Methods, apparatus and computer-readable media relating to user equipment capability reporting

Abstract

An example method performed by a UE for indicating its capabilities to a communication network comprises transmitting (304), to a network node of the communication network, a message comprising an indication of the UE's capabilities The message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE's capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE's capabilities when configured with dual connectivity. The first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value. For a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

Description

METHODS, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIA RELATING TO USER EQUIPMENT CAPABILITY REPORTINGTECHNICAL FIELD[0] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to communication networks, and particularly to methods, apparatus and computer-readable media relating to User Equipment (UE) capability reporting.BACKGROUND[1] For New Radio (NR), the UE capabilities applicable for a Band Combination (BC) in Carrier Aggregation (CA) are given in CA-ParametersNR, as depicted in the ASN.1 excerpts from 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) TS 38.331 vl8.0.0 below (emphasis added):Bandcombination : := SEQUENCE { bandList SEQUENCE (SIZE( 1. .maxSimultaneousBands ) ) OF BandParameters, feature Setcombination Feature SetCombinationld, ca -Paramet er sEUTRA CA- Parameter sEUTRAOPTIONAL, ca-ParametersNR CA-ParametersNROPTIONAL, mrdc-Parameters MRDC-ParametersOPTIONAL, supportedBandwidthCombinationSet BIT STRING (SIZE (1..32) )OPTIONAL, powerClass-vl530 ENUMERATED {pc2}OPTIONAL 1 BandCombination-vl540 : : = SEQUENCE { bandList-vl540 SEQUENCE (SIZE( 1. .maxSimultaneousBands ) ) OF BandParameters-vl540, ca-ParametersNR-vl540 CA-ParametersNR-vl540OPTIONAL 1 CA-ParametersNR : := SEQUENCE { dummy ENUMERATED{supported} OPTIONAL, parallelTxSRS-PUCCH-PUSCH ENUMERATED{supported} OPTIONAL, parallelTxPRACH-SRS-PUCCH-PUSCH ENUMERATED{supported} OPTIONAL, simultaneousRxTxInterBandCA ENUMERATED{supported} OPTIONAL,simultaneousRxTxSUL ENUMERATED{supported} OPTIONAL, dif fNumerologyAcrossPUCCH-Group ENUMERATED{supported} OPTIONAL, dif fNumerologyWithinPUCCH-GroupSmallerSCS ENUMERATED{supported} OPTIONAL, supportedNumberTAG ENUMERATED {n2, n3, n4 } OPTIONAL,}CA-ParametersNR-yl540 : := SEQUENCE { simultaneousSRS-AssocCSI-RS-AHCC INTEGER(5. .32) OPTIONAL, cs i - RS -IM- Re cept io nForFeedbackPer BandComb SEQUENCE{ maxNumberSimultaneousNZP-CSI-RS-ActBWP-AllCC INTEGER (1. .64) OPTIONAL, totalNumberPortsSimultaneousNZP-CSI-RS-ActBWP-AHCC INTEGER (2. .256) OPTIONAL} OPTIONAL, simultaneousCS I -Reports Al ICC INTEGER(5. .32) OPTIONAL, dual PA-Ar chi tecture ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL }[2] Therefore, if the UE would like to indicate support of e.g. simultaneous Receive (RX) / Transmit (TX) for Supplementary Uplink (SUL) in a certain band combination, the UE should include simultaneousRxTxSUL (under CA-ParametersNR) for that band combination.[3] The UE capabilities applicable for a BC in NR Dual Connectivity (DC) (NR-DC) are given in CA-ParametersNRDC, as depicted in the ASN.l excerpts from TS 38.331 vl8.0.0 below:CA-ParametersNRDC : := SEQUENCE { ca-ParametersNR-ForDC CA-ParametersNROPTIONAL, ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl540 CA- Paramet er sNR-V1540 OPTIONAL, ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl550 CA- Paramet er sNR-V1550 OPTIONAL, ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl560 CA- Paramet er sNR-V1560 OPTIONAL, f eatureSetCombinationDCFeatureSetCombinationld OPTIONAL}CA-ParametersNRDC-vl5gO : := SEQUENCE { ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl5gO CA-ParametersNR- v!5g0 OPTIONAL}[4] The Information Element (IE) CA-ParametersNRDC contains fields named ca- ParametersNR-ForDC, which instantiate the NR CA parameters (i.e. it contains the same fields as the NR CA corresponding branches). The field ca-ParametersNR-ForDC also has the following “NR-DC rule”.Details about the DC-rule[5] It will herein be described how a UE applies a “DC-rule”. This rule is the current behaviour of the 3 GPP specifications for setting UE capabilities. The rule pertains to situations where the UE, for a certain band combination, supports both Carrier Aggregation and Dual Connectivity. Note that the UE can include two containers, one container which indicates the UE’s capabilities when configured with CA for a band combination, and another container which indicates the UE’s capabilities when configured with DC for the band combination. The DC rule stipulates that if the UE supports (or does not support) a feature X when configured with CA for a band combination, the UE will indicate support of the feature in the CA-related container and if the UE also supports (or also does not support) feature X when configured with DC for the band combination, the UE will omit the DC-related container. This rule has the benefit that unnecessary UE capability signalling can be avoided since the UE would not have to repeat its support of feature X if the support (or non-support) of feature X is the same when configured with DC as when configured with CA.[6] Note, however: the “DC rule” is per feature. This means that if the DC-rule says that the UE should omit the DC-container from the point of view of feature X, the UE may anyway include the DC-container if the UE’s support of feature Y is different when configured with DC compared to when configured for CA.[7] The “DC-rule” is described as follows in 3GPP TS 38.331 vl8.0.0 (“Principle #1” and “Principle #2” added for ease of reference below): ca-ParametersNR-forDC (with and without suffix)If this field is present for a band combination, it reports the UE capabilities when NR-DC is configured with the band combination. If a version of this field (i.e., with or without suffix) is absent for a band combination, the corresponding ca-ParametersNR field version in BandCombination is applicable to the UE configured with NR-DC for the band combination [Principle #1], If a version of this field (i.e., with or without suffix) is present for a band combination but does not contain any parameters, the UE does not support thecorresponding field version when configured with NR-DC for the band combination [Principle #2],[8] As an example of Principle #1 above, if the UE supports for ca-ParametersNR-ForDC- vl540 the same capabilities as for NR-CA (i.e. in CA-ParametersNR-vl540), the field ca- ParametersNR-ForDC-vl540 must be absent. If the UE supports different capabilities between ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl540 and CA-ParametersNR-vl540 (e.g. the UE may support simultaneousSRS-AssocCSI-RS-AllCC for NR-DC but not for CA), then the UE should include ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl540 with the capabilities supported for NR-DC. In this example, the UE would include simultaneousSRS-AssocCSI-RS-AllCC in the ca- ParametersNR-ForDC-vl540, but exclude simultaneousSRS-AssocCSI-RS-AllCC in ca- ParametersNR-vl 540.[9] As an example of Principle #2 above, if the UE includes ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl 540 but no fields therein, then it implies that none of the capabilities that can be reported via CA- ParametersNR-vl540 are supported for NR-DC. But it may still mean that the UE supports the capabilities for CA (in which case the UE would include ca-ParametersNR-vl540 and set some of the capabilities therein).SUMMARY

