User equipment and method performed therein

Abstract

According to embodiments herein a method performed by a UE (10) may be provided for handling communication of the UE (10) in a wireless communications network (1). The UE (10) receives a first set of RSs and a second set of RSs on at least two antenna panels. The UE (10) further reports a first RS, of the first and second set of RSs, and a second RS, of the first and second set of RSs, based on a measured signal parameter of respective RS, as a beam group to a radio network node. The first RS is received at a first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, and the second RS is received at a second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels.

Description

[0001] USER EQUIPMENT AND METHOD PERFORMED THEREIN

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments herein relate to a user equipment (UE) and method performed therein regarding wireless communication. Furthermore, a computer program product and a computer-readable storage medium are also provided herein. In particular, embodiments herein relate to handling communication, such as handling measurements of a UE, in a wireless communications network.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] In a typical wireless communications network, UEs, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and / or wireless devices, communicate via a Radio Access Network (RAN) with one or more core networks (CN). The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cells, with each service area or cell being served by a radio network node such as an access node, e.g., a Wi-Fi access point or a Radio Base Station (RBS), which in some networks may also be called, for example, a NodeB, a gNodeB, or an eNodeB. The service area or cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node operates on radio frequencies to communicate over an air interface with the UEs within range of the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over a downlink (DL) to the UE and the UE communicates over an uplink (UL) to the radio network node.

[0006] A Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation (3G) telecommunication network, which evolved from the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) is essentially a RAN using Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and / or High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) for communication with user equipment. In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), telecommunications suppliers propose and agree upon standards for present and future generation networks and investigate, e.g., enhanced data rate and radio capacity. In some RANs, e.g. as in UMTS, several radio network nodes may be connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a controller node, such as a Radio Network Controller (RNC) or a Base Station Controller (BSC), which supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural radio network nodes connected thereto. The RNCs are typically connected to one or more core networks.

[0007] Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completed within the 3GPP and coming 3GPP releases (Rel), such as New Radio (NR), are worked on. The EPS comprises the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), also known as the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network, and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also known as System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network. E- UTRAN / LTE is a 3GPP radio access technology wherein the radio network nodes are directly connected to the EPC core network. As such, the RAN of an EPS has an architecture comprising radio network nodes connected directly to one or more core networks.

[0008] With the emerging 5G technologies such as NR, the use of very many transmit- and receive-antenna elements may be of great interest as it makes it possible to utilise beamforming, such as transmit-side and receive-side beamforming. Transmit-side beamforming means that the transmitter can amplify the transmitted signals in a selected direction or directions, while suppressing the transmitted signals in other directions. Similarly, on the receive-side, a receiver can amplify signals from a selected direction or directions, while suppressing unwanted signals from other directions.

[0009] With reference to 5G architecture the 3GPP Network Functions (NF) in 5G are described as:

[0010] The Application Function (AF) or Application Server (AS) interacts with the 3GPP Core Network and allows external parties to use the Exposure Application Programming Interfaces (API) offered by the network operator. The AF provides session related information to other nodes in the 5G core network (5GC).

[0011] The Network Exposure Function (NEF) supports different functionalities and NEF supports different Exposure APIs.

[0012] The Network Repository Function (NRF) works as a registration centre of NF.

[0013] The Unified Data Repository (UDR) stores data grouped into distinct collections of subscription-related information: Subscription Data; Policy Data; Structured Data for Exposure; Application Data.

[0014] The Session Management Function (SMF) supports different functionalities, e.g. SMF receives Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rules from the Policy Control Function (PCF) and configures the User Plane Function (UPF) accordingly. The User Plane Function (UPF) supports handling of user plane traffic based on the rules received from the SMF, e.g. packet inspection and different enforcement actions such as Quality of Service (QoS) handling.

[0015] The PCF supports a unified policy framework to govern the network behaviour. Specifically, the PCF provides PCC rules to the Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF), i.e. , the SMF / UPF that enforces policy and charging decisions according to provisioned PCC rules.

[0016] The Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) manages UE access, e.g., when a UE is connected through different access networks, and UE mobility aspects.

[0017] The Charging Function (CHF) manages charging of services and / or functions.

[0018] The Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) selects the Network Slicing Instance (NSI), determines the allowed Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (NSSAI) and sets the AMF to serve the UE.

[0019] In NR the UE is required to perform serving cell measurements, e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and / or signal to interference plus noise ratio (SI NR) and include these measurements in radio resource control (RRC) Measurement Reports, when the serving cell configuration includes the field servingCellMO set to the measurement object identifier of the particular serving frequency to be reported. These serving cell measurements are serving cell measurement results, i.e., value or values per cell. In addition, if beam reporting parameters are configured for at least one measurement identifier, the UE may also perform beam measurements per beam for the serving cell.

[0020] A distributed multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system is a system with multiple geographically distributed antenna panels, possibly with respective radio and processing units, where such panels jointly coordinate aspects of their transmissions (and receptions) in order to serve one or more UEs. One type of Distributed (D)-MIMO deployment is in terms of coordinating macro gNBs, as considered in 3GPP Rel.18 MIMO Working Item. Another type of D-MIMO deployment, widely considered as a candidate 6G D-MIMO deployment, is dense localized deployments where several small-sized low-powered panels / nodes are densely deployed in a specific part of the cell requiring a capacity / reliability enhancement, e.g., in crowded parts of the macro cell area such as public squares or stadiums.

[0021] In the context of macro deployments, the D-MIMO panels and respective radio and processing units are termed transmission and reception points (TRP). In the context of dense localized deployments, the D-MIMO panels, and respective radio and processing units, are termed access points (AP). The terms TRPs and APs are interchangeably used herein.

[0022] There exist different levels of coordination between TRPs which allow for different D-MIMO transmission modes. These modes range from:

[0023] • Non-coherent joint transmission, e.g. where the different layers can be transmitted from different TRPs, and

[0024] • Coherent joint transmissions, where the same layer(s) is sent from different TRPs, and precoded per-TRP, such that the signals associated with the different TRP layer transmissions add-up constructively at the spatial location where the intended UE is.

[0025] When it comes to highband, it is foreseen the usage of D-MIMO systems with the aim of improving coverage, reliability, and mobility, rather than spectral efficiency as in mid- bands.

[0026] At mmW frequencies, concepts for handling mobility between beams, both within and between TRPs, have been specified in NR. At these frequencies, where high-gain beamforming is used, each beam is only optimal within a small area, and the link budget outside the optimal beam deteriorates quickly. Hence, frequent and fast beam switching may be needed to maintain high performance. To support such beam switching, a beam indication framework has been specified in NR. For example, for downlink data transmission using physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), the downlink control information (DCI) contains a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) field that informs the UE which beam is used so that it can adjust its receiving beam accordingly. This is beneficial for the case of analog reception (Rx) beamforming where the UE needs to determine and apply the Rx beamforming weights before it can receive the PDSCH.

[0027] In what follows, the terminology “spatial filtering weights” or “spatial filtering configuration” are used to refer to the antenna weights that are applied at either the transmitter, such as a gNB or a UE, and the receiver, such as a UE or a gNB, for data / control transmission / reception. This term is more general in the sense that different propagation environments lead to different spatial filtering weights that match the transmission / reception of a signal to the channel. The spatial filtering weights may not always result in a beam in a strict sense.

