Spatial beam signaling for channel state information based on unified codebook

Abstract

A method for a UE includes one or more of: receiving from a network node a signaling of one or more S' values, S'>= 1, computing and reporting a CSI. The signaling comprises one or more of: a number of SD basis vectors to be selected for a spatial layer wherein the same S' value applies to each spatial layer of a plurality of spatial layers, a number of SD basis vector to be selected for a spatial layer and for a polarization wherein the same S' value applies to each spatial layer and polarization among a plurality of spatial layers and a plurality of polarizations, and / or a number of SD basis vectors to be selected for a spatial layer wherein a first S' value applies to a first subset of spatial layers and a second S' value applies to a second subset of spatial layers.

Description

SPATIAL BEAM SIGNALING FOR CHANNEL STATE INFORMATION BASED ON UNIFIED CODEBOOK RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. US 5 63 / 652121, filed May 27, 2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a wireless (e.g., cellular) communications system and, more particularly, to spatial beam signaling for channel state information (CSI) in a wireless 10 communications system. BACKGROUND

[0003] Codebook-based precoding

[0004] Multi-antenna techniques can significantly increase the data rates and reliability of a wireless communication system. The performance is in particular improved if both the transmitter15 and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas, which results in a multiple-input multiple- output (MIMO) communication channel. Such systems and / or related techniques are commonly referred to as MIMO.

[0005] A core component of the fifth Generation and sixth generation wireless networks is the support of MIMO antenna deployments and MIMO related techniques such as spatial 20 multiplexing. Spatial multiplexing can be used to increase data rates in favorable channel conditions. Figure 1 shown an example of spatial multiplexing. An information carrying symbol vector s is multiplied by an NT x r precoding matrix or precoder ^^, which serves to distribute the transmit energy in a subspace of the NT dimensional vector space. The precoding matrix is typically selected from a codebook of possible precoding matrices, and typically indicated by 25 means of a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), which specifies a unique precoding matrix in the codebook for a given number of symbol streams. The r symbols in s each correspond to a MIMO layer and r is referred to as the transmission rank, which equals to the number of columns of the precoder ^^ . In this way, spatial multiplexing is achieved since multiple symbols can betransmitted simultaneously over the same time / frequency resource element (RE). The number of 30 symbols r is typically adapted to suit the current channel properties.

[0006] 5G uses Orthogonal Division Multiplexing (OFDM) in downlink. The received NR x 1 vector ynat a UE on a certain RE can be expressed asP111078_WO01 2 where en is a receiver noise / interference vector. The precoder ^^ can be constant overfrequency (i.e., wideband), or frequency selective (i.e., per subband).

[0007] The precoder ^^ is chosen to match the characteristics of the NRxNTMIMO channel matrix ^^^, resulting in so-called channel dependent precoding. This is also commonly referred to 5 as closed-loop precoding.

[0008] In closed-loop precoding, the UE feeds back recommendations on a suitable precoder to a network node (e.g., a gNB) in the form of a PMI based on downlink channel measurements. For that purpose, the UE is configured with a channel state information (CSI) report configuration including CSI reference signals (CSI-RS) for channel measurements and a codebook of candidate 10 precoders. In addition to precoders, the feedback may also include a rank indicator (RI) and one or two channel quality indicators (CQIs). RI, PMI and CQI are part of a CSI feedback. In 5G, CSI feedback can be either wideband, where one CSI is reported for the entire channel bandwidth, or frequency-selective, where one CSI is reported for each subband, which is defined as a number of contiguous physical resource blocks (PRBs) ranging between 4-32 PRBs depending on the band 15 width part (BWP) size.

[0009] Given the CSI feedback from the UE, the gNB determines the transmission parameters it wishes to use to transmit to the UE, including the precoding matrix, transmission rank, and modulation and coding scheme (MCS).

[0010] 2D Antenna arrays 20

[0011] Two-dimensional antenna arrays are widely used, and such antenna arrays can be described by a number of antenna ports, ^^^, in a first dimension (e.g., the horizontal dimension), a number of antenna ports, ^^ଶ, in the second dimension perpendicular to the first dimension (e.g., the vertical dimension), and a number of polarizations ^^^. The total number of antenna ports is thus ^^ ൌ ^^^^^ଶ^^^. The concept of an antenna port is non-limiting in the sense that it can25 refer to any virtualization (e.g., linear mapping) to the physical antenna elements. For example, pairs of physical antenna elements could be fed the same signal, and hence share the same virtualized antenna port.

[0012] An example of a 4x4 (i.e., ^^^ ൈ ^^ଶ,) array with dual-polarized antenna elements (i.e.,^^^ ൌ 2) is illustrated below in Figure 2.30

[0013] Precoding may be interpreted as multiplying the signal to be transmitted a set of beamforming weights on the antenna ports prior to transmission. A typical approach is to tailor the precoder to the antenna form factor, i.e., taking into account ^^^,^^ଶand ^^^when designing the precoder codebook.

[0014] Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI-RS)P111078_WO01 3

[0015] For CSI measurement and feedback, CSI-RS are defined. A CSI-RS is transmitted on an antenna port at the gNB and is used by a UE to measure downlink channel between the antenna port and each of the UE’s receive antenna ports. The transmit antenna ports are also referred to as CSI-RS ports. The supported number of CSI-RS ports in 5G are {1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 5 128}. By measuring the received CSI-RS, a UE can estimate the channel that the CSI-RS is traversing, including the radio propagation channel and antenna gains. The CSI-RS for the above purpose is also referred to as Non-Zero Power (NZP) CSI-RS.

[0016] CSI-RS can be configured to be transmitted in certain REs in a slot and certain slots. Figure 3 shows an example of CSI-RS REs for 12 antenna ports, where 1RE per RB per port is 10 shown.

[0017] In addition, interference measurement resource (IMR) is also defined in 5G for a UE to measure interference. An IMR resource contains 4 REs, either 4 adjacent RE in frequency in the same OFDM symbol or 2 by 2 adjacent REs in both time and frequency in a slot. By measuring both the channel based on NZP CSI-RS and the interference based on an IMR, a UE can estimate 15 the effective channel and noise plus interference to determine the CSI. Furthermore, a UE in 5G may be configured to measure interference based on one or multiple NZP CSI-RS resource.

[0018] CSI framework in 5G

[0019] In 5G, a UE can be configured with multiple CSI reporting settings and multiple CSI- RS resource settings. Each resource setting can contain multiple resource sets, and each resource 20 set can contain up to 8 CSI-RS resources. For each CSI reporting setting, a UE feeds back a CSI report. ^ Each CSI reporting setting contains at least the following information: ^ A CSI-RS resource setting for channel measurement ^ An IMR resource set for interference measurement 25 ^ Optionally, a CSI-RS resource set for interference measurement ^ Time-domain behavior, i.e., periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic reporting ^ Frequency granularity, i.e., wideband or subband ^ CSI parameters to be reported such as RI, PMI, CQI, and CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) in case of multiple CSI-RS resources in a resource set 30 ^ Codebook types, i.e., type I or II, and codebook subset restriction ^ Measurement restriction ^ Subband size. One out of two possible subband sizes is indicated, the value range depends on the bandwidth of the BWP. One CQI / PMI (if configured for subband reporting) is fed back per subband).P111078_WO01 4

[0020] In 5G, CSI-AperiodicTriggerState is configured in order to trigger aperiodic CSI reports. The CSI-AperiodicTriggerList IE is defined in 3GPP TS 38.331 V17.2.0.

[0021] There is list of trigger states which may include up to 128 of CSI- AperiodicTriggerStates. Each trigger state may include up to 16 CSI-AssociatedReportConfigInfo. 5 Each CSI-AssociatedReportConfigInfo contains a reportconfig id which associates it to a CSI- Reportconfig. UE may have up to 48 different reportconfigs configured. Each Reportconfig includes codebookConfig as a field.

[0022] DFT-based precoders

[0023] A common type of precoding is to use a DFT-precoder, where the precoder vector used 10 to precode a single-layer transmission using a single-polarized uniform linear array (ULA) with N antennas is defined as ^ଶగ⋅^⋅ ೖé ^^ೀಿ ù ^ ê^ଶగೖ ^^⋅^⋅ú ú , ú û precoder index and ^^ is an integer oversamplingfactor. ^^^is also referred to as an one dimension (1-D) DFT beam with beam index ^^. If ULA 15 is along the horizontal dimension, each DFT beam points to an azimuth direction. If ULA is along the vertical dimension, each DFT beam points to an elevation direction. Each precoder corresponds to a DFT beam.

