Inter-node communication for on-demand SIB1 transmission

Abstract

Embodiments of a method in a base station for requesting on-demand SIB1 transmission. A first logical entity of the first network node providing, to a second logical entity of the first network node, a Wake-Up Signal, WUS, configuration of a first cell of the first network node. The second logical entity receives, from the first logical entity, the WUS configuration of the first cell. The WUS configuration of the first cell defines a manner in which a UE can request transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell. The second logical entity sends, to a logical entity of a second network node, a request to start providing the WUS configuration of the first cell in at least one cell of the second network node.

Description

INTER-NODE COMMUNICATION FOR ON-DEMAND SIB1 TRANSMISSIONTechnical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to network management, and in particular to inter-node communication for on-demand sibl transmission.BackgroundNetwork energy saving in 3 GPP

[0002] Energy consumption is a considerable challenge for 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3 GPP) 5thGeneration (5G) systems today, where a major contributor to the energy consumption are the radio units in the Radio Access Network (RAN). The network power consumption for New Radio (NR) is said to be less than for Long Term Evolution (LTE) because of the lean design of NR, i.e., there is no Cellspecific Reference Signal (CRS) and the Synchronization Signal (SS) / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) Block (SSB) periodicity is 20 milliseconds (ms) by default. Even so, NR systems, based on the current implementation, may consume more energy than LTE systems, partly due to higher system bandwidths, shorter transmission time intervals, and a massive number of antennas. However, they still consume a lot of energy even when cells and beams are lightly loaded, or when they serve no traffic or no users / User Equipments (UEs) at all.

[0003] To enable more energy-efficient 5G networks, 3GPP initiated a study item (SI) on network energy savings for NR, which was concluded with the outcome captured in 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 38.864 VI 8.1.0. In this SI, new techniques like network discontinuous reception (called cell Discontinuous Reception (DRX), similar to UE Connected mode DRX (C-DRX)) and on-demand System Information Block (SIB) #1 (SIB1) transmission were studied. According to 3GPP TR 38.864, on- demand SIB1 transmission may bring network energy saving gains of up to 38.8%, at empty / zero load as compared to the baseline with 20ms SSB and SIB1 period and 8 beams per cell.

[0004] Following the SI, a first work item (WI) on network energy savings for NR has been approved at RAN#98 and a subset of network energy saving techniques was already specified in Release 18 (see RP-223540, “New WID: Network energy savings for NR”). On-demand SIB1 transmission was not in the scope of Rel-18. However, for Release 19, the work item description (WID) for a new WI on enhancements of network energy savings for NR has been approved at RAN#102 (see RP-234065, “New WID: Enhancements of network energy savings for NR”). The objectives of the Rel-19 WI are the following:1. Specify procedures and signaling method(s) to support on-demand SSB Secondary Cell (SCell) operation for UEs in connected mode configured with Carrier Aggregation (CA), for both intra- / inter-band CA.• Specify triggering method(s) (select from UE uplink wake-up-signal using an existing signal / channel, cell on / off indication via backhaul, Scell activation / deactivation signaling)• Notel : On-demand SSB transmission can be used by UE for at least SCell time / frequency synchronization, Layer 1 (LI) / Layer 3 (L3) measurements and SCell activation, and is supported for Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2) in non-shared spectrum.2. Study procedures and signaling method(s) to support on-demand SIB1 for UEs in idle / inactive mode, including:• Triggering method by uplink wake-up-signal using an existing signal / channel.• Wake-up-signal configuration provisioning to UE• Note: No modification of SSB will be discussed under this objective• Information exchange between gNBs at least for the configuration of wake-up signal, if necessary.• Checkpoint for normative work in RAN#1053. Specify adaptation of common signal / channel transmissions.• Adaptation of SSB in time domain, e.g. adapting periodicity• Adaptation of Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) in time domain• Study adaptation of PRACH in spatial domain, e.g. non-uniform PRACH resources per SSB, and specify if found beneficialThis study is to be done in 2Q’2O24 only• Adaptation of paging occasions including confining the paging occasions in the time domainNote: there shall be no paging latency increase• Note: there shall be no negative impact to legacy UEs, unless significant benefits are shown4. Specify the corresponding core requirements, for the above features.

[0005] There currently exist certain challenge(s). A Wake-Up Signal (WUS) is being discussed in 3 GPP Rel-19 for requesting on-demand SIB1. The basic idea of WUS configuration exchange between NR base stations (i.e., gNodeBs (gNBs)) has been established. However, the signaling details of this have not yet been discussed.

[0006] With the existing technology, a first gNB (gNB A) cannot understand whether another gNB (gNB B) is able and willing to provide gNB A’s WUS configuration, e.g., the WUS configuration for a cell of the gNB A for which the gNB A wants to switch from periodic SIB1 transmission mode to on-demand SIB1 transmission mode. It also cannot determine whether this WUS configuration is or is not provided by the other gNB B at a certain time.

[0007] Apart from shortcomings in inter-gNB communication, for disaggregated gNB, where the gNB is split into a Centralized Unit (CU, also referred to as a gNB-CU) and Distributed Unit (DU, also referred to as a gNB-DU), there are many open issues that have not been addressed yet, including the responsibility / functional split between CU and DU as well as the necessary intra-gNB communication over the Fl interface to enable on-demand SIB1 transmission in a coordinated manner.

[0008] There is thus a need to develop inter- and intra-gNB communication aspects to enable on-demand SIB1 transmission in a controlled way, without unexpected UE impact and side effects such as lack in capacity and loss of coverage for UEs.

[0009] There is also a need to develop a solution for the case where the involved gNBs do not have Xn interface connectivity.Summary

[0010] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0011] An aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for inter- node communication for system information on-demand transmission performed by a first network node comprising a first logical entity and a second logical entity. The method may comprise any one or more of:• at the first logical entity of the first network node: providing, to the second logical entity of the first network node, a Wake-Up Signal, WUS, configuration of a cell of the first network node. The WUS configuration defines a manner in which a UE can request transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node; and• at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving, from the first logical entity of the first network node, the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node; and sending, to a logical entity of a second network node, a request to start providing the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node.

[0012] Some embodiments further include:• at the first logical entity of the first network node: providing, to the second logical entity, an explicit indication of a request or desire for transmission of system information on- demand in the first cell;at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving, from the first logical entity, the explicit indication of the request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell.

[0013] In some embodiments, the WUS configuration of the first cell and the explicit indication of the request or desire for transmission of system information on- demand in the first cell are provided together in a single message.

[0014] In some embodiments, providing the WUS configuration of the first cell from the first logical entity to the second logical entity serves as an implicit indication of a request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node.

[0015] In some embodiments, sending, to the logical entity of the second network node, the request to start providing the WUS configuration of the first cell in at least one cell of the second network node, is responsive to the indication of the request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell.

