CSI FEEDBACK WITH JOINT ENCODING OF MULTIPLE CRIs

Abstract

Systems and methods for Channel State Information (CSI) feedback with joint encoding of multiple CSI-Reference Signals (RS) resource indicators (CRIs) are provided. In some embodiments, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) includes receiving a CSI report configuration comprising a Channel Measurement Resource (CMR) resource set with N (N ≥ 2) CMR resources for channel measurement, a codebook configuration for CSI feedback, and a parameter NCRI(1≤NCRI ≤N); and reporting a CSI report where the CSI report includes: resource indicator information for (NCRI - M) CMR resources out of the N CMR resources where the (NCRI - M) CMR resources are different from the M CMR resources, CSI associated to each of the M CMR resources, and CSI associated to each of the (NCRI - M) CMR resources. In this way, less overhead is required compared to reporting multiple CRIs directly.

Description

CSI FEEDBACK WITH JOINT ENCODING OF MULTIPLE CRIs RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application serial number 63 / 555,181, filed February 19, 2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to Channel State Information (CSI) feedback. BACKGROUND

[0003] Codebook-based precoding

[0004] Multi-antenna techniques can significantly increase the data rates and reliability of a wireless communication system. The performance is in particular improved if both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas, which results in a Multiple- Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication channel. Such systems and / or related techniques are commonly referred to as MIMO.

[0005] A core component of the Fourth and Fifth Generation (4G / 5G) wireless network or New Radio (NR) specified in 3GPP is the support of MIMO antenna deployments and MIMO related techniques such as spatial multiplexing. Spatial multiplexing can be used to increase data rates in favorable channel conditions. Figure 1 illustrates an example of spatial multiplexing, where an information carrying symbol vector s is multiplied by an NT x r (rows × columns) (e.g., where NT corresponds to the number of transmitting antenna ports) precoding matrix or precoder ^. Vector s contains r symbols each corresponding to a MIMO layer or data stream, and r is referred to as the transmission rank or simply rank. ^ serves to distribute the transmit energy over the NT transmit antenna ports in r “virtual” spatial directions, each associated to a data stream, such that they can be separately received at the UE. In this way, spatial multiplexing is achieved since multiple symbols or data streams can be transmitted simultaneously over the same time / frequency Resource Elements (REs).

[0006] ^ and r are typically reported by a UE in a Channel State Information (CSI) report in the form of a Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI) and Rank Indicator (RI), respectively. PMI indicates a desired precoding matrix in a codebook for rank r. ^ and r are selected based on themeasured MIMO channel ^ ∈ ^^^×^^

[0007] DFT-based precoders

[0008] A common type of precoders is Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) based precoders, where the precoding vector for each MIMO layer is a DFT vector, i.e., each column of ^ is a DFT vector.

[0009] For a two-dimensional (2-D) uniform planar array (UPA) with ^^antenna ports in one dimension and ^^antenna ports in another dimension, for each polarization a DFT beam associated to the 2-D UPA can be expressed as a Kronecker product ofone-dimension (1-D) DFT vectors, one in each dimension, i.e., as ^^,^ = ^^,^^^^,^,^associated with ^^ and ^^, respectively; . . = 0,1, … , ^^-^ − 1 and 3 3 = 0,1, … , ^^-^ −1$ are the 1-D beam indices along N1 and N2 dimensions, respectively.

[0010] In 3GPP specification TS 38.214 V18.0.0, the terminologies ‘beam’ or ‘2D-beam’ are not used, but only ^^,^is referred.

[0011] A rankfor a dual-polarized UPA can then be expressed as ^^,^4"., 3, 5$ = 6 8 = 6^^,^9 8:1 ^^7^^,^ 9 ^^,^ ^^7; ,where ^^7is a co-phasingmay be selected from M-PSK alphabets such as QPK with 5 ∈ 0, ^^ , <,=^ ^ . The above assumes that the same DFT beam,^^,^, is used for both polarizations. For rank two or higher, a precoder for each layer comprise one or more DFT beams. The precoding matrix ^ for rank > can be expressed as ^= ?4".^, 3^, 5^$ 4".^, 3^, 5^$ ⋯ 4".A , 3A , 5A$Bwhere 4". , 3C, 5C$ = 8 (E = 1,2, … , >$ is a precoder for the EGHlayer associated to DFT beam, ^^ ,^D,5.

[0013] precoders are used in NR Type I Codebook based CSI feedback, where each layer is associated with one 2-D DFT beam.

[0014] CSI report Configuration

[0015] In NR, for CSI reporting purposes a UE is configured with one or more channel (CSI) report configurations each comprising one or more Non-zero Power (NZP) CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) resources for channel measurements and a codebook type for CSI feedback. In addition to PMI and RI, the feedback typically also comprises one (for rank<=4) or two (for rank>4) channel quality indicators (CQIs).

[0016] PMI and CQI feedback can be either wideband or per subband, where a wideband can be a whole bandwidth part (BWP) configured while a subband is defined as a number of contiguous physical resource blocks (PRBs) ranging between 4-32 PRBs within the BWP.

[0017] A CSI report configuration is represented by a RRC parameter CSI-ReportConfig information element defined in 3GPP TS38.331. The report can be periodic or semi-persistent and sent on PUCCH (physical uplink control channel) on the cell in which the CSI- ReportConfig is included, or semi-persistent or aperiodic sent on PUSCH (physical uplink shared channel) triggered by DCI (downlink control information) received on the cell in which the CSI-ReportConfig is included. A CSI-ReportConfig can also comprise interference measurement resources.

[0018] CRI based CSI reporting

[0019] When multiple CSI-RS resources are configured for channel measurement in a CSI report configuration in NR for type I CB based CSI feedback, one of the CSI-RS resources are first selected by the UE and CSI associated to the selected CSI-RS resource is computed and reported. In this case, a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) is also reported to indicate the selected CSI-RS resource.

[0020] One use case of such CSI reporting is to support hybrid analog and digital beamforming due to hardware restrictions. For example, analog beam is implemented for elevation beamforming where multiple analog beams, one at a time, are formed in elevation domain while within each of the analog beams, digital beamforming is performed in the azimuth direction. Another use case is to support hybrid time-domain and frequency-domain digital beamforming. For example, different elevation beams can be formed in digital time-domain, one in each time instant. For each such elevation beam, frequency-domain digital beamforming can be performed in the azimuth direction.

[0021] An example is shown in Figure 2, where four analog beams are formed in the elevation dimension. Figure 2 illustrates an example of CSI report for hybrid beamforming with multiple NZP CSI-RS resources, one NZP CSI-RS resource per beam. The four beams aretransmitted at different time instances. Each of the analog beams is associated to a NZP CSI-RS resource comprising eight beamformed CSI-RS antenna ports. In this case, a UE measures downlink channels based on the four NZP CSI-RS resources and determines a best beam among the four beams. The CSI feedback comprises a CRI indicating the selected beam or the associated NZP CSI-RS resource, RI, PMI and one or two CQIs associated with the NZP CSI- RS resource. The PMI indicates a precoding matrix for the beamformed antenna ports.

[0022] In NR up to Release 19, two, four or eight NZP CSI-RS resources can be configured for the purpose and up to eight CSI-RS ports per NZP CSI-RS resource can be configured. In addition, the total number of NZP CSI-RS antenna ports across all the configured NZP CSI-RS resources cannot exceed 32.

[0023] Another example is shown in Figure 3, where four beams are formed in the elevation dimension. Figure 3 illustrates an example of CSI report for hybrid beamforming with multiple NZP CSI-RS resources, two NZP CSI-RS resources per beam, one for each polarization. Compared to the example shown in Figure 2, the difference is that two NZP CSI-RS resources are used for each beam instead of one, one for each polarization.

