Signaling of aperiodic CSI-RS for enhanced type ii codebooks for predicted PMI with large arrays

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed including a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) comprising receiving a Channel State Information (CSI) report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI) based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS (CSI-RS) burst with K>1 CSI- RS resources each comprising > 32 antenna ports. The method further comprises receiving information that configures the UE with an aperiodic Non-Zero Power (NZP) CSI-RS resource set comprising NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y ≤ 32. The method further comprises receiving a Downlink Control Information (DCI) trigger, determining K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources and having X∙Y > 32 antenna ports, performing channel measurements on the K aggregated CSI-RS resources, determining CSI based on the channel measurements, and reporting the CSI to the network node.

Description

SIGNALING OF APERIODIC CSLRS FOR ENHANCED TYPE II CODEBOOKS FOR PREDICTED PMI WITH LARGE ARRAYSRELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 567,846, filed March 20, 2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a wireless (e.g., cellular) communications system and, more particularly, to signaling of aperiodic channel state information reference signal (CSI- RS) for enhanced Type II codebooks for predicted precoding matrix indicator (PMI) with large arrays in a wireless communications system.BACKGROUND

[0003] 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.

[0004] A core component of the Fifth Generation (5G) wireless network or New Radio (NR) 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 shows an example of spatial multiplexing. An information carrying symbol vector ,s is multiplied by an NT x r precoding matrix or precoder W, which serves to distribute the transmit energy in a subspace of the NT dimensional vector space. The precoding matrix is typically selected from a codebook of possible precoding matrices, and typically indicated by means of a Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), which specifies a unique precoding matrix in the codebook for a given number of symbol streams. The r symbols in ,s each correspond to a MIMO layer and r is referred to as the transmission rank, which equals the number of columns of the precoder W. In this way, spatial multiplexing is achieved since multiple symbols can be transmitted simultaneously over the same time / frequency Resource Element (RE). The number of symbols r is typically adapted to suit the current channel properties.

[0005] NR uses Orthogonal Division Multiplexing (OFDM) in downlink. The received NR X 1 vector ynat a User Equipment (UE) on a certain RE can be expressed as:where e„ is a receiver noise / interference vector. The precoder IV can be constant over frequency (i.e., wideband), or frequency selective (i.e., per subband).

[0006] The precoder IV is chosen to match the characteristics of the NRX NT MIMO channel matrix Wn, resulting in so-called channel dependent precoding. This is also commonly referred to as closed-loop precoding.

[0007] In closed-loop precoding, the UE feeds back recommendations on a suitable precoder to the next generation NodeB (gNB) in the form of a PMI based on downlink channel measurements. For that purpose, the UE is configured with a Channel State Information (CSI) report configuration including CSI Reference Signals (CSI-RS) for channel measurements and a codebook of candidate precoders. In addition to precoders, the feedback may also include a Rank Indicator (RI) and one or two Channel Quality Indicators (CQIs). RI, PMI, and CQI are part of a CSI feedback. In NR, CSI feedback can be either wideband, where one CSI is reported for the entire channel bandwidth, or frequency-selective, where one CSI is reported for each subband, which is defined as a number of contiguous Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) ranging between 4-32 PRBs depending on the Bandwidth Part (BWP) size.

[0008] Given the CSI feedback from the UE, the gNB determines the transmission parameters it wishes to use to transmit to the UE, including the precoding matrix, transmission rank, and Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS).

[0009] Two-Dimensional (2D) antenna arrays are widely used, and such antenna arrays can be described by a number of antenna ports, N17in a first dimension (e.g., the horizontal dimension), a number of antenna ports, N2, in the second dimension perpendicular to the first dimension (e.g., the vertical dimension), and a number of polarizations Np. The total number of antenna ports is thus N = N1N2Np. The concept of an antenna port is non-limiting in the sense that it can refer to any virtualization (e.g., linear mapping) to the physical antenna elements. For example, pairs of physical antenna elements could be fed the same signal, and hence share the same virtualized antenna port. An example of a 4x4 (i.e.,X N2,) array with dual-polarized antenna elements (i.e., Np= 2) is illustrated in Figure 2.

[0010] Precoding may be interpreted as multiplying the signal to be transmitted by a set of beamforming weights on the antenna ports prior to transmission. A typical approach is to tailor the precoder to the antenna form factor, i.e., taking into account NltN2and Npwhen designing the precoder codebook.

[0011] For CSI measurement and feedback, CSI-RS are defined. A CSI-RS is transmitted on an antenna port at the gNB and is used by a UE to measure downlink channel between theantenna port and each of the UE’s receive antenna ports. The transmit antenna ports are also referred to as CSI-RS ports. The supported numbers of CSI-RS ports in NR are { 1,2,4,8,12,16,24,32}. By measuring the received CSI-RS, a UE can estimate the channel that the CSI-RS is traversing, including the radio propagation channel and antenna gains. The CSI- RS for the above purpose is also referred to as Non-Zero Power (NZP) CSI-RS.

[0012] CSI-RS can be configured to be transmitted in certain REs in a slot and certain slots. Figure 3 shows an example of CSI-RS REs for twelve (12) antenna ports, where 1 RE per Resource Block (RB) per port is shown.

[0013] In addition, Interference Measurement Resource (IMR) is also defined in NR for a UE to measure interference. An IMR resource contains 4 REs, either 4 adjacent REs in frequency in the same Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or 2 by 2 adjacent REs in both time and frequency in a slot. By measuring both the channel based on NZP CSI-RS and the interference based on an IMR, a UE can estimate the effective channel and noise plus interference to determine the CSI. Furthermore, a UE in NR may be configured to measure interference based on one or multiple NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0014] In NR, a UE can be configured with multiple CSI reporting settings and multiple CSI- RS resource settings. Each resource setting can contain multiple resource sets, and each resource set can contain up to eight (8) CSI-RS resources. For each CSI reporting setting, a UE feeds back a CSI report. Each CSI reporting setting contains at least the following information:• A CSI-RS resource setting for channel measurement• An IMR resource set for interference measurement• Optionally, a CSI-RS resource set for interference measurement• Time-domain behavior, i.e., periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic reporting• Frequency granularity, i.e., wideband or subband• CSI parameters to be reported such as RI, PMI, CQI, and CSI-RS Resource Indicator (CRI) in case of multiple CSI-RS resources in a resource set• Codebook types, i.e., type I or II, and codebook subset restriction• Measurement restriction• Subband size. One out of two possible subband sizes is indicated, the value range depends on the bandwidth of the BWP. One CQI / PMI (if configured for subband reporting) is fed back per subband).

[0015] In NR, CSI-AperiodicTriggerState is configured in order to trigger aperiodic CSI reports. The CSI-AperiodicTriggerList Information Element (IE) is defined in 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.2.0 as follows. There is list of trigger states which may include up to 128 of CSI-AperiodicTrigger States. Each trigger state may include up to 16 CSI- AssociatedReportConfiglnfo. Each CSI-AssociatedReportConfiglnfo contains a reportconfig id which associates it to a CSI-Reportconfig. UE may have up to 48 different reportconfigs configured. Each Reportconfig includes codebookConfig as a field.

[0016] A common type of precoding is to use a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT)-precoder, where the precoder vector used to precode a single-layer transmission using a single-polarized Uniform Linear Array (ULA) with N antennas is defined aswhere k = 0,1, ... ON — 1 is the precoder index and 0 is an integer oversampling factor. ukis also referred to as a one dimensional (ID) DFT beam with beam index k. If ULA is along the horizontal dimension, each DFT beam points to an azimuth direction. If ULA is along the vertical dimension, each DFT beam points to an elevation direction. Each precoder corresponds to a DFT beam.

