Multi-user resource allocation for NB-IOT ntn

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) comprises receiving, from a base station, information that configures the UE with radio resource pools, wherein: each radio resource pool comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources; each radio resource pool is associated with one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and each radio resource pool is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources. The method further comprises selecting a radio resource pool from among the configured radio resource pools, selecting a time-frequency radio resource from among the time-frequency radio resources comprised in the selected radio resource pool, selecting an orthogonal resource from among the orthogonal resources associated to the selected radio resource pool, and transmitting a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) accordingly.

Description

MULTI-USER RESOURCE ALLOCA TION FOR NB-IOT NTNRelated Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application serial number 63 / 611,057, filed December 15, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to Early Data Transmission (EDT) in a wireless communication system and, more specifically, to multi-user resource allocation.Background

[0003] Early Data Transmission (EDT) was introduced in 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) Release (Rel-) 15 as a feature to include user-plane data payload already in Msg3 of the random access procedure for Mobile Originated (MO) traffic. The solution was supported both for the Cellular Internet of Things (CIoT) User Plane (UP)- optimization (i.e., Radio Resource Control (RRC) Suspend / Resume) and the CIoT Control Plane (CP)-optimization (i.e., Data over Non-Access Stratum (DoNAS)). In LTE Rel-16, support for Mobile Terminated (MT) EDT was introduced. EDT was introduced both for Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and LTE for Machine Type Communication (MTC) (LTE-M) and LTE in general.

[0004] An idle mode User Equipment (UE) is able to transmit data in Msg3 of the random access procedure, carrying between 328 and 1000 bits. After successful reception by the evolved NodeB (eNB), the random access procedure terminates, and the UE does not transition to connected mode. The UE requests a grant for EDT if its pending data is smaller than a maximum permitted size configured by eNB, by using a pre-configured set of Narrowband Physical Random Access Channel (NPRACH) resources for its preamble transmission. The eNB can allow the UE to transmit a smaller amount of data than the maximum permitted size, in order to reduce the power spent transmitting padding bits.

[0005] There are smaller differences to the Rel- 15 MO EDT supported for NB-IoT and EDT, but in general it can be summarized as follows. EDT allows the transmission of user-data payload already during the random access procedure. EDT reduces signaling overhead (and hence improves capacity) and reduces UE energy consumption for small data transmissions. The UE can autonomously select from up to 3 EDT Msg3 Transport Block Sizes (TBSs) as signaled in System Information (SI) (<1000 bits). User plane data can be transmitted already in Msg3 and Msg4 (network response) of the random access procedure. EDT solutions for LTE-M and NB-loT are introduced for both CIoT UP- and CP-optimizations, which are illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

[0006] In line with the growing interest in satellite communication in recent years, there are also efforts in 3GPP to adapt 5thGeneration (5G) New Radio (NR) to function via satellite. These efforts are known under the term Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs). Work started with Study Items in Rel-15 and Rel-16, but Rel-17 was the first release to see normative work. The focus of the 3GPP NTN efforts so far is on providing communication services to end users via satellite; other use cases like backhaul via satellite are out of scope. The work focuses on different types of satellites, in particular Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Geostationary (GEO) satellites but targets implicit compatibility for High- Altitude Platforms (HAPS / HIBS) and even Air-to-Ground, where commercial airplanes are served from specialized terrestrial base stations.

[0007] Satellite communication systems can be realized with different architectures. In general, the satellite is connected to the core network through a satellite ground station or “gateway” via the so-called “feeder link”. The satellite provides communication services to the UEs via the “service link”. The gNodeB (gNB) can be located on the ground behind the gateway, in which case the satellite basically acts as a repeater. This architecture is known as “transparent” or “bent-pipe”. Alternatively, (parts of) the gNB can be carried on the satellite, which is known as “regenerative” architecture. Only the transparent option has been treated by 3GPP in Rel-17. From Release 19 the regenerative architecture will be supported.

[0008] Satellites typically produce several beams (“spot beams”) over the service area. One of these beams typically corresponds to one cell, with a beam footprint diameter of tens or even hundreds of kilometers (km). Modem satellites can produce up to several 100 beams simultaneously. LEO satellites move at a speed of approximately 7.5 kilometers per second (km / s) in their orbits. If the spot beams are fixed with respect to the satellite, the beams will sweep the surface of the Earth, leading to frequent mobility events even for stationary UEs (typically every few seconds). Alternatively, the satellite can implement some steering mechanism to steer the spot beams towards a fixed area on the Earth for as long as possible. This concept is known as “Earth-fixed” beams. Both alternatives are supported in Rel-17.

[0009] As satellite services have their own spectrum allocations in the radio regulations, new frequency bands need to be defined for the NTN service link. 3 GPP has studied two frequency ranges, “S / L-band” around 2 Gigahertz (GHz), and “Ka-band” at 20 / 30 GHz. For the former, two bands have been specified, n256 (1980 Megahertz (MHz) - 2010 MHz and 2170 MHz - 2200 MHz for uplink (UL) and downlink (DL), respectively), and n255 (1626.5 MHz - 1660.5 MHz and 1525 MHz - 1559 MHz for UL and DL, respectively). The Ka-band will be supported from Release 18. In the lower frequency bands, the targeted UE type is handheld devices. In the Ka-band, devices with higher-gain antennas are required, e.g. Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT) which are typically mounted on buildings or vehicles.

[0010] The fundamental challenge for any satellite communication system is how to overcome the large round-trip delays and Doppler shifts. For GEO satellites, the round-trip delay is more than 500 milliseconds (ms), and even for LEO satellites it can amount to tens of ms. The differential delay within a cell is also large with up to 10 ms, depending on cell size. While GEO satellites are (almost) stationary with respect to a point on the Earth’s surface, the fast movements of LEO satellites create large Doppler shifts of up to 25 parts-per-million (ppm) (e.g., 50 kilohertz (kHz) at 2GHz carrier frequency). The 3GPP solution to this challenge is to require the UEs to pre-compensate delay and Doppler before accessing the network. To this end, the satellite broadcasts it’s position and velocity (“ephemeris”) in a new System Information Block (SIB). The UE is required to be equipped with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module, which it uses to determine its own position before accessing the network. From its own position and the satellite ephemeris, the UE then calculates the distance and relative velocity, determines the required pre-compensation values and applies a large frequency shift and timing advance. This enables the gNB to operate at its nominal frequency and with UL and DL timing aligned, as in a terrestrial network.