[0028] Prior to data transmission, a training phase is required in order to determine the gNB and UE spatial filtering configurations. This is illustrated in Fig. 1 , and is referred to in NR as DL beam management. In NR, two types of reference signals (RS) are used for DL beam management operations, the channel state information-RS (CSI-RS) and the synchronization signal / physical broadcast control channel (SS / PBCH) block, or SSB for short. Fig. 1 shows an example where CSI-RS is used to find an appropriate beam pair link (BPL), meaning a suitable gNB transmit spatial filtering configuration, or gNB transmit (Tx) beam, plus a suitable UE receive spatial filtering configuration, or UE Rx beam, resulting in sufficiently good link budget. It is shown a beam training phase followed by data transmission phase. For downlink data / control transmission, the gNB indicates to the UE that the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) / PDSCH demodulation refences signal (DM RS) is spatially quasi-co-located (QCL) with RS6 - the RS on which the UE performs measurements during the UE beam sweep in the beam training phase. At least for uplink control channel transmission, the gNB indicates to the UE that RS6 is the spatial relation for physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0029] In the above example in the gNB Tx beam sweep, the gNB configures the UE to measure on a set of 5 CSI-RS resources, such as RS1 ... RS5, which are transmitted with 5 different spatial filtering configurations, or Tx beams. The UE is also configured to report back the RS ID and the RSRP of the CSI-RS corresponding to the maximum measured RSRP. In this example, the maximum measured RSRP corresponds to RS4. In this way the gNB learns what is the preferred Tx beam from the UE perspective. In the subsequent UE Rx beam sweep, the gNB transmits a number of CSI-RS resources in different orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols all with the same spatial filtering configuration, or Tx beam, as was used to transmit RS4 previously. The UE then tests a different Rx spatial filtering configuration, or Rx beam, in each OFDM symbol in order to maximize the received RSRP. The UE remembers the RS identity (ID), RS ID 6 in this example, and the corresponding spatial filtering configuration that results in the largest RSRP. The network can then refer to this RS ID in the future when DL data is scheduled to the UE, thus allowing the UE to adjust its Rx spatial filtering configuration (Rx beam) to receive the PDSCH. As mentioned above, the RS ID is contained in a TCI that is carried in a field in the DCI that schedules the PDSCH.

[0030] A PDSCH may be transmitted to a UE from multiple TRPs. Since different TRPs may be located in different physical locations and have different beams, the propagation channels can be different. To facilitate receiving PDSCH data from different TRPs or beams, a UE may be configured by RRC with multiple TCI states. A TCI state contains QCL information between the DM RS for PDSCH and one or two DL reference signals such as non zero power (NZP) CSI-RS or SSB. Different NZP CSI-RS or SSB may be associated with different TRPs or beams. The QCL information can be used by a UE to apply large scale channel properties associated with the DL reference signals, such as NZP CSI-RS or SSB, to DMRS of PDSCH for channel estimation and PDSCH reception.

[0031] The supported QCL information types in NR are:

[0032] • 'QCL-TypeA': {Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread}

[0033] • 'QCL-TypeB': {Doppler shift, Doppler spread}

[0034] • 'QCL-TypeC: {Doppler shift, average delay}

[0035] • 'QCL-TypeD': {Spatial Rx parameter}

[0036] A subset of the RRC configured TCI states may be activated by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for PDSCH. From the activated TCI states, one or two of them may be dynamically selected and indicated in the DCI scheduling a PDSCH depending on over which TRP(s) or beam(s) the PDSCH is transmitted. Each codepoint of the TCI field in DCI can indicate either 1 TCI state or two TCI states. A TCI field codepoint indicating 1 TCI state can be used to transmit PDSCH from a single TRP or single beam. If a TCI field codepoint indicates 2 TCI states, then PDSCH can be transmitted from two TRPs or two beams.

[0037] Simultaneous multi-TRP transmission with multi-panel reception can enable noncoherent joint-transmission (NC-JT) in frequency range 2 (FR2). An example is shown in Fig. 2, where a PDSCH is sent to a UE over two TRPs, with each TRP transmitting 2 layers. In this case, by transmitting PDSCH over two TRPs to the UE, the peak data rate to the UE can be increased since up to 4 aggregated layers from the two TRPs can be received by the UE. Fig. 2 shows a NC-JT using simultaneous multi-TRP transmission with multi-panel reception.

[0038] In NR Rel-15, when a UE is configured with higher layer parameter groupBasedBeamReporting set to ‘enabled’, the UE will report either two different CSI-RS resource indicators (CRI) or two different SSB resource indicators (SSBRI) in a single reporting instance for each report setting. The two CRIs or two SSBRIs are chosen such that the corresponding CSI-RS and / or SSB resources can be received simultaneously by the UE.

[0039] Fig. 3 shows an example scenario illustrating simultaneous multi-TRP transmission with multi-panel reception at the UE. In this example, NZP CSI-RS resources #1 and #2 are transmitted from TRP1 and NZP CSI-RS resources #3 and #4 are transmitted from TRP2. The UE is equipped with two antenna panels. Thus, Fig. 3 shows an example scenario illustrating simultaneous multi-TRP transmission with multi-panel reception. In the example of Fig. 3, if the UE uses the existing group-based beam reporting in NR, i.e., when groupBasedBeam Reporting is enabled, the UE may choose the two CRIs to be reported in one of the following ways:

[0040] Case 1 : both CRIs correspond to TRP1, e.g., NZP CSI-RS resources #1 and #2 are chosen by the UE;

[0041] Case 2: both CRIs correspond to TRP2, e.g., NZP CSI-RS resources #3 and #4 are chosen by the UE;

[0042] Case 3: one CRI corresponds to TRP1 and the other CRI corresponds to TRP2, e.g., NZP CSI-RS resources #1 and #3.

[0043] If the UE reports the two CRIs according to either Case 1 or Case 2, then both beams reported correspond to the same TRP. In Cases 1 and 2, simultaneous multi-TRP transmission is not possible. Case 3 allows simultaneous multi-TRP transmission as the two beams reported correspond to different TRPs.

[0044] To handle this issue, group-based beam reporting was enhanced in NR Rel-17, where the UE can be configured to report in a single CSI-report with N beam groups, where N is RRC configured and can be up to Nmax, where Nmax={1,2,3,4} is a UE capability, where each beam group consists of two beams, i.e. 2 SSBRI / CRI values and corresponding L1-RSRP, and where the two beams within each group can be received simultaneously by the UE. To make sure that each beam in a beam group is associated to different TRPs, the UE can be configured with two channel measurement resource (CMR) sets, where each CMR set is associated to one TRP, and where the UE selects one CMR, i.e., one SSBRI and / or CRI, from each CMR set in each beam group. For periodic and / or semi-persistent CM Rs, two CMR resource sets are configured per periodic / semi- persistent CMR resource setting. For aperiodic CMR, the existing RRC parameter CSI- Associated ReportConfig Info is extended to be configured with two CMR resource sets.

[0045] When gNB configures UE to report Rel-17 group-based beam reporting, the supported report format is shown in Table 1, taken from TS 38.212 v.17.6.0. In the table, the 1-bit Resource set indicator, is used to indicate if the strongest beam, i.e. CRI or SSBRI #1 of 1st resource group, belongs to the 1st or the 2nd CMR set. Absolute RSRP (7 bits) is reported for the strongest beam, and differential RSRP (4 bits) is reported for the remaining beams. The bitwidth of each SSBRI / CRI is determined based on the number of SSB / CSI-RS resources in the associated CMR resource set.

[0046] Table 1: Supported report format of Rel-17 group-based beam reporting

[0047]

[0048] SUMMARY

[0049] As part of developing embodiments herein one or more problems have been identified.