[0016] Some embodiments further comprise, at the second logical entity of the first network node:• receiving, from the logical entity of the second network node, an indication that the WUS configuration of the first cell is being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node; and• sending, to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is permitted.

[0017] In some embodiments, the indication that the WUS configuration of the first cell is being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node is received either: directly from the logical entity of the second network node; or indirectly from the logical entity of the second network node, via a network function.

[0018] Some embodiments further comprise, at the first logical entity of the first network node:• receiving, from the second logical entity of the first network node, the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is permitted; and• transmitting system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is permitted.

[0019] Some embodiments further comprise, at the second logical entity of the first network node, sending, to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is permitted.

[0020] Some embodiments further comprise, at the first logical entity of the first network node:• receiving, from the second logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is permitted; and• transmitting system information on-demand in the first cell in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is permitted.

[0021] Some embodiments further comprise, at the second logical entity of the first network node:• receiving, from the logical entity of the second network node, an indication that the WUS configuration of the first cell is not being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node; and• sending, to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted.

[0022] In some embodiments, the indication that the WUS configuration of the first cell is not being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node is received either: directly from the logical entity of the second network node; or indirectly from the logical entity of the second network node, via a network function.

[0023] Some embodiments further comprise, at the first logical entity of the first network node:• receiving, from the second logical entity of the first network node, the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted; and• refraining from transmitting or ceasing transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted.

[0024] Some embodiments further comprise, at the second logical entity of the first network node: sending, to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted.

[0025] Some embodiments further comprise, at the first logical entity of the first network node:• receiving, from the second logical entity of the first network node, the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted; and• refraining from transmitting or ceasing transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted.

[0026] Some embodiments further comprise, at the second logical entity of the first network node, sending, to the logical entity of the second network node, an indicationto stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the first cell in the at least one cell of the second network node.

[0027] In some embodiments, the indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the first cell in the at least one cell of the second network node is sent either: directly to the logical entity of the second network node; or indirectly to the logical entity of the second network node, via a network function.

[0028] In some embodiments, sending the indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the first cell in the at least one cell of the second network node is triggered by the second logical entity of the first network node.

[0029] Some embodiments further comprise, at the second logical entity of the first network node, sending, to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted.

[0030] In some embodiments, sending the indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the first cell of the first network node in the at least one cell of the second network node is triggered by the first logical entity of the first network node.

[0031] Some embodiments further comprise, at the first logical entity of the first network node, sending, to the second logical entity of the first network node, an indication to revoke the WUS configuration.

[0032] Some embodiments further comprise, at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving the indication to revoke the WUS configuration; and in response, sending, to the logical entity of the second network node, an indication to stop providing the WUS configuration of the first cell in the at least one cell of the second network node.

[0033] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a first network node for inter-node communication for system information on-demand transmission. The first network node comprises: processing circuitry configured to perform any one or more of:o at the first logical entity of the first network node: providing (200a; 400a), to the second logical entity of the first network node, a Wake- Up Signal, WUS, configuration of a cell of the first network node, the WUS configuration defining a manner in which a UE can request transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node; and o at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving (200a; 400a), from the first logical entity of the first network node, the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node; and sending (202a; 402a), to a logical entity of a second network node, a request to start providing the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node; and• power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0034] In some embodiments the first network node is gNB.

[0035] In some embodiments the first logical entity is a Distributed Unit, DU, of the first network node, and the second logical entity is a Centralized Unit, CU, of the first network node.

[0036] In some embodiments the second network node is a second gNB, and the logical entity of the second network node is a Centralized Unit, CU, of the second network node.

[0037] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for inter- node communication for system information on-demand transmission performed by a first network node. The method comprises receiving, from a logical entity of a second network node, a request to start providing a Wake-Up Signal, WUS, configuration of a cell of the second network node in at least one cell of the first network node, the WUS configuration defining a manner in which a UE can request transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the second network node.

[0038] Some embodiments further comprise sending, to the logical entity of the second network node, an indication that the WUS configuration of the cell of the second network node is being transmitted in the at least one cell of the first network node.

[0039] Some embodiments further comprise sending, to the logical entity of the second network node, an indication that the WUS configuration of the cell of the second network node is not being transmitted in the at least one cell of the first network node.

[0040] Some embodiments further comprise receiving, from the logical entity of the second network node, an indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the cell of the second network node in the at least one cell of the first network node.

[0041] A further aspect of the present disclosure provides a second network node for inter-node communication for system information on-demand transmission. The second network node comprises:• processing circuitry configured to perform: receiving, from a logical entity of a first network node, a request to start providing a Wake-Up Signal, WUS, configuration of a cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node, the WUS configuration defining a manner in which a UE can request transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node; and• power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0042] In some embodiments: the second network node is a gNB.

[0043] In some embodiments: the first network node is a gNB; and the logical entity of the first network node is a Centralized Unit, CU, of the first network node.

[0044] Embodiments of the present disclosure include embodiments of a first method for a gNB-DU to provide to a gNB-CU a WUS configuration, and further, toindicate to the gNB-CU, an interest in the activation of on-demand SIB1 transmission (i.e., omission of periodic SIB1 transmission).

[0045] Moreover, embodiments of a present disclosure include embodiments of a second method for a first gNB to request a second gNB to start or stop providing (e.g., starting or stopping periodic or on-demand transmission of) a WUS configuration on its behalf and to be informed by the second gNB about the WUS configuration provision status and / or WUS configuration provision status changes.

[0046] In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure include embodiments of a third method for a gNB-CU and a gNB-DU to coordinate the activation of on-demand SIB1 transmission (i.e., the omission of periodic SIB1 transmission). This is achieved by the gNB-CU permitting (i.e., allowing) the gNB-DU on-demand SIB1 operation. For example, the gNB-CU can give or revoke a permission to activate on-demand SIB1 transmission (i.e., to omit periodic SIB1 transmission).

[0047] Apart from the above-mentioned aspects, embodiments of the present disclosure provide means for a gNB-CU to provide to a gNB-DU one or more WUS configurations for one or more cells not owned by the gNB-DU, e.g., in form of a new system information block (SIB), herein referred to as SIBx, and further, to update or revoke those WUS configurations, e.g., SIBx.

[0048] When Xn interface between the first and the second gNB does not exist or is temporarily down, the gNBs can communicate the above information via Core Network (CN). The information can be wrapped in a container (that is transparent for the involved CN node / function) and passed between the gNBs.

[0049] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). Embodiments of the present disclosure solve several open issues for on- demand SIB1 transmission, including:Coordination between CU and DU on on-demand SIB1 transmission (periodic SIB1 omission).• Coordination between a gNB with a Network Energy Saving (NES) Cell (which is to be put in on-demand SIB1 transmission mode) and a gNB with a Cell A (from which the WUS configuration for the NES Cell on- demand can be acquired).• Means to ensure a UE can always request / receive a NES Cell’s SIB1.• Means for fallback / revert from on-demand SIB1 transmission to periodic SIB1 transmission, if necessary, e.g., to avoid negative consequences of on-demand SIB1 transmission for UEs and / or the network (NW).

