CSI feedback with beam specific power backoff

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed that relate to Channel State Information (CSI) feedback with beam-specific power backoffs. In one embodiment, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) comprises receiving, from a network node, a CSI report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI Reference Signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams. The method further comprises receiving, from the network node, information about power backoffs for the plurality of beams. The method further comprises computing CSI based on channel measurement on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook, and the power backoffs, and reporting the CSI to the network node. In this manner, proper CSI feedback is enabled by taking into account the power backoff at certain beam directions and, thus, proper link adaptation for downlink transmission.

Description

CSI FEEDBACK WITH BEAM SPECIFIC POWER BACKOFFRelated Applications

[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application serial number 63 / 617,921, filed 1 / 05 / 2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a cellular communications system and, more specifically, to Channel State Information (CSI) feedback in a cellular communications system.Background

[0003] Multi-antenna techniques can significantly increase the data rates and reliability of a wireless communication system. The performance is in particular improved if both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas, which results in a Multiple- Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication channel. Such systems and / or related techniques are commonly referred to as MIMO.

[0004] A core component of the fourth and fifth Generation (4G / 5G) wireless network or New Radio (NR) specified in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the support of MIMO antenna deployments and MIMO related techniques such as spatial multiplexing. Spatial multiplexing can be used to increase data rates in favorable channel conditions. Figure 1 shows an example of spatial multiplexing in NR, where an information carrying symbol vector s is multiplied by an NTx r (rows × columns) precoding matrix or precoder W, which serves to distribute the transmit energy on the NTtransmit antenna ports in r “virtual” spatial directions, each associated to a data stream, such that they can be distinguished at the User Equipment (UE). The precoding matrix is typically selected from a codebook of possible precoding matrices, and typically reported by a UE in the form of a Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI). PMI indicates a desired precoding matrix in the codebook for a given number of symbol streams.Vector s contains r symbols each corresponding to a MIMO layer or data stream, and r is referred to as the transmission rank or simply rank. In this way, spatial multiplexing is achieved since multiple symbols or data streams can be transmitted simultaneously over the same time / frequency Resource Elements (REs). r is selected to suit the matrix channel H and is typically reported by a UE in the form of a Rank Indicator (RI).

[0005] NR uses Orthogonal Division Multiplexing (OFDM) in downlink. The received NR x 1 vector y at a UE in a scheduled RE can be expressed as:y = HWx + e where e is a receiver noise / interference vector.

[0006] The precoder W is chosen to match the characteristics of the NR× NTMIMO channel matrix H. This is also commonly referred to as closed-loop precoding. In closed-loop precoding, the UE feeds back recommendations on a suitable precoder to the gNB in the form of a PMI based on downlink channel measurements. For that purpose, the UE is configured with a Channel State Information (CSI) report configuration including CSI Reference Signals (CSI-RS) for channel measurements and a codebook of candidate precoders. In addition to PMI and RI, the feedback typically also includes a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI). RI, PMI, and CQI are part of a CSI feedback. In NR, PMI and CQI feedback can be either per wideband or per subband where a subband is defined as a number of contiguous Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) ranging between 4-32 PRBs depending on the Bandwidth Part (BWP) size.

[0007] The transmit antennas at the NR base station (gNodeB or gNB) can be a linear antenna array with uniformly spaced antenna ports or a two-dimensional antenna array with uniformly spaced antenna ports in each dimension. The antenna array can be described by a number of antenna ports, N1, in a first dimension (e.g., the horizontal dimension), a number of antenna ports, N2, in the second dimension perpendicular to the first dimension (e.g., the vertical dimension), and a number of polarizations Np. The total number of antenna ports is thus NT= N1N2Np. The concept of an antenna port is non-limiting in the sense that it can refer to any virtualization (e.g., linear mapping) to one or multiple physical antenna elements. For example, pairs of physical antenna elements could be fed the same signal, and hence share the same virtualized antenna port.

[0008] An example of a 4x4 (i.e., x N2,) array with dual-polarized antenna elements (i.e., Np= 2) is illustrated in Figure 2. In other words, Figure 2 is an illustration of a two-dimensional antenna array of dual-polarized antenna elements (Np= 2), with = 4 horizontal antenna elements and N2= 4 vertical antenna elements.

[0009] Precoding may also be interpreted as beamforming where the signal to be transmitted on the antenna ports are multiplied by a set of beamforming weights prior to transmission. The beamforming weights are specified by the precoding matrix. Each MEMO layer is transmitted on an antenna beam.

[0010] A common type of precoder is Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) based precoders, where the precoding vector for each MEMO layer is a DFT vector, i.e., each column of W is a DFT vector. For a Two-Dimensional (2-D) Uniform Planar Array (UPA) with antenna ports in one dimension and N2antenna ports in another dimension, for each polarization, a DFT beamassociated to the 2-D UP A can be expressed as a Kronecker product of two One-Dimensional (1-D) DFT vectors, one in each dimension, i.e., asthe two dimensions, and O1and O2are the oversampling factors in the two dimensions associated with N1and N2, respectively; I ( I = 0,1, ... , N1O1— 1) and m (m = 0,1, ... , N2O2— 1) are the 1- D beam indices along N1 and N2 dimensions, respectively. In 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.214 V18.0.0, the terms ‘beam’ or ‘2D-beam’ are not used; instead, νl,mis referred to in the language of the specification.

[0011] A rank one precoder for a dual-polarized UPA can then be expressed aswhere is a co-phasing factor between the two polarizations and may be selected from M-Phase Shift Keying (PSK) alphabets such as Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) with Φ ∈ The above assumes that the same DFT beam is used for both polarizations.For rank two or higher, a precoder for each layer comprise one or more DFT beams. The precoding matrix W for rank r can be expressed as

[0012] Such DFT-based precoders are used in NR Type I CSI feedback, where each layer is associated with one 2-D DFT beam. For CSI feedback based on various NR type II codebooks, the precoder for each data layer is a linear combination of multiple DFT beams. The PMI comprises multiple selected DFT beams and a set of combining coefficients for each layer. The details of NR type I and Type II codebooks can be found in 3GPP TS 38.214 v18.0.0.Codebook Subset Restriction (CBSR)

[0013] In some deployment scenarios, to for example reduce potential inter-cell interference, it may be desirable to avoid downlink (DL) transmission at certain spatial directions such as at or above the horizontal directions. In this regard, an example of Codebook Subset Restriction (CBSR) with (N1, N2) = (4,2) and (O1, O2) = (4,4) is shown in Figure 3, where there areN1O1N2O2beams and each beam is represented by a circle. The beams with dashed circles are restricted, i.e., not to be considered for precoder feedback.

[0014] The restricted beams are informed to a UE via CBSR configuration in NR. For NR type I single panel codebook, the CBSR configuration comprises a bitmap parameter n1-n2, which forms a bit sequence where a0is the Least Significant Bit (LSB) andis the Most Significant Bit (MSB). The number of bits is given by Ac= N1O1N2O2Ac=N1O1N2O2, where each bit is associated to an oversampled DFT beam. Except when the number of layers v G {3,4} and the number of antenna ports is 16, 24, or 32, bit s associatedthe oversampled DFT beam Vim, I = 0, ... , N1O1— 1, m = 0, ... , N2O2— 1. A bit value of zero indicates that PMI reporting is not allowed to correspond to any precoder associated with the beam indicated by the bit.

[0015] When the number of layers v E {3,4} and the number of antenna ports is 16, 24, or 32, the antenna array is divided into two subarrays along thedimension.Summary

[0016] Systems and methods are disclosed that relate to Channel State Information (CSI) feedback with beam-specific power backoffs. In one embodiment, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) comprises receiving, from a network node, a CSI report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI Reference Signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams. The method further comprises receiving, from the network node, information about power backoffs for the plurality of beams. The method further comprises computing CSI based on channel measurement on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook, and the power backoffs, and reporting the CSI to the network node. In this manner, proper CSI feedback is enabled by taking into account the power backoff at certain beam directions and, thus, proper link adaptation for downlink transmission.

[0017] In one embodiment, the method further comprises receiving, from the network node, a command for a CSI report according to the CSI report configuration.