[0050] For UEs in a UE analog beamforming architecture, the signals can arrive from all different directions, hence it is beneficial to have an antenna implementation at the UE which has the possibility to generate beams in all possible directions. One way to increase such omni-directional coverage at a UE is to install multiple panels, and point the panels in different directions, which typically is the case for commercial UEs. However, to reduce the cost and energy consumption, these UEs might only be able to transmit / receive from one or two UE panels at each time instance. Fig. 4 illustrates one example of a UE with two baseband chains, one per polarization, wherein one polarization may be illustrated with upward diagonal lines and one polarization may be illustrated with downward diagonal lines. There are three antenna panels illustrated, and which of the three panels connects to the baseband chains depends on the current configuration of the switch circuitry. Different UE panels in commercial UEs are typically equipped with different number of TX / RX chains, which determines the maximum number of DL / LIL layers for that panel. In the example on Fig. 4, UE panel 1 (P1) and UE panel 2 (P2) comprise two TX / RX chains, hence supporting maximum two simultaneous DL / LIL layers each, where UE panel 3 (P3) only comprises a single TX / RX chain, and hence only supports maximum a single DL / UL layer. Fig. 4 shows an illustration of a UE with three panels pointing in different directions to improve coverage. The UE can connect one of the three panels to the baseband chain at each time instance depending on switch setting. In addition, the panels differ from each other with respect to maximum number of TX / RX chains, and number of antenna elements.

[0051] In 3GPP, two methods have been introduced to enable the UE to comply with regulatory exposure limits; reduced maximum output power, referred to as Power Management Maximum Power Reduction (P-MPR), and a reduced UL transmission duty cycle.

[0052] For FR2, maxUplinkDutyCycle-FR2 is a UE capability and it indicates the maximum percentage of symbols during 1 second that can be scheduled for uplink transmission in order to comply with regulatory exposure limits.

[0053] In case the field of UE capability maxUplinkDutyCycle-FR2 is not present or is present but the percentage of uplink symbols transmitted within any 1 s evaluation period is larger than maxUplinkDutyCycle-FR2, the UE can apply P-MPR to meet the regulatory exposure limits. By applying P-MPR the UE can reduce the maximum output power for a UE power class with x number of dB (where the range of x can be one of {3 < P-MPR < 6, 6 < P-MPR < 9, 9 < P-MPR < 12, P-MPR > 12} dB). For example, for UE power class 2 with a P-MPR value x=10 dB the UE is allowed to reduce the maximum output power (Pcmax) from 23 dBm to 13 dBm (23dBm - 10dB = 13dBm). Due to P-MPR and maxUplinkDutyCycle-FR2 the maximum uplink performance of a selected UL transmission path can be significantly deteriorated.

[0054] Since a Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE) issue may be highly directional in FR2, required P-MPR and maxUplinkDutyCycle-FR2 would be uplink beam specific and would very likely be different among different candidate uplink beams across different UE panels. This means that certain beams / panels, e.g., beams that may be pointing towards human body, could have relatively high required P-MPR and / or low duty cycle while some other beams / panels, e.g., beams that may not be pointing towards a human body, could have relatively low required P-MPR and / or high duty cycle. In NR up to Rel-17, the discussions regarding UL transmission for FR2 has mainly been for a UE with single panel transmission, i.e., transmission from a single UE panel at each time instance. In NR-Rel 18, it has been agreed to specify support for up to two simultaneously transmitting UE panels, also referred to as Simultaneous multi-panel transmission (STxMP). In Rel-18 it was agreed that both spatial division multiplexing (SDM) and single frequency network (SFN) STxMP scheme should be supported for UL multi-panel transmission.

[0055] As described above, for group-based beam reporting introduced in Rel-17, the UE should report beam pairs that can be received / transmitted simultaneously, and where each beam pair contains one beam from a first set of DL-RSs and one beam from a second set of DL-RSs. One example of how this can look is illustrated with reference to Fig. 5Error! Reference source not found., where a UE performs a group-based beam report associated with two TRPs. In the example, first set of DL-RSs (CSI-RSs 1,2,3) are QCLed with SSB1 from TRP1, and a second set of DL-RSs (CSI-RSs 4,5,6) are QCLed with SSB2 from TRP2. The UE may then report one or more beam groups, where each beam group should comprise one CSI-RS from the first set of DL-RSs and one CSI-RS from the second set of DL-RSs. Fig. 5 shows an example of a UE with 4 panels being triggered with a group-based beam report from two TRPs, where each TRP has 3 CSI-RS resources that is QCL with one SSB.

[0056] An object herein is to provide a mechanism to handle simultaneous communication in an efficient manner in the wireless communications network.

[0057] According to an aspect the object is achieved, according to embodiments herein, by providing a method performed by a UE for handling communication, e.g., beam management, in a wireless communications network. The UE receives a first set of RSs, and a second set of RSs on at least two antenna panels. The UE further reports a first RS of the first and second set of RSs, and a second RS, of the first and second set of RSs, based on a measured signal parameter of respective RS, as a beam group to a radio network node. The first RS is received at a first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, and the second RS is received at a second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels.

[0058] It is furthermore provided herein a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the methods herein, as performed by the UE. It is additionally provided herein a computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the methods herein, as performed by the UE.

[0059] According to another aspect the object is achieved, according to embodiments herein, by providing a UE for handling communication, e.g., beam management, in a wireless communications network. The UE is configured to receive a first set of RS, and a second set of RSs on at least two antenna panels. The UE further reports a first RS, of the first and second set of RSs, and a second RS, of the first and second set of RSs, based on a measured signal parameter of respective RS, as a beam group to a radio network node. The first RS is received at a first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, and the second RS is received at a second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels.

[0060] An advantage with embodiments herein is that the UE can determine which beams corresponding to RSs, such as DL-RSs or CSI-RSs, the UE includes in a group- based beam report.

[0061] Thus, embodiments herein provide a mechanism to handle simultaneous communication of a UE in an efficient manner in the wireless communications network.

[0062] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0063] Embodiments will now be described in more detail in relation to the enclosed drawings, in which:

[0064] Fig. 1 shows beam scenarios according to prior art;

[0065] Fig. 2 shows a multi TRP simultaneous transmission according to prior art;

[0066] Fig. 3 shows a multi TRP simultaneous transmission according to prior art;

[0067] Fig. 4 shows a multi antenna panel architecture according to prior art;

[0068] Fig. 5 shows a multi antenna panel UE scenario;

[0069] Fig. 6 shows a wireless communications network according to embodiments herein;

[0070] Fig. 7 shows a combined signalling scheme and flow chart according to embodiments herein;

[0071] Fig. 8 is depicting a method performed by a UE according to embodiments herein

[0072] Fig. 9 is a signalling scheme according to some embodiments herein;

[0073] Fig. 10 shows a multi antenna panel UE scenario according to some embodiments herein; Fig. 11 shows a multi antenna panel UE scenario according to some embodiments herein;

[0074] Fig. 12 shows a block diagram depicting the UE according to embodiments herein;

[0075] Fig. 13 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0076] Fig. 14 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0077] Fig. 15 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments;

[0078] Fig. 16 is a block diagram of a host QQ400, which may be an embodiment of the host QQ116 of Fig. 13, in accordance with various aspects described herein;

[0079] Fig. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; and

[0080] Fig. 18 shows a communication diagram of a host QQ602 communicating via a network node QQ604 with a UE QQ606 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.

[0081] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0082] Embodiments herein relate to wireless communications networks in general. Fig. 6 is a schematic overview depicting a wireless communications network 1. The wireless communications network 1 comprises one or more RANs and one or more CNs. The wireless communications network 1 may use one or a number of different technologies. Embodiments herein relate to recent technology trends that are of particular interest in a NR context, however, embodiments are also applicable in existing wireless communications systems such as e.g. LTE or WCDMA, and developments thereof.