[0050] Embodiments of a base station, communication system, and a method in a communication system are also disclosed.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 principles of the disclosure.

[0052] FIG. 1 shows an example system in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0053] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a process according to embodiments of this disclosure;

[0054] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating steps in a second process according to embodiments of this disclosure;

[0055] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process of FIG. 2;

[0056] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process of FIG. 3;

[0057] FIG. 6 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0058] FIG. 7 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0059] FIG. 8 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0060] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.Detailed Description

[0061] 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.

[0062] At least some of the following abbreviations and terms may be used in this disclosure.• 2D Two Dimensional• 3 GPP Third Generation Partnership Project• 5G Fifth Generation• AAS Antenna Array System• AoA Angle of Arrival• AoD Angle of Departure• ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit• BF Beamforming• BLER Block Error Rate• BW Beamwidth• CPU Central Processing Unit• CSI Channel State Information• dB Decibel• DCI Downlink Control Information• DFT Discrete Fourier Transform• DSP Digital Signal Processor• eNB Enhanced or Evolved Node B• FIR Finite Impulse Response• FPGA Field Programmable Gate Array• gNB New Radio Base Station • ICC Information Carrying Capacity• IIR Infinite Impulse Response• LTE Long Term Evolution• MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output• MME Mobility Management Entity • MMSE Minimum Mean Square Error• MTC Machine Type Communication• NR New Radio• OTT Over-the-Top• PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel • PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel• PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel• P-GW Packet Data Network Gateway• RAM Random Access Memory• ROM Read Only Memory • RRC Radio Resource Control• RRH Remote Radio Head• SCEF Service Capability Exposure Function• SINR Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio• TBS Transmission Block Size • UE User Equipment• U A Uniform Linear Array• URA Uniform Rectangular Array

[0063] Radio Node: As used herein, a “radio node” is either a radio access node or a wireless device.

[0064] Radio Access Node: As used herein, a “radio access node” or “radio network node” is any node in a radio access network of a cellular communications network that operates to wirelessly transmit and / or receive signals. Some examples of a radio access node include, but are not limited to, a base station (e.g., a New Radio (NR) base station (gNB) in a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Fifth Generation (5G) NR network or an enhanced or evolved Node B (eNB) in a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) network), a high-power or macro base station, a low-power base station (e.g., a micro base station, a pico base station, a home eNB, or the like), and a relay node.

[0065] Core Network Node: As used herein, a “core network node” is any type of node in a core network. Some examples of a core network node include, e.g., a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF), or the like.

[0066] Wireless Device: As used herein, a “wireless device” is any type of device that has access to (i.e., is served by) a cellular communications network by wirelessly transmitting (and / or receiving) signals to (and / or from) a radio access node. Some examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, a User Equipment device (UE) in a 3GPP network and a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device.

[0067] Network Node: As used herein, a “network node” is any node that is either part of the radio access network or the core network of a cellular communications network / system.

[0068] Cell: As used herein, a “cell” is a combination of radio resources (such as, for example, antenna port allocation, time and frequency) that a wireless device may use to exchange radio signals with a radio access node, which may be referred to as a host node or a serving node of the cell. However, it is important to note that beams may be used instead of cells, particularly with respect to 5G NR. As such, it should beappreciated that the techniques described herein are equally applicable to both cells and beams.

[0069] Note that references in this disclosure to various technical standards (such as 3GPP TS 38.211 V15.1.0 (2018-03) and 3GPP TS 38.214 V15.1.0 (2018-03), for example) should be understood to refer to the specific version(s) of such standard(s) that is(were) current at the time the present application was filed, and may also refer to applicable counterparts and successors of such versions.

[0070] The description herein focuses on a 3GPP cellular communications system and, as such, 3 GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3 GPP terminology is oftentimes used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to a 3 GPP system.

[0071] Systems and methods are disclosed herein that provide methods for internode communication for system information on-demand transmission.

[0072] FIGs. 1-3 illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure. Note that the figures merely exemplify the present solution, their content is not limiting by any means, and the suggested procedure / message names are only examples.

[0073] FIG. 1 shows an example system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. In the system 100, a first cell 102-1, herein referred to as an NES Cell, provided by a first base station 104-1 (denoted in the example of Figure 1 as gNBl), is able to perform SIB1 transmission on-demand, because a second cell 102-1, herein called “Cell A”, provided by a second base station 104-2 (denoted in the example of Figure 1 as gNB2), provides a WUS configuration of the NES Cell to UEs 106 in RRC Idle / Inactive mode. Note that the first base station 104-1 is referred to in the description herein as “gNBl”, the second base station 104-2 is referred to in the description herein as “gNB2”, the first cell 102-1 is referred to in the description as NES Cell, and the second cell 102-2 is referred to in the description as Cell A. The transmission of the WUS from the RRC Idle / Inactive mode UE 106 to the NES Cell canbe used as an indication to request SIB1 transmissions from the NES cell. The WUS configuration is provided by gNBl to gNB2.

[0074] Note that, without loss of generality, it is assumed the WUS configuration of the NES Cell is provided by Cell A to UEs in a new SIB, herein referred to as SIBx. However, the WUS configuration of NES Cell may just as well be provided by Cell A to UEs in a different way, without any impact to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0075] FIG. 2 shows a flowchart outlining the intra- and inter-gNB signaling steps for initiating on-demand SIB1 transmission in a cell of gNBl, e.g., NES Cell. It also illustrates the signaling steps that are triggered, if the WUS configuration provision at gNB2 is interrupted for some reason, e.g., if Cell A malfunctions or is overloaded, which causes gNBl to fall back to periodic SIB1 transmission. In other words, FIG. 2 is a flowchart outlining the signaling steps for starting of on-demand SIB1 operation and temporality falling back to periodic SIB1 transmission in a cell of gNBl, e.g., a “NES Cell”.

[0076] In FIGs. 2 and 3, it is assumed that the gNBs serving Cell A and the NES cell maintain an Xn connection. In FIGs. 4 and 5, such Xn connection is not existent.

[0077] For the sake of simplicity, the detailed description of the signaling steps below are limited to one cell at gNBl, i.e., NES Cell, and one cell at gNB2, i.e., Cell A. However, as suggested in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 and covered in below in the subsection “Example Embodiments”, the same signaling steps may be applied in case of multiple NES cells and / or multiple Cells A, either sequentially or simultaneously.

