Network configured communication mode

Abstract

A method may be performed by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), including determining a preferred communication mode based on one or more of contextual information of the WTRU, receipt of an activation signal, receipt of a paging message, an application type, a location of the WTRU, or a group that includes the WTRU. A first message may be sent to a network, wherein the first message indicates that the WTRU is capable of supporting multiple communication modes and the preferred communication mode. A second message may be received from the network, wherein the second message may indicate a network-selected communication mode. A third message may be received from the network, wherein the third message may include assistance information. An intermediate node may be selected based on the assistance information and the network-selected communication mode being an indirect communication mode. The network selected communication mode may be applied.

Description

NETWORK CONFIGURED COMMUNICATION MODECROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[OOOIJThis patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 619,792, filed on January 11 , 2024, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] An ambient power-enabled Internet of Things (loT) device may be a kind of loT device that can harvest energy from the environment (e.g., energy from wireless radio waves, motion, vibration, piezoelectricity, solar and wind power, etc.) For brevity, “Ambient loT device” or “AloT device” may be used instead of “Ambient power enabled loT device” herein. Ambient power-enabled loT devices may be battery-less or have limited energy storage (e.g., using a capacitor). Ambient power-enabled loT devices may be used in Industrial Wireless Senor Networks where the environment is harsh (e.g., extremely high or low temperature) and devices should be battery-less, maintenance-free and / or have long service lives. Ambient power-enabled loT devices may also play an important role in Smart Logistics and Smart Warehousing. The low- cost, small-form, battery-lessness and durability make them suitable to be attached to huge amounts of goods and facilitate more efficient goods identifying, sorting, tracking and inventory.

[0003] Potential service requirements and system enhancements may support ambient power-enabled loT (AloT) devices. Three categories of AloT devices have been identified. Device category A may refer to devices that have no energy storage and no independent signal generation or amplification capabilities (e.g., backscattering transmission). Device category B may refer to devices that have energy storage but have no independent signal generation capabilities (e.g., backscattering transmission). Category B devices may make use of stored energy and / or may amplify reflected signals. Device category C may refer to devices that have energy storage and independent signal generation capabilities (e.g., active RF components for transmission).SUMMARY

[0004] A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may include a processor. The processor may be configured to determine a preferred communication mode based on one or more of contextual information of the WTRU, receipt of an activation signal, receipt of a paging message, an application type, a location of the WTRU, or a group that includes the WTRU. The processor may be configured to send a first message to a network, wherein the first message indicates that the WTRU is capable of supporting multiple communication modes and the preferred communication mode. The processor may be configured to receive a second message from the network, wherein the second message indicates a network-selected communication mode. The processor may be configured to receive a third message from the network, wherein the third message may include assistance information. The processor may be configured to select an intermediate node based on the assistance information and the network-selected communication mode being an indirect communication mode, and to apply the network- selected communication mode.

[0005] The contextual information may include one or more of remaining energy storage of the WTRU, a mobility state of the WTRU, or a size of buffered data.

[0006] The first message may include a registration request message.

[0007] The second message may include a registration accept request.

[0008] The assistance information for selecting an intermediate node may include one or more of identifiers of potential intermediate nodes, radio frequency bands for communication, or transmission power ranges.

[0009] The processor may be configured to initiate network registration to apply the network-selected communication mode, wherein the network-selected communication mode is a direct communication mode.

[0010] The processor may be configured to initiate discovery of the intermediate node to apply the network-selected communication mode, wherein the network-selected communication mode is an indirect communication mode.

[0011] The processor may be configured to receive a change request from the intermediate node, and to initiate registration with the network in response to the change request.

[0012] The network-selected communication mode may be different from the preferred communication mode.

[0013] The multiple communication modes may include a direct communication with the network mode and an indirect communication via an intermediate node mode.

[0014] A method may be performed by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), including determining a preferred communication mode based on one or more of contextual information of the WTRU, receipt of an activation signal, receipt of a paging message, an application type, a location of the WTRU, or a group that includes the WTRU. A first message may be sent to a network, wherein the first message indicates that the WTRU is capable of supporting multiple communication modes and the preferred communication mode. A second message may be received from the network, wherein the second message indicates a network-selected communication mode. A third message may be received from the network, wherein the third message may include assistance information. An intermediate node may be selected based on the assistance information and the network-selected communication mode being an indirect communication mode. The network selected communication mode may be applied.

[0015] The contextual information may include one or more of remaining energy storage of the WTRU, a mobility state of the WTRU, or a size of buffered data.

[0016] The first message may include a registration request message.

[0017] The second message may include a registration accept request.

[0018] The assistance information for selecting an intermediate node may include one or more of identifiers of potential intermediate nodes, radio frequency bands for communication, or transmission power ranges.

[0019] The method may include initiating network registration to apply the network- selected communication mod, wherein the network-selected communication mode is a direct communication mode.

[0020] The method may include initiating discovery of the intermediate node to apply the network-selected communication mode, wherein the network-selected communication mode is an indirect communication mode.

[0021] The method may include receiving, by the WTRU, a change request from the intermediate node, and initiating registration with the network in response to the change request.

[0022] The network-selected communication mode may be different from the preferred communication mode.

[0023] The multiple communication modes may include a direct communication with the network mode and an indirect communication via an intermediate node mode.