[0011] The very large timing advance applied by the UE, however, requires modification of certain scheduling timing relationships, where the parameters kl and k2 are used in legacy NR. For example, for a packet received on Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) in slot n, the UE is expected to send Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) feedback in slot n+kl. Due to the large timing advance, UL slot n+kl might occur before DL slot n, rendering it impossible for the UE to send the feedback at the correct time. To enhance this timing relationship (and other similar ones), a new parameter kOffset has been introduced, and NTN UEs are expected to send the feedback in slot n+kl+kOffset. A cell-specific value for kOffset will be broadcast in the new NTN SIB. If the network desires to do so, it can also configure UE-specific values. In any case, kOffset needs to be large enough to cover the UE-gNB round-trip delay. It should be noted that the reference point (where UL / DL timing is aligned) does not have to be at the gNB. The specifications allow to place it somewhere else, e.g. at the satellite. In that case, another similar parameter kMac is needed to enhance certain timing relationships related to Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Elements (CEs) which inform the UE about a coming change in the DL configuration at a certain point in time.

[0012] Another aspect that is affected by the long propagation delays is HARQ operation. HARQ is a so-called “stop-and-wait” protocol, meaning that a HARQ process Identity (ID) can be reused only once the corresponding feedback has been received. In legacy NR, there are 16HARQ process IDs, which would lead in NTN to a situation where no new data can be transmitted simply because there are no free HARQ process IDs available. To avoid this effect known as “HARQ stalling”, the number of HARQ processes has been increased to 32, and the corresponding Downlink Control Information (DCI) fields have been extended to 5 bits. For GEO scenarios with their extremely long round-trip delays of several hundreds of ms, an unfeasible number of HARQ process IDs would be needed, so the possibility to disable the HARQ feedback completely (per HARQ process ID) was also added.

[0013] Mobility is another area that differs from terrestrial networks. In terrestrial networks, the distance between the UE and the base station varies greatly between cell center and edge. Consequently, there is a clear difference in signal strength. In NTN, all UEs have approximately the same distance to the satellite, and thus there is only a small difference in signal strength between cell center and cell edge. This difference, however, is utilized in legacy mobility procedures. Here, the solution is to rely on Conditional Handover (HO), which was upgraded with a time-based event (the UE is allowed to execute CHO during a certain period) and a UE- locati on-based event (the distance to the source cell becomes larger than a threshold and the distance to a target cell becomes smaller than a threshold). In addition, support for event A4 (neighbor cell becomes better than a threshold) was also added for CHO. The new location and time-based events are only supported in combination with one of the existing measurement-based events.

[0014] Other enhancements include support for polarization signaling, extension or offset start of various timers, enhancements for cell selection / reselection, reporting of the applied timing advance during random access, and UE location reporting to facilitate procedures like selection of a core network in the correct country, lawful intercept, etc.

[0015] In parallel to the work described above, there have been efforts to adopt also NB-IoT and LTE-M to support NTN. This track is known as Internet of Things (loT) NTN. The work item was started very late in Rel-17, and the scope is thus minimal, focusing on essential functionalities. LTE-M and NB-IoT are both included with equal priority, but only Evolved Packet Core (EPC) connectivity is in scope, i.e., 5G Core (5GC) connectivity is not considered.

[0016] The general approach in loT NTN is to follow the NR NTN work as close as possible and adapt the solutions found there to NB-IoT and LTE-M. For example, the basic solution for pre-compensation of delay and Doppler shift is the same, requiring loT NTN UEs to have GNSS support. Also the enhancements of the scheduling timing relationships by kOffset and kMac have been adopted. On the other hand, no mobility enhancements (e.g. CHO for LTE-M) have been considered. An area that is without counterpart in NR NTN is discontinuous coverage: For many use cases, loT NTN UEs might not need continuous coverage, and it might suffice if they cantransmit their data e.g. once every 24 hours. This in turn might enable satellite operators to deploy only sparse constellations with fewer satellites. To support such operation, information like satellite ephemeris of neighboring cells along with coverage info of the cells will be signaled. This will enable the UE to predict at which times it will be in coverage.Summary

[0017] Systems and methods related to multi-user resource allocation that are particularly beneficial to, but not limited to, Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs) are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) comprises receiving, from a base station, configuration information that configures the UE with a plurality of radio resource pools, wherein: each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources each consisting of one or more uplink sub-carriers over a certain time interval; each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with one or more transmission related parameters, the one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources. The method further comprises selecting a radio resource pool from among the plurality of radio resource pools, selecting a time-frequency radio resource from among the one or more time-frequency radio resources comprised in the selected radio resource pool, selecting an orthogonal resource from among the plurality of orthogonal resources associated to the selected radio resource pool, and transmitting a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) on the selected time-frequency radio resource using the selected orthogonal resource and the one or more transmission parameters associated with the selected radio resource pool. In this manner, capacity improvement of Early Data Transmission (EDT) for loT NTN can work in practice without requiring impractical processing by the base station receiver.

[0018] In one embodiment, for each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools, the one or more time-frequency radio resources are periodically reoccurring at a configured time periodicity.

[0019] In one embodiment, for each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools, the one or more transmission related parameters associated to the radio resource pool comprise any combination of two or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number.

[0020] In one embodiment, for each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools, the one or more transmission related parameters associated to the radio resource poolcomprise a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number.

[0021] In one embodiment, the plurality of radio resource pools are associated to a respective plurality of downlink signal strength intervals, and selecting the radio resource pool comprises measuring a downlink signal strength at the UE and selecting one of the plurality of radio resource pools associated to a downlink signal strength interval that includes the measured downlink signal strength at the UE.

[0022] In one embodiment, the plurality of orthogonal resources is a plurality of Orthogonal Cover Codes (OCCs) or a plurality of cyclic Demodulation Reference Signals (DM-RSs).

[0023] In one embodiment, receiving the configuration information comprises receiving the configuration information via broadcast system information or Radio Resource Control (RRC) system information signaling.

