symbol in the slot. In some other examples, the device may provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent slot, or according to some other time interval.

[0109] In the example of FIG. 1, any of the illustrated UEs (shown in FIG. 1 as a single UE 115 for simplicity) may receive signals 195 from one or more Earth orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 190 (e.g., satellites or non-terrestrial vehicle). In an aspect, the SV 190 may be part of a satellite positioning system that a UE 115 may use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 190) positioned to enable receivers (e.g., UEs 115) to determine their location on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on positioning signals (e.g., signals 195) received from the transmitters. Such a transmitter typically transmits a signal marked with a repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) code of a set number of chips. While typically located in SVs 190, transmitters may sometimes be located on ground-based control stations, network entities 105, and / or other UEs 115. A UE 115 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signals 195 for deriving geo location information from the SVs 190.

[0110] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signals 195 can be augmented by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example an SBAS may include an augmentation system(s) that provides integrity information, differential corrections, etc., such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the Global Positioning System (GPS) Aided Geo Augmented Navigation or GPS and Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN), and / or the like. Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.[OHl] In an aspect, SVs 190 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, an SV 190 is connected to an earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn isconnected to an element in a 5G network, such as a modified network entity 105 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element would in turn provide access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately to entities external to the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user devices. In that way, a UE 115 may receive communication signals (e.g., signals 195) from an SV 190 instead of, or in addition to, communication signals from a terrestrial network entity 105.

[0112] In some wireless communication systems, a UE 115 may report location information purporting to indicate a location of the UE 115 to a network. For example, the UE 115 may provide location information indicating a country or region where the UE 115 is located. The network may utilize the location information to determine whether to allocate communication resources to the UE 115 and how to configure the communication resources based on, for example, regulations and a subscription agreement for the country in which the UE 115 is located.

[0113] Additionally, the network may utilize the location information to allocate communication resources, such as time, frequency, and spatial resources for communication with the UE 115. Because the location information is reported by the UE 115, however, the location information may be inaccurate or spoofed, which may cause the network to configure communications ineffectively for the UE 115. These issues may be compounded in the context of non-terrestrial networks, where satellite coverage may span large geographical areas including portions of multiple countries or regions. Additionally, some wireless communication systems may split network functionality into one or more CUs 160 and one or more distributed units DUs 165, where a DU 165 (e.g., a network node, a non-terrestrial network node or a satellite) may be located separately from a CU 160 (e.g., a network node, a terrestrial network node or a gNB. CUs 160 and DUs 165 may lack the signaling capability to handle connection setup signaling or signaling for network-based UE 115 location verification.

[0114] Some examples of the techniques described herein may provide enhanced messaging for an interface (e.g., Fl interface) between a CU and a DU. For instance, one or more information elements (IE) may be enhanced to enable network-based UE location verification in a split-RAN functionality context. With respect to LTE positioning protocol (LPP) and NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa) enhancements, one or more of the following IES in the Fl interface (between a gNB CU and a gNB DU)may be utilized or enhanced: a transmit / receive point (TRP) information response, an E- CID measurement initiation request, an E-CID measurement initiation failure, an E-CID measurement report, or one or more non-terrestrial network-related SIBs.

[0115] In some approaches, a CU 160 and a DU 165 may utilize signaling to indicate non-terrestrial location information of the DU 165 (e.g., satellite). The nonterrestrial location information of the DU 165 may be utilized with location information (e.g., GNSS data) reported by the UE 115 to verify the location of the UE 115. For example, a network may verify UE 115 location to determine whether to allocate communication resources to a UE 115 or to reject UE 115 network access. In some examples, a CU 160 may transmit a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information associated with the DU 165. The DU 165 may transmit a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude LAA coordinates or ECEF coordinates, among other examples) associated with the DU 165 to the CU 160. The CU 160 may provide the non-terrestrial location information to one or more network entities (e.g., an AMF and a LMF), which may utilize the non-terrestrial location information (with UE-reported location information) to determine whether to allow or block network access to a UE 115.

[0116] In some examples, a CU 160 may transmit an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure (e.g., a flag for mirror point resolution) with a measurement initiation request (e.g., an E-CID measurement initiation request) to a DU 165. For instance, a mirror point resolution procedure may be performed to remove a mirror point ambiguity arising from single-satellite positioning, where RTT signaling ambiguously indicates multiple potential locations of a UE 115. The DU 165 may configure a UE 115 to measure one or more signals from one or more neighboring cells. The neighboring cell measurement(s) may be utilized to ascertain the correct location from the multiple potential locations of the UE 115. In a case that the neighbor cell measurement configuration fails, the DU 165 may transmit a failure message indicating a failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration. In a case where the DU 165 successfully receives neighbor cell measurement information, the DU 165 may transmit a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report (e.g., E-CID measurement report) to one or more network entities, which may utilize the mapped cell identifier to verify a UE 115 location.

[0117] In some examples, non-terrestrial information may be utilized for a DU 165 system information broadcast. For example, a DU 165 may transmit coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell of the DU 165 to the CU 160. The CU 160 may encode a SIB based on the coverage information. The CU 160 may transmit the SIB to the DU 165, and may command the DU 165 to broadcast the SIB. The SIB may be utilized by a UE 115 to request network access.

[0118] FIG. 2 shows an example of a network architecture 200 (e.g., a disaggregated base station architecture, a disaggregated RAN architecture) that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The network architecture 200 may illustrate an example for implementing one or more aspects of the wireless communications system 100. The network architecture 200 may include one or more CUs 160-a that may communicate directly with a core network 130-a via a backhaul communication link 120-a, or indirectly with the core network 130-a through one or more disaggregated network entities 105 (e.g., a Near-RT RIC 175-b via an E2 link, or a Non-RT RIC 175-a associated with an SMO 180-a (e.g., an SMO Framework), or both). A CU 160-a may communicate with one or more DUs 165-a via respective midhaul communication links 162-a (e.g., an Fl interface). The DUs 165-a may communicate with one or more RUs 170-a via respective fronthaul communication links 168-a. The RUs 170-a may be associated with respective coverage areas 110-a and may communicate with UEs 115-a via one or more communication links 125-a. In some implementations, a UE 115-a may be simultaneously served by multiple RUs 170-a.

[0119] Each of the network entities 105 of the network architecture 200 (e.g., CUs 160-a, DUs 165-a, RUs 170-a, Non-RT RICs 175-a, Near-RT RICs 175-b, SMOs 180-a, Open Clouds (O-Clouds) 205, Open eNBs (O-eNBs) 210) may include one or more interfaces or may be coupled with one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals (e.g., data, information) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each network entity 105, or an associated processor (e.g., controller) providing instructions to an interface of the network entity 105, may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other network entities 105 via the transmission medium. For example, the network entities 105 may include a wired interface configured to receive or transmit signals over a wired transmission medium to one ormore of the other network entities 105. Additionally, or alternatively, the network entities 105 may include a wireless interface, which may include a receiver, a transmitter, or transceiver (e.g., an RF transceiver) configured to receive or transmit signals, or both, over a wireless transmission medium to one or more of the other network entities 105.

[0120] In some examples, a CU 160-a may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include RRC, PDCP, SDAP, or the like. Each control function may be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 160-a. A CU 160-a may be configured to handle user plane functionality (e.g., CU-UP), control plane functionality (e.g., CU-CP), or a combination thereof. In some examples, a CU 160-a may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. A CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface, such as an El interface when implemented in an O-RAN configuration. A CU 160-a may be implemented to communicate with a DU 165-a, as necessary, for network control and signaling.

[0121] A DU 165-a may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more functions (e.g., base station functions, RAN functions) to control the operation of one or more RUs 170-a. In some examples, a DU 165-a may host, at least partially, one or more of an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and one or more aspects of a PHY layer (e.g., a high PHY layer, such as modules for FEC encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, or the like) depending, at least in part, on a functional split, such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some examples, a DU 165-a may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer may be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers hosted by the DU 165-a, or with control functions hosted by a CU 160-a.

[0122] In some examples, lower-layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 170-a. For example, an RU 170-a, controlled by a DU 165-a, may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions, or low-PHY layer functions (e.g., performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, or the like), or both, based at least in part on the functional split, such as a lower-layer functional split. Insuch an architecture, an RU 170-a may be implemented to handle over the air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 115-a. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communication with the RU(s) 170-a may be controlled by the corresponding DU 165-a. In some examples, such a configuration may enable a DU 165-a and a CU 160-a to be implemented in a cloudbased RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0123] The SMO 180-a may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network entities 105. For non-virtualized network entities 105, the SMO 180-a may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements which may be managed via an operations and maintenance interface (e.g., an 01 interface). For virtualized network entities 105, the SMO 180-a may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (e.g., an O-Cloud 205) to perform network entity life cycle management (e.g., to instantiate virtualized network entities 105) via a cloud computing platform interface (e.g., an 02 interface). Such virtualized network entities 105 can include, but are not limited to, CUs 160-a, DUs 165-a, RUs 170-a, and Near-RT RICs 175-b. In some implementations, the SMO 180-a may communicate with components configured in accordance with a 4G RAN (e.g., via an 01 interface). Additionally, or alternatively, in some implementations, the SMO 180-a may communicate directly with one or more RUs 170-a via an 01 interface. The SMO 180-a also may include a Non- RT RIC 175-a configured to support functionality of the SMO 180-a.

[0124] The Non-RT RIC 175-a may be configured to include a logical function that enables non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, Artificial Intelligence (Al) or Machine Learning (ML) workflows including model training and updates, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the Near-RT RIC 175-b. The Non-RT RIC 175-a may be coupled to or communicate with (e.g., via an Al interface) the Near-RT RIC 175-b. The Near-RT RIC 175-b may be configured to include a logical function that enables near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions over an interface (e.g., via an E2 interface) connecting one or more CUs 160-a, one or more DUs 165-a, or both, as well as an O-eNB 210, with the Near-RT RIC 175-b.

[0125] In some examples, to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the Near-RT RIC 175-b, the Non-RT RIC 175-a may receive parameters or external enrichment information from external servers. Such information may be utilized by the Near-RT RIC 175-b and may be received at the SMO 180-a or the Non-RT RIC 175-a from nonnetwork data sources or from network functions. In some examples, the Non-RT RIC 175-a or the Near-RT RIC 175-b may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the Non-RT RIC 175-a may monitor long-term trends and patterns for performance and employ Al or ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO 180-a (e.g., reconfiguration via 01) or via generation of RAN management policies (e.g., Al policies).

[0126] FIG. 3 shows an example of a wireless communication system 300 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the wireless communication system 300 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100 or the network architecture 200. The wireless communication system 300 may include a UE 115-a, a non-terrestrial network node 375-a, a terrestrial network node 370-a, a first network entity 315-a, and a second network entity 320-a. With reference to FIG. 1, the UE 115-a may be an example of the UE 115, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may be an example of the DU 165, the terrestrial network node 370-a may be an example of the CU 160, or a combination thereof.

[0127] In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may be a satellite, HAPS, HAV, unmanned aerial vehicle, aircraft, balloon, etc. For instance, the nonterrestrial network node 375-a may be in an orbit, such as low earth orbit, medium earth orbit, geostationary earth orbit, or other non-geostationary earth orbit. The nonterrestrial network node 375-a may be positioned at some distance from Earth (e.g., hundreds or thousands of kilometers from Earth), which may vary or remain relatively fixed. The non-terrestrial network node 375-a may include communication circuitry (e.g., one or more processors, memories, modems, baseband circuitries, among other examples), one or more antennas, or one or more transponders to facilitate reception and transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals. The non-terrestrial network node 375-a may serve a geographic region 305 in cases of a non-terrestrial network.