[0018] In one embodiment, the information of the codebook comprise information of N1antenna ports in a first dimension and N2antenna ports in a second dimension, wherein the plurality of beams are N1O1N2O2oversampled Discrete Fourier Transform, DFT, beams with N1O1beams along the first dimension and N2O2beams along the second dimension, wherein and O2are the oversampling factors along the first and the second dimensions, respectively.

[0019] In one embodiment, the information about power backoffs comprises a power scaling factor for each of the plurality of beams.

[0020] In one embodiment, the information about power backoffs comprises a power scaling factor for each of multiple non-overlapping beam groups, wherein each of the multiple beam groups comprises X (>=1) by Y (>=1) adjacent beams of the plurality of beams, wherein X and Y are the number of adjacent beams along the first and second dimensions, respectively. In one embodiment, each of multiple non-overlapping beam groups comprises all beams along the first dimension, i.e., X=N1O1. In another embodiment, each of multiple non-overlapping beam groups comprises all beams along the second dimension, i.e., Y=N2O2. In one embodiment, the multiple non-overlapping beam groups are predefined. In one embodiment, the multiple nonoverlapping beam groups are configured by the network node.

[0021] In one embodiment, the power scaling factor is represented by a number of bits where each codepoint of the number of bits is mapped to a power scaling factor value that is less than or equal to 1, wherein a power scaling factor value equal to 1 means no power backoff.

[0022] In one embodiment, the information that configures the one or more CSI-RS resources comprises a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) to CSI-RS Energy Per Resource Element (EPRE) ratio. In one embodiment, each of the power backoffs is with respect to a nominal PDSCH transmit power per resource element determined by the PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.

[0023] In one embodiment, the computing CSI comprises selecting a precoding matrix from the codebook of precoding matrices for a given rank and computing a channel quality associated to the selected precoding matrix, wherein the selected precoding matrix is reported by the UE as a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) and the channel quality is reported as a channel quality indicator (CQI).

[0024] In one embodiment, computing the CSI comprises, for rank 1 transmission, computing CSI associated to a particular beam based on a new PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio for a PDSCH transmission using the particular beam, the new PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio being based on the power backoff associated to the particular beam or a particular beam group that comprises the particular beam.

[0025] In one embodiment, when multiple beams, one per layer s, are selected for PDSCH transmission and at least one of the multiple beams is configured with no power backoff, the PDSCH transmit power in the at least one beam can be boosted by an amount equal to a power reduction in the remaining beams in the multiple beams due to power backoffs and computing (504) the CSI comprises computing the CSI based on the configured PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.

[0026] In one embodiment, when multiple beams, one per layer, are selected for PDSCH transmission and if each of the multiple beams is configured with a power scaling factor that is less than 1, a reduced PDSCH transmit power per RE is used when computing (504) the CSI where the amount of the reduction is determined based on the power backoffs associated to the multiple beams (e.g., determined as In one embodiment, the amount of the redu ere L is thenumber of beams and βiiis the power scaling factor associated to the i-th beam.

[0027] In one embodiment, when each layer comprises a single beam , computing (504) the CSI comprises determining a precoder W, wherein the precoder is determined at the UE by maximizing is the estimated channel based on the one ormore CSI-RS resources, and W( βw) is a scaled version of W by the power backoffs associated to one or more beams comprised in W. In one embodiment, computing (504) the CSI further comprises computing a Channel Quality Indicator, CQI, based on a signal component

[0028] In one embodiment, when each layer comprises multiple beams , computing (504) the CSI comprises determining a precoder W based on a common power backoff (α = min( βii / for different layers such that all beams comprised in the precodingmatrix meet a power backoff requirement, i.e.is the precoder for the ith layer and cl,iis a complex beam combining coefficient associated to layer 1 and beam i. In one embodiment, the common power backoff is α = min( βi / s the power backoffconfigured for the i-th beam, and cl,iis a complex combining coefficient for the i-th layer and the i-th beam.

[0029] In one embodiment, receiving the information about the power backoffs for each of the plurality of beams or each of the multiple beam groups comprises receiving the information about the power backoffs as part of the CSI report configuration.

[0030] In one embodiment, receiving the information about the power backoffs for each of the plurality of beams or each of the multiple beam groups comprises receiving the information about the power backoffs as part of the codebook configuration.

[0031] Corresponding embodiments of a UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a UE is adapted to receive, from a network node, a CSI report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI-RS resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams. The UE is further adapted to receive, from the network node, information about power backoffs for the plurality of beams. The UE is further adapted to compute CSI based on channel measurement on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook, and the power backoffs, and report the CSI to the network node.

[0032] Embodiments of a method performed by a network node are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a network node comprises transmitting, to a UE, a CSI report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI-RS resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams. The method further comprises transmitting, to the UE, information about power backoffs for a plurality of beams. The method further comprises receiving, from the UE, a CSI report in accordance with the CSI report configuration, the CSI report comprising CSI based on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook, and the power backoffs. The method further comprises transmitting a downlink data transmission to the UE according to the CSI while applying the associated power backoff to each beam associated to a precoder indicated by a PMI comprised in the received CSI.

[0033] Corresponding embodiments of a network node are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a network node is adapted to transmit, to a UE, a CSI report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI-RS resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams. The network node is further adapted to transmit, to the UE, information about power backoffs for a plurality of beams. The network node is further adapted to receive, from the UE, a CSI report in accordance with the CSI report configuration, the CSI report comprising CSI based on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook, and the power backoffs. The network node is further adapted to transmit a downlink data transmission tothe UE according to the CSI while applying the associated power backoff to each beam associated to a precoder indicated by a PMI comprised in the received CSI.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0034] 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.

[0035] Figure 1 shows an example of spatial multiplexing in New Radio (NR);

[0036] Figure 2 is an illustration of a two-dimensional antenna array of dual-polarized antenna elements (Np= 2), with = 4 horizontal antenna elements and N2= 4 vertical antenna elements;

[0037] Figure 3 illustrates an example of Codebook Subset Restriction (CBSR);

[0038] Figure 4 illustrates an example of downlink (DL) Physical Downlink Shared Channel(PDSCH) transmission;

[0039] Figure 5 is a flow chart that illustrates a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) for Channel State Information (CSI) feedback based on beam-specific power backoffs, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 6 is a flow chart that illustrates a method performed by a network node for configuring a UE for CSI reporting with beam-specific power backoffs, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 7 illustrates power backoff per beam for PDSCH transmission via a single beam, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0042] Figure 8 illustrates an example of power backoff per beam for PDSCH transmission via multiple beams where power backoff is not needed for beam j (i.e., = 1), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0043] Figure 9 illustrates power backoff per beam for PDSCH transmission via multiple beams, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] Figure 10 illustrates a common power backoff for PDSCH transmission with precoders each comprising multiple beams, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] Figure 11 illustrates an example of beam groups each comprising O1O2oversampled beams, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] Figure 12 illustrates an example of a same power backoff applied to beams having the same beam index I along dimension N2, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] Figure 13 illustrates an example of a same power backoff applied to beams in two dimensions, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0048] Figure 14 shows an example of a communication system in which embodiments of the present disclosure described above may be implemented;

[0049] Figure 15 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0050] Figure 16 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0051] Figure 17 is a block diagram of a host, which may be an embodiment of the host ofFigure 14, in accordance with various aspects described herein;

[0052] Figure 18 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; and

[0053] Figure 19 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 Description

[0054] 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.

[0055] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0056] There currently exist certain challenge(s). The current Codebook Subset Restriction (CBSR) specified in 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specifications can be used to remove some of Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) beams from the Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI) feedback and, thus, to avoid downlink (DL) data transmission in directions associated to those DFT beams. In some scenarios, however, DL transmission in certain directions may still be allowed with a reduced transmit power to meet certain regulatory requirements. For example, when terrestrial mobile communication systems share a same frequency spectrum with or are operated in adjacent frequency spectrum of satellite communication systems, reducing mobile DL transmission power in directions of the satellites may be needed to avoid interference. This issue cannot be addressed solely by the current CBSR as some User Equipments (UEs) still need to be served in the satellite direction but possibly with reduced transmit power. It may also be needed to reduce the transmit power to UEs that are notin the same direction as the satellites since sidelobes and / or grating lobes in the gNB antenna radiation pattern may generate interference in the directions of the satellites.