[0024] In one embodiment, the method further comprises receiving, from the base station, an acknowledgment indicating that the PUSCH transmission has been successfully received by the base station, wherein the UE is addressed in the acknowledgement via a 48-bit Contention Resolution Identifier included in the PUSCH transmission.

[0025] In one embodiment, the method further comprises receiving, from the base station, a message that indicates a request for the UE to re-attempt transmission of the PUSCH transmission wherein the message further indicates for the UE to re-attempt transmission of the PUSCH transmission at an increased transmit power. In one embodiment, the message further indicates for the UE to re-attempt transmission of the PUSCH transmission using a different radio resource pool associated to a link configuration that is more robust than a link configuration to which the selected radio resource pool for the PUSCH transmission is associated. In one embodiment, the UE is addressed in the message using a Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI) associated to the selected time-frequency resource. In one embodiment, the re-attempted transmission of the PUSCH transmission is a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) retransmission of the PUSCH transmission that allows the receiving base station to perform soft combining of the PUSCH transmission and retransmission.

[0026] In one embodiment, the method further comprises autonomously triggering retransmission the PUSCH transmission upon expiry of a certain amount of time without receiving a response from the base station. In one embodiment, the retransmission is performed using increased transmit power relative to that used for the PUSCH transmission, a certain number of repetitions, and / or using a different one of the plurality of radio resource pools, or a more robust modulation and coding scheme and / or repetition level as compared to that used for the PUSCH transmission.

[0027] Corresponding embodiments of a UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a UE comprises a communication interface comprising a transmitter and a receiver, and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the UE to receive, from a base station, configuration information that configures the UE with a plurality of radio resource pools, wherein: each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources each consisting of one or more uplink sub-carriers over a certain time interval; each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with one or more transmission related parameters, the one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources. The processing circuitry is further configured to cause the UE to select a radio resource pool from among the plurality of radio resource pools, select a timefrequency radio resource from among the one or more time-frequency radio resources comprised in the selected radio resource pool; select an orthogonal resource from among the plurality of orthogonal resources associated to the selected radio resource pool; and transmit a PUSCH on the selected time-frequency radio resource using the selected orthogonal resource and the one or more transmission parameters associated with the selected radio resource pool.

[0028] Embodiments of a method performed by a base station for a cellular communications system are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a base station for a cellular communications system comprises transmitting to a UE configuration information that configures the UE with a plurality of radio resource pools, wherein: each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources consisting of one or more uplink sub-carriers over a certain time interval; each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with one or more transmission related parameters, the one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources. The method further comprises monitoring for a PUSCH in at least one time-frequency resource of at least one of the plurality of radio resource pools, based on the plurality of orthogonal resources and the one or more transmission parameters associated with the at least one radio resource pool.

[0029] Corresponding embodiments of a base station are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a base station for a cellular communications system comprises processing circuitry configured to cause the base station to transmit to a UE configuration information that configures the UE with aplurality of radio resource pools, wherein: each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources consisting of one or more uplink sub-carriers over a certain time interval; each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with one or more transmission related parameters, the one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources. The processing circuitry is further configured to cause the base station to monitor for a PUSCH in at least one time-frequency resource of at least one of the plurality of radio resource pools, based on the plurality of orthogonal resources and the one or more transmission parameters associated with the at least one radio resource pool.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0031] Figure 1 illustrates legacy Release 13 Radio Resource Control (RRC) resume versus Release 15 User Plane (UP) Early Data Transmission (EDT);

[0032] Figure 2 illustrates legacy Release 13 Data over Non-Access Stratum (DONAS) versus Release 15 Control Plane (CP) EDT;

[0033] Figure 3 illustrates the operation of a base station and User Equipment (UE) for resource allocation for EDT that supports EDT without a Random Access Response (RAR) containing an uplink grant, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 4 illustrates the operation of a base station and a UE in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 5 shows an example of a communication system 500 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0036] Figure 6 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0037] Figure 7 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0038] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a host, which may be an embodiment of the host ofFigure 5, in accordance with various aspects described herein;

[0039] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 900 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; and

[0040] Figure 10 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.Detailed

[0041] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0042] There currently exist certain challenge(s) in regard to Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs). For example, compared to cells in terrestrial networks, the satellites in NTNs have very large coverage areas. Therefore, capacity problems are much more pronounced. As a solution to this, capacity improvements as a Release (Rel-) 19 enhancement of Internet of Things (loT) NTN has received a broad support (see company contributions to agenda item 10.1.2.1 of RAN#102, e.g., RP-233304).

[0043] As part of the loT NTN capacity improvements, it is proposed to specify support for Early Data Transmission (EDT) without the initial Random Access Channel (RACH) and Random Access Response (RAR) transmissions. This is possible since an NTN User Equipment (UE) is able to calculate its Timing Advance (TA) autonomously and can use the same to directly transmit Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) Msg3. A further enhancement is that multiple UEs are proposed to be allowed to transmit on the same PUSCH resource, i.e., overloading of the EDT data Msg3 transmission using different Orthogonal Cover Codes (OCCs), cyclic shifts for Demodulation Reference Signals (DM-RS), etc. To match this, the evolved NodeB (eNB) must also be able to respond to multiple UEs in Msg4, i.e., multiple UEs should be able to be addressed in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) message which acknowledges the uplink data transmission and terminates the EDT procedure. This would be possible for the Control Plane (CP)-EDT solution, i.e., Cellular loT (CIoT)-optimization version of EDT which does not rely on Access Stratum (AS) security for the RRC messages.

[0044] One problem, however, is that this new EDT procedure removes the RAR message that contained the grant configuring the UE transmission. Without this grant, the base station (BS) (i.e., the eNB in the case of LTE) will not know which combination of Transport Block Size (TBS), Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), and number of repetitions a UE will use. This requires complex blind decoding over the possible combinations of TBSs, MCS, and repetition levels (EDT support coverage enhancements), in the eNB receiver. For one UE per PUSCH resource this is feasible, but for multiple UEs as in the proposal above it is not manageable.

[0045] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, it is proposed herein to limit EDT PUSCH resources to certain TBSs, MCS, and repetition level, i.e., to provide a 1-to-l mapping of PUSCH to TBS, MCS, and repetition level. In this way, the eNB receiver must only do blind decoding over the different OCCs, cyclic DM-RS shifts, etc. used by the multiple UEs sharing a common PUSCH resource, and not over different TBSs, MCSs, and repetition levels simultaneously.

