Method, apparatus and computer program

Abstract

METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM There is provided a method and apparatus for causing the apparatus to perform: obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and / an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; determining a transmission power of the apparatus based at least in part on a power reduction associated with the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined transmission power.

Description

METHOD, APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAMTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Various examples of this disclosure relate to a method, apparatus, system and computer program and in particular but not exclusively to information indicating one or more frequency resources. The information may be used for methods relating to user equipment maximum power reduction and / or power reduction enhancements, which may lead to uplink coverage enhancements.BACKGROUND

[0002] A communication network can be seen as a facility that enables communications between two or more communication devices or provides communication devices access to a data network. A mobile or wireless communication network is one example of a communication network. A communication device may be provided with a service by an application server.

[0003] Such communication networks operate in accordance with standards, such as those provided by 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) or ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). Examples of standards provided by 3GPP are the so-called 3GPP standards for cellular technology generations, such as 3GPP standards for 4G technology, 5G technology, and 6G technology.SUMMARY

[0004] Some examples of this disclosure will be described with respect to certain aspects. These aspects are not intended to indicate key or essential features of the various examples of this disclosure, nor are they intended to be used to limit the scope of thereof. Other features, aspects, and elements will be apparent to a person skilled in the art in view of this disclosure. For example, it should be appreciated that further aspects may be provided by the combination of any two or more of the various aspects described below.

[0005] According to a first aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and / an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; means for determining a transmission power of theapparatus based at least in part on a power reduction associated with the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and means for performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined transmission power.

[0006] According to a second aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising code that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform: obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and / an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; determining a transmission power of the apparatus based at least in part on a power reduction associated with the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined transmission power.

[0007] According to a third aspect, there is provided a method for an apparatus, the method comprising: obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and / an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; determining a transmission power of the apparatus based at least in part on a power reduction associated with the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined transmission power.

[0008] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: obtaining circuitry for obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and / an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; determining circuitry for determining a transmission power of the apparatus based at least in part on a power reduction associated with the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and performing circuitry for performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined transmission power.

[0009] The following may apply in respect of any (e.g., one or more, including all) of the above first to fourth aspects.

[0010] The one or more resources may comprise one or more of: one or more frequency resources within and adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; or one or more frequency resources in an additional band adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0011] The one or more frequency resources may comprise at least part of a resource block.

[0012] The power reduction may be associated with one or more requirements to be satisfied by the apparatus when performing uplink transmissions.

[0013] The one or more requirements may comprise one or more of: in-band emission; error vector magnitude; occupied channel bandwidth; adjacent channel leakage ratio; spectrum emission mask; spurious emissions; or additional spurious emissions.

[0014] The one or more requirements may comprise the in-band emission, and the in-band emission may be calculated from an outer edge of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0015] The obtaining the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may comprise: receiving the information from a network node; and / or determining the information based on hard-coded information at the apparatus.

[0016] The one or more frequency resources at the lowermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and the one or more resources at the uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be the same size or different sizes.

[0017] The apparatus may further be caused to perform determining a size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0018] The size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be determined based on: the obtained information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; or the obtained information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequencyresources for uplink transmission and information indicating the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0019] The information indicating the one or more frequency resources may be configured per: user equipment; group of user equipments; or cell.

[0020] The apparatus may be further caused to perform: sending, to a network node, information indicating a maximum transmission power of the apparatus.

[0021] The apparatus may further be caused to perform sending, to the network node, information indicating the apparatus’ capability for partially muting transmissions on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0022] The information indicating the apparatus’s capability may further comprise: information indicating one or more supported configurations of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and / or information indicating at least one preferred configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0023] The apparatus may further be caused to perform: receiving, from the network node, information indicating at least one possible configuration for the one or more frequency resources, wherein the at least one possible configuration may comprise the one or more supported configurations and / or the at least one preferred configuration.

[0024] The at least one preferred configuration may maximize the transmission power for the apparatus.

[0025] The apparatus may further be caused to perform sending, to the network node, information indicating one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus.

[0026] The information indicating the one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or the one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus may further comprise information indicating a maximum transmission power associated with each of the one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or the one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus.

[0027] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a network node comprising: means for determining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein an apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; and means for receiving, from the apparatus, one or more uplink transmissions based on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources.

[0028] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a network node comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising code that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the network node to perform: determining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein an apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; and receiving, from the apparatus, one or more uplink transmissions based on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources.