[0026] A corresponding precoder vector for a two-dimensional uniform planar array (UPA) with ^^^antenna ports in one dimension and ^^ଶantenna ports in another dimension can be 20 defined as specified in 3GPP TS 38.214 V18.1.0: ]^^ మഏ^మഏ^் [0027 ^,^ ൌ ^^^^ ^^^ ೀభಿభ^^^ ⋯ ^^^^ಿభషభ^ೀభಿభ^^^^, 11pling factors in the two dimensions associated with ^^^and ^^ଶ, respectively. ^^^,^is also referred to as two-dimension (2-D) DFT 25 vector characterized by two beam indices ^^^,^^^, one in each dimension. Each such vector ^^^,^ ^^^ ൌ 0, … ,^^^^^^ െ 1; ^^ ൌ 0, … ,^^ଶ^^ଶ െ 1^ corresponds to a 2-D DFT vector.

[0030] Extending the 2-D DFT vectors for dual-polarized UPA may then be done as

[0031] W(1) ^ 1 ^vl^,m ^^, ^P111078_WO01 5

[0032] where ^^^ ൌ ^^^గ^ / ଶ is a co-phasing factor that may be selected from M-PSK alphabetsuch as QPK with ^^ ൌ 0, 1, 2, 3, and ^^^ௌூିோௌ is the number of CSI-RS ports. This is the codebookfor singleayer repor with ^^^ௌூିோௌports.

[0033] A precoder matrix for multi-layer transmission may be created by appending 5 columns of 2-D DFT vectors. An example for 2-layer precoder matrix is given as 1^ v l , m v l ^ , m ^ ^W(2)l , l ' , m , m ' , n ^ ^ ^

[0034] 2PCSI-RS^^^ n v l , m^^ n v l ^ , m ^^ ^. sed for instance in 5G Type I CSI feedback , whereeach layer is associated with a 2-D DFT vector. The 5G Type I CSI feedback consisting of such DFT-based precoders is defined in clause 5.2.2.2.1 of 3GPP TS 38.214 V18.1.0. Such DFT- 10 based precoders are used for instance in 5G Type I CSI feedback, where each layer is associated with 2D DFT beam.

[0036] MU-MIMO

[0037] With multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), two or more users in the same cell are co- scheduled on a same time-frequency resource. That is, multiple data streams are transmitted to 15 different UEs at the same time-frequency resource and each UE may be allocated with one or more layers. By transmitting several streams simultaneously, the capacity of the system can be increased.

[0038] To avoid across UE or layer interference, zero-forcing (ZF) type of precoders may be used in which the feedback precoders associated with all co-scheduled UEs in a same time 20 frequency resource are used together to generate a set of new orthogonal precoders. This requires each of the feedback precoders to be a good representation of underlying channel.

[0039] However, a single DFT beam is generally not a good representation of a layer under multipath channel as each layer may be transmitted over multiple paths each corresponding to a DFT beam. 25

[0040] To improve the above single DFT beam based precoder, type II codebook based CSI feedback was introduced in 5G Rel-15 and further enhanced in 5G Rel-16 and Rel-17. The basic concept is that due to multipath propagation, each layer may contain more than one DFT beam. Hence a better precoder may be created by combining multiple DFT beams for each layer and the UE feeds back both the multiple DFT beams and the combining coefficients. 30

[0041] 5G rel-15 Type II codebook

[0042] In 5G Rel-15, precoders are enhanced based on a type II codebook, in which a precoder is a combination of multiple DFT beams. For each precoder, the UE feeds back the corresponding selected multiple DFT beams and the combination coefficients. A precoder mayP111078_WO01 6 be reported for each layer and each subband. A common set of DFT beams are selected for all subbands and all layers. The number of DFT beams to be selected is RRC configured.

[0043] For a given 2D cross-polarized antenna array with ^^^antenna ports in one dimension and ^^ଶantenna ports in another dimension at each polarization, the 5G Rel-15 type II codebook- 5based precoding vector for each layer ^^ ∈ ^1,2^ can be expressed as

[0044] ^^^^ ൌ ^^^^^ଶ,^

[0045] where ^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ , … ,^^^^^ష^^^^^^ష^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^ ^^൩, selected 2-D DFT beams,10also referred to as spatial domain (SD) basis vectors, ^^ ൌ 2^^ ^^^^^^ௌூିோௌ ^ ଶ, ^^^∈ ^0,1, … ,^^^^^^^ െ 1^^ and ^^ ^^^ଶ ∈ ^0,1, … ,^^ଶ^^^ଶ െ 1^^ are the beam indiceseachdi i f h i h l ed DFT beam. ^^ ∈ ^2,3,4^ is configured by RRC.^^^ଶ,^ ൌ ^^^ଶ,^,^,^^ଶ,^,^, … ,^^் ଶ,^,ଶ^ି^൧ , where ^^ଶ,^,^ ൌ ^^^^^^,^^^^ଶ^^,^^^^,^is the combiningd ^^^,^are the wideband 15 amplitude, subband amplitude, and phase of ^^ଶ,^,^, respectively.

[0046] ^^^^is expressed in section 5.2.2.2.3 of 3GPP specification TS38.214 V18.1.0 as: ^ L ^ 1 ^v i ) ( i ) p (1) ^l , i p (2)( l ,^ 1^ m^^ 01 , m 2 i l , i ^^^ ൌ ^ൌ20 ^^ ൌ

[0049] The Rel-15 type II codebook is enhanced in 5G Rel-16 in which instead of reporting separate precoders for different subbands, the precoders for all subbands are reported together 25 by using a so called frequency domain (FD) basis. It takes advantage of frequency domain channel correlations by representing the precoder changes in frequency domain with a set of frequency domain DFT basis vectors (which will be simply referred to as frequency domain basis vectors). Due to channel correlation in frequency, only a few DFT basis vectors may beP111078_WO01 7 used to represent the precoder changes over all the subbands. By doing so, the feedback overhead can be reduced or performance can be improved for the same feedback overhead.

[0050] For a given CSI-RS resource with ^^^CSI-RS antenna ports in one dimension and ^^ଶCSI-RS antenna ports in another dimension, and with two polarizations, the Rel-16 type II 5codedbook based precoding vectors for eachayer ^^ (^^ ൌ 1, … , ^^^ and across all subbands can beexpressed as:

[0051] ^^ ^ே^^ ൌ ^^^^^^^^…^^యି^^^^ ^ ൌ ^^^^^^ଶ,^^^^ு,^,^ ^^^^ is a ^^^ௌூିோௌ ൈ 1 precoding vector at a PMI subband with subband index ^^ ∈10 ^0,1, … ,^^ଷ െ 1^ for layer ^^, where ^^^ௌூିோௌ ൌ ^^^^^^^^^^ is the number of CSI-RS ports in aconfigured NZP CSI-RS resource; ^^^ଷ ൌ ^^ௌ^ ൈ ^^ is the number of subbands for PMI, where ^^ௌ^ is the number of CQIsubbands and ^^ ∈ ^1,2^ is a scaling factor, both ^^ௌ^ and ^^ are RRC configured^ ^^^^is the same as in Rel-15 type II codebook and contains a set of selected beams or SD 15 basis vector ^^^^,୪ ൌ ^^^^^^^ ,^^^^^^ , … ,^^ ^ெೡି^^^ ^ is a size ^^ଷ ൈ ^^௩ frequency domain (FD) compressionmatri er ^^ comprising ^^ select^^^௩ ed FD basis vectors and ^^^ൌ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^,^,^^^,^ , … , ^^ேయି^,^^ and ^^௧,^ ൌ ^^ି^ଶగ௧^య,^ / ேయ , ^^ ൌ 0,1, … ,^^ଷ െ 1,^^ଷ,^∈nds 20 on the rank ^^ and the RRC configured parameter ^^௩. Supported values of ^^௩can be found in Table 1. oFor ^^ଷ ^ 19, a one-step free selection is used.^ For each layer, the selected FD basis vectors are indicated with a ^logଶ ൬ ^^ଷ െ 1^^ െ 1^^bit combinatorial indicator. In TS 38.214, the25ndicator is given by the index ^^^,^,^, which is reported by UE to the gNB. oFor ^^ଷ ^ 19, a two-step selection with layer-common intermediary subset (IntS)is used.P111078_WO01 10 SUMMARY

[0055] Systems and methods related to spatial beam signaling for channel state information based on unified codebook are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a User Equipment, UE, comprises one or more of: receiving from a network node a first signaling of one 5 or more S’ values, S’>= 1, computing a Channel State Information, CSI, according to the received first signaling, reporting the computed CSI. The first signaling comprises any one or more of the following: - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer of a plurality of spatial layers; 10 - a number of SD basis vector to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer and for a polarization wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer and polarization among a plurality of spatial layers and a plurality of polarizations; and / or - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein a first S’ value applies to a first subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers and a 15 second S’ value applies to a second subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers.