[0046] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). For example, certain embodiments may ensure the capacity improvement of EDT for loT NTN can work in practice without requiring impractical processing by the eNB receiver.

[0047] Figure 3 illustrates the operation of a UE and a base station (e.g., a gNB or eNB), in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] As illustrated in Figure 3, in an embodiment, the base station (BS) configures multiple time-frequency radio resource pools that constitute one or more sub-carriers over a certain time interval (step 300). In other words, the BS configures multiple radio resource pools, where each pool includes one or more time-frequency resources (e.g., one or more PUSCH resources). Each of the time-frequency resources consists of one or more uplink sub-carriers of a certain time interval. A resource pool could in addition correspond to one or more OCCs (or any code, cyclic DM-RS, that could be used to overlay multiple UEs in the same PUSCH resource). Each resource pool is reoccurring with a configured time periodicity, and is associated with one or more of a PUSCH MCS, TBS, and repetition number. Note that MCS, TBS, and repetition number are generally referred to herein as different transmission parameters. Each resource pool is also associated with a downlink signal strength (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)) interval. These configurations could be broadcasted to the UEs camping on the BS, e.g. by means of RRC system information signaling.

[0049] To access a resource pool, the UE measures its RSRP on a downlink reference signal (step 302). If the RSRP is within one of the configured RSRP intervals, the UE randomly selects UL subcarriers and OCCs and transmits a PUSCH using the selected one or more of the UL subcarriers and OCCs in one of the time-frequency resources in the pool associated with the mentioned RSRP interval (steps 304, 306, and 308). The UE should furthermore apply the MCS, TBS, and repetition number (or a subset thereof) in accordance with the configuration applicable for the selected time-frequency resource pool (according to network configuration in system information broadcast). In other words, the UE selects the resource pool associated to the RSRP interval containing the UE’s measured RSRP, randomly selects one of the time-frequency resources from the selected resource pool and one of the OCCs (or other orthogonal resources) associated to the selected resource pool, and transmits the PUSCH on the selected time-frequencyresource using the selected OCC (or other orthogonal resource) and the MCS, TBS, and repetition number associated to the selected resource pool.

[0050] In some embodiments, a UE could be explicitly configured to make use of a specific radio resource pool and MCS, TBS, and repetition level when it accesses the system for data delivery. It could still randomly select the OCC and subcarriers within the radio resource pool. But it could also be configured to use specific sub-carriers and / or OCC. In other words, rather than selecting the resource pool based on measured RSRP as done in steps 302 and 304, the UE could be configured, by the BS, to use a particular resource pool having an associated MCS, TBS, and repetition level. The UE may then either randomly select the time-frequency resource and OCC from the configured resource pool or be configured by the BS to use a particular frequency resource from the configured resource pool and / or a particular OCC.

[0051] Upon detecting and successfully decoding a PUSCH transmitted in the UL resource, the BS responds with a downlink message to acknowledge the received PUSCH (step 310).

[0052] Upon detecting and not successfully decoding the PUSCH (i.e., Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) failure), the BS could respond with a downlink message that requests the UE to increase its power and make a new attempt (step 312). Addressing the UE using a Radio Network Temporary Identity (RNTI) connected to the PUSCH resource (or resource pool the UE used for transmission), HARQ retransmission with soft combining of the first transmission could be supported. RNTI could be mapped to the PUSCH resource using the time and frequency resource in a similar way to Random Access RNTI (RA-RNTI), but could also take the OCC (or cyclic DM-RS shift or other orthogonal resource used in the PUSCH) in to account such that the BS can address UEs differently even though they shared the same PUSCH for uplink transmission (e.g., send Acknowledgement (ACK) to one UE and schedule a retransmission for another UE). The RNTI could for example look similar to the following:X-RNTI= 1 + s_id + 14 x t_id + 14 * 80 * f id + 14 x 80 x 8 x occ_id where occ id is the index of the orthogonal code (or cyclic DM-RS shift etc.) the UE chose for the PUSCH transmission (other indexes are similar to legacy RA-RNTI calculation). Note that, as defined in 3GPP TS 38.321 (see, e.g., V18.3.0), s_id is the index of the first Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) of the PRACH occasion, t_id is the index of the first slot of the PRACH occasion in a system frame, f id is the index of the PRACH occasion in the frequency domain.

[0053] For a re-attempt, the BS could also direct the UE to use a resource pool associated with a more robust link configuration, i.e. one with a lower MCS and higher number of repetitions. The BS could also direct the UE to use the legacy initial access procedure to transmit its data to the network.

[0054] In another solution, the UE would in the absence of any response from the BS (i.e., no ACK or NACK) during a certain configurable time autonomously trigger a re-attempt. Similar to the ramp-up of power and nr or repetitions for the Msgl preamble transmission in legacy, the UE could after a number or attempts (configurable) in one resource pool or in one MCS / repetition- level ramp-up to another resource pool and more robust MCS / repleti on-level.

[0055] Thus, the UE may re-attempt the PUSCH transmission either in response to a request from the BS (see, e.g., step 312) or in response to not receiving an ACK or NACK from the BS with a certain amount of time (step 314).

[0056] One example of the ‘EDT for loT NTN’ procedure is the following:• Step 400: The BS in SI configures periodic PUSCH resources with a fixed MCS and repetition-level per PUSCH resource (and number off OCC / cyclic DM-RS shifts, and other information). In other words, the BS configures multiple radio resource pools where, in this example, each radio resource pool includes a single periodic PUSCH resource with an associated fixed MCS and repetition-level.• Steps 402 and 404: The UE upon data transmission choses a PUSCH resource with the appropriate TBS, and MCS and repetition-level (e.g., based on RSRP-measurement) and randomly picks an orthogonal resource (OCC / cyclic DM-RS shifts, etc.). In other words, the UE selects a PUSCH resource (from among those configured) that has an appropriate TBS, MCS, and repetition level (e.g., based on RSRP measurement), randomly selects an orthogonal resource (e.g., OCC or cyclic DM-RS shift) from among those associated to the selected PUSCH resource, and transmits PUSCH on the selected PUSCH resource using the selected orthogonal code and the associated TBS, MCS, and repetition level.• Step 406: The BS receiver monitors the PUSCH resource and performs blind decoding of the orthogonal resources.• Step 408: The BS responds with ACK to successfully decoded transmissions, or with NACK / re-transmission request to unsuccessfully decoded transmissions, using the X- RNTI or other addressing derived from the orthogonal resource used for the PUSCH transmission.- Alternatively for the successful transmission, the UE is addressed using the 48 bit Contention Resolution MAC identifier (which is included in the PUSCH transmission).• Step 410: The UE monitors for a response from the BS during a configurable timer / window, and will trigger a re-attempt at the expiration of the timer (or end of the window).