[0083] In the wireless communications network 1, a UE 10, exemplified herein as a wireless device such as a mobile station, a non-access point (non-AP) station (STA), a STA and / or a wireless terminal, is comprised communicating via, e.g., one or more Access Networks (AN), e.g. RAN, to one or more CN. The UE 10 comprises a number of panels or antenna panels for receiving signals. For example, the UE 10 may comprise two, three, four or more, antenna panels, such as P1 , P2 and P3.

[0084] It should be understood by the skilled in the art that “UE” is a non-limiting term which means any terminal, wireless communications terminal, user equipment, NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-loT) device, Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smart phone, laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a small base station capable of communicating using radio communication with a radio network node within an area served by the radio network node.

[0085] The wireless communications network 1 comprises a first radio network node 12 providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a first service area 11 or first cell 11 , of a first Radio Access Technology (RAT), such as 6G, NR, LTE, or similar. The radio network node 12 may be a first TRP such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a gNodeB (gNB), an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), a NodeB, a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP ST A), a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point or any other network unit or node capable of communicating with a wireless device within the area served by the radio network node depending e.g. on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The first radio network node 12 may be a Centralized Unit (CU) gNodeB e.g. a source gNB-CU in case of inter-CU, or simply CU in case of intra-CU, a distributed Unit (DU) gNodeB, or a Cloud-RAN centralized unit. The radio network node may be referred to as a serving radio network node wherein the service area may be referred to as a serving cell such as a primary cell (PCell) and / or a primary secondary cell (PSCell), and the serving network node communicates with the UE 10 in form of DL transmissions to the UE 10 and UL transmissions from the UE 10.

[0086] The wireless communications network 1 comprises a second radio network node 13 providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a second service area 14 or second cell 14, of a second RAT, such as NR, LTE, or similar. The second radio network node 12 may be a second TRP such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a gNodeB (gNB), an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), a NodeB, a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a WLAN access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point or any other network unit or node capable of communicating with a wireless device within the area served by the radio network node depending e.g. on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The second radio network node 13 may be a Centralized Unit (CU) gNodeB e.g. a source gNB-CU in case of inter-CU, or simply CU in case of intra-CU, a distributed Unit (DU) gNodeB, or a Cloud-RAN centralized unit. The radio network node may be referred to as a target radio network node wherein the service area may be referred to as a target cell such as a secondary cell (SCell), and the target radio network node communicates with the UE 10 in form of DL transmissions to the UE 10 and UL transmissions from the UE 10.

[0087] It should be noted that a service area may be denoted as cell, beam, beam group or similar to define an area of radio coverage.

[0088] The first radio network node 12 transmits a first set of RSs over its cell and the second radio network node 13 transmits a second set of RSs over its cell. The UE 10 receives thus the first set of RSs and the second set of RSs on at least two antenna panels of the two, three, four or more antenna panels. The UE 10 further reports a first RS, of the first and second set of RSs, and a second RS, of the first and second set of RSs, based on a measured signal parameter of respective RS, as a beam group to a radio network node. The first RS is received at a first antenna panel, such as P2, of the at least two antenna panels, and the second RS is received at a second antenna panel, such as P3, of the at least two antenna panels.

[0089] According to some embodiments herein, the first radio network node 12 transmits first synchronization signals (SS) over its cell and the second radio network node 13 transmits second SSs over its cell. The UE 10 may then select, based on one or more measurements of the SSs, the at least two antenna panels, such as P2 and P3, for receiving RSs on. The UE 10 further receives the first set of RSs (from the first radio network node 12 or TRP) and a second set of RSs (from the second radio network node 13 or TRP) on the selected P2 and P3. The UE 10 may then select, for the P2, the first RS of the RSs of the first and second set of RSs based on measured signal parameter of respective RS, and, for the P3, the second RS of the RSs of the first and second set of RSs based on measured signal parameter of respective RS. The UE 10 then reports the selected first RS and the selected second RS as a beam group in a group-based beam report. The measured signal parameter may relate to signal strength or quality, and / or throughput, such as measured SINR, RSRP, RSRQ, Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Signal to Interference Ratio (SIR), Block Error Rate (BER) and / or Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR).

[0090] The first set of RSs may be QCLed with the first SS such as a first SSB of the at least two SSs, and the second set of RSs may be QCLed with the second SSs such as a second SSB of the at least two SSs.

[0091] Embodiments herein enable selections of beam pair during multi-TRP operation based on group-based beam reporting can result in good DL / UL performance, with a low- complexity implementation in the UE 10. Note that the beam report referred to herein is called “group-based beam report”. However, in 6G the report might be called something else. Embodiments herein are applicable to any kind of beam report that indicates that a group of reported beams can be used for simultaneous reception.

[0092] The term synchronization signal may refer to a synchronization signal block, with multiple signals, such as an SSB. In the case of the SSB, the frequency may be an SSB frequency, as defined above, and the identifiers may be an SSB index and a Physical Cell Identity (PCI).

[0093] The respective RS received by the UE 10, which is transmitted in a frequency, may encode one or more identifiers e.g. a beam identifier, a beam group identifier, a cell identifier, etc. In the context of embodiments herein a CSI-RS frequency may be characterized as the bandwidth of the CSI-RS and its subcarrier spacing.

[0094] Fig. 7 shows a combined flowchart and signalling scheme according to embodiments herein.

[0095] Action 701. The first radio network node 12 transmits SSs over its cell, such as the first cell 11.

[0096] Action 702. The second radio network node 13 transmits SSs over its cell, such as the second cell 14.

[0097] Action 703. The UE 10 may select a first antenna panel and a second antenna panel out of at least two antenna panels, such as P2 and P3, based on measurements of the received SSs.

[0098] Action 704. The first radio network node 12 transmits a first set of RSs, such as DL RSs or CSI-RSs corresponding to first beams.

[0099] Action 705. The second radio network node 13 transmits a second set of RSs, such as DL RSs or CSI-RSs corresponding to second beams.

[0100] Action 706. The UE 10 may then select, for the first antenna panel, the first RS, and the second RS, for the second antenna panel, based on the measured signal parameter, such as RSRP, RSRQ, SINR or similar, of respective RS of the first and second sets of RSs. Thus, the UE 10 may form pair(s) of RSs based on measured signal strength or quality.

[0101] Action 707. The UE 10 then reports the first RS and the second RS as a beam group in for example, a group-based beam report. Thus, the UE 10 reports the first RS, of the first and second set of RSs, and the second RS, of the first and second set of RSs, based on a measured signal parameter of respective RS, as a beam group to a radio network node such as the first radio network node 12. The first RS is received at the P2 of the at least two antenna panels, and the second RS is received at the P3 of the at least two antenna panels. It should be noted that if the first RS belongs to the first set of RSs, then the second RS belongs to the second set of RSs, and if the first RS belongs to the second set of RSs, then the second RS belongs to the first set of RSs.

[0102] Embodiments herein enable selections of beam pair during multi-radio network nodes or cells operation based on group-based beam reporting that can result in good DL / LIL performance (since the RS pair or pairs are selected based on signal strength or quality, and / or throughput) with a low-complexity implementation in the UE 10.

[0103] The method actions performed by the UE 10 for handling communication of the UE 10 in the wireless communications network 1 according to embodiments will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 8. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below but may be taken in any suitable order. Dashed boxes indicate optional features.

[0104] Action 801. The UE 10 may receive first SSs on the first antenna panel and / or the second antenna panel.

[0105] Action 802. The UE 10 may receive second SSs on the first antenna panel and / or the second antenna panel.

[0106] Action 803. The UE 10 may perform one or more measurement of the received first and second SSs on respective antenna panel. The UE 10 may perform the one or more measurements on the at least two SSs, wherein the at least two SSs comprise a first SS from the first radio network node and a second SS from the second radio network node. The one or more measurements may comprise measured signal parameter(s). The measured signal parameter may comprise measured signal strength or quality, and / or throughput.