[0056] In one embodiment, the UE receives from the network node a second signaling of a total maximum number S of distinct SD basis vectors to be reported as part of the CSI report, where the computing and / or reporting of the CSI are according to both the first signaling and the 20 second signaling.

[0057] In one embodiment, the total maximum number S of distinct SD basis vectors depends on the maximum allowed number of spatial layers.

[0058] In one embodiment, the method further comprises computing and / or reporting indication of a single SD basis vector for each spatial layer when a single S' value equal to 1 (i.e., 25 S’=1) is received in the first signaling.

[0059] In one embodiment, the method further comprises computing and / or reporting indication of S'>1 SD basis vectors for each spatial layer when a single S' value larger than 1 (i.e., S’>1) is received in the first signaling.

[0060] In one embodiment, the total number of distinct SD basis vectors computed and 30 reported is smaller or equal to the total maximum value of S.

[0061] In one embodiment, the method further comprises providing user data and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

[0062] In one embodiments, a method performed by a network node comprises one or more of: transmitting (200) to a User Equipment, UE, a first signaling of one or more S’ values, S’>=P111078_WO01 11 1 and receiving (210), from the UE, a Channel State Information (CSI) report computed by the user equipment based on the first signaling. The first signaling comprises any one or more of the following: - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein the 5 same S’ value applies to each spatial layer of a plurality of spatial layers; - a number of SD basis vector to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer and for a polarization wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer and polarization among a plurality of spatial layers and a plurality of polarizations; and / or - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein a 10 first S’ value applies to a first subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers and a second S’ value applies to a second subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers;

[0063] Corresponding embodiments of a UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a user equipment comprises processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the user 15 equipment method embodiments, and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry. In one embodiment, a user equipment comprises an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of 20 any of the UE method embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE. 25

[0064] Corresponding embodiments of a network node are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a network node comprises processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the network node method embodiments, power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry. 30 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0065] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0066] Figure 1 illustrates a transmission structure of spatial multiplexing;P111078_WO01 12

[0067] Figure 2 illustrates a two-dimensional antenna array of dual-polarized antenna elements (, with horizontal antenna elements and vertical antenna elements.

[0068] Figure 3 illustrates an example of RE allocation for a 12-port CSI-RS;

[0069] Figure 4 illustrates is a flow chart that illustrates a process performed by a User 5 Equipment (UE), in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0070] Figure 5 illustrates a first example with S=4 and S'=1 with 2 spatial layers, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0071] Figure 6 illustrates a second example with S=4 and S'=1 with 2 spatial layers, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;10

[0072] Figure 7 illustrates a third example with ^^ ൌ 4 and ^^ᇱ ൌ 1 with 4 spatial layers, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0073] Figure 8 illustrates a fourth example with ^^ ൌ 4 and ^^ᇱ ൌ 1 with 2 spatial layers, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0074] Figure 9 illustrates a fifth example with ^^ ൌ 4 and ^^ᇱ ൌ 2 with 2 spatial layers, in15 accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0075] Figure 10 illustrates a sixth example with ^^ ൌ 2 and ^^ᇱ ൌ 2 with 2 spatial layers, inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0076] Figure 11 is a flow chart that illustrates a process performed by a network node, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; 20

[0077] Figure 12 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0078] Figure 13 shows a User Equipment device (UE) in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0079] Figure 14 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments of the present 25 disclosure;

[0080] Figure 15 is a block diagram of a host, which may be an embodiment of the host of Figure 12, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure described herein;

[0081] Figure 16 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments of the present disclosure may be virtualized; and 30

[0082] Figure 17 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.P111078_WO01 13 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0083] 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 5 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.

[0084] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey 10 the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0085] There currently exist certain challenge(s). In 5G, several different codebooks for CSI are defined where the 5G Type I codebook, the 5G Rel-15 Type II codebook, and the 5G Rel-16 enhanced Type II codebook are defined separately and as part of separate UE features. The Type I codebook with up to 8 CSI-RS antenna ports and wideband PMI reporting is supported as a15 mandatory feature in 5G (i.e., all 5G UEs need to support the 5G Type I codebook). The 5G Rel- 16 enhanced Type II codebook for instance is introduced as an optional feature and is not widely used in live networks to this day. Defining these codebooks as different features has the drawback of UE feature fragmentation. While the Type I codebook is widely supported in all 5G UEs, it remains a problem that the Rel-16 enhanced Type II codebook, which is optimized for MU-MIMO 20 transmission, is not widely supported. Hence, this hinders the efficient deployment of MU-MIMO in today’s 5G networks. How to alleviate that this is not repeated in the future 6G networks is an open problem to be solved. Another detailed problem is how to signal spatial beam(s) in future 6G networks.

[0086] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these 25 or other challenges. Solutions are proposed for a unified codebook. In one embodiment, the number of SD basis vectors per spatial layer is configured. In another embodiment, the number of SD basis vectors per spatial layer along with the total maximum number of distinct SD basis vectors over all spatial layers are configured. SD basis vector indication details are proposed for both of these embodiments in this disclosure. 30

[0087] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a unified codebook.

[0088] Figure 4 illustrates a method at a user equipment (UE), according to one embodiment of the disclosure. The method comprises one or more of the following steps: receiving (100) from anetwork node a first signaling of one or more ^^ᇱ ^ 1 values wherein the first signaling comprisesat least one of: a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layerP111078_WO01 14 wherein the same ^^′ value applies to each spatial layer of a plurality of spatial layers; a number of SD basis vector to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer and for a polarization wherein the same ^^′ applies to each spatial layer and polarization among a plurality of spatial layers and a plurality of polarizations; and / or a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a 5 spatial layer wherein a first ^^′ value applies to a first subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers and a second ^^′ value applies to a second subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers; computing (102) CSI according to the received first signaling; and / or reporting (104) the computed CSI to the network node.

[0089] In a further embodiment, the UE receives from the network node a second signaling 10 of a total maximum number ^^ of distinct SD basis vectors to be reported as part of the CSI report, where the computing and / or reporting of the CSI are according to both the first signaling and the second signaling. Optionally, the total maximum number ^^ of distinct SD basis vectors depends on the maximum allowed number of spatial layers.

[0090] In a further embodiment, the UE computes and / or reports indication of a single SD15 basis vector for each spatial layer when a single ^^′ value equal to 1 (i.e., ^^’ ൌ 1) is received in thefirst signaling.

[0091] In a further embodiment, the UE computes and / or reports indication of ^^ᇱ ^ 1 SDbasis vectors for each spatial layer when a single ^^′ value larger than 1 (i.e., ^^’ ^ 1) is received inthe first signaling. 20

[0092] In a further embodiment, the total number of distinct SD basis vectors computed and reported is smaller or equal to the total maximum value of ^^.

[0093] Other embodiments pertain to user equipment, network nodes, method for network nodes, computer programs that comprise steps and / or circuitry for performing steps substantially similar (or equivalent when considering a network node / user equipment relation) to those 25 described above.

[0094] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). With the proposed solution, the NW may be able to adjust the beamforming flexibility of the unified codebook by configuring the number S' of SD basis vectors per spatial layer to low or higher values. This may provide the NW vendor, or operator means to adjust the 30 overhead and beamforming flexibility based on the need. For example, if only SU-MIMO scheduling is used in a cell, then it may be sufficient for the NW operator to configure the UE with S’=1, and the reporting overhead for CSI will be relatively low. On the other hand, when MU- MIMO scheduling is used in a cell, the NW operator may be able to configure S’>1 to acquire a CSI report suitable for MU-MIMO at the expense of a higher CSI overhead. To control the CSIP111078_WO01 15 reporting overhead, a second parameter S is proposed that controls the total number of distinct SD basis vectors reported by the UE as part of CSI feedback.

