Techniques in spatial and power domains

Abstract

Provided are apparatus, method, and device for dynamically optimizing communications in spatial and power domains. According to example embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to: obtain a policy defining a plurality of configurations of an RU of a telecommunication network, wherein the plurality of configurations may be associated with transmission of a signal to a UE, and wherein each of the plurality of configurations may specify at least one of: a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signal to the UE; control the RU to transmit, to the UE, the signal based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy; receive, from the UE, a CSI report including a plurality of CSI associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU; and configure the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.

Description

TECHNIQUES IN SPATIAL AND POWER DOMAINS CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 554,336, filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on February 16, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relate to techniques in spatial and power domains.BACKGROUND

[0003] The information disclosed in this background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the disclosure and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

[0004] In order to enhance the performance of a telecommunication network, various features and mechanisms have been introduced. Among others, one or more technical specifications provided by one or more standard organizations, have described the concepts and mechanisms related to Channel State Information (CSI).

[0005] In particular, the CSI includes information describing the state of communication channels and how signals propagate from a transmitter to a receiver. The CSI may contain measurements representing amplitudes and phases of signals at a subcarrier level, where information contained in the CSI may be used to determine the effects of scattering, fading, delaydistortion, power decay, multipath effect, and the like which affect the signals as they travel from the transceiver to the receiver.

[0006] In general, in order to obtain the CSI in a network, a cell (i.e., transmitter) may transmit a signal to a user equipment (i.e., receiver). The cell may have a particular configuration of spatial / transmission elements, for example, a 64T64R massive MIMO Radio Unit (RU). Once the UE receives the signal (which is transmitted from the cell having the particular configuration), the UE may determine the state of the signal (e.g., radio frequency condition) that is received at the UE, in order to determine how the signal transmitted from the cell having such particular configuration travels and propagates to the UE. For example, the UE may determine that the signal transmitted from the 64T64R massive MIMO RU to the UE (which is at a particular location and distance away from the RU) contains high fading and delay distortion.

[0007] Subsequently, the UE may transmit the CSI containing the above information back to the cell, where the cell may adjust parameters associated with the transmission of the signal to the UE in order to improve network performance.SUMMARY

[0008] Example embodiments of the present disclosure automatically and dynamically optimize communications in spatial and power domains. As such, example embodiments of the present disclosure allow for an optimal configuration of the RU to be dynamically determined from among a plurality of configurations of the RU and applied to the RU based on feedback (CSI report) received from a UE, thereby improving network performances such as energy-saving performance and resource allocation efficiency associated with communications in spatial and power domains.

[0009] According to example embodiments, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus may be configured to: obtain a policy defining a plurality of configurations of a radio unit (RU) of a telecommunication network, wherein the plurality of configurations may be associated with transmission of a signal to a user equipment (UE), and wherein each of the plurality of configurations may specify at least one of: a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signal to the UE; control the RU to transmit, to the UE, the signal based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy; receive, from the UE, a channel state information (CSI) report including a plurality of channel state information (CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU; and configure the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.

[0010] According to example embodiments, a method is provided. The method may include: obtaining a policy defining a plurality of configurations of a radio unit (RU) of a telecommunication network, wherein the plurality of configurations may be associated with transmission of a signal to a user equipment (UE), and wherein each of the plurality of configurations may specify at least one of: a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signal to the UE; controlling the RU to transmit, to the UE, the signal based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy; receiving, from the UE, a channel state information (CSI) report including a plurality of channel state information (CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU; and configuring the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.

[0011] According to example embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium is provided. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium may have recordedthereon instructions executable by an apparatus to cause the apparatus to perform a method including: obtaining a policy defining a plurality of configurations of a radio unit (RU) of a telecommunication network, wherein the plurality of configurations may be associated with transmission of a signal to a user equipment (UE), and wherein each of the plurality of configurations may specify at least one of a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signal to the UE; controlling the RU to transmit, to the UE, the signal based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy; receiving, from the UE, a channel state information (CSI) report including a plurality of channel state information (CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU; and configuring the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.

[0012] Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description that follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be realized by practice of the presented embodiments of the disclosure.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Features, aspects, and advantages of embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like elements, and wherein:

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates an example system architecture, according to one or more example embodiments;

[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method for optimizing communications in spatial and power domains, according to one or more embodiments;

[0016] FIG. 3 A to FIG. 3B illustrate a flow sequence of an example use case for optimizing communications in spatial and power domains, according to one or more embodiments; and

[0017] FIG. 4 illustrates a diagram of example components of a device for implementing one or more example embodimentsDETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following detailed description of example embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure provides illustrations and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the present disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations. Further, one or more features or components of one embodiment may be incorporated into or combined with another embodiment (or one or more features of another embodiment). Additionally, the flowchart and description of operations provided below relate to at least one of the embodiments in the present disclosure. It should be noted that it is possible to make other embodiments that do not exactly match the flowchart and its description. It is understood that in other embodiments one or more operations may be omitted, one or more operations may be added, one or more operations may be performed simultaneously (at least in part). Further, the order of one or more operations may be switched, as long as these modifications may not affect the resulting scope of the invention.

[0019] It will be apparent that systems and / or methods, described herein, may be implemented in different forms of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods should not limit their implementations. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systemsand / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code. It is understood that software and hardware may be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based on the description herein.

[0020] Even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification, the particular combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of implementations. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and / or disclosed in the specification. Even if a dependent claim directly depends on only one claim, the present disclosure may indicate that the dependent claim is dependent on other claims in the claim set.

[0021] No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” (in other words, nouns not mentioned in the plural) are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” “include,” “including,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, expressions such as “at least one of [A] and [B],” “[A] and / or [B],” or “at least one of [A] or [B]” are to be understood as including only A, only B, or both A and B. Further still, where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used.

[0022] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations.

[0023] It shall be noted that, descriptions of example embodiments of the present disclosure may include terms and names defined in one or more standard organizations, such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard organization, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standard organization, the Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) Alliance standard organization, and the like. For instance, the terms “CSI”, “rApp”, “xApp”, “Al interface”, “E2 interface”, “Fl interface”, and the like, as well as the associated features and operations, are to be interpreted as consistent with those specified in one or more technical specifications.

[0024] Further, although some embodiments of the present disclosure may be described herein with reference specific components of 5G system, it can be understood that the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited thereto. Specifically, example embodiments of the present disclosure may also apply to any suitable network elements in any suitable telecommunication system, such as a 4G LTE system, a 6G system, and the like, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0025] A radio access network (RAN) is an important component in a telecommunications system, as it connects end-user devices (or user equipment) to other parts of the network. The RAN includes a combination of various network elements (NEs) that connect end-users to a core network. Traditionally, hardware and / or software of a particular RAN is vendor specific.

[0026] With the evolvement in telecommunication network technologies, The RAN may be disaggregated into multiple nodes or entities. Specifically, in the O-RAN architecture, the RAN functions may be disaggregated into multiple logical nodes or entities, such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), and a radio unit (RU). The CU may be a logical node for hosting RadioResource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and / or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) sublayers of the RAN. The DU may be a logical node hosting Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) sublayers of the RAN. A single DU may host or serve multiple network cells formed by multiple RUs. The RU may be a physical node that converts radio signals from antennas to digital signals that can be transmitted over the Front Haul to a DU. In this regard, a network cell may correspond to one or more radio units responsible for providing wireless coverage and signal transmission within the network cell. To this end, since the disaggregated entities have open protocols and interfaces between them, they can be developed by different vendors.

[0027] In this regard, network energy-saving is an important aspect of O-RAN in order to optimize energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, and minimize carbon footprint, while maintaining high network performance and ensuring high quality of service (QoS).

[0028] In the related art, as described above, the UE may be configured to report the CSI containing information regarding how a signal transmitted from a cell having a particular configuration (one configuration) travels and propagates to the UE. Such a particular configuration may have predefined spatial elements to be activated for transmitting the signal to the UE as well as predefined power associated with such signal transmission.

[0029] However, such a particular configuration may not be suitable or optimal for transmitting the signal to the UE, and it may be desirable for the cell to be configured with a different, more suitable / optimal configuration for transmitting the signal to the UE. For example, in a 64T64R massive MEMO Radio Unit (RU), the RU may not necessarily have to utilize all 64 antenna elements in order to transmit the signal to the UE and some antenna elements can bedeactivated when transmitting the signal to the UE to improve energy saving performance (i.e., the RU may be configured with a configuration where all 64 antenna elements are activated or a configuration where only some (e.g., 32) antenna elements are activated).

[0030] Accordingly, there is a need for a mechanism that allows for the UE to provide feedback and CSI report based on multiple configurations of the cell, and that allows for the cell to dynamically adjust its configuration based on such CSI report in order to optimize and improve the network performance based on the state of communication channels.

[0031] Accordingly, system, methods, devices, and the like, provided in the example embodiments of the present disclosure automatically and dynamically optimize communications in spatial and power domains.

[0032] According to example embodiments, the apparatus may control a Radio Unit (RU) to transmit a signal to a user equipment (UE) based on a plurality of configurations of the RU as defined in a policy, where each of the plurality of configurations specifies at least one of a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signal to the UE. Once the UE receives the signal, the UE may determine a channel state information (CSI) report including a plurality of channel state information (CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU, and transmit such CSI report back to the apparatus. Subsequently, the apparatus may configure the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.

[0033] Ultimately, example embodiments of the present disclosure automatically and dynamically optimize communications in spatial and power domains, which allow for an optimal configuration of the RU to be dynamically determined from among a plurality of configurations of the RU and applied to the RU based on feedback (CSI report) received from a UE, therebyimproving network performances such as energy-saving performance and resource allocation efficiency associated with communications in spatial and power domains.

[0034] It is contemplated that features, advantages, and significances of example embodiments described hereinabove are merely a portion of the present disclosure, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0035] Further descriptions of the features, components, configuration, operations, and implementations of the system of the present disclosure, according to one or more embodiments, are provided in the following.Example System Architecture

[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates an example system architecture, according to one or more example embodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the system architecture may include at least one Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework 110 that includes at least one non-real- time RAN Intelligent Controller (Non-RT RIC) 120, at least one near-real-time RIC (Near-RT RIC) 130, at least one O-RAN Centralized Unit (O-CU) 140, at least one O-RAN Distributed Unit (O-DU) 150, a plurality of O-RAN Radio Units (O-RUs) 160-1 to 160-3, and at least one O-Ran Cloud (O-Cloud) 170. The components may be communicatively coupled to another component(s) within the system architecture via a respective interface(s).

[0037] It is contemplated that the system architecture may include more / fewer components than illustrated, and / or may be configured in a different manner, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For instance, in some implementations, the system architecture may further include an open evolved NodeB (O-eNB) that is communicatively coupled to the SMO framework 110 and the Near-RT RIC 130, the system architecture may include a plurality of O-DUs 150 each of which is communicatively coupled to the O-CU 140, the O-CU 140 may be disaggregated into the O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) and the O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), and the like.