[0029] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a method for a network node, the method comprising: determining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein an apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; and receiving, from the apparatus, one or more uplink transmissions based on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources.

[0030] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided a network node comprising: determining circuitry for determining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein an apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; and receiving circuitry for receiving, from the apparatus, one or more uplink transmissions based on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources.

[0031] The following may apply to any (e.g., one or more, including all) of the above fifth to eighth aspects.

[0032] The one or more frequency resources may comprise one or more of: one or more frequency resources within and adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; or one or more frequency resources in an additional band adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0033] The one or more frequency resources may comprise at least part of a resource block.

[0034] The network node may be caused to perform: sending, to the apparatus, the determined information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0035] The network node may be caused to perform: receiving, from the apparatus, information indicating a maximum transmission power of the apparatus, wherein the maximum transmission power of the apparatus may be based at least in part on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0036] The network node may be caused to perform: receiving, from the apparatus, information indicating the apparatus’ capability for partially muting transmissions on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein determining the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be based at least in part on the information indicating the apparatus’ capability for partially muting transmissions on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0037] The information indicating the apparatus’s capability may further comprise information indicating one or more supported configurations of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, and wherein determining the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be based at least in part on the information indicating the one or more supported configurations of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0038] The information indicating the apparatus’s capability may further comprise information indicating at least one preferred configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein determining the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be based at least in part on the information indicating the at least one preferred configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0039] The network node may be caused to perform sending, to the apparatus, information indicating at least one possible configuration for the one or more frequency resources, wherein the at least one possible configuration may comprise the one or more supported configurations and / or the at least one preferred configuration.

[0040] The at least one preferred configuration may maximize the transmission power for the apparatus.

[0041] The network node may be caused to perform receiving, from the apparatus, information indicating one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus, wherein determining the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be based at least in part on the information indicating the one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or the one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus.

[0042] The information indicating the one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or the one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus may further comprise information indicating a maximum transmission power associated with each of the one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or the one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus, wherein determining the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be based on the information indicating the maximum transmission power associated with each of the one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or the one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus.

[0043] The network node may be caused to perform: determining scheduling information for the apparatus based at least in part on the determined information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and sending, to the apparatus, the scheduling information for the apparatus, wherein the one or more uplink transmissions may be received based on the scheduling information.

[0044] The network node may be caused to perform: determining scheduling information for at least one other apparatus based at least in part on the determined information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and sending, to the at least one other apparatus, the scheduling information for the at least one other apparatus.

[0045] The one or more frequency resources at the lowermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and the one or more frequency resources at the uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be the same size or different sizes.

[0046] The information indicating the one or more frequency resources may be configured per: user equipment; group of user equipments; or cell.

[0047] The network node may be caused to perform: determining to disable use of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and sending, to the apparatus, information indicating that use of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission is disabled.

[0048] The determining to disable the use of the one or more frequency resources may be based at least in part on load information associated with the network node.

[0049] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; means for determining a power reduction to apply to a power amplifier of the apparatus, the determining being based at least in part on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and uplink configuration information;and means for performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined power reduction.

[0050] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising code that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform: obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; determining a power reduction to apply to a power amplifier of the apparatus, the determining being based at least in part on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and uplink configuration information; and performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined power reduction.

[0051] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a method for an apparatus, the method comprising: obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; determining a power reduction to apply to a power amplifier of the apparatus, the determining being based at least in part on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and uplink configuration information; and performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined power reduction.

[0052] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: obtaining circuitry for obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; determining circuitry for determining a power reduction to apply to a power amplifier of the apparatus, the determining being based at least in part on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and uplink configuration information; and performing circuitry for performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined power reduction.

[0053] The following may apply in respect of any (e.g., one or more, including all) of the above ninth to twelfth aspects.

[0054] The uplink configuration information may comprise information indicating one or more of: a waveform; a modulation scheme; and the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0055] The determining the power reduction may comprise selecting a power reduction value from a table of power reduction values.

[0056] The table of power reduction values may be associated with at least one of: a power class of the apparatus; a frequency range or frequency band comprising the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0057] Each of the at least one of the power class, frequency range or frequency band, may be associated with a corresponding table of power reduction values.

[0058] Each entry in the table of power reduction values may be associated with a configuration of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and / or a configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0059] The configuration of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and / or the configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may comprise at least one of: a size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; a size of the one or more frequency resources; a starting point of the one or more frequency resources; a relative location of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission with respect to a channel bandwidth.