[0095] Now, a more detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided. 5

[0096] In this disclosure, the term spatial beam is used. This term is non-limiting and may alternatively be represented by either a 2-D DFT vector or a 1-D DFT vector. Other terminologies such as spatial-domain (SD) basis vector, SD filter weight, SD filter vector, etc. may be used in place of the term spatial beam.

[0097] In a general embodiment, a unified codebook framework is proposed. A possible, non 10 -limiting use is for 6G. Depending on parameter configurations, can be configured to be similar to the NR Type I codebook (low CSI report overhead but also low spatial domain information granularity) or similar to the NR enhanced Type II codebook (higher CSI report overhead but also higher spatial granularity).

[0098] Assuming the unified codebook is defined in specifications and thus in the following, 15 the NW and UE assumes the same set of available SD basis vectors. These SD basis vectors can be given by specifications, including the possibility that the specifications contain multiple sets of SD basis vectors and the NW configures the UE to use one of these sets.

[0099] As part of the signaling related to the unified codebook, a UE receives signaling of at least the following two parameters S and S’ from a network node, related to the procedure of the 20 UE for selecting SD basis vectors from the specified set: (1) a parameter ^^ ^ 1 that represents the total maximum number of distinct SD basis vectorsto be selected and / or reported by the UE as part of a CSI report. In one embodiment, the ^^ distinct SD basis vectors are common to all spatial layers. That is, ^^ represents the total maximum number of distinct SD basis vectors the UE may select and / or indicate across all 25 spatial layers as part of the CSI report; (2) a parameter ^^′ that represents the number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported by the UE as part of a CSI report for each spatial layer. In an alternative embodiment, ^^′ represents a subset of the ^^ SD basis vectors. o In one embodiment, the parameter ^^′ represents the number of SD basis vectors to 30 be selected and / or indicated by the UE for a single spatial layer across two polarizations. For example, ^^ᇱ ൌ 2 means that for each spatial layer, the UE canselect 2 SD basis vectors that are commonly used for both polarizations. o In an alternative embodiment, the parameter ^^′ instead represents the number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or indicated by the UE for a single spatial layerP111078_WO01 16 and a single polarization. For example, ^^ᇱ ൌ 2 means that for each layer, the UEcan select 2 SD basis vectors for each polarization, hence there are 2^^ᇱSD basis vectors for each layer. o In yet another alternative embodiment, the parameter ^^ᇱinstead represents the 5 number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or indicated by the UE for each individual layer, where the number of SD basis vectors can be indicated for each layer. For example, if up to rank 4 PMI can be reported by the UE, then ^^ᇱൌ ^1,1,2,2^ mean that UE can select 1 SD basis vector for layers 1 and 2, and 2 SD basis vectors for layers 3 and 4. 10 Whether the UE shall assume common or per polarization for the mentioned section may be configured by the NW to the UE.

[0100] In some embodiments, ^^ can be configured as a function of the maximum allowed rank (e.g., according to rank restriction). In some embodiments, different values can be configured for different ranks. 15

[0101] In some embodiments, UE may receive further indication from the gNB on whether SD basis vectors selected for different spatial layers can be the same or partially the same.

[0102] When the received parameter ^^′ is set to a value of 1 and is common to bothpolarizations, then the UE selects and / or indicates a single SD basis vector for each spatial layer. When the received parameter ^^′ is set to a value larger than 1, then the UE selects and / or indicates20 ^^ᇱ ^ 1 SD basis vectors for each spatial layer.

[0103] One may notice that by configuring S’ low (or even as 1) or higher, the NW can adjust the beamforming flexibility of the unified codebook, at the cost of additional CSI report signaling overhead. This provides the NW vendor, or operator means to adjust the overhead and beamforming flexibility based on the need. For example, if only SU-MIMO scheduling is used in25 the cell, then it may be sufficient to configure ^^’ ൌ 1 based operation for the UE.

[0104] Next, we demonstrate how the unified codebook with the above signaled parameters received by the UE from the network node can achieve ‘Type-I like’ and ‘Type-II like’ functionality within one unified codebook.

[0105] Example Embodiment 1: ^^ ^ 1 distinct total maximum number of SD basis vectors30 with ^^′ ൌ 1 SD basis vectors per layer

[0106] This configuration is useful when primarily SU-MIMO is assumed in the cell, or for NW nodes that is not capable of MU-MIMO transmissions. It keeps the CSI reporting overhead low.

[0107] In this example embodiment, the distinct total maximum number of SD basis vectors is set to ^^ ^ 1 while the number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported by the UE foreach spatial layer is set to ^^ᇱ ൌ 1. This means that the SD basis vectors are selected and / or reportedby the UE as part of CSI report such that 5 o the total number of distinct SD basis vectors selected and / or reported by the UE over all spatial layers shall be within the total maximum value of ^^; and o the number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for each spatial layer is limited to ^^ᇱ ൌ 1.

[0108] In this example embodiment, the same SD basis vector is assumed to be applied across 10 both polarizations and thus configured from the NW to the UE.

[0109] A typical UE implementation is to find the preferred number of spatial layers ^^ (the rank) and for that value, find the preferred SD basis vectors, to be included in the CSI report. Hence, the UE tries different rank hypotheses.

[0110] For each spatial layer, the UE reports ^^ᇱ ൌ 1 SD basis vector. When there are a total15 of ^^ spatial layers found to be preferred by the UE for CSI reporting (i.e., the rank indicator in the CSI report is ^^), the UE reports up to ^^ SD basis vectors (i.e., the number of distinct SD basis vectors indicated can be any one of 1, 2, … , ^^ ). Details of how the SD basis vectors are reportedare given in following embodiments.

[0111] In one embodiment, the ^^ SD basis vectors are reported via ^^ SD basis vector selection 20 indicator pairs which are part of the CSI report. For instance, the ^^ SD basis vectors may be indicated via pairs of indices where the index25 1,2 spatial layer in the second dimension. It should be noted that in this embodiment, asame SD basis vector may be selected for more than one layer. Hence, even though ^^ SD basis vectors may be indicated, the number of distinct SD basis vectors indicated may in some cases be smaller than

[0112] In another embodiment, the ^^ SD basis vectors are orthogonal DFT vectors. In this 30 embodiment, a single pair oversampling indices and corresponding the first and second dimensions respectively is reported for all the ^^basis vectors, where ^^^ ൌ 0, 1, … ,^^^ െ 1 andFurthermore, in this embodiment, pairs of indicesଶ,ఒ^ are reported as part of the CSI, where theindex pair corresponds to the 1,2, spatial layer. The SD basis vectorcorresponding to the spatial layer is then given asand It should be noted that in this embodiment, a same SD basis vector maybe selected for more than one layer. Hence, even though ^^ SD basis vectors may be ind cated, the 5 number of distinct SD basis vectors indicated may in some cases be smaller than ^^.

[0113] Figure 5 shows a first example with ^^ ൌ 4 and ^^ᇱ ൌ 1 with 2 spatial layers. As can beseen in the figure, for 2 spatial layers, the UE reports the 2 SD basis vectors illustrated in the figure. Note that the distinct total number of SD basis vectors reported in this example is 2 which does not exceed the maximum ^^ ൌ 4. In this example, UE reports 2 SD basis vectors as part of CSI10 report according to the example embodiments above.

[0114] Figure 6 shows a second example with ^^ ൌ 4 and ^^ᇱ ൌ 1 with 2 spatial layers. As canbe seen in the figure, for 2 spatial layers, the UE reports the same SD basis vector illustrated in the figure. Note that the distinct total number of SD basis vectors reported in this example is 1 which does not exceed the maximum ^^ ൌ 4. In this example, UE reports 2 SD basis vectors as part of15 CSI report according to the example embodiments above. In some embodiments, a limitation is introduced that the same SD basis vector can be reported by the UE for at most two spatial layers.

[0115] Figure 7 shows a third example with ^^ ൌ 4 and ^^ᇱ ൌ 1 with 4 spatial layers. As canbe seen in the figure, for 4 spatial layers, the UE reports the 4 SD basis vectors illustrated in the figure. Note that the distinct total number of SD basis vectors reported in this example is 4 which20 does not exceed the maximum ^^ ൌ 4. In this example, UE reports 4 SD basis vectors as part ofCSI report according to the example embodiments above.