[0024] A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may include a processor. The processor may be configured to receive a public land mobile network (PLMN) selection configuration. The PLMN selection configuration may include an indication for the WTRU to use an indirect network communication mode (INCM) while in a PLMN waiting state. The processor may be configured to monitor for an appearance of one or more PLMNs while in the PLMN waiting state. The PLMN selection configuration may include a key for encrypting information exchanged in the INCM and a token for inclusion in information or messages sent by the WTRU. The processor may be configured to enter the PLMN waiting state and determine whether to switch to the INCM to communicate with a network. Encrypted messages including the token may be sent to the network using the INCM while in the PLMN waiting state. The processor may be configured to determine to exit the INCM and remain in the PLMN waiting state.

[0025] The processor may be configured to receive the PLMN selection configuration from the network during a registration process.

[0026] The encrypted messages sent by the WTRU using INCM include an indication of a current location of the WTRU.

[0027] The processor may be configured to switch the WTRU to the INCM in response to determining that no allowable or available PLMNs are detected.

[0028] The token included in the encrypted messages may be unique to the WTRU.

[0029] The key for encrypting information may be configured to be valid for a predefined time period.

[0030] The processor may be configured to determine whether to exit INCM and remain in the PLMN waiting state based on receiving an updated configuration from the network.

[0031] The processor may be configured to send the messages using the INCM over a short-range communication interface with an intermediate node.

[0032] The processor may be configured to determine whether to switch to the INCM based on contextual information of the WTRU. The contextual information may include at least one of remaining energy storage or signal quality.

[0033] The processor may be configured to cause the WTRU to remain in the INCM for a predefined time period or until receiving a signal from the network indicating that a PLMN is available.

[0034] A method may be performed by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), including receiving, by the WTRU, a public land mobile network (PLMN) selection configuration. The PLMN selection configuration may include an indication for the WTRU to use an indirect network communication mode (INCM) while in a PLMN waiting state. The PLMN selection configuration may include a key for encrypting information exchanged in the INCM and a token for inclusion in information or messages sent by the WTRU. The method may include monitoring for an appearance of one or more PLMNs while in the PLMN waiting state, entering the PLMN waiting state, and determining whether to switch to the INCM to communicate with a network. Encrypted messages including the token may be sent to the network using the INCM while in the PLMN waiting state. It may be determined to exit the INCM and remain in the PLMN waiting state.

[0035] The PLMN selection configuration may be received from the network during a registration process.

[0036] The encrypted messages sent by the WTRU using the INCM may include an indication of a current location of the WTRU.

[0037] The method may include switching to the INCM in response to determining that no allowable or available PLMNs are detected.

[0038] The token included in the encrypted messages may be unique to the WTRU.

[0039] The key for encrypting information may be configured to be valid for a predefined time period.

[0040] The method may include determining whether to exit the INCM and remain in the waiting for PLMNs to appear state based on receiving an updated configuration from the network.

[0041] The method may include sending messages using the INCM over a short-range communication interface with an intermediate node.

[0042] The method may include determining whether to switch to the INCM based on contextual information of the WTRU. The contextual information may include at least one of remaining energy storage or signal quality.

[0043] The WTRU may remain in the INCM for a predefined time period or until receiving a signal from the network indicating that a PLMN is available.

[0044] An AloT device may be configured by a network with a communication mode. For example, the network may configure the AloT device with the configuration mode. The network may select a communication mode for AloT devices based on one or more various factors including but not limited to device capabilities, device subscription information, application traffic characteristics, device mobility characteristics, network load status, etc. The AloT devices may receive the network selected communication mode from the network via non-access stratum (NAS) and / or radio resource control (RRC) signaling or via an Intermediate Node (e.g., a WTRU).

[0045] The AloT device may indicate to the network information about its capabilities (e.g., its capability of supporting multiple communication mode, and its preferred communication mode). The AloT device may receive from the network the network- selected communication mode. The network-selected communication mode may be different from the device preferred communication mode. Additionally, or alternatively, the AloT device may receive from the network the assistance information for selecting an Intermediate Node. The AloT may apply the network selected communication mode (e.g., and start network registration or discovery of intermediate node).BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented.

[0047] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0048] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0049] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating a further example RAN and a further example CN that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to an embodiment.

[0050] FIG. 2A is a system diagram showing an example ambient loT direct network communication.

[0051] FIG. 2B is a system diagram showing an example ambient loT indirect network communication.

[0052] FIG. 2C is a system diagram showing an example ambient loT device to WTRU direct communication.

[0053] FIG. 3 is a call flow diagram showing an example initial network configuration of a preferred communication mode.

[0054] FIG. 4 is a call flow diagram showing an example network-initiated communication mode change.

[0055] FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting an example procedure for using indirect communication mode (INCM) while waiting for a public land mobile network (PLMN) to appear.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through thesharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word DFT-Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a CN 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or a “STA”, may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscriptionbased unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a headmounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a WTRU.

[0058] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the basestations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0059] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e. , one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0060] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0061] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed UL Packet Access (HSLIPA).

[0062] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E- UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE -A Pro).

[0063] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access, which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0064] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., an eNB and a gNB).

[0065] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0066] The base station 114b in FIG. 1A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish awireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1 A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115.

[0067] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E- UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0068] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks ownedand / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0069] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1 A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0070] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any subcombination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0071] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1 B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0072] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e g., the base station 114a) over the air interface116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0073] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0074] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11 , for example.

[0075] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic lightemitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), readonly memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is notphysically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0076] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134 and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li- ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0077] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0078] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors, the sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0079] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WRTU 102 may include a halfduplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0080] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 104 may employ an E-UTRA radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 104 may also be in communication with the CN 106.