[0017] A corresponding precoder vector for a two-dimensional Uniform Planar Array (UPA) with N- antenna ports in one dimension and N2antenna ports in another dimension can be created by taking the Kronecker product of two precoder vectors as: w2D(k, l') = vk= ukil®uli2,of the two dimensions, andand O2are the over sampling factors in the two dimensions associated with N and N2, respectively. vk tis also referred to a 2D DFT beam characterized by two beam indices (fc, Z), one in each dimension. Each precoder corresponds to a 2D DFT beam.

[0018] Extending the DFT precoder for a dual-polarized UPA may then be done aswhere e7^ is a co-phasing factor that may be selected from M-Phase Shift Keying (PSK) alphabet such as Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) with G

[0019] A precoder matrix W2Di DPfor multi-layer transmission may be created by appending columns of DFT precoder vectors aswhere r is the number of transmission layers. Such DFT-based precoders are used for instance in NR Type I CSI feedback, where each layer is associated with 2D DFT beam.

[0020] With Multi-User MIMO (MU-MIMO), two or more users in the same cell are coscheduled on a same time-frequency resource. That is, multiple data streams are transmitted to different UEs at the same time-frequency resource and each UE may be allocated with one or more layers. By transmitting several streams simultaneously, the capacity of the system can be increased.

[0021] To avoid across UE or layer interference, Zero-Forcing (ZF) type of precoders may be used in which the feedback precoders associated with all co-scheduled UEs in a same time frequency resource are used together to generate a set of new orthogonal precoders. This requires each of the feedback precoders to be a good representation of underlying channel. However, a single DFT beam is generally not a good representation of a layer under multipath channel as each layer may be transmitted over multiple paths each corresponding to a DFT beam.

[0022] To improve the above single DFT beam based precoder, type II codebook based CSI feedback was introduced in NR Rel-15 and further enhanced in NR Rel-16. The basic concept is that due to multipath propagation, each layer may contain more than one DFT beam. Hence, a better precoder may be created by combining multiple DFT beams for each layer and the UE feeds back both the multiple DFT beams and the combining coefficients.

[0023] Type-II CSI codebook was introduced in Release (Rel-) 15 NR (specified in Clause 5.2.2.2.3 of 3GPP TS 38.214 V18.1.0) to enable a UE to report a richer CSI compared to Type-I feedback (specified in Clause 5.2.2.2.1 of 3GPP TS 38.214) to enable MU-MIMO precoding. In essence, the Type-II CSI feedback consists of information on linearly combining multiple DFT beams for each layer with subband granularity. Type-II CSI feedback outperforms Type-I CSI feedback in system-level performance. However, Type-II CSI report specified in Rel-15 NR suffers from a large overhead due to the subband reporting. To overcome the issue of large overhead of Type II, enhanced Type II (eType-II) CSI codebook was introduced in Rel-16 (specified in Clause 5.2.2.2.5 of 3GPP TS 38.214), where the correlation between the subbands is exploited and compression along the frequency domain is applied.

[0024] Along with the Type-II and eType-II codebooks, NR also supports their Port Selection (PS) variants, Type-II PS codebook and eType-II PS codebook, respectively, where the UEs measure beamformed CSI-RS ports instead of non-beamformed CSI-RS and select a subset of ports. The PS variants are intended for reciprocity-based operation, typically in Time Division Duplexing (TDD) deployments, since the network may already know a good set of SpatialDomain (SD) bases for precoding the CSI-RS. In Rel-17, the Rel-16 eType-II PS codebook (specified in Clause 5.2.2.2.6 of 3GPP TS 38.214 VI 8.1.0) was further enhanced to support Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) scenarios with partial reciprocity where the network can estimate a good set of SD bases and delay difference between them. In Rel-17 further enhanced Type-II PS codebook (or feType-II PS specified in Clause 5.2.2.2.7 of 3GPP TS 38.214), the UEs measure beamformed and delay compensated CSI-RS, and report phase related information that the network cannot estimate due to partial reciprocity.

[0025] In all the Type-II CSI feedback variants until Rel-17, a UE is configured to report a PMI from the configured codebook type for a single CSI-RS measurement instance. The Type-II feedback contains fine CSI information and it has been observed that the system-level performance, especially when using MU-MIMO, degrades with UE mobility due to the outdating of the report. The performance loss can be recovered to some extent by reducing the CSI-RS transmission periodicity at the cost of increased DL RS overhead and UL reporting overhead.

[0026] To address the issue of aging of Type-II reports with UE mobility, the following codebooks have been specified in Rel-18: a) the enhanced Type-II codebook for predicted PMI (or eTypell-predictedPMI specified in Clause 5.2.2.2.10 of 3GPP TS 38.214) and b) further enhanced Type-II PS codebook for predicted PMI (feTypell-PS-predictedPMI specified in Clause 5.2.2.2.11 of 3GPP TS 38.214)

[0027] A UE is configured with K aperiodic CSI-RS resources or with a periodic or semi- persistent CSI-RS resource to enable multiple measurements. The multiple measurements are used by the UE to determine multiple PMIs in a future time window and pack them onto a single report. In the following, the enhanced codebooks for predicted PMI are described in detail.

[0028] In regard to prediction of PMIs based on aperiodic, periodic, or semi-persistent CSI- RSs, Figure 4 illustrates the concept of the Rel-18 Type-II codebooks for predicted PMI. A UE is configured to measure on a burst of K aperiodic or periodic / semi-persistent (P / SP) CSI-RS instances separated by m slots, illustrated with a first indicated type of hashing. In Rel-18, each of the CSI-RS resource have up to 32 CSI-RS ports. The UE measures the CSI-RS ports at multiple time instances and determines N4precoders / PMIs separated by d slots, illustrated with a second type of hashing. The determination of N4precoders is up to UE implementation. The following are two possible ways the UE could determine the N4precoders: a) a UE could first predict the channel for each CSI-port at the N4future time slots and compute precoders from the predicted channel; or b) a UE could directly compute N4precoders from the K measurements.

[0029] The N4PMIS are packed into a single CSI report and transmitted to the network in slot n (illustrated by black boxes). To account for the delay between slot n where the CSI report is transmitted in a UL resource and the slot at which the first PMI is applied to a DL transmission, a parameter 6 is configured by the network to the UE. The UE can use this information to obtain the slot at which the first PMI will be used and design its predictor accordingly.

[0030] In the case of aperiodic CSI-RS bursts, the K different aperiodic CSI-RS resources are configured in as part of a single NZP CSI-RS resource set. The single NZP CSI-RS resource set containing the K aperiodic CSI-RS resources is triggered via a CSI-ApperiodicTriggerState as specified in the CSI-AperiodicTriggerStateList IE defined in 3GPP TS 38.331 V18.0.0.

[0031] The Rel-18 Type-II codebook for predicted PMI is built on the design principles of Rel-16 eType-II codebook. As a consequence, the PMIs are reported through a set of SD bases, Frequency Domain (FD) bases, and linear complex-valued combining coefficients. To pack the N4PMIS into a single report while minimizing the report overhead, a new set of bases, i.e., Doppler Domain (DD) bases are introduced to reduce the overhead of the report.

[0032] In regard to eTypell-predicted PMI codebook parameters and CSI reporting, the following channel measurement resources are configurable for eTypell-predictedPMI:• K E {4, 8, 12} aperiodic CSI-RS resources, each separated by m E {1, 2} slot.• Periodic or semi-persistent CSI-RS resource with periodicity P.