[0078] With respect to Figure 2:

[0079] Step 1 (at 200): The DU1 (i.e., the DU of gNBl, which is also denoted as gNB-DUl) indicates to CUI (i.e., the CU of gNBl, which is also denoted as gNB-CUl) interest to put the NES Cell into on-demand SIB1 transmission mode and provides to CUI the WUS configuration of the NES cell. Specifically, in the illustrated example, DU1 sends an F1AP gNB-DU Configuration Update to CUI, where the F1AP gNB-DU Configuration Update include the WUS configuration of the NES cell and an indicationto put the NES Cell into on-demand SIB1 transmission mode (step la). In one variant, the interest to put a cell into on-demand SIB1 transmission mode can be indicated explicitly, e.g., using a dedicated information element (IE) in a message between DU and CU; this is not shown in Figure 2. In another variant, the interest is indicated implicitly by WUS configuration provision from DU1 to CUI. In one example, the DU1 can provide the said information using an enhanced version of the existing gNB- DU Configuration Update procedure in F1AP. CUI may response with an Ack (step lb).

[0080] Step 2 (at 202): CUI requests CU2 (i.e., the CU of gNB2, which is also denoted as gNB-CU2) to provide the WUS configuration of NES Cell in Cell A. For example, the request may be to start transmission of the WUS configuration of the NES Cell in Cell A, e.g., via periodic transmission of the WUS configuration or on-demand transmission of the WUS configuration. The configuration may include a cell identity for a preferred Cell A. In one example, the CU 1 can send a request message using a new procedure in XnAP, e.g., called WUS Configuration Provision (Initiation) procedure or alike (step 202a). If CU2 is able and willing to do so, it can send to CUI a response message or a positive acknowledgement of some kind (step 202b), otherwise it can send to CU2 a failure message or a negative acknowledgement of some kind (not shown in FIG. 2). In case of the former, a third step is triggered.

[0081] Step 3 (at 204): CU2 provides to DU2 (i.e., the DU of gNB2, which is also denoted as gNB-DU2) the WUS configuration of the NES Cell (to be provided to UEs in Cell A). In one variant, UEs camping on or connected to a certain cell may receive the WUS configuration(s) of neighboring cell(s) via a new SIB, herein referred to as SIBx. Note that SIBx may comprise WUS configurations of multiple neighboring cells. In this variant, CU2 may provide to DU2 the WUS configuration of the NES Cell as a new SIBx or an updated SIBx (e.g., in an Fl AP gNB-CU Configuration Update, as shown in step 204a of the illustrated example), depending on whether or not CU2 has already provided to DU2 a version of SIBx at an earlier time. DU2 may send an acknowledgement to CU2 (step 204b).

[0082] Step 4 (at 206): CU2 indicates to CUI that it is providing the WUS configuration of the NES Cell in Cell A, or that the WUS configuration provision is ongoing, e.g., as of now. In one example, the CU2 can send such a status (update) message using a new procedure in XnAP, e.g., called WUS Configuration Provision (Status) procedure or alike. The status message may include a cell identity for an actual Cell A.

[0083] Step 5 (at 208): CUI indicates to DU1 that the NES Cell can (is allowed to) be put into on-demand SIB1 transmission mode, i.e., DU1 can (is allowed to) stop periodically SIB1 transmission in the NES Cell. In other words, CUI gives DU1 on- demand SIB1 transmission permission for NES Cell. In one example, the CUI can provide such a permission using an enhanced version of the existing gNB-CU Configuration Update procedure in Fl AP (at 208a), and DU1 may respond with a corresponding response (at 208b). Hereafter DU1 can put NES Cell into on-demand SIB1 transmission mode at will.

[0084] In regard to step 5 (208), there are two reasons why the CUI needs to indicate to the DU1 that a cell can be put into on-demand SIB1 transmission mode. The first reason is that only the CU knows the network deployment and coverage situation and only the CU can request neighboring gNBs to provide the WUS configuration of a cell; thus only the CU can ensure that all UEs (supporting the on-demand SIB1 transmission feature) can request SIB1 of a cell in on-demand SIB1 transmission mode when needed. Otherwise, the cell may become completely unreachable for some (or all) UEs in the network. The second reason is that only the CU knows the network load situation, locally and in neighboring gNBs, and putting a cell in on-demand SIB1 transmission mode is equal to a cell shutoff for legacy UEs, or any UEs not supporting on-demand SIB1 transmission, because such UEs cannot camp on or connect to such a cell. Note that cell de- / activation is generally in the responsibility of the CU. A cell should thus only be put in on-demand SIB1 transmission mode if (overlaid) neighboring cells with overlapping coverage are not already overloaded or going to beoverloaded as a consequence thereof. For both these reasons, the CU needs to remain some control.

[0085] Step 6 (at 210): In case the WUS configuration provision at gNB2 stops for any reason, CU2 indicates to CUI that Cell A is not providing the WUS configuration of the NES Cell, or that the WUS configuration provision is not ongoing, e.g., for the moment.

[0086] Step 7(at 212): CUI indicates to DU1 that NES Cell cannot (is not allowed to) be put or kept into on-demand SIB1 transmission mode, i.e., DU1 cannot (is forbidden to) perform on-demand SIB1 transmission in NES Cell. In other words, CUI revokes the on-demand SIB1 transmission permission for NES Cell. DU1 must then put NES Cell into periodic SIB1 transmission mode, if not already. In the illustrated example, in step 7, DU1 sends, to CUI, an F1AP gNB-CU Configuration Update including an indication that on-demand SIB1 transmission permission is revoked (at 212a), and DU1 responds with an Ack (at 212b).

[0087] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart outlining the intra- and inter-gNB signaling steps that are necessary to revert on-demand SIB1 transmission in a cell of gNBl, e.g., NES Cell, and return to periodic SIB1 transmission. This may happen, e.g., if gNBl receives so many WUS transmissions (SIB1 requests) from UEs that it identifies that on-demand SIB1 transmission has no positive network energy saving (NES) impact anymore or even has negative NES impact. The provisioning of WUS configurations via Cell A provided by gNB2 is indicated by gNBl to gNB2 to be stopped in the following. In other words, Figure 3 is a flowchart outlining the signaling steps for stopping of on- demand SIB1 operation and semi-statically reverting to periodic SIB1 transmission in a cell of gNBl, e.g., a “NES Cell”.

[0088] With respect to FIG. 3, a semi-static (i.e., non-temporary) switch / return from on-demand SIB1 transmission mode to periodic SIB1 transmission mode may be initiated / desired by either of the two logical entities of a gNB, i.e., CU or DU. Hence there are two options / cases: CU triggered, and DU triggered.

[0089] For the CU-triggered option, in step 300-1, CUI revokes the on-demand SIB1 transmission permission for NES Cell, as described above, and DU1 puts NES Cell into periodic SIB1 transmission mode, if not already. Note that reasons why the CU would do so have been discussed above. More specifically, in the illustrated example, CUI sends, to DU1, an F1AP gNB-CU Configuration Update including an indication that on-demand SIB1 transmission permission is revoked (at 300- la), and DU1 puts the NES Cell into periodic SIB1 transmission mode and may respond with an Ack (at 300- lb).