[0081] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0082] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1 C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0083] The CN 106 shown in FIG. 1 C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0084] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activation / deactivation, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0085] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0086] The SGW 164 may be connected to the PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0087] The ON 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the ON 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional land-line communications devices. For example, the ON 106 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0088] Although the WTRU is described in FIGS. 1 A-1 D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0089] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0090] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have an access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that originates from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and may be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP to be delivered to respective destinations. Traffic between STAs within the BSS may be sent through the AP, for example, where the source STA may send traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. The traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. The peer-to- peer traffic may be sent between (e.g., directly between) the source and destination STAs with a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use an 802.11 e DLS or an 802.11 z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and the STAs (e.g., all of the STAs) within or using the IBSS may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may sometimes be referred to herein as an “ad-hoc” mode of communication.

[0091] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operations, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width via signaling. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by the STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example in in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, the STAs (e.g., every STA), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0092] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0093] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs may support 20MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. The 40 MHz, and / or 80 MHz, channels may be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, the data, after channel encoding, may be passed through a segment parser that may divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing, may be done on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped on to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operation for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0094] Sub 1 GHz modes of operation are supported by 802.11 af and 802.11 ah. The channel operating bandwidths, and carriers, are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11 ah relative to those used in 802.11 n, and 802.11ac. 802.11 af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11 ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to a representative embodiment, 802.11 ah may support Meter Type Control / Machine-Type Communications, such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices may have certain capabilities, for example, limited capabilities including support for (e.g., only support for) certain and / or limited bandwidths. The MTC devices may include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0095] WLAN systems, which may support multiple channels, and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11 n, 802.11 ac, 802.11 af, and 802.11 ah, include a channel which may be designated as the primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by a STA, from among all STAs in operating in a BSS, which supports the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In the example of 802.11 ah, the primary channel may be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC type devices) that support (e.g., only support) a 1 MHz mode, even if the AP, and otherSTAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) settings may depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, for example, due to a STA (which supports only a 1 MHz operating mode), transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency bands may be considered busy even though a majority of the frequency bands remains idle and may be available.

[0096] In the United States, the available frequency bands, which may be used by 802.11 ah, are from 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are from 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are from 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11 ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz depending on the country code.

[0097] FIG. 1 D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 may employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 may also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0098] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, though it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers may be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0099] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframe or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing varying number of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time).

[0100] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration.In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs (e.g., such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c). In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in an unlicensed band. In a non-standalone configuration WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with / connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with / connecting to another RAN such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In the non-standalone configuration, eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may serve as a mobility anchor for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for servicing WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0101] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards User Plane Function (UPF) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 182a, 182b and the like. Asshown in FIG. 1 D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with one another over an Xn interface.

[0102] The ON 115 shown in FIG. 1 D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the ON 115, it will be appreciated that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0103] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N2 interface and may serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, support for network slicing (e.g., handling of different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the registration area, termination of NAS signaling, mobility management, and the like. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b in order to customize CN support for WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the types of services being utilized WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0104] The SMF 183a, 183b may be connected to an AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may also be connected to a UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b may select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating WTRU IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0105] The UPF 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0106] The CN 115 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include, or may communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to a local Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface to the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0107] In view of Figures 1 A-1 D, and the corresponding description of Figures 1 A-1 D, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein with regard to one or more of: WTRU 102a-d, Base Station 114a-b, eNode-B 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNB 180a-c, AMF 182a-ab, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein, may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0108] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wirelesscommunication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or may perform testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0109] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0110] In wireless communication, some user terminals or devices may support one or more “communication mode(s).” A “communication mode” may refer to a way user terminals and / or devices communicate with the network and other user terminals and / or devices. Ambient loT devices may utilize one or more communication modes including but not limited to: ambient loT direct network communication, ambient loT indirect network communication, and / or ambient loT device to wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) direct communication.

[0111] Ambient loT Direct Network Communication may represent communication between the Ambient loT device and the network (e.g., 5G network) with no WTRU conveying information between the Ambient loT device and the network. FIG. 2A depicts an example ambient loT direct network communication 200.

[0112] Ambient loT Indirect Network Communication may represent communication between the Ambient loT device and the network (e.g., 5G network) where there is an Ambient loT capable WTRU helping in conveying information between the Ambient loT device and the network. FIG. 2B depicts an example ambient loT indirect network communication 201 . In “Ambient loT Indirect Network Communication” mode, an “Ambient loT capable WTRU” may also be referred to as an “Intermediate Node”. Both terminologies may be used interchangeably herein.

[0113] Ambient loT device to WTRU direct Communication may represent communication between an Ambient loT device and an Ambient loT capable WTRU with no network entity in the middle. FIG. 2C depicts an example ambient loT device to WTRU direct communication 202.

[0114] Considering the special characteristics of Ambient loT devices (e.g., extremely power constrained, and / or ultra-low complexity), various communication modes may have different pros / cons for Ambient loT (AloT) devices.

[0115] In examples, an AloT device in “direct network communication mode” (DNCM) may engage in long-range wireless communication and / or complex procedures (e.g., Random Access, RRC connection management, Registration, and / or PDU Session Establishment) and thus may consume more power. An AloT device in “indirect network communication mode” (INCM), may communicate over sidelink with an Intermediate Node within its proximity and thus consume much less power.

[0116] In examples, if the Ambient loT device needs to communicate with an Application Server through the wireless network, “direct network communication mode” may incur less data transmission delay than “indirect network communication mode”. This may be critical for some delay-sensitive applications.

[0117] The AloT device’s different mobility states may also have implications for the communication mode being used. For example, if the Ambient loT device is in a mobility state relative to the intermediate node, it may be difficult for the Ambient loT device and the Intermediate Node to maintain stable pairing and communication. Thus the “indirect network communication” mode or “Ambient loT device to WTRU direct Communication” mode may not support long-duration communication.