[0038] The RAN functions in the system may be controlled and optimized by at least one RIC. The RIC may be a software-defined component that implements modular applications to facilitate the multivendor operability, as well as to automate and optimize RAN operations. As shown in FIG. 1, the RIC may be divided into two types, i.e., the Non-RT RIC 120 and the Near- RT RIC 130. In the following, descriptions of the Non-RT RIC 120 are provided, followed by the descriptions of the Near-RT RIC 130.

[0039] The Non-RT RIC 120 may refer to a logical function within the SMO framework 110 that drives the content carried across the Al interface to enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources. The Al interface may refer to a logical interface between the Non-RT RIC 120 and the Near-RT RIC 130, which enables the Non-RT RIC 120 to provide policy-based guidance (objective, resource) to the Near-RT RIC 130 and enables the Near- RT RIC 130 to provide one or more feedbacks to the Non-RT RIC 120 to monitor the status of one or more policies.

[0040] In some example, implementations, the Non-RT RIC 120 may be the control point of a non-real-time control loop and may operate on a timescale greater than 1 second within the SMO framework 110. The functionalities of the Non-RT RIC 120 may include, for example, providing policy-based guidance and enrichment across the Al interface, performing data analytics, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI / ML) models training and inference for RAN optimization, and / or recommending configuration management actions. As further describedbelow, the Non-RT RIC 120 may access or communicate with other SMO framework functionalities or components via Al interface, 01 interface, 02 interface, and one or more interfaces associated with one or more open fronthaul planes.

[0041] According to example embodiments, the functionalities of the Non-RT RIC 120 may be implemented through at least one modular, Non-RT RIC application, such as the rApp 121. The rApp 121 may leverage the functionalities available in the SMO framework 110 and / or the Non-RT RIC 120 to provide value added services related to RAN operation and optimization, such as policy management, radio resource management, data analytics, and providing enrichment information. In some implementations, the Non-RT RIC 120 may implement a plurality of rApps 121.

[0042] According to example embodiments, the Non-RT RIC 120 may include a Non-RT RIC framework that may be configured to provide or implement one or more services to the rApp 121 through R1 interface. The R1 interface may refer to an open logical interface between the rApp 121 and the Non-RT RIC framework. The R1 interface supports the exchange of data or information, as well as the collection and delivery of data between the rApp 121 and the Non-RT RIC framework. The one or more services, which may also be referred to as “R1 services” herein, may include policy management services, service registration and discovery services, authentication and authorization services, AI / ML workflow services, RAN OAM-related services, Al related services, and 02 related services. The R1 interface allows multi-vendor rApps to manage or add the R1 services, and facilitate inter-connection between rApps and Non-RT RIC framework supplied by different vendors.

[0043] According to example embodiments, the R1 interface may support resource coordination and optimization for inter-cell paging and beam activation by defining protocols for inter-cell coordination related to power and spatial adjustments, introducing resource allocation types for collaborative power and spatial adjustments, defining coordination messages for energyefficient inter-cell paging and beam activation strategies, and the like.

[0044] According to example embodiments, the rApp 121 may be configured to manage one or more policies that are provided to the Near-RT RIC 130 over the Al interface. Said policies may be referred to as “Al policies” herein, and are declarative policies that contain statements on policy objectives and policy resources applicable to one or more network nodes (e.g., one or more UEs, one or more network cells, etc.). Specifically, the one or more Al policies may consist of a scope identifier and one or more policy statements. The scope identifier may represent what the policy statements are to be applied on (e.g. UEs, QoS flows, or cells). The policy statements may define the goals or objectives of the policy and may include information associated with policy objectives and policy resources. In an example, the Al policies may include Quality of Service (QoS) requirements and Energy Saving (ES) requirements, specifying, for example, new QoS Class Identifier (QCI) parameters that the xApp 131 should follow / utilize, and energy saving aggressiveness. By including the policy objectives in the policy statements, the quality of experience can be optimized for UEs or QoS flows that are identified either explicitly by, for example, a UE identifier or a QoS identifier, or implicitly by, for example, a group identifier from which the Near-RT RIC 130 can deduce a set of UEs. On the other hand, by including the policy resources in the policy statements, UEs can be configured to avoid certain cells and / or the radio network can be optimized in specific areas.

[0045] The rApp 121 (or the Non-RT RIC framework within the Non-RT RIC 120) may provide the one or more Al policies to the Near-RT RIC 130, thereby providing guidance to the Near-RT RIC 130 towards one or more objectives or goals defined in the RAN intent. The RAN intent may refer to the high-level operational or business goal(s) to be achieved by the RAN, which may be defined by one or more desired service level agreements (SLAs) that the RAN is to fulfill for all users or for a subset of users in a given area over at least a predefined period of time.

[0046] According to example embodiments, the rApp 121 may be configured to perform one or more policy management operations to provision and manage one or more Al policies in the Near-RT RIC. Specifically, the rApp 121 may be configured to create, update and delete one or more Al policies in the Near-RT RIC. For instance, the rApp 121 may query the presence, content and run-time status of one or more Al policies in the Near-RT RIC. In some example embodiments, the rApp 121 may manage the one or more Al policies to include information associated with transmission of a signal to the UE based on a plurality of configurations of the O- RU 160. For example, the rApp 121 may determine, based on one or more requirements (e.g., quality of service (QoS) requirement) s), energy saving requirement(s), etc.), guidance for radio frequency (RF) channel configuration control and power control. Accordingly, the rApp 121 may include the information of the guidance into the one or more Al policies, and then provide the one or more Al policies to the Near-RT RIC 130 via the Al interface.

[0047] According to example embodiments, the rApp 121 may be configured to receive, from the Near-RT RIC via the Al interface, one or more feedback associated with one or more Al policies (“Al policy feedback” herein). Similarly, the rApp 121 may be configured to receive one or more observables (e.g., events, counters, etc.) provided by the O-CU 140, the O-DU 150, and / orone or more of the O-RUs 160 over the 01 interface. Accordingly, the rApp 121 may be configured to continuously (or periodically) manage the one or more Al policies based on the Al policy feedback(s) and / or the observables provided over the 01 interface. For instance, the rApp 121 may continuously (or periodically) evaluate the impact or effectiveness of the one or more Al policies towards the fulfillment of the RAN intent and then configure or update the one or more Al policies accordingly.

[0048] In addition to the communication with the Near-RT-RIC 130 via the Al interface, the SMO framework 110 (as well as the Non-RT RIC 120 and / or the rApp 121 implemented therein) may communicate with the O-CU 140, the O-DU 150, and the O-RU(s) 160 via the 01 interface. In this regard, the 01 interface may refer to a logical interface between the SMO framework 110, theNear-RT RIC 130, the O-CU 140, the O-DU 150, and the O-RU(s) 160, which enables the SMO framework 110 (as well as the Non-RT RIC 120 and the rApp 121 implemented therein) to provide Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security (FCAPS) and other management operations, such as network monitoring, network discovery, and the like, to the Near-RT RIC 130, the O-CU 140, the O-DU 150, and / or the O-RU(s) 160. Additionally, the 01 interface enables the Near-RT RIC 130, the O-CU 140, the O-DU 150, and / or the O-RU(s) 160 to provide information or observable(s) that may be utilized by the Non-RT RIC 120 (or the rApp 121) to manage the Al policy(s), to train one or more AI / ML models, and the like. According to example embodiments in which the O-eNB is included in the system architecture, the SMO framework may be communicatively coupled to the O-eNB via the 01 interface.

[0049] According to example embodiments, the 01 interface may manage and monitor network configuration and performance data for dynamic adjustments by handling dynamicupdates for power and spatial configurations, introducing capabilities for monitoring performance metrics related to power and spatial adjustments, such as energy consumption, beamforming efficiency, and power savings, defining mechanisms for collecting and aggregating UE capabilities related to power and spatial adjustments, and the like.

[0050] Further, the SMO framework 110 (as well as the Non-RT RIC 120 and / or the rApp 121 implemented therein) may communicate with the O-Cloud 170 via the 02 interface. In this regard, the 02 interface may refer to a logical interface between the SMO framework 110 and the O-Cloud 170, which may be a collection of physical RAN nodes that host the Non-RT RIC 120, the Near-RT RIC 130, the O-CU 140, and the 0-DU 150, the supporting software components (e g., the operating systems and runtime environments), and the SMO framework 110 itself. In other words, the SMO framework 110 may manage the O-Cloud 170 from within, and the 02 interface may be the interface between the SMO framework 110 and the O-Cloud 170 it resides in. Through the 02 interface, the SMO framework 110 (as well as the Non-RT RIC 120 and / or the rApp 121 implemented therein) may provide infrastructure management services (IMS) and deployment management services (DMS) for the O-Cloud 170.

[0051] Furthermore, the SMO framework 110 (as well as the Non-RT RIC 120 and / or the rApp 121 implemented therein) may communicate with the O-RU(s) 160 via an open fronthaul (O-FH) management plane (M-Plane) interface. In this regard, the O-FH M-Plane may enable the SMO framework 110 (as well as the Non-RT RIC 120 and / or the rApp 121 implemented therein) to perform one or more FCAPS operations on the O-RU(s) 160.

[0052] Next, the descriptions of the Near-RT RIC 130 are provided. The Near-RT RIC 130 may refer to a logical function that enables near-real-time control and optimization of RANelements and resources. For instance, the Near-RT RIC 130 may provide the near-real-time control and optimization via fine-grained (e.g., UE basis, Cell basis) data collection and actions over theE2 interface. In some example, implementations, the Near-RT RIC 130 may operate on a timescale between 10 milliseconds and 1 second and may be coupled with the O-CU 140 and the O-DU 150 via the E2 interface. The Near-RT RIC 130 may use the E2 interface to control the underlying RAN elements (E2 nodes / network functions (NFs)) over a near-real-time control loop.

[0053] According to example embodiments, the Near-RT RIC 130 may monitor, suspend / stop, override, and control the E2 nodes (e.g., O-CU 140, O-DU 150, etc.) via one or more Al policies. For example, the Near-RT RIC 130 may receive the one or more Al policies from the Non-RT RIC 120 (or the rApp 121 implemented therein) and then configure or set one or more policy parameters associated with the one or more Al policies on activated functions of the E2 nodes. Further, the Near-RT RIC 130 may host one or more applications, such as the xApp 131, to implement functions such as quality of service (QoS) optimization, mobility optimization, slicing optimization, interference mitigation, load balancing, security, and the like.