[0057] This procedure is applicable in any network supporting the method, i.e. both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. I.e., even though the solution is discussed for EDT in usewith loT NTN, it is equally applicable to EDT alone, common Preconfigured Uplink Resource (PUR) resources (if such a solution later introduced), or to for NR small data transmission (SDT) in combination with NR NTN, to RA-SDT alone, or to common Configured Grant (CG)-SDT resources (if such a solution is later introduced).

[0058] Figure 5 shows an example of a communication system 500 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0059] In the example, the communication system 500 includes a telecommunication network 502 that includes an access network 504, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 506, which includes one or more core network nodes 508. The access network 504 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 510a and 510b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 510), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access node or non-3GPP access point. The network nodes 510 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 512a, 512b, 512c, and 512d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 512) to the core network 506 over one or more wireless connections.

[0060] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 500 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 500 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0061] The UEs 512 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 510 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 510 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 512 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 502 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 502.

[0062] In the depicted example, the core network 506 connects the network nodes 510 to one or more hosts, such as host 516. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 506 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 508)that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 508. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0063] The host 516 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 504 and / or the telecommunication network 502, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 516 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0064] As a whole, the communication system 500 of Figure 5 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0065] In some examples, the telecommunication network 502 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 502 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 502. For example, the telecommunications network 502 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs,while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0066] In some examples, the UEs 512 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 504 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 504. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi -standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0067] In the example, the hub 514 communicates with the access network 504 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 512c and / or 512d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 510b). In some examples, the hub 514 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 514 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 506 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 514 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 510, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 514. As another example, the hub 514 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 514 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 514 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 514 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 514 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0068] The hub 514 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 510b. The hub 514 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 514 and UEs (e.g., UE 512c and / or 512d), and between the hub 514 and the core network 506. In other examples, the hub 514 is connected to the core network 506 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 514 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 504 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 510 while still connected via the hub 514 via a wired or wireless connection. In someembodiments, the hub 514 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 510b. In other embodiments, the hub 514 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 510b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0069] Figure 6 shows a UE 600 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0070] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0071] The UE 600 includes processing circuitry 602 that is operatively coupled via a bus 604 to an input / output interface 606, a power source 608, a memory 610, a communication interface 612, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 6. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0072] The processing circuitry 602 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions storedas machine-readable computer programs in the memory 610. The processing circuitry 602 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 602 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0073] In the example, the input / output interface 606 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 600. Examples of an input device include a touch- sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0074] In some embodiments, the power source 608 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 608 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 608 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 600 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 608.Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 608 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 600 to which power is supplied.

[0075] The memory 610 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable readonly memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 610 includes one or more application programs 614, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or otherapplication, and corresponding data 616. The memory 610 may store, for use by the UE 600, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0076] The memory 610 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘ SIM card.’ The memory 610 may allow the UE 600 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 610, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0077] The processing circuitry 602 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 612. The communication interface 612 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 622. The communication interface 612 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 618 and / or a receiver 620 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 618 and receiver 620 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 622) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0078] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 612 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such asIEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0079] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 612, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0080] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0081] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0082] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3 GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3 GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0083] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0084] Figure 7 shows a network node 700 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR. NodeBs (gNBs)).

[0085] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0086] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi -standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities(MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0087] The network node 700 includes a processing circuitry 702, a memory 704, a communication interface 706, and a power source 708. The network node 700 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 700 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeB s. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 700 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 704 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 710 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 700 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 700, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 700.

[0088] The processing circuitry 702 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 700 components, such as the memory 704, to provide network node 700 functionality.

[0089] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 702 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 702 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 712 and baseband processing circuitry 714. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 712 and the baseband processing circuitry 714 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 712 and baseband processing circuitry 714 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0090] The memory 704 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotelymounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 702. The memory 704 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 702 and utilized by the network node 700. The memory 704 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 702 and / or any data received via the communication interface 706. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 702 and memory 704 is integrated.

[0091] The communication interface 706 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 706 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 716 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 706 also includes radio front-end circuitry 718 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 710. Radio front-end circuitry 718 comprises filters 720 and amplifiers 722. The radio front-end circuitry 718 may be connected to an antenna 710 and processing circuitry 702. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 710 and processing circuitry 702. The radio front-end circuitry 718 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 718 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 720 and / or amplifiers 722. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 710. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 710 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 718. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 702. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0092] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 700 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 718, instead, the processing circuitry 702 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 710. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 712 is part of the communication interface 706. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 706 includes one or more ports or terminals 716, the radio front-end circuitry 718, and the RF transceiver circuitry 712, as part of a radio unit (notshown), and the communication interface 706 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 714, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0093] The antenna 710 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 710 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 718 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 710 is separate from the network node 700 and connectable to the network node 700 through an interface or port.

[0094] The antenna 710, communication interface 706, and / or the processing circuitry 702 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 710, the communication interface 706, and / or the processing circuitry 702 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0095] The power source 708 provides power to the various components of network node 700 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 708 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 700 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 700 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 708. As a further example, the power source 708 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0096] Embodiments of the network node 700 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 7 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 700 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 700 and to allow output of information from the network node 700. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 700.

[0097] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a host 800, which may be an embodiment of the host 516 of Figure 5, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host800 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 800 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0098] The host 800 includes processing circuitry 802 that is operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input / output interface 806, a network interface 808, a power source 810, and a memory 812. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 6 and 7, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 800.