[0060] The relative location of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission with respect to the channel bandwidth may be one of: inner, outer, or edge.

[0061] The power reduction may be one of: positive or negative.

[0062] The power reduction may be at least one of: an input power reduction to apply on an input signal input to the power amplifier of the apparatus; and an output power reduction to apply on an output signal output by the power amplifier of the apparatus.

[0063] The apparatus may be caused to perform: determining the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission based on the configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0064] The apparatus may be caused to perform: comparing a ratio, r1 , of the size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission to a size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission against a first threshold value and / or a second threshold value; or comparing a ratio, r2, of the size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission to the sum of a size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and the size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission against the first threshold value and / or the second threshold value; and determining the transmission power of the apparatus based on the comparing.

[0065] When the comparing indicates that r1 is greater than zero or r2 is less than the second threshold value, determining the transmission power may comprise determining a first value for the transmission power; when the comparing indicates that r1 is greater than the first threshold value or r2 is less than the second threshold value, determining the transmission power may comprise determining a second value for the transmission power, the second value being greater than the first value; and when either r1 or r2 is greater than the second threshold value, determining the transmission power may comprise determining a third value for the transmission power, the third value being greater than the second value.

[0066] The first and second threshold values, and the first, second, and third values may be determined based on the uplink configuration information.

[0067] The one or more resources may comprise one or more of: one or more frequency resources within and adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; or one or more frequency resources in an additional band adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0068] The power reduction may be associated with one or more requirements to be satisfied by the apparatus when performing uplink transmissions.

[0069] The one or more requirements may comprise one or more of: in-band emission; error vector magnitude; occupied channel bandwidth; adjacent channel leakage ratio; spectrum emission mask; spurious emissions; or additional spurious emissions.

[0070] The one or more requirements may comprise the in-band emission, and wherein the in-band emission may be calculated from an outer edge of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0071] The one or more frequency resources at the lowermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and the one or more resources at the uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be the same size or different sizes.

[0072] The apparatus may be caused to perform determining a size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0073] The size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be determined based on: the obtained information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; or the obtained information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and information indicating the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0074] The apparatus may be caused to perform sending, to the network node, information indicating the apparatus’ capability for partially muting transmissions on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0075] The information indicating the apparatus’s capability may further comprise: information indicating one or more supported configurations of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and / or information indicating at least one preferred configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0076] According to an aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the method according to any of the preceding aspects.

[0077] In the above, many different aspects have been described. As previously noted, it should be appreciated that further aspects may be provided by the combination of any two or more of the aspects described above. Other features, aspects, and elements will become apparent in view of the following.DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0078] Some examples will now be described, by way of non-limiting and illustrative example only, with reference to the accompanying Figures (FIGs.) in which:

[0079] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment;

[0080] FIG. 2 illustrates an example channel;

[0081] FIG. 3 illustrates an example method;

[0082] FIG. 4 illustrates an example method;

[0083] FIGs. 5a and 5b illustrate example frequency resources;

[0084] FIG. 6 illustrates example in-band emission;

[0085] FIG. 7 illustrates an example signalling exchange;

[0086] FIG. 8 illustrates an example method;

[0087] FIG. 9 illustrates an example apparatus;

[0088] FIG. 10 illustrates an example signalling exchange; and

[0089] FIG. 11 illustrates an example relationship between input power and output power of a power amplifier.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0090] Some examples of the present disclosure may be implemented in a communication network, such as any of the following radio access technologies (RATs): World-wide Interoperability for Micro-wave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM, 2G), GSM EDGE radio access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband- code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, and enhanced LTE (eLTE), 5G (also called NR), or any future RAT such as 6G. Moreover, communication within the communication network may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple- Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), and / or Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM).

[0091] As used herein, the term “network device” or “network node” may refer to a node in a communication network via which user equipment may access the network and / or which is capable of controlling radio communication and managing radio resources within a cell. The network node or network device may be referred to as a base station (BS), an access point (AP) or an access node. The network device may be, depending on the applied technology, for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node, a nonterrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or an aircraft network device.