[0054] In this regard, the xApp 131 may consist of one or more microservices, which may be independent of the Near-RT RIC 130 and may be provided by any third party. The E2 interface enables a direct association between the xApp 131 and other RAN functionalities (e g., O-CU 140, O-DU 150, etc.), thereby enabling the xApp 131 to provide information or data to the RAN functionalities for further utilization. According to example embodiments, the Near-RT RIC 130 may consist of multiple xApps 131 and a set of platform functions that are commonly used to support the specific functions hosted by the multiple xApps 131. In this regard, the Near-RT RIC platform may communicate with the xApp(s) 131 via one or more application programminginterfaces (APIs). Further, the Near-RT RIC platform may be configured to route Al policy management messages to the registered xApps based on Al policy type and operator policies.

[0055] According to example embodiments, the Near-RT RIC 130 may implement the xApp 131 to configure one or more parameters associated with transmission of the signal to the UE based on the plurality of configurations of the 0-RU 160 and then provide the one or more configured parameters to the O-CU 140, the 0-DU 150, and / or one or more of the O-RUs 160. According to example embodiments, the xApp 131 may be configured to adjust or configure any one or more parameters associated with CSI report, such as any one or more parameters associated with CSI report defined in one or more 3GPP technical standards.

[0056] According to example embodiments, the xApp 131 may be configured to adjust or configure one or more of the above-described parameters and optimize said one or more parameters according to the current Al policy(s) and the current network condition(s) (e.g., load, energy consumption, etc.), thereby providing controlling latency and throughput that fulfills the QoS requirement(s) and / or the energy saving requirement(s).

[0057] According to example embodiments, the xApp 131 may be configured to perform, based on the one or more adjusted or configured parameters, one or more control operations such as handling mobility handover (HO), performing traffic steering optimization to optimize performance, maintaining QoS targets, creating and modifying sleeping periods, adjusting 0-DU 150 scheduling and beamforming policy to tweak between aggressive power saving and user experience, guiding the configuration of array patterns (e.g., number of antenna elements and layouts), MIMO layers, precoding matrixes configuration, and the like, guiding the 0-DU 150 to put RF channels into deep sleep mode via O-FH C-Plane for an interval of time (e.g., 10ms to Is)based on traffic pattern prediction, controlling TX power of the O-RU 160, and the like. By way of example, the xApp 131 may be configured to monitor a specific type of UE (e.g., Release-18 network energy saving (NES) capable UE, non-NES capable UE, etc.), and then steer the specific type of UE (e g., non-NES capable UE, etc.) out of a cell before configuring the cell to transmit the signal to such UE.

[0058] According to example embodiments, the xApp 131 may be configured to perform the one or more control operations via the E2 interface. For instance, the xApp 131 may be configured to perform 0-DU E2 control and send one or more associated commands to the 0-DU 150. Accordingly, the 0-DU 150 may control the associated O-RU(s) or cell(s) to transmit a signal and / or apply one of a plurality of configurations. As another example, the xApp 131 may be configured to perform O-CU E2 control, where the O-CU 140 may send the one or more associated commands to the 0-DU 150, and the 0-DU 150 may then control the associated O-RU(s) or cell(s) to transmit a signal and / or apply one of a plurality of configurations. Accordingly, the 0-DU 150 may in the end shape the E2 control and policy, and the configurations of the O-RU(s) may in the end be controlled by the 0-DU 150.

[0059] Next, the descriptions of the O-CU 140, the O-DU 150, and the O-RU 160 are provided. Generally, the O-CU 140, the 0-DU 150, and the O-RU 160 may constitute abase station, such as a gNodeB (gNB) of 5G NR or a node in Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG- RAN), an Evolved Node B (eNodeB) of a 4G LTE network, a base station of a 6G network, and the like.

[0060] The communication between the O-CU 140 and the 0-DU 150 may be performed via an Fl interface, while the communication between the O-DU 150 and the O-RU 160 may beperformed via one or more O-FH Control (C), User (U), Synchronization (S), and Management (M) plane interfaces. In some implementations, the C, U, and S planes may be consolidated and referred to as the “CUS-plane”. According to example embodiments, the system may include a plurality of O-DUs 150, and the O-CU 140 may be communicatively coupled to the plurality of O-DUs via the Fl interface. Similarly, the system may include a plurality of O-RUs 160, and the 0-DU 150 may be communicatively coupled to the plurality of O-RUs via one or more of the O- FH C / U / S / M plane interfaces.

[0061] According to example embodiments, the O-CU 140 and the 0-DU 150 may be defined in software form and may be deployed in one or more network nodes. For instance, the O- CU 140 and the O-DU 150 may be deployed in one or more servers in the form of virtualized network function (VNF), containerized and / or cloud-native function (CNF), and the like. According to example embodiments, the O-CU 140 and the O-DU 150 may be deployed in the same network node (e.g., same server) and / or may be located at a similar geographical location (e.g., be deployed in different servers in the same data center). According to example embodiments, the O-CU 140 and the O-DU 150 may be deployed in different network nodes and / or may be located at different geographical locations. For instance, the O-CU 140 may be deployed in one or more central servers (i.e., servers in one or more central data centers), and the O-DU 150 may be deployed in one or more edge servers (i.e., servers in one or more edge data centers).

[0062] The O-DU 150 may receive radio signals from an end user (via one or more UEs and one or more cells) and may provide operation or support for lower layers of protocol stacks (e.g., RLC layer, MAC layer, Physical Layer, etc.) accordingly. As an example, the O-DU 150 may perform one or more scheduling operations. The O-CU 140 may communicatively couple theO-DU 150 to a core network (e.g., 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network, 5G Core network, etc.) and may receive the radio signals from the O-DU 150, thereby providing operation or support for higher layers of protocol stacks (e.g., PDCP layer, RRC layer, etc.) accordingly.

[0063] According to example embodiments, the O-CU 140 may include an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) and an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP). The O-CU-CP may refer to the logical node that hosts or implements the RRC and the control plane part of the PDCP protocol, and may be responsible for managing the signaling between the core network and the radio network, handling tasks such as session management, radio bearer control, and mobility management. On the other hand, the O-CU-UP may refer to the logical node that hosts or implements the user plane part of the PDCP protocol and the SDAP protocol, and may be responsible for managing the data traffic and the transmission of user data packets. The O-CU-CP and the O-CU-UP may be coupled to each other via the El interface.

[0064] Further, a single O-DU 150 may host or serve multiple network cells formed by multiple O-RUs 160. According to example embodiments, the O-DU 150 may implement various radio technologies, such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MZMO), beamforming, and the like, to optimize radio communication among the multiple cells and the O-CU 140. In some implementations, the O-DU 150 may concurrently host or serve hundreds (e.g., 512, etc.) of cells at a time.

[0065] The O-RU(s) 160 may be a physical node that converts radio signals from antennas to digital signals that can be transmitted over the Front Haul to the O-DU 150. In this regard, a network cell described herein may correspond to one or more radio units responsible for providing wireless coverage and signal transmission within the network cell. The network cell may includea macro cell, a micro cell, a pi co cell, a femto cell, and / or any other suitable type of network cell.Each of the cells may have an associated coverage area, in which at least one O-RU 160, at least one antenna system, and any other suitable type of transport network element (TNE), may be deployed therein.

[0066] According to example embodiments, the O-CU 140 may be configured to control operations implementations or settings in the associated cell related to the transmission of the signal to the UE based on the plurality of configurations of the 0-RU 160. In some example embodiments, the O-CU 140 may handle mobility handover (HO), perform traffic steering optimization to optimize performance, maintain QoS targets, create and modify sleeping periods, adjust O-DU 150 scheduling and beamforming policy to tweak between aggressive power saving and user experience, guide the configuration of array patterns (e.g., number of antenna elements and layouts), MEMO layers, precoding matrixes configuration, and the like, guide the O-DU 150 to put RF channels into deep sleep mode via O-FH C-Plane for an interval of time (e.g., 10ms to Is) based on traffic pattern prediction, control TX power of the 0-RU 160, and the like. By way of example, the O-CU 140 may be configured to monitor a specific type of UE (e.g., Release-18 network energy saving (NES) capable UE, non-NES capable UE, etc.), and then steer the specific type of UE (e.g., non-NES capable UE, etc.) out of a cell before configuring the cell to transmit the signal to such UE.

[0067] According to example embodiments, the O-DU 150 may be configured to control or instruct the associated O-RU(s) via one or more of the O-FH C / U / S / M plane interfaces. For instance, the O-DU 150 may instruct the O-RU(s) 160 to enter the sleep mode via the O-FH C / U / S plane interfaces. On the other hand, the capability exchange between the O-DU 150 and the O-RU(s) 160 may be performed via the O-FH M-plane interface. As an example, the O-RU(s) 160 may inform the O-DU 150 of the amount of time it requires to maintain in the sleep mode in order to save an amount of energy. In another example, the O-DU 150 may change the power of the O- RU 160 and control the number of antenna and CSI configurations of the O-RU 160 via the O-FH C-plane or O-FH M-plane.

[0068] In view of the above, example embodiments of the present disclosure allow for an optimal configuration of the RU to be dynamically determined from among a plurality of configurations of the RU and applied to the RU based on feedback (CSI report) received from a UE, thereby improving network performances such as energy-saving performance and resource allocation efficiency associated with communications in spatial and power domains.Example Operations for Optimizing Communications in Spatial and Power Domains in the Present Disclosure

[0069] In the following, several example operations are performable by the apparatus of one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to FIG.2.

[0070] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 200 for optimizing communications in spatial and power domains, according to one or more embodiments. One or more operations in method 200 may be performed by the apparatus of one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure. The apparatus may be configured to optimize communications in spatial and power domains.

[0071] According to example embodiments, the apparatus may include at least a Near-RT RIC configured to implement at least one Near-RT RIC Application (xApp).

[0072] As illustrated in FIG. 2, at operation S210, the apparatus may be configured to obtain a policy. The policy may define a plurality of configurations of a radio unit (RU) of a telecommunication network. The plurality of configurations may be associated with transmission of a signal to a user equipment (UE). According to example embodiments, each of the plurality of configurations may specify at least one of: a spatial element of the RU and a power associated transmission of the signal to the UE.

[0073] According to example embodiments, the spatial element may refer to a physical or logical element of the RU associated with transmission of signals, where such element may be activated in order to transmit a signal to the UE. According to example embodiments, the spatial element may include at least one of: a transceiver and an antenna of the RU.