[0116] Example Embodiment 2: ^^ ^ 1 distinct total maximum number of SD basis vectorswith ^^′ ൌ 1 SD basis vectors per layer per polarization

[0117] This configuration is useful when primarily SU-MIMO is assumed in the cell, or for 25 NW nodes that are not capable of MU-MIMO transmissions. It keeps the CSI reporting overhead low. However, in the deployment, it has been observed that the scattering situation is such that different polarizations is received with rather large power difference. This may be due to properties of reflecting surfaces on buildings. Hence, it is a preference to allow for separate spatial directions for different polarizations in the CSI report. 30

[0118] In this example embodiment, the distinct total maximum number of SD basis vectors is set to ^^ ^ 1 while the number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported by the UE foreach spatial layer per polarization is set to ^^ᇱ ൌ 1. This means that the SD basis vectors areselected and / or reported by the UE as part of CSI report such thatP111078_WO01 19 ^ the total number of distinct SD basis vectors selected and / or reported by the UE over all spatial layers shall be within the maximum value of ^^; and ^ the number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for each spatial layer per polarization is limited to ^^ᇱ ൌ 1.5

[0119] In this example embodiment, the SD basis vectors applied across polarizations are different (i.e., two different SD basis vectors are applied across two polarizations for each spatial layer).

[0120] For each spatial layer, the UE reports ^^ᇱ ൌ 1 SD basis vector for each polarization.When there are ^^ spatial layers (i.e., the rank indicator in the CSI report is ^^), the UE reports 2 ∙ ^^10 SD basis vectors. In one embodiment, the 2 ∙ ^^ SD basis vectors are reported via 2 ∙ ^^ SD basisvector indicators which are part of the CSI report.

[0121] Figure 8 shows a fourth example with ^^ ൌ 4 and ^^ᇱ ൌ 1 with 2 spatial layers. As canbe seen in the figure, for 2 spatial layers, the UE reports the 4 SD basis vectors illustrated in the figure where there are 2 SD basis vectors reported for each spatial layer (i.e., 1 SD basis vector per 15 spatial layer per polarization). Note that the distinct total number of SD basis vectors reported in this example is 4 which does not exceed the maximum ^^ ൌ 4. In this example, UE reports 4 SDbasis vectors as part of CSI report according to the example embodiments above.

[0122] Example Embodiment 3: ^^ ^ 1 distinct total maximum number of SD basis vectorswith ^^ᇱ ^ 1 SD basis vectors per layer wherein ^^ᇱ ^ ^^20

[0123] This configuration is useful when primarily MU-MIMO is assumed in the cell, it has a CSI reporting overhead that is a bit higher than the previous embodiments.

[0124] In this example embodiment, the distinct total maximum number of SD basis vectors is set to ^^ ^ 1 while the number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported by the UE foreach spatial layer per polarization is set to ^^ᇱ ^ 1 wherein ^^ᇱ ^ ^^. This means that the SD basis25 vectors are selected and / or reported by the UE as part of CSI report such that ^ the total number of distinct SD basis vectors selected and / or reported by the UE over all spatial layers shall be within the maximum value of ^^; and ^ the number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for each spatial layer per polarization is limited to ^^ᇱ ^ 1 wherein ^^ᇱ ^ ^^.30

[0125] In this example embodiment, the same SD basis vectors are applied across polarizations for each spatial layer.

[0126] For each spatial layer, the UE reports ^^ᇱSD basis vector. When there are ^^ spatial layers (i.e., the rank indicator in the CSI report is ^^), the UE reports ^^ᇱ ∙ ^^ SD basis vectors. Inone embodiment, the ^^ᇱ ∙ ^^ SD basis vectors are reported via ^^ᇱ ∙ ^^ SD basis vector indicatorsP111078_WO01 20 which are part of the CSI report. In another embodiment, the ^^ᇱ ∙ ^^ SD basis vectors are reportedvia a joint indicator which is part of the CSI report. In yet another embodiment, the UE reports ^^ joint indicators which are part of the CSI report. Here, the ^^ᇱSD basis vectors corresponding to the ^^௧^ ^^^ ൌ 1, 2, … , ^^^ spatial layer are jointly encoded via the ^^௧^ joint indicator.5

[0127] Figure 9 shows a fifth example with ^^ ൌ 4 and ^^ᇱ ൌ 2 with 2 spatial layers. As canbe seen in the figure, for 2 spatial layers, the UE reports the 2 ∙ 2 ൌ 4 SD basis vectors illustratedin the figure. Note that the distinct total number of SD basis vectors reported in this example is 4 which does not exceed the maximum ^^ ൌ 4. In this example, the UE reports 4 SD basis vectorsas part of CSI report according to the example embodiments above.10

[0128] Example Embodiment 4: ^^ ^ 1 distinct total maximum number of SD basis vectorswith ^^ᇱ ^ 1 SD basis vectors per layer wherein ^^ᇱ ൌ ^^

[0129] In this example embodiment, the distinct total maximum number of SD basis vectors is set to ^^ ^ 1 while the number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported by the UE foreach spatial layer per polarization is set to ^^ᇱ ^ 1 wherein ^^ᇱ ൌ ^^. This means that the SD basis15 vectors are selected and / or reported by the UE as part of CSI report such that ^ the total number of distinct SD basis vectors selected and / or reported by the UE over all spatial layers shall be within the maximum value of ^^; and ^ the number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for each spatial layer per polarization is limited to ^^ᇱ ^ 1 wherein ^^ᇱ ൌ ^^.20

[0130] In this example embodiment, the same SD basis vectors are applied across polarizations for each spatial layer.

[0131] Since ^^ ൌ ^^′ in this example embodiment, the UE reports ^^′ SD basis vectors. The ^^′SD basis vectors are applied for each of the ^^ spatial layers (i.e., the reported ^^′ SD basis vectors are common to all ^^ spatial layers). In one embodiment, the ^^ᇱSD basis vectors are reported via 25 ^^ᇱSD basis vector indicators which are part of the CSI report. In another embodiment, the ^^ᇱSD basis vectors are reported via a joint indicator which is part of the CSI report.

[0132] Figure 10 shows a sixth example with ^^ ൌ 2 and ^^ᇱ ൌ 2 with 2 spatial layers. As canbe seen in the figure, the UE reports the 2 SD basis vectors illustrated in the figure which are common to the 2 spatial layers. Note that the distinct total number of SD basis vectors reported in30 this example is 2 which does not exceed the maximum ^^ ൌ 2. In this example, the UE reports 2SD basis vectors as part of CSI report according to the example embodiments above.

[0133] Signaling Embodiment 1: Receiving configuration of ^^ and / or ^^′ as part of CSI reporting configuration or codebook configurationP111078_WO01 21

[0134] In this embodiment, both ^^ and ^^’ are configured from the NW to the UE via RRC signaling. In a detailed embodiment, ^^ and ^^′ are configured as part of either CSI reportingconfiguration or a codebook configuration. In a further embodiment, ^^ and ^^′ are configured as part of a codebook configuration wherein the codebook configuration is part of the CSI reporting 5 configuration.

[0135] Signaling Embodiment 2: Receiving configuration of ^^ as part of CSI reporting configuration or codebook configuration, and dynamic indication of ^^′

[0136] In this embodiment, ^^ is configured from the NW to the UE via RRC signaling. In a detailed embodiment, ^^ is configured as part of either CSI reporting configuration or a codebook10 configuration. In a further embodiment, ^^ is configured as part of a codebook configurationwherein the codebook configuration is part of the CSI reporting configuration.

[0137] In one embodiment, ^^′ is signaled from the NW to the UE via DCI signaling that triggers a CSI report (e.g., an aperiodic CSI report triggered by a DCI or a semi-persistent CSI report triggered by a DCI). After receiving the DCI, the UE computes and reports the triggered 15 CSI according to the signaled ^^′ using one or more of the embodiments described above.

[0138] In another embodiment, ^^′ is signaled from the NW to the UE via MAC CE signaling that activates a CSI report (e.g., a semi-persistent CSI report activated by a MAC CE). After receiving the MAC CE, the UE computes and reports the activated CSI according to the signaled ^^′ using one or more of the embodiments described above. 20

[0139] Signaling Embodiment 3: Receiving dynamic signaling of both ^^ and ^^′

[0140] In one embodiment, both ^^ and ^^′ are signaled from the NW to the UE via DCIsignaling that triggers a CSI report (e.g., an aperiodic CSI report triggered by a DCI or a semi- persistent CSI report triggered by a DCI). After receiving the DCI, the UE computes and reports the triggered CSI according to the signaled ^^ and ^^′ using one or more of the embodiments25 described above.