[0107] Action 804. The UE 10 may select, based on the one or more measurements of at least two SSs, the at least two antenna panels for receiving reference signals on. For instance, the UE 10 may perform one or more of the following actions to determine the first antenna panel: an RSRP, e.g., L1-RSRP, may be determined for each combination of UE panel and the two SSBs; if there are N > 1 UE panels, then the UE 10 may measure 2N RSRP measurements; the UE 10 may then determine the combination of SSB and UE panel that has the highest RSRP; let’s assume that measurement of SSB #1 on UE panel #2 results in the highest RSRP, the UE 10 may then use UE panel #2 for receiving the first set of CSI-RSs associated with SSB #1. Additionally, the UE 10 may determine or select the second antenna panel associated with the highest RSRP of SSB #2 of the remaining UE panels, i.e. select one or more panels except the one selected to receive the first set of CSI-RSs. For example, the UE 10 may select UE panel #3 since measurement of SSB #2 on UE panel #3 results in the highest RSRP. The UE 10 may then use UE panel #3 when receiving the second set of CSI-RSs associated with SSB #2. In another example, measurement of SSB #2 on UE panel #2 results in the highest RSRP, and measurement of SSB #2 on UE panel #3 results in the second highest RSRP. In this case, since UE panel #2 has already been selected by the UE 10 to receive the first set of CSI-RSs associated with SSB #1, the UE 10 may still use UE panel #3 when receiving the second set of CSI-RSs associated with SSB #2.

[0108] The at least two antenna panels may be selected taking cross interference between the at least two SSs into account. It should be noted that selecting the at least two antenna panels may include selecting a beam and / or spatial filter for respective antenna panel, based on the one or more measurements on the at least two SSs.

[0109] The UE 10 may calculate indication of throughput such as SINR for each combination of the two SSBs and all antenna panels, and may select the combination of SSB beam and antenna panel that maximizes the throughput. The UE 10 may select two combinations of SSB beam and antenna panel that maximize the average throughput over all possible SSB / antenna panel combinations.

[0110] Action 805. The UE 10 receives the first set of RSs, and the second set of RSs on the at least two antenna panels. The first set of RSs may be received from the first radio network node 12 or TRP, and the second set of RSs may be received from the second radio network node 13 or TRP. It should be noted that the first set of RSs may be QCLed with the first SS, and the second set of RSs may be QCLed with the second SS.

[0111] Action 806. The UE 10 may perform measurements of a signal parameter of respective RS of the first and second sets of RSs, such as measured signal strength or quality, and / or throughput.

[0112] Action 807. The UE 10 may, furthermore, select, for the first antenna panel, the first RS, and for the second antenna panel, the second RS, based on the measured signal parameter of respective RS of the first and second sets of RSs. Thus, the UE 10 may select for the first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, the first RS of the first and second set of RSs. The UE 10 may further select, for the second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, the second RS of the first and second set of RSs based on measured signal parameter of respective RS. The first RS may be selected based on a highest measured signal parameter for the first antenna panel, and the second RS is selected based on highest measured signal parameter for the second antenna panel of a different set of RSs than the selected first RS. The first RS and the second RS may be selected as a combination of RSs based on an average of measured signal parameters of different combinations of RSs. The UE 10 may select two antenna panels / beams that maximizes the average RSRP across both beam pair links, after evaluating all possible combinations of SSB / LIE panels.

[0113] Action 808. The UE 10 then reports the first RS, of the first and second set of RSs, and the second RS, of the first and second set of RSs, based on the measured signal parameter of respective RS, as a beam group to a radio network node such as the first radio network node 12. The first RS is received at the first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, and the second RS is received at the second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels. The first RS may belong to a different set of RSs than the second RS. The beam group may be reported in a group-based beam report.

[0114] Embodiments herein disclose a method in the UE 10, wherein the UE 10 is configured with one or more serving cells, e.g., Pcell, Scells of the MCG, Scells of the SCG, PScell, etc.

[0115] Fig. 9 illustrates one example of a flowchart according to some embodiments herein. Although the flowchart of Fig. 9 shows two TRPs, embodiments are not limited to two TRPs and can be applied to more than two TRPs. For instance, when embodiments herein are applied to three TRPs, a radio network node such as a gNB configures three sets of CSI-RSs wherein each set of CSI-RSs corresponds to one of the three TRPs, i.e. , the xthset of CSI-RSs is QCLed with the xthSSB wherein the xthset of CSI-RSs and the xthSSB are transmitted from the xthTRP where x = 1, 2, 3. In the example with three TRPs, each beam group in the group-based beam report includes one CSI-RS from each of the three sets of CSI-RSs, one for each panel out of three panels. In Fig. 9 the two TRPs shown can either belong to the same gNB, i.e., the same gNB controls the two TRPs, or belong to different gNBs, i.e., each TRP is separately controlled by a different gNB.

[0116] In action (Ac.) 1 , the gNB to which TRP1 belongs configures, e.g., RRC configures, the UE 10 with a group-based beam report.

[0117] In action 2, TRP1 and TRP2 transmit a first and a second SSBs, respectively. Note that this action is periodically performed by the TRPs, typically every 20ms. In action 3, the UE 10 performs measurements on the SSBs, and at the same time sweeps through different UE panels / spatial filters to determine which UE panels / spatial filter that is suitable for which SSB.

[0118] In action 4, the TRP1 triggers, e.g., via DCI signaling, the UE 10 to perform a group-based beam report, where the trigger of the group-based beam report indicates a first and a second sets of CSI-RS resources, and which SSBs that are QCL with the first and second sets of CSI-RSs.

[0119] In action 5, the UE 10 selects or determines which two UE panels that should be used when receiving the first set and second set of CSI-RSs using or based on previous measurements on SSBs. In some embodiments it is assumed that the first set of DL-RSs, e.g., CSI-RSs, are QCLed with the first SSB, and the second set of DL-RSs, e.g., CSI- RSs, are QCLed with the second SSB. The UE 10 determines the two UE panels, including a beam / spatial filter for respective UE panel, based on measurements on the first and second SSBs.

[0120] As an example, the UE 10 may determine a first UE panel with the highest RSRP, e.g., Layer 1 RSRP, of both SSBs and across all UE panels. For instance, the UE 10 performs the following steps to determine the first UE panel:

[0121] • an RSRP, e.g., L1-RSRP, may be determined for each combination of UE panel and the two SSBs; if there are N > 1 UE panels, then the UE 10 may measure 2N RSRP measurements;

[0122] • the UE 10 then determines the combination of SSB and UE panel that has the highest RSRP; let’s assume that measurement of SSB #1 on UE panel #2 results in the highest RSRP;

[0123] • the UE 10 will then use UE panel #2 or select for receiving the first set of CSI-RSs associated with SSB #1.

[0124] Additionally, the UE 10 may determine or select a second UE panel associated with the highest RSRP of SSB #2 of the remaining UE panels, i.e. select one or more panels except the one selected to receive the first set of CSI-RSs. For example, the UE 10 may select UE panel #3 since measurement of SSB #2 on UE panel #3 results in the highest RSRP of the second set of RSs of SSB#2. The UE 10 may then use UE panel #3 when receiving the second set of CSI-RSs associated with SSB #2. In another example, measurement of SSB #2 on UE panel #2 results in the highest RSRP, and measurement of SSB #2 on UE panel #3 results in the second highest RSRP. In this case, since UE panel #2 has already been selected by the UE 10 to receive the first set of CSI-RSs associated with SSB #1, the UE 10 still uses UE panel #3 when receiving the second set of CSI-RSs associated with SSB #2.