[0090] For the DU-triggered scenario, in step 300-2, DU1 may, e.g., revoke the WUS configuration of NES Cell, which can be interpreted as an implicit indication that it is not (or no longer) interested to perform SIB1 transmission in NES Cell on demand. More specifically, in the illustrated example, DU1 sends, to CUI, an F1AP gNB-DU Configuration Update including an implicit indication of WUS configuration revocation, i.e., that it is no longer interested in on-demand SIB1 transmission in the NES cell (at 300-2a), and CUI may respond with an ACK (at 300-2b). Alternatively, DU1 explicitly indicates that it is not interested to perform SIB1 transmission in NES Cell on-demand; this is not shown in FIG. 3. A potential reason why the DU would do so has been elaborated above.

[0091] Step 2 (at 302): CUI requests CU2 to not provide, or to stop providing, the WUS configuration of the NES Cell in Cell A, or any cell of gNB2. Again, the CUI may send a request message using a new procedure in XnAP, e.g., called WUS Configuration Provision (Initiation) procedure or alike (at 302a). The request message may include the cell identity of a Cell A. This request, however, is a stop request (or a modification request). Then, CU2 can send to CUI a response message or a positive acknowledgement of some kind (at 302b). In case of an unforeseen failure, CU2 may send to CUI a failure message or a negative acknowledgement of some kind (not shown in FIG. 3). However, the latter should only happen if the stop / modification request message was faulty in some sense, e.g., if it contains an unknown cell identity.

[0092] Step 3 (at 304): CU2 revokes / voids the WUS configuration of the NES Cell (of gNBl) that was provided to DU2 at an earlier time, or informs DU2 that the said WUS configuration must or should no longer be provided to UEs in Cell A. In the variant where UEs obtain the WUS configuration(s) of neighboring cell(s) via a new SIB, SIBx, CU2 may modify / update SIBx, e.g., in case SIBx comprises WUS configurations of multiple neighboring cells and not all of those WUS configurations are to be revoked / voided, or may revoke / void SIBx, e.g., in case SIBx comprises only the WUS configuration of NES Cell. In the illustrated example, step 3 includes CU2 sending an Fl AP gNB-CU Configuration Update that includes a new or modified or update for SIBx that removes the WUS configuration of the NES Cell (of gNBl) (at 304a). DU2 may send an ACK to CU2 (at 304b).

[0093] Figure 4 depicts the scenario of Figure 2, i.e., coordination between two gNBs (and its internal entities CU and DU) for SIB 1- on- demand operation start, under the assumption that the two involved gNBs are lacking Xn connectivity and hence communication between the two gNBs is performed via the core network (i.e., the 5G Core in the case of 5G) (typically an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), where more than one AMF may be involved). In other words, Figure 4 is a flowchart outlining the signaling steps for starting of on-demand SIB1 operation and temporality falling back to periodic SIB1 transmission in a cell of gNBl, e.g., a “NES Cell”. The coordination / communication between gNBl and other gNBs is facilitated by a core network function (Network Function, NWF, typically an AMF).

[0094] With respect to FIG. 4, steps 1 (at 400), 3 (at 404), 5 (at 408), and 7 (at 412) are the same as steps 1 (at 200), 3 (at 204), 5 (at 208), and 7 (at 212) of FIG. 2 and as such the details of those steps are not repeated here in the description of FIG. 4. Steps 2(at 402), 4 (at 406), and 6 (at 410) of FIG. 4 are functionally equivalent to steps 2 (at 202), 4 (at 206) and 6 (at 210) of FIG. 2, with the difference that the communication between the involved gNB(-CU)s is performed via a Core Network Function (NWF) (typically the AMF), which may include the addition of routing information (gNB ID,Tracking Area ID) to the (NGAP) messages. It is possible that more than one AMF may be involved.

[0095] FIG. 5 depicts the scenario of FIG. 3, i.e., coordination between two gNBs (and its internal entities CU and DU) for SIB 1- on- demand operation stop, under the assumption that the two involved gNBs are lacking Xn connectivity and hence communication between the two gNBs is performed via the 5GC (typically an AMF, more than one AMF may be involved). In other words, FIG. 5 is a flowchart outlining the signaling steps for stopping of on-demand SIB1 operation and semi-statically reverting to periodic SIB1 transmission in a cell of gNBl, e.g., a “NES Cell”. The coordination / communication between gNBl and other gNBs is facilitated by a core network function (Network Function, NWF).

[0096] With respect to Figure 5, steps 1-1 (at 500-1), 1-2 (at 500-2), and 3 (at 504) are the same as described above for FIG. 3. Step 2 (at 502) of FIG. 5 is functionally equivalent to step 2 (at 302) in FIG. 3, with the difference that the communication between the involved gNB(-CU)s is performed via a Core Network Function (typically the AMF), which may include the addition of routing information (gNB ID, Tracking Area ID) to the (NGAP) messages to allow the AMF(s) to route the information towards the proper gNB / AMF. It is possible that more than one AMF may be involved.

[0097] When communicating via Core Network, existing procedure can be reused, e g., UPLINK / D OWNLINK RAN CONFIGURATION TRANSFER to convey the “WUS information”, or new procedure can be defined.

[0098] In FIGs. 2-5, the inclusion of the involved cells’ identities (i.e., the ID of the cell providing WUS configuration and the ID of the cell subject to SIB 1 -on-demand coordination) provide information to correlate the inter-gNB(-CU) communication steps and need to be included in each inter-gNB(-CU) message.Example embodiments

[0099] In the following, a non- exhaustive list of example embodiments is provided. Note that these are only examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0100] Embodiment 1 : WUS configuration provision and revocation and on- demand SIB1 transmission interest indication over Fl

[0101] In a first embodiment, a first logical entity of a network node can provide to a second logical entity of the network node one or more wake-up signal configurations of one or more cells of the network node, the said wake-up signal configurations defining how a UE can request SIB1 transmission in at least one of the said cells on- demand.

[0102] In a dependent embodiment, the first logical entity can revoke / void at least a wake-up signal configuration of at least one cell.

[0103] In a related embodiment, the first logical entity of the network node can indicate to the second logical entity of the network node interest or no interest in performing SIB1 transmission in one or more cells of the network node on-demand.

[0104] In a dependent embodiment, the indication of interest or no interest in performing SIB1 transmission in at least one cell is explicitly signaled via a dedicated information element in a message between the first and second logical entity.

[0105] In another dependent embodiment, if the first logical entity provides to the second logical entity at least a wake-up signal configuration of at least one cell, the first logical entity implicitly indicates to the second logical entity that is has interest in performing SIB1 transmission in at least the one cell on demand. And if the first logical entity revokes at least a wake-up signal configuration of at least one cell, the first logical entity implicitly indicates that it has no / lost interest in performing SIB1 transmission in at least the one cell on demand.