[0099] The memory 812 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 814 and data 816, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 800 or data generated by the host 800 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 800 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 814 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 814 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 800 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 814 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0100] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 900 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 900 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardwarecomputing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized.

[0101] Applications 902 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 800 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0102] Hardware 904 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 906 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 908a and 908b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 908), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 906 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 908.

[0103] The VMs 908 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 906. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 902 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 908, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0104] In the context of NFV, a VM 908 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 908, and that part of hardware 904 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 908 on top of the hardware 904 and corresponds to the application 902.

[0105] Hardware 904 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 904 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 904 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management andorchestration 910, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 902. In some embodiments, hardware 904 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 912 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0106] Figure 10 shows a communication diagram of a host 1002 communicating via a network node 1004 with a UE 1006 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 512a of Figure 5 and / or UE 600 of Figure 6), network node (such as network node 510a of Figure 5 and / or network node 700 of Figure 7), and host (such as host 516 of Figure 5 and / or host 800 of Figure 8) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 10.

[0107] Like host 800, embodiments of host 1002 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1002 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1002 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1006 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 1050 extending between the UE 1006 and host 1002. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1050.

[0108] The network node 1004 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1002 and UE 1006. The connection 1060 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 506 of Figure 5) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0109] The UE 1006 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1006 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1006 with the support of the host 1002. In the host 1002, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1050 terminating at the UE 1006 and host 1002. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1050 may transfer both the requestdata and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1050.

[0110] The OTT connection 1050 may extend via a connection 1060 between the host 1002 and the network node 1004 and via a wireless connection 1070 between the network node 1004 and the UE 1006 to provide the connection between the host 1002 and the UE 1006. The connection 1060 and wireless connection 1070, over which the OTT connection 1050 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1002 and the UE 1006 via the network node 1004, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.[OHl] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1050, in step 1008, the host 1002 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1006. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1006 that shares data with the host 1002 without explicit human interaction. In step 1010, the host 1002 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1006. The host 1002 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1006. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1006 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1006. The transmission may pass via the network node 1004, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1012, the network node 1004 transmits to the UE 1006 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1002 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1014, the UE 1006 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1006 associated with the host application executed by the host 1002.

[0112] In some examples, the UE 1006 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1002. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1002. Accordingly, in step 1016, the UE 1006 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1006. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1006 initiates, in step 1018, transmission of the user data towards the host 1002 via the network node 1004. In step 1020, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1004 receives user data from the UE 1006 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1002. In step 1022, the host 1002 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1006.

[0113] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1006 using the OTT connection 1050, in which the wireless connection 1070 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the ability for the network to manage a larger number of UEs within an NTN cell and thereby provide benefits such as improved coverage from NTN base stations.

[0114] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1002. As another example, the host 1002 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1002 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1002 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1002 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1002 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0115] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1050 between the host 1002 and UE 1006, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1002 and / or UE 1006. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1050 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1050 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1004. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1002. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1050 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0116] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0117] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0118] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure are as follows:Group A Embodiments

[0119] Embodiment 1 : A method performed by a user equipment, the method comprising: receiving configuration information; measuring an RSRP of a downlink reference signal; uponthe RSRP being within a configured RSRP interval, randomly selecting one or more UL subcarriers and OCCs; and transmitting a PUSCH using the selected one or more of the UL subcarriers and OCCs in one of the time-frequency resources in the pool associated with the mentioned RSRP interval.

[0120] Embodiment 2: The method of 1 wherein the configuration information comprises one or more time-frequency radio resource pools that constitute one or more sub-carriers over a certain time interval.

[0121] Embodiment 3: The method of any of 1-2 wherein a resource pool further corresponds to one or more OCCs (or any code, cyclic DM-RS, that could be used to overlay multiple UEs in the same PUSCH resource).

[0122] Embodiment 4: The method of any of 1-3 wherein each resource pool is reoccurring with a configured time periodicity.

[0123] Embodiment 5: The method of any of 1-4 wherein each resource pool is associated with one or more PUSCH MCS, TBS and repetition number.

[0124] Embodiment 6: The method of any of 1-5 wherein each resource pool is associated with a downlink signal strength (RSRP) interval.

[0125] Embodiment 7: The method of any of 1-6 wherein the configuration is broadcasted to one or more UEs or wherein the configuration is sent via one or more RRC system information signaling.

[0126] Embodiment 8: The method of any of 1-7 further comprising applying MCS, TBS and repetition number (or a subset thereof) in accordance with the configuration applicable for the selected time-frequency resource pool.

[0127] Embodiment 9: The method of any of 1-8 wherein the configuration information includes an explicit indication of a specific radio resource pool and MCS, TBS and repetition level to be used.

[0128] Embodiment 10: The method of 9 further comprising randomly selecting an OCC and subcarriers within the radio resource pool.

[0129] Embodiment 11 : The method of any of 1-10 further comprising receiving an acknowledgement indicating that the base station received the PUSCH.

[0130] Embodiment 12: The method of any of 1-10 further comprising: receiving a request to increase power; and retransmit the PUSH with the increased power.

[0131] Embodiment 13: The method of 12 wherein HARQ retransmission with soft combining of the first transmission is supported.

[0132] Embodiment 14: The method of any of 1-10 further comprising receiving an indication to use a resource pool associated with a more robust link configuration.

[0133] Embodiment 15: The method of any of 1-10 further comprising, upon a configurable amount of time having elapsed without receiving a response to the PUSCH, autonomously reattempting to transmit the PUSH.

[0134] Embodiment 16: The method of 15 where a re-attempt comprises one or more of a ramp-up of power, nr or repetitions for the Msgl preamble transmission, switch to another resource pool or more robust MCS / repleti on-level.

[0135] Embodiment 17: The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.Group B Embodiments

[0136] Embodiment 18: A method performed by a network node, the method comprising: transmitting configuration information to a UE; monitoring one or more PUSCH resources based on the configuration information; and blind decoding the PUSCH resources.

[0137] Embodiment 19: The method of 18 further comprising, upon successful decoding, transmitting an acknowledgement (ACK).

[0138] Embodiment 20: The method of 18 further comprising, upon unsuccessful decoding, transmitting a not acknowledge (NACK).

[0139] Embodiment 21 : The method of 20 wherein the NACK is transmitted using the X- RNTI or other addressing derived from the orthogonal resource used for the PUSCH transmission.