[0010] There currently exist certain challenge(s). Currently, some versions of per BC parameters for NR-DC are missing. For instance, the band combination version 16.9.0 only contains NR- CA capabilities, as shown by the below where ca-ParametersNR-vl690 is present, but there is no corresponding ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl690:BandCombination-vl 690 : : = SEQUENCE { ca-ParametersNR-vl 690 CA-ParametersNR-vl 690OPT IONAL 1

[0011] Therefore, it is not clear how the UE can indicate those capabilities for NR-DC.

[0012] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0013] The present disclosure provides three embodiments which enable the UE to indicate support for DC-cases features where there is currently no DC-indication defined:1. UE applies the “DC rule” for some features, but not for other features.2. UE has two CA-related indications and sets a first to non-support and the second to support. And the Network (NW) ignores the first indication.3. UE adds two band combinations for the same combinations of bands. One band combination where a feature X is indicated supported but DC is not supported, and another band combination where feature X is indicated as not supported but where DC is supported.

[0014] In a first aspect, the disclosure provides a method performed by a user equipment (UE) for indicating its capabilities to a communication network. The method comprises: transmitting, to a network node of the communication network, a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities. The message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity. The first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value. For a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

[0015] In a second aspect, the disclosure provides a method performed by a network node in a communication network for obtaining user equipment capabilities. The method comprises: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities. The message is configurable by the UE to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity. The first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value. For a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

[0016] Apparatus, computer programs and computer program products for performing the methods set out herein are also provided.

[0017] Certain embodiments may provide one or more technical advantage(s), by enabling the UE to indicate support for capabilities in NR-DC where currently only support for those capabilities in NR-CA is currently possible.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] For a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how it may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0019] Figures 1 to 6 are flow charts illustrating methods in accordance with some embodiments;

[0020] Fig. 7 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0021] Fig. 8 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0022] Fig. 9 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0023] Fig. 10 is a block diagram of a host;

[0024] Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; andDETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0026] The embodiments of the disclosure have been described in the context of capabilities supported per BC (for NR-DC and NR-CA). However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments are also applicable to other features supported in other granularities, e.g., per band, per bandwidth, per UE and / or per group of UEs.

[0027] The embodiments are mostly described based on “fields”, as a reference to ASN.l structure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments can also be applied to IES, and / or any other message or parts of a message.

[0028] The disclosure sets out methods by which a UE may determine how to set capability indications for features that the UE supports and features that the UE does not support. Some features will be referred to as “non-missing features”. In the context of the present disclosure,these are features with capability indications added or defined for both a CA-container and a DC-container when the feature was introduced to the technical specifications. A “missing feature” on the other hand is a feature where the DC-indication for a feature was not added when the feature was introduced.

[0029] Figure 1 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 1 may be performed by a UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE 712 or UE 800 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 8 respectively). The reader’s attention is also directed towards Figure 2, which is a flow chart of a corresponding method performed by a network node, and the following description which provides further detail regarding the methods of Figures 1 and 2.

[0030] The method begins in step 102, in which the UE generates a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities. In step 104, the UE transmits the message to a network node of the communication network (e.g., a Radio Access Network (RAN) node, such as a serving base station for the UE).

[0031] The message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity. In this context, the term “configurable” is used to indicate that the UE determines whether to include the first container and / or the second container in order to indicate its capabilities to the communication network. Thus the message is configurable by the UE. The “containers” may comprise or correspond to IES, such as CA- ParametersNR (for the first container) and CA-ParametersNRDC (for the second container).

[0032] For a first parameter, the presence of a field and one or more values in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and one or more values in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. For example, step 102 may comprise the UE, responsive to a determination that the same values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity, including the field and values for the first parameter in the first container, and omitting the second container or omitting the field and values for the first parameter from the second container.

[0033] For a second parameter, the presence of a field and values in the first container, and the presence of a field and the same values in the second container indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrieraggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. For example, step 102 may comprise the UE, responsive to a determination that the same values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity, including the field and values for the second parameter in the first container, and including the field and values for the second parameter in the second container.

[0034] Thus, the UE applies a first methodology to indicate its capabilities to the communication network in respect of the first parameter, and a second methodology to indicate its capabilities to the communication network in respect of the second parameter. The first methodology may comprise or correspond to the “DC rule” as described above. The second methodology may comprise or corresponding to a different approach in which the DC rule does not apply. For example, the second container (for the DC capabilities) may be included in the message regardless of whether the DC capabilities are the same as or different to the corresponding CA capabilities.

[0035] Thus, use of the DC rule for the first parameter may further imply that the presence of a field and one or more values in the first container, and the absence of a field in the second container indicate to the communication network that the values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the UE does not support the first parameter when configured with dual connectivity. Additionally or alternatively, the presence of a field and one or more first values in the first container, and the presence of a field with one or more second values, different to the one or more first values, in the second container may indicate to the communication network that the one or more first values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the one or more second values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

[0036] The use of a different methodology to the DC rule for the second parameter may further imply that the presence of a field and one or more third values in the first container, and the presence of a field and one or more fourth values, different to the one or more third values, in the second container indicate to the communication network that the one or more third values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the one or more fourth values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. Here it is to be noted that this embodiment is similar to the one described above where the values for the second parameter when configured with CA and when configured with DC are the same. The first and second container are included in the message in either case, which contrasts with the approach for the first parameter where the secondcontainer is omitted if the values are the same. Additionally or alternatively, the presence of a field and values in the first container, and the absence of a field and values in the second container, may indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the UE does not support the second parameter when configured with dual connectivity.