[0118] When there are many Ambient loT devices deployed in an area, they may be the source of network overload and / or congestion (e.g., if all of them are directly communicating with the network). This pressure can be relatively mitigated if they use “indirect network communication” mode.

[0119] Ambient loT devices may be capable of using two or more communication modes. For example, an AloT device may support both “direct network communication” mode and “indirect network communication” mode. Devices that support two or more communication modes need mechanisms for selecting the proper communication mode,taking into account factors that are important to the devices and their applications, such as power consumption, data latency, and / or mobility state. Herein, the issues of how to configure the communication mode selection strategy at the Ambient loT devices, how to change the communication mode and based on what conditions, and / or how to coordinate the communication mode selection / change between the device and the Intermediate Node and / or network may be considered.

[0120] The network may configure a communication mode for an AloT device. For example, the AloT device may be configured with a communication mode by a network. The AloT device may indicate, to the network, about its capabilities of supporting multiple communication modes and / or a preferred communication mode. The AloT device may receive, from the network, a network-selected communication mode which might be different from the device’s preferred communication mode. The AloT device may also receive assistance information from the network for selecting an Intermediate Node. The AloT device may apply the network selected communication mode (e.g., start network registration and / or discovery of intermediate node).

[0121] A device (e.g., an Ambient loT device) may receive an instruction from the network on what communication mode the device should use. The network may make such a choice based on one or more of the device’s capabilities, the characteristics of the application, the device’s mobility characteristics, the network load and / or congestion status, and / or external application server input. The network may make the choice and send the instruction to the device during the device’s initial interaction with the network (e.g., Registration procedure) The network may change its choice, depending on the factors that impact the choice of the device communication mode, and send new instructions to the device later (e.g., using NAS and / or RRC procedures). The following factors may impact the choice and / or change the choice of the device communication mode: device capabilities, application characteristics, device mobility characteristics, network load and / or congestion status, intermediate node availability to deploy INCM, and / or external application server input.

[0122] Device capabilities may impact the choice and / or indicate that the network should change the choice of the device communication mode. For example, the device may support both DNCM and INCM and / or the device may support one (e.g., only one)communication mode. Devices that support multiple communication modes may require the network to make a determination on which communication mode may be preferred.

[0123] In examples, the device’s energy storage capacity may be taken into consideration for communication mode change. A device that has very limited energy storage capacity may prefer INCM which may require less power consumption, and the communication procedures may be less complex as compared to DNCM.

[0124] In examples, the device’s radio frequency (RF) transmission / receiving power limit / range may be taken into consideration for communication mode change. If For example, if the device supports (e.g., only supports) short-range wireless communication, then INCM may be preferred.

[0125] The device capabilities may be stored in the network as part of subscription information, and / or the device may report its capabilities to the network during its interactions with the network (e.g. Registration procedure and / or other NAS procedures). Additionally, and / or alternatively, the device capabilities may be provided by the external application server and / or service provider (e.g., using Network Exposure Function interfaces).

[0126] Application characteristics may impact the choice and / or indicate that the network should change the choice of the device communication mode. For example, if the application that the device is associated with is delay-sensitive, DNCM may be preferred as it may be associated with less communication delay than INCM.

[0127] In examples, if the application requires frequent downlink (DL) transmissions then direct communication mode may be preferred.

[0128] The type of application associated with the device and the characteristics of the application may be stored in the network as part of subscription information and / or may be provided by the external application server and / or service provider (e.g., using Network Exposure Function interfaces).

[0129] Device mobility characteristics may impact the choice and / or indicate that the network should change the choice of the device communication mode. For example, if the device is stationary, it may be easier to maintain stable pairing and / or communication with an Intermediate Node, and thus INCM may be preferred.Otherwise, DNCM may be preferred.

[0130] The network may determine the device’s mobility status and / or characteristics based on subscription info and / or statistics and / or the inputs from the network analytics (e.g., provided by the network data analytics function (NWDAF)).

[0131] Network load and / or congestion status may impact the choice and / or indicate that the network should change the choice of the device communication mode. In a dense area where numerous devices are deployed, the network may experience congestion and / or overload if two or more (e.g., all) the devices are engaged in direct network communication). Thus, the network may prefer that some devices are put into INCM. The network may change the ratio of the devices using INCM depending on the network overload and / or congestion status.

[0132] Intermediate Node availability to deploy INCM may impact the choice and / or indicate that the network should change the choice of the device communication mode. The network might decide that the registered and detected surrounding ambient loT WTRUs (Intermediate nodes) will not be able to support this mode (e.g., due to limited and / or fully utilized power and / or processing capabilities, and / or not being authorized to act as intermediate node). In such cases, the network may decide that the ambient device cannot change mode at this stage of communication due to intermediate node unavailability.

[0133] External application server input may impact the choice and / or indicate that the network should change the choice of the device communication mode. The network may receive direct inputs from the external application server to apply a certain communication mode for one device and / or a group of devices. The network may respect the application server input, and / or it may make its own decision and override application server input.

[0134] After the network makes the determination of the communication mode, it may communicate its choice to the device (e.g., using NAS and / or RRC procedures). The network may provide information to the device regarding the communication mode. This information may include, for example, a preferred communication mode, whether the device is allowed to change communication mode, whether the device needs to report to the network and / or get authorized by the network for such a change, a valid time duration that the preferred communication mode may apply, and / or one or morefallback communication mode) and / or intermediate nodes if the preferred communication mode fails.

