User equipment, radio network node, and methods performed therein

Abstract

Methods of a terminal device and a network node communicating in a Non-Terrestrial Networks are disclosed. A terminal device obtains a configuration related to data transmission with Orthogonal Cover Code and sends uplink signals with an OCC. A network node transmits a configuration related to uplink data transmission with OCC to a plurality of terminal devices. The terminal devices share a same OCC for transmitting their data on same time-frequency resource.

Description

[0001] USER EQUIPMENT, RADIO NETWORK NODE, AND METHODS PERFORMED THEREIN

[0002] The present application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 5551 1 1 , filed 2024-02-19, entitled " USER EQUIPMENT, RADIO NETWORK NODE, AND METHODS PERFORMED THEREIN", the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] Embodiments herein relate to a user equipment (UE), a radio network node, and methods performed therein regarding wireless communication. In particular, embodiments herein relate to handling communication, such as uplink transmissions, in a wireless communication network.

[0005] BACKGROUND

[0006] In a typical wireless communication network, UEs, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (ST A) and / or wireless devices, communicate via a Radio Access Network (RAN) with one or more core networks (CN). The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cells, with each service area or cell being served by a radio network node such as an access node, e g., a Wi-Fi access point or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be called, for example, a NodeB, a gNodeB, or an eNodeB. The service area or cell is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node operates on radio frequencies to communicate over an air interface with the UEs within range of the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over a downlink (DL) to the UE and the UE communicates over an uplink (UL) to the radio network node.

[0007] A Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) is a third generation (3G) telecommunication network, which evolved from the second generation (2G) Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) is essentially a RAN using wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) and / or High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) for communication with user equipment. In a forum known as the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), telecommunications suppliers propose and agree upon standards for present and future generation networks and investigate e.g. enhanced data rate and radio capacity. In some RANs, e.g. as in UMTS, several radio network nodes may be connected, e.g., by landlines or microwave, to a controller node, such as a radio network controller (RNC) or a base station controller (BSC), which supervises and coordinates various activities of the plural radio network nodes connected thereto. The RNCs are typically connected to one or more core networks. Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completed within the 3GPP and coming 3GPP releases, such as New Radio (NR), are worked on. The EPS comprises the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), also known as the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network, and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also known as System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network. E-UTRAN / LTE is a 3GPP radio access technology wherein the radio network nodes are directly connected to the EPC core network. As such, the Radio Access Network (RAN) of an EPS has an essentially “flat” architecture comprising radio network nodes connected directly to one or more core networks.

[0008] With the emerging 5G technologies such as NR, the use of very many transmit- and receive-antenna elements may be of great interest as it makes it possible to utilize beamforming, such as transmit-side and receive-side beamforming. Transmit-side beamforming means that the transmitter can amplify the transmitted signals in a selected direction or directions, while suppressing the transmitted signals in other directions. Similarly, on the receive-side, a receiver can amplify signals from a selected direction or directions, while suppressing unwanted signals from other directions. NR is connected to the 5G Core Network (5GC) which comprises a number of Network Functions (NF) such as Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Authentication Service Function (AUSF), Policy Control Function (PCF), Unified Data Manager (UDM), Network Repository Function (NRF), Network Exposure Function (NEF), just to mention some. In the 5GC, NFs can discover other NFs by using a discovery service provided by the Network Repository Function (NRF).

[0009] Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) was introduced for NR, LTE-Machine type communication (MTC), and narrowband (NB)- internet of things (loT) in release (Rel)-17. The description of the functionalities added to NR, LTE-MTC and NB-loT to operate as non-terrestrial networks can be found in published documents such as References 1-3.

[0010] NTN will continue to evolve in 3GPP Rel-19, and as part of this evolution the industry is considering increasing the uplink capacity of the data channel known as Physical Uplink shared Channel (PUSCH). the justification behind increasing the uplink capacity of PUSCH for NR in Rel- 19 has been described as follows in RP-234078 [Ref 4]:

[0011] As a result of several Rel-19 workshops and discussions during the 3GPP RAN Plenary#

[0012] 102, the Rel-19 objective to increase the uplink capacity for PUSCH is as follows [Ref 4]: SUMMARY

[0013] As part of developing embodiments herein one or more problems have been identified. According with one of 3GPP Rel-19 objectives for NR-NTN, companies have shown interest in utilizing orthogonal cover codes (OCC) to increase the uplink capacity for PUSCH. However, the exact OCCs design is completely open and in an NTN environment OCCs are foreseen to be exposed to several factors such as the interplay of the nodes involved in the communication which can possibly break the orthogonality.