[0024] Two Parts CSI

[0025] For Type I CSI sub-band reporting on PUCCH formats 3, or 4, the payload is split into two parts. The first part contains RI, CRI, CQI for the first codeword. The second part contains PMI, and the CQI for the second codeword when RI > 4.

[0026] Similarly, for Type I CSI reporting on PUSCH, a CSI report comprises of two parts. Part 1 has a fixed payload size and is used to identify the number of information bits in Part 2. Part 1 shall be transmitted in its entirety before Part 2. Part 1 contains RI (if reported), CRI (if reported), CQI for the first codeword (if reported). Part 2 contains PMI (if reported), LI (if reported) and contains the CQI for the second codeword (if reported) when RI is larger than 4.

[0027] Improved systems and methods for CSI reporting are needed. SUMMARY

[0028] Systems and methods for Channel State Information (CSI) feedback with joint encoding of multiple CSI-Reference Signals (RS) resource indicators (CRIs) are provided. In some embodiments, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) includes receiving a CSI report configuration comprising a Channel Measurement Resource (CMR) resource set with^ "^ ≥ 2) CMR resources for channel measurement, a codebook configuration for CSIfeedback, and a parameter ^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^$; and reporting a CSI report where the CSIreport includes: resource indicator information for "^JKL − N$ CMR resources out of the ^CMR resources where the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources are different from the N CMR resources,CSI associated to each of the N CMR resources, and CSI associated to each of the "^JKL − N$CMR resources. In this way, less overhead is required compared to reporting multiple CRIs directly.

[0029] In some embodiments, a method performed by a network node includes transmittinga CSI report configuration comprising a CMR resource set with ^ "^ ≥ 2) CMR resources forchannel measurement, a codebook configuration for CSI feedback, and a parameter^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^$; transmitting information on N "1 ≤ N < ^JKL$ CMR resources out ofthe N CMR resources; and receiving a CSI report wherein the CSI report includes: resourceindicator information for "^JKL − N$ CMR resources out of the ^ CMR resources wherein the"^JKL − N$ CMR resources are different from the N CMR resources, CSI associated to each ofthe N CMR resources, and CSI associated to each of the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources.

[0030] In some embodiments, the information of N "1 ≤ N < ^JKL$ CMR resources out ofthe N CMR resources are received in association with the CSI report configuration.

[0031] In some embodiments, the information of N "1 ≤ N < ^JKL$ CMR resources out ofthe N CMR resources is dynamically signalled via Downlink Control Information, DCI, or Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE).

[0032] In some embodiments, the resource indicator information for the "^JKL − N$ CMRresources comprises a CSI-RS, CSI reference signal, resource indicator, CRI, for each of the"^JKL − N$ CMR resources

[0033] In some embodiments, the CMR resource set comprises a CSI Reference Signal, CSI- RS, resource set. In some embodiments, the CSI-RS resource set comprises a Non-Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set. In some embodiments, the CSI report configuration indicates that the UE should select one or more mandatory CSI-RS resources of the N configured CSI-RS resources in the CSI report.

[0034] In some embodiments, the CSI-RS resources that the UE should include is configured by RRC signaling. In some embodiments, the CSI report does not include that the UE has included CSI for the mandatory CSI-RS resources in the CSI report. In some embodiments, the maximum number of CRIs to report as part of the CSI depends on at least one of the configured values of ^, ^JKL, and ^JKL,^PQ; where ^JKL,^PQis the maximum number of CSI-RS resource indicators, CRIs, to report.

[0035] In some embodiments, the codebook comprises a new Downlink, DL, codebook in 6G. In some embodiments, the CSI report configuration further comprises a report type; where the report type is chosen from: periodic, semi-persistent, and aperiodic.

[0036] In some embodiments, the CSI report configuration further comprises an indication indicating whether the CSI report is on one or more of: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH); Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); Medium Access Control (MAC) message; and MAC Control Element (MAC-CE).

[0037] In some embodiments, the CSI report configuration further comprises a frequency domain granularity indication indicating whether PMI and / or CQI are wideband or subband.

[0038] In some embodiments, the CSI report configuration further comprises a configuration of NSTU; where NSTUis the number of CSI-RS resources to be selected. In some embodiments, the CSI report configuration and / or the CSI reporting identifies selected pair(s) of CSI-RS resources. In some embodiments, the ^JKLCRIs are jointly encoded with M bits where each codepoint of the M bits represents one combination of {CRI_1, CRI_2, …, CRI_^JKL}.

[0039] In some embodiments, by constraining the set of CRIs to be reported, the number of bits required to encode the CRIs is reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0041] Figure 1 illustrates an example of spatial multiplexing, where an information carrying symbol vector s is multiplied by an NT x r (rows × columns) precoding matrix or precoder ^;

[0042] Figure 2 illustrates an example of State Information (CSI)report for hybrid beamforming with multiple Non-zero Power (NZP) CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) resources, one NZP CSI-RS resource per beam;

[0043] Figure 3 illustrates an example of CSI report for hybrid beamforming with multiple NZP CSI-RS resources, two NZP CSI-RS resources per beam, one for each polarization;

[0044] Figure 4 illustrates a method performed by a User Equipment (UE), according to some embodiments;

[0045] Figure 5 illustrates a method performed by a network node, according to some embodiments;

[0046] Figure 6 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0047] Figure 7 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0048] Figure 8 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0049] Figure 9 is a block diagram of a host, which may be an embodiment of the host of Figure 6, in accordance with various aspects described herein;

[0050] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized; and

[0051] Figure 11 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0053] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0054] There currently exist certain challenge(s). In NR Rel-19, the existing CSI reporting with multiple NZP CSI-RS resources for type I CB based CSI report will be enhanced to support up to 32 ports per NZP CSI-RS resource and up to 128 ports across all the NZP CSI-RS resources. In addition, CSI for more than one NZP CSI-RS resources can be reported. However, how to report CSI associated to multiple NZP CSI-RS resources efficiently is an issue. Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. A method is proposed to jointly encode and report multiple CRIs in Part 1 CSI by a UE when multiple (N>1) NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement are configured in a CSI report configuration for the UE to report CSI associated to multiple of the NZP CSI-RS resources. A method at a UE for jointly encoding multiple (^JKL) CRIs, wherein the method comprises the UE reporting to a NW node CSI (where CSI may include one or more of PMI, RI, LI, and CQI) for each of the ^JKLCRIs as part of a CSI report, and wherein the jointly encoded ^JKLCRIs are reported by a UE according to at least one of ^ A bitmap with ^ bits, each associated to one of the ^ NZP CSI-RS resources, or^ A bit field of N < ^ bits, where each codepoint of the bit field indicating aselection of one or more NZP CSI-RS resources. where the maximum number of CRIs to report as part of the CSI depends on at least one of the configured values of ^ , ^JKL, and ^JKL,^PQ(the maximum number of CRIs to report).

[0055] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. The method requires less overhead than comparing reporting multiple CRIs directly.

[0056] In the disclosure, NZP CSI-RS is used as example downlink reference signal, however, the disclosure is equally applicable to other kinds of channel measurement resources (CMRs) in 6G. Also, in some cases the words NZP CSI-RS resource and “beam” are used interchangeably.