[0074] According to example embodiments, the power may refer to power / energy associated with transmitting the signal to the UE. According to example embodiments, the power may be specified as a target power. According to example embodiments, the power may be specified as a target reduction in power. According to example embodiments, the power may include at least one of: a power offset between a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and tracking reference signal (TRS) and a power offset between PDSCH and channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0075] According to example embodiments, each of the plurality of configurations may further specify any additional parameters associated with the physical and / or logical configurations of the RU. According to example embodiments, one or more configurations of the plurality of configurations may further specify an indication whether to enable beamforming when transmitting a signal to the UE. According to example embodiments, one or more configurationsof the plurality of configurations may further specify a minimum time duration required to perform power adjustment transitions (e.g., transition from the current power to the power specified in the configuration). According to example embodiments, one or more configurations of the plurality of configurations may further specify an indication whether to enable dynamic power adjustment (e.g., whether to allow power to be changed from the current power to the power specified in the configuration). According to example embodiments, one or more configurations of the plurality of configurations may further specify active transceiver chains.

[0076] It may be understood that each of the plurality of configurations may specify more than one spatial elements to be activated and / or the power. For example, one configuration from the plurality of configurations may specify a plurality of specific spatial elements of the RU that form a set of specific spatial elements, such as a subset of antennas of a 64T64R configuration of the RU and the like (e.g., one configuration may specify a 64T64R configuration where 64 of the 64 antenna elements are activated and none of the antenna elements are deactivated, another configuration may specify a 32T32R configuration where 32 of the 64 antenna elements are activated and 32 antenna elements are deactivated, another configuration may specify a 16T16R configuration where 16 of the 64 antenna elements are activated and 48 antenna elements are deactivated, and the like).

[0077] According to example embodiments, the policy may also further define any additional parameters associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU.

[0078] According to example embodiments, the policy may further define an activation criteria to transmit a signal based on the plurality of configurations to the UE. The activation criteria may include any conditions, and may specify the criteria when the RU can transmit a signalbased on the plurality of configurations to the UE (see below in operation S220). For example, the activation criteria may include time of day (e.g., morning, night, off-peak hours, and the like), network load (e.g., 40% load), minimum number of UE that is connected to the RU and that can support reporting CSI based on the plurality of configurations of the RU (e.g., 80% of the UEs connected to the RU can report CSI based on the plurality of configurations of the RU), and the like. Accordingly, when one or more of the above criteria are met, the RU may transmit a signal based on the plurality of configurations to the UE. On the other hand, when one or more of the above criteria are not met, the RU may not transmit a signal based on the plurality of configurations to the UE, and the RU may transmit a signal based on the current configurations to the UE.

[0079] According to example embodiments, the policy may further define a capability requirement of the UE. The capability requirement may specify requirements related to the UE’s capability to report CSI based on the plurality of configurations of the RU. For example, if one of the plurality of configurations specifies an indication to enable beamforming when transmitting a signal to the UE, the capability requirement may specify the UE’s capability to support beamforming. According to example embodiments, the capability requirements may include one or more of: support for dynamic power adjustments, support for beamforming, support for network energy saving (NES), maximum number of simultaneous CSI entries that can be reported, maximum number of configurations that can be included in one CSI report, maximum number of simultaneous non-zero-power (NZP) CSI-RS resources that the UE can support, support for dynamic transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state activation for multiple transmission / reception points (multi-TRPs) coherent joint transmission (CJT), support for enhanced demodulation reference signal (DMRS) ports, support for additional DMRS symbols forPDSCH and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), minimum number of UEs connected to the cell that must support one or more of the other capability requirements for the policy to activate, support for single-panel type 1 codebook, support for beam failure recovery with unified TCI framework, support for two TCI states in coherent joint transmission, support for dynamic selection of TRP CSI-RS resource for multi-TRPs CJT, support for selection of CSI-RS resources for multi-TRPs CJT, support for configuring multiple TRS resource sets in a single CSI report setting, support for additional DMRS symbols and configurations for enhanced DMRS ports for PDSCH, support for enhanced inter-cell communication protocols to facilitate collaborative energy-saving strategies, support for periodic CSI reporting based on the plurality of configurations, support for semi-persistent CSI reporting based on the plurality of configurations, maximum number of total CSI-RS ports in simultaneous NZP-CSI-RS resources, and the like. Accordingly, the UEs that satisfy all capability requirements defined in the policy may be considered as the UEs that can support reporting CSI based on the plurality of configurations of the RU.

[0080] According to example embodiments, the policy may further define a key performance indicator (KPI) to be measured. According to example embodiments, the KPI defined in the policy may be measured in order to perform various determination processes associated with the policy. According to example embodiments, the KPI may include at least one of: a current network load (e.g., in percentages), an energy consumption of the network (e.g., in watts), a number UEs that can support reporting CSI based on the plurality of configurations of the RU, an average throughput per UE (e.g., in Mbps), an average latency in the network (e.g., in milliseconds), a packet error rate (e.g., in percentages), and the like.

[0081] According to example embodiments, the apparatus may be communicatively coupled to a Non-RT RIC configured to implement at least one Non-RT RIC Application (rApp) via an R1 interface and an Al interface. According to example embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to obtain the policy from the Non-RT RIC via the R1 interface and the Al interface. The method then proceeds to operation S220.

[0082] At operation S220, the apparatus may be configured to control the RU to transmit the signal to the UE based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy.

[0083] According to example embodiments, the RU may be controlled to transmit the signal to the UE based on the plurality of configurations by applying each of the plurality of configurations, and then transmitting the signal to the UE with each of the plurality of configurations applied.

[0084] According to example embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to control the RU to transmit the signal to the UE via a distributed unit (DU) associated with the RU. For example, the apparatus may control the DU to execute signal transmission based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy via an E2 interface, where the DU may then transmit execution commands to the RU via an O-FH plane such that the RU may transmit the signal based on the plurality of configurations.

[0085] According to example embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to control the RU to transmit the signal to the UE via a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) associated with the RU. For example, the apparatus may control the CU to execute signal transmission based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy via an E2 interface, where the CU may then transmit execution commands to the DU via an Fl interface and then tothe RU via an O-FH plane such that the RU may transmit the signal based on the plurality of configurations.

[0086] According to example embodiments, once the UE receives the signal (which is transmitted based on the plurality of configurations), the UE may determine a channel state information (CSI) report. The CSI report may include a plurality of CSI (e.g., a plurality of entries of CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU. Accordingly, the UE may determine the state of communication channels between the RU and the UE, and how signals propagate from the RU to the UE when the RU is configured with each of the plurality of configurations. Subsequently, the UE may transmit the CSI report to the apparatus.

[0087] According to example embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to also perform any determinations, monitoring, and the like in accordance with the content of the policy. For example, if the policy defines an activation criteria as morning time, the apparatus may be configured to monitor the time of day and determine when the current time is morning time. In another example, if the policy defines a plurality of capability requirements of the UE, the apparatus may be configured to determine if a UE satisfies all of the plurality of capability requirements before controlling the RU to transmit the signal to the UE, and / or the apparatus may be configured to determine how many UEs that are connected to the RU satisfy one, more than one, all, or none of the plurality of capability requirements. In further another example, if the policy defines a KPI, the apparatus may be configured to measure and monitor such KPI. The method then proceeds to operation S230.

[0088] At operation S230, the apparatus may be configured to receive the CSI report including the plurality of CSI associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU from theUE.

[0089] According to example embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to receive the CSI report from the UE via a distributed unit (DU) associated with the RU. For example, the UE may transmit the CSI report to the RU, where the RU may forward the CSI report to the DU via an O-FH plane and then to the apparatus via an E2 interface.

[0090] According to example embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to receive the CSI report from the UE via a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) associated with the RU. For example, the UE may transmit the CSI report to the RU, where the RU may forward the CSI report to the DU via an O-FH plane, then to the CU via an Fl interface, and then to the apparatus via an E2 interface. The method then proceeds to operation S240.

[0091] At operation S240, the apparatus may be configured to configure the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.

[0092] According to example embodiments, the apparatus may be configured to configure the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report by: determining an optimal configuration from the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report, and configuring the RU according the determined optimal configuration (apply the determined optimal configuration to the RU).

[0093] The optimal configuration may be determined from the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report using any means. For example, the apparatus may be configured to analyze each of the CSI associated with each of the plurality of configurations (i.e., included inthe CSI report) and determine which configuration from the plurality of configurations can allow the RU to communicate with the UE while achieving the most optimal performance (e.g., highest energy-saving performance, best user experience, best balance between energy-saving performance and user experience, and the like) based on the result of the analysis.

[0094] In another example, the apparatus may monitor a network status (e.g., time of day, network load, and the like), and then analyze each of the CSI associated with each of the plurality of configurations and determine which configuration from the plurality of configurations can allow the RU to communicate with the UE while achieving the most optimal performance at the current network status. In this regard, the apparatus may be configured to continuously monitor the network status, and configure the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report and the currently monitored network status. For example, during the morning, a first configuration of the plurality of configurations may be the optimal configuration, and the RU may be configured according to the first configuration. Then, during the night, a second configuration of the plurality of configurations may be the optimal configuration, and the RU may be configured according to the second configuration.

[0095] In view of the above, when the apparatus corresponds to the Near-RT RIC, the Near-RT RIC may leverage its rapid decision-making capability to analyse UE-reported CSI in almost real-time, enabling instantaneous adjustments to transceiver activity and transmission power. These adjustments, based on detailed CSI entries regarding, for example, spatial domain patterns and power offsets, lead to more efficient resource allocation and power usage in the network.

[0096] According to example embodiments, once the RU is configured according to one of the plurality of configurations, the apparatus may be configured to monitor a network performance in order to determine the effect of configuring the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations on the network. The apparatus may then transmit the monitored network performance to the Non-RT RIC as a feedback.

[0097] According to example embodiments, the Non-RT RIC may be configured to receive the monitored network performance from the apparatus, and configure the policy based on the monitored network performance. According to example embodiments, the Non-RT RIC may directly monitor the network performance via an 01 interface, and configure the policy based on the monitored network performance. According to example embodiments, the Non-RT RIC may be configured to configure the policy based on the monitored network performance using one or more machine learning models and historical data.

[0098] Accordingly, the Non-RT RIC may utilize its broader view of network performance data to prepare more optimal and suitable configurations (including specifying spatial elements and power) to be included in the policy, which is to be analyzed and applied to the RU, over the long term. The Non-RT RIC may also analyze trends and develop intelligent policies that can be fed back into the Near-RT RIC, thus refining its real-time decision-making processes.

[0099] Further, the above interactions between the Non-RT RIC and the Near-RT RIC can further enhance network efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and potentially improve the overall user experience by ensuring optimal signal quality and network performance.

[0100] Upon performing operation S240, the method 200 may be ended or be terminated.Alternatively, method 200 may return to operation S210, such that the at least one processor maybe configured to repeatedly perform, for at least a predetermined amount of time, the obtaining the policy (at operation S210), the controlling the RU to transmit the signal (at operation S220), the receiving the CSI report (at operation S230), and the configuring the RU (at operation S240).

[0101] Accordingly, the above processes allow for an optimal configuration of the RU to be dynamically determined from among a plurality of configurations and applied to the RU based on feedback (CSI report) received from the UE, thereby improving network performances such as energy-saving performance and resource allocation efficiency.