[0014] An object of embodiments herein is to handle communication in a wireless communication network in an efficient manner.

[0015] According to an aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a method performed by a UE for handling communication in a wireless communication network. The UE transmits an UL transmission using an OCC in an NTN environment.

[0016] According to another aspect the object is achieved, according to some embodiments herein, by providing a method performed by a radio network node, such as gNB, for handling communication in a wireless communication network. The radio network node configures a UE to perform an UL transmission using an OCC in an NTN environment.

[0017] According to another aspect the object is achieved by providing a UE, and a radio network node configured to perform the methods herein, respectively.

[0018] According to embodiments herein one or more solutions to support OCC to increase the uplink capacity for NR-NTN are herein provided.

[0019] It is herein provided one or more design considerations to support OCC to increase the uplink capacity for NTN:

[0020] • OCC support into the NR physical layer accounting for the reference granularity, e.g., slotlevel, symbol-level, and possible location of the spreading associated to the OCC within the NR physical layer processing chain.

[0021] • The orthogonality preserved for the plurality of OCC-based PUSCH transmissions received at the second receiver associated with the feeder link may be conditioned to the first receiver associated with the service link. o Where P(A and B) is a probability of preserving full orthogonality for the plurality of PUSCH transmissions received at the first receiver and at the second receiver. o Where the P(A) and P(B|A), change as a function of several factors such as the number of simultaneous OCC-based PUSCH being transmitted, speed of the satellite, and the capabilities of the receivers to compensate / correct impairments associated with for example Doppler shift and phase distortion.

[0022] Thus, embodiments herein handle an efficient communication in a wireless communication network.

[0023] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Embodiments will now be described in more detail in relation to the enclosed drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows an overview depicting a wireless communication network according to embodiments herein;

[0024] Fig. 2 is a combined flowchart and signalling scheme according to some embodiments herein;

[0025] Fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by a UE according to embodiments herein;

[0026] Fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart depicting a method performed by a radio network node according to embodiments herein;

[0027] Fig. 5 is a schematic overview depicting a solution according to some embodiments herein; Fig. 6 is a schematic overview depicting a solution according to some embodiments herein; Fig. 7 shows a block diagram depicting embodiments of a UE according to embodiments herein; Fig. 8 shows a block diagram depicting embodiments of a radio network node according to embodiments herein;

[0028] Fig. 9 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments

[0029] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Embodiments herein relate to wireless communication networks in general. Fig. 1 is a schematic overview depicting a wireless communication network 1. The wireless communication network 1 comprises one or more RANs and one or more CNs. The wireless communication network 1 may use one or a number of different technologies. Embodiments herein relate to recent technology trends that are of particular interest in a New Radio (NR) context, however, embodiments are also applicable in further development of existing wireless communications systems such as e.g. LTE or Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA).

[0031] In the wireless communication network 1 , one or more UEs such as a user equipment (UE) 10 exemplified herein as a wireless device such as a mobile station, a non-access point (non- AP) station (ST A), a STA and / or a wireless terminal, are comprised communicating via e.g. one or more Access Networks (AN), e.g. radio access network (RAN), to one or more core networks (CN). It should be understood by the skilled in the art that “UE” is a non-limiting term which means any terminal, wireless communications terminal, user equipment, narrowband internet of things (NB- loT) device, Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smart phone, laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a small base station capable of communicating using radio communication with a radio network node within an area served by the radio network node.

[0032] The wireless communication network 1 comprises a first radio network node 12, providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a first service area 11 or first cell, of a first radio access technology (RAT), such as NR, LTE, or similar. The first radio network node 12 may be a transmission and reception point such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, A NG-RAN node, e.g. a radio base station such as a gNodeB (gNB), an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), a NodeB, a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a NG-RAN-CU-UP node, base station router, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point or any other network unit or node capable of communicating with a UE within the area served by the first radio network node depending e.g. on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The first radio network node may be referred to as a primary node, primary radio network node wherein the service area may be referred to as a primary serving cell, and the primary node communicates with the wireless device in form of DL transmissions to the wireless device and UL transmissions from the wireless device. It should be noted that a service area may be denoted as cell, beam, beam group or similar to define an area of radio coverage.