[0057] Figure 4 illustrates a method performed by a UE including one or more of: receiving (step 400) a CSI report configuration comprising a CMR resource set (e.g., CSI-RS, NZP CSI-RS, etc.) with ^ "^ ≥ 2) CMR resources for channel measurement and a codebookconfiguration for CSI feedback; and reporting (step 402) CSI associated to ^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^$of the ^ CMR resources based on downlink channel measurements on the ^ CMR resources, wherein information about the NSTUof the ^ CMR resources is jointly encoded. Figure 5 illustrates a method performed by a network node including one or more of: transmitting (500) a CSI report configuration comprising a CMR resource set (e.g., CSI-RS, NZP CSI-RS, etc.) with^ "^ ≥ 2) CMR resources for channel measurement and a codebook configuration for CSIfeedback; and receiving (502) a CSI report associated to ^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^$ of the ^ CMRresources based on downlink channel measurements on the ^ CMR resources, wherein information about the NSTUof the ^ CMR resources is jointly encoded.

[0058] A method for efficient CSI reporting is proposed, the method comprising one or more of: ^ Step 1: Receiving a CSI report configuration comprising a NZP CSI-RS resourceset with ^ "^ ≥ 2) NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement and a codebookconfiguration for CSI feedback; in some embodiments, the number of CSI-RS ports in the ^ NZP CSI-RS resources is the same. In some other embodiments, the number of CSI-RS ports are different among the ^ NZP CSI-RS resources.^ Step 2: Reporting CSI associated to ^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^$ of the ^ NZP CSI-RSresources based on downlink channel measurements on the ^ NZP CSI-RS resources, wherein information about the NSTUof the ^ NZP CSI-RS resources is jointly encoded.

[0059] In Step 1, the codebook is a NR type I codebook or a new DL codebook in 6G. The CSI report configuration can further comprise a report type, which can be periodic, semi- persistent, or aperiodic. The CSI report configuration can further comprise an indication indicating whether the CSI report is on PUCCH or PUSCH, or another medium in 6G, like a MAC message or MAC-CE, etc. The CSI report configuration can further comprise a frequency domain granularity indication indicating whether PMI and CQI are wideband or subband.

[0060] The ^ NZP CSI-RS resources for channel measurement can be periodic, semi- persistent, or aperiodic.

[0061] In one embodiment, the CSI report configuration can further comprise a configuration of NSTU, i.e., the number of NZP CSI-RS resources to be selected by the UE forCSI feedback in the CSI report. For example, if NSTU = 2 is configured, the UE selects twoNZP CSI-RS resources out of the ^ NZP CSI-RS resources and report CSI associated to the two selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0062] In another embodiment, ^JKL,^PQis configured in the CSI report configuration to indicate the maximum number, ^JKL,^PQ, of ^ the NZP CSI-RS resources to be selected by theUE for CSI feedback. In this case, the UE can select NSTU V1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^JKL,^PQW NZP CSI-RSresources out of the ^configured NZP CSI-RS resources. For example, if NSTU,XYZ = 2 isconfigured, either one or two NZP CSI-RS resources out of the ^ NZP CSI-RS resources and report CSI associated the one or two NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0063] For the example shown in Figure 3, where a pair of NZP CSI-RS resources are associated with each beam, the CSI report configuration and CSI reporting need to identify the selected pair(s) of NZP CSI-RS resources. In this case, ^ / 2 pairs of NZP CSI-RS resources are formed for the ^ configured NZP CSI-R resources.

[0064] In one embodiment, the ^ / 2 pairs of NZP CSI-RS resources are formed according to the numbering of NZP CSI-RS resources, e.g., NPZ CSI-RS resources #1 and #2 belong to pair #1, NPZ CSI-RS resources #3 and #4 belong to pair #2, and so on.

[0065] In one embodiment, NSTU#\Y]^, is configured in the CSI report configuration toindicate the number, NSTU#\Y]^, of pairs of NZP CSI-RS resources to be selected by the UE forCSI feedback. For example, if NSTU#\Y]^ = 2 is configured, the UE selects 2 pairs of NZP CSI-RS resources (i.e., 4 NZP CSI-RS resources) out of the ^ / 2 pairs of NZP CSI-RS resources(i.e., ^ NZP CSI-RS resources) and report CSI associated the two selected NZP CSI-RS resources.

[0066] In another embodiment, NSTU#\Y]^,XYZ, is configured in the CSI report configurationto indicate the maximum number, NSTU#\Y]^,XYZ, of pairs of NZP CSI-RS resources that can beselected by the UE for CSI feedback. In this case, the UE can select NSTU#\Y]^ V1 ≤^JKL#_PCA ≤ NSTU#\Y]^,XYZW NZP CSI-RS resources out of the ^configured NZP CSI-RSresources. For example, if NSTU#\Y]^,XYZ = 2 is configured, either one or two NZP CSI-RSresources out of the ^ / 2 pairs of NZP CSI-RS resources (i.e., ^ NZP CSI-RS resources).

[0067] In Step 2, the CSI report comprises two parts, i.e., Part 1 CSI and Part 2 CSI. In one embodiment, Part 1 CSI comprises information of NSTUCRIs, NSTURIs and NSTUCQIs, wherein the NSTUCQIs in Part 1 correspond to the respective first codewords associated with each of the NSTUCRIs. Part 2 CSI comprises NSTUPMIs.

[0068] For NSTU = 1, reporting CRI directly in Part 1 CSI requires the least number of bits.However, for NSTU > 1, reporting NSTU CRIs directly in Part 1 CSI CRI may not be optimum interm of feedback overhead.

[0069] Joint encoding and reporting of multiple CRIs with a bitmap

[0070] In one embodiment, for NSTU > 1, the NSTU CRIs may be jointly encoded in a bit mapwith ^ bits, each associated to one of the N NZP CSI-RS resources. A bit value of one (or zero) can indicate that the associated NZP CSI-RS resource is selected and a bit value of zero (or one) can indicate the associated NZP CSI-RS resource is not selected. An example is shown in Table 1, where each bit of a N-bit bitmap is associated to one of the NZP CSI-RS resources. NZP CSI- RS resource #k is the kth NZP CSI-RS resource configured in the NZP CSI-RS resource set. Table 1: An example of a bitmap for indicating multiple CRIs. NZP CSI-RS resources: NZP CSI- NZP CSI- … NZP CSI- RS resource RS resource RS resource #1 #2 #N Bitmap with N bits: Bit #1 Bit #2 … Bit #N

[0071] For example, for ^ = 4 and NSTU = 3, a bit map with 4 bits can be used to indicatewhich 3 NZP CSI-RS resources are selected. If 3 CRIs are reported directly, 2 bits are needed for each CRI and a total of 6 bits would be needed to report 3 CRIs. Table 2 shows some feedback overhead comparison between reporting CRIs directly and with a bitmap. It can beseen that bitmap based approach requires less overhead than reporting CRIs directly when^JKL > 2 and ^ ≥ 4.Table 2: CRI feedback overhead comparison between direct CRI reporting vs using a bitmap for reporting ^JKLCRIs in Part 1 CSI with different values of N and ^JKL. N=2 N=4 N=8 ^JKLReport Bitmap Report Bitmap Report Bitmap CRI based CRI based CRI based directly directly directly 1 1 2 2 4 3 8 2 4 4 6 8 3 6 4 9 8

[0072] In an alternative embodiment, whether the ^JKLCRIs are directly reported or using a bitmap depends on the values of ^JKLand ^. For example, directly reporting CRIs is used for^JKL ≤ 2 and bitmap is used otherwise.