[0128] The terrestrial network node 370-a may be positioned on the Earth’s surface or relatively near to the Earth’s surface (e.g., within a mile of the Earth’s surface). In some examples, the terrestrial network node 370-a may be anchored or attached to the Earth’s surface. The terrestrial network node 375-a may include communication circuitry (e.g., one or more processors, memories, modems, baseband circuitries, among other examples) or one or more antennas to facilitate reception and transmission of RF signals. The terrestrial network node 370-a may provide communication service within a cell area 310. In some examples, the cell area 310 may be included within the geographic region 305, may partially overlap with the geographic region 305, or may be located outside of the geographic region 305. In some examples, network entity 105 (e.g., gNB of a RAN) functionality may be split between the non-terrestrial network node 375-a (e.g., a satellite, an RU on a satellite, or a gNB DU of the RAN, among other examples) and the terrestrial network node 370-a (e.g., a DU located on the ground or gNB CU of the RAN, among other examples). In some cases, the DU may include a terrestrial portion and a non-terrestrial portion. In some examples, the nonterrestrial network node 375-a may be a DU 165 (e.g., may implement DU 165 functionality) and the terrestrial network node 370-a may be a CU (e.g., may implement CU 160 functionality). In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node are next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) nodes. In some examples, a CU 160 and a DU 165 may reside on the ground and may be associated with one or more terrestrial and non-terrestrial cells or RUs. In non-terrestrial network, one or more DUs 165 may be located on a satellite and a CU 160 may be located on the Earth’s surface. In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a and the terrestrial network node 370-a may be included in a radio access network (RAN) (e.g., next generation radio access network (NG-RAN)) portion of the wireless communication system 300. In some examples, a UE may be excluded from the RAN (e.g., NG-RAN) portion of the wireless communication system 300.

[0129] The first network entity 315-a and the second network entity 320-a may communicate with the terrestrial network node 370-a. For instance, the first network entity 315-a may communicate with the terrestrial network node 370-a via an NG interface. The first network entity 315-a and the second network entity 320-a may be included in a core network (e.g., 5G core network (5GC)) portion of the wirelesscommunication system 300. In some examples, the first network entity 315-a and the second network entity 320-a may be implemented in one or more electronic (e.g., computing) devices. For example, the first network entity 315-a and the second network entity 320-a may individually or collectively include hardware (e.g., one or more processors, one or more memories, one or more communication interfaces) and instructions to perform one or more of the corresponding functions described herein.

[0130] In some examples, the first network entity 315-a may implement (e.g., may be configured to perform) an AMF. For instance, the first network entity 315-a may determine whether to grant the UE 115-a access to core network resources. In some examples, the second network entity 320-a may implement (e.g., may be configured to perform) an LMF. For instance, the second network entity 320-a may determine a geographic location of the UE 115-a. In some cases, the first network entity 315-a may be referred to as an “AMF” or the second network entity 320-a may be referred to as an “LMF.”

[0131] The UE 115-a may communicate with the non-terrestrial network node 375-a using a first communication link 325, and the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may communicate with the terrestrial network node 370-a using a second communication link 335. The first communication link 325 between the UE 115-a and the nonterrestrial network node 375-a may be an example of the communication links 125 described with respect to FIG. 1. The second communication link 335 between the nonterrestrial network node 375-a and the terrestrial network node 370-a may be an example of a link via an Fl interface.

[0132] The first communication link 325 and the second communication link 335 may include bi-directional links that enable uplink or downlink communications. For example, the UE 115-a may transmit one or more signals on an uplink 330 (e.g., uplink channel(s), uplink resource(s)), such as uplink control signals or uplink data signals, to the non-terrestrial network node 375-a using the first communication link 325. The nonterrestrial network node 375-a may transmit one or more downlink signals on a downlink 365 (e.g., downlink channel(s), downlink resource(s)), such as downlink control signals or downlink data signals, to the UE 115-a using the first communication link 325. The non-terrestrial network node 375-a and the terrestrial network node 370-a may communicate one or more uplink signals on an uplink 340 (e.g., uplink channel(s),uplink resource(s)) or one or more downlink signals on a downlink 345 (e.g., downlink channel(s), downlink resource(s)) using the second communication link 335.

[0133] In some examples, a DU associated with the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may transmit, to a CU, a SIB based at least in part on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell. In some examples, the DU may receive from the CU a command to transmit a SIB based at least in part on coverage information indicating a geographic region (e.g., a geographic region of a cell) covered by a cell. In some examples, the DU may receive from the CU a command to transmit a SIB in a non-terrestrial network cell, based at least in part on coverage information indicating a geographic region (e.g., a geographic region of a cell) covered by another cell, which may be a terrestrial network cell.

[0134] In some aspects, the cells associated with the non-terrestrial network may broadcast the SIB. In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may transmit a SIB (e.g., a SIB 19) based at least in part on information of a cell associated with the non-terrestrial network. The information of the cell associated with the nonterrestrial network may include ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, a service start time, a timing offset associated with a feeder link delay, a polarization for downlink and uplink transmission, a timing advance, a validity duration for uplink synchronization, or a combination thereof. The non-terrestrial network node 375-a may transmit an updated SIB based on (e.g., after) upon the expiration of a validity timer in some approaches.

[0135] In some examples, the DU associated with the non-terrestrial network may generate the SIB (e.g., SIB 19) and may transmit the information to the CU. In some other examples, the DU receives the command to transmit the SIB (e.g., SIB19) by the CU. Based on this command, the DU may instruct the non-terrestrial network cells to broadcast this system information.

[0136] In some examples, the coverage information may indicate reference location information, distance threshold information, non-terrestrial network configuration information, service time information, or a combination thereof. The coverage information may include one or more parameters of a SIB 19 in some approaches. A CU may receive, from one or more DU(s), coverage information (not shown in FIG. 3)indicating one or more geographic regions. Additionally, other terrestrial network nodes (e.g., other gNB DUs) may also report coverage information of their respective cells to the terrestrial network node 370-a. In some examples, a CU may encode an SIB (e.g., SIB 19) based on the coverage information from the one or more non-terrestrial network nodes (e.g., DU(s)), from the one or more other terrestrial network nodes (e.g., other gNB DUs), or both. The CU may transmit, to a DU, the SIB (not shown in FIG. 3) based on the coverage information. In some approaches, the CU may transmit, to the DU, a command to transmit (e.g., broadcast) the SIB. For instance, the CU may deliver the SIB to one or more DUs associated with the non-terrestrial network, the terrestrial network, or both, and may command the one or more DUs to transmit the SIB over the air. The DU may receive the SIB (from the CU) that is based on the coverage information. The DU may broadcast the SIB. For example, the DU may transmit (e.g., broadcast) information (e.g., one or more SIBs) to the UE 115-a. The UE 115-a may utilize the information to attempt to access the network (e.g., the RAN or the core network). For example, the UE 115-a may utilize the SIB to determine whether the UE 115-a is to access non-terrestrial network service via the non-terrestrial network node 375-a (e.g., satellite DU), or to access terrestrial network service via a terrestrial network node (e.g., terrestrial DU), based on a current geo-location of the UE 115-a (e.g., determine whether satellite RAN service is available, terrestrial RAN service is available, or both). Examples regarding the system information provided by the nonterrestrial network node 375-a and the terrestrial network node 370-a are given with reference to FIG. 3.

[0137] In some approaches, the UE 115-a may attempt to access the network using the SIB while the UE 115-a is in an idle mode. Using the SIB, the UE 115-a may transition to a connected mode. When in the connected mode, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a and the terrestrial network node 370-a may allow the UE 115-a to communicate with the first network entity 315-a (e.g., the AMF).

[0138] The UE 115-a may transmit location information 350 of the UE 115-a to the non-terrestrial network node 375-a. The location information 350 may indicate a geographical location of the UE 115-a. For example, the location information 350 may include global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data (e.g., latitude and longitude, global positioning system (GPS) data, globalnaya navigazionnaya sputnikovaya sistema(GLONASS) data, among other examples) indicating a location of the UE 115-a on the surface of the Earth.

[0139] In some examples, the following procedure may be utilized for a UE 115-a to measure or report the location information. A UE receive and transmit time difference may be utilized for a non-terrestrial network with an offset that is determined based on the UE reporting an actual index difference between subframe j and subframe i, where the uplink subframe j is closest in time to the downlink subframe i received from the transmission point. The downlink timing drift due to Doppler over the service link associated with the UE receive-transmit time difference measurement period may be reported. In a non-terrestrial network, a gNB receive-transmit time difference calculated at an uplink time synchronization reference point may be reported to an LMF. The actual gNB receive-transmit time difference measurement may not necessarily be made at the uplink time synchronization reference point.

[0140] The non-terrestrial network node 375-a may receive, from the UE 115-a, the location information 350 of the UE 115-a and may transmit the location information 350 of the UE 115-a to the terrestrial network node 370-a. In some examples, the nonterrestrial network node 375-a may forward or relay the location information 350 of the UE 115-a to the terrestrial network node 370-a as a data packet (without accessing the location information 350 of the UE 115-a, for instance). In other examples, the nonterrestrial network node 375-a may access the location information 350 of the UE 115-a and forward or relay the location information 350.

[0141] The terrestrial network node 370-a may receive the location information 350 of the UE 115-a, and may forward or relay the location information 350 of the UE 115-a to the first network entity 315-a (e.g., AMF). The first network entity 315-a may forward or relay the location information 350 of the UE 115-a to the second network entity 320-a (e.g., LMF). For instance, the first network entity 315-a may send a positioning session request to the second network entity 320-a with the location information 350. The second network entity 320-a may transmit a request for information to the terrestrial network node 370-a via the first network entity 315-a. For instance, the second network entity 320-a may request location information related to the non-terrestrial network node 375-a or the UE 115-a. The second network entity320-a may request the location information as part of a network-based verification procedure for the UE 115-a location (in a non-terrestrial network, for example).

[0142] In some examples, the terrestrial network node 370-a may transmit, to the non-terrestrial network node 375-a to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 115-a) via the non-terrestrial network node 375-a, a first message 355 indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node 375-a. In some examples, the terrestrial network node 370-a may transmit the first message 355 in response to the reception of the location information 350 of the UE 115-a. For instance, the first message 355 may be transmitted in response to the request for information from the second network entity, which is in response to receiving and forwarding the location information 350 of the UE 115-a. In some examples, the first message 355 may be a TRP information request that request that the TRP provide information about itself and its current location. For example, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may include a TRP that transmits to, and receives from, the UE 115-a to provide satellite wireless communication service of the RAN to the UE 115-a.

[0143] The non-terrestrial network node 375-a may receive, from the terrestrial network node 370-a in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 115-a) via the non-terrestrial network node 375-a, the first message 355 indicating the request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node 375-a. In some examples, the first message 355 may be received in response to the transmission of the location information 350 of the UE 115-a. For instance, the first message 355 may be received in response to receiving and forwarding the location information 350 of the UE 115-a.