[0037] The first parameter and / or second parameter may relate to support of an access stratum feature, and the values for the first and / or parameters may comprise one of a first value indicating support of the access stratum feature and a second value indicating no support of the access stratum feature. The access stratum feature may indicate the capability of the UE to transmit communications to or receive communications from a network node (such as a base station, etc). Such access stratum features may include the capability to transmit and / or receive on particular frequency bands or combinations of bands, the capability to transmit and / or receive simultaneously on particular frequency bands of combinations of bands, the capability to measure and / or report cross Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) groups, etc.

[0038] In some embodiments, the first parameter is defined in communication standards (e.g., 3 GPP standards) implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container and the second container. For example, the first parameter may be a “non-missing feature”. The second parameter may be defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container but not defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the second container. For example, the second parameter may be a “missing feature”. As noted above, the first and second parameters may define UE capabilities on various levels of granularity. For example, the first and second parameters may define UE capabilities for one or more of: a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular user equipment, a particular group of user equipments.

[0039] Figure 2 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 2 may be performed by a network node (e.g. the network node 710 or network node 900 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 9 respectively).

[0040] The method begins in step 202, in which the network node receives, from a UE, a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities. In step 204, the network node interprets the message to determine the UE’s capabilities. Note that, in some embodiments, the network node may only receive the message, and forward the contents on toanother network node (a RAN node or a core network node) that interprets the indications in the message to determine the UE’s capabilities.

[0041] The message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity. In this context, the term “configurable” is used to indicate that the UE determines whether to include the first container and / or the second container in order to indicate its capabilities to the communication network. Thus, the message is configurable by the UE. The “containers” may comprise or correspond to IES, such as CA- ParametersNR (for the first container) and CA-ParametersNRDC (for the second container).

[0042] For a first parameter, the presence of a field and one or more values in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and one or more values in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. For example, step 204 may comprise the network node, responsive to a determination that the field and values for the first parameter are included in the first container, and the second container is omitted or the field and values for the first parameter are omitted, from the second container, determining that the same values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

[0043] For a second parameter, the presence of a field and values in the first container, and the presence of a field and the same values in the second container indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. For example, step 204 may comprise the network node, responsive to a determination that the field and values for the second parameter are included in the first container, and the field and values for the second parameter are included in the second container, determining that the same values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

[0044] Thus, a first methodology is applied by the UE to indicate its capabilities to the communication network in respect of the first parameter, and a second methodology is applied to indicate its capabilities to the communication network in respect of the second parameter. The first methodology may comprise or correspond to the “DC rule” as described above. The second methodology may comprise or corresponding to a different approach in which the DCrule does not apply. For example, the second container (for the DC capabilities) may be included in the message regardless of whether the DC capabilities are the same as or different to the corresponding CA capabilities.

[0045] Thus, use of the DC rule for the first parameter may further imply that the presence of a field and one or more values in the first container, and the absence of a field in the second container indicate to the communication network that the values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the UE does not support the first parameter when configured with dual connectivity. Additionally or alternatively, the presence of a field and one or more first values in the first container, and the presence of a field with one or more second values, different to the one or more first values, in the second container may indicate to the communication network that the one or more first values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the one or more second values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

[0046] The use of a different methodology to the DC rule for the second parameter may further imply that the presence of a field and one or more third values in the first container, and the presence of a field and one or more fourth values, different to the one or more third values, in the second container indicate to the communication network that the one or more third values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the one or more fourth values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. Here it is to be noted that this embodiment is similar to the one described above where the values for the second parameter when configured with CA and when configured with DC are the same. The first and second container are included in the message in either case, which contrasts with the approach for the first parameter where the second container is omitted if the values are the same. Additionally or alternatively, the presence of a field and values in the first container, and the absence of a field and values in the second container, may indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the UE does not support the second parameter when configured with dual connectivity.

[0047] The first parameter and / or second parameter may relate to support of an access stratum feature, and the values for the first and / or parameters may comprise one of a first value indicating support of the access stratum feature and a second value indicating no support of the access stratum feature. The access stratum feature may indicate the capability of the UE to transmit communications to or receive communications from a network node (such as a basestation, etc). Such access stratum features may include the capability to transmit and / or receive on particular frequency bands or combinations of bands, the capability to transmit and / or receive simultaneously on particular frequency bands of combinations of bands, the capability to measure and / or report cross PUCCH groups, etc.

[0048] In some embodiments, the first parameter is defined in communication standards (e.g., 3 GPP standards) implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container and the second container. For example, the first parameter may be a “non-missing feature”. The second parameter may be defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container but not defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the second container. For example, the second parameter may be a “missing feature”. As noted above, the first and second parameters may define UE capabilities on various levels of granularity. For example, the first and second parameters may define UE capabilities for one or more of: a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular user equipment, a particular group of user equipments.

[0049] Further detail regarding the solution described with respect to Figures 1 and 2 is set out below.

[0050] One concept behind this solution is that, for a “missing feature”, the missing (DC) field is added (e.g., to communication standards implemented by the UE). An example of how such an addition can be done is shown below where a container ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-v 16xy is added. This container is of type / IE CA-ParametersNR-v 16xy which carries an indication of support for an access stratum feature “X” (emphasis added):BandCombination-vl 8xy : : = SEQUENCE { ca - Paramet er sNRDC-vl 8 xy CA- Parameter sNRDC- vl 8xy OPT IONAL}CA-ParametersNRDC-vl 8xy : : = SEQUENCE { ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-yl 6xy CA-ParametersNR- v! 6xy OPTIONAL , ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl 8xy CA- Paramet er sNR- vl 8xy OPT IONAL}

[0051] In this aspect of the disclosure, the UE uses a first approach to indicate its capabilities for a feature X (e.g., non-missing feature). The UE uses a second approach to indicate its capabilities for a feature Y (e.g., a missing feature).