[0125] It should further be noted that the UE 10 may select the at least two antenna panels taking cross SSB interference into account. In another example, the UE 10 may calculate indication of throughput such as SINR / SIR for each combination of the two SSBs and all UE panels, and may select the combination of SSB beam and UE panel that maximizes the throughput or the SINR / SIR. The UE 10 may select two combinations of SSB beam and UE panel that maximizes the average SINR / SIR over all possible SSB / UE panel combinations.

[0126] The UE 10 may select two UE panels that maximizes the average RSRP across both beam pair links, after evaluating all possible combinations of SSB / UE panels. Note here that a beam pair link in this context is defined by a combination of the TRP transmit beam used to transmit the SSB, the UE panel used to receive the SSB, and the UE received beam used to receive the SSB, i.e. , the receive beam of the selected UE panel.

[0127] In Action 6, the TRPs transmit the first and second sets of CSI-RSs, respectively, in different narrow TRP beams.

[0128] In Action 7, the UE 10 performs one or more measurements on the first and second sets of CSI-RSs using the selected UE panels, and determines one or more beam groups, wherein each beam group includes one CSI-RS from the first set of CSI-RSs and one CSI-RS from the second set of CSI-RSs. As an example, the UE 10 may select a first CSI-RS received with highest RSRP among both CSI-RS sets and both UE panels, and then the UE 10 may select a second CSI-RS to be used in the same reported beam group as the first CSI-RS. The second CSI-RS may be the CSI-RS received with highest RSRP from a CSI-RS set other than the CSI-RS set that the first CSI-RS belongs to, and where the second CSI-RS is received in a UE panel, other than the UE panel that was used when receiving the first CSI-RS.

[0129] In Action 8, the UE 10 reports the group-based beam report to the gNB.

[0130] The UE 10 then communicates with the two TRPs using the determined beam pair links.

[0131] One example of beam pair selection is illustrated with reference to Fig. 10. In this case, if the UE 10 first selects SSB / UE panel combination based on the beam pair, such as beam pair link, with highest RSRP, the UE 10 will select the combination SSB1 / UE panel2 as the first combination. However, for the second combination the UE 10 would then have to select SSB2 and UE panell, which has very low RSRP (-110dBm). However, such a choice is not a very good solution in this case. Hence, if the UE 10 evaluates all candidate combinations, and the UE 10 may select the solution with best average channel condition or RSPR instead, the associated performance is likely to be better. For example, in Fig. 10 we will get the following candidate combinations:

[0132] 1. Average of SSB1 / UE panel2 & SSB2 / UE panell => (-94 dBm -110dB) / 2 = -102 dBm in average RSRP; and

[0133] 2. Average of SSB1 / UE panell & SSB2 / UE panel2 => (-95 dBm -95dB) / 2 = -95 dBm in average RSRP

[0134] Thus, the average RSRP is better for the second combination, however, if the UE 10 selects a combination of SSB and UE panel based on the highest RSRP, then the first combination will be obtained, which has a lower average RSRP, and therefore most likely will give lower performance for e.g. NC-JT. Thus, Fig. 10 shows an example of embodiments, where it is better to select UE panels based on average RSRP across all SSB / UE panel combinations, instead of first selecting one SSB / UE panel with the highest RSRP and then selecting the second combination with highest remaining RSRP.

[0135] One example of beam pair selection is described with reference to Fig. 11. In this case the group-based beam report is performed over two TRPs, and with two beams, i.e. , CSI-RSs, per TRP, where the beams belonging to the same TRP are in the same set of CSI-RSs. It is further assumed that the UE 10 has determined two UE panels, such as UE panell and UE panel2, for receiving the TRP beams.

[0136] First, the UE 10 performs RSRP measurements on all TRP beams on both UE panels.

[0137] In the next step the UE 10 determines a first TRP beam, e.g., CSI-RS, by evaluating which combination of TRP beam and UE panel that has the highest RSRP, which in this case is the first beam for TRP1 , i.e. TRP1_Beam1, received at UE panell , which has -90dBm RSRP.

[0138] In the next step the UE 10 may determine a second TRP beam to pair with the first TRP beam (TRP1_Beam1), by selecting a TRP beam belonging to TRP2, and where the second TRP beam is received with UE panel2, since the second TRP beam should preferably be received with another UE panel compared to the first TRP beam, to maximize potentially scheduled DL NC-JT throughput. In this case, the UE 10 may select a TRP beam from TRP2 with highest received RSRP from UE panel2, which is TRP2_Beam2. In the next step the UE 10 reports, to the TRP1 and / or the TRP2, in the group- based beam report a beam group consisting of TRP1_Beam1 and TRP2_Beam2 to the network. Note that the UE 10 may report more than one group of beams. For example, the 1st reported beam group may include TRP1_Beam1 (received on UE panel 1) and TRP2_Beam2 (received on UE panel 2). To report a second beam group, the UE 10 may determine the highest RSRP for receiving a beam from the second TRP which is TRP2_Beam2 (received on UE panel 1). Since UE panel 1 has already been selected to receive a beam from TRP2, a beam from TRP1 that can be received with UE panel 2 with the highest RSRP has to be included in the second beam group. The UE 10 may then select TRP1_Beam1 (received on UE panel 1). Hence, Fig. 11 shows an example where the UE 10 selects the two TRP beams to be used in a pair of reported beams.

[0139] Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 10 may determine a first antenna panel for receiving a first SSB and a second antenna panel for receiving a second SSB based on legacy measurements. When the UE 10 is configured with group based reporting with a first and second sets of CSI-RSs QCLed with the first and second SSBs, respectively, the UE 10 may measure RSRP for CSI-RS resources in the first set of CSI-RSs using the first UE panel and may measure RSRP for CSI-RS resources in the second set of CSI-RSs using the second UE panel. The UE may then select a first CSI-RS resource with a highest RSRP value in the first set of CSI-RSs and a second CSI-RS resource with a highest RSRP value in the second set of CSI-RSs. The UE reports the selection of the first and the second CSI-RS resources and the corresponding RSRPs.

[0140] Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 10 may determine that a same panel is good for receiving both the first and second SSBs. In this case, when the UE 10 is configured with group based reporting with a first and second sets of CSI-RSs QCLed with the first and second SSBs, respectively, the UE 10 may measure RSRP for CSI-RS resources in both the first and second sets of CSI-RSs. The UE selects a first CSI-RS resource in one of the first and second sets of CSI-RSs with a highest RSRP value for the first antenna panel and a second CSI-RS resource with a highest RSRP value in the other set of CSI- RSs for the second antenna panel. The UE reports the selection of the first and the second CSI-RS resources and the corresponding RSRPs.

[0141] Fig. 12 is a block diagram depicting embodiments of the UE 10 for handling communication of the UE 10 in the wireless communications network 1 according to embodiments herein. The UE 10 may comprise processing circuitry 1201 , e.g., one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0142] The UE 10 and / or the processing circuitry 1201 is configured to receive a first set of RSs and a second set of RSs on the at least two antenna panels.

[0143] The UE 10 and / or the processing circuitry 1201 is configured to report the first RS, of the first and second set of RSs, and the second RS, of the first and second set of RSs, based on the measured signal parameter of respective RS, as a beam group to a radio network node. The first RS is received at a first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, and the second RS is received at a second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels. The beam group may be reported in a group-based beam report.

[0144] The UE 10 and / or the processing circuitry 1201 may be configured to select based on the one or more measurements of at least two SSs, the at least two antenna panels for receiving reference signals on. The at least two antenna panels may be selected taking cross interference between the at least two SSs into account.