[0033] The wireless communication network 1 comprises a second radio network node 13, providing radio coverage over a geographical area, a second service area 14 or second cell, of a second radio access technology (RAT), such as NR, LTE, or similar. The second radio network node 13 may be a transmission and reception point such as an access node, an access controller, a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a gNodeB (gNB), an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), a NodeB, a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, a NG-RAN-CU-CP node, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point or any other network unit or node capable of communicating with a wireless device within the area served by the second radio network node depending e.g. on the first radio access technology and terminology used. The second radio network node may be referred to as a secondary or secondary serving radio network node, wherein the service area may be referred to as a secondary cell or secondary serving cell, and the second radio network node communicates with the UE in form of DL transmissions to the UE and UL transmissions from the UE. It should be noted that a service area may be denoted as cell, beam, beam group or similar to define an area of radio coverage.

[0034] The first RAT may be the same RAT as the second RAT or the first RAT may be a different RAT than the second RAT.

[0035] The wireless communication network 1 may further comprise a number of network nodes providing network functions (NF) or actually instantiations of NFs also referred to as NF instances, such as a first network node 15, for example, an AMF. The different NF instances may have different tasks. Other functions may be for LTE such as MME or similar. The respective node may be a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server or processing resources in a server farm or same node. Embodiments herein may be implemented as physical bare metal, virtual or cloud native such as Kubernetes environment in, e.g., hyper-cloud networks.

[0036] Design considerations to support OCC to increase the uplink capacity for NTN, including OCC reference granularity, spreading operation location within the physical layer processing chain which need to be addressed to use OCC within an NTN context.

[0037] Embodiments herein may provide possible techniques that can be used to introduce OCC into the NR physical layer.

[0038] The design considerations help to estimate the potential increase in the uplink capacity, accounting for several factors such as the interplay of the nodes involved in the NTN communication which can possibly break the orthogonality of the OCC used to transmit PUSCH.

[0039] Examples of network nodes are NodeB, base station (BS), multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB, gNodeB, MeNB, SeNB, location measurement unit (LMU), integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), Central Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Distributed Unit (e.g. in a gNB), Baseband Unit, Centralized Baseband, C- RAN, access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, transmission reception point (TRP), RRU, RRH, nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), core network node (e.g. MSC, MME etc), O&M, OSS, SON, positioning node (e.g. E-SMLC),etc.

[0040] The non-limiting term UE refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and / or with another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, vehicular to vehicular (V2V), machine type UE, MTC UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, PDA, tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipment (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles etc.

[0041] The term radio access technology, or RAT, may refer to any RAT e.g. UTRA, E-UTRA, narrow band internet of things (NB-loT), WiFi, Bluetooth, next generation RAT, New Radio (NR), 4G, 5G, etc. Any of the equipment denoted by the term node, network node or radio network node may be capable of supporting a single or multiple RATs.

[0042] The term signal or radio signal used herein can be any physical signal or physical channel. Examples of DL physical signals are reference signal (RS) such as PSS, SSS, CSI-RS, DMRS signals in SS / PBCH block (SSB), discovery reference signal (DRS), CRS, PRS etc. RS may be periodic e.g. RS occasion carrying one or more RSs may occur with certain periodicity e.g. 20 ms, 40 ms etc. The RS may also be aperiodic. Each SSB carries NR-PSS, NR-SSS and NR-PBCH in 4 successive symbols. One or multiple SSBs are transmit in one SSB burst which is repeated with certain periodicity e.g. 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms and 160 ms. The UE is configured with information about SSB on cells of certain carrier frequency by one or more SS / PBCH block measurement timing configuration (SMTC) configurations. The SMTC configuration comprising parameters such as SMTC periodicity, SMTC occasion length in time or duration, SMTC time offset wrt reference time (e.g. serving cell’s SFN) etc. Therefore, SMTC occasion may also occur with certain periodicity e.g. 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms and 160 ms. Examples of UL physical signals are reference signal such as SRS, DMRS etc. The term physical channel refers to any channel carrying higher layer information e.g. data, control etc. Examples of physical channels are PBCH, NPBCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, sPUCCH, sPDSCH, sPUCCH, sPUSCH, MPDCCH, NPDCCH, NPDSCH, E-PDCCH, PUSCH, PUCCH, NPUSCH etc.

[0043] Fig. 2 is combined flowchart and signalling scheme according to some embodiments herein.

[0044] Action 201 . The radio network node 12 may transmit an indication such as a value or a index value indicating a configuration for using OCC.

[0045] Action 202. The UE 10 may apply the configuration for performing UL transmission using the OCC.

[0046] Action 203. The UE 10 performs an uplink transmission using OCC in an NTN. The radio network node 12 may thus receive the UL transmission using the OCC

[0047] The method actions performed by the UE 10 for handling communication in the wireless communication network according to embodiments herein will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 3. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Actions performed in some embodiments are marked with dashed boxes.