[0052] The first approach is that the UE applies “DC rule”, i.e. omitting DC-container if the support (non-support) is the same. Table 1 is an example showing how the UE would provide signalling for feature X depending on its support of the feature in CA and DC.TABLE 1:

[0053] The second approach (shown in Table 2) is that the UE does not apply the “DC rule”. This means that the UE will include the DC-container for a band combination regardless of if the UE’s support of the feature Y is same in CA and DC (i.e. supported both in CA and DC, both not supported when configured in CA and DC).TABLE 2:

[0054] Note: In both the above examples (tables) above, it is assumed that the UE supports CA and DC for the band combination. If the UE does not support DC in a band combination, the UE may not include any ca-ParametersNRDC field since UE only includes ca- ParametersNRDC when the UE supports DC.

[0055] Figure 3 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 3 may be performed by a UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE 712 or UE 800 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 8 respectively). The reader’s attention is also directed towards Figure 4, which is a flow chart of a corresponding method performed by a network node, and the following description which provides further detail regarding the methods of Figures 3 and 4.

[0056] The method begins at step 302, in which the UE generates a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities. In step 304, the UE transmits the message to a network node of the communication network (e.g., a RAN node, such as a serving base station for the UE).

[0057] The message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity. In this context, the term “configurable” is used to indicate that the UE determines whether to include the first container and / or the second container in order to indicate its capabilities to the communication network. Thus, the message isconfigurable by the UE. The “containers” may comprise or correspond to IES, such as CA- ParametersNR (for the first container) and CA-ParametersNRDC (for the second container).

[0058] The first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value. For a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

[0059] The null or arbitrary value may comprise one of a first value indicating support for the access stratum feature; and a second value indicating no support for the access stratum feature. In any case, this value may be ignored by the network when interpreting the contents of the message.

[0060] The first parameter may be defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a first version of communication standards (e.g., 3 GPP standards) implementable by the user equipment; the second parameter may be defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a second, later version of the communication standards implemented by the user equipment.

[0061] The first parameter and / or second parameter may relate to support of an access stratum feature, and the values for the first and / or parameters may comprise one of a first value indicating support of the access stratum feature and a second value indicating no support of the access stratum feature. The access stratum feature may indicate the capability of the UE to transmit communications to or receive communications from a network node (such as a base station, etc). Such access stratum features may include the capability to transmit and / or receive on particular frequency bands or combinations of bands, the capability to transmit and / or receive simultaneously on particular frequency bands of combinations of bands, the capability to measure and / or report cross PUCCH groups, etc.

[0062] In some embodiments, the first parameter is defined in communication standards (e.g., 3 GPP standards) implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container and the second container. For example, the first parameter may be a “non-missing feature”. The second parameter may be defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container but not defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the second container. For example, the secondparameter may be a “missing feature”. As noted above, the first and second parameters may define UE capabilities on various levels of granularity. For example, the first and second parameters may define UE capabilities for one or more of: a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular user equipment, a particular group of user equipments.

[0063] Figure 4 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 4 may be performed by a network node (e.g. the network node 710 or network node 900 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 9 respectively).

[0064] The method begins at step 402, in which the network node receives, from a UE, a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities. In step 404, the network node interprets the message to determine the UE’s capabilities. Note that, in some embodiments, the network node may only receive the message, and forward the contents on to another network node (a RAN node or a core network node) that interprets the indications in the message to determine the UE’s capabilities.

[0065] The message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity. In this context, the term “configurable” is used to indicate that the UE determines whether to include the first container and / or the second container in order to indicate its capabilities to the communication network. Thus, the message is configurable by the UE. The “containers” may comprise or correspond to IES, such as CA- ParametersNR (for the first container) and CA-ParametersNRDC (for the second container).

[0066] The first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value. For a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. In other words, in step 404 the network interprets the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, as an indication that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. In interpreting the second parameter, thenetwork node may apply the “DC rule” as defined above. The first parameter (and / or the null or arbitrary value) may be ignored by the network when interpreting the message in step 404.

[0067] The null or arbitrary value may comprise one of a first value indicating support for the access stratum feature; and a second value indicating no support for the access stratum feature. In any case, this value may be ignored by the network when interpreting the contents of the message.

[0068] The first parameter may be defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a first version of communication standards (e.g., 3 GPP standards) implementable by the user equipment; the second parameter may be defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a second, later version of the communication standards implemented by the user equipment.

[0069] The first parameter and / or second parameter may relate to support of an access stratum feature, and the values for the first and / or parameters may comprise one of a first value indicating support of the access stratum feature and a second value indicating no support of the access stratum feature. The access stratum feature may indicate the capability of the UE to transmit communications to or receive communications from a network node (such as a base station, etc). Such access stratum features may include the capability to transmit and / or receive on particular frequency bands or combinations of bands, the capability to transmit and / or receive simultaneously on particular frequency bands of combinations of bands, the capability to measure and / or report cross PUCCH groups, etc.

[0070] In some embodiments, the first parameter is defined in communication standards (e.g., 3 GPP standards) implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container and the second container. For example, the first parameter may be a “non-missing feature”. The second parameter may be defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container but not defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the second container. For example, the second parameter may be a “missing feature”. As noted above, the first and second parameters may define UE capabilities on various levels of granularity. For example, the first and second parameters may define UE capabilities for one or more of a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular user equipment, a particular group of user equipments.

[0071] Further detail regarding the solution described with respect to Figures 3 and 4 is set out below.

[0072] One concept behind this solution is that a new field is included for both NR-DC (i.e. a version of ca-ParametersNRDC) and NR-CA capabilities (i.e. a version of ca-ParametersNR). This solution may be implemented in at least two ways, e.g., instantiating existing IES for NR- CA in a later release (see Example 1 below), or creating entirely new IEs in a later release (see Example 2 below).