[0033] The following parameters are configurable in Rel-18 eTypell-predictedPMI Codebook according to 3GPP TS 38.214 Clause 5.2.2.2.10:• The number of DFT beams, FD basis vectors, and coefficients to be selected and reported by a UE in the CSI report are configured through a parameter combination index. The parameter combinations are listed in Table 1, where L is the number of DFT beams, v is the rank, pvdetermines the number of FD basis and / 3 determines the number of nonzero coefficients to be reported.Table 1 : Codebook parameter configurations for L, (3 and pv• The number of PMIs (PMI intervals) in the future time window, N4G {1, 2, 4, 8} o If N4= 1, PMI is reported according to the format for Rel-16 eTypell, specified in 3GPP TS 38.214 Clause 5.2.2.2.5 and Table 5222.5-5. o If N4G {2, 4, 8], Q = 2 Doppler Domain basis are selected for compression across the slots in the future time window and PMI is reported according to 3GPP TS 38.214 Clause 5.2.2.2.10 and Table 5.2.22.10-2. The first DD basis (first column of the DD DFT matrix) is always selected and only the index of the second selected basis is reported. o When N4= 2, since Q = 2, the indices of the selected DD bases are not reported.• Interval between the consecutive PMIs or duration of a PMI, d. For periodic / semi- persistent CSI-RS, d = P, where P is the periodicity of the periodic / semi-persistent CSI- RS. And, for aperiodic CSI-RS, d G {1, m], where m is the separation between two CSI- RS instances.• The delay parameter, delta, 8 G {— nCSI re, 0,1,2}. The earliest of the A4PMI slot intervals starts at slot I = n + <5, where n is the uplink slot in which CSI is reported. Here, nCSI rethe slot associated with the CSI reference resource as described in 3GPP TS 38.214 Clause 52.2.5.

[0034] In regard to feTypell-PS-predictedPMI codebook parameters and CSI reporting, the feTypell-PS-predictedPMI codebook is an extension of the Rel-17 feTypell PS codebook. In this port selection variant, W lis instead a port-selection matrix of size P_(CSI-RS)*2L that selects L beamformed CSI-RS ports for each polarization. Furthermore, the beamformed CSI-RS ports are delay compensated.

[0035] Most parameters for the Rel-18 feTypell-PS-predictedPMI codebook are similar to the Rel-17 feTypell-PS codebook.

[0036] One codebook parameter that differs in comparison to Rel-18 eTypell-predictedPMI is N_4, i.e., the number of PMIs in the future window. N_4=l, is the only value supported, meaning that a UE measures on a burst of CSI-RS instances and reports a single PMI for a future window of d slots.

[0037] Since there is no need of compressing N_4>1 PMIs, a new codebook format is not specified and Rel-17 feTypell-PS codebook is reused for reporting, as described in 3GPP TS 38.214 Clause 5.2.2.2.7 and Table 5.2.2.2.7-3.SUMMARY

[0038] Systems and methods for signaling of aperiodic Channel State Information (CSI) Reference Signal (CSI-RS) for enhanced Type II codebooks for predicted Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI) with large arrays are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) comprises receiving, from a network node, a CSI report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted PMI based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K>1 CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports. The method further comprises receiving, from the network node, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic Non-Zero Power (NZP) CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32. The method further comprises receiving a Downlink Control Information (DCI) that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration, determining K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports, and performing channel measurements on the K aggregated CSI-RS resources. The method further comprises determining CSI based on the channel measurements and reporting the CSI to the network node. In this manner, an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with multiple samples for more than 32 antenna ports (e.g., up to 128 antenna ports) may be indicated for channel measurement in order to compute CSI based on, e.g., enhanced Type-II codebook for predicted PMI and / or further enhanced Type- II PS codebook for predicted PMI.

[0039] In one embodiment, determining the K aggregated CSI-RS resources comprises determining the K aggregated CSI-RS resources such that a first X NZP CSI-RS resources of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form a first aggregated CSI-RS resource having X-Y > 32 antenna ports and s second X NZP CSI-RS resources of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form a second aggregated CSI-RS resource having X-Y > 32 antenna ports. In one embodiment, determining the K aggregated CSI-RS resources is further such that a last X NZP CSI-RS resources of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form a Kthaggregated CSI-RS resource having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.

[0040] In one embodiment, the NZP CSI-RS resources in the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS set are indexed from 0 to Z-l where Z= X-K, and determining the K aggregated CSI-RS resources comprises determining (504) the K aggregated CSI-RS resources such that for the ithaggregated CSI-RS resource for i=0, 1, . . K-l, NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set indexed by X-i+j where j=0,l, . . X-l are aggregated to form the ithaggregated CSI- RS resource.

[0041] In one embodiment, adjacent aggregated CSI-RS resources from among the K aggregated CSI-RS resources are separated by a configurable number of slots.

[0042] In one embodiment, a zth(z=l,2,. . ,,Z) NZP CSI-RS resource in the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set is a NZP CSI-RS resource corresponding to a zthNZP CSI-RS resource identity configured as part of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set.

[0043] In one embodiment, all of the NZP CSI-RS resources that are aggregated to form the same aggregated CSI-RS resource are contained within a same slot.

[0044] In one embodiment, all of the NZP CSI-RS resources that are aggregated to form the same aggregated CSI-RS resource are contained within consecutive slots.

[0045] In one embodiment, the codebook for predicted PMI is one of enhanced type-II codebook for predicted PMI or further enhanced Type-II Port Selection, PS, codebook for predicted PMI.

[0046] Corresponding embodiments of a UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a UE is adapted to receive, from a network node, a CSI report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted PMI based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K>1 CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports. The UE is further adapted to receive, from the network node, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32. The UE is further adapted to receive a DCI that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration, determine K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports, and perform channel measurements on the K aggregated CSI-RS resources. The UE is further adapted to determine CSI based on the channel measurements and report the CSI to the network node.

[0047] In one embodiment, a UE comprises a communication interface comprising a transmitter and a receiver. The UE further comprises processing circuitry associated with thecommunication interface. The processing circuity is configured to cause the UE to receive, from a network node, a CSI report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted PMI based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K>1 CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports. The processing circuity is further configured to cause the UE to receive, from the network node, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32. The processing circuity is further configured to cause the UE to receive a DCI that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration, determine K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports, and perform channel measurements on the K aggregated CSI-RS resources. The processing circuity is further configured to cause the UE to determine CSI based on the channel measurements and report the CSI to the network node.

[0048] Embodiments of a method performed by a network node for a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a telecommunications network are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a network node for a RAN of a telecommunications network comprises transmitting, to a UE, a CSI report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted PMI based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K>1 CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports. The method further comprises transmitting, to the UE, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32. The method further comprises transmitting, to the UE, a DCI that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration and receiving, from the UE, CSI reported in accordance with the CSI report configuration, wherein the CSI is determined based on channel measurements performed by the UE on K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.

[0049] Corresponding embodiments of a network node are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a network node for a RAN of a telecommunications network is adapted to transmit, to a UE, a CSI report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook forpredicted PMI based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K>1 CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports. The network node is further adapted to transmit, to the UE, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32. The network node is further adapted to transmit, to the UE, a DCI that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration and receive, from the UE, CSI reported in accordance with the CSI report configuration, wherein the CSI is determined based on channel measurements performed by the UE on K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.

[0050] In one embodiment, a network node for a RAN of a telecommunications network comprises processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to transmit, to a UE, a CSI report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted PMI based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K>1 CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports. The processing circuitry is further configured to cause the network node to transmit, to the UE, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32. The processing circuitry is further configured to cause the network node to transmit, to the UE, a DCI that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration and receive, from the UE, CSI reported in accordance with the CSI report configuration, wherein the CSI is determined based on channel measurements performed by the UE on K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] 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.

[0052] Figure 1 illustrates a transmission structure of spatial multiplexing in N;.