[0141] In another embodiment, both ^^ and ^^′ is signaled from the NW to the UE via MAC CE signaling that activates a CSI report (e.g., a semi-persistent CSI report activated by a MAC CE). After receiving the MAC CE, the UE computes and reports the activated CSI according to the signaled both ^^ and ^^′ using one or more of the embodiments described above. 30

[0142] Alternative General Embodiment

[0143] In an alternative general embodiment for 6G, as part of the signaling related to the unified codebook, a UE receive signaling of parameter ^^′ without receiving parameter ^^.

[0144] In one embodiment, only ^^’ is configured from the NW to the UE together withadditional configuration information onP111078_WO01 22 ^ whether S’ SD basis vectors to be reported are spatial layer specific or common to all spatial layers; and ^ whether S’ SD basis vectors to be reported for a spatial layer are per antenna polarization or common for both antenna polarizations. 5

[0145] In a detailed embodiment, ^^′ is configured as part of either CSI reporting configuration or a codebook configuration. In a further embodiment, ^^′ is configured as part of a codebook configuration wherein the codebook configuration is part of the CSI reporting configuration.

[0146] For example, in case of spatial layer specific SD basis vectors, up to ^^ ∙ ^^’ SD basisvectors are reported for ^^ layers. However, a same beam may be selected for more than one spatial 10 layer. In one embodiment, information of the ^^’ SD basis vectors for each spatial layer is reported. In another embodiment, to save feedback overhead in case that a SD basis vector is shared by different spatial layers, information about the total number of distinct SD basis vectors may be reported together with a SD basis vector to spatial layer mapping so that feedback overhead can be reduced. For example, information about a SD basis vector common to two spatial layers is 15 reported once instead twice as part of the CSI report.

[0147] In case of spatial layer common SD basis vectors, S’ SD basis vectors are reported regardless of the number of spatial layers and the same S’ SD basis vectors are used for each spatial layer.

[0148] In case that S’ SD basis vectors are reported per antenna polarization per layer, 2S’ SD 20 basis vectors are reported per spatial layer. Otherwise, if S’ beams or SD basis vectors are common to both antenna polarizations per spatial layer, S’ beams or SD basis vectors are reported per layer.

[0149]

[0150] Figure 11 is a flow chart that illustrates a method performed by a network node (e.g., a gNB in this example embodiment) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. 25 Note that this process is complementary to the process performed by the UE described above, e.g., with respect to Figure 4. As such, details above provided in relation to Figures 4-10 are applicable to Figure 11. As illustrated, a method for a network node, e.g. a gNB, comprises any one or more of the following steps: Step 200: transmitting, to the UE, a first signaling of one or more values, S’ >= 1, wherein the first signaling comprises at least one of: a number of SD basis vectors to be 30 selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer of a plurality of spatial layers; a number of SD basis vector to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer and for a polarization wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer and polarization among a plurality of spatial layers and a plurality of polarizations; and / or a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein a first S ’value appliesP111078_WO01 23 to a first subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers and a second S’ value applies to a second subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers; Step 210: receiving, from the UE, a CSI report computed by the user equipment based on to the first signaling.

[0151] Figure 12 shows an example of a communication system 1200 in which embodiments 5 of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0152] In the example, the communication system 1200 includes a telecommunication network 1202 that includes an access network 1204, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 1206, which includes one or more core network nodes 1208. The access network 1204 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 1210A and 1210B (one 10 or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 1210), or any other similar Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP Access Points (APs). Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include 15 disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 1202 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 1202 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 20 any node in the telecommunication network 1202, including one or more network nodes 1210 and / or core network nodes 1208.

[0153] 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- 25 real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1, F1, W1, E1, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open 30 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 definedP111078_WO01 24 by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 1210 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 1212A, 1212B, 1212C, and 1212D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 1212) to the core network 1206 over one or more wireless connections. 5

[0154] 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 1200 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other 10 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 1200 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0155] The UEs 1212 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including 15 wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 1210 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 1210 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 1212 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 1202 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other 20 functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 1202.

[0156] Note that the functionality of the network node or gNB described above may be implemented in any one of the network nodes 1210, and the functionality of the UE described above may be implemented in any one of the UEs 1212. In this regard, the network node 1210 may be a multi-TRP network node (e.g., a gNB having multiple TRPs). 25

[0157] In the depicted example, the core network 1206 connects the network nodes 1210 to one or more hosts, such as host 1216. 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 1206 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 1208) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components 30 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 1208. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management FunctionP111078_WO01 25 (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).

[0158] The host 1216 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than 5 an operator or provider of the access network 1204 and / or the telecommunication network 1202, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 1216 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics 10 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.

[0159] As a whole, the communication system 1200 of Figure 12 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 1200 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards 15 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 20 (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.

[0160] In some examples, the telecommunication network 1202 is a cellular network that 25 implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 1202 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 1202. For example, the telecommunication network 1202 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 30 Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / massive Internet of Things (IoT) services to yet further UEs.

[0161] In some examples, the UEs 1212 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 1204 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or externalP111078_WO01 26 event, or in response to requests from the access network 1204. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e. being configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved 5 UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0162] In the example, a hub 1214 communicates with the access network 1204 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 1212C and / or 1212D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 1210B). In some examples, the hub 1214 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein 10 regarding UEs. For example, the hub 1214 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 1206 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 1214 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 1210, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 1214. As another example, the hub 1214 may be a data collector that acts 15 as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 1214 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 1214 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 1214 then provides to the UE either directly, after 20 performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 1214 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy IoT devices.

[0163] The hub 1214 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 1210B. The hub 1214 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule 25 between the hub 1214 and UEs (e.g., UE 1212C and / or 1212D), and between the hub 1214 and the core network 1206. In other examples, the hub 1214 is connected to the core network 1206 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 1214 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 1204 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection 30 with the network nodes 1210 while still connected via the hub 1214 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 1214 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 1210B. In other embodiments, the hub 1214 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 1210B, butP111078_WO01 27 which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0164] Figure 13 shows a UE 1300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly 5 with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, Laptop Embedded Equipment (LEE), Laptop Mounted Equipment 10 (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.

[0165] A UE may support Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, for example by 15 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 20 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).

[0166] The UE 1300 includes processing circuitry 1302 that is operatively coupled via a bus 25 1304 to an input / output interface 1306, a power source 1308, memory 1310, a communication interface 1312, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 13. 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, 30 receivers, etc.

[0167] The processing circuitry 1302 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 1310. The processing circuitry 1302 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, FieldP111078_WO01 28 Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 5 1302 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0168] In the example, the input / output interface 1306 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. 10 An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1300. 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 15 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.

[0169] In some embodiments, the power source 1308 is structured as a battery or battery pack. 20 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 1308 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1308 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1300 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1308. 25 Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1308 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1300 to which power is supplied.

[0170] The memory 1310 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM 30 (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1310 includes one or more application programs 1314, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1316. The memory 1310 may store, for useP111078_WO01 29 by the UE 1300, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0171] The memory 1310 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 5 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 10 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 1310 may allow the UE 1300 to access instructions, application programs, and the like stored on transitory or non-transitory 15 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 1310, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0172] The processing circuitry 1302 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1312. The communication interface 20 1312 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1322. The communication interface 1312 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 1318 and / or a receiver 25 1320 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1318 and receiver 1320 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 1322) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0173] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication 30 interface 1312 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 orP111078_WO01 30 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 5 Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0174] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1312, 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 10 sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0175] 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 15 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.

[0176] A UE, when in the form of an IoT device, may be a device for use in one or more 20 application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an IoT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a television, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window 25 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 30 sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an IoT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the IoT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1300 shown in Figure 13.P111078_WO01 31

[0177] As yet another specific example, in an IoT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one 5 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.

[0178] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. 10 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 15 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.

[0179] Figure 14 shows a network node 1400 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 20 telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, APs (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR Node Bs (gNBs)), and O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0180] 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 25 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 30 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).

[0181] 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 StationsP111078_WO01 32 (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). 5

[0182] The network node 1400 includes processing circuitry 1402, memory 1404, a communication interface 1406, and a power source 1408. The network node 1400 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 1400 comprises multiple 10 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 1400 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated 15 (e.g., separate memory 1404 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1410 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1400 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1400, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), or Bluetooth 20 wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within the network node 1400.

[0183] The processing circuitry 1402 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 25 to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1400 components, such as the memory 1404, to provide network node 1400 functionality.