[0073] Example 1 - Reusing existing IEs for NR-CABandCombination-vl 8xy : : = SEQUENCE { ca -Paramet er sNR-vl 6xy CA-ParametersNR- vl 6xy OPTIONAL , ca -Paramet er sNRDC-vl 6xy CA- Parameter sNRDC- vl 6xy OPT IONAL}CA-ParametersNRDC-vl 6xy : : = SEQUENCE { ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl 6xy CA- Paramet er sNR- vl 6xy OPT IONAL1

[0074] Example 2 - Creating new IEs for NR-CABandCombination-vl 8xy : : = SEQUENCE { ca-ParametersNR-vl 8xy CA- Parameter sNR- vl 8xy OPTIONAL , ca - Paramet er sNRDC-vl 8 xy CA- Parameter sNRDC- vl 8xy OPT IONAL1CA-ParametersNRDC-vl 8xy : : = SEQUENCE { ca-ParametersNR-ForDC-vl 8xy CA- Paramet er sNR- vl 8xy OPT IONAL}

[0075] According to this aspect, assuming that the UE supports a feature X when configured with CA for a band combination, the UE will set a first indication which is used to indicate support for a feature X when configured with CA to a first value (e.g. non-support), and set a second indication which is used to indicate support for feature X when configured with CA to a second value (e.g. support).

[0076] The UE may then apply the DC rule with respect to the second indication to determine whether to include a third indication which is used to indicate the UE’s support for feature X when configured with DC. The UE may not take the first indication into consideration.

[0077] From the network’s perspective, the network will receive the first indication and the second indication from the UE and determine if the UE supports the feature based only on the second indication (and optional third indication). This means that even if the first indicationindicates that the UE does not support feature X, the NW will consider the UE to support feature X if the second indication indicates that the UE supports feature X.

[0078] Figure 5 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 5 may be performed by a UE or wireless device (e.g. the UE 712 or UE 800 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 8 respectively). The reader’s attention is also directed towards Figure 6, which is a flow chart of a corresponding method performed by a network node, and the following description which provides further detail regarding the methods of Figures 5 and 6.

[0079] The method begins at step 502, in which the UE generates a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities. In step 504, the UE transmits the message to a network node of the communication network (e.g., a RAN node, such as a serving base station for the UE).

[0080] The message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity. In this context, the term “configurable” is used to indicate that the UE determines whether to include the first container and / or the second container in order to indicate its capabilities to the communication network. Thus, the message is configurable by the UE. The “containers” may comprise or correspond to IES, such as CA- ParametersNR (for the first container) and CA-ParametersNRDC (for the second container).

[0081] An indication that the UE supports an access stratum feature when configured with carrier aggregation and does not support the access stratum feature when configured with dual connectivity comprises: in a first logical partition of the message, a first container comprising a first parameter indicating support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation, and an indication that dual connectivity is not supported; and, in a second logical partition of the message, a first container and a second container both indicating no support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. For example, step 502 may comprise, responsive to a determination that the UE supports an access stratum feature when configured with CA but does not support the AS feature when configured with DC, generating the message to include: in a first logical partition of the message, a first container comprising a first parameter indicating support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation, and an indication that dual connectivity is not supported; and, in a second logical partition of the message, a first container and a second container both indicating nosupport for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

[0082] In this context, the term “logical partition” may relate to an information structure in which information on the UE’s capabilities is divided, based on some feature and corresponding granularity. For example, each logical partition may relate to a particular band, a particular bandwidth, a particular UE or a particular group of UEs. In embodiments of the disclosure, the first logical partition and the second logical partition may relate to the same bands in a band combination. That is, the first logical partition may relate to the UE capabilities in a first band combination and the second logical partition may relate to the UE capabilities in a second band combination, where both the first and second band combinations relate to the same combination of bands. The first and second band combinations may be distinguished through different identifiers or other distinguishing factors such as their placement within the message, for example.

[0083] Figure 6 depicts a method in accordance with particular embodiments. The method of Figure 6 may be performed by a network node (e.g. the network node 710 or network node 900 as described later with reference to Figures 7 and 9 respectively).

[0084] The method begins in step 602, in which the network node receives, from a UE, a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities. In step 604, the network node interprets the message to determine the UE’s capabilities. Note that, in some embodiments, the network node may only receive the message, and forward the contents on to another network node (a RAN node or a core network node) that interprets the indications in the message to determine the UE’s capabilities.

[0085] The message is configurable by the UE to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity. In this context, the term “configurable” is used to indicate that the UE determines whether to include the first container and / or the second container in order to indicate its capabilities to the communication network. Thus the message is configurable by the UE. The “containers” may comprise or correspond to IES, such as CA-ParametersNR (for the first container) and CA-ParametersNRDC (for the second container).

[0086] An indication that the UE supports an access stratum feature when configured with carrier aggregation and does not support the access stratum feature when configured with dual connectivity comprises: in a first logical partition of the message, a first container comprisinga first parameter indicating support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation, and an indication that dual connectivity is not supported; and, in a second logical partition of the message, a first container and a second container both indicating no support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. For example, step 604 may comprise the network node interpreting the message as indicating that the UE supports an access stratum feature when configured with CA but does not support the AS feature when configured with DC, responsive to the message including: in a first logical partition of the message, a first container comprising a first parameter indicating support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation, and an indication that dual connectivity is not supported; and, in a second logical partition of the message, a first container and a second container both indicating no support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

[0087] In this context, the term “logical partition” may relate to an information structure in which information on the UE’s capabilities is divided, based on some feature and corresponding granularity. For example, each logical partition may relate to a particular band, a particular bandwidth, a particular UE or a particular group of UEs. In embodiments of the disclosure, the first logical partition and the second logical partition may relate to the same bands in a band combination. That is, the first logical partition may relate to the UE capabilities in a first band combination and the second logical partition may relate to the UE capabilities in a second band combination, where both the first and second band combinations relate to the same combination of bands. The first and second band combinations may be distinguished through different identifiers or other distinguishing factors such as their placement within the message, for example.

[0088] Further detail regarding the solution described with respect to Figures 5 and 6 is set out below.

[0089] One concept behind this aspect is that, for an existing CA-related capability indication for which there is no corresponding DC-related capability indication, it is defined that whatever the UE indicated for CA in terms of support / not support, would also be applicable for DC. For example, say that feature X is a missing feature meaning that the DC-indication for feature X was initially not defined and instead only a CA-indication was defined for feature X. The solution described with respect to the third set of embodiments relates to the case wherewhatever the UE indicates (support or non-support) for feature X in the CA-container also applies in the case of DC.

[0090] Thus, if the UE does not support a feature X for NR-DC in a band combination, it includes a first band combination A indicating support of feature X in the CA container, but indicates that the UE does not support DC for this band combination (i.e. DC is not supported at all for this band combination). The UE further includes a second band combination B which indicates support for both CA and DC, but for which feature X is indicated as not supported at all, i.e. not supported in CA nor in DC. Note that both the first and second band combinations relate to the same combination of bands.