[0073] In one embodiment, the mapping between the bits in the bitmap and the configured NZP CSI-RS resources are according to specific rule based on the position of the bits in the bitmap and the NZP CSI-RS resource ID in the NZP-CSI-RS resource set associated with the CSI report. In one embodiment, the leftmost bit in the bitmap is associated with the NZP CSI- RS resource with lowest NZP CSI-RS resource ID in the corresponding NZP-CSI-RS resource set, the second leftmost bit is associated with the NZP CSI-RS resource with second lowest NZP CSI-RS resource ID in the corresponding NZP-CSI-RS resource se, and so on. In an alternative embodiment, the rightmost bit in the bitmap is associated with the NZP CSI-RS resource with lowest NZP CSI-RS resource ID in the corresponding NZP-CSI-RS resource set, the second rightmost bit is associated with the NZP CSI-RS resource with second lowest NZP CSI-RS resource ID in the corresponding NZP-CSI-RS resource set, and so on.

[0074] Joint encoding and reporting of multiple CRIs with a codepoint of a bit field

[0075] In another embodiment, the ^JKLCRIs are jointly encoded with M bits. Each codepoint of the M bits represents one combination of {CRI_1, CRI_2, …, CRI_^JKL}. Anexample with ^ = 4 and ^JKL = 2 is illustrated in Table 3, where there are six total possibleselections of two NZP CSI-RS resources out of four NZP CSI-RS resources. M=3 is needed and each codepoint of the M bits indicates a possible selection. For example, codepoint 3 indicates NZP CSI-RS resources #2 and #3 are selected. Table 4 shows some feedback overheadcomparison between reporting CRIs directly, using a bitmap, and joint encoding. It can be seen that joint encoding requires the least overhead in all cases.Table 3: An example of joint encoding of ^JKL CRIs with ^ = 4 and ^JKL = 2, ‘x’ indicatesthe NZP CSI-RS resource is selected. NZP CSI-RS resource #: code point of M bits 1 2 3 4 0 x x 1 x x 2 x x 3 x x 4 x x 5 x x Table 4: CRI feedback overhead comparison between direct CRI reporting, using a bitmap, and joint encoding for reporting ^JKLCRIs in Part 1 CSI with different values of N and ^JKL. # of bits needed for reporting N_CRI CRIs N=2 N=4 N=8 report report report CRI bitmap joint CRI bitmap joint CRI bitmap joint N_CRI directly based encode directly based encode directly based encode 1 1 2 1 2 4 2 3 8 3 2 0 0 0 4 4 3 6 8 5 3 6 4 2 9 8 6 4 0 0 0 12 8 7

[0076] In case the maximum number, ^JKL,^PQ, of ^ ≥ 2 the NZP CSI-RS resources to beselected by the UE for CSI feedback in the CSI report is configured in the CSI reportconfiguration, the value of ^JKL (1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^JKL,^PQ$ is determined by the UE and isunknown by the network prior the report. Since the size of Part 1 CSI has to be known by the network prior to the report, direct reporting CRI(s) is not feasible as the size depends on ^JKL, and only bitmap and joint encoding are feasible. In case of joint encoding, M is determined bythe maximum number of bits for 1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^JKL,^PQ$ . Using the example in Table 4, for^JKL,^PQ=4, M=3 for ^ = 4 and M=7 for ^ = 8. In both cases, using joint encoding requiresless overhead than using a bitmap.

[0077] In general, when ^JKL is configured by the NW, M =dlog^ h ^^JKLij, and each codepoint of the M bits represents a combination index, kJKL, of a combination of ^JKLCRIs, wherekJKL ∈ l0,1, … , h ^^JKLi − 1m. Let us assume that the EGHselected CRI (corresponding to the EGHselected NZP resource) is given by ^noC, wherein E ∈ {0, 1, … , ^JKL − 1} and ^noC ∈{0, 1, … , ^ −^noC increases as E increases, i.e., ^noC < ^no^ qr> E < s.Then, for a given ^JKL CRIs, {^no^, … , ^no^u^v#^}, kJKL can be determined as follows:^u^v#^E$where ^"y, z$ isTable 5 for ^JKL ≤ 4 and^ ≤ 8. Other alternative tables containing combinatorial coefficients can also be used.Table 5. Combinatorial coefficient ^"y, z$y x 1 2 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 3 3 3 1 0 4 4 6 4 1 5 5 10 10 5 6 6 15 20 15 7 7 21 35 35

[0078] Other alternatives

[0079] In an alternative embodiment, by constraining the set of CRIs that can be reported, the number of bits required to encode the CRIs can be reduced. In many cases adjacent beams will have similar strengths. In such cases the overhead can be reduced by reporting only oneCRI and letting the remaining ^JKL − 1 CRIs be given by the CRIs corresponding to beamsadjacent to the beam corresponding to the reported CRI. For example, for increased flexibility in MU-MIMO scheduling it can be beneficial to have CSI for two or more adjacent elevation beams instead of only for a single beam. If a UE has high channel quality for one elevation beam, it is quite likely that the channel quality for an adjacent elevation beam is high enough to enable co-scheduling with other UEs that have reported similar CRIs.

[0080] In another alternative embodiment, only the CRI corresponding to the NZP CSI-RS resource with lowest NZP CSI-RS resource ID of the selected CRIs is reported, say o{^, andthe remaining CRIs are obtained implicitly from the CSI-RS resource IDs {o{^ + 1, … , o{^ +^JKL − 1}. In another alternative embodiment, only the CRI corresponding to the NZP CSI-RSresource with highest NZP CSI-RS resource ID of the selected CRIs is reported and theremaining CRIs are obtained implicitly from the CSI-RS resource IDs {o{^ − 1, … , o{^ −^JKL + 1}. In a related embodiment, the UE reports one reference CRI and the remaining CRIsas offsets relative to the reference CRI. This gives the UE some more freedom in that it does not have to report adjacent CRIs but can instead report CRIs within a certain range given by the maximum offset value. This can reduce the number of bits required to encode the CRIs if theCRI range is smaller than ^. For example, if ^ = 8 and ^JKL = 2, and the maximum offset is 2,the reference CRI can be reported with 3 bits and the second CRI with 1 bit compared to 3+3=6 bits if direct reporting of two unconstrained CRIs was used.

[0081] In some embodiments, there can be optional embodiments related to network indication of specific network beams to include in report. In some embodiment, the CSI report configuration (or associated signaling) indicates that the UE should (must) include one or more NZP CSI-RS resources of the N configured NZP CSI-RS resources in the CSI report. This could for example be useful, in case the network knows that many UEs are served by one of the gNB beams (for example an analog beam in the vertical dimension or time domain digital beam in vertical dimension), then the network might want to know which other UEs also can be served by that gNB beam to increase the probability of MU-MIMO scheduling, and hence force all or a subset of all UEs to report CSI for that beam (even though that beam might not be among the ^JKLbest beams for that UE, it might still be good enough such that it is useful to include in the beam report).

[0082] In one related embodiment, the NZP CSI-RS resources that the UE should (must) include is semi-statically configured by RRC signaling and can for example be configured in association with the CSI report configuration (e.g., in CSI report setting IE in NR or similar information element in 6G). The beam that the UE always should include could for example be a vertical beam pointing towards the horizon, where typically many UEs are located / served in. In another embodiment, the NZP CSI-RS resources that the UE should (must) include in the CSI report can be more dynamically indicated in MAC-CE or DCI.

[0083] In one embodiment, in case CSI for one or more of the N NZP CSI-RS resources must be included in the CSI report, the UE do not need to indicate in the CSI report that the UE has included CSI for these mandatory NZP CSI-RS resources in the CSI report, and hence the CRI indication is adopted accordingly to save signaling overhead.

[0084] In one detailed example, for ^ = 4 and NSTU = 3 and where the UE has beenindicated that it always should include CSI for the first of the N CSI-RS resources in the CSIreport, the CRI indicating which NZP CSI-RS resource that the UE include in the CSI report contains of 3 bits, where each bit indicates which of the remaining last three NZP CSI-RS resources that the UE have included CSI for in the CSI report. In this way, only 3 bits instead of 4 bits will be used for the CRI, which saves some overhead.