[0053] Figure 2 is an illustration of a two-dimensional antenna array of dual-polarized antenna elements (Np= 2), with N±= 4 horizontal antenna elements and N2= 4 vertical antenna elements;

[0054] Figure 3 illustrates an example of RE allocation for a 12-port CSI-RS in NR.;

[0055] Figure 4 is an illustration of the Rel-18 Type-II codebooks for predicted PMI;

[0056] Figure 5 is a flow chart that illustrates a process performed by a User Equipment(UE), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0057] Figure 6A illustrates a first example showing aggregated resources and the corresponding aggregated samples (note that each white box in the figures represents a slot), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0058] Figure 6B illustrates a second example showing aggregated resources and the corresponding aggregated samples (note that each white box in the figures represents a slot), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0059] Figure 6C illustrates a third example showing aggregated resources and the corresponding aggregated samples (note that each white box in the figures represents a slot), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0060] Figure 6D illustrates a fourth example showing aggregated resources and the corresponding aggregated samples (note that each white box in the figures represents a slot), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0061] Figure 7 illustrates an example showing the CSI-RS resource sets and the corresponding aggregated samples (note that each white box in the figures represents a slot), in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0062] Figure 8 is a flow chart that illustrates a process performed by a network node, in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure

[0063] Figure 9 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0064] Figure 10 shows a User Equipment device (UE) in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0065] Figure 11 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0066] Figure 12 is a block diagram of a host, which may be an embodiment of the host of Figure 9, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure described herein;

[0067] Figure 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments of the present disclosure may be virtualized; and

[0068] Figure 14 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 of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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.

[0071] There currently exist certain challenge(s). In 3rdGeneration Partnership Project(3GPP) Release (ReL) 19, Channel State Information (CSI) support for up to 128 CSI ReferenceSignal (CSLRS) ports is defined in Objective 2b in RP-234007, which states:2. Specify CSI support for up to 128 CSI-RS ports, targeting FR1 a) Type-I codebook refinement supporting up to a total of 128 CSI-RS ports across all resources, assuming legacy CSI-RS resources (with up to 32 CSI- RS ports per resource), based on extension of legacy codebooks b) Type-II codebook refinement supporting up to a total of 128 CSI-RS ports across all resources, assuming legacy CSI-RS resources (with up to 32 CSI-RS ports per resource), based on extension of legacy codebooks, without modifying any codebook parameter other than introducing additional values for the number of ports codebook parameter(s) c) Extension of CRI(s)-based CSI reporting (CQI / PMI / RI calculated per CRI for >1 CRIs) for hybrid beamforming supporting up to a total of 128 CSI-RS ports across all resources, with up to 32 CSI-RS ports per resource, without new codebook design

[0072] To form a 128 port CSI-RS, multiple legacy Non-Zero Power (NZP) CSI-RS resources with up to 32 CSI-RS ports per resources will be aggregated together. For instance, a128 port CSI-RS is formed by aggregating four 32-port NZP CSI-RS resources. This aggregation-based approach is adopted in Rel-19 as NZP CSI-RS resource patterns with more than 32 ports are not defined in 5thGeneration (5G) New Radio (NR).

[0073] For CSI based on enhanced Type-II codebook for predicted Precoding MatrixIndicator (PMI) and / or further enhanced Type-II PS codebook for predicted PMI, an aperiodicCSI-RS burst with K samples is configured as a NZP CSI-RS resource set with K NZP CSI-RSresources. However, this existing way of configuring an aperiodic CSI-RS burst is only valid for a maximum of 32 CSI-RS ports wherein each of the K NZP CSI-RS resources consists of 32 CSI-RS ports. How to indicate an aperiodic CSI-RS burst for channel measurement for up to 128 CSI-RS ports is an open problem to be solved.

[0074] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Two groups of solutions are provided for how a User Equipment (UE) may determine and aggregate NZP CSI-RS resources in one or more aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets to form aggregated resources and aggregated samples. Based on the determination, UE estimates the channel and computes CSI based on enhanced Type-II codebook for predicted PMI and / or further enhanced Type-II Port Selection (PS) codebook for predicted PMI. The computed CSI is reported to the next generation NodeB (gNB).

[0075] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to how the UE aggregates NZP CSI-RS resources in one or more aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets to form aggregated resources and aggregated samples. Different solutions are provided in Embodiment Groups 1 and 2 below.

[0076] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). With the proposed embodiments, an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with multiple samples for up to 128 CSI-RS ports may be indicated for channel measurement in order to compute CSI based on enhanced Type-II codebook for predicted PMI and / or further enhanced Type-II PS codebook for predicted PMI. Using the proposed embodiments, the UE and the gNB may have the same understanding of which resources to aggregate to form, for example, 128 CSI-RS ports and which resources represent different samples in the aperiodic CSI-RS burst.

[0077] Figure 5 is a flowchart that illustrates a method performed at the UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Figure 5, the method comprises one or more of the following steps:• Step 500A: The UE receives, from a gNB, configuration of a CSI report configuration for either an eTypell-predicted PMI codebook based CSI reporting or a feTypell-PS- predicted PMI codebook based CSI reporting, wherein the CSI reporting is for more than 32 antenna ports.• Step 500B. The UE receives, from the gNB, an indication of one or more aperiodic CSI- RS resource sets for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration.• Step 502: The UE receives (e.g., from the gNB) a Downlink Control Information (DCI) that triggers one or more of the following: o one or more aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets; and / oro a CSI report on Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) based on either the eTypell-predicted PMI codebook or the feTypell-PS-predicted PMI codebook.• Step 504: The UE performs channel measurements based on a determination of how to aggregate the NZP CSI-RS resources in the one or more aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets according to any one of the embodiments in Embodiment Group 1 or Embodiment Group 2 described below.• Step 506: The UE computes or determines CSI based on the channel measurements.• Step 508: The UE reports the CSI to the gNB.

[0078] Now, a more detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided.

[0079] Embodiment Group 1:

[0080] In this group of embodiments, an aperiodic CSI-RS burst for channel measurement for up to 128 CSI-RS ports is configured as a single NZP CSI-RS resource set (e.g., in Step 500B of Figure 5).

[0081] The case of X NZP CSI-RS resources wherein each of the X resources have Y CSI-RS ports is first considered. Then, the X NZP CSI-RS resources are aggregated to form an aggregated resource with X-Y CSI-RS ports. The UE obtains Y from the NZP CSI-RS resource configurations and derives X based on Y and (N 1V2) indicated in the associated CSI report configuration (e.g., from Step 500A of Figure 5), i.e., X = 2N1N2 / Y.

[0082] In this embodiment, the UE receives (e.g., in Step 500B) an aperiodic CSI-RS resource set with Z=X-K NZP CSI-RS resources. Each of the Z NZP CSI-RS resources has up to e.g., Y=32 CSI-RS ports. Then, UE determines (e.g., in Step 504 of Figure 5) which resources in the resource set to aggregate by grouping the Z NZP CSI-RS resources as follows:• The first X NZP CSI-RS resources among the Z NZP CSI-RS resources in the NZP CSI- RS resource set are aggregated to form a first aggregated resource with X-Y CSI-RS ports. This first aggregated resource represents the first sample in the aperiodic CSI-RS burst.• The second X NZP CSI-RS resources among the Z NZP CSI-RS resources in the NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form a second aggregated resource with X-Y CSI- RS ports. This second aggregated resource represents the second sample in the aperiodic CSI-RS burst.• The last X NZP CSI-RS resources among the Z NZP CSI-RS resources in the NZP CSI- RS resource set are aggregated to form a Kthaggregated resource with X-Y CSI-RS ports. This Kthaggregated resource represents the Kthsample in the aperiodic CSI-RS burst.In other words, assuming that the NZP CSI-RS resources in the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS set are indexed from 0 to Z-l, then for i=0, 1, . . ., K-l and j=0, 1, . . ., X-l, the ithaggregated CSI-RS resource (of the K aggregated resource sets) is an aggregation of NZP CSI-RS resources X-i+j from among the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set for the given value of k and j=0, 1, . . ., X-l.