[0091] Figure 7 shows an example of a communication system 700 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0092] In the example, the communication system 700 includes a telecommunication network 702 that includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706, which includes one or more core network nodes 708. The access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 710a and 710b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 710), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 702 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 702 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 702, including one or more network nodes 710 and / or core network nodes 708.

[0093] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The networknode may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 712a, 712b, 712c, and 712d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections.

[0094] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 700 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 700 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0095] The UEs 712 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 710 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 712 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 702 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 702.

[0096] In the depicted example, the core network 706 connects the network nodes 710 to one or more hosts, such as host 716. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 706 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 708) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / orhosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 708. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0097] The host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 704 and / or the telecommunication network 702, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 716 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. Examples of such applications include the provision of live and / or pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services, for example, retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0098] As a whole, the communication system 700 of Figure 7 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0099] In some examples, the telecommunication network 702 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 702 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 702. For example, the telecommunications network 702 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services tosome UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0100] In some examples, the UEs 712 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 704 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 704. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi -RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0101] In the example illustrated in Figure 7, the hub 714 communicates with the access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 710b). In some examples, the hub 714 may be a controller, router, a content source and analytics node, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 714 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 706 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 714 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 710, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 714. As another example, the hub 714 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 714 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 714 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 714 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 714 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0102] The hub 714 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 710b. The hub 714 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 714 and UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d), and between the hub 714 and the core network 706. In other examples, the hub 714 is connected to the core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 714 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 704 and / or to another UE over a directconnection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 710 while still connected via the hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 714 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 710b. In other embodiments, the hub 714 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 710b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0103] Figure 8 shows a UE 800 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0104] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), orvehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0105] The UE 800 includes processing circuitry 802 that is operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input / output interface 806, a power source 808, a memory 810, a communication interface 812, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or asubset of the components shown in Figure 8. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0106] The processing circuitry 802 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 810. The processing circuitry 802 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 802 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuitry 802 may be operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other UE 800 components, such as the memory 810, UE 800 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to cause the UE 802 to perform the methods as described with reference to Figure 1, 3 and / or 5.

[0107] In the example, the input / output interface 806 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 800. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0108] In some embodiments, the power source 808 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 808 may further includepower circuitry for delivering power from the power source 808 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 800 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 808. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 808 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 800 to which power is supplied.

[0109] The memory 810 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 810 includes one or more application programs 814, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 816. The memory 810 may store, for use by the UE 800, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.[HO] The memory 810 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘ SIM card.’ The memory 810 may allow the UE 800 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 810, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.[Hl] The processing circuitry 802 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 812. The communication interface 812 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 822. The communication interface 812 may include one or moretransceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 818 and / or a receiver 820 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 822) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0112] In some embodiments, communication functions of the communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0113] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 812, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0114] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or controls a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0115] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are devices which are or which are embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence on the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 800 shown in Figure 8.

[0116] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3 GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0117] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0118] Figure 9 shows a network node 900 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), 0-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g, O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0119] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g, in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0120] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g. Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0121] The network node 900 includes processing circuitry 902, a memory 904, a communication interface 906, and a power source 908, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. The network node 900 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g, a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 900 comprises multiple separate components (e.g, BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate networknode. In some embodiments, the network node 900 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 904 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 910 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 900 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 900, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z- wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 900.

[0122] The processing circuitry 902 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 900 components, such as the memory 904, network node 900 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to cause the network node to perform the methods as described with reference to Figures 2, 4 and / or 6.

[0123] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 912 and the baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0124] The memory 904 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 902. The memory 904 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules,code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 902 and utilized by the network node 900. The memory 904 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 902 and / or any data received via the communication interface 906. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 and memory 904 is integrated.

[0125] The communication interface 906 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 906 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 916 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 906 also includes radio front-end circuitry 918 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 910. Radio front-end circuitry 918 comprises filters 920 and amplifiers 922. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may be connected to an antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 920 and / or amplifiers 922. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 910. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 910 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 918. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 902. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0126] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 900 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 918, instead, the processing circuitry 902 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 910. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 is part of the communication interface 906. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, the radio frontend circuitry 918, and the RF transceiver circuitry 912, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 906 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 914, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0127] The antenna 910 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 910 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 918 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / orsignals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 910 is separate from the network node 900 and connectable to the network node 900 through an interface or port.

[0128] The antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 910, the communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0129] The power source 908 provides power to the various components of network node 900 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 908 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 900 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 900 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 908. As a further example, the power source 908 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0130] Embodiments of the network node 900 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 9 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 900 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 900 and to allow output of information from the network node 900. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 900.

[0131] Figure 10 is a block diagram of a host 1000, which may be an embodiment of the host 716 of Figure 7, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1000 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtualmachine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1000 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0132] The host 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1004 to an input / output interface 1006, a network interface 1008, a power source 1010, and a memory 1012. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 8 and 9, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1000.

[0133] The memory 1012 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1014 and data 1016, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1000 or data generated by the host 1000 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1000 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1014 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 1014 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1000 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1014 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0134] Figure 11 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1100 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1100 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as ahardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1100 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface.

[0135] Applications 1102 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0136] Hardware 1104 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1106 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1108a and 1108b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1108), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1106 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1108.

[0137] The VMs 1108 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1106. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1102 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1108, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0138] In the context of NFV, a VM 1108 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1108, and that part of hardware 1104 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function isresponsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1108 on top of the hardware 1104 and corresponds to the application 1102.