[0135] If the preferred communication mode is INCM, the network may provide further assistance information for the device to discover an Intermediate Node. The assistance information may be directly provided by the core network (e.g., access and mobility management function (AMF)) over the NAS procedure and / or provided by the radio access network (RAN) (e.g., gNB) over the RRC procedure. The assistance information may include, for example, one or more of identifiers of potential Intermediate Nodes, Radio frequency bands for INCM communication, and / or RF transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) transmission power ranges.

[0136] If the device is allowed to change communication mode, it may evaluate various factors and follow a strategy to make its own determination on preferred communication mode and may report the change to the network.

[0137] FIG. 3 shows an example procedure 300 of how an AloT device, and the core network (CN) selects the communication mode. At 302, the AloT device may initiate a Registration Request to the AMF in the network. In the request the AloT device may indicate its CM capabilities. For example, the AloT device may indicate that it supports both DNCM and INCM. At 306, the AloT device may determine a preferred CM (e.g., based on its preconfiguration and / or various factors) and indicate the preferred CM in the request. The AloT device may provide the main reason for the preferred CM (e.g. low energy storage). At 304, the AMF may retrieve the device subscription information from the unified data management (UDM). The device subscription information may include the information that influences the CM selection. For example, the device subscription information may include device capability information such as the energy harvesting efficiency, energy storage capacity, RF transmission power limit / range, AloT applications associated with the device and the characteristics (e.g. delay sensitive) of these applications, and / or device mobility characteristics (e.g. stationary, low-mobility, and / or high mobility). Based on the device’s preferred CM, subscription information retrieved (Step 2), and other information (e.g., network load status), the AMF may determine the network’s preferred CM. At 308, the AMF may inform the RAN about the network preferred CM. For example, it may inform the RAN that INCM has beenselected for the device. It may also provide the device’s location information for the RAN to create INCM assistance information. If the network preferred CM is INCM, the RAN may create INCM assistance information which may include a list of candidate intermediate nodes (INs) at 310. The INCM assistance information may include (e.g., for one or more of the candidate INs) the IN identifier, location, and / or communication spectrum. At 312, the AMF may inform the WTRU about the network preferred and / or selected CM (e.g., in a Registration Accept message). It may also indicate the valid period for the currently selected CM and whether the WTRU may be allowed to make autonomous changes of the CM. Note that the network may inform the WTRU of the INCM assistance information may together with the network preferred and / or selected CM in a single message (e.g., Namf_Communication_N1 N2Transfer from the AMF to the RAN). At 314, the RAN may send the INCM assistance info to the device via an RRC message. The NAS message informing the WTRU about the network preferred and / or selected CM (e.g., in a Registration Accept message) may be combined with the RRC message conveying the INCM assistance info. If the network selected CM is INCM, the device may go to IDLE mode and / or deregister from the network and start discovering and pairing with a IN for future communication at 316.

[0138] FIG. 4 shows an example procedure 400 for changing the CM from the INCM to DNCM. At 402, an AloT device may work in INCM mode and communicate with the network and application server via an IN (e.g., an AloT Capable WTRU). At 404, certain conditions in the network may cause the CN to decide to change the device’s CM mode. In examples, the signaling load in the device’s area may surge and cause congestion in the network. The network may decide to put one or more of the devices in that area to INCM mode. In examples, the CN may receive a feedback message from the application server that the device’s data transmission delay is too high, and the CN may change the device’s CM from INCM to DNCM to improve the delay. At 406, the CN (e.g., AMF) may communicate its CM change decision to the IN that is in connection with the device in INCM mode. At 408, the IN may forward the CM change request to the target AloT device. At 410, the AloT device may disconnect with the IN and start to work in DNCM mode (e.g., initiate Registration with the network).

[0139] A WTRLI may autonomously select and / or change its communication mode. AloT devices may apply a communication mode (CM) selection strategy configured at the device and autonomously select and / or change the CM based on the strategy.

[0140] An AloT device may receive an indication from the network that indicates whether the AloT device is allowed to autonomously select and / or change the communication mode. The AloT device may be preconfigured with and / or may receive from the network one or more strategies for autonomous communication mode selection. The communication mode selection strategy may include one or more factors that are taken into account for the communication mode selection, the respective weights of these factors, which factor is the dominating factor in certain conditions, and / or the threshold values related to one or more of these conditions. The AloT device may apply the communication selection strategy based on one or more of the factors and autonomously select a communication mode. The AloT device may send the selected communication mode to the network for further authorization and may receive from the network the authorization result. The AloT device may evaluate the selected communication mode (e.g., periodically and / or based on being triggered by a change of one or more conditions) and change the communication mode.

[0141] The AloT device may receive an indication from the network of whether it may be allowed to autonomously select and / or change the communication mode. The AloT device may be preconfigured and / or may receive from the network strategies for autonomous communication mode selection. The CM selection strategy may describe what factors are to be taken into account for the communication mode selection, the weight of these factors, which factor is the dominating factor in certain conditions, and / or one or more threshold values related to these conditions. The AloT device may apply the communication mode selection strategy taking into account the factors and may autonomously select a communication mode. The AloT device may send the selected communication mode to the network for further authorization and / or may receive from the network the authorization result. The AloT device may evaluate the selected communication mode (e.g., periodically, and / or triggered by a change of the conditions) and / or change the communication mode.

[0142] If the network has not provided a preferred communication mode, and / or the network has provided a preferred communication mode but allows the device to select and / or change communication modes on its own, the device may autonomously select its preferred communication mode. The device may be preconfigured with, and / or may receive from the network the strategies and / or policies for determining preferred communication mode. A communication mode selection strategy and / or policy may suggest what communication mode should be preferred under certain conditions. Two types of communication mode selection, namely “Contextual communication mode selection / change “and “Trigger-event based communication mode selection / change”, are described herein.