[0048] Action 301 . The UE 10 may obtain the configuration. The UE 10 may receive configuration data from the radio network node. The configuration data is related to OCC transmissions in the uplink in a NTN. The configuration data may comprise a value, an index value or similar.

[0049] Action 302. The UE 10 transmits an UL transmission using the OCC in an NTN environment. The OCC is used in a configuration comprising one or more characteristics (where, how and / or when) to perform the UL transmission.

[0050] The method actions performed by the radio network node 12 for handling communication in the wireless communication network according to embodiments herein will now be described with reference to a flowchart depicted in Fig. 4. The actions do not have to be taken in the order stated below, but may be taken in any suitable order. Actions performed in some embodiments are marked with dashed boxes. Action 401 . The radio network node 12 transmits the configuration to the UE 10. The configuration comprises data related to OCC transmissions in the uplink in a NTN. The configuration data may comprise a value, an index value or similar.

[0051] Action 402. The radio network node 12 may then receive the UL transmission using the OCC in the NTN environment. The OCC is used in a configuration comprising one or more characteristics (where, how and / or when) to perform the UL transmission.

[0052] Embodiments herein disclose one or more of the following:

[0053] Uplink capacity increase considerations using OCC in an NTN environment.

[0054] In one embodiment, a plurality of OCCs are assigned to a plurality of users for transmitting PUSCH within the context of an NTN operation, wherein the OCC at each UE is implemented before discrete Fourier transform (DFT) precoding or after DFT precoding at the transmitter side when DFT-s-OFDM is enabled for PUSCH.

[0055] In one embodiment, OCC is applied on a combination of frequency domain and time domain, where the spreading of the OCC sequence(s) can be performed towards the frequencydomain resources and towards the time-domain resources (e.g., OCC can span across m frequency resources and n time resources assigned to the UE, where m and n can be equal or different integer numbers).

[0056] In one embodiment where multiplexing over polarizations is applied (e.g. Left Hand Circular Polarized (LHCP) and Right Hand Circular Polarized (RHCP) polarization or cross-polarized), OCC is applied in polarization domain.

[0057] In one embodiment where spatial multiplexing is applied, OCC is applied in spatial domain.

[0058] In one embodiment, when OCC is applied in the frequency domain, the transport block (TB) size calculation and rate matching is related to the spreading factor of the orthogonal cover code. For example, TB size (TBS) = Nre*Q*R*v / Nsf, where Nsf is the spreading factor, and number of coded bits before spreading is the Coded bits number = Nre*Q*R / Nsf. Note: “Nre” refers to the number of resource elements, “Q” refers to the modulation order, “R” refers to the target code rate, and “v” refers to the number of layers.

[0059] In one dependent embodiment, OCC needs to implement spreading, wherein the spreading can be implemented using either of the following granularities: slot level, OFDM symbol level, Resource Element (RE) level, Resource Block (RB) level.

[0060] Fig. 5 shows an example of OCC applied on the frequency-time domain using a slot-level spreading granularity.

[0061] In an embodiment, UE 1 is configured with a slot-level OCC for uplink transmission to a gNB. UE 2 as another transmitter is also configured with a slot-level OCC for uplink transmission, and thus shares an OCC comprising a 2*2 matrix [+1 +1 ; +1 -1] with UE1. The matrix can be a Walsh matrix or a Hadamard matrix which is to multiply with 2 consecutive slots (slot 1 , slot 2 as a slot group) of UE1 and UE2.

[0062] In a further embodiment, a code index which is to be used to obtain the OCC by any of those UEs is sent from the NB. It could be indicated in the configuration itself or an additional signaling such as Downlink Control Information. Then, UE1 multiplies the first line of matrix [+1 +1 ; +1 -1] with slot 1 and 2, and UE2 multiplies the second line of matrix [+1 +1 ; +1 -1] with the same 2 consecutive slots.

[0063] In one embodiment, an OCC can have a length of 2 to multiply with 2 UEs, or a length of 4 to multiply with up to 4 UEs in which 2 UEs in the scenario of Figure 5 also apply.

[0064] In one embodiment, Redundancy Version (RV) should be the same in a slot group associated with the slot-based OCC. In Figure 5, slot 1 and slot 2 of UE1 are both with RV value 0, and so does UE2.

[0065] In one embodiment, OCC can be implemented using bits level or symbols level basis. The spreading can be implemented after channel coding, rate matching by bits level or it can be implemented after modulation by symbol level.