[0144] The non-terrestrial network node 375-a may transmit, to the terrestrial network node 370-a, a second message 360 indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node 375-a. For example, the non-terrestrial location information may include non-terrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node 375-a, information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell associated with the nonterrestrial network node 375-a, or a combination thereof. For instance, the non-terrestrial coordinate information may include information indicating earth-centered earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node 375-a or information indicating latitude, longitude, and altitude (LLA) coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node 375-a. In some examples, the non-terrestrial coordinate information may include information that indicates the location of the nonterrestrial network node 375-a. For instance, the non-terrestrial coordinate information may include information (e.g., altitude information or coordinate information) that indicates where the non-terrestrial network node 375-a is located above the Earth (beyond surface coordinates, such as latitude and longitude, for example).

[0145] In some examples, the second message 360 may include or indicate TRP information. For instance, the second message 360 may be a TRP information response from the DU to the CU including TRP location information. The second message 360 may indicate a TRP location in a coordinate system (e.g., LAA or ECEF), TRP ephemeris, or a TRP identifier (e.g., a global identifier, satellite identifier, or navigation with Indian constellation (NAVIC) identifier, among other examples).

[0146] For a non-terrestrial network, in some examples, the geographic coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) in the TRP information (e.g., which may be a mandatory field) may be ignored (e.g., may be ignored by the second network entity 320-a in determining a location of the UE 115-a). For a non-terrestrial network in other examples, the geographic coordinates in the TRP information may be interpreted as a location of a center of a beam of the non-terrestrial network node. The beam center may correspond to a center of a coverage range of the TRP of the second network entity 320-a (e.g., on the earth’s surface).

[0147] The terrestrial network node 370-a may receive, from the non-terrestrial network node 375-a, the second message 360 indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node 375-a. In some examples, the second message 360 may be transmitted or received via an Fl interface between the nonterrestrial network node 375-a and the terrestrial network node 370-a. For example, one or more of the communications (e.g., location information 350, first message 355, or second message 360) between the non-terrestrial network node 375-a and the terrestrial network node 370-a may be communicated via an Fl interface. The Fl interface may be a wireless communication interface between network nodes of a same gNB, where, inthis example, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a is included on a satellite and the terrestrial network node 370-a is located on earth. The terrestrial network node 370-a may transmit the non-terrestrial location information to the first network entity 315-a, which may forward or relay the non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node 375-a to the second network entity 320-a. The second network entity 320-a may utilize the non-terrestrial location information to determine a location of the UE 115-a based on the non-terrestrial location information. For example, the second network entity 320-a may determine a location of the UE 115-a based on a round-trip-time (RTT), signal strength, cell identifier, neighboring cell information, or a combination thereof based on the non-terrestrial location information. The second network entity 320-a may transmit the determined location to the first network entity 315-a.

[0148] The first network entity 315-a may determine whether the location information of the UE 115-a may be verified. For instance, if the determined location of the UE 115-a matches (e.g., is within a threshold distance from) the location information reported by the UE 115-a, then the first network entity 315-a may verify the location of the UE 115-a. When the location of the UE 115-a is verified, the first network entity 315-a may allow the UE 115-a to access network resources (e.g., place a call, transmit and receive data over the network, among other examples). When the location of the UE 115-a is not verified (e.g., fails a verification criterion), the first network entity 315-a may deregister the UE 115-a or block the UE 115-a from accessing network resources.

[0149] In some examples, the wireless communication system 300 (e.g., the second network entity 320-a) may perform a mirror point resolution procedure. A mirror point resolution procedure is a procedure to resolve a mirror point ambiguity that may arise in single-satellite positioning. For example, when the non-terrestrial network node 375-a (e.g., a satellite) utilizes an RTT measurement to locate the UE 115-a, a mirror point ambiguity may arise, as the RTT could correspond to multiple locations on the Earth’s surface. For instance, if a satellite is in an orbit passing in a southward direction, an RTT measurement may indicate that a UE could be located to the west or to the east of the satellite. A mirror point resolution procedure may resolve which location is the actual UE location by obtaining additional information (e.g., neighbor cellmeasurements, such as other satellites, other TRPs located on earth, or any combination thereof) to disambiguate the location of the UE.

[0150] In some examples, the second network entity 320-a may initiate the mirror point resolution procedure. For instance, the second network entity 320-a (e.g., LMF) may provide an explicit indication for the RAN to resolve the mirror point ambiguity with a measurement initiation request. In some examples, the second network entity 320-a may transmit an indication (e.g., flag) to the terrestrial network node 370-a via the first network entity 315-a indicating the mirror point resolution procedure. In some examples, the second network entity 320-a may transmit an E-CID measurement initiation request to the terrestrial network node 370-a in accordance with a new radio positioning protocol A (NRPPa), with a flag for the mirror point resolution procedure.

[0151] The terrestrial network node 370-a may receive, from the first network entity 315-a or the second network entity 320-a, an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure with a measurement initiation request. The terrestrial network node 370-a may transmit, to the non-terrestrial network node 375-a, the indication of the mirror point resolution procedure with the measurement initiation request. For example, in an E-CID measurement initiation request, the terrestrial network node 370-a (e.g., CU) may transmit a flag for the mirror point resolution procedure to the non-terrestrial network node 375-a (e.g., DU). In some examples, the measurement initiation request may be an example of the first message 355 described herein (with or without a request for non-terrestrial location information), or the measurement initiation request may be communicated in addition to, or alternatively from, the first message 355.

[0152] The non-terrestrial network node 375-a may receive, from the terrestrial network node 370-a, the indication of the mirror point resolution procedure with the measurement initiation request. The non-terrestrial network node 375-a may attempt to obtain information to resolve the mirror point ambiguity. In some examples, the nonterrestrial network node 375-a may transmit, to the UE 115-a, a control message indicating a neighbor cell measurement configuration based at least in part on the indication. For instance, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may determine one or more neighbor cells of the UE 115-a and may send the control message to configure the UE 115-a to measure the one or more neighbor cells and report one or more measurement indications of the one or more neighbor cells.

[0153] In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may detect a failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration. In some cases, the nonterrestrial network node 375-a may receive a message from the UE 115-a indicating a failure of the UE 115-a to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration or a failure of the UE 115-a to measure the one or more neighbor cells (e.g., signal strength, signal quality, or identifying information of the one or more neighbor cells). In some cases, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may not receive a measurement report within a threshold period, which the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may utilize to detect the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration. In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may transmit, to the terrestrial network node 370-a, a failure message indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration. For instance, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a (e.g., DU) may transmit an E-CID measurement initiation response or failure message with a cause value indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration for the UE 115-a (e.g., cause value indicating that neighbor cell measurements could not be set up for a UE).

[0154] The terrestrial network node 370-a may receive, from the non-terrestrial network node 375-a, the failure message indicating a failure to apply a neighbor cell measurement configuration. The terrestrial network node 370-a may transmit, to the first network entity 315-a or the second network entity 320-a, the failure message indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration. For example, the terrestrial network node 370-a may receive and relay the failure message to the first network entity 315-a, which may relay the failure message to the second network entity 320-a. In some examples, the terrestrial network node 370-a may transmit an E-CID measurement initiation response or failure message to the second network entity 320-a (e.g., LMF), in accordance with the NRPPa protocol, with a cause value indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration.

[0155] In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may receive, from the UE 115-a, a measurement indication in accordance with the neighbor cell measurement configuration. For example, the UE 115-a may transmit one or more measurement reports indicating one or more measurements from one or more neighbor cells.

[0156] In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node 375-a may transmit, to the terrestrial network node 370-a, a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report of the measurement indication. For instance, in an E-CID measurement report, the nonterrestrial network node 375-a (e.g., DU) may report a mapped cell identifier, which may be applicable to non-terrestrial network access. In some examples, the measurement report may be an example of the second message 360 described herein (with or without a request for non-terrestrial location information), or the measurement report may be communicated in addition to, or alternatively from, the second message 360.

[0157] The terrestrial network node 370-a may receive, from the non-terrestrial network node 375-a, the mapped cell identifier with a measurement report for the mirror point resolution procedure. The terrestrial network node 370-a may transmit, to the first network entity 315-a or the second network entity 320-a, the mapped cell identifier with the measurement report for the mirror point resolution procedure. For instance, the terrestrial network node 370-a may transmit an E-CID measurement report with the mapped cell identifier to the second network entity 320-a in accordance with the NRPPa protocol.

[0158] FIG. 4 shows an example of a process flow 400 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The process flow 400 may include a UE 115-b, which may be an example of UEs 115, as described herein. The process flow 400 may also include a non-terrestrial network node 375-b and a terrestrial network node 370-b, which may be respective examples of a non-terrestrial network node 375-a and a terrestrial network node 370-a, as described herein. The processor flow 400 may also include a first network entity 315-b and a second network entity 320-b, which may be respective examples of the first network entity 315-a and the second network entity 320-a, as described herein.

[0159] In the following description of the process flow 400, the communications between the UE 115-b, the non-terrestrial network node 375-b, the terrestrial network node 370-b, the first network entity 315-b, and the second network entity 320-b may be transmitted in a different order than the example order shown, or the operations performed by the UE 115-b, the non-terrestrial network node 375-b, the terrestrialnetwork node 370-b, the first network entity 315-b, and the second network entity 320-b, may be performed in different orders or at different times. In some examples, communications may be carried via an Fl interface between the non-terrestrial network node 375-b (e.g., DU) and the terrestrial network node 370-b (e.g., CU). Some operations may also be omitted from the process flow 400, and other operations may be added to the process flow 400. Further, although some operations or signaling may be shown to occur at different times for discussion purposes, these operations may actually occur at the same time or in overlapping time periods in some examples.

[0160] At 405, the non-terrestrial network node 375-b (e.g., DU) may transmit coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell of the nonterrestrial network node 375-b. For instance, the coverage information may be transmitted to the terrestrial network node 370-b as described with reference to FIGs. 3-4. In some examples, the coverage information may indicate a geographic region covered by a cell of the non-terrestrial network node 375-b. In some examples, the coverage information (e.g., gNB DU system information) may indicate one or more of the parameters described with reference to Listing (1) or Listing (2) from 3GPP specifications. Listing (1) illustrates an example of a SIB19 information element. In some examples, the SIB 19 information element may include system information generated by the non-terrestrial network node 375-b (e.g., DU).- ASN1 START- TAG-SIB 19-STARTSIB19-rl7::= SEQUENCE { ntn-Config-rl7 NTN-Config-rl7 OPTIONAL,- Need R t-Service-rl7 INTEGER (0.549755813887) OPTIONAL,- Need R referenceLocation-rl 7 ReferenceLocation-r 17 OPTIONAL,- Need R distanceThresh-rl7 INTEGER(0.65525) OPTIONAL,- Need R ntn-NeighCellConfigList-rl7 NTN-NeighCellConfigList-rl7 OPTIONAL,- Need RlateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRING OPTIONAL,[[ ntn-NeighCellConfigListExt-vl720 NTN-NeighCellConfigList-rl7 OPTIONAL -- Need R]]}NTN-NeighCellConfigList-rl7::= SEQUENCE (SIZE(l.maxCellNTN-rl7)) OFNTN-NeighCellConfig-rl 7NTN-NeighCellConfig-rl7::= SEQUENCE { ntn-Config-rl7 NTN-Config-rl7 OPTIONAL, -Need R carrierFreq-rl7 ARFCN-ValueNR OPTIONAL, —Need R physCellId-rl7 PhysCellld OPTIONAL - Need R}- TAG-SIB 19-STOP- ASN1STOPListing (1)

[0161] In Listing (1):• distanceThresh may indicate a distance from a reference location of a serving cell, and may be utilized in the initiation of location-based measurement;• ntn-Config may include one or more parameters (e.g., ephemeris data) for the UE 115-b to access an NTN;• ntn-NeighCellConfigList and NeighCellConfigListExt may indicate one or more NTN neighbor cells, including one or more corresponding ntn-Configs, carrier frequencies, or PhysCellld;• referenceLocation may indicate a reference location of a serving cell in a quasiEarth fixed coordinate system, and may be utilized in the initiation of locationbased measurement; and• t-Service may indicate when a cell will stop providing service for a current coverage area.