[0057] A method has been proposed to signal the power backoff for one or more beams with respect to a nominal transmit power where the UE feeds back a preferred beam by taking the power backoff into account. For DL data (e.g., Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH)) transmission with a single beam, the method works fine as the power backoff is equivalent to a beam specific PDSCH transmit power reduction with respect to the one determined by the PDSCH to Channel State Information (CSI) Reference Signal (CSI-RS) Energy Per Resource Element (EPRE) ratio, which is signaled to the UE in the CSI-RS resource for channel measurement. The UE assumes the new PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio when the beam is selected.

[0058] However, when more than one beam is used for downlink data transmission in case of data transmission with more than one layer or data transmission with type II codebook based precoder comprising multiple beams, how to determine the nominal transmit power per beam and the precoder is a problem.

[0059] Although the network (or gNB) can reduce transmit power at certain directions if the PMI feedback comprises DFT beams in the directions for which such reduction is desired, there would be a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) mismatch between the CQI feedback from the UE and the actual CQI after the power backoff is applied.

[0060] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. In one embodiment, a method is proposed where the method comprises:• Signaling by the network (e.g., by a network node such as, e.g., a Radio Access Network (RAN) node (e.g., a base station or gNB)) to a UE information of one transmit power backoff factor associated with each DFT beam or beam group;• Computing by the UE CSI, including PMI and CQI, by taking the power backoff factors associated to the DFT beams or DFT beam groups into account;• Reporting by the UE the CSI to the network (e.g., to the network node such as, e.g., the RAN node (e.g., base station or gNB));• Transmitting by the network (e.g., network node, RAN node, base station, or gNB) PDSCH to the UE according to the CSI feedback and with the power back-off factor associated to each DFT beam comprised in the PMI.

[0061] In one embodiment, a network node (e.g., a RAN node such as, e.g., a base station or gNB) signals, to a UE, a power backoff factor for each DFT beam group associated to a NonZero Power (NZP) CSI-RS resource configured for channel measurement in a CSI reportconfiguration for CSI feedback, where the power backoff factor is with respect to the total PDSCH transmit power per resource element (RE).

[0062] The power backoff may be configured for beams in either the N1 dimension or N2 dimension configured in the CSI report configuration.

[0063] In one embodiment, the power backoff is represented by M bits where each codepoint of the M bits maps to a power scaling factor smaller than or equal to 1.

[0064] In one embodiment, the UE computes a CSI (e.g., including rank, PMI, and CQI) by taking into account the power backoffs and reports the CSI to the network, where the PMI indicating a precoder comprising one or more DFT beams.

[0065] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). The method enables proper CSI feedback by taking into account the power backoff at certain beam directions and, thus, proper link adaptation for PDSCH transmission.

[0066] Now, a more detailed description of some example embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided. In this regard, an example of DL PDSCH transmission is illustrated in Figure 4, where a modulation symbol s is transmitted over an antenna array. Before transmission, the modulation symbol is precoded, and the precoded symbol is then transmitted over the antennas. The precoders are used to beamform the symbol towards the UE. For NR type I codebook (CB) based CSI feedback, the precoder for each data layer comprises a DFT vector which is associated to a spatial beam. The precoder is indicated by the UE via PMI feedback based on channel measurements over a CSI-RS resource. For NR type II codebookbased CSI feedback, the precoder for each data layer comprises multiple DFT vectors. For symbols transmitted in different subbands, different precoders may be used. Also, different precoders are used for symbols belonging to different MIMO layers.

[0067] Figure 5 is a flow chart that illustrates a method performed by a UE in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the method performed by the UE comprises one or more of the following steps:• Step 500: The UE receives, from the network (e.g., from a network node, RAN node, base station, or gNB), a CSI report configuration comprising a CSI-RS resource for channel measurement and information about a beam specific power backoff(s) (e.g., a beam specific power backoff for each of two or more DFT beams or each of two or more DFT beam groups), where the CSI-RS resource configuration comprises a PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.• Step 502: The UE receives, from the network (e.g., from the network node, RAN node, base station, or gNB), a command for a CSI report according to the CSI report configuration.• Step 504: The UE computes a CSI (e.g., including RI, PMI, and CQI) based on a channel measurement on the configured CSI-RS resource, by taking into account the beam specific power backoff(s).• Step 506: Reporting the CSI to the network, wherein the PMI indicates a precoder comprising one or more beams.

[0068] Figure 6 is a flow chart that illustrates a method performed by a network node (e.g., a RAN node such as, e.g., a base station or gNB) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the method performed by the network node comprises one or more of the following steps:• Step 600: The network node signals, to the UE a CSI report configuration comprising a CSI-RS resource for channel measurement and information about a beam specific power backoff(s) (e.g., a beam specific power backoff for each of two or more DFT beams or each of two or more DFT beam groups), where the CSI-RS resource configuration comprises a PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.• Step 602: The network node transmits CSI-RS in the CSI-RS resource and a command to the UE for a CSI report according to the CSI report configuration.• Step 604: The network node receives a CSI report from the UE, where the CSI report includes at least a RI, PMI, and CQI, where in the PMI indicates a precoder comprising one or more beams• Step 606: The network node transmits PDSCH according to the CSI and applies the associated power backoff to each DFT beam associated to the precoder indicated by the PMI.

[0069] Some further details applicable to the methods of Figures 5 and 6 are as follows.

[0070] In one embodiment, each beam specific power backoff, β, is with respect to a totalPDSCH transmit power per RE, P0,PDSCH, determined by the PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio, ρ0, which is signaled to the UE as part of the CSI-RS resource configuration.

[0071] In one embodiment, for rank 1 transmission, the power backoff, β, would result in a new PDSCH transmit power per RE, PPDSCH, and thus, a new PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio, ρnew, for a PDSCH transmission using the beam. The UE can assume the new PDSCH to CSI- RS EPRE ratio, pnew, for CSI computation associated to the associated beam. This is illustrated in Figure 7. In other words, Figure 7 illustrates power backoff per beam for PDSCH transmission via a single beam.

[0072] In one embodiment, when multiple, L (L>1), beams, over multiple layers, are selected for downlink data transmission and if at least one of the beams is configured with β = 1, i.e., no power back off is needed for the beam, the configured PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio, ρ0, can beassumed by the UE. In this case, the PDSCH power, P0,PDSCH,canbe redistributed among the different layers or beams such that the backoff requirements are met. An example of power backoff per beam for PDSCH transmission via multiple beams where power backoff is not needed for beam j (i.e.,= 1) is illustrated in Figure 8. More specifically, Figure 8 illustrates an example where the beams would be allocated with equal power (i.e., P0,PDSCH / r) if there is no power backoff (which is the case in existing PDSCH transmission). With the equal power allocation, beam i would exceed to its transmit power (i.e., power after backoff) and its power needs to be further reduced. Since there is no power backoff needed / configured for beam j, higher transmit power than the equal power allocation can be allocated to beam j such that the total power remains the same as P0,PDSCH-

[0073] In one embodiment, if each of the multiple L beams has an associated power backoff value, i.e., βi; < 1 (i = 1, ... , L), then the PDSCH transmit power per RE, P0,PDSCH, may need to be reduced and the amount of reduction is determined as ), i e., PPDSCH=αP0,PDSCH- For rank r and if for the ith beam, then no additional power backoff isneeded for that beam. This is illustrated in Figure 9, where in this exampl and thus,the powers for both beam i and beam j are further reduced to meet the power backoff requirement signaled.

[0075] For NR type II CB based PMI feedback or precoding based channel reciprocity, a precoder for each data or PDSCH layer comprises multiple beams, i.e., the precoder for layer I can be expressed as is a complexcombining coefficient an The nominal PDSCH transmit power per RE in the ithbeam is given b In this case, power backoff cannot be appliedindividually per beam because it would destroy the orthogonality between precoders for different layers.