[0102] FIG. 3 A to FIG. 3B illustrate a flow sequence of an example use case for optimizing communications in spatial and power domains, according to one or more embodiments. As shown in FIG. 3 A to FIG. 3B, the flow sequence may involve an rApp 301, an xApp 302, a DU 303, an RU 304, and a UE 305. The rApp 301, the xApp 302, the DU 303, and the RU 304 may be similar to the rApp 121, the xApp 131, the O-DU 150, and the O-RU 160 described above in relation to FIG. 1. Further, one or more operations in FIG. 3 A to FIG. 3B may involve or may be part of one or more operations described above with reference to FIG. 2. For instance, steps 2 to 7 and 9 to 15 in FIG. 3 A to FIG. 3B may be similar to operations S210 to S240 in FIG. 2.

[0103] At step 1, the rApp 301 may configure a policy defining a plurality of configurations of the RU 304.

[0104] At step 2, the rApp 301 may provide the policy to the xApp 302 in the similar manner as described above in relation to operation S210 in method 200. According to example embodiments, the rApp 301 may provide the policy to the xApp 302 via an R1 interface and anAl interface.

[0105] At steps 3 to 4, the xApp 302 may generate a control command to transmit a signal based on a plurality of configurations of the RU 304 defined in the policy, and transmit such command to the DU 303. According to example embodiments, the xApp 302 may transmit the command to the DU 303 via an E2 interface.

[0106] At steps 5 to 6, the DU 303 may execute signal transmission based on the plurality of configurations of the RU 304, and transmit such execution command to the RU 304. According to example embodiments, the DU 303 may transmit the execution command to the RU 304 via an O-FH plane. Subsequently, at step 7, the RU 304 may transmit the signal to the UE 305 based on the plurality of configurations of the RU 304. The above steps 3 to 6 may be similar to the descriptions related to operations S220 in method 200.

[0107] At step 8, once the UE 305 receives the signal, the UE 305 may determine a CSI report including a plurality of CSI associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU 304.

[0108] At steps 9 to 11, the UE 305 may transmit the CSI report to the RU 304, which is then forwarded to the DU 303 and to the xApp 302, in the similar manner as described above in relation to operation S230 in method 200.

[0109] At steps 12 to 13, the xApp 302 may generate a control command to configure the RU 304 according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report, and transmit such command to the DU 303.

[0110] At steps 14 to 15, the DU 303 may apply the one of the plurality of configurations, and transmit a command to apply the one of the plurality of configurations to the RU 304. Accordingly, for example, the RU 304 may activate / deactivate antenna elements in accordance with the applied one of the plurality of configuration.

[0111] At steps 16 to 17, once the one of the plurality of configurations is applied to the RU 304 (i.e., once the RU 304 is configured according to the one of the plurality of configurations ), the xApp 302 may monitor a performance of the network (e.g., monitor the KPI defined in the policy), and transmit the monitored network performance to the rApp 301.

[0112] It can be understood that the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B is simplified for descriptive purpose, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Specifically, as pointed out above, the apparatus may be configured to control the RU to transmit the signal to the UE via a CU and an Fl interface. Further, the number of DU 303 and UE 305 can be any number.Various Aspects of Embodiments

[0113] According to example embodiments of the present disclosure, communications in spatial and power domains may be automatically and dynamically optimized, which allows for an optimal configuration of the RU to be dynamically determined from among a plurality of configurations of the RU and applied to the RU based on feedback (CSI report) received from a UE, thereby improving network performances such as energy-saving performance and resource allocation efficiency associated with communications in spatial and power domains.

[0114] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the implementations.

[0115] Some embodiments may relate to a system, a method, and / or a computer readable medium at any possible technical detail level of integration. Further, one or more of the abovecomponents described above may be implemented as instructions stored on a computer readable medium and executable by at least one processor (and / or may include at least one processor). The computer readable medium may include a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out operations.

[0116] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

[0117] Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing / processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to anexternal computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and / or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing / processing device.

[0118] Computer readable program code / instructions for carrying out operations may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions byutilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects or operations.

[0119] These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0120] The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0121] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer readable media according to various embodiments. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a microservice(s) module, segment, or portion of instructions, whichcomprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s).The method, computer system, and computer readable medium may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in the Figures. In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently or substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0122] It will be apparent that systems and / or methods, described herein, may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not limiting of the implementations. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods were described herein without reference to specific software code-it being understood that software and hardware may be designed to implement the systems and / or methods based on the description herein.

[0123] One or more components of the apparatus of the example embodiments (e.g., Non- RT RIC, Near-RT RIC, etc.), as well as the operations associated therewith (e.g., one or more operations in FIG. 2, etc.), may be implemented in one or more systems, devices, or hardware components, such as one or more servers, and the like. In the following, descriptions of a devicein which the systems or components of the example embodiments may be implemented are provided. It is contemplated that one or more operations or methods described above with reference to FIG. 2 may be performed by the device. For instance, the one or more operations or methods may be performed by at least one processor of the device upon executing machine- readable instructions or computer-readable instructions (e.g., instructions for implementing the Non-RT RIC, etc.) stored in a memory or a storage component of the device.

[0124] FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a device 400 for implementing one or more example embodiments. As shown in FIG. 4, the device 400 includes a processor 410, a memory 420, a storage component 430, an input component 440, an output component 450, a communication interface 460, and a bus 470.

[0125] The processor 410, as used herein, means any type of computational circuit that may comprise hardware elements and software elements. The processor 410 may be embodied as a multi-core processor, a single core processor, or a combination of one or more multi-core processors and one or more single core processors, a distributed processing system, or the like. The processor 410 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an accelerated processing unit (APU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or another type of processing component.

[0126] Memory 420 includes a non-transitory computer readable medium. Memory 420 includes a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and / or another type of dynamic or static storage device (e.g., a flash memory, a magnetic memory, and / or an optical memory) that stores information and / or instructions for use by processor 410. The memory 420 comprises machine-readable instructions which are executable by the processor 410. Thesemachine-readable instructions when executed by the processor 410 causes the processor 410 to perform one or more method steps of an embodiment described herein.

[0127] Storage component 430 stores information and / or software related to the operation and use of the device 400. For example, storage component 430 may include a hard disk (e.g., a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optic disk, and / or a solid-state disk), a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk, a cartridge, a magnetic tape, and / or another type of non-transitory computer-readable medium, along with a corresponding drive.

[0128] Input component 440 is configured to receive information, such as user input. For example, the input component 440 may include, but not be limited to, a touch screen display, a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a button, a switch, and / or a microphone. Additionally, or alternatively, the input component 440 may include a sensor for sensing information (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS), an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or an actuator).

[0129] Output component 450 is configured to provide output information from the device 400. For example, the output component 450 may be, but not limited to, a display, a speaker, an instruction device to an external device, and / or one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

[0130] Communication interface 460 is an interface that provides a communication connection to other devices, such as external devices and internal devices. The connection by the communication interface 460 can be a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wired and wireless connections, and can be a direct connection or an indirect connection via a communication network that exists between the device 400 and other devices. In other words, the standard of the communication interface 460 is not limited.

[0131] The bus 470 acts as an interconnect between the processor 410, the memory 420, the storage component 430, the input component 440, the output component 450, and the communication interface 460 of the device 400. The bus 470 may include a wired interconnection or a wireless interconnection.

[0132] The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 4 are provided as an example. In practice, device 400 may include additional components, fewer components, different components, or differently arranged components than those shown in FIG. 4. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of components (e.g., one or more components) of device 400 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components of device 400. Further, one or more method steps described in any of the embodiments may be performed utilizing a plurality of device 400 in communication with one another.

[0133] Further, according to example embodiments, the device 400 may include one or more elements from the system architecture described above in relation to FIG. 1. For example, the device 400 may include at least the Near-RT RIC configured to implement at least one Near- RT RIC Application (xApp).

[0134] Various further respective aspects and features of embodiments of the present disclosure may be defined by the following items:Item [1]: An apparatus that may be configured to: obtain a policy defining a plurality of configurations of a radio unit (RU) of a telecommunication network, wherein the plurality of configurations may be associated with transmission of a signal to a user equipment (UE), and wherein each of the plurality of configurations may specify at least one of: a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signalto the UE; control the RU to transmit, to the UE, the signal based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy; receive, from the UE, a channel state information (CSI) report including a plurality of channel state information (CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU; and configure the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.Item [2]: The apparatus according to item [1], wherein the spatial element may include at least one of: a transceiver and an antenna of the RU.Item [3]: The apparatus according to one of items [l]-[2], wherein the power may include at least one of: a power offset between physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and tracking reference signal (TRS) and a power offset between PDSCH and channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).Item [4]: The apparatus according to one of items [l]-[3], wherein each of the plurality of configurations may further specify at least one of: an indication whether to enable beamforming, a minimum time duration required to perform power adjustment transitions, and an indication whether to enable dynamic power adjustment.Item [5]: The apparatus according to one of items [l]-[4], wherein the policy may further define at least one of: an activation criteria to transmit the signal based on the plurality of configurations to the UE, a capability requirement of the UE, and a key performance indicator (KPI).Item [6]: The apparatus according to one of items [l]-[5], wherein the apparatus may include a near-real-time (near-RT) Radio Access Network Intelligent Controller (RIC) configured to implement at least one near-RT RIC Application (xApp), and wherein thenear-RT RIC may be configured to obtain the policy from a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC configured to implement at least one non-RT RIC Application (rApp) via an Al interface.Item [7]: The apparatus according to item [6], wherein: the apparatus may be further configured to: monitor a network performance after configuring the RU based on one of the plurality of configurations, and transmit the monitored network performance to the non- RT RIC; and the non-RT RIC may be configured to configure the policy based on the monitored network performance.Item [8]: A method that may include: obtaining a policy defining a plurality of configurations of a radio unit (RU) of a telecommunication network, wherein the plurality of configurations may be associated with transmission of a signal to a user equipment (UE), and wherein each of the plurality of configurations may specify at least one of: a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signal to the UE; controlling the RU to transmit, to the UE, the signal based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy; receiving, from the UE, a channel state information (CSI) report including a plurality of channel state information (CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU; and configuring the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.Item [9]: The method according to item [8], wherein the spatial element may include at least one of: a transceiver and an antenna of the RU.Item

[0010] : The method according to one of items [8]-[9], wherein the power may include at least one of: a power offset between physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)and tracking reference signal (TRS) and a power offset between PDSCH and channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).Item

[0011] : The method according to one of items [8]-

[0010] , wherein each of the plurality of configurations may further specify at least one of: an indication whether to enable beamforming, a minimum time duration required to perform power adjustment transitions, and an indication whether to enable dynamic power adjustment.Item