[0143] A device may utilize contextual communication mode selection and / or change. “Contextual Information” and / or “Contextual Status” may refer to a collection of various status / conditions at the device. Contextual Information may include device status information including but not limited to the following elements. Contextual Information may include an availability of wireless network coverage. Contextual Information may include a quality of wireless network coverage (e.g., “weak” or “strong”). One or more wireless signal strength / quality thresholds, (e.g., received signal reference power (RSRP) and / or received signal reference quality (RSRQ) thresholds) may be configured for the device to evaluate the quality of wireless network coverage. - Contextual Information may include a remaining energy storage (e.g., an available percentage of the total energy storage capacity). Contextual Information may include a mobility state (e.g., stationary, low-mobility, and / or high-mobility). Contextual Information may include a size of buffered data. Contextual Information may include an indication of the device being indoor vs in an outdoor scenario.

[0144] Contextual communication mode selection strategy suggests the preferred communication mode given certain contextual status. The strategy may describe what factors are taken into account for the communication mode selection and the weight of these factors, which factor is the dominating factor in certain conditions and / or one or more threshold values related to these conditions. In examples, if wireless network coverage is not available, or the quality of wireless network coverage is weak, INCM may be preferred. In examples, if the remaining energy storage has dropped (e.g.,below a threshold, such as 30% of capacity), INCM may be preferred. In examples, if the device is in a low-mobility state, DNCM may be preferred. In examples, if the size of buffered data exceeds a certain threshold (e.g., 10 kilobytes), DNCM may be preferred.

[0145] The contextual communication mode selection strategy may be provided by the core network and / or the application server. For example, the policy control function (PCF) in the core network may configure the strategy, based on the device subscription information and / or external application server input, and may provide it to the device over NAS signaling (e.g. via AMF).

[0146] When one or more contextual status suggests conflicting communication modes, certain contextual information may be dominant over others. In examples, if there is no wireless network coverage, then INCM may be used regardless of other contextual information. In examples, when the remaining energy is around 50% level and the mobility state is “low mobility”, the mobility state may be the dominating factor. However, when the remaining energy continues to drop below 10% level, the energy level main may become the dominating factor, even if the mobility state is the same.

[0147] The device may re-evaluate the communication state selection strategy periodically, when the contextual status has changed, and / or when the communication is triggered. The device may communicate its preferred communication mode, and / or the main factor (e.g., “energy storage low”) for selecting the communication mode, to the network. The network may authorize and / or confirm the device’s selection and / or it may override the device’s selection and send its response to the device.

[0148] An AloT device that’s been dormant and / or inactive may be activated by various means. In examples, it may be activated upon the expiry of a configured timer. In examples, it may be activated when the harvested energy has exceeded certain level. In examples, it may be activated by receiving a specific radio signal (“activation signal”) from a nearby handheld device (e.g., a “Reader” and / or an AloT capable WTRU) and / or a base station. The selection of the communication mode may depend on how the device is activated.

[0149] The AloT device may identify the type of source of the activation signal from the signal and / or the information carried by the signal. In examples, it may be able to determine that the activation signal source is a nearby handheld device from thespectrum used by the signal and / or the activating device identifiers carried in the signal. In examples, it may be able to determine that the activation signal source is a wireless base station from the spectrum used by the signal and / or the wireless network identifier(s) carried in the signal.

[0150] If the activation signal is from a nearby handheld device or WTRLI, the AloT device may choose INCM and try to establish connection with the activating device / WTRU. If the source of the activation signal is from a wireless base station, the AloT device may choose DNCM and try to establish connection with the wireless network.

[0151] An AloT device may also be triggered to perform communication by downlink broadcast messages, such as paging. The paging may be directly from the wireless network (e.g., the normal paging method), and / or may be relayed by an intermediate node (e.g. an AloT capable WTRLI). The AloT device may be able to determine the method of paging (e.g., “direct” and / or “relayed”) through the information carried in the paging message. For example, if the paging message is relayed, the paging message may include the identifier of the intermediate node. If the paging is relayed, the WTRLI may choose INCM and try to establish connection with the intermediate node that has relayed the paging the If the paging is directly from the wireless network, the WTRLI may choose DNCM and try to establish a connection with the wireless network.

[0152] A WTRLI may utilize application-configured communication mode(s). the network may instruct the AloT device to use a specific CM for one or more applications.

[0153] an AloT device may receive from the network the policies and / or rules that map one or more applications to a specific communication mode. The AloT device may apply the policies and / or rules and select a specific communication mode for the corresponding application.

[0154] Applications may be associated with a specific communication mode. For example, an AloT application that uses a handheld reader to read product information in a warehouse may require the AloT devices (e.g., tags on the products) to work in INCM mode. However, when the goods are in transportation, the associated location tracking application may require the AloT devices to work in DNCM mode.

[0155] The core network (e.g., the PCF) may provide the mapping between the application operation modes and the specific communication modes (e.g., as part of the UE / WTRU route selection policy (URSP) rules) and / or provide it to the AloT devices. If such mapping is available in the device, the device may select the communication mode according to the application. In examples, the application may indicate that it is operating in a mobile mode, and this mode setting may be considered part of the URSP Rule traffic descriptor and / or trigger the WTRU to attempt to use direct communication with a bases station. In examples, the application may indicate that it is operating in a stationary reporting mode, and this mode setting may be considered part of the URSP Rule traffic descriptor and may trigger the WTRU to attempt to use indirect communication with an intermediate node to send a report to the network.

[0156] AloT devices may utilize location and / or group-based CM selection. For example, an AloT device may perform CM selection based on location and / or a device group. AloT devices may use a specific CM at certain locations and / or for a certain device group.