[0106] In yet another dependent embodiment, the first logical entity is a distributed unit (DU) of a gNB, and the second logical entity is the centralized unit (CU) of a gNB.

[0107] Embodiment 2: WUS configuration provision request / acknowledgement and WUS configuration provision status over Xn or NG

[0108] In a second embodiment, a first network node can provide to a second network node one or more wake-up signal configurations of one or more cells of the first network node and request the second network node to provide (to start providing, e.g., via periodic or on-demand transmission) the said wake-up signal configurations to UEs in one or more cells of the second network node, optionally specifying which one or more cells of the second network node.

[0109] In a dependent embodiment, the second network node can reply to the first network node a with positive acknowledgement (or response message) or with a negative acknowledgement (or failure message) depending on its ability and willingness to provide the said wake-up signal configurations to UEs, at least at the present point in time. The response can include a cause information and / or a timer information.

[0110] In another dependent embodiment, in case the second network node has previously agreed to provide the said wake-up signal configurations to UEs, the second network node can indicate to the first network node that the WUS configuration provisioning has stated or is ongoing, or it can indicate to the first network node that the WUS configuration provisioning has stopped or is interrupted, at least temporarily. The indication can include a cause information and / or a timer information.

[0111] In yet another dependent embodiment, the first network node can request the second network node to not provide (to stop providing) the said wake-up signal configurations to UEs in one or more cells of the second network node, optionally indicating which one or more cells of the second network node.

[0112] In yet another dependent embodiment, the first network node can request the second network node to provide one or more modified / updated wake-up signal configurations, and / or to provide the said wake-up signal configurations to UEs in a different set of cells of the second network node.

[0113] In yet another dependent embodiment, the first a network node and the second network node have Xn connectivity and communicate directly via the Xn interface.

[0114] In yet another dependent embodiment, the first a network node and the second network node do not have Xn connectivity and communicate via the NG interface with the help of an intermediary Core Network function.

[0115] Embodiment 3: On-demand SIB1 transmission permission and permission revocation indication over Fl

[0116] In a third embodiment, a first logical entity of a network node can indicate to a second logical entity of the network node that the second logical entity can or should perform SIB1 transmission in one or more cells of the network node on-demand by giving a permission or command to put the said cells into on-demand SIB1 transmission mode.

[0117] In a dependent embodiment, the first logical entity can indicate to the second logical entity that the second logical entity cannot perform SIB1 transmission in one or more cells of the network node on-demand, or that it must perform SIB1 transmission in one or more cells of the network node periodically, by revoking the permission to put the said cells into on-demand SIB1 transmission mode.

[0118] In another dependent embodiment, the first logical entity is the centralized unit (CU) of a gNB, and the second logical entity is a distributed unit (DU) of a gNB.

[0119] FIG. 6 shows an example of a communication system 600 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0120] In the example, the communication system 600 includes a telecommunication network 602 that includes an access network 604, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 606, which includes one or more core network nodes 608. The access network 604 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 610A and 610B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 610), or any other similar Third Generation PartnershipProject (3 GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP Access Points (APs). Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 602 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 602 that supports an 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 602, including one or more network nodes 610 and / or core network nodes 608.

[0121] 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 Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 610 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 612A, 612B, 612C,and 612D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 612) to the core network 606 over one or more wireless connections.

[0122] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 600 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 600 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0123] The UEs 612 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 610 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 610 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 612 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 602 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 602.

[0124] In the depicted example, the core network 606 connects the network nodes 610 to one or more hosts, such as host 616. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 606 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 608) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 608. Example core network nodes include functions of one or moreof 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).

[0125] The host 616 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 604 and / or the telecommunication network 602, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 616 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and prerecorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0126] As a whole, the communication system 600 of Figure 6 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 600 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., Sixth Generation (6G)); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such 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.

[0127] In some examples, the telecommunication network 602 is a cellular network that implements 3 GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 602 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 602. For example, the telecommunication network 602 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / massive Internet of Things (loT) services to yet further UEs.

[0128] In some examples, the UEs 612 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 604 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 604. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multiRadio Access Technology (RAT) or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e. being configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0129] In the example, a hub 614 communicates with the access network 604 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 612C and / or 612D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 610B). In some examples, the hub 614 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 614 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 606 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 614 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 610, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 614. As another example, the hub 614 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 614 may be acontent source. For example, for a UE that is a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 614 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 614 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 614 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0130] The hub 614 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 61 OB. The hub 614 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 614 and UEs (e.g., UE 612C and / or 612D), and between the hub 614 and the core network 606. In other examples, the hub 614 is connected to the core network 606 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 614 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 604 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 610 while still connected via the hub 614 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 614 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 610B. In other embodiments, the hub 614 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and the network node 610B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0131] FIG. 7 shows a UE 700 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobilestation, 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.

[0132] A UE may support Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0133] The UE 700 includes processing circuitry 702 that is operatively coupled via a bus 704 to an input / output interface 706, a power source 708, memory 710, a communication interface 712, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 7. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0134] The processing circuitry 702 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 710. The processing circuitry 702 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic togetherwith appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 702 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0135] In the example, the input / output interface 706 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 700. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0136] In some embodiments, the power source 708 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 708 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 708 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 700 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 708. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 708 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 700 to which power is supplied.

[0137] The memory 710 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 710 includes one or more application programs 714, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 716. The memory 710 may store, for use by the UE 700, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0138] The memory 710 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, High Density Digital Versatile Disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, Holographic Digital Data Storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM), Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a tamper resistant module in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a Universal SIM (USIM) and / or Internet Protocol Multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as a ‘SIM card.’ The memory 710 may allow the UE 700 to access instructions, application programs, and the like stored on transitory or non- transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 710, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0139] The processing circuitry 702 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 712. The communication interface 712 may comprise one or more communication subsystemsand may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 722. The communication interface 712 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 718 and / or a receiver 720 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 718 and receiver 720 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 722) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0140] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 712 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, NFC, location-based communication such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Quick User Datagram Protocol Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0141] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 712, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggeringevent (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).

[0142] 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.

[0143] 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- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 700 shown in Figure 7.

[0144] 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 transmitsthe 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 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship, an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0145] 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.

[0146] FIG. 8 shows a network node 800 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged, and / or operable 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).

[0147] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units,distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node), and / or Remote Radio Units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such RRUs may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a Distributed Antenna System (DAS).

[0148] 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).

[0149] The network node 800 includes processing circuitry 802, memory 804, a communication interface 806, and a power source 808. The network node 800 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 800 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 800 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 804 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 810 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 800 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 800, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wirelesstechnologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within the network node 800.

[0150] The processing circuitry 802 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 800 components, such as the memory 804, to provide network node 800 functionality.