[0085] In some embodiments, one or more of the methods / CSI reports / embodiments described in the sections above are re-used, with the change that the parameters are updated based on the number of specific mandatory NZP CSI-RS resources that the UE has been indicated to always include in the report (e.g., the UE might be indicated that the first NZP CSI- RS resource in the associated NZP CSI-RS resource set always should be included in the CSI report). For example, assume that the number of specific / indicated NZP CSI-RS resources the UE should always include in the CSI report is equal to X. In this case, the embodiments described above can be re-used by updating one or more of the previously defined variables ^, ^JKL, ^JKL,^PQto the new variables ^_^^^,^JKL_^^^ , ^JKL,^PQ_^^^, where the new variables are defined according to: ^^^^= N – X ^JKL^^^= ^JKL-X ^JKL,^PQ_^^^ = ^JKL,^PQ- X

[0086] These new variables are then used in the methods / CSI reports / embodiments described above with e.g., reference to Table 1- Table 4, by exchanging them with the old variables ^, ^JKL, ^JKL,^PQ.

[0087] Figure 6 shows an example of a communication system 600 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 600 includes a telecommunication network 602 that includes an access network 604, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 606, which includes one or more core network nodes 608. The access network 604 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 610A and 610B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 610), or any other similar Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP Access Points (APs). Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 602 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 602 that supports an ORANspecification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 602, including one or more network nodes 610 and / or core network nodes 608.

[0088] Examples of an ORAN network node include an Open Radio Unit (O-RU), an Open Distributed Unit (O-DU), an Open Central Unit (O-CU), including an O-CU Control Plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU User Plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1, F1, W1, E1, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 610 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 612A, 612B, 612C, and 612D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 612) to the core network 606 over one or more wireless connections.

[0089] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 600 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 600 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0090] The UEs 612 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 610 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 610 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with theUEs 612 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 602 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 602.

[0091] In the depicted example, the core network 606 connects the network nodes 610 to one or more hosts, such as host 616. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 606 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 608) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 608. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-Concealing Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0092] The host 616 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 604 and / or the telecommunication network 602 and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 616 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0093] As a whole, the communication system 600 of Figure 6 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 600 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., Sixth Generation (6G)); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such asthe Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0094] In some examples, the telecommunication network 602 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 602 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 602. For example, the telecommunication network 602 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / massive Internet of Things (IoT) services to yet further UEs.

[0095] In some examples, the UEs 612 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 604 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 604. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e., being configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0096] In the example, a hub 614 communicates with the access network 604 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 612C and / or 612D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 610B). In some examples, the hub 614 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 614 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 606 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 614 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 610, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 614. As another example, the hub 614 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 614 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 614 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 614 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In stillanother example, the hub 614 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy IoT devices.

[0097] The hub 614 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 610B. The hub 614 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 614 and UEs (e.g., UE 612C and / or 612D), and between the hub 614 and the core network 606. In other examples, the hub 614 is connected to the core network 606 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 614 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 604 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 610 while still connected via the hub 614 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 614 may be a dedicated hub – that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 610B. In other embodiments, the hub 614 may be a non-dedicated hub – that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and the network node 610B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0098] Figure 7 shows a UE 700 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, Laptop Embedded Equipment (LEE), Laptop Mounted Equipment (LME), smart device, wireless Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3GPP, including a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0099] A UE may support Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinklercontroller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0100] The UE 700 includes processing circuitry 702 that is operatively coupled via a bus 704 to an input / output interface 706, a power source 708, memory 710, a communication interface 712, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 7. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0101] The processing circuitry 702 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 710. The processing circuitry 702 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 702 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0102] In the example, the input / output interface 706 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 700. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0103] In some embodiments, the power source 708 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 708 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 708 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 700 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 708. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 708 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 700 to which power is supplied.

[0104] The memory 710 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 710 includes one or more application programs 714, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 716. The memory 710 may store, for use by the UE 700, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0105] The memory 710 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, High Density Digital Versatile Disc (HD- DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, Holographic Digital Data Storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM), Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a tamper resistant module in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a Universal SIM (USIM) and / or Internet Protocol Multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as a ‘SIM card.’ The memory 710 may allow the UE 700 to access instructions, application programs, and the like stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 710, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0106] The processing circuitry 702 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 712. The communication interface712 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 722. The communication interface 712 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 718 and / or a receiver 720 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 718 and receiver 720 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 722) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0107] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 712 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, NFC, location-based communication such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Quick User Datagram Protocol Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0108] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 712, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0109] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0110] A UE, when in the form of an IoT device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an IoT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a television, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or VR, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an IoT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the IoT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 700 shown in Figure 7.

[0111] As yet another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship, an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0112] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0113] Figure 8 shows a network node 800 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged, and / or operable tocommunicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, APs (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR Node Bs (gNBs)), and O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O- CU).

[0114] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node), and / or Remote Radio Units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such RRUs may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a Distributed Antenna System (DAS).

[0115] Other examples of network nodes include multiple Transmission Point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, Multi-Standard Radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) or BS Controllers (BSCs), Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, Multi-Cell / Multicast Coordination Entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0116] The network node 800 includes processing circuitry 802, memory 804, a communication interface 806, and a power source 808. The network node 800 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 800 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 800 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 804 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 810 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 800 may alsoinclude multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 800, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z- wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within the network node 800.

[0117] The processing circuitry 802 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 800 components, such as the memory 804, to provide network node 800 functionality.

[0118] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 includes a System on a Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 includes one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 812 and baseband processing circuitry 814. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 812 and the baseband processing circuitry 814 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 812 and the baseband processing circuitry 814 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0119] The memory 804 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, ROM, mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD), or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable, and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 802. The memory 804 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 802 and utilized by the network node 800. The memory 804 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 802 and / or any data received via the communication interface 806. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 and the memory 804 are integrated.

[0120] The communication interface 806 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 806 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 816 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 806 alsoincludes radio front-end circuitry 818 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 810. The radio front-end circuitry 818 comprises filters 820 and amplifiers 822. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may be connected to the antenna 810 and the processing circuitry 802. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 810 and the processing circuitry 802. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 820 and / or the amplifiers 822. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 810. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 810 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 818. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 802. In other embodiments, the communication interface 806 may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0121] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 800 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 818; instead, the processing circuitry 802 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 810. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 812 is part of the communication interface 806. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 806 includes the one or more ports or terminals 816, the radio front-end circuitry 818, and the RF transceiver circuitry 812 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 806 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 814, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0122] The antenna 810 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 810 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 818 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 810 is separate from the network node 800 and connectable to the network node 800 through an interface or port.

[0123] The antenna 810, the communication interface 806, and / or the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 800. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 810, the communication interface 806, and / or the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node 800. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0124] The power source 808 provides power to the various components of the network node 800 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 808 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 800 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 800 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid or an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 808. As a further example, the power source 808 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0125] Embodiments of the network node 800 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 8 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 800 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 800 and to allow output of information from the network node 800. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 800.

[0126] Figure 9 is a block diagram of a host 900, which may be an embodiment of the host 616 of Figure 6, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 900 may be or comprise various combinations of hardware and / or software including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 900 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0127] The host 900 includes processing circuitry 902 that is operatively coupled via a bus 904 to an input / output interface 906, a network interface 908, a power source 910, and memory 912. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 7 and 8, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host 900.