[0092] Moreover, in connection of split radio access network (RAN), the network device may refer to a centralised unit (CU) of a base station and / or a distributed unit (DU) of a base station. An interface between CU and DU may be referred to as an F1 interface in NR. In the split RAN architecture, node operations may be carried out, at least partly, in the central / centralized unit, CU, (e.g. server, host or node) operationally coupled to the DU, (e.g. a radio head / node). One CU may control one or more DUs, acting at least as transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) nodes. In some examples, the DUs may comprise e.g. a radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY) layer, whereas the CU may comprise the layers above RLC layer, such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio resource control(RRC) and an internet protocol (IP) layers. Other functional splits are possible too. In practice, any processing task may be performed in either the CU or the DU and the boundary where the responsibility is shifted between the CU and the DU may depend on the applied implementation.

[0093] The term “terminal device” may refer to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example, a terminal device may be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), or a Mobile Station (MS). The terminal device may include a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and play-back appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, USB dongles, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like.

[0094] A term “resource”, as used herein, may refer to radio resources in time domain, in frequency domain, in space domain, and / or in code domain. Some examples of resources include e.g. a physical resource block (PRB), a radio frame, a subframe, a time slot, a subband, a frequency region, a sub-carrier, a beam, etc. The term “transmission” and / or “reception” may refer to wirelessly transmitting and / or receiving via a wireless propagation channel on radio resources.

[0095] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a communication network to which examples disclosed herein may be applied. The communication network or a cellular communication network may comprise a network node 110 providing one or more cells, such as cell 100, and a network node 112 providing one or more other cells, such as cell 102. Each cell may be, e.g., a macro cell, a micro cell, femto, or a pico cell, for example. The cell may define a coverage area or a service area of the corresponding access node.

[0096] The network node 1 10 may provide a user equipment (UE) 120 (one or more UEs) with wireless access to the communication network. The wireless access may comprise downlink (DL) communication from the network node to the UE 120 and uplink (UL) communication from the UE 120 to the network node. Examples of uplink channels comprisephysical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for transmitting control information and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for transmitting data towards the network. Examples of downlink channels comprise physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for transmitting control information and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for transmitting data towards the user equipment.

[0097] There may be a plurality of UEs 120, 122 in the system. Each UE may be served by the same or by different network nodes 1 10, 1 12. A UE may be configured with dual connectivity (DC), wherein the UE, e.g. UE 120, may be connected to multiple network nodes 1 10, 1 12. The UEs 120, 122 may communicate with each other, in case device-to-device (D2D) communication interface is established between them via a so-called sidelink (SL). Such D2D communications may be referred to as machine-to-machine, peer-to-peer (P2P) communications, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), for example.

[0098] In the case of multiple network nodes in the communication network, the network nodes may be connected to each other via an interface. LTE specifications call such an interface as X2 interface. An interface between an LTE node and a 5G node, or between two 5G nodes may be called Xn interface. The network nodes 1 10 and 112 may be further connected via another interface to a core network 116 of the communication network.

[0099] When performing UL transmissions, the UE may transmit signals using one or more frequency resources comprised within a channel having a plurality of frequency resources. The frequency resources may in some examples be grouped into resource blocks (RBs). Each RB may be understood as comprising a range of frequencies - for example, in frequency range 1 (FR1 ), a 10 MHz channel bandwidth may be comprised of 52 RBs, each having a size of 180 kHz (each RB having 12 subcarriers with a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing), where the remaining spectrum (i.e. the channel bandwidth - the 52 RBs) may comprise guard bands at the edges of the channel.

[0100] FIG. 2 illustrates an example channel comprising a plurality of RBs along the frequency (horizontal) axis. As shown in FIG. 2, the channel has an associated channel bandwidth 200. Within the channel bandwidth 200 are guard bands 202 (which may or may not be symmetric) at either edge of the channel bandwidth. The guard bands 202 may comprise resources on which no transmissions are scheduled.

[0101] The channel bandwidth 200 also comprises a maximum transmission bandwidth 204, which may comprise RBs on which a network node may schedule the UE for UL transmissions.Within the maximum transmission bandwidth 204 is an active transmission bandwidth 206 (which may also be referred to as an allocated bandwidth), which comprises one or more RBs allocated to the UE for UL transmission.