[0083] Alternatively, sample number k' in the aperiodic CSI-RS burst is formed by aggregating NZP CSI-RS resources (k'-l)-X+l, (k'-l)-X+2, . . ., k'-X, wherein k'=l,2, .. ,,K.

[0084] In some embodiments, the zth(z=l,2,. . ,,Z) resource in the resource set is the NZP CSI-RS resource corresponding to the zthNZP CSI-RS resource Id configured as part of the resource set.

[0085] In one detailed embodiment, all the NZP CSI-RS resources forming each aggregated resource are contained within the same slot. In another embodiment, adjacent aggregated resources are separated by m slots wherein m is a higher layer configured integer. An example is shown in Figure 6A where X=2 (i.e., 2 resources are aggregated to form each aggregated resource), K=4 (i.e., there are 4 aggregated samples), and m=2 (i.e., each aggregated sample is separated by 2 slots). This example is non-limiting and the embodiment can be extended to any number of X, K, and m. In this example,• the 1st and the 2nd resources in the aperiodic CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form the 1st aggregated resource which corresponds to the 1st aggregated sample;• the 3rd and the 4th resources in the aperiodic CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form the 2nd aggregated resource which corresponds to the 2nd aggregated sample;• the 5th and the 6th resources in the aperiodic CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form the 3rd aggregated resource which corresponds to the 3rd aggregated sample; and• the 7th and the 8th resources in the aperiodic CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form the 4th aggregated resource which corresponds to the 4th aggregated sample;

[0086] In another detailed embodiment, all the NZP CSI-RS resources forming each aggregated resource are contained adjacent consecutive slot. In another embodiment, the slot containing the last resource of one aggregated resource and the slot containing the first resource of the next aggregated resource are separated by m slots wherein m is a higher layer configured integer. An example is shown in Figure 6B where X=2 (i.e., 2 resources are aggregated to form each aggregated resource), K=4 (i.e., there are 4 aggregated samples), and m=l (i.e., the gapbetween two aggregated samples in time domain is 1 slot). This example is non-limiting and the embodiment can be extended to any number of X, K, and m.

[0087] Embodiment Group 2:

[0088] In this embodiment, an aperiodic CSI-RS burst for channel measurement for up to 128 CSI-RS ports is configured via X NZP CSI-RS resource sets (e.g., in Step 500B), wherein each of the X NZP CSI-RS resource sets has K NZP CSI-RS resources. Then, kthaggregated resource is formed by aggregating the kthNZP CSI-RS resource in each of the X NZP CSI-RS resource sets.

[0089] In some embodiments, the kth(k=l,2,. . ,,K) resource in each of the resource sets is the NZP CSI-RS resource corresponding to the kthNZP CSI-RS resource Id configured as part of the resource set.

[0090] In one detailed embodiment, all the NZP CSI-RS resources forming each aggregated resource are contained within the same slot. In another embodiment, adjacent aggregated resources are separated by m slots wherein m is a higher layer configured integer. An example is shown in Figure 6C where X=2 (i.e., 2 resources from 2 resource sets are aggregated to form each aggregated resource), K=4 (i.e., there are 4 aggregated samples), and m=2 (i.e., each aggregated sample is separated by 2 slots). This example is non-limiting and the embodiment can be extended to any number of X, K, and m. In the figure, NZP CSI-RS resource set is referred to as set for brevity. In this example,• the 1st resource from the 1st NZP CSI-RS resource set and the 1st resources from the 2nd NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form the 1st aggregated resource which corresponds to the 1st aggregated sample;• the 2nd resource from the 1st NZP CSI-RS resource set and the 2nd resources from the 2nd NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form the 2nd aggregated resource which corresponds to the 2nd aggregated sample;• the 3rd resource from the 1st NZP CSI-RS resource set and the 3rd resources from the 2nd NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form the 3rd aggregated resource which corresponds to the 3rd aggregated sample; and• the 4th resource from the 1st NZP CSI-RS resource set and the 4th resources from the 2nd NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form the 4th aggregated resource which corresponds to the 4th aggregated sample;

[0091] In another detailed embodiment, all the NZP CSI-RS resources forming each aggregated resource are contained adjacent consecutive slot. In another embodiment, the slot containing the last resource of one aggregated resource and the slot containing the first resourceof the next aggregated resource are separated by m slots wherein m is a higher layer configured integer. An example is shown in Figure 6D where X=2 (i.e., 2 resources from 2 resource sets are aggregated to form each aggregated resource), K=4 (i.e., there are 4 aggregated samples), and m=l (i.e., the gap between two aggregated samples in time domain is 1 slot). This example is non-limiting and the embodiment can be extended to any number of X, K, and m.

[0092] In another embodiment, an aperiodic CSI-RS burst for channel measurement for up to128 CSI-RS ports is configured via K NZP CSI-RS resource sets, wherein each of the K NZP CSI-RS resource sets has X NZP CSI-RS resources and forms an aggregated resource of up to 128 ports. The fcth sample in the aperiodic CSI-RS burst is formed by the fcth NZP CSI-RS resource set. An example of this embodiment is shown in Figure 7 where X = 2, K = 4, and m = 2.

[0093] Details Regarding Triggering (e.g., Step 502 of Figure 5):

[0094] In existing NR, only a single aperiodic CSI-RS resource set associated to a CSI report configuration can be triggered at a time. When multiple CSI-RS resource sets are associated to a CSI report Config, enhancements of the existing triggering mechanism is needed.

[0095] In one embodiment, the existing “CSI-AssociatedReportConfiglnfo” InformationElement (IE) is extended as shown below, where multiple NZP-CSI-RS resource sets can be triggered for a CSI report config. Optionally, multiple CSI-IM resource sets can also be triggered for a CSI report config.

[0096] The existing IE in NR is as follows:CS I-AssociatedReportConf iglnfo : : = SEQUENCE { reportConf igld CS I -Report Conf igld, resourcesForChannel CHOICE { nzp-CS I-RS SEQUENCE { resourceSet INTEGER( 1 . . maxNrofNZP-CS I-RS-ResourceSetsPerConf ig) , qcl-info SEQUENCE( S I ZE ( 1 . . maxNrofAP-CS I-RS-ResourcesPerSet ) ) OF TCI-StateldOPTIONAL -- Cond Aperiodic } , csi-SSB-ResourceSet INTEGER( 1 . . maxNrofCS I-SSB-ResourceSetsPerConf ig) } , csi- IM-ResourcesForlnterf erence INTEGER ( 1 . . maxNrofCS I-IM-ResourceSetsPerConf ig) OPTIONAL, — Cond CS I-IM- For Interference nzp-CS I-RS -Re sources For Interference INTEGER ( 1 . . maxNrofNZP-CS I-RS-ResourceSetsPerConf ig) OPTIONAL, — Cond NZP-CS I-RS-Forlnterf erence