[0151] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 includes a System on a Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 includes one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 812 and baseband processing circuitry 814. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 812 and the baseband processing circuitry 814 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 812 and the baseband processing circuitry 814 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0152] The memory 804 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, ROM, mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD), or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable, and / or computer- executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 802. The memory 804 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 802 and utilized by the network node 800. The memory 804 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry802 and / or any data received via the communication interface 806. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 802 and the memory 804 are integrated.

[0153] The communication interface 806 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 806 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 816 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 806 also includes radio frontend circuitry 818 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 810. The radio front-end circuitry 818 comprises filters 820 and amplifiers 822. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may be connected to the antenna 810 and the processing circuitry 802. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 810 and the processing circuitry 802. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 818 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 820 and / or the amplifiers 822. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 810. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 810 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 818. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 802. In other embodiments, the communication interface 806 may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0154] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 800 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 818; instead, the processing circuitry 802 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 810. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 812 is part of the communication interface 806. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 806 includes the one or more ports or terminals 816, the radio front-end circuitry 818, and the RF transceiver circuitry 812 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and thecommunication interface 806 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 814, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0155] The antenna 810 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 810 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 818 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 810 is separate from the network node 800 and connectable to the network node 800 through an interface or port.

[0156] The antenna 810, the communication interface 806, and / or the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 800. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 810, the communication interface 806, and / or the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node 800. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0157] The power source 808 provides power to the various components of the network node 800 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 808 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 800 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 800 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid or an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 808. As a further example, the power source 808 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0158] Embodiments of the network node 800 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 8 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 800 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 800 and to allow output of information from the network node 800. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 800. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 108 of FIG. 6, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry 818 and the RF transceiver circuitry 812 may be omitted.

[0159] FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 900 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 virtualization environments 900 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, a UE, a core network node, or a 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 900 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. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, a UE, a core network node, or a host.

[0160] Applications 902 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 900 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0161] Hardware 904 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, an input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 906 (also referred to as hypervisors or Virtual Machine Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 908A and 908B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 908), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 906 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 908.

[0162] The VMs 908 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 906. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 902 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 908, 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.

[0163] In the context of NFV, a VM 908 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, nonvirtualized machine. Each of the VMs 908, and that part of the hardware 904 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific networkfunctions that run in one or more VMs 908 on top of the hardware 904 and corresponds to the application 902.

[0164] The hardware 904 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 904 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 904 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 910, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 902. In some embodiments, the hardware 904 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 912 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0165] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice,computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0166] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0167] 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.EMBODIMENTSA Embodiments1. A method performed by a first network node (e.g., gNBl) comprising a first logical entity (e.g., gNB-DUl) and a second logical entity (e.g., gNB-CUl), the method comprising any one or more of the following:• at the first logical entity of the first network node: o providing (Fig. 2, step la; Fig. 4, step la), to the second logical entity of the first network node, a Wake-Up Signal, WUS, configuration of a cell of the first network node;• at the second logical entity of the first network node: o receiving (Fig. 2, step la; Fig. 4, step la), from the first logical entity of the first network node, the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node; o sending (Fig. 2, step 2a; Fig. 4, step 2a), to a logical entity (e.g., gNB- CU2) of a second network node (e.g., gNB2) directly or via a core network function, a request to start providing (e.g., start periodic or on- demand transmission of) the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node;• wherein the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node defines a manner in which a UE can request transmission of system information (e.g., SIB1) on-demand in the cell of the first network node.2. The method of embodiment 1, further comprising:• at the first logical entity of the first network node: o providing (Fig. 2, step la; Fig. 4, step la), to the second logical entity of the first network node, an explicit indication of a request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node; at the second logical entity of the first network node:o receiving (Fig. 2, step la; Fig. 4, step la), from the first logical entity of the first network node, the explicit indication of the request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node.3. The method of embodiment 2, wherein the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node and the explicit indication of the request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node are provided together in a single message (e.g., an Fl AP gNB-DU Configuration Update).4. The method of embodiment 1, wherein providing the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node from the first logical entity to the second logical entity serves as an implicit indication of a request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node.5. The method of embodiment 3 or 4, wherein at the second logical entity of the first network node, sending (Fig. 2, step 2a; Fig. 4, step 2a), to the logical entity of the second network node directly or via a core network function, the request to start providing (e.g., start periodic or on-demand transmission of) the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node is responsive to the (explicit or implicit) indication of the request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node.6. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 5, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving (Fig. 2, step 4; Fig. 4, step 4b), directly or indirectly from the logical entity of the second network node, an indication that the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node is being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node; andsending (Fig. 2, step 5a; Fig. 4, step 5a), to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is permitted.7. The method of embodiment 6, further comprising, at the first logical entity of the first network node: receiving (Fig. 2, step 5a; Fig. 4, step 5a), from the second logical entity of the first network node, the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is permitted; and transmitting (Fig. 2, step 5; Fig. 2, step 5) system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node (e.g., responsive to WUS received from UE(s)) in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is permitted.8. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 5, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node, sending (Fig. 2, step 5a; Fig. 4, step 5a), to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is permitted.9. The method of embodiment 8, further comprising, at the first logical entity of the first network node: receiving (Fig. 2, step 5a; Fig. 4, step 5a), from the second logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is permitted; and transmitting (Fig. 2, step 5; Fig. 2, step 5) system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node (e.g., responsive to WUS received from UE(s)) in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is permitted.10. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 9, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving (Fig. 2, step 6; Fig. 4, step 6b), directly or indirectly from the logical entity of the second network node, an indication that the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node is not being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node; and sending (Fig. 2, step 7a; Fig. 4, step 7a), to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is not permitted.11. The method of embodiment 10, further comprising, at the first logical entity of the first network node: receiving (Fig. 2, step 7a; Fig. 4, step 7a), from the second logical entity of the first network node, the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is not permitted; and refraining from transmitting or ceasing transmission of (Fig. 2, step 7; Fig. 2, step 7) system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node (e.g., responsive to WUS received from UE(s)) in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is not permitted.12. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 9, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node: sending (Fig. 2, step 7a; Fig. 4, step 7a), to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is not permitted.13. The method of embodiment 12, further comprising, at the first logical entity of the first network node:receiving (Fig. 2, step 7a; Fig. 4, step 7a), from the second logical entity of the first network node, the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is not permitted; and refraining from transmitting or ceasing transmission of (Fig. 2, step 7; Fig. 2, step 7) system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node (e.g., responsive to WUS received from UE(s)) in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is not permitted.14. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 13, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node, sending (Fig. 3, step 2a; Fig. 5, step 2a), to the logical entity of the second network node directly or indirectly via a core network function, an indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in the at least one cell of the second network node.15. The method of embodiment 14, wherein sending (Fig. 3, step 2a; Fig. 5, step 2a) the indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in the at least one cell of the second network node is triggered by the second logical entity of the first network node.16. The method of embodiment 15, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node, sending (Fig. 3, step 1-la), to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand the cell of the first network node is not permitted.17. The method of embodiment 14, wherein sending (Fig. 3, step 2a; Fig. 5, step 2a) the indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in the at least one cell of the second network node is triggered by the first logical entity of the first network node.18. The method of embodiment 1, further comprising, at the first logical entity of the first network node, sending, to the second logical entity of the first network node, an indication to revoke the WUS configuration (e.g., an indication that there is no longer a request or interest for transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node).19. The method of embodiment 18, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving the indication to revoke the WUS configuration; and in response, sending, to the logical entity of the second network node, an indication to stop providing the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in the at least one cell of the second network node.20. The method of any of embodiments 1 to 19, wherein the first logical entity is a Distributed Unit, DU, of the first network node, and the second logical entity is a Centralized Unit, CU, of the first network node.Group B Embodiments21. A network node, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0168] While processes in the figures may show a particular order of operations performed by certain embodiments of the present disclosure, it should be understood that such order is representative, and that alternative embodiments may perform the operations in a different order, combine certain operations, overlap certain operations, etc.