[0102] The active transmission bandwidth 206 allocated to the UE may be classified as being one of: an inner, outer, or edge allocation with respect to the channel bandwidth. An edge allocation may be an allocation where one of the RBs allocated to the UE is within a certain number (e.g., 2) of RBs of the lowermost or uppermost edge of the channel bandwidth. As used herein the term “lowermost edge” may indicate an edge with the lowest frequency, and the term “uppermost edge” may indicate an edge with the highest frequency. For example, the ’’lowermost edge of the transmission bandwidth” may be understood as being the edge of the transmission bandwidth with the lowest frequency. An inner allocation may be an allocation where the size of the allocation is less than half of the channel bandwidth and the allocation is at least half of the allocation size away from the edges of the channel bandwidth. An outer allocation may be an allocation that is not an inner or edge allocation.

[0103] The transmission power used by the UE for performing UL transmission may depend on a Maximum Power Reduction (MPR) value, for example as defined in TS 38.101 -1 / 2 / 3. The MPR may define a largest power reduction value that the UE is to apply to a power amplifier when performing UL transmissions. The MPR may be associated with one or more RF requirements, for example as defined in TS 38.101 , which have to be met by the UE during UL transmission. More specifically, the MPR may be defined compared to a power class where the UE still meets the RF requirements. An example MPR table from 3GPP TS 38.101 -1 for a UE power class 3 is shown below.

[0104] As can be seen from the above table, the MPR may depend on factors such as the modulation scheme, waveform, resource allocation (e.g., edge, outer, inner) etc. Furthermore, these factors may influence which RF requirement(s) are most limiting or gating the performance and therefore limiting the maximum UE power level.

[0105] The RF requirements may comprise one or more of the RF requirements as defined in 3GPP TS 38.101 -1 / 2 / 3. For example, the RF requirements may comprise one or more of:(a) Error vector magnitude (EVM), which may be based on a difference between a reference waveform and a measured waveform, where the difference is termed the error vector. The EVM may be defined as the square root of the ratio of the mean error vector power to the mean reference power, and may be expressed as a percentage;(b) In-band emission (I BE) , which may occur due to the spreading of the UL signal from the assigned transmission bandwidth into neighbouring resources. IBE may be defined as the average emission across 12 subcarriers and as a function of the offset from the edge of the allocated UL transmission bandwidth. IBE may be measured as the ratio of the UE output power in a non-allocated RB to the UE output power in an allocated RB;(c) Occupied channel bandwidth (OBW), which may be defined as the bandwidth containing 99% of the total integrated power of the UL transmission spectrum;(d) Adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR), which may indicate an amount of leakage into adjacent frequency channels. ACLR may be defined as the ratio of the mean power centred on the assigned channel frequency to the mean power centred on an adjacent channel frequency;(e) Spectrum emission mask (SEM), which may indicate a relative measurement of out-of-channel emissions to in-channel power;(f) Spurious emissions, which may be understood as unwanted emissions that occur due to unwanted transmitter effects, such as harmonic emission, parasitic emission etc. Additional spurious emissions may also be defined by the network and signalled to a UE (e.g., for additional power reduction in a specific frequency band).

[0106] It may be desirable to enable the UE to use a higher UE transmission power (and so apply a lower power reduction) than that associated with the MPR, for example to increase throughput or transmission range or coverage. However, it may be challenging to do so while meeting the RF requirements. For example, with a higher transmission power, the IBE will also increase, meaning that the higher transmission power may not be allowed due to the IBE exceeding the associated RF requirement.

[0107] Different RF requirements may be the gating or limiting factor in determining whether the RF requirements are met. That is to say, different RF requirements may be the first RF requirement that is not met as the UE transmission power increases, depending on the specific circumstances, and thus a different RF requirement may be the gating factor to enabling UE transmission at a particular transmission power. For instance, at lower order modulations, like QPSK or 16 QAM, the gating factor may be ACLR, SEM or IBE, whereas for higher order modulations like 256 QAM, EVM may be the gating factor. As a further example, when the UE resource allocation is an inner part of the transmission bandwidth configuration, IBE may be the main gating factor, while in the outer and edge regions other RF requirements may be the main gating factor(s).

[0108] Some examples of the present disclosure may address one or more of the issues identified above. Some examples may provide mechanisms for the UE to utilise a higher transmission power while still meeting the RF requirements. This may help increase UE throughput and extend the UE’s transmission range or coverage.

[0109] Reference is made to FIG. 3, which shows a method according to some examples.The method of FIG. 3 may be performed by an apparatus, such as a UE.

[0110] At 300, the method comprises obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources.

[0111] At 302, the method comprises determining a transmission power of the apparatus based at least in part on a power reduction associated with the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0112] At 304, the method comprises performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined transmission power.