[0097] A possible enhancement of this IE, may look , for example, as follows (the exemplary enhancement are in italic, for emphasis):CS I-AssociatedReportConf iglnfo : : = SEQUENCE { reportConf igld CS I -Report Conf igld, resourcesForChannel CHOICE { nzp-CS I-RS SEQUENCE { resourceSet SEQUENCE(SIZE (l . . maxNrofNZP-CSI-RS-ResourceSetsPerConfig) ) OF NZP-CSI-RS -Re sourceSet Id, qcl-info SEQUENCE( S I ZE ( 1 . . maxNrofAP-CS I-RS-ResourcesPerSet ) ) OF TCI-StateldOPTIONAL -- Cond Aperiodic } , csi-SSB-ResourceSet INTEGER( 1 . . maxNrofCS I-SSB-ResourceSetsPerConf ig) } , csi- IM-Re sources For Interference SEQUENCE(SIZE (l . . maxNrofCSI-IM-ResourceSetsPerConfig) ) OF CSI-IM- ResourceSetld OPTIONAL, -- Cond CS I- IM-Forlnterf erence nzp-CS I-RS -Re sources For Interference INTEGER( 1 . . maxNrofNZP-CS I-RS-ResourceSetsPerConf ig) OPTIONAL, — Cond NZP-CS I-RS-Forlnterf erence

[0098] Figure 8 is a flow chart that illustrates a method performed by a network node (e.g., a gNB in this example embodiment) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Note that this process is complementary to the process performed by the UE described above, e.g., with respect to Figure 5. Therefore, details provided with respect to Figures 5-7, are also applicable. The method comprises one or more of the following steps:• Step 800 A. The gNB transmits, to a UE, a configuration of a C SI report configuration for either a eTypell-predicted PMI codebook based CSI reporting or a feTypell-PS-predicted PMI codebook based CSI reporting, wherein the CSI reporting is for more than 32 antenna ports.• Step 800B. The gNB transmits, to the UE, an indication of one or more aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration.• Step 802. The gNB transmits, to the UE, a DCI that triggers one or more of the following: one or more Aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets; and / or a CSI report on PUSCH based on either a eTypell-predicted PMI codebook or a feTypell-PS-predicted PMI codebook.• Step 804. The gNB receives, from the UE, the CSI, determined based on channel measurements performed by the UE based on a determination of how to aggregate the NZP CSI-RS resources in the one or more aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets.

[0099] Figure 9 shows an example of a communication system 900 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0100] In the example, the communication system 900 includes a telecommunication network 902 that includes an access network 904, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 906, which includes one or more core network nodes 908. The access network 904 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 910A and 910B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 910), 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 902 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 902 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 902, including one or more network nodes 910 and / or core network nodes 908.

[0101] 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 Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and OrchestrationFramework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 910 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 912A, 912B, 912C, and 912D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 912) to the core network 906 over one or more wireless connections.

[0102] 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 900 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 900 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0103] The UEs 912 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 910 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 910 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 912 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 902 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 902.

[0104] In the depicted example, the core network 906 connects the network nodes 910 to one or more hosts, such as host 916. 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 906 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 908) 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 908. 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).

[0105] The host 916 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 904 and / or the telecommunication network 902, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 916 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.

[0106] As a whole, the communication system 900 of Figure 9 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 900 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 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.

[0107] In some examples, the telecommunication network 902 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 902 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 902. For example, the telecommunication network 902 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 (loT) services to yet further UEs.

[0108] In some examples, the UEs 912 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 904 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 904. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) or multi-standardmode. 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).

[0109] In the example, a hub 914 communicates with the access network 904 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 912C and / or 912D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 91 OB). In some examples, the hub 914 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 914 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 906 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 914 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 910, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 914. As another example, the hub 914 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 914 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 914 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 914 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 914 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0110] The hub 914 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 910B. The hub 914 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 914 and UEs (e.g., UE 912C and / or 912D), and between the hub 914 and the core network 906. In other examples, the hub 914 is connected to the core network 906 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 914 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 904 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 910 while still connected via the hub 914 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 914 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 910B. In other embodiments, the hub 914 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 910B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0111] Note that the functionality of the network node or gNB described above (e.g., with respect to Figures 9-14) may be implemented in any one of the network nodes 910, and the functionality of the UE described above (e.g., with respect to Figures 9-14) may be implemented in any one of the UEs 912. In this regard, the network node910 may be a multi-TRP network node (e.g., a gNB having multiple TRPs).

[0112] Figure 10 shows a UE 1000 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.

[0113] A UE may support Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Vehi cl e-to- Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), or Vehicle- to-Everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller).Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0114] The UE 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1004 to an input / output interface 1006, a power source 1008, memory 1010, a communication interface 1012, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 10. 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.

[0115] The processing circuitry 1002 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 1010. The processing circuitry 1002 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 1002 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0116] In the example, the input / output interface 1006 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 1000. 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.

[0117] In some embodiments, the power source 1008 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 1008 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1008 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1000 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1008. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1008 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1000 to which power is supplied.

[0118] The memory 1010 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), ErasablePROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1010 includes one or more application programs 1014, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1016. The memory 1010 may store, for use by the UE 1000, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0119] The memory 1010 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 1010 may allow the UE 1000 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 1010, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0120] The processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1012. The communication interface 1012 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1022. The communication interface 1012 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 1018 and / or a receiver 1020 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1018 and receiver 1020 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 1022) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0121] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1012 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWANcommunication, 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.

[0122] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1012, 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).

[0123] 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.

[0124] A UE, when in the form of an loT device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are 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- oritem-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1000 shown in Figure 10.

[0125] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3 GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3 GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship, an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0126] 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.

[0127] Figure 11 shows a network node 1100 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, APs (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR Node Bs (gNBs)), and 0-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., 0-RU, 0-DU, O- CU).

[0128] 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 0-RAN access node), and / orRemote 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).

[0129] 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).

[0130] The network node 1100 includes processing circuitry 1102, memory 1104, a communication interface 1106, and a power source 1108. The network node 1100 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 1100 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 1100 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 1104 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1110 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1100 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1100, 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 1100.

[0131] The processing circuitry 1102 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 1100 components, such as the memory 1104, to provide network node 1100 functionality.

[0132] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 includes a System on a Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 includes one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1112 and baseband processing circuitry 1114. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1112 and the baseband processing circuitry 1114 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 1112 and the baseband processing circuitry 1114 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0133] The memory 1104 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 1102. The memory 1104 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 1102 and utilized by the network node 1100. The memory 1104 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1102 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1106. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 and the memory 1104 are integrated.

[0134] The communication interface 1106 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 1106 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1116 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1106 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1118 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1110. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 comprises filters 1120 and amplifiers 1122. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 may be connected to the antenna 1110 and the processing circuitry 1102. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 1110 and the processing circuitry 1102. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 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 1118 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 1120 and / or the amplifiers 1122. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1110. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1110 may collect radio signals whichare then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1118. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1102. In other embodiments, the communication interface 1106 may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0135] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1100 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1118; instead, the processing circuitry 1102 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1110. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1112 is part of the communication interface 1106. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1106 includes the one or more ports or terminals 1116, the radio front-end circuitry 1118, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1112 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1106 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1114, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0136] The antenna 1110 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1110 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1118 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1110 is separate from the network node 1100 and connectable to the network node 1100 through an interface or port.

[0137] The antenna 1110, the communication interface 1106, and / or the processing circuitry 1102 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1100. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1110, the communication interface 1106, and / or the processing circuitry 1102 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1100. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0138] The power source 1108 provides power to the various components of the network node 1100 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1108 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1100 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1100 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 1108. As a further example, the power source 1108 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery packwhich is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0139] Embodiments of the network node 1100 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 11 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 1100 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1100 and to allow output of information from the network node 1100. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1100.

[0140] Figure 12 is a block diagram of a host 1200, which may be an embodiment of the host 916 of Figure 9, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1200 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 1200 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0141] The host 1200 includes processing circuitry 1202 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1204 to an input / output interface 1206, a network interface 1208, a power source 1210, and memory 1212. 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 10 and 11, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host 1200.