[0012] : The method according to one of items [8]-[l 1], wherein the policy may further define at least one of: an activation criteria to transmit the signal based on the plurality of configurations to the UE, a capability requirement of the UE, and a key performance indicator (KPI).Item

[0013] : The method according to one of items [8]-

[0012] , wherein the method may be performed by a near-real-time (near-RT) Radio Access Network Intelligent Controller (RIC) configured to implement at least one near-RT RIC Application (xApp), and wherein the policy may be obtained from a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC configured to implement at least one non-RT RIC Application (rApp) via an Al interface.Item

[0014] : The method according to item

[0013] , wherein: the method may further include: monitoring a network performance after configuring the RU based on one of the plurality of configurations, and transmitting the monitored network performance to the non-RT RIC; and the non-RT RIC may be configured to configure the policy based on the monitored network performance.Item

[0015] : A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that may have recorded thereon instructions executable by an apparatus to cause the apparatus to performa method including: obtaining a policy defining a plurality of configurations of a radio unit (RU) of a telecommunication network, wherein the plurality of configurations may be associated with transmission of a signal to a user equipment (UE), and wherein each of the plurality of configurations may specify at least one of: a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signal to the UE; controlling the RU to transmit, to the UE, the signal based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy; receiving, from the UE, a channel state information (CSI) report including a plurality of channel state information (CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU; and configuring the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.Item

[0016] : The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to item

[0015] , wherein the spatial element may include at least one of: a transceiver and an antenna of the RU.Item

[0017] : The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to one of items

[0015] -

[0016] , wherein the power may include at least one of: a power offset between physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and tracking reference signal (TRS) and a power offset between PDSCH and channel state information reference signal (CSI- RS).Item

[0018] : The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to one of items

[0015] -

[0017] , wherein each of the plurality of configurations may further specify at least one of: an indication whether to enable beamforming, a minimum time durationrequired to perform power adjustment transitions, and an indication whether to enable dynamic power adjustment.Item

[0019] : The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to one of items

[0015] -[l 8], wherein the policy may further define at least one of: an activation criteria to transmit the signal based on the plurality of configurations to the UE, a capability requirement of the UE, and a key performance indicator (KPI).Item

[0020] : The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to one of items

[0015] -

[0019] , wherein the method may be performed by a near-real-time (near- RT) Radio Access Network Intelligent Controller (RIC) configured to implement at least one near-RT RIC Application (xApp), and wherein the policy may be obtained from a non- real-time (non-RT) RIC configured to implement at least one non-RT RIC Application (rApp) via an Al interface.

[0135] It can be understood that numerous modifications and variations of the present disclosure are possible in light of the above teachings. It will be apparent that within the scope of the appended clauses, the present disclosures may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.Additional Disclosures

[0136] WG2- 0-RAN Spatial and Power Domain.

[0137] 3 GPP : Stage-2 (38.300)

[0138] 15.4.2.7 Spatial and power domain adaptation

[0139] To assist the gNB on muting transceivers and / or adapting transmission power, theUE can be configured to report multiple CSI entries in a CSI report based on two or more sub-configurations, as specified in clause 5.2.1.6 in TS 38.214

[0056] , Each sub-configuration corresponds to a spatial domain adaptation pattern (subsets of available spatial elements) and / or a power offset between PDSCH and CSI-RS.

[0140] Proposal -

[0141] Al -TD Policy Specification

[0142] Policy Name: Enhanced Energy Savings for Power and Spatial Domain Adjustments

[0143] Policy ID: enhancedEnergySavingsPowerSpatialDomainPolicy

[0144] Policy Description: This policy enables advanced dynamic power and spatial adjustments to optimize energy savings while maintaining network performance. The policy leverages innovative integration techniques and dynamic adjustment algorithms, aligning with 3GPP Release-18 agreements for Network Energy Savings (NES).

[0145] Activation Criteria : timeOfDay: STRING / / e.g., "off-peak" networkLoad: INTEGER (0..100) / / Network load percentage minUESupportPercentage: INTEGER (0..100) / / Minimum percentage of UEs supporting the features

[0146] Power Adjustment Parameters: powerControlOffsetPDSCH-TRS: INTEGER (-10..10) / / Defines the power offset for energy-saving adjustments between PDSCH and TRS. transientPeriod: INTEGER (0..1000) / / Duration required for power adjustment transitions in milliseconds.dynamicPowerAdjustmentEnabled: BOOLEAN / / Flag to enable or disable dynamic power adjustments.

[0147] Spatial Adjustment Parameters: beamformingEnabled: BOOLEAN / / Enables or disables beamforming. antennaSubset: SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..max Antennas)) OF AntennalD / / Defines the subset of antennas used for spatial adjustments.

[0148] Combined Adjustment Parameters: combinedSubConfigList: SEQUENCE (SIZE(E.maxSubConfigs)) OFCombinedSubConfig / / List of sub-configurations for combined power and spatial settings.CombinedSubConfig: subConfigID: INTEGER (0..maxSubConfigID) / / Unique identifier for the subconfiguration. powerSetting: INTEGER (-20..20) / / Defines the power setting. beamformingEnabled: BOOLEAN / / Enables or disables beamforming for the subconfiguration. antennaSubset: SEQUENCE (SIZE(L.maxAntennas)) OF AntennalD / / Specifies the subset of antennas used.

[0149] UE Capabilities Requirements: uePowerAdjustmentSupport: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support dynamic power adjustments. ueBeamformingSupport: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support beamforming capabilities. nesSupport: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support NES features as per Rel-18.maxNumberCSIEntries: INTEGER / / Maximum number of simultaneous CSI entries UEs can report. maxSubConfigurations: INTEGER / / Maximum number of sub-configurations UEs can handle in one CSI report. simultaneousNZP-CSI-RSResources: INTEGER / / Number of simultaneous NZP-CSI-RS resources UEs can support per CC. dynamicTCIActivation: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support dynamic TCI state activation for multi-TRP CJT. enhancedDMRSPorts: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support enhanced DMRS ports for Rel-18. additionalDMRSSymbols: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support additional DMRS symbols for PDSCH and PUSCH. minUESupportPercentage: INTEGER (0..100) / / Minimum percentage of UEs in the cell that must support the necessary features for the policy to activate.

[0150] KPIs and Counters for Policy Decision: networkLoad: INTEGER (0..100) / / Measures the current network load as a percentage. energyC on sumption: FLOAT / / Measures the energy consumption of network elements in watts. ue SupportCount: INTEGER / / Counts the number of UEs supporting the power and spatial adjustment features. averageThroughput: FLOAT / / Measures the average throughput per UE in Mbps. averageLatency: FLOAT / / Measures the average latency in the network in milliseconds.packetErrorRate: FLOAT / / Measures the packet error rate as a percentage.

[0151] Al-UC Use Case Specification

[0152] Use Case Name: Advanced Off-Peak Energy Savings

[0153] Use Case ID: advancedOffPeakEnergySavings

[0154] Description: This use case demonstrates the application of innovative power and spatial domain adjustments to achieve significant energy savings during off-peak hours when network load is low. The use case highlights the integration of advanced control mechanisms and dynamic adjustments.

[0155] Scenario:

[0156] Network Condition: Low user activity during off-peak hours.

[0157] Activation Criteria: timeOfDay: "off-peak" networkLoad: 20 minUESupportPercentage: 80

[0158] Power Adjustment Parameters: powerControlOffsetPDSCH-TRS: -5 / / Specifies a reduction in power. transientPeriod: 100 / / Specifies the duration for power adjustments. dynamicPowerAdjustmentEnabled: TRUE / / Enables dynamic power adjustments.

[0159] Spatial Adjustment Parameters: beamformingEnabled: TRUE / / Enables beamforming. antennaSubset: ["Antennal", "Antenna2"] / / Specifies the antennas used for spatial adjustments.

[0160] Combined Adjustment Parameters: combinedSubConfigList: subConfigID: 1 powerSetting: -5 / / Specifies a power reduction. beamfonningEnabled: TRUE antennaSubset: ["Antennal", "Antenna2"] subConfigID: 2 powerSetting: -10 / / Specifies a greater power reduction. beamfonningEnabled: TRUE antennaSubset: ["Antennal", "Antenna3"]

[0161] KPIs to Monitor:Energy Consumption: Track the reduction in energy consumption due to the applied adjustments.Network Performance: Monitor average throughput, latency, and packet error rates to ensure service quality is maintained.

[0162] Implementation Guidelines:

[0163] Parameter Configuration: Configure the necessary parameters in network elements, particularly the control elements for power and spatial adjustments.

[0164] Al-TD Policy Deployment: Deploy the Al-TD policies in the Non-RT RIC to enable dynamic power and spatial adjustments based on predefined criteria.

[0165] Monitoring and Adjustment: Continuously monitor network conditions and adjust power and spatial settings dynamically as per the policy guidelines.

[0166] KPI Collection and Analysis: Collect and analyze relevant KPIs and counters to make informed policy decisions.

[0167] R1 Interface Enhancements

[0168] Purpose: To support resource coordination and optimization for inter-cell paging and beam activation.

[0169] Proposed Enhancements :Coordination Mechanisms: Define protocols for inter-cell coordination for power and spatial adjustments.Resource Allocation Types: Introduce resource allocation types for collaborative power and spatial adjustments.Coordination Messages: Define coordination messages for energy-efficient inter-cell paging and beam activation strategies.

[0170] 01 Interface Enhancements

[0171] Purpose: To manage and monitor network configuration and performance data for dynamic adjustments.

[0172] Proposed Enhancements:Dynamic Configuration Updates: Enable the 01 interface to handle dynamic updates for power and spatial configurations.Enhanced Telemetry: Introduce capabilities for monitoring performance metrics related to power and spatial adjustments, such as energy consumption, beamforming efficiency, and power savings.Capability Data Collection: Define mechanisms for collecting and aggregating UE capabilities related to power and spatial adjustments.

[0173] UE Capabilities for Network Energy Savings (NES) in Rel-18

[0174] Support for multiple CSI entries: The UE can report multiple CSI entries in a CSI report based on two or more sub-configurations.

[0175] Max number of sub-configurations: Maximum number of sub-configurations Lmax in one CSI report configuration.

[0176] Supported number of simultaneous NZP-CSI-RS resources: Maximum number of simultaneous NZP-CSI-RS resources per CC.

[0177] Support for single-panel type 1 codebook: Capability to support single-panel type 1 codebook.

[0178] Unified TCI with joint DL / UL TCI update for single-DCI based intra-cell multi- TRP: Support for TCI state configuration and activation.

[0179] TRP-specific BFR with unified TCI framework: Support for beam failure recovery with unified TCI framework.

[0180] Two TCI states for CJT Tx scheme for PDSCH: Support for two TCI states in coherent joint transmission.