[0169] 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.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A method for inter-node communication for system information on-demand transmission performed by a first network node comprising a first logical entity and a second logical entity, the method comprising any one or more of: at the first logical entity of the first network node: providing (200a, 400a), to the second logical entity of the first network node, a Wake-Up Signal, WUS, configuration of a cell of the first network node, the WUS configuration defining a manner in which a UE can request transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node; and at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving (200a, 400a), from the first logical entity of the first network node, the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node; and sending (202a, 402a), to a logical entity of a second network node, a request to start providing the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: at the first logical entity of the first network node: providing (200a, 400a), to the second logical entity, an explicit indication of a request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell; at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving (200a, 400), from the first logical entity, the explicit indication of the request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the WUS configuration of the first cell and the explicit indication of the request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell are provided together in a single message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the WUS configuration of the first cell from the first logical entity to the second logical entity serves as an implicit indication of a request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein sending (202a, 402a), to the logical entity of the second network node, the request to start providing the WUS configuration of the first cell in at least one cell of the second network node, is responsive to the indication of the request or desire for transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving (206, 406b), from the logical entity of the second network node, an indication that the WUS configuration of the first cell is being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node; and sending (208a, 408a), to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is permitted.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indication that the WUS configuration of the first cell is being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node is received either: directly from the logical entity of the second network node; or indirectly from the logical entity of the second network node, via a network function.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising, at the first logical entity of the first network node: receiving (208a; 408a), from the second logical entity of the first network node, the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is permitted; andtransmitting (208, 408) system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on- demand in the cell of the first network node is permitted.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node, sending (208a, 408a), to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node is permitted.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising, at the first logical entity of the first network node: receiving (208a, 408a), from the second logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is permitted; and transmitting (208; 408) system information on -demand in the first cell in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is permitted.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving (210, 410b), from the logical entity of the second network node, an indication that the WUS configuration of the first cell is not being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node; and sending (212a, 412a), to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the indication that the WUS configuration of the first cell is not being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node is received either: directly from the logical entity of the second network node; or indirectly from the logical entity of the second network node, via a network function.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, at the first logical entity of the first network node: receiving (212a, 412a), from the second logical entity of the first network node, the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted; and refraining from transmitting or ceasing transmission (212, 412) of system information on-demand in the first cell in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted.

14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node: sending (212a, 412a), to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, at the first logical entity of the first network node: receiving (212a, 412a), from the second logical entity of the first network node, the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted; and refraining from transmitting or ceasing transmission (212, 412) of system information on-demand in the first cell in accordance with the indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted.

16. The method of any one of claims I to 15, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node, sending (302a, 502a), to the logical entity of the second network node, an indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the first cell in the at least one cell of the second network node.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the first cell in the at least one cell of the second network node is sent either: directly to the logical entity of the second network node; orindirectly to the logical entity of the second network node, via a network function.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein sending the indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the first cell in the at least one cell of the second network node is triggered by the second logical entity of the first network node.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node, sending (300- la), to the first logical entity of the first network node, an indication that transmission of system information on-demand in the first cell is not permitted.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein sending the indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the first cell of the first network node in the at least one cell of the second network node is triggered by the first logical entity of the first network node.

21. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, at the first logical entity of the first network node, sending, to the second logical entity of the first network node, an indication to revoke the WUS configuration.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising, at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving the indication to revoke the WUS configuration; and in response, sending, to the logical entity of the second network node, an indication to stop providing the WUS configuration of the first cell in the at least one cell of the second network node.

23. A first network node for inter-node communication for system information on- demand transmission, the first network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any one or more of: at the first logical entity of the first network node: providing (200a, 400a), to the second logical entity of the first network node, a Wake-Up Signal, WUS, configuration of a cell of the first network node, the WUS configuration defining a manner in which a UE canrequest transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node; and at the second logical entity of the first network node: receiving (200a, 400a), from the first logical entity of the first network node, the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node; and sending (202a, 402a), to a logical entity of a second network node, a request to start providing the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

24. The first network node of claim 23, wherein the first network node is a gNB.

25. The first network node of claim 23, wherein the first logical entity is a Distributed Unit, DU, of the first network node, and the second logical entity is a Centralized Unit, CU, of the first network node.

26. The first network node of claim 23, wherein: the second network node is a second gNB; and the logical entity of the second network node is a Centralized Unit, CU, of the second network node.

27. A method for inter-node communication for system information on-demand transmission performed by a second network node, the method comprising: receiving (202a, 402a), from a logical entity of a first network node, a request to start providing a Wake-Up Signal, WUS, configuration of a cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node, the WUS configuration defining a manner in which a UE can request transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node; and responsive to the received request, starting transmitting the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein transmitting the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node comprises transmitting, in the at least one cell of the second network node, a SIBx message containing the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the SIBx message contains respective WUS configurations for two or more neighbor cells of the at least one cell of the second network node.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising sending (206, 406b), to the logical entity of the first network node, an indication that the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node is being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising sending (210, 410b), to the logical entity of the first network node, an indication that the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node is not being transmitted in the at least one cell of the second network node.

32. The method of claim 27, further comprising: receiving, from the logical entity of the first network node, an indication to stop transmitting the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in the at least one cell of the second network node; and responsive to the received indication, stopping transmitting the WUS configuration of the cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node.

33. A second network node for inter-node communication for system information on- demand transmission, the second network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform: receiving (202a, 402a), from a logical entity of a first network node, a request to start providing a Wake-Up Signal, WUS, configuration of a cell of the first network node in at least one cell of the second network node, the WUSconfiguration defining a manner in which a UE can request transmission of system information on-demand in the cell of the first network node; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

34. The first network node of claim 33, wherein: the second network node is a gNB.

35. The first network node of claim 33, wherein: the first network node is a gNB; and the logical entity of the first network node is a Centralized Unit, CU, of the first network node.

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