[0128] The memory 912 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 914 and data 916, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 900 or data generated by the host 900 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 900 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs914 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, and heads-up display systems). The host application programs 914 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 900 may select and / or indicate a different host for Over-The-Top (OTT) services for a UE. The host application programs 914 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH or MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0129] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1000 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more Virtual Machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1000 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1000 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0130] Applications 1002 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 1000 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0131] Hardware 1004 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices asdescribed herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1006 (also referred to as hypervisors or VM Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1008A and 1008B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1008), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1006 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1008.

[0132] The VMs 1008 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1006. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1002 may be implemented on one or more of the VMs 1008, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as Network Function Virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and customer premise equipment.

[0133] In the context of NFV, a VM 1008 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1008, and that part of the hardware 1004 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs 1008, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1008 on top of the hardware 1004 and corresponds to the application 1002.

[0134] The hardware 1004 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 1004 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1004 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1010, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 1002. In some embodiments, the hardware 1004 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a RAN or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1012 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0135] Figure 11 shows a communication diagram of a host 1102 communicating via a network node 1104 with a UE 1106 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as the UE 612A of Figure 6 and / or the UE 700 of Figure 7), the network node (such as the network node 610A of Figure 6 and / or the network node 800 of Figure 8), and the host (such as the host 616 of Figure 6 and / or the host 900 of Figure 9) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 11.

[0136] Like the host 900, embodiments of the host 1102 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1102 also includes software, which is stored in or is accessible by the host 1102 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1106 connecting via an OTT connection 1150 extending between the UE 1106 and the host 1102. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1150.

[0137] The network node 1104 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1102 and the UE 1106. The connection 1160 may be direct or pass through a core network (like the core network 606 of Figure 6) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0138] The UE 1106 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by the UE 1106 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via the UE 1106 with the support of the host 1102. In the host 1102, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1150 terminating at the UE 1106 and the host 1102. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1150 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1150.

[0139] The OTT connection 1150 may extend via the connection 1160 between the host 1102 and the network node 1104 and via a wireless connection 1170 between the network node 1104 and the UE 1106 to provide the connection between the host 1102 and the UE 1106. The connection 1160 and the wireless connection 1170, over which the OTT connection 1150 maybe provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1102 and the UE 1106 via the network node 1104, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0140] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1150, in step 1108, the host 1102 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1106. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1106 that shares data with the host 1102 without explicit human interaction. In step 1110, the host 1102 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1106. The host 1102 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1106. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1106 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1106. The transmission may pass via the network node 1104 in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1112, the network node 1104 transmits to the UE 1106 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1102 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1114, the UE 1106 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1106 associated with the host application executed by the host 1102.

[0141] In some examples, the UE 1106 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1102. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1102. Accordingly, in step 1116, the UE 1106 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1106. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1106 initiates, in step 1118, transmission of the user data towards the host 1102 via the network node 1104. In step 1120, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1104 receives user data from the UE 1106 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1102. In step 1122, the host 1102 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1106.

[0142] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1106 using the OTT connection 1150, in which the wireless connection 1170 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the e.g., data rate, latency, power consumption, etc. and thereby provide benefits such as e.g.,reduced user waiting time, relaxed restriction on file size, improved content resolution, better responsiveness, extended battery lifetime, etc.

[0143] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1102. As another example, the host 1102 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1102 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1102 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1102 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR which it can broadcast, multicast, or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1102 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or transmitting data.

[0144] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1150 between the host 1102 and the UE 1106 in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1150 may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1102 and / or the UE 1106. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1150 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or by supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1150 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1104. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency, and the like by the host 1102. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1150 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0145] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understoodthat these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0146] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0147] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

[0148] EMBODIMENTS

[0149] Group A Embodiments

[0150] Embodiment 1: A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising one or more of: receiving (400) a Channel State Information, CSI, reportconfiguration comprising a Channel Measurement Resource, CMR, resource set with ^ "^ ≥ 2)CMR resources for channel measurement and a codebook configuration for CSI feedback; andreporting (402) CSI associated to ^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^$ of the ^ CMR resources based ondownlink channel measurements on the N CMR resources, wherein information about the NSTUof the ^ CMR resources is jointly encoded.

[0151] Embodiment 2: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CMR resource set comprises a CSI Reference Signal, CSI-RS, resource set.

[0152] Embodiment 3: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI- RS resource set comprises a Non-Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set.

[0153] Embodiment 4: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the number of CSI-RS ports in the N CSI-RS resources is the same.

[0154] Embodiment 5: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the number of CSI-RS ports are different among the N CSI-RS resources.

[0155] Embodiment 6: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the maximum number of CRIs to report as part of the CSI depends on at least one of the configured values of ^, ^JKL, and ^JKL,^PQ; where ^JKL,^PQis the maximum number of CSI-RS resource indicators, CRIs, to report.

[0156] Embodiment 7: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: CSI comprises one or more of Precoder Matrix Indicator, PMI, Rank Indicator, RI, Layer Indicator, LI, and Channel Quality Indicator, CQI.

[0157] Embodiment 8: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein the jointly encoded ^JKLCRIs are reported by a UE according to at least one of: a bitmap with N bits, each associated to one of the N CSI-RS resources; and a bit field of M<N bits, where each codepoint of the bit field indicating a selection of one or more CSI-RS resources.

[0158] Embodiment 9: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: reporting CSI comprises reporting in Part 1 CSI.

[0159] Embodiment 10: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the codebook comprises a NR type I codebook.

[0160] Embodiment 11: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report comprises two parts: Part 1 CSI and Part 2 CSI.

[0161] Embodiment 12: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: Part 1 CSI comprises information of NSTUCRIs, NSTURIs, and NSTUCQIs, wherein the NSTUCQIs in Part 1 correspond to the respective first codewords associated with each of the NSTUCRIs.

[0162] Embodiment 13: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: Part 2 CSI comprises NSTUPMIs.

[0163] Embodiment 14: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the codebook comprises a new Downlink, DL, codebook in 6G.

[0164] Embodiment 15: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises a report type; where the report type is chosen from: periodic, semi-persistent, and aperiodic.

[0165] Embodiment 16: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises an indication indicating whether the CSI report is on Physical Uplink Control Channel, PUCCH or Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH, or another medium in 6G, like a Medium Access Control, MAC, message or MAC Control Element, MAC-CE, etc.

[0166] Embodiment 17: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises a frequency domain granularity indication indicating whether PMI and / or CQI are wideband or subband.

[0167] Embodiment 18: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the N CMR resources for channel measurement can be periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic.

[0168] Embodiment 19: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises a configuration of NSTU; where NSTUis the number of CSI-RS resources to be selected by the UE for CSI feedback in the CSI report.

[0169] Embodiment 20: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: ^JKL,^PQis configured in the CSI report configuration to indicate the maximum number, ^JKL,^PQ, of ^ the CSI-RS resources to be selected by the UE for CSI feedback.

[0170] Embodiment 21: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration and / or the CSI reporting identifies selected pair(s) of CSI-RS resources.

[0171] Embodiment 22: The method of the previous embodiment wherein: N / 2 pairs of CSI-RS resources are formed according to the numbering of CSI-RS resources.

[0172] Embodiment 23: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein:NSTU#\Y]^ is configured in the CSI report configuration to indicate the number, NSTU#\Y]^, of pairsof CSI-RS resources to be selected by the UE for CSI feedback.

[0173] Embodiment 24: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: NSTU#\Y]^,XYZ, is configured in the CSI report configuration to indicate the maximumnumber, NSTU#\Y]^,XYZ, of pairs of CSI-RS resources that can be selected by the UE for CSIfeedback.

[0174] Embodiment 25: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: whether the N_CRI CRIs are directly reported or using a bitmap depends on the values of ^JKLand N.