[0142] The memory 1212 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1214 and data 1216, which may include user data, e.g. data generated by a UE for the host 1200 or data generated by the host 1200 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1200 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1214 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 1214 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 1200 may select and / orindicate a different host for Over-The-Top (OTT) services for a UE. The host application programs 1214 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.

[0143] Figure 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1300 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 1300 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 1300 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.

[0144] Applications 1302 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 1300 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0145] Hardware 1304 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1306 (also referred to as hypervisors or VM Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1308A and 1308B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1308), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1306 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1308.

[0146] The VMs 1308 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1306.Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1302 may be implemented on one or more of the VMs 1308, 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.

[0147] In the context of NFV, a VM 1308 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 1308, and that part of the hardware 1304 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs 1308, 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 1308 on top of the hardware 1304 and corresponds to the application 1302.

[0148] The hardware 1304 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 1304 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1304 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 1310, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 1302. In some embodiments, the hardware 1304 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 1312 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0149] Figure 14 shows a communication diagram of a host 1402 communicating via a network node 1404 with a UE 1406 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as the UE 912A of Figure 9 and / or the UE 1000 of Figure 10), the network node (such as the network node 910A of Figure 9 and / or the network node 1100 of Figure 11), and the host (such as the host 916 of Figure 9 and / or the host 1200 of Figure 12) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 14.

[0150] Like the host 1200, embodiments of the host 1402 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1402 also includessoftware, which is stored in or is accessible by the host 1402 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 1406 connecting via an OTT connection 1450 extending between the UE 1406 and the host 1402. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1450.

[0151] The network node 1404 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1402 and the UE 1406. The connection 1460 may be direct or pass through a core network (like the core network 906 of Figure 9) 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.

[0152] The UE 1406 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by the UE 1406 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 1406 with the support of the host 1402. In the host 1402, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1450 terminating at the UE 1406 and the host 1402. 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 1450 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 1450.

[0153] The OTT connection 1450 may extend via the connection 1460 between the host 1402 and the network node 1404 and via a wireless connection 1470 between the network node 1404 and the UE 1406 to provide the connection between the host 1402 and the UE 1406. The connection 1460 and the wireless connection 1470, over which the OTT connection 1450 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1402 and the UE 1406 via the network node 1404, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0154] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1450, in step 1408, the host 1402 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 1406. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1406 that shares data with the host 1402 without explicit human interaction. In step 1410, the host 1402 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1406. The host 1402 may initiate the transmissionresponsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1406. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1406 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1406. The transmission may pass via the network node 1404 in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1412, the network node 1404 transmits to the UE 1406 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1402 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1414, the UE 1406 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1406 associated with the host application executed by the host 1402.

[0155] In some examples, the UE 1406 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1402. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1402. Accordingly, in step 1416, the UE 1406 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 1406. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1406 initiates, in step 1418, transmission of the user data towards the host 1402 via the network node 1404. In step 1420, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1404 receives user data from the UE 1406 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1402. In step 1422, the host 1402 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1406.

[0156] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1406 using the OTT connection 1450, in which the wireless connection 1470 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.

[0157] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1402. As another example, the host 1402 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1402 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1402 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1402 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 1402 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time criticalelectrical 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.

[0158] 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 1450 between the host 1402 and the UE 1406 in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1450 may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1402 and / or the UE 1406. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1450 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 1450 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1404. 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 1402. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1450 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0159] 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 functionalitymay 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.

[0160] 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.

[0161] 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.

[0162] Some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are as follows:Group A Embodiments

[0163] Embodiment 1 : A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising any one or more of the following:• receiving (500A) from a gNB configuration of a CSI report configuration for either a eTypell-predicted PMI codebook based CSI reporting or a feTypell-PS-predicted PMI codebook based CSI reporting, wherein the CSI reporting is for more than 32 antenna ports;• receiving (500B) from the gNB an indication of one or more Aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration;• receiving (502) a DCI that triggers one or more of the following: one or more Aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets; and / or a CSI report on PUSCH based on either a eTypell-predicted PMI codebook or a feTypell-PS-predicted PMI codebook;• performing (504) channel measurements based on a determination of how to aggregate the NZP CSI-RS resources in the one or more Aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets;• determining (506) CSI based on the channel measurements; and• reporting (508) the CSI.

[0164] Embodiment 2: The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.Group B Embodiments

[0165] Embodiment 3: A method performed by a network node, the method comprising one or more of the following:• transmitting (800A) a configuration of a CSI report configuration for either a eTypell- predicted PMI codebook based CSI reporting or a feTypell-PS-predicted PMI codebook based CSI reporting, wherein the CSI reporting is for more than 32 antenna ports;• transmitting (800B) an indication of one or more Aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration.• Transmitting (802) a DCI that triggers one or more of the following: one or more Aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets; and / or a CSI report on PUSCH based on either a eTypell-predicted PMI codebook or a feTypell-PS-predicted PMI codebook;• receiving (804) the CSI determined based on channel measurements performed by the UE based on a determination of how to aggregate the NZP CSI-RS resources in the one or more Aperiodic CSI-RS resource sets.

[0166] Embodiment 4: The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: obtaining user data; and forwarding the user data to a host or a user equipment.Group C Embodiments

[0167] Embodiment 5: 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.

[0168] Embodiment 6: A 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.

[0169] Embodiment 7: A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processingcircuitry, 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.

[0170] Embodiment 8: 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.

[0171] Embodiment 9: 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.

[0172] Embodiment 10: A method implemented in a host configured to operate 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 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.

[0173] Embodiment 11 :. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.

[0174] Embodiment 12: 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.

[0175] Embodiment 13:. 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 acommunication 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.

[0176] Embodiment 14:. The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the UE.

[0177] Embodiment 15: 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.

[0178] Embodimentl6: 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.

[0179] Embodiment 17: The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0180] Embodiment 18: 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.

[0181] Embodiment 19:. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.

[0182] Embodiment 20: 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.

[0183] Embodiment 21 : 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.

[0184] Embodiment 22: 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.

[0185] Embodiment 23 : 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.

[0186] Embodiment 24: 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.

[0187] Embodiment 25: 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.

[0188] Embodiment 26: 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.

[0189] Embodiment 27: 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.

[0190] Embodiment 28: 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.

[0191] Embodiment 29: 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.

[0192] Embodiment 30: 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.

[0193] Embodiment 31 : 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

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: receiving (500A), from a network node, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted Precoding Matrix Indicator, PMI, based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSLRS burst with K>1 CSLRS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports; receiving (500B), from the network node, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic Non-Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI- RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32; receiving (502) a Downlink Control Information, DCI, that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration; determining (504) K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports; performing (504) channel measurements on the K aggregated CSI-RS resources; determining (506) CSI based on the channel measurements; and reporting (508) the CSI to the network node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining (504) the K aggregated CSI-RS resources comprises determining (504) the K aggregated CSI-RS resources such that: a first X NZP CSI-RS resources of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form a first aggregated CSI-RS resource having X-Y > 32 antenna ports; and a second X NZP CSI-RS resources of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form a second aggregated CSI-RS resource having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining (504) the K aggregated CSI-RS resources is further such that a last X NZP CSI-RS resources of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form a Kthaggregated CSI-RS resource having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the NZP CSI-RS resources in the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS set are indexed from 0 to Z-l where Z= X-K, and determining (504) the K aggregated CSI-RS resources comprises determining (504) the K aggregated CSI-RS resources such that for the 1thaggregated CSI-RS resource for i=0, 1, . . K-l, NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set indexed by X-i+j where j=0, 1, . . X-l are aggregated to form the 1thaggregated CSI-RS resource.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein adjacent aggregated CSI-RS resources from among the K aggregated CSI-RS resources are separated by a configurable number of slots.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein a zth(z=l,2, . . . ,Z) NZP CSI-RS resource in the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set is a NZP CSI-RS resource corresponding to a zthNZP CSI-RS resource identity configured as part of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set.

7. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein all of the NZP CSI-RS resources that are aggregated to form the same aggregated CSI-RS resource are contained within a same slot.

8. The method of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein all of the NZP CSI-RS resources that are aggregated to form the same aggregated CSI-RS resource are contained within consecutive slots.

9. The method of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the codebook for predicted PMI is one of enhanced type-II codebook for predicted PMI or further enhanced Type-II Port Selection, PS, codebook for predicted PMI.

10. A User Equipment, UE, adapted to: receive (500 A), from a network node, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted Precoding Matrix Indicator, PMI, based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K>1 CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports; receive (500B), from the network node, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic Non-Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI- RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32; receive (502) a Downlink Control Information, DCI, that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI- RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration; determine (504) K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZPCSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports; perform (504) channel measurements on the K aggregated CSI-RS resources; determine (506) CSI based on the channel measurements; and report (508) the CSI to the network node.

11. The UE of claim 10, further adapted to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 9.

12. A User Equipment, UE, (1000) comprising: a communication interface (1012) comprising a transmitter (1018) and a receiver (1020); and processing circuitry (1002) associated with the communication interface (1012), the processing circuity (1002) configured to cause the UE (1000) to: receive (500A), from a network node, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted Precoding Matrix Indicator, PMI, based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI- RS burst with K>1 CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports; receive (500B), from the network node, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic Non-Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32; receive (502) a Downlink Control Information, DCI, that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration; determine (504) K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports; perform (504) channel measurements on the K aggregated CSI-RS resources; determine (506) CSI based on the channel measurements; and report (508) the CSI to the network node.

13. The UE (1000) of claim 12, wherein the processing circuitry (1002) is further configure to cause the UE (1000) to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 9.

14. A method performed by a network node for a Radio Access Network, RAN, of a telecommunications network, the method comprising: transmitting (800A) to a User Equipment, UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted Precoding Matrix Indicator, PMI, based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K>1 CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports; transmitting (800B), to the UE, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic Non-Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32; transmitting (802), to the UE, a Downlink Control Information, DCI, that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration; and receiving (804), from the UE, CSI reported in accordance with the CSI report configuration, wherein the CSI is determined based on channel measurements performed by the UE on K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the K aggregated CSI-RS resources are such that: a first X NZP CSI-RS resources of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form a first aggregated CSI-RS resource having X-Y > 32 antenna ports; and a second X NZP CSI-RS resources of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form a second aggregated CSI-RS resource having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the K aggregated CSI-RS resources are further such that a last X NZP CSI-RS resources of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set are aggregated to form a Kthaggregated CSI-RS resource having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the NZP CSI-RS resources in the aperiodic NZP CSI- RS set are indexed from 0 to Z-l where Z= X-K and, for the 1thaggregated CSI-RS resource for i=0, 1, . . ., K-l, NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set indexed by X(i)+j where j=0, 1, . . ., X-l are aggregated to form the 1thaggregated CSI-RS resource.

18. The method of any of claims 14 to 17, wherein adjacent aggregated CSI-RS resources from among the K aggregated CSI-RS resources are separated by a configurable number of slots.

19. The method of any of claims 14 to 18, wherein a zth(z=l,2,. . ,,Z) NZP CSI-RS resource in the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set is a NZP CSI-RS resource corresponding to a zthNZP CSI-RS resource identity configured as part of the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set.

20. The method of any of claims 14 to 19, wherein all of the NZP CSI-RS resources that are aggregated to form the same aggregated CSI-RS resource are contained within a same slot.

21. The method of any of claims 14 to 19, wherein all of the NZP CSI-RS resources that are aggregated to form the same aggregated CSI-RS resource are contained within consecutive slots.

22. The method of any of claims 14 to 21, wherein the codebook for predicted PMI is one of enhanced type-II codebook for predicted PMI or further enhanced Type-II Port Selection, PS, codebook for predicted PMI.

23. A network node for a Radio Access Network, RAN, of a telecommunications network, the network node adapted to: transmit (800A) to a User Equipment, UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted Precoding Matrix Indicator, PMI, based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports; transmit (800B), to the UE, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic NonZero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32; transmit (802), to the UE, a Downlink Control Information, DCI, that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration; and receive (804), from the UE, CSI reported in accordance with the CSI report configuration, wherein the CSI is determined based on channel measurements performed by the UE on K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resourcesfrom the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.

24. The network node of claim 23, further adapted to perform the method of any of claims 15 to 22.

25. A network node for a Radio Access Network, RAN, of a telecommunications network, the network node comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the network node to: transmit (800A) to a User Equipment, UE, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted Precoding Matrix Indicator, PMI, based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports; transmit (800B), to the UE, information that configures the UE with an aperiodic NonZero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource set for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set comprising a plurality of NZP CSI-RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32; transmit (802), to the UE, a Downlink Control Information, DCI, that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration; and receive (804), from the UE, CSI reported in accordance with the CSI report configuration, wherein the CSI is determined based on channel measurements performed by the UE on K aggregated CSI-RS resources each being an aggregation of X NZP CSI-RS resources from the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and having X-Y > 32 antenna ports.

26. The network node of claim 25, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to cause the network node to perform the method of any of claims 15 to 22.

27. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: receiving (500A), from a network node, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted Precoding Matrix Indicator, PMI, based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K>1 CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports; receiving (500B), from the network node, information that configures the UE with X aperiodic Non-Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource sets for channel measurements for the CSIreport configuration, each of the X aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource sets comprising K NZP CSI- RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32; receiving (502) a Downlink Control Information, DCI, that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration; determining (504) K aggregated CSI-RS resources such that, for each 1thaggregated CSI- RS resource from among the K aggregated CSI-RS resources, the ithaggregated CSI-RS resource is an aggregation of an 1thNZP CSI-RS resource from each of the X aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource sets such that the 1thaggregated CSI-RS resource has X-Y > 32 antenna ports; performing (504) channel measurements on the K aggregated CSI-RS resources; determining (506) CSI based on the channel measurements; and reporting (508) the CSI to the network node.

28. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: receiving (500A), from a network node, a Channel State Information, CSI, report configuration that configures the UE to report CSI based on a codebook for predicted Precoding Matrix Indicator, PMI, based on channel measurements on an aperiodic CSI-RS burst with K CSI-RS resources each comprising more than 32 antenna ports; receiving (500B), from the network node, information that configures the UE with K>1 aperiodic Non-Zero Power, NZP, CSI-RS resource sets for channel measurements for the CSI report configuration, each of the K aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource sets comprising X NZP CSI- RS resources each comprising Y antenna ports, wherein Y is an integer value that is less than or equal to 32; receiving (502) a Downlink Control Information, DCI, that triggers the aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resource set and / or a CSI report based on the CSI report configuration; determining (504) K aggregated CSI-RS resources such that, for each 1thaggregated CSI- RS resource from among the K aggregated CSI-RS resources, the ithaggregated CSI-RS resource is an aggregation of the X aperiodic NZP CSI-RS resources in the ithaperiodic NZP-CSI-RS resource set such that the 1thaggregated CSI-RS resource has X-Y > 32 antenna ports; performing (504) channel measurements on the K aggregated CSI-RS resources; determining (506) CSI based on the channel measurements; and reporting (508) the CSI to the network node.

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