[0066] In one embodiment as in Figure 5, UE1 and UE2 transmit uplink data on the same time and frequency resource such as a same resource block (RB1) via their respective channels (PUSCHs). At receiver side, the gNB receives signals, e.g., a plurality of PUSCH transmissions from the UEs where the uplink data is processed according to OCC configurations from the NB.

[0067] The gNB then multiplies a local OCC with each of the 2 slots and then combines the result. As an example, for receiving data from UE1 , the local OCC for UE1 in the NB could comprise a matrix as [+1 +1 ; +1 +1], Consequently, combination of the 2 multiplied slots from UE2 is 0 which means the gNB could receive UETs uplink data without interference from UE2. Similarly, a local OCC for UE2 could also prevent Rx- interfere nee to UE2’s data from UETs transmission to the NB.

[0068] Fig. 6 shows an example of the physical layer processing chain including possible locations of the frequency-domain spreading derived from the introduction of OCC in the NR physical layer.

[0069] In one embodiment, as shown in figure 6, the orthogonal cover code is multiplied after the modulation step or DFT step, depending on the spreading granularity, e.g., whether it is a slotbased (slot-level) or symbol-based OCC.

[0070] In one embodiment, at the receiver side, OCC multiplexing and combination can be done between the steps of channel estimation and demodulation, for example, it could be done prior to equalizer, IDFT, or demodulation.

[0071] In one embodiment, the orthogonal cover code (OCC) can be either generated at the transmitter side or use a default code table, wherein the code index is indicated by network. A UE obtains an OCC by either generating by itself based on the indicated code index, or from the code table known by the UE based on the indicated code index. In one dependent embodiment, the code index is indicated to the UE using dynamic signaling through Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0072] In one dependent embodiment, the DCI size can be increased by one or more bits for introducing a new field associated to the code index.

[0073] In one dependent embodiment, the DCI size is not increased, and one or more bits from an existing DCI field is re-used or repurposed for introducing a new field associated to the code index.

[0074] In one dependent embodiment, the code index is indicated to the UE using semi-static signaling through a Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration.

[0075] In one embodiment, a plurality of orthogonal cover codes (OCCs) are assigned to a plurality of users for transmitting RUSCH, wherein the plurality of PUSCHs are transmitted preserving orthogonality across two different radio links, feeder link and service link, and where the receiver nodes associated to the feeder link and service link are equipped with a different type of receiver.

[0076] In one dependent embodiment, the different types of receivers can be one of for example a simple receiver such as a single-user minimum mean square (MMSE) receiver, or an advanced receiver MMSE-IRC, or a repeater equipped with radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion and amplification.

[0077] In one dependent embodiment, the degree of orthogonality preserved for the plurality of PUSCH transmissions received at the second receiver is conditioned to the first receiver.

[0078] In one dependent embodiment, P(A) is the probability of preserving full orthogonality for the plurality of PUSCH transmissions received at the first receiver located at the service link.

[0079] In one dependent embodiment, P(B|A) is the probability of preserving full orthogonality for the plurality of PUSCH transmissions received at the second receiver located at the feeder link, given the probability of preserving full orthogonality for the plurality of PUSCH transmissions received at the first receiver located at the service link.

[0080] In one dependent embodiment, P(A and B) is the probability of preserving full orthogonality for the plurality of PUSCH transmissions received at the first receiver and at the second receiver.

[0081] In one dependent embodiment, P(A) increases the chances of approaching one, if at the first receiver one or more of the impairments such as Doppler shift or phase distortion undergone by the plurality of transmitted PUSCH are compensated / corrected.

[0082] In one dependent embodiment, P(B|A) increases the chances of approaching one, if at the second receiver one or more of the impairments such as Doppler shift or phase distortion undergone by the plurality of transmitted PUSCH are further compensated / corrected.

[0083] In one dependent embodiment, P(A) increases the chances of moving away from one, if the plurality of PUSCHs transmissions corresponds to a larger number of users.

[0084] In one dependent embodiment, P(B|A) increases the chances of moving away from one, if the plurality of PUSCHs transmissions corresponds to a larger number of users. In one dependent embodiment, P(A) increases the chances of moving away from one, depending on the satellite orbit, for example because of the high speed of the satellite.

[0085] In one dependent embodiment, P(B|A) increases the chances of moving away from one, depending on the satellite orbit, for example because of the high speed of the satellite.

[0086] In one embodiment, the degree of orthogonality preserved for the plurality of PUSCH transmissions received at the second receiver which is conditioned to the first receiver, and all other embodiments, apply for both NR-NTN and loT-NTN, where the latter encompasses both LTE-MTC and NB-loT over NTN.