[0162] Listing (2) illustrates an example of an NTN-Config information element.The NTN-Config information element may include one or more parameters utilized for a UE to access an NTN.- ASN1 START- TAG-NTN-CONFIG-STARTNTN-Config-rl7::= SEQUENCE { epochTime-rl7 EpochTime-rl7 OPTIONAL,- Need R ntn-UlSyncValidityDuration-rl7 ENUMERATED{ s5, slO, sl5, s20, s25, s30 s35, s40, s45, s50, s55, s60, sl20, sl80, s240, s900} OPTIONAL, -Cond SIB 19 cellSpecificKoffset-rl7 INTEGER} 1.1023) OPTIONAL, Need R kmac-rl7 INTEGER} 1.512) OPTIONAL, Need R ta-Info-rl7 TA-Info-rl7 OPTIONAL, -- Need R ntn-PolarizationDL-rl7 ENUMERATED{rhcp,lhcp, linear} OPTIONAL,- Need R ntn-PolarizationUL-rl7 ENUMERATED {rhcp,lhcp, linear} OPTIONAL,- Need R ephemerislnfo-rl7 Ephemerislnfo-rl7 OPTIONAL,- Need R ta-Report-r!7 ENUMERATED {enabled} OPTIONAL,- Need REpochTime-rl7::= SEQUENCE } sfn-rl7 INTEGER(0.1023), subFrameNR-rl7 INTEGER(0.9)TA-Info-rl7::= SEQUENCE { ta-Common-rl7 INTEGER(0.66485757), ta-CommonDrift-rl7 INTEGER(-257303.257303) OPTIONAL,- Need R ta-CommonDriftVariant-rl7 INTEGER(0.28949) OPTIONAL- Need R}- TAG-NTN-CONFIG-STOP- ASN1STOPListing (2)

[0163] The terrestrial network node 370-b may utilize the coverage information provided by one or more non-terrestrial network nodes (including the non-terrestrial network node 375-b). For example, the terrestrial network node 370-b may encode a SIB (e.g., a SIB 19) based on the coverage information provided by the one or more nonterrestrial network nodes.

[0164] At 410, the terrestrial network node 370-b may transmit the SIB (e.g., SIB 19) and a command to broadcast the SIB as described with reference to FIG.FIGs. 3-4. At 415, the non-terrestrial network node 375-b may broadcast the SIB as described with reference to FIG. 4. In some examples, the coverage information, SIB exchange, and SIB broadcast may occur while the UE 115-b is in an idle mode 420. Utilizing the broadcast SIB, the UE 115-b may enter a connected mode 465, in which the UE 115-b may communicate with the first network entity 315-b (e.g., AMF) of the second network entity 320-b (e.g., LMF).

[0165] At 425, the UE 115-b may transmit location information of the UE 115-b to the non-terrestrial network node 375-b as described with reference to FIG. 4. The network (e.g., the non-terrestrial network node 375-b, the terrestrial network node 370-b, the first network entity 315-b, or a combination thereof) may relay the location information of the UE 115-b to the second network entity 320-b (e.g., LMF).

[0166] At 430, the second network entity 320-b may transmit, to the terrestrial network node 370-b via the first network entity 315-b, a request for non-terrestrial location information as described with reference to FIG. 4. At 435, the terrestrialnetwork node 370-b may transmit a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node 375-b as described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0167] At 440, the non-terrestrial network node 375-b may transmit a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node 375-b as described with reference to FIG. 4. For example, the location information of the non-terrestrial network node 375-b may include non-terrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the nonterrestrial network node, or a combination thereof.

[0168] At 445, the terrestrial network node 370-b may transmit the non-terrestrial location information to the second network entity 320-b as described with reference to FIG. 3. At 450, the second network entity 320-b may transmit a request to the UE 115-b for UE-dependent measurements for positioning. At 455, the UE 115-b may transmit the UE-dependent measurements to the second network entity 320-b. The second network entity 320-b may determine a location of the UE 115-b based on the location information reported from the UE 115-b, the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node 375-b, the UE-dependent measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0169] At 460, the second network entity 320-b may transmit the determined location of the UE 115-b to the first network entity 315-b. The first network entity 315-b (e.g., AMF) may compare the location information reported by the UE 115-b to the determined location and may determine whether to allow the UE 115-b to access network resources based on the determination as described with reference to FIG. 3.

[0170] FIG. 5 shows an example of a wireless communication system 500 that supports signaling for networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the wireless communication system 500 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100 or the wireless communication system 300. The wireless communication system 500 may include a UE 115-c, a first network node 505 and a second network node 510.

[0171] The UE 115-c may communicate with the first network node 505 using a first communication link 515, and the first network node 505 may communicate withthe second network node 510 using a second communication link 520. The first communication link 515 between the UE 115-c and the first network node 505 may be an example of the communication links 125 described with respect to FIG. 1. In some examples, one or more additional network nodes may be situated between the UE 115-c and the first network node 505 or between the first network node 505 and the second network node 510.

[0172] The first communication link 515 and the second communication link 520 may include bi-directional links that enable uplink or downlink communications. For example, the UE 115-c may transmit one or more signals on an uplink 525 (e.g., uplink channel(s), uplink resource(s)), such as uplink control signals or uplink data signals, to the first network node 505 using the first communication link 515. The first network node 505 may transmit one or more downlink signals on a downlink 535 (e.g., downlink channel(s), downlink resource(s)), such as downlink control signals or downlink data signals, to the UE 115-c using the first communication link 515. The first network node 505 and the second network node 510 may communicate one or more uplink signals on an uplink 540 (e.g., uplink channel(s), uplink resource(s)) or one or more downlink signals on a downlink 545 (e.g., downlink channel(s), downlink resource(s)) using the second communication link 520.

[0173] In some examples, the first network node 505 or the second network node 510 may be a network entity, a CU, a DU, an RU, an AMF, an LMF, or another network node. The first network node 505 of the second network node 510 may be a terrestrial network node or a non-terrestrial network node. In some aspects, the non-terrestrial network nodes 375-a, 375-b may be examples of the first network node 505 or of the second network node 510. The terrestrial network nodes 370-a, 370-b may be examples of the first network node 505 or of the second network node 510. The network entities 315-a, 315-b, 320-a, 320-b (e.g., AMFs or LMFs) may be examples of the first network node 505 or of the second network node 510. One or more of the first network node 505 or the second network node 510 may be included in a non-terrestrial network, a terrestrial network, a RAN, or a core network.

[0174] The first network node 505 may receive, from a second network node 510, a first message indicating a request for location information of a non-terrestrial network node in a non-terrestrial network. In some examples, the non-terrestrial network nodemay be the first network node 505 or a separate network node in the wireless communication system 500. The first network node 505 may transmit, to the second network node 510, a second message indicating the location information of the nonterrestrial network node. In some examples, the location information of the nonterrestrial network node includes non-terrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, or a combination thereof. The non-terrestrial coordinate information may include information indicating ECEF coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node or information indicating LLA coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node.

[0175] In some aspects, the first network node 505 may be a DU and the second network node 510 may be a CU of a RAN. In some aspects, the first network node 505 may be an LMF node and the second network node 510 may be a network node of an NG-RAN.

[0176] In some examples, the first network node 505 may transmit, to the second network node 510, a SIB based at least in part on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell associated with the first network node 505. The first network node 505 may be included in a non-terrestrial network or a terrestrial network. In some examples, the cell associated with the first network node 505 is a cell associated with a terrestrial network.

[0177] In some aspects, the first network node 505 may receive, from the second network node 510, a command to transmit a SIB. The system information may be based at least in part on the coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell. The first network node 505 may transmit (e.g., broadcast) the SIB to the cell associated with the first network node 505. The cell associated with the first network node 505 may be a cell associated with a non-terrestrial network.

[0178] In some examples, the first network node 505 may transmit, to a second network node 510, a SIB based at least in part on information of a cell associated with a non-terrestrial network managed by the first network node 505. The information of the cell associated with the non-terrestrial network may include ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of a non-terrestrial network node, a service start time, a timingoffset associated with a feeder link delay, a polarization for downlink and uplink transmission, a common timing advance, a validity duration for uplink synchronization, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the first network node 505 may transmit, to the second network node 510, an updated SIB based on (e.g., after) an expiry of a validity timer.

[0179] In some aspects, the first network node 505 may receive, from the second network node 510, a first message indicating a request for resolving a mirror point ambiguity associated with location information of a UE (e.g., UE 115-c) connected to a non-terrestrial network node of a non-terrestrial network. The first network node 505 may transmit, to the second network node 510, a second message based at least in part on the request. In some examples, the first network node 505 may transmit, to the second network node 510, a mapped cell identifier in response to the first message.

[0180] In some examples, the first network node 505 may receive a measurement initiation request with the request for resolving the mirror point ambiguity. The first network node 505 may transmit, to a UE (e.g., UE 115-c), a control message indicating a neighbor cell measurement configuration based at least in part on the indication. In some aspects, the first network node 505 may detect a failure to resolve the mirror point ambiguity. The first network node 505 may transmit, to the second network node 510, a failure message indicating the failure to resolve the mirror point ambiguity.

[0181] FIG. 6 shows a block diagram 600 of a device 605 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 605 may be an example of aspects of a first network node as described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a transmitter 615, and a communications manager 620. The device 605, or one or more components of the device 605 (e.g., the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, and the communications manager 620), may include at least one processor, which may be coupled with at least one memory, to, individually or collectively, support or enable the described techniques. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0182] The receiver 610 may provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or anycombination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). Information may be passed on to other components of the device 605. In some examples, the receiver 610 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 610 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.

[0183] The transmitter 615 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 605. For example, the transmitter 615 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). In some examples, the transmitter 615 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 615 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 615 and the receiver 610 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.

[0184] The communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of central unit and distributed unit signaling for nonterrestrial networks as described herein. For example, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be capable of performing one or more of the functions described herein.

[0185] In some examples, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry). The hardware may include at least one of a processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting,individually or collectively, a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, at least one processor and at least one memory coupled with the at least one processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by one or more processors, individually or collectively, executing instructions stored in the at least one memory).

[0186] Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by at least one processor. If implemented in code executed by at least one processor, the functions of the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting, individually or collectively, a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure).

[0187] In some examples, the communications manager 620 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both. For example, the communications manager 620 may receive information from the receiver 610, send information to the transmitter 615, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0188] The communications manager 620 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 620 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node. The communications manager 620 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0189] By including or configuring the communications manager 620 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 605 (e.g., at least one processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, the communications manager 620, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for more efficient utilization of communication resources.