[0157] An AloT device may receive information from the network (e.g., via a unicast, broadcast, and / or paging message) that a specific CM may be used at a location. In examples, the location may be identified by cell identifier and / or area identifier. The AloT device may receive information from the network (e.g., via a unicast, broadcast and / or paging message), that a specific CM may be used for a device group; the device group may for example be identified by group identifier. The AloT device may use the received information to apply a configuration and may use a specific CM for the location and / or the device group.

[0158] Use cases such as warehousing and / or logistics may require the Communication Mode (CM) to be determined by the AloT device based on its location and / or according to its group membership.

[0159] In examples, in warehousing, storage-units (e.g., bins, boxes, and / or pallets) may be used to store goods. Storage-units may be stored in rows and / or stacked on several levels of a racking systems. There may be several rows of racks within a warehouse, and thousands of AloT devices may be closely located in a dense environment. In suchan environment, it may be beneficial that the communication mode be determined at the AloT device based on the AloT device location.

[0160] In examples, a group of parts and / or equipment (e.g., including AloT devices) may be formed and / or moved through a large facility, plant, and / or worksite. The group may appear to the network as independent AloT devices. There might be a preference for a group of AloT devices to use the same communication mode (e.g., since the group is co-located). The communication mode may further be configured for the group as the group moves through the facility, plant, and / or worksite.

[0161] The paging mechanism of the 5GS may be used to provide Communication Mode (CM) mapping information to the AloT devices. 5GS may use the 5GS paging mechanism to broadcast CM information to one or more AloT devices concurrently. The CM information may include locations (e g., cell identifiers, area identifiers, and / or group identifiers. The individual location and / or group identifier may be associated with different CM information such as a CM type, a CM intermediate node, and / or CM configuration parameters. The association between locations and / or group identifiers may be considered respectively as CM location information mapping and / or as CM group information mapping.

[0162] An AloT device may be configured for public land mobile network (PLMN) selection enhancement. The AloT device may switch to indirect network communications mode (INCM) when the AloT device is in a “waiting for PLMNs to appear” state and may exchange information with the network in INCM. The “waiting for PLMNs to appear” state may also be referred to as a “PLMN waiting state”. Both terminologies may be used interchangeably herein.

[0163] The AloT device may receive enhanced PLMN selection configuration. The enhanced configuration may indicate that the device may use INCM while in a “waiting for PLMNs to appear” state. The enhanced configuration may include a key for encrypting information exchanged in INCM. Additionally, and / or alternatively, the enhanced configuration may include a token and / or value for the AloT device to include in sent information and / or messages. The AloT device may enter “waiting for PLMNs to appear” state and may determine to switch to INCM and communicate with the network in INCM. The AloT device may send encrypted messages including the configuredtoken and / or value to the network using INCM while in “waiting for PLMNs to appear” state. The AloT device may determine to exit INCM and remain in “waiting for PLMNs to appear” state.

[0164] A WTRLI may receive, and / or be configured with, "HPLMN Selector with Access Technology", "User Controlled PLMN Selector with Access Technology", "Forbidden PLMNs", "Equivalent HPLMN", and / or a "forbidden PLMNs" list. This information may be received (e.g., via NAS messaging) and may be stored in the WTRU’s subscriber identity module (SIM). The WTRU may use this information in a PLMN Selection procedure.

[0165] When a WTRU performs PLMN Selection in Automatic mode, the WTRU may enter a state where the WTRU is waiting for “PLMNs to appear”. In this state, the WTRU may detect no allowable and available PLMNs. Thus, the WTRU may be in a state where it is waiting to detect an allowable and available PLMN, so that the WTRU can attempt to register with the allowable and available PLMN. In this state, the WTRU may have no network connectivity.

[0166] The 5G System may be enhanced so that the WTRU can receive an indication that, when the WTRU is in the “PLMNs to appear” state, the WTRU may attempt to communicate in INCM mode. Communicating in INCM mode would give the WTRU the ability to send an indication to the network to make the network aware of the fact that it cannot detect an allowable and available PLMN. Furthermore, the information in the message that is sent from the WTRU in INCM mode may be used by the network to determine the location of the WTRU. An example procedure is shown in FIG. 5.

[0167] FIG. 5 shows an example procedure 500 for using INCM while waiting for a PLMN to appear. At 502, a WTRU may receive Enhanced PLMN Selection Configuration. The Enhanced PLMN Selection Configuration may be stored in the WTRU’s SIM and may include one or more of the following parameters. The Enhanced PLMN Selection Configuration may include an indication that the WTRU can use INCM if the WTRU can find no allowable and available PLMN and is waiting for PLMNs to appear. The Enhanced PLMN Selection Configuration may include a time value that can be used by the WTRU to determine how long to wait while in the “waiting for PLMNs to appear” state before attempting to communicate in INCM. The Enhanced PLMNSelection Configuration may include a key that can be used to encrypt, and / or conceal, the content of any message that is sent by the WTRU when the WTRU is in the “waiting for PLMNs to appear” state. The Enhanced PLMN Selection Configuration may include a destination address for the WTRU to send messages to when the WTRU is in INCM and in the “waiting for PLMNs to appear” state. The Enhanced PLMN Selection Configuration may include a value that WTRU should include in any message that is sent from the WTRU when the WTRU is in INCM and in the “waiting for PLMNs to appear” state.

[0168] At 504, the WTRU may begin a PLMN Selection procedure. The PLMN Selection procedure may be triggered by the WTRU powering on. During the PLMN Selection procedure, the WTRU may determine that no allowable and available PLMN can be found. Not finding an allowable and available PLMN may trigger the WTRU to transition to the “Wait for PLMNs to appear” state.