[0087] In one embodiment, at least one of the receivers involved in the NTN communication attempts to decode first the UE that according to network’s available information prior to the UL scheduling has been in better radio conditions according with e.g., recent transmissions, HARQ feedback reports, short-term records, long-term (e.g., for static devices) records, or any other NTN performance related metric.

[0088] In one dependent embodiment, the receiver performs the OCC despreading of the received signal and attempts to recover first the data corresponding to the UE that according to the previous embodiment has been hypothesized to have the best performance among the UEs involved in the simultaneous uplink transmission, and once that first data has been recovered, it is subtracted from the OCC received signal that has been despread using the CC assigned to the second UE as to recover the data of the second UE.

[0089] In one embodiment, the network identifies candidate UEs that can potentially be scheduled to transmit simultaneously using OCC based on traffic characteristics, number of repetitions, modulation schemes, location, power, short-term performance records, long-term performance records, or any other NTN related performance metric.

[0090] In one embodiment, the UE can inform or request the network e.g., in Msg 4 to be scheduled using an OCC-based uplink transmission.

[0091] In one dependent embodiment, the UE can base its request of being scheduled using an OCC-based uplink transmission depending on its buffer status, or data traffic application / use-case.

[0092] In one dependent embodiment, in a subsequent downlink message the network can explicitly ACK or NACK the request of the UE of using an OCC-based uplink transmission.

[0093] In one embodiment, the PUSCH-associated demodulation reference symbols (DMRS) of multiplexed UEs are multiplexed using separate time division, frequency division and / or code division and not part of the orthogonal cover codes used for data symbols.

[0094] In one embodiment, the PUSCH-associated demodulation reference symbols (DMRS) of multiplexed UEs are multiplexed using the same orthogonal cover codes used for data symbols.

[0095] In some embodiments, the orthogonal cover codes are defined by a Fourier matrix, a

[0096] Walsh matrix or a Hadamard matrix. In one embodiment where the transmission is subject to time drift due to satellite movement or UE movement, the transmitter pre-compensates the timing and / or phase of its transmitted signal to cancel the impact of the time drift, in order to maintain orthogonality of the orthogonal cover code.

[0097] In one dependent embodiment, the transmitter predicts the amount of time drift based on satellite ephemeris data provided by the network and / or UE position / velocity data provided by GNSS measurements.

[0098] Generalities.

[0099] In one embodiment, one or more of the embodiments in previous sections are used in one or more beams of a given satellite.

[0100] In one embodiment, one or more of the embodiments in previous sections are used in an NTN deployment using “one beam per cell”.

[0101] In one embodiment, one or more of the embodiments in previous sections are used in beams grouped of a given satellite.

[0102] In one embodiment, an NTN NR UE can also encompass a reduced capability UE also known as RedCap supporting non-terrestrial communications.

[0103] In one embodiment, one or more of the embodiments in previous sections are used or applicable in loT-NTN, encompassing both LTE-MTC over NTN and NB-loT over NTN.

[0104] In one embodiment, one or more of the embodiments in previous sections are equally applicable to a non-terrestrial network scenario based on transparent payload or regenerative pay load.

[0105] In one embodiment, one or more of the embodiments in previous sections are equally applicable to different satellite orbits such as LEO, MEO, and GEO.

[0106] In one embodiment, one or more of the embodiments in previous sections are applicable to FDD and / or TDD.

[0107] Fig. 7 is a block diagram depicting the UE 10 for handling communication in the wireless communication network 1 according to embodiments herein.

[0108] The UE 10 may comprise processing circuitry 1301 , e.g., one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0109] The UE 10 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 is configured to transmit an UL transmission using the OCC in an NTN environment.

[0110] The OCC is used in a configuration comprising one or more characteristics (where, how and / or when) to perform the UL transmission. The UE 10 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 may be configured to obtain the configuration. The UE 10 and / or the processing circuitry 1301 may be configured to receive from the radio network node or retrieve from within.

[0111] The UE 10 may comprise a memory 1305. The memory 1305 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as data packets, indications, configuration, OCC information, one or more prioritization rules, reference signal information, assistance information, application information, messages, measurement, events and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the UE 10 may comprise a communication interface 1306 such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas.

[0112] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the UE 10 are respectively implemented by means of e.g. a computer program product 1307 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the UE 10. The computer program product 1307 may be stored on a computer- readable storage medium 1308, e.g., a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 1308, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the UE 10. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the UE for handling communication in a wireless communication network, wherein UE comprises processing circuitry and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said UE is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0113] Fig. 8 is a block diagram depicting the radio network node 12 for handling communication in the wireless communication network 1 according to embodiments herein.