[0190] FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a device 705 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 705 may be an example of aspects of a device 605 or a first network node as described herein. The device 705 may include a receiver 710, a transmitter 715, and a communications manager 720. The device 705, or one or more components of the device 705 (e.g., the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, and the communications manager 720), may include at least one processor, which may be coupled with at least one memory, to support the described techniques. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0191] The receiver 710 may provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). Information may be passed on to other components of the device 705. In some examples, the receiver 710 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 710 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.

[0192] The transmitter 715 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 705. For example, the transmitter 715 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). In some examples, the transmitter 715 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, thetransmitter 715 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 715 and the receiver 710 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.

[0193] The device 705, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks as described herein. For example, the communications manager 720 may include a first message component 725 a second message component 730, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 720 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 620 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 720, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both. For example, the communications manager 720 may receive information from the receiver 710, send information to the transmitter 715, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0194] The communications manager 720 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The first message component 725 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide nonterrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node. The second message component 730 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0195] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram 800 of a communications manager 820 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 820 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 620, a communications manager 720, or both, as described herein. The communicationsmanager 820, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of central unit and distributed unit signaling for nonterrestrial networks as described herein. For example, the communications manager 820 may include a first message component 825, a second message component 830, a system information component 835, a mirror point component 840, a measurement configuration component 845, a failure detection component 850, a failure message component 855, a measurement component 860, a measurement report component 865, or any combination thereof. Each of these components, or components or subcomponents thereof (e.g., one or more processors, one or more memories), may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0196] The communications manager 820 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The first message component 825 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide nonterrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node. The second message component 830 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0197] In some examples, the non-terrestrial location information includes nonterrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell associated with the non-terrestrial network node, or a combination thereof.

[0198] In some examples, the non-terrestrial coordinate information includes information indicating earth-centered earth-fixed coordinates associated with the nonterrestrial network node or information indicating latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node.

[0199] In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node is a DU and the terrestrial network node is a CU.

[0200] In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node are NG-RAN nodes.

[0201] In some examples, the system information component 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting a SIB based on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell.

[0202] In some examples, the cell is a terrestrial network cell, and the SIB is transmitted in a non-terrestrial network cell.

[0203] In some examples, the system information component 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving a command to transmit a SIB based on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell. In some examples, the system information component 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting the SIB.

[0204] In some examples, the SIB is a SIB 19.

[0205] In some examples, the system information component 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting a SIB based on information of a cell associated with the non-terrestrial network.

[0206] In some examples, the information of the cell associated with the nonterrestrial network includes ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, a service start time, a timing offset associated with a feeder link delay, a polarization for downlink and uplink transmission, a timing advance, a validity duration for uplink synchronization, or a combination thereof.

[0207] In some examples, the system information component 835 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting an updated SIB based on (e.g., after) an expiration of a validity timer.

[0208] In some examples, the mirror point component 840 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the terrestrial network node, an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure with a measurement initiation request. In some examples, the measurement configuration component 845 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to a UE, a control message indicating a neighbor cell measurement configuration based on the indication.

[0209] In some examples, the failure detection component 850 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for detecting a failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration. In some examples, the failure message component 855 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a failure message indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration.

[0210] In some examples, the measurement component 860 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the UE, a measurement indication in accordance with the neighbor cell measurement configuration. In some examples, the measurement report component 865 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report of the measurement indication.

[0211] In some examples, the second message is transmitted via an Fl interface between the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node.

[0212] FIG. 9 shows a diagram of a system 900 including a device 905 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 905 may be an example of or include the components of a device 605, a device 705, or a first network node as described herein. The device 905 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 920, a transceiver 910, an antenna 915, at least one memory 925, code 930, and at least one processor 935. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 940).

[0213] The transceiver 910 may support bi-directional communications via wired links, wireless links, or both as described herein. In some examples, the transceiver 910 may include a wired transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wired transceiver. Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the transceiver 910 may include a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with anotherwireless transceiver. In some examples, the device 905 may include one or more antennas 915, which may be capable of transmitting or receiving wireless transmissions (e.g., concurrently). The transceiver 910 may also include a modem to modulate signals, to provide the modulated signals for transmission (e.g., by one or more antennas 915, by a wired transmitter), to receive modulated signals (e.g., from one or more antennas 915, from a wired receiver), and to demodulate signals. In some implementations, the transceiver 910 may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 915 that are configured to support various receiving or obtaining operations, or one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 915 that are configured to support various transmitting or outputting operations, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 910 may include or be configured for coupling with one or more processors or one or more memory components that are operable to perform or support operations based on received or obtained information or signals, or to generate information or other signals for transmission or other outputting, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 910, or the transceiver 910 and the one or more antennas 915, or the transceiver 910 and the one or more antennas 915 and one or more processors or one or more memory components (e.g., the at least one processor 935, the at least one memory 925, or both), may be included in a chip or chip assembly that is installed in the device 905. In some examples, the transceiver 910 may be operable to support communications via one or more communications links (e.g., a communication link 125, a backhaul communication link 120, a midhaul communication link 162, a fronthaul communication link 168).

[0214] The at least one memory 925 may include RAM, ROM, or any combination thereof. The at least one memory 925 may store computer-readable, computerexecutable code 930 including instructions that, when executed by one or more of the at least one processor 935, cause the device 905 to perform various functions described herein. The code 930 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 930 may not be directly executable by a processor of the at least one processor 935 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the at least one memory 925 may contain, among other things, a BIOSwhich may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices. In some examples, the at least one processor 935 may include multiple processors and the at least one memory 925 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein (for example, as part of a processing system).

[0215] The at least one processor 935 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the at least one processor 935 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into one or more of the at least one processor 935. The at least one processor 935 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., one or more of the at least one memory 925) to cause the device 905 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting central unit and distributed unit signaling for nonterrestrial networks). For example, the device 905 or a component of the device 905 may include at least one processor 935 and at least one memory 925 coupled with one or more of the at least one processor 935, the at least one processor 935 and the at least one memory 925 configured to perform various functions described herein. The at least one processor 935 may be an example of a cloud-computing platform (e.g., one or more physical nodes and supporting software such as operating systems, virtual machines, or container instances) that may host the functions (e.g., by executing code 930) to perform the functions of the device 905. The at least one processor 935 may be any one or more suitable processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in the device 905 (such as within one or more of the at least one memory 925). In some examples, the at least one processor 935 may include multiple processors and the at least one memory 925 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein. In some examples, the at least one processor 935 may be a component of a processing system, which may refer to a system (such as a series) of machines,circuitry (including, for example, one or both of processor circuitry (which may include the at least one processor 935) and memory circuitry (which may include the at least one memory 925)), or components, that receives or obtains inputs and processes the inputs to produce, generate, or obtain a set of outputs. The processing system may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein. As such, the at least one processor 935 or a processing system including the at least one processor 935 may be configured to, configurable to, or operable to cause the device 905 to perform one or more of the functions described herein. Further, as described herein, being “configured to,” being “configurable to,” and being “operable to” may be used interchangeably and may be associated with a capability, when executing code stored in the at least one memory 925 or otherwise, to perform one or more of the functions described herein.

[0216] In some examples, a bus 940 may support communications of (e.g., within) a protocol layer of a protocol stack. In some examples, a bus 940 may support communications associated with a logical channel of a protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of a protocol stack), which may include communications performed within a component of the device 905, or between different components of the device 905 that may be co-located or located in different locations (e.g., where the device 905 may refer to a system in which one or more of the communications manager 920, the transceiver 910, the at least one memory 925, the code 930, and the at least one processor 935 may be located in one of the different components or divided between different components).

[0217] In some examples, the communications manager 920 may manage aspects of communications with a core network 130 (e.g., via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links). For example, the communications manager 920 may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115. In some examples, the communications manager 920 may manage communications with other network entities 105, and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with other network entities 105. In some examples, the communications manager 920 may support an X2 interface within an LTE / LTE-A wireless communications network technology to provide communication between network entities 105.

[0218] The communications manager 920 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 920 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node. The communications manager 920 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0219] By including or configuring the communications manager 920 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 905 may support techniques for improved communication reliability, reduced latency, more efficient utilization of communication resources, improved coordination between devices, and improved utilization of processing capability.

[0220] In some examples, the communications manager 920 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver 910, the one or more antennas 915 (e.g., where applicable), or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 920 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 920 may be supported by or performed by the transceiver 910, one or more of the at least one processor 935, one or more of the at least one memory 925, the code 930, or any combination thereof (for example, by a processing system including at least a portion of the at least one processor 935, the at least one memory 925, the code 930, or any combination thereof). For example, the code 930 may include instructions executable by one or more of the at least one processor 935 to cause the device 905 to perform various aspects of central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks as described herein, or the at least one processor 935 and the at least one memory 925 may be otherwise configured to, individually or collectively, perform or support such operations.

[0221] FIG. 10 shows a block diagram 1000 of a device 1005 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1005 may be an example of aspects of a second network node as described herein. The device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a transmitter 1015, and a communications manager 1020. The device 1005, or one or more components of the device 1005 (e.g., the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, and the communications manager 1020), may include at least one processor, which may be coupled with at least one memory, to, individually or collectively, support or enable the described techniques. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0222] The receiver 1010 may provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). Information may be passed on to other components of the device 1005. In some examples, the receiver 1010 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 1010 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.

[0223] The transmitter 1015 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 1005. For example, the transmitter 1015 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). In some examples, the transmitter 1015 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 1015 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 1015 and the receiver1010 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.

[0224] The communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be capable of performing one or more of the functions described herein.

[0225] In some examples, the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry). The hardware may include at least one of a processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting, individually or collectively, a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, at least one processor and at least one memory coupled with the at least one processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by one or more processors, individually or collectively, executing instructions stored in the at least one memory).

[0226] Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by at least one processor. If implemented in code executed by at least one processor, the functions of the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting, individually or collectively, a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure).

[0227] In some examples, the communications manager 1020 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting,transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both. For example, the communications manager 1020 may receive information from the receiver 1010, send information to the transmitter 1015, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0228] The communications manager 1020 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1020 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node. The communications manager 1020 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node.

[0229] By including or configuring the communications manager 1020 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 1005 (e.g., at least one processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, the communications manager 1020, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for more efficient utilization of communication resources.

[0230] FIG. 11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a device 1105 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1105 may be an example of aspects of a device 1005 or a second network node as described herein. The device 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a transmitter 1115, and a communications manager 1120. The device 1105, or one or more components of the device 1105 (e.g., the receiver 1110, the transmitter 1115, and the communications manager 1120), may include at least one processor, which may be coupled with at least one memory, to support the described techniques. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0231] The receiver 1110 may provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). Information may be passed on to other components of the device 1105. In some examples, the receiver 1110 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 1110 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.

[0232] The transmitter 1115 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 1105. For example, the transmitter 1115 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack). In some examples, the transmitter 1115 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 1115 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 1115 and the receiver 1110 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.