[0076] In one option, a common power backoffapplied to the precoders for different layers such that all beams comprised in the precoders meet the power backoff requirement, i.e. is a precodingmatrix in the type II codebook. This approach is equivalent to reducing the PDSCH power by a factor of a. The actual transmit power is then αPPDSCH. Some of the beams may have more power backoff than the signaled power backoff value. An example is illustrated in Figure 10, where precoder for each layer comprises two beams (beams i and j) and βi; = βj. In this examp

[0077] The UE may take the power backoff βiinto account when selecting the L beams and take the common power backoff into account whencomputing CQI., i.e., using the new PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio pnew= aρ0.

[0078] In case of subband PMI feedback, a reduced power backoff can be applied since the interference generated by a certain beam is integrated over the subband(s) where the beam is used. In one embodiment, the configured power backoff βiis scaled by a scaling factor y so that the backoff used is given by γ · βiIn one embodiment this scaling factor is determined based on the number of subbands / PRBs that the corresponding PMI is selected for, e.g, γ = N / NPMI, where NPMIis the number of subbands or PRBs the PMI will be selected for and N is the total number of subbands or PRBs. In other words, less power backoff is needed when the PDSCH is scheduled in only a subset of the whole bandwidth.

[0079] Another case when a reduced power backoff can be used is when a UE is not scheduled the full bandwidth, e.g., in frequency-selective scheduling. In this case a scaling factor can be determined based on the scheduled bandwidth relative to the full bandwidth.

[0080] In the following subsections, different signaling options for beam specific power backoff {βi} are discussed. These signaling options are relevant to the signaling of the power backoff(s) in step 500 of Figure 5 and step 600 of Figure 6.Generalized Embodiment

[0081] In a generalized embodiment, for an antenna array with 2N1N2CSI-RS ports, the associated DFT beams, νl,m, I = 0,1 ... , N1O1— 1; m = 0,1, ... , N2O2— 1 are grouped into Z different beam groups. Regarding how to group the beams, two example possibilities are as follows:• In one embodiment, the grouping of the beams, νl,m, I = 0,1 ... , N1O1— l; m = 0,1, ... , N2O2— 1 into Z beam groups is predefined in 3GPP specifications.• In an alternative embodiment, the grouping of the beams, νl,m, I = 0,1 ... , N1O1— 1; m = 0,1, ... , N2O2— 1 into Z beam groups is configured to the UE by the network via higher layer signaling (e.g., via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling).

[0082] In the generalized embodiment, the network signals only one power backoff value (which can also be referred to as power backoff factor) for a beam group. Regarding how many beam groups for which the network signals power backoff values, two example possibilities are as follows:• In one embodiment, the network signals the UE with a power backoff value for each of the Z beam groups and different values may be signaled for different groups. There will be Z power backoff values signaled, wherein each zth(z = 1,2, ... , Z) power backoff value is applicable only to the beams within the zthbeam group. Note that each of the Z beam groups includes one or more beams. Preferably, at least one of the beam groups (and potentially multiple beam groups or all of the beam groups) includes two or more beams.• In an alternative embodiment, to reduce the signaling overhead, the network signals the UE with power backoff values for a subset Z' of the Z beam groups where Z' < Z. There will be Z' < Z power backoff values signaled from the network to the UE. In some embodiments, the network signals to the UE information about the subset Z' . For instance, the network signals to the UE which of the Z' < Z beam groups for which the UE will receive power backoff values. o In one example, there are Z = 4 beam groups, and the networks signals two power backoff values corresponding to Z' = 2 beam groups. If the Z' = 2 beam groups are beam groups {3, 4}, then the first of the two signaled power backoff values corresponds to the 3rdbeam group, and the second of the two signaled power backoff values corresponds to the 4thbeam group. o In another example, there are Z = 8 beam groups, and the networks signals four power backoff values corresponding to Z' = 4 beam groups. If the Z' = 4 beam groups are beam groups { 1, 2 7,8}, then■ the first of the four signaled power backoff values corresponds to the 1stbeam group,■ the second of the four signaled power backoff values corresponds to the 2ndbeam group,■ the third of the four signaled power backoff values corresponds to the 7thbeam group, and■ the fourth of the four signaled power backoff values corresponds to the 8thbeam group.

[0083] In an alternative embodiment, the network does not explicitly signal to the UE which of the Z' < Z beam groups for which the UE will receive power backoff values. Instead, which of the Z' < Z beam groups for which the UE will receive power backoff values is pre-defined in 3GPP specifications.Embodiment 1: Signaling Power Backoff Per Beam

[0084] In this embodiment, a power backoff factor for each beam is signaled to a UE as part of CSI report configuration. This corresponds to the case that there are Z = N1O1N2O2beam groups (i.e., each beam is a beam group).

[0085] For an antenna array with 2N1N2CSI-RS ports, the associated beam, νl,m, is defined by a pair of beam indices (l, m), where I = 0,1 ... , N1O1— 1; m = 0,1, ... , N2O2— 1. It can also be defined by a single index, k, with k = N2O2l + m, where k = 0,1, ... , N1O1N2O2— 1-

[0086] For each beam, k, a power backoff, βk, is signaled to the UE. In total, for all thecodepoint or value of Bkmay be mapped to a power backoff. An example with M = 2 is shown in Table 1.Table 1 : An example of mapping codepoints of Bkto actual power backoffs with M = 2.

[0088] With embodiment 1, a total of MN1O1N2O2bits need to be signaled to the UE. For example, for N1= N2= O1= O2= 4 and M=2, 512 bits are needed.

[0089] In some alternative embodiments, the network signals power backoff factor to only a subset of Z' < N1O1N2O2beams. In this case, the total number of bits to signal the Z' power backoff factors is MZ'.Embodiment 2: Signaling One Power Backoff Per Group Of Beams

[0090] In this embodiment, the same power backoff is signaled for all beams with the same oversampling factor indices (O1;O2) Hence, for an antenna array with 2N1N2CSI-RS ports, the same power backoff is signaled for a group of 2-D beams with indices (q, r) defined as:

[0091] For the group of 2-D beams with indices (q, r), a power backoff is then signaled like embodiment 1. The benefit is that the signaling overhead is smaller as the number of backoff factors is reduced by a factor of O1O2. This case corresponds to Z = N1N2beam groups wherein each beam group contains O1O2oversampled beams. Note that the group of 2-D beams corresponding to indices (q, r) constitutes of the Z beam groups. This is illustrated in Figure 11.Embodiment 3: Signaling Power Backoff Factor Per Beam In One Dimension

[0092] In some scenarios, power backoff may be needed in only one dimension. For example, to reduce interference to satellites, only power backoff in elevation dimension may be needed. For a given elevation direction, the same power backoff can be applied for beams in the horizontal direction.

[0093] Hence, in this embodiment, power back off is signaled for one dimension, i.e., either N1 or N2 dimension. If the needed power backoff is in N1 dimension, thenis signaled. For a given βl(l = 0,1, ... , N1O1— 1), it is applied to all beams n dimension N2. An example is shown in Figure 12, where beams in thesame row apply the same power backoff. This embodiment corresponds to the case where there are Z = N1O1beam groups and N1O1power backoff values are signaled to the UE by the network.

[0094] If the needed power backoff is in N2 dimension, then is signaled in another embodiment. For a given βm, it is applied to all beams indimension Nl. This embodiment corresponds to the case where there are Z = N2O2beam groups and N2O2power backoff values are signaled to the UE by the network.

[0095] In one embodiment, whether is signaled isalso indicated to the UE.

[0096] The benefit is that the signaling overhead is much smaller than that in embodiment 1. Here only MN1O1or MN2O2bits are needed. Note that further overhead reduction is possible if power backoff values are only signaled to a subset Z' < Z beam groups.Embodiment 4: Signaling Power Backoff Factor Per Subset Of Beams

[0097] In other scenarios, power backoff might be needed for a subset of beams. For example, a subset of beams might be pointing in a certain direction, or its resulting grating lobes are affecting other systems, such as satellites. Thus, in this case, it is beneficial to apply the same power backoff for an entire subset of gNB beams.

[0098] Hence, in this embodiment, the same power backoff is applied to a subset of beams, or in a more general case, the same power backoff can also be applied to the beams in the entire codebook. This could be signaled, for example, by the gNB transmitting a single value of the parameter β.