[0113] Reference is made to FIG. 4, which shows a method according to some examples. The method of FIG. 4 may be performed by a network node.

[0114] At 400 the method comprises determining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein an apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources.

[0115] At 402 the method comprises receiving, from the apparatus, one or more uplink transmissions based on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources.

[0116] In some examples, determining the transmission power may comprise at least one of: determining a transmission power of the apparatus; determining a maximum configured power (Pcmax) of the apparatus; and determining a power boost factor for uplink transmission by the apparatus.

[0117] In some examples the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may comprise resources allocated to the apparatus for UL transmission. In other examples, the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may not yet have been allocated to the apparatus, but may be a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission that are used for UL transmission.

[0118] FIG. 5a and 5b show examples of the one or more frequency resources, where the frequency resources are depicted as resource blocks. As shown in FIG. 5a, in some examples the one or more frequency resources 500a, 500b may be comprised in an additional band adjacent to the edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission 502. Specifically, in FIG. 5a the additional band comprises two resource blocks 500a at the lowermost edge of the set of resource blocks 502, and two resource blocks 500b at the uppermost edge of the set of resource blocks 502. That is to say, the one or more frequency resources may be frequency resources starting at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and being outside the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0119] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5b, in some examples the one or more frequency resources 500 may comprise one or more frequency resources within the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission 502 and adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission 502. Specifically, in FIG. 5b the additional band comprises two resource blocks at the lowermost edge of the set of resource blocks 502, and two resource blocks 500b at the uppermost edge of the set of resource blocks 502. That is to say, the one or more frequency resources may be frequency resources starting at the outer edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and being inside the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0120] It should be understood that the example depicted in FIG. 5a and 5b is for illustrative purposes only, and that in some examples the one or more frequency resources may comprise a different number of frequency resources to that shown. In some examples the one or more frequency resources at the lowermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and the one or more resources at the uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may have the same size or different sizes. FIG. 5a and 5b illustrate an example where the one or more frequency resources at the lowermost edge and uppermost edge have the same size (specifically, two resource blocks), but in other examples the sizes at each edge may be different - for instance the size of the one or more frequency resources at the lowermost edge may be one or even zero resource blocks, and the size of the one or more frequency resources at the uppermost edge may be three or four resource blocks.

[0121] In some examples the apparatus may obtain the information based on hard-coded information at the apparatus - for example in terms of the apparatus’ capability (e.g., reduced capacity, RedCap apparatus may have a pre-defined configuration of the one or moreresources), or according to wireless telecommunications specifications. In some examples the apparatus may obtain the information by receiving the information from a network node.

[0122] In some examples, the information indicating the one or more frequency resources may be configured per apparatus, per group of apparatuses, or per cell. For instance, the network node may configure the information separately for each apparatus within the coverage area of the network node, and separately send the information to each apparatus; or the network node may configure the information for a group of apparatuses and send a message to each apparatus comprised in the group; or the network node may configure the information per cell and for example broadcast the information within the cell.

[0123] In some examples the apparatus may send, to the network node, information indicating a maximum transmission power (Pcmax) of the apparatus. The maximum transmission power of the apparatus may be based at least in part on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. For example, the apparatus may receive the information indicating one or more frequency resources from the network node, and indicate to the network node the maximum transmission power associated with the configuration of the one or more frequency resources. As a further example, the apparatus may indicate the maximum transmission power of the apparatus to the network node for one or more configurations of the one or more frequency resources, and the network node may then determine a configuration of the one or more frequency resources based on the indication of the maximum transmission power received from the apparatus - for instance the network node may determine a configuration leading to highest power, or a configuration with a good tradeoff between higher transmission power (or smaller power reduction) for the apparatus and lower extra spectrum utilization by the apparatus.

[0124] For instance, a first apparatus may have a Pcmaxl and a second apparatus may have a Pcmax2, where Pcmaxl > Pcmax2. The network node may determine to configure the first apparatus with a larger size of the one or more resources when compared to the size of the one or more resources for the second apparatus. This may enable the first apparatus to use a higher transmission power while still meeting the RF requirements.

[0125] In some examples the apparatus may send, to the network node, information indicating the apparatus’ capability for partially muting transmissions on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. The information indicating the apparatus’capability may comprise one or more supported configurations of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission allocated for uplink transmission. The information indicating the apparatus’s capability may further comprise information indicating at least one preferred configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. The at least one preferred configuration may be a configuration which maximizes (or enables the apparatus to maximize) the transmission power for the apparatus. The network node may then determine the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission based at least in part on the indicated capability.