[0175] Embodiment 26: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the mapping between the bits in the bitmap and the configured CSI-RS resources are according to specific rule based on the position of the bits in the bitmap and the CSI-RS resource ID in the CSI-RS resource set associated with the CSI report.

[0176] Embodiment 27: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the leftmost bit in the bitmap is associated with the CSI-RS resource with lowest CSI-RS resource ID in the corresponding CSI-RS resource set, the second leftmost bit is associated with the CSI- RS resource with second lowest NZP CSI-RS resource ID in the corresponding NZP-CSI-RS resource set, etc.

[0177] Embodiment 28: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the N_CRI CRIs are jointly encoded with M bits where each codepoint of the M bits represents one combination of {CRI_1, CRI_2, …, CRI_^JKL}.

[0178] Embodiment 29: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: by constraining the set of CRIs to be reported, the number of bits required to encode the CRIs is reduced.

[0179] Embodiment 30: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: only the CRI corresponding to the CSI-RS resource with lowest CSI-RS resource ID of the selected CRIs is reported.

[0180] Embodiment 31: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: only the CRI corresponding to the NZP CSI-RS resource with highest NZP CSI-RS resource ID of the selected CRIs is reported and the remaining CRIs are obtained implicitly from the CSI-RSresource IDs {o{^ − 1, … , o{^ − ^JKL + 1}.

[0181] Embodiment 32: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the UE reports one reference CRI and the remaining CRIs as offsets relative to the reference CRI.

[0182] Embodiment 33: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration indicates that the UE should include one or more CSI-RS resources of the N configured CSI-RS resources in the CSI report.

[0183] Embodiment 34: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI- RS resources that the UE should include is semi-statically configured by RRC signaling.

[0184] Embodiment 35: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI- RS resources that the UE should include in the CSI report can be more dynamically indicated in MAC-CE or Downlink Control Information, DCI.

[0185] Embodiment 36: The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

[0186] Group B Embodiments

[0187] Embodiment 37: A method performed by a network node, the method comprising one or more of: transmitting (500) a Channel State Information, CSI, report configurationcomprising a Channel Measurement Resource, CMR, resource set with ^ "^ ≥ 2) CMRresources for channel measurement and a codebook configuration for CSI feedback; andreceiving (502) a CSI report associated to ^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^$ of the ^ CMR resources basedon downlink channel measurements on the N CMR resources, wherein information about the NSTUof the ^ CMR resources is jointly encoded.

[0188] Embodiment 38: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CMR resource set comprises a CSI-RS resource set.

[0189] Embodiment 39: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI- RS resource set comprises a Non-Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set.

[0190] Embodiment 40: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the number of CSI-RS ports in the N CSI-RS resources is the same.

[0191] Embodiment 41: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the number of CSI-RS ports are different among the N CSI-RS resources.

[0192] Embodiment 42: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the maximum number of CRIs to report as part of the CSI depends on at least one of the configured values of ^, ^JKL, and ^JKL,^PQ; where ^JKL,^PQis the maximum number of CRIs to report.

[0193] Embodiment 43: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: CSI comprises one or more of PMI, RI, LI, and CQI.

[0194] Embodiment 44: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein the jointly encoded ^JKLCRIs are reported by a UE according to at least one of: a bitmap with ^ bits, each associated to one of the ^ CSI-RS resources; and a bit field of M<N bits, where each codepoint of the bit field indicating a selection of one or more CSI-RS resources.

[0195] Embodiment 45: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: receiving the CSI report comprises receiving a Part 1 CSI.

[0196] Embodiment 46: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the codebook comprises a NR type I codebook.

[0197] Embodiment 47: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report comprises two parts: Part 1 CSI and Part 2 CSI.

[0198] Embodiment 48: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: Part 1 CSI comprises information of NSTUCRIs, NSTURIs, and NSTUCQIs, wherein the NSTUCQIs in Part 1 correspond to the respective first codewords associated with each of the NSTUCRIs.

[0199] Embodiment 49: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: Part 2 CSI comprises NSTUPMIs.

[0200] Embodiment 50: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the codebook comprises a new DL codebook in 6G.

[0201] Embodiment 51: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises a report type; where the report type is chosen from: periodic, semi-persistent, and aperiodic.

[0202] Embodiment 52: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises an indication indicating whether the CSI report is on PUCCH or PUSCH, or another medium in 6G, e.g., a MAC message or MAC-CE, etc.

[0203] Embodiment 53: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises a frequency domain granularity indication indicating whether PMI and / or CQI are wideband or subband.

[0204] Embodiment 54: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the N CMR resources for channel measurement can be periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic.

[0205] Embodiment 55: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises a configuration of NSTU; where NSTUis the number of CSI-RS resources to be selected by the UE for CSI feedback in the CSI report.

[0206] Embodiment 56: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: ^JKL,^PQis configured in the CSI report configuration to indicate the maximum number, ^JKL,^PQ, of ^ the CSI-RS resources to be selected by the UE for CSI feedback.

[0207] Embodiment 57: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration and / or the CSI reporting identifies selected pair(s) of CSI-RS resources.

[0208] Embodiment 58: The method of the previous embodiment wherein: N / 2 pairs of CSI-RS resources are formed according to the numbering of CSI-RS resources.

[0209] Embodiment 59: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein:NSTU#\Y]^ is configured in the CSI report configuration to indicate the number, NSTU#\Y]^, of pairsof CSI-RS resources to be selected by the UE for CSI feedback.

[0210] Embodiment 60: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: NSTU#\Y]^,XYZ, is configured in the CSI report configuration to indicate the maximumnumber, NSTU#\Y]^,XYZ, of pairs of CSI-RS resources that can be selected by the UE for CSIfeedback.

[0211] Embodiment 61: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: whether the ^JKLCRIs are directly reported or using a bitmap depends on the values of ^JKLand ^.

[0212] Embodiment 62: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the mapping between the bits in the bitmap and the configured CSI-RS resources are according to specific rule based on the position of the bits in the bitmap and the CSI-RS resource ID in the CSI-RS resource set associated with the CSI report.

[0213] Embodiment 63: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the leftmost bit in the bitmap is associated with the CSI-RS resource with lowest CSI-RS resource ID in the corresponding CSI-RS resource set, the second leftmost bit is associated with the CSI- RS resource with second lowest NZP CSI-RS resource ID in the corresponding NZP-CSI-RS resource set, etc.

[0214] Embodiment 64: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the ^JKLCRIs are jointly encoded with M bits where each codepoint of the M bits represents one combination of {CRI_1, CRI_2, …, CRI_^JKL}.

[0215] Embodiment 65: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: by constraining the set of CRIs to be reported, the number of bits required to encode the CRIs is reduced.

[0216] Embodiment 66: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: only the CRI corresponding to the CSI-RS resource with lowest CSI-RS resource ID of the selected CRIs is reported.

[0217] Embodiment 67: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: only the CRI corresponding to the NZP CSI-RS resource with highest NZP CSI-RS resource ID of the selected CRIs is reported and the remaining CRIs are obtained implicitly from the CSI-RSresource IDs {o{^ − 1, … , o{^ − ^JKL + 1}.

[0218] Embodiment 68: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the UE reports one reference CRI and the remaining CRIs as offsets relative to the reference CRI.

[0219] Embodiment 69: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI report configuration indicates that the UE should include one or more CSI-RS resources of the N configured CSI-RS resources in the CSI report.

[0220] Embodiment 70: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI- RS resources that the UE should include is semi-statically configured by RRC signaling.