[0099] On the other hand, if a subset of beams needs to have the same power backoff applied, then the following configuration can be performed. As example is shown in Figure 13, where a same power backoff is applied to beams in 2 dimensions.

[0100] The gNB sends a single value of the parameter β together with two bit sequences,are the MSBs of each sequence. The number of bits is given by Ac= N1O1and Ad= N2O2, where each bit is associated to a beam in each dimension.

[0101] In these bit sequences, two example possibilities of configuration are as follows:1. the gNB can configure the starting and ending positions of the subset of beams to apply the same power backoff to.2. the gNB configures a range of the subset of beams to apply the same backoff to.

[0102] For instance, according to Figure 13, for configuration 1, the gNB can signal the bit sequence along the N1O1dimension with bits a4= a11— 1 and zeros for the remaining bits, and the bit sequence along the N2O2dimension with bit a'2= a'5= 1 and zeros for the remaining bits. This way the UE knows the subset of beams corresponds to all the beams inside this range. Alternatively, for configuration 2, the gNB signals the bit sequence along the N1O1dimensionwith bits a4, ... , a11= 1 and zeros for the remaining bits, and the bit sequence along the N2O2dimension with bit a'2, ... , a'5= 1 and zeros for the remaining bits. This will result in a smaller overhead, given by M + N1O1+ N2O2. The example of Figure 13 corresponds to Z = 2 where the beams shown with hashed circles form one beam group and the other beams form the second beam group. In this case, power back off value is only signaled to one of the two beam groups (i.e., the beam group corresponding to the beams represented by the hashed circles shown in Figure 13), and hence Z' = 1.

[0103] Alternatively, in one related embodiment, the gNB can signal a single value of the parameter β using a single bit sequencewhere a0is the LSB and is theMSB. The number of bits is given by Ac= N1O1N2O2. This will result in a larger overhead than configurations 1 and 2, given by M + N1O1N2O2.

[0104] In one related embodiment, the gNB can configure multiple subsets of beams to report multiple power backoff parameters per subset of beams.Embodiment 5: Other Signaling Options

[0105] In one related embodiment, the gNB signals to the UE an optional parameter for the power backoff, so that the UE is aware that the CSI-RS will be configured with a certain power backoff; otherwise, if this parameter is not present, no power backoff is applied.

[0106] In one related embodiment, the UE searches for optional power back-off parameter as part any one of the CSI-RS resource / resource set, CSI report, or codebook configuration. If the parameter is present in any one of the CSI-RS resource / resource set, CSI report, or codebook configuration, the UE applies the power back off (e.g., per beam group, per beam, per dimension, or per subset). If the parameter is not present, the UE applies legacy CSI computing and reporting.

[0107] In one related embodiment, if the UE does not support the power backoff signaling capability, or is not aware of the power backoff applied by the gNB, the UE reports back the calculated CSI parameters (CQI, PMI, etc.) with an extra parameter, indicating to the gNB which power backoff was used in the report. Based on the reported power backoff by the UE, the gNB compares with its configured power backoff for the reported PMI and if they differ, the gNB can either follow the report and the PMI recommended by the UE but with the correct power backoff for the selected PMI or send another CSI-RS configuration removing the UE-recommended PMI (for example, by using the CBSR) to prevent the UE from selecting that PMI.

[0108] In one related embodiment, the existing CBSR may be extended to include the beam specific power backoff. Alternatively, the beam specific power backoff can be signaled separately for CBSR.Further Description

[0109] Figure 14 shows an example of a communication system 1400 in which embodiments of the present disclosure described above may be implemented.

[0110] In the example, the communication system 1400 includes a telecommunication network 1402 that includes an access network 1404, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 1406, which includes one or more core network nodes 1408. The access network 1404 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1410A and 1410B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1410), or any other similar Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP Access Points (APs). Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 1402 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 1402 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 1402, including one or more network nodes 1410 and / or core network nodes 1408.

[0111] Examples of an ORAN network node include an Open Radio Unit (O-RU), an Open Distributed Unit (O-DU), an Open Central Unit (O-CU), including an O-CU Control Plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU User Plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non- real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non -real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 1410 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs1412A, 1412B, 1412C, and 1412D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1412) to the core network 1406 over one or more wireless connections.

[0112] 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 1400 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 1400 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0113] The UEs 1412 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 1410 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 1410 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 1412 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 1402 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 1402.

[0114] In the depicted example, the core network 1406 connects the network nodes 1410 to one or more hosts, such as host 1416. 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 1406 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1408) 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 1408. 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).

[0115] The host 1416 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 1404 and / or the telecommunication network 1402, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1416may 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.

[0116] As a whole, the communication system 1400 of Figure 14 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 1400 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 Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., Sixth Generation (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.

[0117] In some examples, the telecommunication network 1402 is a cellular network that implements 3 GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 1402 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 1402. For example, the telecommunication network 1402 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 Internet of Things (loT) services to yet further UEs.

[0118] In some examples, the UEs 1412 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 1404 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 1404. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi -Radio Access Technology (RAT) or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e. being configured for Multi -Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0119] In the example, a hub 1414 communicates with the access network 1404 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1412C and / or 1412D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 1410B). In some examples, the hub 1414 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 1414 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 1406 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 1414 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 1410, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 1414. As another example, the hub 1414 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 1414 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 1414 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 1414 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 1414 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0120] The hub 1414 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 1410B. The hub 1414 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 1414 and UEs (e.g., UE 1412C and / or 1412D), and between the hub 1414 and the core network 1406. In other examples, the hub 1414 is connected to the core network 1406 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 1414 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 1404 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 1410 while still connected via the hub 1414 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 1414 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 1410B. In other embodiments, the hub 1414 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and the network node 1410B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0121] Figure 15 shows a UE 1500 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 Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, wireless local loopphone, desktop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless camera, 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, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3GPP, including a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0122] 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), Vehi cl e-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).

[0123] The UE 1500 includes processing circuitry 1502 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1504 to an input / output interface 1506, a power source 1508, memory 1510, a communication interface 1512, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 15. 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.

[0124] The processing circuitry 1502 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1510. The processing circuitry 1502 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 1502 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0125] In the example, the input / output interface 1506 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or outputdevices. 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 1500. 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.

[0126] In some embodiments, the power source 1508 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 1508 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1508 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1500 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1508. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1508 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1500 to which power is supplied.

[0127] The memory 1510 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1510 includes one or more application programs 1514, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1516. The memory 1510 may store, for use by the UE 1500, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0128] The memory 1510 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 RAM (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a tamper resistant module in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC)including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a Universal SIM (USIM) and / or Internet Protocol Multimedia Services Identity Module (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 a ‘SIM card.’ The memory 1510 may allow the UE 1500 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 1510, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0129] The processing circuitry 1502 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1512. The communication interface 1512 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1522. The communication interface 1512 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 1518 and / or a receiver 1520 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1518 and receiver 1520 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 1522) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0130] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1512 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, NFC, 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 according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Quick User Datagram Protocol Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0131] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1512, 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 severalsensors), 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).

[0132] 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.

[0133] A UE, when in the form of an 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 television, 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 VR, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or itemtracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1500 shown in Figure 15.

[0134] 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 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship, an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0135] 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 speedinformation (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.

[0136] Figure 16 shows a network node 1600 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, APs (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR Node Bs (gNBs)), and 0-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O- CU).

[0137] 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, distributed units (e.g., in an 0-RAN access node), and / or Remote Radio Units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such RRUs 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).

[0138] 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 BS 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).

[0139] The network node 1600 includes processing circuitry 1602, memory 1604, a communication interface 1606, and a power source 1608. The network node 1600 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an 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 1600 comprises multipleseparate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1600 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1604 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1610 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1600 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1600, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z- wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (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 the network node 1600.

[0140] The processing circuitry 1602 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, 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 1600 components, such as the memory 1604, to provide network node 1600 functionality.