[0181] Dynamic TCI state activation: Dynamic selection ofN <=N_TRP CSI-RS resource by UE for multi-TRP CJT.

[0182] Enhanced DMRS ports: Support for enhanced DMRS ports for Rel-18.

[0183] Additional DMRS symbols: Supportfor additional DMRS symbols for PDSCH andPUSCH.

[0184] Dynamic selection of N <= N TRP for Rel-16 / 17-based CJT type-II codebook: Support for selection of CSI-RS resources by UE for multi-TRP CJT.

[0185] Maximum number of TRS resource sets in a report configuration: Support for configuring multiple TRS resource sets in a single CSI report setting.

[0186] Rel-18 enhanced DMRS ports for PDSCH: Support for additional DMRS symbols and configurations for enhanced DMRS ports for PDSCH.

[0187] Support for Inter-Cell Communication: Enhance inter-cell communication protocols to facilitate collaborative energy-saving strategies.

[0188] Summary

[0189] These spatial and power domain enhancements for WG2 ensure a structured and innovative approach for energy savings in 0-RAN networks. By leveraging dynamic adjustments based on real-time network conditions and advanced UE capabilities, including those related to periodic CSI reporting and various TCI states, these proposals align with 3GPP Release-18 agreements for Network Energy Savings and support seamless integration within the 0-RAN architecture

[0190] Al-TD Policy Specification

[0191] Policy Name: Dynamic Energy Savings through Power and Spatial Domain Adjustments

[0192] Policy ID: dynamicEnergySavingsPolicy

[0193] Policy Description: This policy enables dynamic adjustments in power and spatial domains to optimize energy savings while maintaining network performance. It aligns with the3 GPP Release- 18 agreements for Network Energy Savings (NES) and integrates seamlessly within the O-RAN architecture.

[0194] Activation Criteria: timeOfDay: STRING / / e.g., "off-peak" networkLoad: INTEGER (0..100) / / Network load percentage minUESupportPercentage: INTEGER (0..100) / / Minimum percentage of UEs supporting the features

[0195] Power Adjustment Parameters: powerControlOffset: INTEGER (-10..10) / / Defines the power offset for energy-saving adjustments. transientPeriod: INTEGER (0..1000) / / Duration required for power adjustment transitions in milliseconds. dynamicPowerAdjustmentEnabled: BOOLEAN / / Flag to enable or disable dynamic power adjustments.

[0196] Spatial Adjustment Parameters: beamformingEnabled: BOOLEAN / / Enables or disables beamforming. antennaSubset: SEQUENCE (SIZE(1..maxAntennas)) OF AntennalD / / Defines the subset of antennas used for spatial adjustments.

[0197] Combined Adjustment Parameters: combinedConfigList: SEQUENCE (SIZE(L.maxConfigs)) OF CombinedConfig / / List of configurations for combined power and spatial settings.

[0198] CombinedConfig:configID: INTEGER (O .maxConfiglD) / / Unique identifier for the configuration. powerSetting: INTEGER (-20..20) / / Defines the power setting. beamformingEnabled: BOOLEAN / / Enables or disables beamforming for the configuration. antennaSubset: SEQUENCE (SIZE(L.maxAntennas)) OF AntennalD / / Specifies the subset of antennas used.

[0199] UE Capabilities Requirements: uePowerAdjustmentSupport: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support dynamic power adjustments. ueBeamformingSupport: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support beamforming capabilities. minUESupportPercentage: INTEGER (0..100) / / Minimum percentage of UEs in the cell that must support the necessary features for the policy to activate.

[0200] KPIs and Counters for Policy Decision: networkLoad: INTEGER (0..100) / / Measures the current network load as a percentage. energyConsumption: FLOAT / / Measures the energy consumption of network elements in watts. ueSupportCount: INTEGER / / Counts the number of UEs supporting the power and spatial adjustment features. averageThroughput: FLOAT / / Measures the average throughput per UE in Mbps. averageLatency: FLOAT / / Measures the average latency in the network in milliseconds. packetErrorRate: FLOAT / / Measures the packet error rate as a percentage.

[0201] Al-UC Use Case Specification

[0202] Use Case Name: Adaptive Off-Peak Energy Savings

[0203] Use Case ID: adaptiveOffPeakEnergy Savings

[0204] Description: This use case demonstrates the application of dynamic power and spatial domain adjustments to achieve significant energy savings during off-peak hours when network load is low. The use case highlights the integration of innovative control mechanisms and dynamic adjustments.

[0205] Scenario:

[0206] Network Condition: Low user activity during off-peak hours.

[0207] Activation Criteria: timeOfDay: "off-peak" networkLoad: 20 minUESupportPercentage: 80

[0208] Power Adjustment Parameters: powerControlOffset: -5 / / Specifies a reduction in power. transientPeriod: 100 / / Specifies the duration for power adjustments. dynamicPowerAdjustmentEnabled: TRUE / / Enables dynamic power adjustments.

[0209] Spatial Adjustment Parameters: beamformingEnabled: TRUE / / Enables beamforming. antennaSubset: ["Antennal", "Antenna2"] / / Specifies the antennas used for spatial adjustments.

[0210] Combined Adjustment Parameters: combinedConfigList:configID: 1 powerSetting: -5 / / Specifies a power reduction. beamformingEnabled: TRUE antennaSubset: ["Antennal", "Antenna "] configID: 2 powerSetting: -10 / / Specifies a greater power reduction. beamformingEnabled: TRUE antennaSubset: ["Antennal", "Antenna3"]

[0211] KPIs to Monitor:Energy Consumption: Track the reduction in energy consumption due to the applied adjustments.Network Performance: Monitor average throughput, latency, and packet error rates to ensure service quality is maintained.

[0212] Implementation Guidelines

[0213] Parameter Configuration: Configure the necessary parameters in network elements, particularly the control elements for power and spatial adjustments.

[0214] Al-TD Policy Deployment: Deploy the Al-TD policies in the Non-RT RIC to enable dynamic power and spatial adjustments based on predefined criteria.

[0215] Monitoring and Adjustment: Continuously monitor network conditions and adjust power and spatial settings dynamically as per the policy guidelines.

[0216] KPI Collection and Analysis: Collect and analyze relevant KPIs and counters to make informed policy decisions.

[0217] Innovation and Patent Potential

[0218] Unique Aspects:

[0219] Dynamic Combined Adjustments: The integration of both power and spatial domain adjustments in a single policy allows for a more granular and efficient energy-saving mechanism.

[0220] Advanced Control Algorithms: Use of specific algorithms for dynamic adjustment based on real-time network conditions ensures optimal performance and energy savings.

[0221] Integration with O-RAN Architecture: Seamless integration of these adjustments within the O-RAN architecture leveraging Non-RT RIC capabilities.

[0222] Enhanced UE Capabilities: Leveraging advanced UE capabilities for both power adjustment and beamforming ensures broader applicability and higher efficiency.

[0223] Patent Claims:

[0224] Method for Dynamic Power Adjustment: Claiming the method of dynamically adjusting power settings based on predefined criteria and real-time network conditions.

[0225] Method for Spatial Domain Adjustment: Claiming the method of dynamically adjusting spatial parameters such as beamforming and antenna configurations.

[0226] Combined Power and Spatial Adjustment Mechanism: Claiming the integrated approach of combining power and spatial adjustments for enhanced energy savings.

[0227] Advanced Control Algorithms: Claiming the use of specific algorithms for realtime adjustment of power and spatial settings within the O-RAN framework.

[0228] Conclusion

[0229] The proposed enhancements for power and spatial domain adjustments, along with the combined techniques and Al-TD policy, provide a structured and innovative approach for energy savings in 0-RAN networks. By leveraging dynamic adjustments based on real-time network conditions and advanced UE capabilities, this proposal aligns with the 3GPP Release-18 agreements for Network Energy Savings and has the potential to become a Standards Essential Patent within the 0-RAN WG2 framework. This structured and detailed proposal ensures consistency with existing 0-RAN specifications while introducing novel elements to enhance energy efficiency.

[0230] 3 GPP : Stage-2 (38.300)

[0231] 15.4.2.7 Spatial and power domain adaptation

[0232] To assist the gNB on muting transceivers and / or adapting transmission power, theUE can be configured to report multiple CSI entries in a CSI report based on two or more subconfigurations, as specified in clause 5.2.1.6 in TS 38.214

[0056] , Each sub-configuration corresponds to a spatial domain adaptation pattern (subsets of available spatial elements) and / or a power offset between PDSCH and CSI-RS.

[0233] Spatial and Power Domain Enhancements for WG3 (Incorporating NES UE Capability Reporting for Rel-18)

[0234] E2SM-CCC (E2 Service Model - Cell Configuration and Control)

[0235] Policy Name: Dynamic Energy Savings through Power and Spatial Domain Adjustments

[0236] Policy ID: dynamicEnergySavingsE2SMPolicy

[0237] Policy Description: This policy enables dynamic adjustments in power and spatial domains to optimize energy savings while maintaining network performance. It aligns with the 3GPP Release-18 agreements for Network Energy Savings (NES) and integrates seamlessly within the O-RAN architecture.

[0238] Activation Criteria: timeOfDay: STRING / / e.g., "off-peak" networkLoad: INTEGER (0..100) / / Network load percentage minUESupportPercentage: INTEGER (0..100) / / Minimum percentage of UEs supporting the features

[0239] Power Adjustment Parameters: powerControlOffset: INTEGER (-10..10) / / Defines the power offset for energy-saving adjustments. transientPeriod: INTEGER (0..1000) / / Duration required for power adjustment transitions in milliseconds. dynamicPowerAdjustmentEnabled: BOOLEAN / / Flag to enable or disable dynamic power adjustments.

[0240] Spatial Adjustment Parameters: beamformingEnabled: BOOLEAN / / Enables or disables beamforming. antennaSubset: SEQUENCE (SIZE(E.maxAntennas)) OF AntennalD / / Defines the subset of antennas used for spatial adjustments.

[0241] Combined Adjustment Parameters:combinedConfigList: SEQUENCE (SIZE(L.maxConfigs)) OF CombinedConfig / / List of configurations for combined power and spatial settings.

[0242] CombinedConfig: configID: INTEGER (O .maxConfiglD) / / Unique identifier for the configuration. powerSetting: INTEGER (-20..20) / / Defines the power setting. beamformingEnabled: BOOLEAN / / Enables or disables beamforming for the configuration. antennaSubset: SEQUENCE (SIZE(L.maxAntennas)) OF AntennalD / / Specifies the subset of antennas used.