[0221] Embodiment 71: The method of any of the previous embodiments wherein: the CSI- RS resources that the UE should include in the CSI report can be more dynamically indicated in MAC-CE or DCI.

[0222] Embodiment 72: The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.

[0223] Group C Embodiments

[0224] Embodiment 73: A user equipment, comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0225] Embodiment 74: A network node, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0226] Embodiment 75: A user equipment (UE), the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0227] Embodiment 76: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0228] Embodiment 77: The host of the previous embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0229] Embodiment 78: A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), themethod comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0230] Embodiment 79: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0231] Embodiment 80: The method of any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0232] Embodiment 81: A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0233] Embodiment 82: The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the UE.

[0234] Embodiment 83: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host.

[0235] Embodiment 84: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that receives the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0236] Embodiment 85: The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0237] Embodiment 86: A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

[0238] Embodiment 87: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

[0239] Embodiment 88: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0240] Embodiment 89: The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.

[0241] Embodiment 90: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0242] Embodiment 91: A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0243] Embodiment 92: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the host application.

[0244] Embodiment 93: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0245] Embodiment 94: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0246] Embodiment 95: The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

[0247] Embodiment 96: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0248] Embodiment 97: A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0249] Embodiment 98: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

[0250] Embodiment 99: The method of the previous 2 embodiments, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: receiving (400) a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration from a network nodecomprising a Channel Measurement Resource, CMR, resource set with ^ "^ ≥ 2 ) CMRresources for channel measurement, a codebook configuration for CSI feedback, and a parameter^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤ ^$;receiving information on N "1 ≤ N < ^JKL$ CMR resources out of the N CMR resources;and reporting (402) a CSI report wherein the CSI report includes: •resource indicator information for "^JKL − N$ CMR resources out of the ^ CMRresources wherein the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources are different from the N CMRresources, • CSI associated to each of the N CMR resources, and •CSI associated to each of the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource indicator information for "^JKL − N$ CMRresources out of the ^ CMR resources are determined based on downlink channel measurements on the ^ CMR resources.

3. The method of any of claims 1 and 2 wherein the information of N "1 ≤ N < ^JKL$ CMRresources out of the N CMR resources are received in association with the CSI report configuration.

4. The method of any of claims 1-3 wherein the information of N "1 ≤ N < ^JKL$ CMRresources out of the N CMR resources is dynamically signalled via Downlink Control Information, DCI, or Medium Access Control, MAC, Control Element, CE.

5. The method of any of claims 1-4 wherein the resource indicator information for the "^JKL− N$ CMR resources comprises a CSI-RS, CSI reference signal, resource indicator, CRI, for eachof the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources.

6. The method of any of claims 1-5 wherein: the CMR resource set comprises a CSI-RSresource set.

7. The method of any of claims 1-6 wherein: the CSI-RS resource set comprises a Non-Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set.

8. The method of any of claims 1-7 wherein ^JKLis the maximum number of CSI-RS resources to report CSI, wherein the UE may report CSI for a number of CSI-RS resources smaller than ^JKLbut larger than or equal to M.

9. The method of any of claims 1-8 wherein: the codebook is a type I or type II codebook specified in 3GPP New Radio.

10. The method of any of claims 1-9 wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises a report type; where the report type is chosen from: periodic, semi-persistent, and aperiodic.

11. The method of any of claims 1-10 wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises an indication indicating whether the CSI report is transmitted on one of: Physical Uplink Control Channel, PUCCH; Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH; MAC message; and MAC-CE.

12. The method of any of claims 1-11 wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises a frequency domain granularity indication indicating whether PMI and / or CQI are wideband or subband.

13. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising: transmitting (500) a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising aChannel Measurement Resource, CMR, resource set with ^ "^ ≥ 2) CMR resources for channelmeasurement, a codebook configuration for CSI feedback, and a parameter ^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤^$; transmitting information on N "1 ≤ N < ^JKL$ CMR resources out of the N CMRresources; and receiving (502) a CSI report wherein the CSI report includes: •resource indicator information for "^JKL − N$ CMR resources out of the ^ CMRresources wherein the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources are different from the N CMRresources,• CSI associated to each of the N CMR resources, and •CSI associated to each of the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the resource indicator information for "^JKL − N$ CMRresources out of the ^ CMR resources are determined based on downlink channel measurements on the ^ CMR resources.

15. The method of any of claims 13-14 wherein the information of N "1 ≤ N < ^JKL$ CMRresources out of the N CMR resources are received in association with the CSI report configuration.

16. The method of any of claims 13-15 wherein the information of N "1 ≤ N < ^JKL$ CMRresources out of the N CMR resources is dynamically signalled via Downlink Control Information, DCI, or Medium Access Control, MAC, Control Element, CE.

17. The method of any of claims 13-16 wherein the resource indicator information for the"^JKL − N$ CMR resources comprises a CSI-RS, CSI reference signal, resource indicator, CRI,for each of the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources.

18. The method of any of claims 13-17 wherein: the CMR resource set comprises a CSI-RS resource set.

19. The method of any of claims 13-18 wherein: the CSI-RS resource set comprises a Non- Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set.

20. The method of any of claims 13-19 wherein ^JKLis the maximum number of CSI-RS resources to report CSI, wherein the UE may report CSI for a number of CSI-RS resources smaller than ^JKLbut larger than or equal to M.

21. The method of any of claims 13-20 wherein: the codebook is a Type I or Type II codebook specified in 3GPP New Radio.

22. The method of any of claims 13-21 wherein: the CSI report configuration furthercomprises a report type; where the report type is chosen from: periodic, semi-persistent, and aperiodic.

23. The method of any of claims 13-22 wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises an indication indicating whether the CSI report is transmitted on one of: Physical Uplink Control Channel, PUCCH; Physical Uplink Shared Channel, PUSCH; Medium Access Control, MAC, message; and MAC Control Element, MAC-CE.

24. The method of any of claims 13-23 wherein: the CSI report configuration further comprises a frequency domain granularity indication indicating whether PMI and / or CQI are wideband or subband.

25. A User Equipment, UE, (700) comprising processing circuitry (702) and memory (710), the memory (710) comprising instructions to cause the UE (700) to: receive (400) a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising a ChannelMeasurement Resource, CMR, resource set with ^ "^ ≥ 2) CMR resources for channelmeasurement, a codebook configuration for CSI feedback, and a parameter ^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤^$; and report (402) a CSI report wherein the CSI report includes: •resource indicator information for "^JKL − N$ CMR resources out of the ^ CMRresources wherein the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources are different from the N CMRresources, • CSI associated to each of the N CMR resources, and •CSI associated to each of the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources.

26. The UE (700) of claim 25 further comprising instructions to cause the UE (700) to: implement any of the features of claims 2-12.

27. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

28. A network node (800) comprising processing circuitry (802) and memory (804), the memory (804) comprising instructions to cause the network node (800) to:transmit (500) a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration comprising aChannel Measurement Resource, CMR, resource set with ^ "^ ≥ 2) CMR resources for channelmeasurement, a codebook configuration for CSI feedback, and a parameter ^JKL "1 ≤ ^JKL ≤^$; transmitting information on N "1 ≤ N < ^JKL$ CMR resources out of the N CMRresources; and receive (502) a CSI report wherein the CSI report includes: •resource indicator information for "^JKL − N$ CMR resources out of the ^ CMRresources wherein the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources are different from the N CMRresources, • CSI associated to each of the N CMR resources, and •CSI associated to each of the "^JKL − N$ CMR resources.

29. The network node (800) of claim 28 further comprising instructions to cause the network node (800) to: implement any of the features of claims 14-24.

30. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 13 to 24.

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