[0141] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1602 includes a System on a Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1602 includes one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1612 and baseband processing circuitry 1614. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1612 and the baseband processing circuitry 1614 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 the RF transceiver circuitry 1612 and the baseband processing circuitry 1614 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0142] The memory 1604 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, 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 1602. The memory 1604 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 1602 and utilized by the network node 1600. The memory 1604 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1602and / or any data received via the communication interface 1606. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1602 and the memory 1604 are integrated.

[0143] The communication interface 1606 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 1606 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1616 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1606 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1618 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1610. The radio front-end circuitry 1618 comprises filters 1620 and amplifiers 1622. The radio front-end circuitry 1618 may be connected to the antenna 1610 and the processing circuitry 1602. The radio front-end circuitry 1618 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 1610 and the processing circuitry 1602. The radio front-end circuitry 1618 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 1618 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 1620 and / or the amplifiers 1622. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1610. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1610 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1618. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1602. In other embodiments, the communication interface 1606 may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0144] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1600 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1618; instead, the processing circuitry 1602 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1610. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1612 is part of the communication interface 1606. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1606 includes the one or more ports or terminals 1616, the radio front-end circuitry 1618, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1612 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1606 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1614, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0145] The antenna 1610 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1610 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1618 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1610 is separate from the network node 1600 and connectable to the network node 1600 through an interface or port.

[0146] The antenna 1610, the communication interface 1606, and / or the processing circuitry 1602 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1600. Any information, data, and / orsignals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1610, the communication interface 1606, and / or the processing circuitry 1602 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1600. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0147] The power source 1608 provides power to the various components of the network node 1600 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1608 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1600 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1600 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid or an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1608. As a further example, the power source 1608 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.

[0148] Embodiments of the network node 1600 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 16 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 1600 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1600 and to allow output of information from the network node 1600. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1600.

[0149] Figure 17 is a block diagram of a host 1700, which may be an embodiment of the host 1416 of Figure 14, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1700 may be or comprise various combinations of hardware and / or software including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1700 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0150] The host 1700 includes processing circuitry 1702 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1704 to an input / output interface 1706, a network interface 1708, a power source 1710, and memory 1712. 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 15 and 16, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host 1700.

[0151] The memory 1712 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1714 and data 1716, which may include user data, e.g. data generated by a UE for the host 1700 or data generated by the host 1700 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1700 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1714 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), Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., Free Lossless Audio Codec (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, and heads-up display systems). The host application programs 1714 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 1700 may select and / or indicate a different host for Over-The-Top (OTT) services for a UE. The host application programs 1714 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 (DASH or MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0152] Figure 18 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1800 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 1800 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1800 includes components defined by the 0-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0153] Applications 1802 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in thevirtualization environment 1800 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0154] Hardware 1804 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 1806 (also referred to as hypervisors or VM Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1808 A and 1808B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1808), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1806 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1808.

[0155] The VMs 1808 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1806. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1802 may be implemented on one or more of the VMs 1808, 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.

[0156] In the context of NFV, a VM 1808 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 1808, and that part of the hardware 1804 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs 1808, 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 1808 on top of the hardware 1804 and corresponds to the application 1802.

[0157] The hardware 1804 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 1804 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1804 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1810, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 1802. In some embodiments, the hardware 1804 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 virtualcomponents to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a RAN or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1812 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0158] Figure 19 shows a communication diagram of a host 1902 communicating via a network node 1904 with a UE 1906 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as the UE 1412A of Figure 14 and / or the UE 1500 of Figure 15), the network node (such as the network node 1410A of Figure 14 and / or the network node 1600 of Figure 16), and the host (such as the host 1416 of Figure 14 and / or the host 1700 of Figure 17) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 19.

[0159] Like the host 1700, embodiments of the host 1902 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1902 also includes software, which is stored in or is accessible by the host 1902 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 1906 connecting via an OTT connection 1950 extending between the UE 1906 and the host 1902. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1950.

[0160] The network node 1904 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1902 and the UE 1906. The connection 1960 may be direct or pass through a core network (like the core network 1406 of Figure 14) 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.

[0161] The UE 1906 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by the UE 1906 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 the UE 1906 with the support of the host 1902. In the host 1902, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1950 terminating at the UE 1906 and the host 1902. 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 1950 may transfer both the request data 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 1950.

[0162] The OTT connection 1950 may extend via the connection 1960 between the host 1902 and the network node 1904 and via a wireless connection 1970 between the network node 1904and the UE 1906 to provide the connection between the host 1902 and the UE 1906. The connection 1960 and the wireless connection 1970, over which the OTT connection 1950 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1902 and the UE 1906 via the network node 1904, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0163] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1950, in step 1908, the host 1902 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 1906. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1906 that shares data with the host 1902 without explicit human interaction. In step 1910, the host 1902 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1906. The host 1902 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1906. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1906 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1906. The transmission may pass via the network node 1904 in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1912, the network node 1904 transmits to the UE 1906 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1902 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1914, the UE 1906 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1906 associated with the host application executed by the host 1902.

[0164] In some examples, the UE 1906 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1902. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1902. Accordingly, in step 1916, the UE 1906 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 1906. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1906 initiates, in step 1918, transmission of the user data towards the host 1902 via the network node 1904. In step 1920, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1904 receives user data from the UE 1906 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1902. In step 1922, the host 1902 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1906.

[0165] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1906 using the OTT connection 1950, in which the wireless connection 1970 forms the last segment.

[0166] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1902. As another example, the host 1902 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1902 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1902 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1902 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 1902 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.

[0167] 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 1950 between the host 1902 and the UE 1906 in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1950 may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1902 and / or the UE 1906. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1950 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or by supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1950 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1904. 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 1902. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1950 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0168] 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 byprocessing 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.

[0169] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored 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 hardwired 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.

[0170] 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.

[0171] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure are as follows:Group A Embodiments

[0172] Embodiment 1 : A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising any one or more of the following:• receiving (500), from a network node, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising information that configures a CSI Reference Signal, CSI-RS, resource for channel measurement;• receiving (500), from the network node, information about one or more power backoffs for one or more beams or one or more beam groups, respectively;• computing (504) Channel State Information, CSI, based on channel measurement on the configured CSI-RS resource taking into account the one or more power backoffs; and• reporting (506) the CSI to the network node.

[0173] Embodiment 2: The method embodiment 1, further comprising receiving (502), from the network node, a command for a CSI report according to the CSI report configuration.

[0174] Embodiment 3 : The method of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein a configuration of the CSI-RS resource comprises a PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.

[0175] Embodiment 4: The method of embodiment 3, wherein each power backoff of the one or more power backoffs is with respect to a total PDSCH transmit power per resource element determined by the PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.

[0176] Embodiment 5: The method of embodiment 3 or 4, wherein computing (504) the CSI comprises, for rank 1 transmission, computing CSI associated to a particular beam based on a new PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio for a PDSCH transmission using the particular beam, the new PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio being based on the power backoff associated to the particular beam or a particular beam group that comprises the particular beam.

[0177] Embodiment 6: The method of embodiment 3 or 4, wherein when computing (504) the CSI when multiple beams, over multiple layers, are selected for downlink data transmission and if at least one of the multiple beams is configured with no power backoff, the configured PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio is assumed by the UE.

[0178] Embodiment 7: The method of embodiment 3 or 4, wherein when computing (504) the CSI when multiple beams, over multiple layers, are selected for downlink data transmission and if each of the multiple beams is configured with a non-zero power backoff, a PDSCH transmit power per RE is reduced where the amount of the reduction is determined based on the power backoffs associated to the multiple beams (e.g., determined as

[0179] Embodiment 8: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein for NR type I codebook based CSI feedback, computing (504) the CSI comprises determining a precoder W is determined at the UE by maximizin is the estimatedchannel based on CSI-RS, including CSI-RS transmit power, and W(βw) is a scaled version of W by the power backoffs associated to W.

[0180] Embodiment 9: The method of embodiment 8, wherein computing (504) the CSI further comprises computing CQI based on a signal component

[0181] Embodiment 10: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein for NR type II codebook based CSI feedback, computing (504) the CSI comprises computing the CSI based on a common power backoff ) for different layers such thatall beams comprised in the precoders meet a power backoff requirement, i.e., (βw) = αW = α[w(1), ... , w(r)], where W is a precoding matrix in the type II codebook.