[0139] Hardware 1104 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1104 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1104 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1110, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1102. In some embodiments, hardware 1104 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1112 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0140] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0141] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0142] The following groups of numbered statements set out embodiments of the disclosure:Group A Embodiments1. A method performed by a user equipment for indicating its capabilities to a communication network, the method comprising: transmitting, to a network node of the communication network, a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein, for a first parameter, the presence of a field and one or more values in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and one or more values in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity; and wherein, for a second parameter, the presence of a field and values in the first container, and the presence of a field and the same values in the second container indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.2. The method of embodiment 1, further comprising the step of: generating the message comprising the indication of the user equipment’scapabilities. The method of embodiment 2, wherein generating the message comprises: responsive to a determination that the same values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity, including the field and values for the first parameter in the first container, and omitting the second container or omitting the field and values for the first parameter from the second container. The method of embodiment 2 or 3, wherein generating the message comprises: responsive to a determination that the same values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity, including the field and values for the second parameter in the first container, and including the field and values for the second parameter in the second container. The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein, for the first parameter, the presence of a field and one or more values in the first container, and the absence of a field in the second container indicate to the communication network that the values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the UE does not support the first parameter when configured with dual connectivity. The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein, for the first parameter, the presence of a field and one or more first values in the first container, and the presence of a field with one or more second values, different to the one or more first values, in the second container indicate to the communication network that the one or more first values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the one or more second values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein, for the second parameter, the presence of a field and one or more third values in the first container, and the presence of a field and one or more fourth values, different to theone or more third values, in the second container indicate to the communication network that the one or more third values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the one or more fourth values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein, for the second parameter, the presence of a field and values in the first container, and the absence of a field and values in the second container indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the UE does not support the second parameter when configured with dual connectivity. The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the first parameter relates to support of an access stratum feature, and wherein the value for the first parameter comprises one of a first value indicating support of the access stratum feature and a second value indicating no support of the access stratum feature. The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the first parameter is defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container and the second container. The method according to embodiment 10, wherein the second parameter is defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container but is not defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the second container. The method according to embodiment 10 or 11, wherein the communication standards comprise 3GPP standards. The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the first and second parameters define UE capabilities for one or more of: a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular user equipment, a particular group of user equipments.A method performed by a user equipment for indicating its capabilities to a communication network, the method comprising: transmitting, to a network node of the communication network, a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein the first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value; and wherein, for a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. The method according to embodiment 14, wherein the null or arbitrary value is one of: a first value indicating support for the access stratum feature; and a second value indicating no support for the access stratum feature. The method according to embodiment 14 or 15, wherein the first parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a first version of communication standards implementable by the user equipment, and wherein the second parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a second, later version of the communication standards implemented by the user equipment. The method according to embodiment 16, wherein the communication standards comprise 3 GPP standards.The method according to any one of embodiments 14 to 17, wherein the first and second parameters define UE capabilities for one or more of: a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular user equipment, a particular group of user equipments. A method performed by a user equipment for indicating its capabilities to a communication network, the method comprising: transmitting, to a network node of the communication network, a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein an indication that the UE supports an access stratum feature when configured with carrier aggregation and does not support the access stratum feature when configured with dual connectivity comprises: in a first logical partition of the message, a first container comprising a first parameter indicating support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation, and an indication that dual connectivity is not supported; in a second logical partition of the message, a first container and a second container both indicating no support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. The method according to embodiment 19, wherein the first logical partition and the second logical partition relate to one or more of: the same bands in a band combination; the same bandwidth; the same UE; and the same group of UEs. The method according to any one of the previous embodiments, wherein the first and second parameters relate to the capability of the UE to transmit CSI reporting cross PUCCH group. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.Group B Embodiments23. A method performed by a network node in a communication network for obtaining user equipment capabilities, the method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable by the UE to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein, for a first parameter, the presence of a field and one or more values in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and one or more values in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity; and wherein, for a second parameter, the presence of a field and values in the first container, and the presence of a field and the same values in the second container indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.24. The method of embodiment 23, further comprising the step of: interpreting the message comprising the indication of the user equipment’s capabilities.25. The method of embodiment 24, wherein interpreting the message comprises: responsive to the message comprising the field and values for the first parameter in the first container, and omitting the second container or omitting the field and values for the first parameter from the second container, determining that the same values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.26. The method of embodiment 24 or 25, wherein interpreting the message comprises: responsive to the message comprising including the field and values for the secondparameter in the first container, and including the field and values for the second parameter in the second container, determining that the same values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 26, wherein, for the first parameter, the presence of a field and one or more values in the first container, and the absence of a field in the second container indicate to the communication network that the values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the UE does not support the first parameter when configured with dual connectivity. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 27, wherein, for the first parameter, the presence of a field and one or more first values in the first container, and the presence of a field with one or more second values, different to the one or more first values, in the second container indicate to the communication network that the one or more first values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the one or more second values for the first parameter apply when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. The method according to any one of 23 to 28 embodiments, wherein, for the second parameter, the presence of a field and one or more third values in the first container, and the presence of a field and one or more fourth values, different to the one or more third values, in the second container indicate to the communication network that the one or more third values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the one or more fourth values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 29, wherein, for the second parameter, the presence of a field and values in the first container, and the absence of a field and values in the second container indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and that the UE does not support the second parameter when configured with dual connectivity.The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 30, wherein the first parameter relates to support of an access stratum feature, and wherein the value for the first parameter comprises one of a first value indicating support of the access stratum feature and a second value indicating no support of the access stratum feature. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 31, wherein the first parameter is defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container and the second container. The method according to embodiment 32, wherein the second parameter is defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the first container but is not defined in communication standards implemented by the user equipment for use in the second container. The method according to embodiment 32 or 33, wherein the communication standards comprise 3GPP standards. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 34, wherein the first and second parameters define UE capabilities for one or more of: a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular user equipment, a particular group of user equipments. A method performed by a network node in a communication network for obtaining user equipment capabilities, the method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable by the UE to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein the first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value; and wherein, for a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratumfeature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity. The method according to embodiment 36, wherein the null or arbitrary value is one of: a first value indicating support for the access stratum feature; and a second value indicating no support for the access stratum feature. The method according to embodiment 36 or 37, wherein the first parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a first version of communication standards implementable by the user equipment, and wherein the second parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a second, later version of the communication standards implemented by the user equipment. The method according to embodiment 38, wherein the communication standards comprise 3 GPP standards. The method according to any one of embodiments 36 to 39, wherein the first and second parameters define UE capabilities for one or more of: a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular user equipment, a particular group of user equipments. The method according to any one of embodiments 36 to 40, further comprising ignoring the first parameter. A method performed by a network node in a communication network for obtaining user equipment capabilities, the method comprising: receiving, from a user equipment, a message comprising an indication of the user equipment’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable by the UE to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second containerfor the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein an indication that the UE supports an access stratum feature when configured with carrier aggregation and does not support the access stratum feature when configured with dual connectivity comprises: in a first logical partition of the message, a first container comprising a first parameter indicating support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation, and an indication that dual connectivity is not supported; in a second logical partition of the message, a first container and a second container both indicating no support for the access stratum feature when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.43. The method according to embodiment 42, wherein the first logical partition and the second logical partition relate to one or more of: the same bands in a band combination; the same bandwidth; the same UE; and the same group of UEs.44. The method according to any one of embodiments 23 to 43, wherein the first and second parameters relate to the capability of the UE to transmit CSI reporting cross PUCCH group.45. The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the first container is a first information element and the second container is a second information element.46. The method according to embodiment 45, wherein the first container is CA- ParametersNR and the second container is CA-ParametersNRDC .47. The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.Group C Embodiments48. A user equipment for indicating its capabilities to a communication network, comprising:processing circuitry configured to cause the user equipment to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.49. A network node for obtaining user equipment capabilities, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.50. A user equipment (UE) for indicating its capabilities to a communication network, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to theUE.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a user equipment, UE, (800) for indicating its capabilities to a communication network, the method comprising: transmitting (304), to a network node (900) of the communication network, a message comprising an indication of the UE’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein the first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value; and wherein, for a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the null or arbitrary value is one of a first value indicating support for the access stratum feature; and a second value indicating no support for the access stratum feature.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a first version of communication standards implementable by the UE, and wherein the second parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a second, later version of the communication standards implemented by the UE.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first and second parameters define UE capabilities for one or more of a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular UE, a particular group of UEs.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first and secondparameters relate to the capability of the UE to transmit channel state information, CSI, reporting cross physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, group.