[0145] The UE 10 and / or the processing circuitry 1201 may be configured to select the at least two antenna panels by also selecting a beam and / or spatial filter for respective antenna panel, based on the one or more measurements on the at least two SSs.

[0146] The UE 10 and / or the processing circuitry 1201 may be configured to perform the one or more measurements on the at least two SSs, wherein the at least two SSs comprise a first SS from a first radio network node and a second SS from a second radio network node. The first set of RSs may be quasi co located, with the first SS, and the second set of RSs may be QCL with the second SS.

[0147] The UE 10 and / or the processing circuitry 1201 may be configured to select for the first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, the first RS of the first and second set of RSs, and, for the second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, the second RS of the first and second set of RSs based on measured signal parameter of respective RS. The first RS may be selected based on a highest measured signal parameter for the first antenna panel, and the second RS may be selected based on highest measured signal parameter for the second antenna panel of a different set of RSs than the selected first RS.

[0148] The first RS and the second RS may be selected as a combination of RSs based on an average of measured signal parameters of different combinations of RSs.

[0149] The first RS may belong to a different set of RSs than the second RS.

[0150] The measured signal parameter may comprise measured signal strength or quality, and / or throughput. The UE 10 may comprise a memory 1205. The memory 1205 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as antenna panel information, measurements, measurement reports, beam information, cell information, indications, time indications, selection information, HO information, mobility events, measurements, events and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the UE 10 may comprise a communication interface 1206 comprising such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas.

[0151] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the UE 10 are respectively implemented by means of e.g., a computer program product 1207 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e. , software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the UE 10. The computer program product 1207 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 1208, e g., a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 1208, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the UE 10. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose a UE for handling communication in a wireless communications network, wherein the UE comprises processing circuitry and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said UE is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0152] It should be noted that “transmitting to” and “receiving from” also cover embodiments where a message is transmitted via some intermediate node, i.e., “to” can be interpreted as “towards” and “from” can be interpreted as “transmitted by” (not necessarily directly “to” or “from”).

[0153] In some embodiments a more general term “network node” is used and it can correspond to any type of radio-network node or any network node, which communicates with a wireless device and / or with another network node. Examples of network nodes are NodeB, MeNB, SeNB, a network node belonging to Master Cell Group (MCG) or Secondary Cell Group (SCG), Base Station (BS), Multi-Standard Radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB, gNodeB, network controller, RNC, BSC, relay, donor node controlling relay, Base Transceiver Station (BTS), Access Point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Remote Radio Head (RRH), nodes in Distributed Antenna System (DAS), etc.

[0154] In some embodiments the non-limiting term wireless device or UE is used and it refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and / or with another wireless device in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, D2D UE, proximity capable UE (aka ProSe UE), machine type UE or UE capable of Machine to Machine (M2M) communication, Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, Laptop Embedded Equipped (LEE), Laptop Mounted Equipment (LME), USB dongles etc.

[0155] Embodiments are applicable to any RAT or multi-RAT systems, where the wireless device receives and / or transmit signals (e.g. data) e.g. NR, Wi-Fi, LTE, LTE-Advanced, WCDMA, GSM / Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM / EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possible implementations.

[0156] As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, that functions means or circuits may be implemented using digital logic and / or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and / or software interfaces between them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processor shared with other functional components of a wireless device or network node, for example.

[0157] Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, without limitation, Digital Signal Processor (DSP) hardware and / or program or application data. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Designers of communications devices will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices.

[0158] Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include DSPs, special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as Read-Only Memory (ROM), Random-Access Memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0159] FIG. 13 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0160] In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110) being examples of the first radio network node 12 and second radio network node 13, or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node, being examples of the entities herein, 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 QQ102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network QQ102 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 QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network nodes QQ108.

[0161] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (0-Rll), an open distributed unit (0-Dll), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near- real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1 , F1 , W1, E1, 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 O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of the UE 10, such as by connecting UEs QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0162] 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 QQ100 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 QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0163] The UEs QQ112 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 QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 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 QQ102.

[0164] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 to one or more hosts, such as host QQ116. 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 QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) such as network node 15 that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node QQ108. 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 (ALISF), 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).

[0165] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and / or the telecommunication network QQ102, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host QQ116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and prerecorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0166] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of FIG. 13 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. In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0167] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 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 QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. 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).

[0168] In the example, the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 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 QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 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 QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub QQ114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0169] The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ110b. The hub QQ114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 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 QQ110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0170] FIG. 14 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, 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-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0171] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0172] The UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ204 to an input / output interface QQ206, a power source QQ208, a memory QQ210, a communication interface QQ212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in FIG 14. 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.

[0173] The processing circuitry QQ202 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 QQ210. The processing circuitry QQ202 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 QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0174] In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 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 QQ200. 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.

[0175] In some embodiments, the power source QQ208 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 QQ208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source QQ208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE QQ200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source QQ208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source QQ208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE QQ200 to which power is supplied.

[0176] The memory QQ210 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 QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 may store, for use by the UE QQ200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0177] The memory QQ210 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 inline 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 (eUlCC), integrated IIICC (illlCC) or a removable IIICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 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 QQ210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0178] The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0179] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface QQ212 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 / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0180] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface QQ212, 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).

[0181] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0182] 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. Nonlimiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE QQ200 shown in FIG. 14.

[0183] 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 3GPP NB-loT 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.

[0184] 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.

[0185] FIG. 15 shows a network node QQ300 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)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O- DU, O-CU).

[0186] 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).

[0187] 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).

[0188] The network node QQ300 includes a processing circuitry QQ302, a memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power source QQ308. The network node QQ300 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 QQ300 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 network node. In some embodiments, the network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node QQ300, 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 QQ300.

[0189] The processing circuitry QQ302 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 QQ300 components, such as the memory QQ304, to provide network node QQ300 functionality.

[0190] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and the baseband processing circuitry QQ314 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 QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0191] The memory QQ304 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 QQ302. The memory QQ304 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 QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and memory QQ304 is integrated.

[0192] The communication interface QQ306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signalling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface QQ306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) QQ316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes radio frontend circuitry QQ318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 comprises filters QQ320 and amplifiers QQ322. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to an antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 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 QQ318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters QQ320 and / or amplifiers QQ322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna QQ310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna QQ310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0193] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node QQ300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ318, instead, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of the communication interface QQ306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, the radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface QQ306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0194] The antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna QQ310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna QQ310 is separate from the network node QQ300 and connectable to the network node QQ300 through an interface or port.

[0195] The antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 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 QQ310, the communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 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.

[0196] The power source QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source QQ308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node QQ300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 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 QQ308. As a further example, the power source QQ308 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.

[0197] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in FIG. 15 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 QQ300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node QQ300 and to allow output of information from the network node QQ300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node QQ300.

[0198] FIG. 16 is a block diagram of a host QQ400, which may be an embodiment of the host QQ116 of FIG. 13, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host QQ400 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host QQ400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0199] The host QQ400 includes processing circuitry QQ402 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ404 to an input / output interface QQ406, a network interface QQ408, a power source QQ410, and a memory QQ412. 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 FIG. 14 and 15, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host QQ400.

[0200] The memory QQ412 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs QQ414 and data QQ416, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host QQ400 or data generated by the host QQ400 for a UE. Embodiments of the host QQ400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs QQ414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (WC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAG, 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 QQ414 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 QQ400 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs QQ414 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.

[0201] FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ500 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 QQ500 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment QQ500 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.

[0202] Applications QQ502 (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.

[0203] Hardware QQ504 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 QQ506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs QQ508a and QQ508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs QQ508), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs QQ508.

[0204] The VMs QQ508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance QQ502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs QQ508, 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.