[0140] Embodiment 22: The method of 19 wherein the ACK comprises addressing the UE using the 48 bit Contention Resolution MAC identifier (which is included in the PUSCH transmission).

[0141] Embodiment 23: The method of any of 18-22 wherein the configuration information comprises one or more time-frequency radio resource pools that constitute one or more subcarriers over a certain time interval.

[0142] Embodiment 24: The method of any of 18-23 wherein a resource pool further corresponds to one or more OCCs (or any code, cyclic DM-RS, that could be used to overlay multiple UEs in the same PUSCH resource).

[0143] Embodiment 25: The method of any of 18-24 wherein each resource pool is reoccurring with a configured time periodicity.

[0144] Embodiment 26: The method of any of 18-25 wherein each resource pool is associated with one or more PUSCH MCS, TBS and repetition number.

[0145] Embodiment 27: The method of any of 18-26 wherein each resource pool is associated with a downlink signal strength (RSRP) interval.

[0146] Embodiment 28: The method of any of 18-27 wherein the configuration is broadcasted to one or more UEs or wherein the configuration is sent via one or more RRC system information signaling.

[0147] Embodiment 29: The method of any of 18-28 wherein the configuration information includes an explicit indication of a specific radio resource pool and MCS, TBS and repetition level to be used.

[0148] Embodiment 30: The method of any of 18-29 further comprising transmitting an acknowledgement indicating that the network node received the PUSCH.

[0149] Embodiment 31 : The method of any of 18-29 further comprising transmitting a request for the UE to increase power.

[0150] Embodiment 32: The method of any of 18-29 further comprising transmitting an indication for the UE to use a resource pool associated with a more robust link configuration.

[0151] Embodiment 33: The method of any of 18-32 wherein the network node is configured to transmit to multiple UEs that shared the same PUSCH for uplink transmission (e.g., send ACK to one UE and schedule a retransmission for another UE).

[0152] Embodiment 34: The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.Group C Embodiments

[0153] Embodiment 35: A user equipment, comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0154] Embodiment 36: A network node, comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0155] Embodiment 37: A user equipment (UE), comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output informationfrom the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0156] Embodiment 38: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0157] Embodiment 39: The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.

[0158] Embodiment 40: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0159] Embodiment 41 : A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0160] Embodiment 42: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0161] Embodiment 43: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0162] Embodiment 44: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0163] Embodiment 45: The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

[0164] Embodiment 46: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0165] Embodiment 47: A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0166] Embodiment 48: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0167] Embodiment 49: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0168] Embodiment 50: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0169] Embodiment 51 : The host of the previous embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0170] Embodiment 52: A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the networknode performs any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0171] Embodiment 53: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0172] Embodiment 54: The method of any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0173] Embodiment 55: A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top service, the communication system comprising a host comprising processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the- top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0174] Embodiment 56: The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the user equipment.

[0175] Embodiment 57: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

[0176] Embodiment 58: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0177] Embodiment 59: The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0178] Embodiment 60: A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein thenetwork node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

[0179] Embodiment 6E The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

[0180] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

Claims

Claims1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, comprising:• receiving (300; 400), from a base station, configuration information that configures the UE with a plurality of radio resource pools, wherein: each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources each consisting of one or more uplink subcarriers over a certain time interval; each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with one or more transmission related parameters, the one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources;• selecting (302-304; 402) a radio resource pool from among the plurality of radio resource pools;• selecting (306; 402) a time-frequency radio resource from among the one or more timefrequency radio resources comprised in the selected radio resource pool;• selecting (306; 402) an orthogonal resource from among the plurality of orthogonal resources associated to the selected radio resource pool; and• transmitting (308; 404) a Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, on the selected timefrequency radio resource using the selected orthogonal resource and the one or more transmission parameters associated with the selected radio resource pool.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools, the one or more time-frequency radio resources are periodically reoccurring at a configured time periodicity.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, for each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools, the one or more transmission related parameters associated to the radio resource pool comprise any combination of two or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, for each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools, the one or more transmission related parameters associated to the radio resource pool comprise a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, anda configured repetition number.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of radio resource pools are associated to a respective plurality of downlink signal strength intervals, and selecting (302-304; 402) the radio resource pool comprises: measuring (302) a downlink signal strength at the UE; and selecting (304) one of the plurality of radio resource pools associated to a downlink signal strength interval that includes the measured downlink signal strength at the UE.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of orthogonal resources is a plurality of Orthogonal Cover Codes, OCCs, or a plurality of cyclic Demodulation Reference Signals, DM-RSs.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein receiving (300; 400) the configuration information comprises receiving (300; 400) the configuration information via broadcast system information or Radio Resource Control, RRC, system information signaling.

8. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, further comprising receiving (310; 408), from the base station, an acknowledgment indicating that the PUSCH transmission has been successfully received by the base station, wherein the UE is addressed in the acknowledgement via a 48-bit Contention Resolution Identifier included in the PUSCH transmission.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, further comprising receiving (312; 408), from the base station, a message that indicates a request for the UE to re-attempt transmission of the PUSCH transmission wherein the message further indicates for the UE to re-attempt transmission of the PUSCH transmission at an increased transmit power.

10. The method claim 9, wherein the message further indicates for the UE to re-attempt transmission of the PUSCH transmission using a different radio resource pool associated to a link configuration that is more robust than a link configuration to which the selected radio resource pool for the PUSCH transmission is associated.

11. The method of any of claims 9 to 10, wherein the UE is addressed in the message using a Radio Network Temporary Identity, RNTI, associated to the selected time-frequency resource.

12. The method of any of claims 9 to 11, wherein the re-attempted transmission of the PUSCH transmission is a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ, retransmission of the PUSCH transmission that allows the receiving base station to perform soft combining of the PUSCH transmission and retransmission.

13. The method of any of claims 1 to 7, further comprising autonomously triggering (314; 410) retransmission the PUSCH transmission upon expiry of a certain amount of time without receiving a response from the base station.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the retransmission is performed using increased transmit power relative to that used for the PUSCH transmission, a certain number of repetitions, and / or using a different one of the plurality of radio resource pools, or a more robust modulation and coding scheme and / or repetition level as compared to that used for the PUSCH transmission.