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first container is a first information element and the second container is a second information element.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first container is CA-ParametersNR and the second container is CA-ParametersNRDC .

8. A method performed by a network node (900) in a communication network for obtaining User Equipment, UE, (800) capabilities, the method comprising: receiving (402), from a UE a message comprising an indication of the UE’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable by the UE to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein the first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value; and wherein, for a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the null or arbitrary value is one of: a first value indicating support for the access stratum feature; and a second value indicating no support for the access stratum feature.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the first parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a first version of communication standards implementable by the UE, and wherein the secondparameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a second, later version of the communication standards implemented by the UE.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the first and second parameters define UE capabilities for one or more of a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular UE, a particular group of UEs.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the first and second parameters relate to the capability of the UE to transmit channel state information, CSI, reporting cross physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, group.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, further comprising ignoring the first parameter.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein the first container is a first information element and the second container is a second information element.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first container is CA-ParametersNR and the second container is CA-ParametersNRDC .

16. A user equipment, UE, (800) comprising: processing circuitry configured to cause the UE to: transmit (304), to a network node (900) of a communication network, a message comprising an indication of the UE’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein the first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value; and wherein, for a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the secondparameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

17. The UE according to claim 16, wherein the null or arbitrary value is one of a first value indicating support for the access stratum feature; and a second value indicating no support for the access stratum feature.

18. The UE according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the first parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a first version of communication standards implementable by the UE, and wherein the second parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a second, later version of the communication standards implemented by the UE.

19. The UE according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the first and second parameters define UE capabilities for one or more of a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular UE, a particular group of UEs.

20. The UE according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the first and second parameters relate to the capability of the UE to transmit channel state information, CSI, reporting cross physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, group.

21. The UE according to any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein the first container is a first information element and the second container is a second information element.

22. The UE according to claim 21, wherein the first container is CA-ParametersNR and the second container is CA-ParametersNRDC .

23. A user equipment, UE, (800) adapted to: transmit (304), to a network node (900) of a communication network, a message comprising an indication of the UE’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein the first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of supportfor an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value; and wherein, for a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

24. The UE according to claim 23, wherein the UE is further adapted to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 7.

25. A computer program product for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

26. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code which, when executed by processing circuitry (802) of a user equipment, UE, (800) causes the UE to: transmit (304), to a network node (900) of a communication network, a message comprising an indication of the UE’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein the first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value; and wherein, for a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

27. A network node (900), the network node comprising: processing circuitry (902) configured to cause the network node to:receive (402), from a user equipment, UE, (800) a message comprising an indication of the UE’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable by the UE to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein the first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value; and wherein, for a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

28. The network node according to claim 27, wherein the null or arbitrary value is one of: a first value indicating support for the access stratum feature; and a second value indicating no support for the access stratum feature.

29. The network node according to claim 27 or 28, wherein the first parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a first version of communication standards implementable by the UE, and wherein the second parameter is defined for indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature in a second, later version of the communication standards implemented by the UE.

30. The network node according to any one of claims 27 to 29, wherein the first and second parameters define UE capabilities for one or more of: a particular band combination, a particular bandwidth, a particular band, a particular UE, a particular group of UEs.

31. The network node according to any one of claims 27 to 30, wherein the first and second parameters relate to the capability of the UE to transmit channel state information, CSI, reporting cross physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, group.

32. The network node according to any one of claims 27 to 31, wherein the processing circuitry further causes the network node to ignore the first parameter.

33. The network node according to any one of claims 27 to 32, wherein the first container is a first information element and the second container is a second information element.

34. The network node according to claim 33, wherein the first container is CA- ParametersNR and the second container is CA-ParametersNRDC .

35. A network node (900) adapted to: receive (402), from a user equipment, UE, (800) a message comprising an indication of the UE’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable by the UE to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein the first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value; and wherein, for a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

36. The network node according to claim 35, wherein the network node is further adapted to perform the method according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

37. A computer program product for performing the method according to any one of claims 8 to 15.

38. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code which, when executed by processing circuitry (902) of a network node (900), causes the network node to:receive (402), from a user equipment, UE, (800) a message comprising an indication of the UE’s capabilities, wherein the message is configurable by the UE to contain a first container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with carrier aggregation and a second container for the UE’s capabilities when configured with dual connectivity; wherein the first container comprises a first parameter indicating a level of support for an access stratum feature, the first parameter being set to a null or arbitrary value; and wherein, for a second parameter indicating a level of support for the access stratum feature, the presence of a field and a value in the first container, and the absence of the second container or the absence of a field and the same value in the second container, indicate to the communication network that the values for the second parameter apply when the UE is configured with carrier aggregation and when the UE is configured with dual connectivity.

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