[0243] UE Capabilities Requirements: uePowerAdjustmentSupport: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support dynamic power adjustments. ueBeamformingSupport: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support beamforming capabilities. minUESupportPercentage: INTEGER (0..100) / / Minimum percentage of UEs in the cell that must support the necessary features for the policy to activate. periodicCSIReporting: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support periodic CSI reporting based on sub-configuration(s). semiPersistentCSIReporting: BOOLEAN / / Indicates if UEs support semi-persistent CSI reporting based on sub-configuration(s). maxSubConfigurations: INTEGER / / Maximum number of sub-configurations Lmax in one CSI report configuration.maxNZP_CSI_RS_Resources: INTEGER / / Maximum number of simultaneous NZP-CSI-RS resources per CC. maxCSI RS Ports: INTEGER / / Maximum number of total CSI-RS ports in simultaneous NZP-CSI-RS resources per CC.

[0244] KPIs and Counters for Policy Decision: networkLoad: INTEGER (0..100) / / Measures the current network load as a percentage. energyConsumption: FLOAT / / Measures the energy consumption of network elements in watts. ue SupportCount: INTEGER / / Counts the number of UEs supporting the power and spatial adjustment features. averageThroughput: FLOAT / / Measures the average throughput per UE in Mbps. averageLatency: FLOAT / / Measures the average latency in the network in milliseconds. packetErrorRate: FLOAT / / Measures the packet error rate as a percentage.

[0245] E2SM Use Case Specification

[0246] Use Case Name: Adaptive Off-Peak Energy Savings

[0247] Use Case ID: adaptiveOffPeakEnergySavingsE2

[0248] Description: This use case demonstrates the application of dynamic power and spatial domain adjustments to achieve significant energy savings during off-peak hours when network load is low. The use case highlights the integration of innovative control mechanisms and dynamic adjustments.

[0249] Scenario:

[0250] Network Condition: Low user activity during off-peak hours.

[0251] Activation Criteria: timeOfDay: "off-peak' networkLoad: 20 minUESupportPercentage: 80

[0252] Power Adjustment Parameters: powerControlOffset: -5 / / Specifies a reduction in power. transientPeriod: 100 / / Specifies the duration for power adjustments. dynamicPowerAdjustmentEnabled: TRUE / / Enables dynamic power adjustments.

[0253] Spatial Adjustment Parameters: beamformingEnabled: TRUE / / Enables beamforming. antennaSubset: ["Antennal", "Antenna2"] / / Specifies the antennas used for spatial adjustments.

[0254] Combined Adjustment Parameters: combinedConfigList: configID: 1 powerSetting: -5 / / Specifies a power reduction. beamformingEnabled: TRUE antennaSubset: ["Antennal", "Antenna2"] configID: 2 powerSetting: -10 / / Specifies a greater power reduction. beamformingEnabled: TRUE antennaSubset: ["Antennal", "Antenna3"]

[0255] KPIs to Monitor:Energy Consumption: Track the reduction in energy consumption due to the applied adjustments.Network Performance: Monitor average throughput, latency, and packet error rates to ensure service quality is maintained.

[0256] Roles of 0-RAN Components

[0257] xAPP (extensible Application Platform):

[0258] Role: xAPPs in the Near-Real-Time RIC (Near-RT RIC) execute the dynamic power and spatial adjustments based on real-time data and predefined policies.

[0259] Function: xAPPs monitor network conditions, execute control commands, and adjust parameters such as powerControlOffset and beamformingEnabled dynamically.

[0260] rAPP (Radio Intelligent Controller Application Platform):

[0261] Role: rAPPs in the Non-Real-Time RIC (Non-RT RIC) manage long-term policies and strategies for energy savings.

[0262] Function: rAPPs analyze historical data, optimize policy parameters, and provide guidance to xAPPs for real-time adjustments.

[0263] DU (Distributed Unit):

[0264] Role: Executes low-level power and spatial adjustments as instructed by xAPPs and rAPPs.

[0265] Function: Implements adjustments to power settings and beamforming parameters, and communicates with CU via the Fl interface.

[0266] CU (Centralized Unit):

[0267] Role: Manages overall network control and coordination.

[0268] Function: Receives policy instructions from the Non-RT RIC and coordinates with DUs to implement power and spatial adjustments.

[0269] Fl Interface:

[0270] Role: Facilitates communication between DU and CU.

[0271] Function: Transports control and configuration messages related to power and spatial adjustments.

[0272] E2 Interface:

[0273] Role: Connects Near-RT RIC to CU / DU for real-time control and management.

[0274] Function: Carries control messages from xAPPs to CU / DU, enabling dynamic adjustments in near real-time.

[0275] Implementation Guidelines

[0276] Parameter Configuration: Configure the necessary parameters in network elements, particularly the control elements for power and spatial adjustments.

[0277] E2SM Policy Deployment: Deploy the E2SM policies in the Non-RT RIC to enable dynamic power and spatial adjustments based on predefined criteria.

[0278] Monitoring and Adjustment: Continuously monitor network conditions and adjust power and spatial settings dynamically as per the policy guidelines.

[0279] KPI Collection and Analysis: Collect and analyze relevant KPIs and counters to make informed policy decisions.

[0280] Innovation and Patent Potential

[0281] Unique Aspects:

[0282] Dynamic Combined Adjustments: The integration of both power and spatial domain adjustments in a single policy allows for a more granular and efficient energy-saving mechanism.

[0283] Advanced Control Algorithms: Use of specific algorithms for dynamic adjustment based on real-time network conditions ensures optimal performance and energy savings.

[0284] Integration with 0-RAN Architecture: Seamless integration of these adjustments within the 0-RAN architecture leveraging Non-RT RIC capabilities.

[0285] Enhanced UE Capabilities: Leveraging advanced UE capabilities for both power adjustment and beamforming ensures broader applicability and higher efficiency.

[0286] Patent Claims:

[0287] Method for Dynamic Power Adjustment: Claiming the method of dynamically adjusting power settings based on predefined criteria and real-time network conditions.

[0288] Method for Spatial Domain Adjustment: Claiming the method of dynamically adjusting spatial parameters such as beamforming and antenna configurations.

[0289] Combined Power and Spatial Adjustment Mechanism: Claiming the integrated approach of combining power and spatial adjustments for enhanced energy savings.

[0290] Advanced Control Algorithms: Claiming the use of specific algorithms for realtime adjustment of power and spatial settings within the 0-RAN framework.

[0291] Conclusion

[0292] The proposed enhancements for power and spatial domain adjustments, along with the combined techniques and E2SM policies, provide a structured and innovative approach for energy savings in 0-RAN networks. By leveraging dynamic adjustments based on real-timenetwork conditions and advanced UE capabilities, including those related to periodic CSI reporting and various TCI states, these proposals align with 3GPP Release-18 agreements for Network Energy Savings and support seamless integration within the O-RAN architecture.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus configured to: obtain a policy defining a plurality of configurations of a radio unit (RU) of a telecommunication network, wherein the plurality of configurations are associated with transmission of a signal to a user equipment (UE), and wherein each of the plurality of configurations specifies at least one of: a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signal to the UE; control the RU to transmit, to the UE, the signal based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy; receive, from the UE, a channel state information (CSI) report including a plurality of channel state information (CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU; and configure the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spatial element comprises at least one of: a transceiver and an antenna of the RU.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power comprises at least one of: a power offset between physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and tracking reference signal(TRS) and a power offset between PDSCH and channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of configurations further specifies at least one of an indication whether to enable beamforming, a minimum time duration required to perform power adjustment transitions, and an indication whether to enable dynamic power adjustment.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the policy further defines at least one of: an activation criteria to transmit the signal based on the plurality of configurations to the UE, a capability requirement of the UE, and a key performance indicator (KPI).

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a near-real-time (near-RT) Radio Access Network Intelligent Controller (RIC) configured to implement at least one near-RT RIC Application (xApp), and wherein the near-RT RIC is configured to obtain the policy from a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC configured to implement at least one non-RT RIC Application (rApp) via an Al interface.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: the apparatus is further configured to: monitor a network performance after configuring the RU based on one of the plurality of configurations, and transmit the monitored network performance to the non-RT RIC, andthe non-RT RIC is configured to configure the policy based on the monitored network performance.

8. A method comprising: obtaining a policy defining a plurality of configurations of a radio unit (RU) of a telecommunication network, wherein the plurality of configurations are associated with transmission of a signal to a user equipment (UE), and wherein each of the plurality of configurations specifies at least one of a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signal to the UE; controlling the RU to transmit, to the UE, the signal based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy; receiving, from the UE, a channel state information (CSI) report including a plurality of channel state information (CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU; and configuring the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the spatial element comprises at least one of: a transceiver and an antenna of the RU.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the power comprises at least one of: a power offset between physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and tracking reference signal(TRS) and a power offset between PDSCH and channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of configurations further specifies at least one of: an indication whether to enable beamforming, a minimum time duration required to perform power adjustment transitions, and an indication whether to enable dynamic power adjustment.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the policy further defines at least one of: an activation criteria to transmit the signal based on the plurality of configurations to the UE, a capability requirement of the UE, and a key performance indicator (KPI).

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the method is performed by a near-real-time (near-RT) Radio Access Network Intelligent Controller (RIC) configured to implement at least one near-RT RIC Application (xApp), and wherein the policy is obtained from a non- real-time (non-RT) RIC configured to implement at least one non-RT RIC Application (rApp) via an Al interface.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: the method further comprises: monitoring a network performance after configuring the RU based on one of the plurality of configurations, and transmitting the monitored network performance to the non-RT RIC, andthe non-RT RIC is configured to configure the policy based on the monitored network performance.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon instructions executable by an apparatus to cause the apparatus to perform a method comprising: obtaining a policy defining a plurality of configurations of a radio unit (RU) of a telecommunication network, wherein the plurality of configurations are associated with transmission of a signal to a user equipment (UE), and wherein each of the plurality of configurations specifies at least one of: a spatial element of the RU and a power associated the transmission of the signal to the UE; controlling the RU to transmit, to the UE, the signal based on the plurality of configurations defined in the policy; receiving, from the UE, a channel state information (CSI) report including a plurality of channel state information (CSI) associated with the plurality of configurations of the RU; and configuring the RU according to one of the plurality of configurations based on the received CSI report.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the spatial element comprises at least one of: a transceiver and an antenna of the RU.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the power comprises at least one of: a power offset between physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and tracking reference signal (TRS) and a power offset between PDSCH and channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

18. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of configurations further specifies at least one of an indication whether to enable beamforming, a minimum time duration required to perform power adjustment transitions, and an indication whether to enable dynamic power adjustment.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the policy further defines at least one of: an activation criteria to transmit the signal based on the plurality of configurations to the UE, a capability requirement of the UE, and a key performance indicator (KPI).

20. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 15, wherein the method is performed by a near-real-time (near-RT) Radio Access Network Intelligent Controller (RIC) configured to implement at least one near-RT RIC Application (xApp), and wherein the policy is obtained from a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC configured to implement at least one non-RT RIC Application (rApp) via an Al interface.

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