[0126] In some examples the apparatus may send, to the network node, information indicating one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus. The information indicating the one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or the one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus may comprise information indicating a maximum transmission power associated with each of the one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or the one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus. The network node may then determine the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission based on the information indicating the one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus.

[0127] In some examples the apparatus may determine the size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. In some examples the apparatus may determine the size based on the obtained information - for instance the obtained information may indicate an explicit size of the one or more resources at the lowermost edge and / or uppermost edge (e.g., 2 RBs at the lowermost edge and 2 RBs at the uppermost edge). In some examples the apparatus may determine the size based on the obtained information and information indicating the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission - for instance the obtained information may indicate a size of the one or more resources relative to the size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission (e.g., the size of the one or more resources at the lowermost edge is 5% of the size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission,and the size of the one or more resources at the uppermost edge is 5% of the size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission).

[0128] In some examples the power reduction associated with the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may be associated with one or more requirements to be satisfied by the apparatus when performing uplink transmissions.

[0129] The one or more requirements may for example comprise the one or more RF requirements described previously. For instance, the one or more requirements may comprise one or more of: in-band emission, error vector magnitude, occupied channel bandwidth, adjacent channel leakage ratio, spectrum emission mask, spurious emissions or additional spurious emissions.

[0130] In examples where the one or more requirements comprises the in-band emission (IBE), the IBE may be calculated from an outer edge of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of this, where the calculation of the IBE starts at the outer edge 604 of the one or more frequency resources 500a.

[0131] FIG. 6 also illustrates the relative power 600 of the IBE. As can be seen, the relative power of the IBE at the inner edge 602 of the one or more resources 500a is higher than the relative power of the IBE at the outer edge 604 of the one or more resources 500a. As such, by using the one or more frequency resources as described above and calculating the IBE from the edge of the one or more frequency resources, some examples may enable the UE to utilize a higher transmission power (and thus apply a smaller power reduction) before the IBE exceeds the value specified in the associated RF requirement when compared to cases where the one or more resources are not utilized, or where the IBE is calculated from the inner edge of the one or more resources.

[0132] In some examples, the network node may determine scheduling information for the apparatus based at least in part on the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. The network node may then send, to the apparatus, the scheduling information for the apparatus. The apparatus may send the one or more uplink transmissions to the network node based on the scheduling information.

[0133] In some examples the network node may determine scheduling information for at least one other apparatus based at least in part on the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. The network node may send, to the at least one other apparatus, the scheduling information for the at least one other apparatus. For example, the network node may schedule at least one apparatus nearby to the apparatus (with which the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission are associated) after the outermost edge of the one or more resources, so that the allocated resources are not conflicting.

[0134] In some examples, the network node may enable apparatuses near an edge of a cell to utilize the one or more resources to increase their transmission power as described previously. Apparatuses nearer the cell center may have a higher signal to interference and noise (SINR) ratio and thus may tolerate interference caused by the higher power transmissions performed by the apparatuses near the cell edge. In some examples, the network node may allocate resources to apparatuses with partially or fully overlapping frequency domain resources when the apparatuses are sufficiently spatially separated (e.g., when apparatuses can be served via different beams or different MIMO layers) to make more efficient use of the available spectrum while minimizing interference when apparatuses are allocated partially or fully overlapping frequency domain resources.

[0135] In some examples the network node may determine to disable use of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and send, to the apparatus, information indicating that use of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission is disabled. The determination to disable the use may for example be based on load information associated with the network node. For instance, when the network load is high, the network node may determine that it does not have capacity to allow the use of the one or more frequency resources, and instead use the one or more frequency resources for additional transmissions (either by the apparatus or another apparatus).

[0136] Reference is made to FIG. 7, which shows a signaling exchange according to some examples.

[0137] At 700, the apparatus may send, to the network node, the information indicating the apparatus’ capability for partially muting transmissions on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission as described previously.

[0138] At 702, the apparatus may send, to the network node, a request for the information indicating one or more frequency resources at a at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission for uplink transmission.

[0139] At 704, the network node may determine the information indicating one or more frequency resources at a at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission for uplink transmission, as described previously.

[0140] At 706, the network node may send, to the apparatus, the information indicating one or more frequency resources at a at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission for uplink transmission.