[0233] The device 1105, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1120 may include a first message manager 1125 a second message manager 1130, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 1120 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 1020 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 1120, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 1110, the transmitter1115, or both. For example, the communications manager 1120 may receive information from the receiver 1110, send information to the transmitter 1115, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 1110, the transmitter 1115, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

[0234] The communications manager 1120 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The first message manager 1125 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to a nonterrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node. The second message manager 1130 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0235] FIG. 12 shows a block diagram 1200 of a communications manager 1220 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 1220 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 1020, a communications manager 1120, or both, as described herein. The communications manager 1220, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of central unit and distributed unit signaling for nonterrestrial networks as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1220 may include a first message manager 1225, a second message manager 1230, a system information manager 1235, a mirror point manager 1240, a failure message manager 1245, a measurement report manager 1250, or any combination thereof. Each of these components, or components or subcomponents thereof (e.g., one or more processors, one or more memories), may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0236] The communications manager 1220 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The first message manager 1225 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to a nonterrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service toone or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node. The second message manager 1230 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0237] In some examples, the non-terrestrial location information includes nonterrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell associated with the non-terrestrial network node, or a combination thereof.

[0238] In some examples, the non-terrestrial coordinate information includes information indicating earth-centered earth-fixed coordinates associated with the nonterrestrial network node or information indicating latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node.

[0239] In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node is a DU and the terrestrial network node is a CU.

[0240] In some examples, the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node are NG-RAN nodes.

[0241] In some examples, the system information manager 1235 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving a SIB based on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell.

[0242] In some examples, the cell is a terrestrial network cell, and the SIB is transmitted in a non-terrestrial network cell.

[0243] In some examples, the system information manager 1235 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting a command to transmit a SIB based on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell.

[0244] In some examples, the SIB is a SIB 19.

[0245] In some examples, the system information manager 1235 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving a SIB based on information of a cell associated with the non-terrestrial network.

[0246] In some examples, the information of the cell associated with the nonterrestrial network includes ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, a service start time, a timing offset associated with a feeder link delay, a polarization for downlink and uplink transmission, a timing advance, a validity duration for uplink synchronization, or a combination thereof.

[0247] In some examples, the mirror point manager 1240 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from a network entity, an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure with a measurement initiation request. In some examples, the mirror point manager 1240 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the non-terrestrial network node, the indication of the mirror point resolution procedure with the measurement initiation request.

[0248] In some examples, the failure message manager 1245 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a failure message indicating a failure to apply a neighbor cell measurement configuration. In some examples, the failure message manager 1245 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the network entity, the failure message indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration.

[0249] In some examples, the measurement report manager 1250 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report for the mirror point resolution procedure. In some examples, the measurement report manager 1250 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to the network entity, the mapped cell identifier with the measurement report for the mirror point resolution procedure.

[0250] In some examples, the second message is received via an Fl interface between the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node.

[0251] FIG. 13 shows a diagram of a system 1300 including a device 1305 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1305 may be an example of or include the components of a device 1005, a device 1105, or a secondnetwork node as described herein. The device 1305 may include components for bidirectional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 1320, a transceiver 1310, an antenna 1315, at least one memory 1325, code 1330, and at least one processor 1335. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 1340).

[0252] The transceiver 1310 may support bi-directional communications via wired links, wireless links, or both as described herein. In some examples, the transceiver 1310 may include a wired transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wired transceiver. Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the transceiver 1310 may include a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. In some examples, the device 1305 may include one or more antennas 1315, which may be capable of transmitting or receiving wireless transmissions (e.g., concurrently). The transceiver 1310 may also include a modem to modulate signals, to provide the modulated signals for transmission (e.g., by one or more antennas 1315, by a wired transmitter), to receive modulated signals (e.g., from one or more antennas 1315, from a wired receiver), and to demodulate signals. In some implementations, the transceiver 1310 may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 1315 that are configured to support various receiving or obtaining operations, or one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 1315 that are configured to support various transmitting or outputting operations, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 1310 may include or be configured for coupling with one or more processors or one or more memory components that are operable to perform or support operations based on received or obtained information or signals, or to generate information or other signals for transmission or other outputting, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 1310, or the transceiver 1310 and the one or more antennas 1315, or the transceiver 1310 and the one or more antennas 1315 and one or more processors or one or more memory components (e.g., the at least one processor 1335, the at least one memory 1325, or both), may be included in a chip or chip assembly that is installed in the device 1305. In some examples, the transceiver 1310may be operable to support communications via one or more communications links (e.g., a communication link 125, a backhaul communication link 120, a midhaul communication link 162, a fronthaul communication link 168).

[0253] The at least one memory 1325 may include RAM, ROM, or any combination thereof. The at least one memory 1325 may store computer-readable, computerexecutable code 1330 including instructions that, when executed by one or more of the at least one processor 1335, cause the device 1305 to perform various functions described herein. The code 1330 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 1330 may not be directly executable by a processor of the at least one processor 1335 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the at least one memory 1325 may contain, among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices. In some examples, the at least one processor 1335 may include multiple processors and the at least one memory 1325 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein (for example, as part of a processing system).

[0254] The at least one processor 1335 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the at least one processor 1335 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into one or more of the at least one processor 1335. The at least one processor 1335 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., one or more of the at least one memory 1325) to cause the device 1305 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting central unit and distributed unit signaling for nonterrestrial networks). For example, the device 1305 or a component of the device 1305 may include at least one processor 1335 and at least one memory 1325 coupled with one or more of the at least one processor 1335, the at least one processor 1335 and the atleast one memory 1325 configured to perform various functions described herein. The at least one processor 1335 may be an example of a cloud-computing platform (e.g., one or more physical nodes and supporting software such as operating systems, virtual machines, or container instances) that may host the functions (e.g., by executing code 1330) to perform the functions of the device 1305. The at least one processor 1335 may be any one or more suitable processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in the device 1305 (such as within one or more of the at least one memory 1325). In some examples, the at least one processor 1335 may include multiple processors and the at least one memory 1325 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled with one or more of the multiple memories, which may, individually or collectively, be configured to perform various functions herein. In some examples, the at least one processor 1335 may be a component of a processing system, which may refer to a system (such as a series) of machines, circuitry (including, for example, one or both of processor circuitry (which may include the at least one processor 1335) and memory circuitry (which may include the at least one memory 1325)), or components, that receives or obtains inputs and processes the inputs to produce, generate, or obtain a set of outputs. The processing system may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein. As such, the at least one processor 1335 or a processing system including the at least one processor 1335 may be configured to, configurable to, or operable to cause the device 1305 to perform one or more of the functions described herein. Further, as described herein, being “configured to,” being “configurable to,” and being “operable to” may be used interchangeably and may be associated with a capability, when executing code stored in the at least one memory 1325 or otherwise, to perform one or more of the functions described herein.

[0255] In some examples, a bus 1340 may support communications of (e.g., within) a protocol layer of a protocol stack. In some examples, a bus 1340 may support communications associated with a logical channel of a protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of a protocol stack), which may include communications performed within a component of the device 1305, or between different components of the device 1305 that may be co-located or located in different locations (e.g., where the device 1305 may refer to a system in which one or more of the communications manager 1320,the transceiver 1310, the at least one memory 1325, the code 1330, and the at least one processor 1335 may be located in one of the different components or divided between different components).

[0256] In some examples, the communications manager 1320 may manage aspects of communications with a core network 130 (e.g., via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links). For example, the communications manager 1320 may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115. In some examples, the communications manager 1320 may manage communications with other network entities 105, and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with other network entities 105. In some examples, the communications manager 1320 may support an X2 interface within an LTE / LTE-A wireless communications network technology to provide communication between network entities 105.

[0257] The communications manager 1320 may support wireless communications in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1320 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for transmitting, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node. The communications manager 1320 is capable of, configured to, or operable to support a means for receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node.

[0258] By including or configuring the communications manager 1320 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 1305 may support techniques for improved communication reliability, more efficient utilization of communication resources, improved coordination between devices, and improved utilization of processing capability.

[0259] In some examples, the communications manager 1320 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver 1310, the one ormore antennas 1315 (e.g., where applicable), or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 1320 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 1320 may be supported by or performed by the transceiver 1310, one or more of the at least one processor 1335, one or more of the at least one memory 1325, the code 1330, or any combination thereof (for example, by a processing system including at least a portion of the at least one processor 1335, the at least one memory 1325, the code 1330, or any combination thereof). For example, the code 1330 may include instructions executable by one or more of the at least one processor 1335 to cause the device 1305 to perform various aspects of central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks as described herein, or the at least one processor 1335 and the at least one memory 1325 may be otherwise configured to, individually or collectively, perform or support such operations.

[0260] FIGs. 14A, 14B, and 14C are block diagrams of devices that support central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that may be incorporated into a UE 1402 (which may correspond to any of the UEs 115 described herein), a base station 1404 (which may correspond to any of the base stations 140 described herein), and a network entity 1406 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network entities 105 described herein) to support the operations described herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of apparatuses in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other apparatuses in a communication system. For example, other apparatuses in a system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given apparatus may contain one or more of the components. For example, an apparatus may include multiple transceiver components that enable the apparatus to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0261] The UE 1402 and the base station 1404 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 1410 and 1450, respectively, providing means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) via one ormore wireless communication networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, and / or the like. The WWAN transceivers 1410 and 1450 may each be connected to one or more antennas 1416 and 1456, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., some set of time / frequency resources in a particular frequency spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 1410 and 1450 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals 1418 and 1458 (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), respectively, and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 1418 and 1458 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on), respectively, in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 1410 and 1450 include one or more transmitters 1414 and 1454, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 1418 and 1458, respectively, and one or more receivers 1412 and 1452, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 1418 and 1458, respectively.

[0262] The LTE 1402 and the base station 1404 each also include, at least in some cases, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 1420 and 1460, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 1420 and 1460 may be connected to one or more antennas 1426 and 1466, respectively, and provide means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) with other network nodes, such as other LTEs, access points, base stations, etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth®, Zigbee®, Z-Wave®, PC5, dedicated short-range communications (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), near-field communication (NFC), ultra-wideband (LTWB), etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest. The short-range wireless transceivers 1420 and 1460 may be variously configured for transmitting and encoding signals 1428 and 1468 (e.g., messages, indications, information, and so on), respectively, and, conversely, for receiving and decoding signals 1428 and 1468 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, and so on), respectively, in accordance with the designated RAT. Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 1420 and 1460 include one or more transmitters 1424 and 1464, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 1428 and 1468, respectively, and one or more receivers 1422 and 1462, respectively, for receiving anddecoding signals 1428 and 1468, respectively. As specific examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 1420 and 1460 may be WiFi transceivers, Bluetooth® transceivers, Zigbee® and / or Z-Wave® transceivers, NFC transceivers, UWB transceivers, or vehi cl e-to- vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0263] The UE 1402 and the base station 1404 also include, at least in some cases, satellite signal receivers 1430 and 1470. The satellite signal receivers 1430 and 1470 may be connected to one or more antennas 1436 and 1476, respectively, and may provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 1438 and 1478, respectively. Where the satellite signal receivers 1430 and 1470 are satellite positioning system receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 1438 and 1478 may be global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi -Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. Where the satellite signal receivers 1430 and 1470 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 1438 and 1478 may be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. The satellite signal receivers 1430 and 1470 may comprise any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 1438 and 1478, respectively. The satellite signal receivers 1430 and 1470 may request information and operations as appropriate from the other systems, and, at least in some cases, perform calculations to determine locations of the UE 1402 and the base station 1404, respectively, using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0264] The base station 1404 and the network entity 1406 each include one or more network transceivers 1480 and 1490, respectively, providing means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 1404, other network entities 1406). For example, the base station 1404 may employ the one or more network transceivers 1480 to communicate with other base stations 1404 or network entities 1406 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, the network entity 1406 may employ the one or more network transceivers 1490 to communicate with one or more base station 1404over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or with other network entities 1406 over one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0265] A transceiver may be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 1414, 1424, 1454, 1464) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 1412, 1422, 1452, 1462). A transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., embodying transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device) in some implementations, may comprise separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry in some implementations, or may be embodied in other ways in other implementations. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 1480 and 1490 in some implementations) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 1414, 1424, 1454, 1464) may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 1416, 1426, 1456, 1466), such as an antenna array, that permits the respective apparatus (e.g., UE 1402, base station 1404) to perform transmit “beamforming,” as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 1412, 1422, 1452, 1462) may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 1416, 1426, 1456, 1466), such as an antenna array, that permits the respective apparatus (e.g., UE 1402, base station 1404) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In an aspect, the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry may share the same plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 1416, 1426, 1456, 1466), such that the respective apparatus can only receive or transmit at a given time, not both at the same time. A wireless transceiver (e.g., WWAN transceivers 1410 and 1450, short-range wireless transceivers 1420 and 1460) may also include a network listen module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0266] As used herein, the various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 1410, 1420, 1450, and 1460, and network transceivers 1480 and 1490 in some implementations) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 1480 and 1490 in some implementations) may generally be characterized as “a transceiver,” “at least one transceiver,” or “one or more transceivers.” As such, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver may be inferred from the type of communication performed. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers will generally relate to signaling via a wired transceiver, whereas wirelesscommunication between a UE (e.g., UE 1402) and a base station (e.g., base station 1404) will generally relate to signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0267] The UE 1402, the base station 1404, and the network entity 1406 also include other components that may be used in conjunction with the operations as disclosed herein. The UE 1402, the base station 1404, and the network entity 1406 include one or more processors 1432, 1484, and 1494, respectively, for providing functionality relating to, for example, wireless communication, and for providing other processing functionality. The processors 1432, 1484, and 1494 may therefore provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, etc. In an aspect, the processors 1432, 1484, and 1494 may include, for example, one or more general purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry, or various combinations thereof.