[0184] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1402 includes a System on a Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1402 includes one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1412 and baseband processing circuitry 1414. In some 30 embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1412 and the baseband processing circuitry 1414 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 1412 and the baseband processing circuitry 1414 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.P111078_WO01 33

[0185] The memory 1404 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 5 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 1402. The memory 1404 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 10 executed by the processing circuitry 1402 and utilized by the network node 1400. The memory 1404 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1402 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1406. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1402 and the memory 1404 are integrated.

[0186] The communication interface 1406 is used in wired or wireless communication of 15 signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1406 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1416 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1406 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1418 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1410. The radio front-end circuitry 1418 comprises filters 1420 and amplifiers 20 1422. The radio front-end circuitry 1418 may be connected to the antenna 1410 and the processing circuitry 1402. The radio front-end circuitry 1418 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 1410 and the processing circuitry 1402. The radio front-end circuitry 1418 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 1418 may convert the digital data into a radio 25 signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 1420 and / or the amplifiers 1422. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1410. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1410 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1418. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1402. In other embodiments, the communication interface 1406 may 30 comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0187] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1400 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1418; instead, the processing circuitry 1402 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1410. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1412 is part of the communication interface 1406. In still otherP111078_WO01 34 embodiments, the communication interface 1406 includes the one or more ports or terminals 1416, the radio front-end circuitry 1418, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1412 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1406 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1414, which is part of a digital unit (not shown). 5

[0188] The antenna 1410 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1410 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1418 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1410 is separate from the network node 1400 and connectable to the network node 1400 through an interface or port. 10

[0189] The antenna 1410, the communication interface 1406, and / or the processing circuitry 1402 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1400. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1410, the communication interface 1406, and / or the processing circuitry 15 1402 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1400. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0190] The power source 1408 provides power to the various components of the network node 1400 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed 20 for each respective component). The power source 1408 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1400 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1400 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 25 power to power circuitry of the power source 1408. As a further example, the power source 1408 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.

[0191] Embodiments of the network node 1400 may include additional components beyond 30 those shown in Figure 14 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 1400 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1400 and to allow outputP111078_WO01 35 of information from the network node 1400. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1400.

[0192] Figure 15 is a block diagram of a host 1500, which may be an embodiment of the host 1216 of Figure 12, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 5 1500 may be or comprise various combinations of hardware and / or software including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1500 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0193] The host 1500 includes processing circuitry 1502 that is operatively coupled via a bus 10 1504 to an input / output interface 1506, a network interface 1508, a power source 1510, and memory 1512. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 13 and 14, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host 1500. 15

[0194] The memory 1512 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1514 and data 1516, which may include user data, e.g. data generated by a UE for the host 1500 or data generated by the host 1500 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1500 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1514 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video 20 codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, and heads-up display systems). The host 25 application programs 1514 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1500 may select and / or indicate a different host for Over-The-Top (OTT) services for a UE. The host application programs 1514 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging 30 Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH or MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0195] Figure 16 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1600 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 includeP111078_WO01 36 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 5 components executed by one or more Virtual Machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1600 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 10 1600 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.

[0196] Applications 1602 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 1600 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of 15 some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0197] Hardware 1604 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1606 (also 20 referred to as hypervisors or VM Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1608A and 1608B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1608), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1606 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1608. 25

[0198] The VMs 1608 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1606. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1602 may be implemented on one or more of the VMs 1608, 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 30 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.

[0199] In the context of NFV, a VM 1608 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine.P111078_WO01 37 Each of the VMs 1608, and that part of the hardware 1604 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs 1608, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1608 on top of 5 the hardware 1604 and corresponds to the application 1602.

[0200] The hardware 1604 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 1604 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 1604 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 10 orchestration 1610, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 1602. In some embodiments, the hardware 1604 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 15 virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a RAN or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1612 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0201] Figure 17 shows a communication diagram of a host 1702 communicating via a network node 1704 with a UE 1706 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some 20 embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as the UE 1212A of Figure 12 and / or the UE 1300 of Figure 13), the network node (such as the network node 1210A of Figure 12 and / or the network node 1400 of Figure 14), and the host (such as the host 1216 of Figure 12 and / or the host 1500 of Figure 15) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 17. 25

[0202] Like the host 1500, embodiments of the host 1702 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1702 also includes software, which is stored in or is accessible by the host 1702 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1706 connecting via an OTT connection 1750 extending between the 30 UE 1706 and the host 1702. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1750.

[0203] The network node 1704 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1702 and the UE 1706. The connection 1760 may be direct or pass through a core network (like the core network 1206 of Figure 12) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as oneP111078_WO01 38 or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0204] The UE 1706 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by the UE 1706 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client 5 application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via the UE 1706 with the support of the host 1702. In the host 1702, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1750 terminating at the UE 1706 and the host 1702. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host 10 application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1750 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1750.

[0205] The OTT connection 1750 may extend via the connection 1760 between the host 1702 15 and the network node 1704 and via a wireless connection 1770 between the network node 1704 and the UE 1706 to provide the connection between the host 1702 and the UE 1706. The connection 1760 and the wireless connection 1770, over which the OTT connection 1750 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1702 and the UE 1706 via the network node 1704, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices 20 and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0206] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1750, in step 1708, the host 1702 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1706. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1706 that shares data with the 25 host 1702 without explicit human interaction. In step 1710, the host 1702 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1706. The host 1702 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1706. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1706 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1706. The transmission may pass via the network node 1704 in accordance with the teachings of the 30 embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 1712, the network node 1704 transmits to the UE 1706 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1702 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 1714, the UE 1706 receives the user data carried in the transmission, whichP111078_WO01 39 may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1706 associated with the host application executed by the host 1702.

[0207] In some examples, the UE 1706 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1702. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from 5 the host 1702. Accordingly, in step 1716, the UE 1706 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1706. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1706 initiates, in step 1718, transmission of the user data towards the host 1702 via the network node 10 1704. In step 1720, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1704 receives user data from the UE 1706 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1702. In step 1722, the host 1702 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1706.

[0208] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services 15 provided to the UE 1706 using the OTT connection 1750, in which the wireless connection 1770 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve, e.g., data rate, latency, and / or power consumption and thereby provide benefits such as, e.g., reduced user waiting time, related restriction on file size, improved content resolution, better responsiveness, and / or extended battery lifetime. 20

[0209] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1702. As another example, the host 1702 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1702 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 1702 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. 25 As another example, the host 1702 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR, or AR which it can broadcast, multicast, or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1702 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, 30 retrieving, storing, analyzing, and / or transmitting data.

[0210] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency, and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1750 between the host 1702 and the UE 1706 in response to variations in the measurement results. TheP111078_WO01 40 measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1750 may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1702 and / or the UE 1706. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1750 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure 5 by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or by supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1750 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1704. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain 10 embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency, and the like by the host 1702. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1750 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc. 15

[0211] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Determining, 20 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 25 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 30 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.P111078_WO01 41

[0212] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be 5 provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing 10 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.

[0213] 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. 15

[0214] Some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are as follows:

[0215] EMBODIMENTS

[0216] Group A Embodiments

[0217] Embodiment 1: A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising any one or more of the following: receiving (100) from a network node a first signaling 20 of one or more S’ values, S’>= 1, computing (102) a Channel State Information, CSI, according to the received first signaling and reporting (104) the computed CSI. The first signaling comprises any one or more of the following: - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer of a plurality of spatial layers; 25 - a number of SD basis vector to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer and for a polarization wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer and polarization among a plurality of spatial layers and a plurality of polarizations; and / or - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein a first S’ value applies to a first subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers 30 and a second S’ value applies to a second subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers.

[0218] Embodiment 2: The method of embodiment 1, wherein the UE receives from the network node a second signaling of a total maximum number S of distinct SD basis vectors to beP111078_WO01 42 reported as part of the CSI report, where the computing and / or reporting of the CSI are according to both the first signaling and the second signaling.

[0219] Embodiment 3: The method of embodiment 1, wherein the total maximum number S of distinct SD basis vectors depends on the maximum allowed number of spatial layers. 5

[0220] Embodiment 4: The method of embodiment 1, further comprising computing and / or reporting indication of a single SD basis vector for each spatial layer when a single S' value equal to 1 (i.e., S’=1) is received in the first signaling.