[0205] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ508 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, nonvirtualized machine. Each of the VMs QQ508, and that part of hardware QQ504 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs QQ508 on top of the hardware QQ504 and corresponds to the application QQ502.

[0206] Hardware QQ504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware QQ504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ504 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 QQ510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications QQ502. In some embodiments, hardware QQ504 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 signalling can be provided with the use of a control system QQ512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0207] FIG. 18 shows a communication diagram of a host QQ602 communicating via a network node QQ604 with a UE QQ606 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE QQ112a of FIG. 3 and / or UE QQ200 of FIG. 14), network node (such as network node QQ110a of FIG. 13 and / or network node QQ300 of FIG. 15), and host (such as host QQ116 of FIG. 13 and / or host QQ400 of FIG. 16) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to FIG. 18.

[0208] Like host QQ400, embodiments of host QQ602 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host QQ602 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host QQ602 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE QQ606 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection QQ650 extending between the UE QQ606 and host QQ602. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection QQ650.

[0209] The network node QQ604 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host QQ602 and UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network QQ106 of FIG. 13) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0210] The UE QQ606 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE QQ606 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE QQ606 with the support of the host QQ602. In the host QQ602, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection QQ650 terminating at the UE QQ606 and host QQ602. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection QQ650 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection QQ650. The OTT connection QQ650 may extend via a connection QQ660 between the host QQ602 and the network node QQ604 and via a wireless connection QQ670 between the network node QQ604 and the UE QQ606 to provide the connection between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 and wireless connection QQ670, over which the OTT connection QQ650 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606 via the network node QQ604, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0211] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection QQ650, in step QQ608, the host QQ602 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE QQ606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE QQ606 that shares data with the host QQ602 without explicit human interaction. In step QQ610, the host QQ602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE QQ606. The host QQ602 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE QQ606. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE QQ606 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE QQ606. The transmission may pass via the network node QQ604, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step QQ612, the network node QQ604 transmits to the UE QQ606 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host QQ602 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step QQ614, the UE QQ606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE QQ606 associated with the host application executed by the host QQ602.

[0212] In some examples, the UE QQ606 executes a client application which provides user data to the host QQ602. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host QQ602. Accordingly, in step QQ616, the UE QQ606 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE QQ606. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE QQ606 initiates, in step QQ618, transmission of the user data towards the host QQ602 via the network node QQ604. In step QQ620, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node QQ604 receives user data from the UE QQ606 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host QQ602. In step QQ622, the host QQ602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE QQ606.

[0213] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE QQ606 using the OTT connection QQ650, in which the wireless connection QQ670 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve operations by the UE and / or the network node not requiring so many measurements and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time, better responsiveness, and / or extended battery lifetime.

[0214] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host QQ602. As another example, the host QQ602 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host QQ602 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host QQ602 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host QQ602 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host QQ602 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0215] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection QQ650 between the host QQ602 and UE QQ606, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host QQ602 and / or UE QQ606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection QQ650 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection QQ650 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node QQ604. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signalling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host QQ602. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection QQ650 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0216] 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.

[0217] 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. It will be appreciated that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings represent non-limiting examples of the methods and apparatus taught herein. As such, the apparatus and techniques taught herein are not limited by the foregoing description and accompanying drawings. Instead, the embodiments herein are limited only by the following claims and their legal equivalents.

[0218]

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a user equipment, UE, (10) for handling communication of the UE (10) in a wireless communications network (1), the method comprising: receiving (805) a first set of reference signals, RS, and a second set of RSs on at least two antenna panels; and reporting (808) a first RS, of the first and second set of RSs, and a second RS, of the first and second set of RSs, based on a measured signal parameter of respective RS, as a beam group to a radio network node, wherein the first RS is received at a first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, and the second RS is received at a second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising selecting (804), based on one or more measurements of at least two synchronization signals, SS, the at least two antenna panels for receiving reference signals on.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least two antenna panels are selected taking cross interference between the at least two SSs into account.

4. The method according to any of the claims 2-3, wherein selecting (804) the at least two antenna panels includes selecting a beam and / or spatial filter for respective antenna panel, based on the one or more measurements on the at least two SSs.

5. The method according to any of the claims 2-4, further comprising performing (803) the one or more measurements on the at least two SSs, wherein the at least two SSs comprise a first SS from a first radio network node and a second SS from a second radio network node.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first set of RSs are quasi co located, QCL, with the first SS, and the second set of RSs are QCL with the second SS.

7. The method according to any of the claims 1-6, further comprising selecting (807), for the first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, the first RS of the first and second set of RSs, and, for the second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, the second RS of the first and second set of RSs based on measured signal parameter of respective RS.

8. The method according to any of the claims 1-7, wherein the first RS is selected based on a highest measured signal parameter for the first antenna panel, and the second RS is selected based on highest measured signal parameter for the second antenna panel of a different set of RSs than the selected first RS.

9. The method according to any of the claims 1-8, wherein the first RS and the second RS are selected as a combination of RSs based on an average of measured signal parameters of different combinations of RSs.

10. The method according to any of the claims 1-9, wherein the first RS belongs to a different set of RSs than the second RS.

11. The method according to any of the claims 1-10, wherein the beam group is reported in a group-based beam report.

12. The method according to any of the claims 1-11, wherein the measured signal parameter comprises measured signal strength or quality, and / or throughput.

13. A User Equipment, UE, (10) for handling communication of the UE (10) in a wireless communications network 1, wherein the UE is configured to: receive a first set of reference signals, RS, and a second set of RSs on at least two antenna panels; and report a first RS, of the first and second set of RSs, and a second RS, of the first and second set of RSs, based on a measured signal parameter of respective RS, as a beam group to a radio network node, wherein the first RS is received at a first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, and the second RS is received at a second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels.

14. The UE (10) according to claim 13, wherein the UE is configured to:select, based on one or more measurements of at least two synchronization signals, SS, the at least two antenna panels for receiving reference signals on.

15. The UE (10) according to claim 14, wherein the at least two antenna panels are selected taking cross interference between the at least two SSs into account.

16. The UE (10) according to any of the claims 14-15, wherein the UE is configured to select the at least two antenna panels by selecting a beam and / or spatial filter for respective antenna panel, based on the one or more measurements on the at least two SSs.

17. The UE (10) according to any of the claims 14-16, wherein the UE is configured to perform the one or more measurements on the at least two SSs, wherein the at least two SSs comprise a first SS from a first radio network node and a second SS from a second radio network node.

18. The UE (10) according to claim 17, wherein the first set of RSs are quasi co located, QCL, with the first SS, and the second set of RSs are QCL with the second SS.

19. The UE (10) according to any of the claims 13-18, wherein the UE is configured to select, for the first antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, the first RS of the first and second set of RSs, and, for the second antenna panel of the at least two antenna panels, the second RS of the first and second set of RSs based on measured signal parameter of respective RS.

20. The UE (10) according to any of the claims 13-19, wherein the first RS is selected based on a highest measured signal parameter for the first antenna panel, and the second RS is selected based on highest measured signal parameter for the second antenna panel of a different set of RSs than the selected first RS.

21. The UE (10) according to any of the claims 13-20, wherein the first RS and the second RS are selected as a combination of RSs based on an average of measured signal parameters of different combinations of RSs.

22. The UE (10) according to any of the claims 13-21, wherein the first RS belongs to a different set of RSs than the second RS.

23. The UE (10) according to any of the claims 13-22, wherein the beam group is reported in a group-based beam report.

24. The UE (10) according to any of the claims 13-23, wherein the measured signal parameter comprises measured signal strength or quality, and / or throughput.

25. A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the claims 1-12, as performed by the UE (10).

26. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the claims 1-12, as performed by the UE (10).

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