[0182] Embodiment 11 : The method of any of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein the one or more power backoffs comprise a single power backoff value for each of at least a subset of a set of beam groups, wherein each beam group of the set of beam groups comprises one or more beams.

[0183] Embodiment 12: The method of embodiment 11, wherein the set of beam groups is predefined.

[0184] Embodiment 13: The method of embodiment 11, wherein the set of beam groups is configured to the UE by the network node.

[0185] Embodiment 14: The method of any of embodiments 11 to 13, wherein the at least a subset of the set of beam groups for which the power backoffs are configured is the set of beam groups.

[0186] Embodiment 15: The method of any of embodiments 11 to 13, wherein the at least a subset of the set of beam groups for which the power backoffs are configured is a subset of the set of beam groups.

[0187] Embodiment 16: The method of any of embodiments 11 to 15, wherein the set of beam groups comprises sets of beams having the same oversampling indices (O1;O2)-

[0188] Embodiment 17: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 16, wherein the one or more power backoffs are signaled for only one of two or more dimensions (e.g., elevation dimension only).

[0189] Embodiment 18: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 17, wherein receiving (500) the information about the one or more power backoffs for the one or more beams or the one or more beam groups, respectively, comprises receiving (500) the information about the one or more power backoffs as part of the CSI report configuration.

[0190] Embodiment 19: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 18, further comprising receiving, from the network node, a configuration of a parameter that indicates that CSI-RSresource used for channel measurement for computing the CSI will be associated with one or more power backoffs.

[0191] Embodiment 20: The method of embodiment 19, wherein the parameter is part of any one of the following: the CSI-RS resource, an associated CSI-RS resource set, the CSI report configuration, or an associated codebook configuration.

[0192] Embodiment 21 : 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

[0193] Embodiment 22: A method performed by a network node, the method comprising any one or more of the following:• transmitting (600), to a UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising information that configures a CSI Reference Signal, CSI-RS, resource for channel measurement;• transmitting (600), to the UE, information about one or more power backoffs for one or more beams or one or more beam groups, respectively;• receiving (604), from the UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report in accordance with the CSI report configuration, the CSI report comprising CSI that takes into account the one or more power backoffs; and• transmitting (606) a downlink data transmission (e.g., a PDSCH) to the UE according to the CSI while applying the associated power backoff to each beam associated to a precoder indicated by a PMI comprised in the received CSI.

[0194] Embodiment 23 : The method embodiment 22, further comprising transmitting (602) CSI-RS in the CSI-RS resource and a command, to the UE, for a CSI report according to the CSI report configuration.

[0195] Embodiment 24: The method of embodiment 22 or 23, wherein a configuration of the CSI-RS resource comprises a PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.

[0196] Embodiment 25: The method of embodiment 24, wherein each power backoff of the one or more power backoffs is with respect to a total PDSCH transmit power per resource element determined by the PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.

[0197] Embodiment 26: The method of any of embodiments 22 to 25, wherein the one or more power backoffs comprise a single power backoff value for each of at least a subset of a set of beam groups, wherein each beam group of the set of beam groups comprises one or more beams.

[0198] Embodiment 27: The method of embodiment 26, wherein the set of beam groups is predefined.

[0199] Embodiment 28: The method of embodiment 26, wherein the set of beam groups is configured to the UE by the network node.

[0200] Embodiment 29: The method of any of embodiments 26 to 28, wherein the at least a subset of the set of beam groups for which the power backoffs are configured is the set of beam groups.

[0201] Embodiment 30: the method of any of embodiments 26 to 28, wherein the at least a subset of the set of beam groups for which the power backoffs are configured is a subset of the set of beam groups.

[0202] Embodiment 31 : The method of any of embodiments 26 to 30, wherein the set of beam groups comprises sets of beams having the same oversampling indices (O1;O2)-

[0203] Embodiment 32: The method of any of embodiments 22 to 31, wherein the one or more power backoffs are signaled for only one of two or more dimensions (e.g., elevation dimension only).

[0204] Embodiment 33: The method of any of embodiments 22 to 32, wherein transmitting (600) the information about the one or more power backoffs for the one or more beams or the one or more beam groups, respectively, comprises transmitting (600) the information about the one or more power backoffs as part of the CSI report configuration.

[0205] Embodiment 34: The method of any of embodiments 22 to 33, further comprising transmitting, to the UE, a configuration of a parameter that indicates that CSI-RS resource used for channel measurement for computing the CSI will be associated with one or more power backoffs.

[0206] Embodiment 35: The method of embodiment 34, wherein the parameter is part of any one of the following: the CSI-RS resource, an associated CSI-RS resource set, the CSI report configuration, or an associated codebook configuration.

[0207] Embodiment 36: 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

[0208] Embodiment 37: 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.

[0209] Embodiment 38: 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.

[0210] Embodiment 39: 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 information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0211] Embodiment 40: 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.

[0212] Embodiment 41 : 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.

[0213] Embodiment 42: A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0214] Embodiment 43: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0215] Embodiment 44: 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.

[0216] Embodiment 45: A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top (OTT) 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.

[0217] Embodiment 46: The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the UE.

[0218] Embodiment 47: 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.

[0219] Embodiment 48: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that receives 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.

[0220] Embodiment 49: The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0221] Embodiment 50: A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

[0222] Embodiment 51 : The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

[0223] Embodiment 52: 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 communicationinterface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0224] Embodiment 53 : 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.

[0225] Embodiment 54: 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.

[0226] Embodiment 55: 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.

[0227] Embodiment 56: 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 host application.

[0228] Embodiment 57: 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.

[0229] Embodiment 58: 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.

[0230] Embodiment 59: 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.

[0231] Embodiment 60: 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.

[0232] Embodiment 61 : 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.

[0233] Embodiment 62: 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.

[0234] Embodiment 63: The method of the previous 2 embodiments, 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.

[0235] 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, the method comprising: receiving (500), from a network node, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI Reference Signal, CSI- RS, resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams; receiving (500), from the network node, information about power backoffs for the plurality of beams; computing (504) Channel State Information, CSI, based on channel measurement on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook , and the power backoffs; and reporting (506) the CSI to the network node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving (502), from the network node, a command for a CSI report according to the CSI report configuration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information of the codebook comprise information of N1antenna ports in a first dimension and N2antenna ports in a second dimension, wherein the plurality of beams are N1O1N2O2oversampled Discrete Fourier Transform, DFT, beams with N1O1beams along the first dimension and N2O2beams along the second dimension, wherein and O2are the oversampling factors along the first and the second dimensions, respectively.

4. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information about power backoffs comprises a power scaling factor for each of the plurality of beams.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein: the information about power backoffs comprises a power scaling factor for each of multiple non-overlapping beam groups, wherein each of the multiple beam groups comprises X (>=1) by Y (>=1) adjacent beams of the plurality of beams, wherein X and Y are the number of adjacent beams along the first and second dimensions, respectively.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of multiple non-overlapping beam groups comprises all beams along the first dimension, i.e., X=N1O1.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein each of multiple non-overlapping beam groups comprises all beams along the second dimension, i.e., Y=N2O2.

8. The method of any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the multiple non-overlapping beam groups are predefined.

9. The method of any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the multiple non-overlapping beam groups are configured by the network node.

10. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the power scaling factor is represented by a number of bits where each codepoint of the number of bits is mapped to a power scaling factor value that is less than or equal to 1, wherein a power scaling factor value equal to 1 means no power backoff.

11. The method of any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the information that configures the one or more CSI-RS resources comprises a Physical Downlink Shared Channel, PDSCH, to CSI-RS Energy Per Resource Element, EPRE, ratio.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the power backoffs is with respect to a nominal PDSCH transmit power per resource element determined by the PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing CSI comprises selecting a precoding matrix from the codebook of precoding matrices for a given rank and computing a channel quality associated to the selected precoding matrix, wherein the selected precoding matrix is reported by the UE as a precoding matrix indicator, PMI, and the channel quality is reported as a channel quality indicator, CQI.