[0114] The radio network node 12 may comprise processing circuitry 1401 , e.g., one or more processors, configured to perform the methods herein.

[0115] The radio network node 12 and / or the processing circuitry 1401 is configured to transmit the configuration to the UE 10. The configuration comprises data related to OCC transmissions in the uplink in a NTN. The configuration data may comprise a value, an index value or similar.

[0116] The radio network node 12 and / or the processing circuitry 1401 may be configured to receive the UL transmission using the OCC in the NTN environment. The OCC is used in a configuration comprising one or more characteristics (where, how and / or when) to perform the UL transmission. The radio network node 12 may comprise a memory 1405. The memory 1405 comprises one or more units to be used to store data on, such as data packets, indications, configuration, OCC information, one or more prioritization rules, reference signal information, assistance information, application information, messages, measurement, events and applications to perform the methods disclosed herein when being executed, and similar. Furthermore, the radio network node 12 may comprise a communication interface 1406 such as comprising a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver and / or one or more antennas.

[0117] The methods according to the embodiments described herein for the radio network node 12 are respectively implemented by means of e.g. a computer program product 1407 or a computer program, comprising instructions, i.e., software code portions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the radio network node 12. The computer program product 1407 may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium 1408, e.g., a disc, a universal serial bus (USB) stick or similar. The computer-readable storage medium 1408, having stored thereon the computer program product, may comprise the instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the actions described herein, as performed by the radio network node 12. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may be a transitory or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Thus, embodiments herein may disclose the radio network node for handling communication in a wireless communication network, wherein radio network node comprises processing circuitry and a memory, said memory comprising instructions executable by said processing circuitry whereby said radio network node is operative to perform any of the methods herein.

[0118] In some embodiments a more general term “network node" or “radio network node" is used and it can correspond to any type of radio-network node or any network node, which communicates with a UE and / or with another network node.

[0119] In some embodiments the non-limiting term wireless device or user equipment (UE) is used and it refers to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and / or with another wireless device in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, proximity capable UE (aka ProSe UE), loT capable device, machine type UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipped (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles etc.

[0120] Embodiments are applicable to any RAT or multi-RAT systems, where the wireless device receives and / or transmit signals (e.g. data) e.g. NR, Wi-Fi, LTE, LTE-Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications / enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM / EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possible implementations.

[0121] As will be readily understood by those familiar with communications design, that functions means or circuits may be implemented using digital logic and / or one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, or other digital hardware. In some embodiments, several or all of the various functions may be implemented together, such as in a single application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or in two or more separate devices with appropriate hardware and / or software interfaces between them. Several of the functions may be implemented on a processor shared with other functional components of a wireless device or network node, for example.

[0122] Alternatively, several of the functional elements of the processing means discussed may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware, while others are provided with hardware for executing software, in association with the appropriate software or firmware. Thus, the term “processor” or “controller” as used herein does not exclusively refer to hardware capable of executing software and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware and / or program or application data. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Designers of communications devices will appreciate the cost, performance, and maintenance trade-offs inherent in these design choices.

[0123] Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0124] Fig. 9 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0125] In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ1 10) being examples of the first radio network node 12 and second radio network node 13, or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node, being examples of the entities herein, is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network QQ102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network QQ102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network nodes QQ108.

[0126] 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 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of the user equipment (UE) 10, such as by connecting UEs QQ112a, QQ1 12b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0127] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0128] The UEs QQ112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ1 10 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network QQ102.

[0129] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 to one or more hosts, such as host QQ1 16. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) such as network node 15 that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node QQ108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (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).

[0130] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and / or the telecommunication network QQ102, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host QQ116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and 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.

[0131] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of Fig. 9 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0132] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0133] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0134] In the example, the hub QQ1 14 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ1 14 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub QQ1 14 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub QQ1 14 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices. The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ1 10b. The hub QQ1 14 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ1 12c and / or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ1 14 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ1 14 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ1 14 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node QQ110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ1 14 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0135] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non- computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0136] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0137] Modifications and other embodiments of the disclosed embodiments will come to mind to one skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiment(s) is / are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure. Although specific terms may be employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

[0138] References:

[0139] 1 . X. Lin et al., "5G from Space: An Overview of 3GPP", IEEE Communications Standards Magazine, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 147-153, December 2021.

[0140] 2. M. S. Hassan et al., "NTN: from 5G NR to 6G," 2023 IEEE International Conference on Wireless for Space and Extreme Environments (WiSEE), Aveiro, Portugal, 2023, pp. 173- 178, doi: 10.1109 / WiSEE58383.2023.10289427.