[0268] The UE 1402, the base station 1404, and the network entity 1406 include memory circuitry implementing memories 1440, 1486, and 1496 (e.g., each including a memory device), respectively, for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, and so on). The memories 1440, 1486, and 1496 may therefore provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, the UE 1402, the base station 1404, and the network entity 1406 may include NTN component 1442, 1488, and 1498, respectively. The NTN component 1442, 1488, and 1498 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processors 1432, 1484, and 1494, respectively, that, when executed, cause the UE 1402, the base station 1404, and the network entity 1406 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, the NTN component 1442, 1488, and 1498 may be external to the processors 1432, 1484, and 1494 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the NTN component 1442, 1488, and 1498 may be memory modules stored in the memories 1440, 1486, and 1496, respectively, that, when executed by the processors 1432, 1484, and 1494 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 1402, the base station 1404, and the network entity 1406 to perform the functionality described herein. FIG. 14A illustrates possible locations of the NTN component 1442, which may be, for example, part of the one or more WWANtransceivers 1410, the memory 1440, the one or more processors 1432, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. FIG. 14B illustrates possible locations of the NTN component 1488, which may be, for example, part of the one or more WWAN transceivers 1450, the memory 1486, the one or more processors 1484, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component. FIG. 14C illustrates possible locations of the NTN component 1498, which may be, for example, part of the one or more network transceivers 1490, the memory 1496, the one or more processors 1494, or any combination thereof, or may be a standalone component.

[0269] The UE 1402 may include one or more sensors 1444 coupled to the one or more processors 1432 to provide means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 1410, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 1420, and / or the satellite signal receiver 1430. By way of example, the sensor(s) 1444 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric pressure altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) 1444 may include a plurality of different types of devices and combine their outputs in order to provide motion information. For example, the sensor(s) 1444 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and orientation sensors to provide the ability to compute positions in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0270] In addition, the UE 1402 includes a user interface 1446 providing means for providing indications (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) to a user and / or for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such a keypad, a touch screen, a microphone, and so on). Although not shown, the base station 1404 and the network entity 1406 may also include user interfaces.

[0271] Referring to the one or more processors 1484 in more detail, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 1406 may be provided to the processor 1484. The one or more processors 1484 may implement functionality for an RRC layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The one or more processors 1484 may provide RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information blocks (SIBs)), RRC connectioncontrol (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0272] The transmitter 1454 and the receiver 1452 may implement Layer- 1 (LI) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer- 1, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 1454 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 1402. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 1456. The transmitter 1454 may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0273] At the UE 1402, the receiver 1412 receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) 1416. The receiver 1412 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrierand provides the information to the one or more processors 1432. The transmitter 1414 and the receiver 1412 implement Layer- 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 1412 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 1402. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 1402, they may be combined by the receiver 1412 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver 1412 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 1404. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted by the base station 1404 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the one or more processors 1432, which implements Layer-3 (L3) and Layer-2 (L2) functionality.

[0274] In the downlink, the one or more processors 1432 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The one or more processors 1432 are also responsible for error detection.

[0275] Similar to the functionality described in connection with the downlink transmission by the base station 1404, the one or more processors 1432 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); REC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0276] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 1404 may be used by the transmitter 1414 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 1414 may be provided to different antenna(s) 1416. The transmitter 1414 may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0277] The uplink transmission is processed at the base station 1404 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 1402. The receiver 1452 receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) 1456. The receiver 1452 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 1484.

[0278] In the uplink, the one or more processors 1484 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 1402. IP packets from the one or more processors 1484 may be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 1484 are also responsible for error detection.

[0279] For convenience, the UE 1402, the base station 1404, and / or the network entity 1406 are shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C as including various components that may be configured according to the various examples described herein. It will be appreciated, however, that the illustrated components may have different functionality in different designs. In particular, various components in FIGS. 14A to 14C are optional in alternative configurations and the various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, costs, use of the device, or other considerations. For example, in case of FIG. 14 A, a particular implementation of UE 1402 may omit the WWAN transceiver s) 1410 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet computer or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capability without cellular capability), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 1420 (e.g., cellular-only, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal receiver 1430, or may omit the sensor(s) 1444, and so on. In another example, in case of FIG. 14B, a particular implementation of the base station 1404 may omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 1450 (e.g., a Wi-Fi “hotspot” access point without cellular capability), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 1460 (e.g., cellular-only, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal receiver 1470, and so on. Forbrevity, illustration of the various alternative configurations is not provided herein, but would be readily understandable to one skilled in the art.

[0280] The various components of the UE 1402, the base station 1404, and the network entity 1406 may be communicatively coupled to each other over data buses 1434, 1482, and 1492, respectively. In an aspect, the data buses 1434, 1482, and 1492 may form, or be part of, a communication interface of the UE 1402, the base station 1404, and the network entity 1406, respectively. For example, where different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality incorporated into the same base station 1404), the data buses 1434, 1482, and 1492 may provide communication between them.

[0281] The components of FIGS. 14 A, 14B, and 14C may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, the components of FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C may be implemented in one or more circuits such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 1410 to 1446 may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the UE 1402 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 1450 to 1488 may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the base station 1404 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 1490 to 1498 may be implemented by processor and memory component(s) of the network entity 1406 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described herein as being performed “by a UE,” “by a base station,” “by a network entity,” etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, acts, and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 1402, base station 1404, network entity 1406, etc., such as the processors 1432, 1484, 1494, the transceivers 1410, 1420, 1450, and 1460, the memories 1440, 1486, and 1496, the NTN component 1442, 1488, and 1498, etc.

[0282] In some designs, the network entity 1406 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 1406 may be distinct from a network operator or operation of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 1406 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 1402 via the base station 1404 or independently from the base station 1404 (e.g., over a non-cellular communication link, such as WiFi).

[0283] FIG. 15 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by a first network node or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1500 may be performed by a first network node as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a first network node may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the first network node to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the first network node may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

[0284] At 1505, the method may include receiving, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node. The operations of block 1505 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed by a first message component 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0285] At 1510, the method may include transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node. The operations of block 1510 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed by a second message component 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0286] FIG. 16 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1600 may be implemented by a first network node or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1600 may be performed by a first network node as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a first network node may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the first network node to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the first network node may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

[0287] At 1605, the method may include receiving a command to transmit a SIB based on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell. The operations of block 1605 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1605 may be performed by a system information component 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0288] At 1610, the method may include transmitting the SIB based on coverage information indicating the geographic region covered by the cell. The operations of block 1610 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1610 may be performed by a system information component 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0289] At 1615, the method may include receiving, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node. The operations of block 1615 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 11615 may be performed by a first message component 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0290] At 1620, the method may include transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node. The operations of block 1620 may be performed in accordancewith examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1620 may be performed by a second message component 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

[0291] FIG. 17 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1700 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1700 may be implemented by a second network node or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1700 may be performed by a second network node as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 5 and 10 through 13. In some examples, a second network node may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the second network node to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the second network node may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

[0292] At 1705, the method may include transmitting, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node. The operations of block 1705 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1705 may be performed by a first message manager 1225 as described with reference to FIG. 12.

[0293] At 1710, the method may include receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node. The operations of block 1710 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1710 may be performed by a second message manager 1230 as described with reference to FIG. 12.

[0294] FIG. 18 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1800 that supports central unit and distributed unit signaling for non-terrestrial networks in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1800 may be implemented by a second network node or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1800 may be performed by a second networknode as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 5 and 10 through 13. In some examples, a second network node may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the second network node to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the second network node may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

[0295] At 1805, the method may include transmitting a command to transmit a SIB based on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell. The operations of block 1805 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1805 may be performed by a system information manager 1235 as described with reference to FIG. 12.

[0296] At 1810, the method may include transmitting, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more UEs via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node. The operations of block 1810 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1810 may be performed by a first message manager 1225 as described with reference to FIG. 12.

[0297] At 1815, the method may include receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node. The operations of block 1815 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1815 may be performed by a second message manager 1230 as described with reference to FIG. 12.

[0298] The following provides an overview of aspects of the present disclosure:

[0299] Aspect 1 : A method for wireless communications by a non-terrestrial network node, comprising: receiving, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more user equipments (UEs) via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node; and transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a secondmessage indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0300] Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, wherein the non -terrestrial location information comprises non-terrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, or a combination thereof.

[0301] Aspect 3 : The method of aspect 2, wherein the non-terrestrial coordinate information comprises information indicating earth-centered earth-fixed coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node or information indicating latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node.

[0302] Aspect 4: The method of any of aspects 1 through 3, wherein the nonterrestrial network node is a DU and the terrestrial network node is a CU.

[0303] Aspect 5 : The method of any of aspects 1 through 4, wherein the nonterrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node are NG-RAN nodes.

[0304] Aspect 6: The method of any of aspects 1 through 5, further comprising: transmitting a SIB based at least in part on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell.

[0305] Aspect 7: The method of aspect 6, wherein the cell is a terrestrial network cell, and the SIB is transmitted in a non-terrestrial network cell.

[0306] Aspect 8: The method of any of aspects 6 through 7, further comprising: receiving a command to transmit the SIB based at least in part on the coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by the cell.

[0307] Aspect 9: The method of any of aspects 6 through 8, wherein the SIB is a SIB19.

[0308] Aspect 10: The method of any of aspects 1 through 9, further comprising: transmitting a SIB based at least in part on information of a cell associated with the nonterrestrial network.