14. The method of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein computing (504) the CSI comprises, for rank 1 transmission, computing CSI associated to a particular beam based on a new PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio for a PDSCH transmission using the particular beam, the new PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio being based on the power backoff associated to the particular beam or a particular beam group that comprises the particular beam.

15. The method of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein when multiple beams, one per layer s, are selected for PDSCH transmission and at least one of the multiple beams is configured with no power backoff, the PDSCH transmit power in the at least one beam can be boosted by an amount equal to a power reduction in the remaining beams in the multiple beams due to power backoffsand computing (504) the CSI comprises computing the CSI based on the configured PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.

16. The method of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein when multiple beams, one per layer, are selected for PDSCH transmission and if each of the multiple beams is configured with a power scaling factor that is less than 1, a reduced PDSCH transmit power per RE is used when computing (504) the CSI where the amount of the reduction is determined based on the power backoffs associated to the multiple beams (e.g., determined a i e.,PPDSCH=αP0,PDSCH) •17. The method of claim 16, wherein the amount of the reduction is determined as α = minwhere L is the number of beams and βiis the power scaling factor associated to the i-th beam.

18. The method of any of claims 1 to 17, wherein when each layer comprises a single beam , computing (504) the CSI comprises determining a precoder W, wherein the precoder is determined at the UE by maximizinis the estimated channel based on the one or more CSI-RS resources, and W(βw) is a scaled version of W by the power backoffs associated to one or more beams comprised in W.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein computing (504) the CSI further comprises computing a Channel Quality Indicator, CQI, based on a signal component20. The method of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein when each layer comprises multiple beams , computing (504) the CSI comprises determining a precoder W based on a common power backoff for different layers such that all beamscomprised in the precoding matrix meet a power backoff requirement, i.e.is the precoder for the ith layer and cl,iis a complex beamcombining coefficient associated to layer 1 and beam i.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the common power backoff iswhere L is the number of beams, r is rank, is the power backoffconfigured for the i-th beam, and is a complex combining coefficient for the I-th layer and theZ-th beam.

22. The method of any of claims 1 to 21, wherein receiving (500) the information about the power backoffs for each of the plurality of beams or each of the multiple beam groups comprises receiving (500) the information about the power backoffs as part of the CSI report configuration.

23. The method of any of claims 1 to 22 , wherein the receiving (500) the information about the power backoffs for each of the plurality of beams or each of the multiple beam groups comprises receiving (500) the information about the power backoffs as part of the codebook configuration.

24. A User Equipment, UE, adapted to: receive (500), from a network node, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI Reference Signal, CSI- RS, resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams; receive (500), from the network node, information about power backoffs for the plurality of beams; compute (504) Channel State Information, CSI, based on channel measurement on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook, and the power backoffs; and report (506) the CSI to the network node.

25. The UE of claim 24, further adapted to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 23.

26. A User Equipment, UE, (1500), comprising: a communication interface (1512) comprising a transmitter (1518) and a receiver (1520); and processing circuitry (1502) associated with the communication interface (1512), the processing circuitry (1502) configured to cause the UE (1500) to: receive (500), from a network node, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI Reference Signal,CSI-RS, resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams; receive (500), from the network node, information about power backoffs for the plurality of beams; compute (504) Channel State Information, CSI, based on channel measurement on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook, and the power backoffs; and report (506) the CSI to the network node.

27. The UE of claim 26, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the UE to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 23.

28. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising: transmitting (600), to a UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI Reference Signal, CSI-RS, resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams; transmitting (600), to the UE, information about power backoffs for a plurality of beams; receiving (604), from the UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report in accordance with the CSI report configuration, the CSI report comprising CSI based on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook , and the power backoffs; and transmitting (606) a downlink data transmission to the UE according to the CSI while applying the associated power backoff to each beam associated to a precoder indicated by a PMI comprised in the received CSI.

29. The method claim 28, further comprising transmitting (602) CSI-RS in the one or more CSI-RS resources and a command, to the UE, for a CSI report according to the CSI report configuration.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the information of the codebook comprise information of N1antenna ports in a first dimension and N2antenna ports in a second dimension, wherein the plurality of beams are N1O1N2O2oversampled Discrete Fourier Transform, DFT, beams with N1O1beams along the first dimension and N2O2beams along the second dimension, wherein and O2are the oversampling factors along the first and the second dimensions, respectively.

31. The method of any of claims 28 to 30, wherein the information about power backoffscomprises a power scaling factor for each of the plurality of beams.

32. The method of any of claims 28 to 30, wherein: the information about power backoffs comprises a power scaling factor for each of multiple non-overlapping beam groups, wherein each of the multiple beam groups comprises X (>=1) by Y (>=1) adjacent beams of the plurality of beams, wherein X and Y are the number of adjacent beams along the first and second dimensions, respectively.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein each of multiple non-overlapping beam groups comprises all beams along the first dimension, i.e., X=N1O1.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein each of multiple non-overlapping beam groups comprises all beams along the second dimension, i.e., Y=N2O2-35. The method of any of claims 32 to 34, wherein the multiple non-overlapping beam groups are predefined.

36. The method of any of claims 32 to 34, wherein the multiple non-overlapping beam groups are configured by the network node.

37. The method of any of claims 28 to 36, wherein the power scaling factor is represented by a number of bits where each codepoint of the number of bits is mapped to a power scaling factor value that is less than or equal to 1, wherein a power scaling factor value equal to 1 means no power backoff.

38. The method of any of claims 28 to 29, wherein the information that configures the one or more CSI-RS resources comprises a Physical Downlink Shared Channel, PDSCH, to CSI-RS Energy Per Resource Element, EPRE, ratio.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein each of the power backoffs is with respect to a nominal PDSCH transmit power per resource element determined by the PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.

40. The method of any of claims 28 to 39, wherein when multiple beams, one per layer s, are selected for PDSCH transmission and at least one of the multiple beams is configured with no power backoff, the PDSCH transmit power in the at least one beam can be boosted by an amountequal to a power reduction in the remaining beams in the multiple beams due to power backoffs and computing (504) the CSI comprises computing the CSI based on the configured PDSCH to CSI-RS EPRE ratio.

41. The method of any of claims 28 to 39, wherein when multiple beams, one per layer, are selected for PDSCH transmission and if each of the multiple beams is configured with a power scaling factor that is less than 1, a reduced PDSCH transmit power per RE is used when computing (504) the CSI where the amount of the reduction is determined based on the power backoffs associated to the multiple beams (e.g., determined as42. The method of claim 41, wherein the amount of the reduction is determined as α = min where L is the number of beams and βiis the power scaling factor associated tothe i-th beam.

43. The method of any of claims 28 to 42, wherein transmitting (600) the information about the power backoffs comprises transmitting (600) the information about the power backoffs as part of the CSI report configuration.

44. The method of any of claims 1 to 22 , wherein the transmitting (600) the information about the power backoffs comprises transmitting (600) the information about the power backoffs as part of the codebook configuration.

45. A network node adapted to: transmit (600), to a UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI Reference Signal, CSI-RS, resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams; transmit (600), to the UE, information about power backoffs for a plurality of beams; receive (604), from the UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report in accordance with the CSI report configuration, the CSI report comprising CSI based on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook , and the power backoffs; and transmit (606) a downlink data transmission to the UE according to the CSI while applying the associated power backoff to each beam associated to a precoder indicated by a PMI comprised in the received CSI.

46. The network node of claim 45, further adapted to perform the method of any of claims 29 to 44.

47. A network node (1600) comprising processing circuitry (1602) configured to cause the network node to: transmit (600), to a UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising information that configures one or more CSI Reference Signal, CSI-RS, resources for channel measurement and information of a codebook of precoding matrices each comprising one or more beams out of a plurality of beams; transmit (600), to the UE, information about power backoffs for a plurality of beams; receive (604), from the UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report in accordance with the CSI report configuration, the CSI report comprising CSI based on the configured one or more CSI-RS resources, the codebook , and the power backoffs; and transmit (606) a downlink data transmission to the UE according to the CSI while applying the associated power backoff to each beam associated to a precoder indicated by a PMI comprised in the received CSI.

48. The network node of claim 47, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the network node to perform the method of any of claims 29 to 44.

Images