15. A User Equipment, UE, (600), comprising:• a communication interface (612) comprising a transmitter (618) and a receiver (620); and• processing circuitry (602) associated with the communication interface (Q212), the processing circuitry (602) configured to cause the UE (600) to: o receive (300; 400), from a base station, configuration information that configures the UE with a plurality of radio resource pools, wherein: each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources each consisting of one or more uplink subcarriers over a certain time interval; each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with one or more transmission related parameters, the one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources; o select (302-304; 402) a radio resource pool from among the plurality of radio resource pools; o select (306; 402) a time-frequency radio resource from among the one or more timefrequency radio resources comprised in the selected radio resource pool; o select (306; 402) an orthogonal resource from among the plurality of orthogonalresources associated to the selected radio resource pool; and o transmit (308; 404) a Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, on the selected timefrequency radio resource using the selected orthogonal resource and the one or more transmission parameters associated with the selected radio resource pool.

16. The UE (600) of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the UE (600) to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 14.

17. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the processor to carry out the method according to any of claims 1 to 14.

18. A carrier containing the computer program of claim 17, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer readable storage medium.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable by processing circuitry of a User Equipment, UE, whereby the UE is operable to:• receive (300; 400), from a base station, configuration information that configures the UE with a plurality of radio resource pools, wherein: o each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources each consisting of one or more uplink subcarriers over a certain time interval; and o each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with one or more transmission related parameters, the one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and o each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources;• select (302-304; 402) a radio resource pool from among the plurality of radio resource pools;• select (306; 402) a time-frequency radio resource from among the one or more timefrequency radio resources comprised in the selected radio resource pool;• select (306; 402) an orthogonal resource from among the plurality of orthogonal resources associated to the selected radio resource pool; and• transmit (308; 404) a Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, on the selected timefrequency radio resource using the selected orthogonal resource and the one or moretransmission parameters associated with the selected radio resource pool.

20. A method performed by a base station for a cellular communications system, comprising:• transmitting (300; 400) to a User Equipment, UE, configuration information that configures the UE with a plurality of radio resource pools, wherein: each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources consisting of one or more uplink sub-carriers over a certain time interval; each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with one or more transmission related parameters, the one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources; and• monitoring (308; 404) for a Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, in at least one timefrequency resource of at least one of the plurality of radio resource pools, based on the plurality of orthogonal resources and the one or more transmission parameters associated with the at least one radio resource pool.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein, for each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools, the one or more time-frequency radio resources are periodically reoccurring at a configured time periodicity.

22. The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein, for each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools, the one or more transmission related parameters associated to the radio resource pool comprise any combination of two or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number.

23. The method of claim 20 or 21, wherein, for each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools, the one or more transmission related parameters associated to the radio resource pool comprise a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number.

24. The method of any of claims 20 to 23, wherein the plurality of radio resource pools are associated to a respective plurality of downlink signal strength intervals.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the respective plurality of downlink signal strengths is a respective plurality of Reference Signal Received Power, RSRP, intervals.

26. The method of any of claims 20 to 25, wherein the plurality of orthogonal resources is a plurality of Orthogonal Cover Codes, OCCs, or a plurality of cyclic Demodulation Reference Signals, DM-RSs.

27. The method of any of claims 20 to 26, wherein transmitting (300; 400) the configuration information comprises transmitting (300; 400) the configuration information via broadcast system information or via Radio Resource Control, RRC, system information signaling.

28. The method of any of claims 20 to 27, further comprising, upon successfully receiving a PUSCH transmission from the UE, transmitting (310; 408), to the UE, an acknowledgment indicating that the PUSCH transmission has been successfully received by the base station, wherein the UE is addressed in the acknowledgement via a 48-bit Contention Resolution Identifier included in the PUSCH transmission.

29. The method of any of claims 20 to 27, further comprising transmitting (312; 408), to the UE, a message that indicates a request for the UE to re-attempt transmission of the PUSCH transmission.

30. The method claim 29, wherein the message further indicates for the UE to re-attempt transmission of the PUSCH transmission using a different radio resource pool associated to a link configuration that is more robust than a link configuration to which the selected radio resource pool for the PUSCH transmission is associated.

31. The method of any of claims 29 to 30, wherein the UE is addressed in the message using a Radio Network Temporary Identity, RNTI, associated to the selected time-frequency resource.

32. The method of any of claims 29 to 31, wherein the re-attempted transmission of the PUSCH transmission is a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request, HARQ, retransmission of the PUSCH transmission that allows the receiving base station to perform soft combining of the PUSCH transmission and retransmission.

33. A base station (700) for a cellular communications system, comprising:• processing circuitry (702) configured to cause the base station (700) to: o transmit (300; 400) to a User Equipment, UE, configuration information that configures the UE with a plurality of radio resource pools, wherein: each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources consisting of one or more uplink subcarriers over a certain time interval; and each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with one or more transmission related parameters, the one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources; and o monitor (308; 404) for a Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, in at least one timefrequency resource of at least one of the plurality of radio resource pools, based on the plurality of orthogonal resources and the one or more transmission parameters associated with the at least one radio resource pool.

34. The base station (700) of claim 33, wherein the processing circuity (702) is further configured to cause the base station (700) to perform the method of any of claims 21 to 32.

35. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the processor to carry out the method according to any of claims 20 to 32.

36. A carrier containing the computer program of claim 35, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer readable storage medium.

37. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable by processing circuitry of a User Equipment, UE, whereby the UE is operable to:• transmit (300; 400) to a User Equipment, UE, configuration information that configures the UE with a plurality of radio resource pools, wherein: o each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools comprises one or more time-frequency radio resources consisting of one or more uplink sub-carriers over a certain time interval; ando each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with one or more transmission related parameters, the one or more transmission related parameters comprising any one or more of: a configured modulation and coding scheme, a configured transport block size, and a configured repetition number; and o each radio resource pool of the plurality of radio resource pools is associated with a plurality of orthogonal resources; and• monitor (308; 404) for a Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, in at least one timefrequency resource of at least one of the plurality of radio resource pools, based on the plurality of orthogonal resources and the one or more transmission parameters associated with the at least one radio resource pool.

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