[0221] Embodiment 5: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 4, further comprising computing and / or reporting indication of S'>1 SD basis vectors for each spatial layer when a single 10 S' value larger than 1 (i.e., S’>1) is received in the first signaling.

[0222] Embodiment 6: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the total number of distinct SD basis vectors computed and reported is smaller or equal to the total maximum value of S.

[0223] Embodiment 7: The method of any of the previous embodiments, further comprising: 15 providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

[0224] Group B Embodiments

[0225] Embodiment 8: A method performed by a network node, the method comprising one or more of the following: transmitting (200) to a User Equipment, UE, a first signaling of one or 20 more S’ values, S’>= 1, receiving (210), from the UE, a Channel State Information (CSI) report computed by the user equipment based on the first signaling. The first signaling comprises any one or more of the following: - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer of a plurality of spatial 25 layers; - a number of SD basis vector to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer and for a polarization wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer and polarization among a plurality of spatial layers and a plurality of polarizations; and / or 30 - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein a first S’ value applies to a first subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers and a second S’ value applies to a second subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers;

[0226] Group C EmbodimentsP111078_WO01 43

[0227] Embodiment 9: A user equipment comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0228] Embodiment 9: A network node comprising processing circuitry configured to perform 5 any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0229] Embodiment 10: A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the 10 processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the 15 processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0230] Embodiment 11: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a 20 communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0231] Embodiment 12: The host of the previous embodiment, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the 25 UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

[0232] Embodiment 13: A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user 30 data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0233] Embodiment 14: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data provided by the host for the UE.P111078_WO01 44

[0234] Embodiment 15: The method of any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0235] Embodiment 16: A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top 5 (OTT) service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node 10 configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

[0236] Embodiment 17: The communication system of the previous embodiment, further comprising: the network node; and / or the UE.

[0237] Embodiment 18: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide 15 an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the 20 host.

[0238] Embodiment 19: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that receives the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. 25

[0239] Embodiment 20: The host of the any of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data.

[0240] Embodiment 21: A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating 30 from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from the UE for the host.

[0241] Embodiment 22: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host.P111078_WO01 45

[0242] Embodiment 23: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication 5 interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host.

[0243] Embodiment 24: The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data 10 to the UE from the host.

[0244] Embodiment 25: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application. 15

[0245] Embodiment 26: A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of the Group A embodiments to receive the user data from the host. 20

[0246] Embodiment 27: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the host application.

[0247] Embodiment 28: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being 25 provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

[0248] Embodiment 29: A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular 30 network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.P111078_WO01 46

[0249] Embodiment 30: The host of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

[0250] Embodiment 31: The host of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing 5 circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

[0251] Embodiment 32: A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the 10 method comprising: at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments to transmit the user data to the host.

[0252] Embodiment 33: The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to 15 receive the user data from the UE.

[0253] Embodiment 34: The method of the previous 2 embodiments, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application. 20

Claims

P111078_WO01 47 CLAIMS 1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising any one or more of the following: receiving (100) from a network node a first signaling of one or more S’ values, S’>= 1, 5 wherein the first signaling comprises any one or more of the following: - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer of a plurality of spatial layers; - a number of SD basis vector to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer and for a polarization wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer and 10 polarization among a plurality of spatial layers and a plurality of polarizations; and / or - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein a first S’ value applies to a first subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers and a second S’ value applies to a second subset of spatial layers 15 among the plurality of spatial layers; computing (102) a Channel State Information, CSI, according to the received first signaling; and reporting (104) the computed CSI. 20 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE receives from the network node a second signaling of a total maximum number S of distinct SD basis vectors to be reported as part of the CSI report, where the computing and / or reporting of the CSI are according to both the first signaling and the second signaling. 25 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the total maximum number S of distinct SD basis vectors depends on the maximum allowed number of spatial layers.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing and / or reporting indication of a single SD basis vector for each spatial layer when a single S' value equal to 1 (i.e., S’=1) is 30 received in the first signaling.

5. The method of any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising computing and / or reporting indication of S'>1 SD basis vectors for each spatial layer when a single S' value larger than 1 (i.e., S’>1) is received in the first signaling.P111078_WO01 48 6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the total number of distinct SD basis vectors computed and reported is smaller or equal to the total maximum value of S.. 5 7. The method of any of the previous claims, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to a host via the transmission to the network node.

8. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising one or more of the 10 following: transmitting (200) to a User Equipment, UE, a first signaling of one or more S’ values, S’>= 1, wherein the first signaling comprises any one or more of the following: - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer of a plurality of spatial 15 layers; - a number of SD basis vector to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer and for a polarization wherein the same S’ value applies to each spatial layer and polarization among a plurality of spatial layers and a plurality of polarizations; and / or 20 - a number of SD basis vectors to be selected and / or reported for a spatial layer wherein a first S’ value applies to a first subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers and a second S’ value applies to a second subset of spatial layers among the plurality of spatial layers; receiving (210), from the UE, a Channel State Information (CSI) report computed by the 25 user equipment based on the first signaling.

9. A user equipment comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of claim 1-7; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry. 30 10. A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of claim 8; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.P111078_WO01 49 11. A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; 5 the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of claims 1-7; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and 10 a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

12. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and 15 a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a network node in a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of claim 8 to transmit the user data from the host to the UE. 20 13. The host of the previous claim, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that provides the user data; and the UE comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated 25 with the host application to receive the transmission of user data from the host.

14. A method implemented in a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: providing user data for the UE; and 30 initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

15. The method of the previous claim, further comprising, at the network node, transmittingP111078_WO01 50 the user data provided by the host for the UE.

16. The method of any of the previous 2 claims, wherein the user data is provided at the host by executing a host application that interacts with a client application executing on the UE, the 5 client application being associated with the host application.

17. A communication system configured to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the communication system comprising: a host comprising: 10 processing circuitry configured to provide user data for a user equipment (UE), the user data being associated with the over-the-top service; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data toward a cellular network node for transmission to the UE, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any 15 of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to transmit the user data from the host to the UE.

18. The communication system of the previous claim, further comprising: the network node; and / or 20 the UE.

19. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to initiate receipt of user data; and 25 a network interface configured to receive the user data from a network node in a cellular network, the network node having a communication interface and processing circuitry, the processing circuitry of the network node configured to perform any of the operations of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from a user equipment (UE) for the host. 30 20. The host of the previous 2 claims, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application that receives the user data; and the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.P111078_WO01 51 21. The host of the any of the previous 2 claims, wherein the initiating receipt of the user data comprises requesting the user data. 5 22. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: at the host, initiating receipt of user data from the UE, the user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the UE, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments to receive the user data from the 10 UE for the host.

23. The method of the previous claim, further comprising at the network node, transmitting the received user data to the host. 15 24. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface 20 and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the operations of any of claims 1-7 to receive the user data from the host.

25. The host of the previous claim, wherein the cellular network further includes a network 25 node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data to the UE from the host.

26. The host of the previous 2 claims, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and 30 the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

27. A method implemented by a host operating in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:P111078_WO01 52 providing user data for the UE; and initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the UE via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the UE performs any of the operations of any of claims 1-7 to receive the user data from the host. 5 28. The method of the previous claim, further comprising: at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the host application. 10 29. The method of the previous claim, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application. 15 30. A host configured to operate in a communication system to provide an over-the-top (OTT) service, the host comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a network interface configured to initiate transmission of the user data to a cellular network 20 for transmission to a user equipment (UE), wherein the UE comprises a communication interface and processing circuitry, the communication interface and processing circuitry of the UE being configured to perform any of the steps of claims 1-7 to transmit the user data to the host.

31. The host of the previous claim, wherein the cellular network further includes a network 25 node configured to communicate with the UE to transmit the user data from the UE to the host.

32. The host of the previous 2 claims, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and 30 the host application is configured to interact with a client application executing on the UE, the client application being associated with the host application.

33. A method implemented by a host configured to operate in a communication system that further includes a network node and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:P111078_WO01 53 at the host, receiving user data transmitted to the host via the network node by the UE, wherein the UE performs any of the steps of claims 1-7 to transmit the user data to the host.

34. The method of the previous claim, further comprising: 5 at the host, executing a host application associated with a client application executing on the UE to receive the user data from the UE.

35. The method of the previous 2 claims, further comprising: at the host, transmitting input data to the client application executing on the UE, the input 10 data being provided by executing the host application, wherein the user data is provided by the client application in response to the input data from the host application.

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