[0169] At 506, the WTRU may wait in the “Wait for PLMNs to appear” state. The WTRU may use a time value (e.g., a time value that was received in the enhanced PLMN selection configuration) to determine how long to stay in the “Wait for PLMNs to appear” state. At 508, the WTRU may use the time value to determine when to attempt to send a message to the network in INCM.

[0170] The WTRU may send a message to the network in INCM. The WTRU may use a key (e.g., a key that was received in the enhanced PLMN selection configuration) to encrypt all or part of the message. The message that is sent from the WTRU may indicate that the message should be sent to a destination address (e.g., the destination address that was received in the enhanced PLMN selection configuration). The message that is sent from the WTRU may include a value (e.g., the value that was received by the WTRU in the enhanced PLMN selection configuration). The benefit of the WTRU including the value that was received in the enhanced PLMN selection configuration in the message and using the key that was received in the enhanced PLMN selection configuration to encrypt the message is that the network can use the value and the fact that the message was encrypted with the proper key to help determine that the message is authentic. In examples, it may not be possible for theWTRU and the network to exchange multiple messages in INCM, and thus, other types of authentication procedures may not be suitable when the WTRU is in INCM.

[0171] The message that is sent from the WTRU may also include an indication that the WTRU is not able to find an allowable and available PLMN. Additionally, and / or alternatively, the value that was received in the enhanced PLMN selection configuration and / or the message itself may serve as an indication to the network that the WTRU is not able to find an allowable and available PLMN.

[0172] The message that is sent from the WTRU may also include an indication that the WTRU is not able to find an allowable and available PLMN. Additionally, and / or alternatively, the value that was received in the enhanced PLMN selection configuration and / or the message itself may serve as an indication to the network that the WTRU is not able to find an allowable and available PLMN.

[0173] The message that is sent from the WTRU may also include one or more PLMN ID(s) that the WTRU can detect that are not an allowable and available PLMN. The network can use this information to determine how the WTRU’s "Equivalent HPLMN" may be updated at a later time.

[0174] The message that is sent from the WTRU may be sent in INCM. The network may use the location of the intermediate node to help determine the approximate location of the WTRU.

[0175] At 510, the WTRU may determine to return to the “Wait for PLMNs to appear” state. This determination may be triggered when the WTRU successfully sends the message in INCM. Additionally, and / or alternatively, this determination may be triggered when the WTRU unsuccessfully attempts to send the message in INCM a number of times, that the WTRU may send the message to the network in INCM and determine to return to the “Wait for PLMNs to appear” state while the WTRU is in the “Wait for PLMNs to appear” state.

[0176] When the WTRU returns the to “Wait for PLMNs to appear” state, the WTRU may restart the timer to determine when the WTRU should again attempt to send the message in INCM.

Claims

CLAIMS:1 . A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), comprising: a processor configured to: determine a preferred communication mode based on one or more of contextual information of the WTRU, receipt of an activation signal, receipt of a paging message, an application type, a location of the WTRU, or a group that includes the WTRU; send a first message to a network, wherein the first message indicates that the WTRU is capable of supporting multiple communication modes and the preferred communication mode; receive a second message from the network, wherein the second message indicates a network-selected communication mode; receive a third message from the network, wherein the third message comprises assistance information; select an intermediate node based on the assistance information and the network-selected communication mode being an indirect communication mode; and apply the network-selected communication mode.

2. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the contextual information comprises one or more of remaining energy storage of the WTRU, a mobility state of the WTRU, or a size of buffered data.

3. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the first message comprises a registration request message.

4. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the second message comprises a registration accept message.

5. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the assistance information for selecting an intermediate node comprises one or more of identifiers of potential intermediate nodes, radio frequency bands for communication, or transmission power ranges.

6. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to initiate network registration to apply the network-selected communication mode, wherein the network- selected communication mode is a direct communication mode.

7. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to initiate discovery of the intermediate node to apply the network-selected communication mode, wherein the network-selected communication mode is an indirect communication mode.

8. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to: receive a change request from the intermediate node; and initiate registration with the network in response to the change request.

9. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the network-selected communication mode is different from the preferred communication mode.

10. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the multiple communication modes comprise a direct communication with the network mode and an indirect communication via an intermediate node mode.

11. A method for configuring a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: determining a preferred communication mode based on one or more of contextual information of the WTRU, receipt of an activation signal, receipt of a paging message, an application type, a location of the WTRU, or a group that includes the WTRU;sending a first message to a network, wherein the first message indicates that the WTRU is capable of supporting multiple communication modes and the preferred communication mode; receiving a second message from the network, wherein the second message indicates a network-selected communication mode; receiving a third message from the network, wherein the third message comprises assistance information; selecting an intermediate node based on the assistance information and the network-selected communication mode being an indirect communication mode; and applying the network-selected communication mode.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the contextual information comprises one or more of remaining energy storage of the WTRU, a mobility state of the WTRU, or a size of buffered data.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first message comprises a registration request message.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second message comprises a registration accept message.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the assistance information for selecting an intermediate node comprises one or more of identifiers of potential intermediate nodes, radio frequency bands for communication, or transmission power ranges.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising initiating network registration to apply the network-selected communication mod, wherein the network-selected communication mode is a direct communication mode.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising initiating discovery of the intermediate node to apply the network-selected communication mode, wherein the network-selected communication mode is an indirect communication mode.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising: receiving, by the WTRU, a change request from the intermediate node; and initiating registration with the network in response to the change request.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the network-selected communication mode is different from the preferred communication mode.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the multiple communication modes comprise direct communication with the network and indirect communication via an intermediate node.

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