[0309] Aspect 11 : The method of aspect 10, wherein the information of the cell associated with the non-terrestrial network comprises ephemeris information, a nonterrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, a service start time, a timingoffset associated with a feeder link delay, a polarization for downlink and uplink transmission, a timing advance, a validity duration for uplink synchronization, or a combination thereof.

[0310] Aspect 12: The method of any of aspects 10 through 11, further comprising: transmitting an updated SIB upon an expiration of a validity timer.

[0311] Aspect 13: The method of any of aspects 1 through 12, further comprising: receiving, from the terrestrial network node, an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure with a measurement initiation request; and transmitting, to a UE, a control message indicating a neighbor cell measurement configuration based at least in part on the indication.

[0312] Aspect 14: The method of aspect 13, further comprising: detecting a failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration; and transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a failure message indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration.

[0313] Aspect 15: The method of aspect 13, further comprising: receiving, from the UE, a measurement indication in accordance with the neighbor cell measurement configuration; and transmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report of the measurement indication.

[0314] Aspect 16: The method of any of aspects 1 through 15, wherein the second message is transmitted via an Fl interface between the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node.

[0315] Aspect 17: A method for wireless communications by a terrestrial network node, comprising: transmitting, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide nonterrestrial wireless communication service to one or more user equipments (UEs) via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node; and receiving, from the nonterrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

[0316] Aspect 18: The method of aspect 17, wherein the non-terrestrial location information comprises non-terrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, or a combination thereof.

[0317] Aspect 19: The method of aspect 18, wherein the non-terrestrial coordinate information comprises information indicating earth-centered earth-fixed coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node or information indicating latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node.

[0318] Aspect 20: The method of any of aspects 17 through 19, wherein the nonterrestrial network node is a DU and the terrestrial network node is a CU.

[0319] Aspect 21 : The method of any of aspects 17 through 20, wherein the nonterrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node are NG-RAN nodes.

[0320] Aspect 22: The method of any of aspects 17 through 21, further comprising: receiving a SIB based at least in part on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell.

[0321] Aspect 23 : The method of aspect 22, wherein the cell is a terrestrial network cell, and the SIB is transmitted in a non-terrestrial network cell.

[0322] Aspect 24: The method of any of aspects 22 through 23, further comprising: transmitting a command to transmit the SIB based at least in part on the coverage information indicating the geographic region covered by the cell.

[0323] Aspect 25: The method of any of aspects 22 through 24, wherein the SIB is a SIB19.

[0324] Aspect 26: The method of any of aspects 17 through 25, further comprising: receiving a SIB based at least in part on information of a cell associated with the nonterrestrial network.

[0325] Aspect 27: The method of aspect 26, wherein the information of the cell associated with the non-terrestrial network comprises ephemeris information, a nonterrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, a service start time, a timing offset associated with a feeder link delay, a polarization for downlink and uplinktransmission, a timing advance, a validity duration for uplink synchronization, or a combination thereof.

[0326] Aspect 28: The method of any of aspects 17 through 27, further comprising: receiving, from a network entity, an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure with a measurement initiation request; and transmitting, to the non-terrestrial network node, the indication of the mirror point resolution procedure with the measurement initiation request.

[0327] Aspect 29: The method of aspect 28, further comprising: receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a failure message indicating a failure to apply a neighbor cell measurement configuration; and transmitting, to the network entity, the failure message indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration.

[0328] Aspect 30: The method of aspect 28, further comprising: receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report for the mirror point resolution procedure; and transmitting, to the network entity, the mapped cell identifier with the measurement report for the mirror point resolution procedure.

[0329] Aspect 31 : The method of any of aspects 17 through 30, wherein the second message is received via an Fl interface between the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node.

[0330] Aspect 32: A non-terrestrial network node for wireless communications, comprising one or more memories storing processor-executable code, and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the non-terrestrial network node to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 16.

[0331] Aspect 33 : A non-terrestrial network node for wireless communications, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 1 through 16.

[0332] Aspect 34: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 16.

[0333] Aspect 35: A terrestrial network node for wireless communications, comprising one or more memories storing processor-executable code, and one or moreprocessors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the terrestrial network node to perform a method of any of aspects 17 through 31.

[0334] Aspect 36: A terrestrial network node for wireless communications, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 17 through 31.

[0335] Aspect 37: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of any of aspects 17 through 31.

[0336] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

[0337] Although aspects of an LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applicable to various other wireless communications systems such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, as well as other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0338] Information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0339] The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor but, in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration). Any functions or operations described herein as being capable of being performed by a processor may be performed by multiple processors that, individually or collectively, are capable of performing the described functions or operations.

[0340] The functions described herein may be implemented using hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented using software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as or transmitted using one or more instructions or code of a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0341] Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twistedpair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc. Disks may reproduce data magnetically, and discs may reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media. Any functions or operations described herein as being capable of being performed by a memory may be performed by multiple memories that, individually or collectively, are capable of performing the described functions or operations.

[0342] As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of’ or “one or more of’) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on.”

[0343] As used herein, including in the claims, the article “a” before a noun is open- ended and understood to refer to “at least one” of those nouns or “one or more” of those nouns. Thus, the terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” “at least one of one or more” may be interchangeable. For example, if a claim recites “a component” that performs one or more functions, each of the individual functions may be performed by a single component or by any combination of multiple components. Thus, the term “a component” having characteristics or performing functions may refer to “at least one of one or more components” having a particular characteristic or performing a particular function. Subsequent reference to a component introduced with the article “a” using the terms “the” or “said” may refer to any or all of the one or more components. For example, a component introduced with the article “a” may be understood to mean “one or more components,” and referring to “the component” subsequently in the claims may be understood to be equivalent to referring to “at least one of the one or morecomponents.” Similarly, subsequent reference to a component introduced as “one or more components” using the terms “the” or “said” may refer to any or all of the one or more components. For example, referring to “the one or more components” subsequently in the claims may be understood to be equivalent to referring to “at least one of the one or more components.”

[0344] The term “determine” or “determining” encompasses a variety of actions and, therefore, “determining” can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (such as via looking up in a table, a database or another data structure), ascertaining and the like. Also, “determining” can include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data stored in memory) and the like. Also, “determining” can include resolving, obtaining, selecting, choosing, establishing, and other such similar actions.

[0345] In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label, or other subsequent reference label.

[0346] The description set forth herein, in connection with the appended drawings, describes example configurations and does not represent all the examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term “example” used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred” or “advantageous over other examples.” The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0347] The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles definedherein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A non-terrestrial network node, comprising: one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the non-terrestrial network node to: receive, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more user equipments (UEs) via the nonterrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node; and transmit, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

2. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 1, wherein the nonterrestrial location information comprises non-terrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell associated with the nonterrestrial network node, or a combination thereof.

3. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 2, wherein the nonterrestrial coordinate information comprises information indicating earth-centered earth- fixed coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node or information indicating latitude, longitude, and altitude coordinates associated with the non-terrestrial network node.

4. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 1, wherein the nonterrestrial network node is a distributed unit (DU) and the terrestrial network node is a central unit (CU).

5. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 1, wherein:the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node are next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) nodes.

6. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the non-terrestrial network node to: transmit a system information block based at least in part on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell.

7. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 6, wherein the cell is a terrestrial network cell, and wherein the system information block is transmitted in a non-terrestrial network cell.

8. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the non-terrestrial network node to: receive a command to transmit the system information block based at least in part on the coverage information indicating the geographic region covered by the cell.

9. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 8, wherein the system information block is a system information block 19 (SIB 19).

10. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the non-terrestrial network node to: transmit a system information block based at least in part on information of a cell associated with a non-terrestrial network.

11. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 10, wherein the information of the cell associated with the non-terrestrial network comprises ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, a service start time, a timing offset associated with a feeder link delay, a polarization for downlink and uplink transmission, a timing advance, a validity duration for uplink synchronization, or a combination thereof.

12. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the non-terrestrial network node to: transmit an updated system information block based on an expiration of a validity timer.

13. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the non-terrestrial network node to: receive, from the terrestrial network node, an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure with a measurement initiation request; and transmit, to a UE, a control message indicating a neighbor cell measurement configuration based at least in part on the indication.

14. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the non-terrestrial network node to: detect a failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration; and transmit, to the terrestrial network node, a failure message indicating the failure to apply the neighbor cell measurement configuration.

15. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the non-terrestrial network node to: receive, from the UE, a measurement indication in accordance with the neighbor cell measurement configuration; and transmit, to the terrestrial network node, a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report of the measurement indication.

16. The non-terrestrial network node of claim 1, wherein the second message is transmitted via an Fl interface between the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node.

17. A terrestrial network node, comprising:one or more memories storing processor-executable code; and one or more processors coupled with the one or more memories and individually or collectively operable to execute the code to cause the terrestrial network node to: transmit, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide nonterrestrial wireless communication service to one or more user equipments (UEs) via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for nonterrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node; and receive, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

18. The terrestrial network node of claim 17, wherein the nonterrestrial location information comprises non-terrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell associated with the nonterrestrial network node, or a combination thereof.

19. The terrestrial network node of claim 17, wherein the nonterrestrial network node is a distributed unit (DU) and the terrestrial network node is a central unit (CU).

20. The terrestrial network node of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the terrestrial network node to: receive a system information block based at least in part on coverage information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell.

21. The terrestrial network node of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the terrestrial network node to: receive a system information block based at least in part on information of a cell associated with a non-terrestrial network.

22. The terrestrial network node of claim 21, wherein the information of the cell associated with the non-terrestrial network comprises ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, a service start time, a timing offset associated with a feeder link delay, a polarization for downlink and uplink transmission, a timing advance, a validity duration for uplink synchronization, or a combination thereof.

23. The terrestrial network node of claim 17, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the terrestrial network node to: receive, from a network entity, an indication of a mirror point resolution procedure with a measurement initiation request; and transmit, to the non-terrestrial network node, the indication of the mirror point resolution procedure with the measurement initiation request.

24. The terrestrial network node of claim 23, wherein the one or more processors are individually or collectively further operable to execute the code to cause the terrestrial network node to: receive, from the non-terrestrial network node, a mapped cell identifier with a measurement report for the mirror point resolution procedure; and transmit, to the network entity, the mapped cell identifier with the measurement report for the mirror point resolution procedure.

25. The terrestrial network node of claim 17, wherein the second message is received via an Fl interface between the non-terrestrial network node and the terrestrial network node.

26. A method for wireless communications by a non-terrestrial network node, comprising: receiving, from a terrestrial network node in communication with the non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more user equipments (UEs) via the non-terrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the nonterrestrial network node; andtransmitting, to the terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the non-terrestrial location information comprises non-terrestrial coordinate information, ephemeris information, a non-terrestrial identifier of the non-terrestrial network node, information indicating a geographic region covered by a cell associated with the non-terrestrial network node, or a combination thereof.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the non-terrestrial network node is a distributed unit (DU) and the terrestrial network node is a central unit (CU).

29. A method for wireless communications by a terrestrial network node, comprising: transmitting, to a non-terrestrial network node to provide non-terrestrial wireless communication service to one or more user equipments (UEs) via the nonterrestrial network node, a first message indicating a request for non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node; and receiving, from the non-terrestrial network node, a second message indicating the non-terrestrial location information of the non-terrestrial network node.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the non-terrestrial network node is a distributed unit (DU) and the terrestrial network node is a central unit (CU).

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