[0141] 3. NTN & Satellite in Rel-17 & 18, Munira Jaffar & Nicolas Chuberre, [Online], Available: https: / / www.3gpp.org / news-events / partner-news / ntn-rel17.

[0142] 4. RP-234078, “New WID: Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) for NR Phase 3” 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #102, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 1 1-15, 2023.

[0143] Embodiments

[0144] A1. A method performed by a UE for handling communication in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

[0145] - transmitting an UL transmission using an OCC in an NTN environment.

[0146] A2. The method according to embodiment A1 , further comprising obtaining a configuration from a radio network node, wherein the configuration is related to OCC transmissions in the uplink in a NTN.

[0147] A3. The method according to any of the embodiments A1-A2, wherein one or more characteristics (where, how and / or when) to perform the UL transmission is used when transmitting the UL transmission. B1. A method performed by a radio network node for handling communication in a wireless communication network, the method comprising:

[0148] - transmitting a configuration to a UE for transmitting UL using an OCC in an NTN environment.

[0149] C1 . A UE for handling communication in a wireless communication network, wherein the UE is configured to:

[0150] - transmit an UL transmission using an OCC in an NTN environment.

[0151] D1. A radio network node for handling communication in a wireless communication network, wherein the radio network node is configured to:

[0152] - transmit a configuration for implementing OCC in an NTN environment.

[0153] E1 . A computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the embodiments A1 -A3, and B1 , as performed by the UE and the radio network node, respectively.

[0154] F1. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any of the embodiments A1-A3, and B1 , as performed by the UE and the radio network node, respectively.

[0155]

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A method in a terminal device for handling communication in a wireless communication network, comprising: obtaining a configuration from a radio network node in a Non-Terrestrial Networks, NTN, wherein the configuration is related to transmission with Orthogonal Cover Code, OCC, in a Physical Downlink Control Channel, PUSCH; and transmitting an uplink, UL, transmission with an OCC in the PUSCH according to the configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the configuration comprises a slot-based OCC with an OCC length being 2 or 4.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein in the UL transmission, a same Redundancy Version, RV, is used for each slot in a slot group of the slot-based OCC.

4. The method according claims 2 or 3, wherein the slot-based OCC comprises a Hadamard matrix.

5. The method according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein when OCC length is 2, the slotbased OCC is defined by [1 1 ; 1 -1],6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein prior to transmitting an UL transmission with an OCC, further comprising: generating the OCC based on a code index; or obtained the OCC from a code table based on a code index; wherein the code index is received from the radio network node.

7. The method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising: multiplying the OCC after rate matching when the multiplexing is done by bit level; or multiplying the OCC after modulation when the multiplexing is done by symbol level.

8. A method in a radio network node, RNN, in a Non-Terrestrial Networks, NTN, for handling communication in a wireless communication network, comprising:- transmitting a configuration to a terminal device for uplink, UL, transmission using Orthogonal Cover Code, OCC, in a Physical Downlink Control Channel, PUSCH; and receiving an UL transmission with an OCC in the PUSCH.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the configuration comprises a slot-based OCC with an OCC length being 2 or 4.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a same Redundancy Version, RV, is used for each slot in a slot group of the slot-based OCC in the received UL transmission.11 . The method according to claims 9 or 10, wherein after receiving the UL transmission in the PUSCH, further comprising: multiplying a local OCC for each slot in a slot group of the slot-based OCC in the received UL transmission after a channel estimation and prior to a demodulation; andcombining result of each multiplexed slot.

12. The method according to any of claims 8 to 11 , further comprising: transmitting a code index to the terminal device for obtaining the OCC; or wherein the configuration comprises a code index for the terminal device to obtain the OCC.

13. The method according to any of the claims 8 to 12, further comprising: transmitting an configuration to another terminal device for UL transmission using OCC in PUSCH; and receiving an UL transmission with the OCC in corresponding PUSCH.

14. A terminal device in a Non-Terrestrial Networks, NTN, comprising: a communication interface arranged for wireless communication, a processing circuitry, and a memory comprising instructions executable by the processing circuitry, whereby the terminal device is operative to perform the method according to any of the claims 1 to 7.

15. A radio network node, RNN, in a Non-Terrestrial Networks, NTN, for handling communication in a wireless communication network, comprising: a communication interface, a processing unit, and a memory comprising instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, causing the RNN to perform the method according to any of the claims 8 to 13.

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