[0141] In some examples, at step 706 the network node may send, to the apparatus, configuration information. The configuration information may comprise information indicating one or more of: a waveform, a modulation scheme, or a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission for the apparatus to use for performing uplink transmissions.

[0142] At 708, the network node may determine scheduling information for the apparatus, as described previously.

[0143] At 710, the network may send the scheduling information to the apparatus.

[0144] At 712, the apparatus may determine the one or more frequency resources as described previously.

[0145] At 714, the apparatus may determine a transmission power as described previously.

[0146] At 716, the apparatus may perform one or more uplink transmissions based at least in part on the determined transmission power. The one or more uplink transmissions may also be based on the scheduling information received at 710 and the configuration information received at 706.

[0147] Reference is made to FIG. 10, which shows a signaling exchange according to some examples.

[0148] At 1000, the apparatus may send, to the network node, the information indicating the apparatus’ capability for partially muting transmissions on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission as described previously.

[0149] At 1002, the apparatus may send, to the network node, a request for the information indicating one or more frequency resources at a at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission for uplink transmission.

[0150] At 1004, the network node may send, to the apparatus, information indicating at least one possible configuration for the one or more frequency resources.

[0151] At 1006, the apparatus may send, to the network node, information indicating the apparatus’ capability for partially muting transmissions on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission as described previously.

[0152] The information indicating the apparatus’ capability may comprise information indicating one or more supported configurations of the one or more frequency resources and / or information indicating at least one preferred configuration of the one or more frequency resources. The apparatus may signal its capability with respect to the at least one possible configuration for the one or more frequency resources - that is to say the at least one possible configuration may comprise the one or more supported configurations and / or the at least one preferred configuration.

[0153] In some examples the apparatus, at 1006, may additionally or alternatively send assistance information (such as the apparatus’ maximum transmission power) associated with the at least one possible configuration.

[0154] At 1008, the network node may determine the information indicating one or more frequency resources at a at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission for uplink transmission, as described previously.For example, the network node may determine the information indicating the one or more frequency resources based on the information indicating the apparatus’ capability (and / or the assistance information) received at 1006.

[0155] At 1010, the network node may send, to the apparatus, the information indicating one or more frequency resources at a at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission for uplink transmission.

[0156] At 1012, the network node may determine scheduling information for the apparatus, as described previously.

[0157] At 1014, the network may send the scheduling information to the apparatus.

[0158] At 1016, the apparatus may determine the one or more frequency resources as described previously.

[0159] At 1018, the apparatus may determine a transmission power based at least in part on the one or more frequency resources as described previously.

[0160] At 1020, the apparatus may perform one or more uplink transmissions based at least in part on the determined transmission power. The one or more uplink transmissions may also be based on the scheduling information received at 1014.

[0161] Reference is made to FIG. 8, which shows a method according to some examples. The method of FIG. 8 may be performed by an apparatus, such as the apparatus described previously.

[0162] At 800, the method comprises obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources.

[0163] At 802, the method comprises determining a power reduction to apply to a power amplifier of the apparatus, the determining being based at least in part on a the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and uplink configuration information.

[0164] At 804, the method comprises performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined power reduction.

[0165] In some examples of the method of FIG. 8, the apparatus may comprise a tunable power amplifier used when performing uplink transmissions. The apparatus may determine a power reduction for the power amplifier (e.g., a tunable power amplifier output backoff) based on the obtained information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0166] In some examples, the apparatus may select a power reduction value from a table of power reduction values, where the selection is based on the obtained information. The table of power reduction values may be associated with at least one of: a power class of the apparatus, or a frequency range or frequency band comprising the one or more resources. In some examples there may be a plurality of tables, where each of the at least one of the power class, frequency range or frequency band, is associated with a corresponding table of power reduction values.

[0167] In some examples, each entry in the table of power reduction values is associated with a configuration of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and / or a configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. The configuration of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and / or the configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may comprise at least one of: a size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; a size of the one or more frequency resources; a starting point of the one or more frequency resources; or a relative location of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission with respect to a channel bandwidth. The relative location of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission may in some example be one of: inner, outer, or edge as described previously.

[0168] For example, there may be different power reduction values associated with different sizes of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. The apparatus may determine the size of the one or more frequency resources and select the power reduction to apply to the amplifier based on the corresponding value in the table.

[0169] In some examples the apparatus may determine the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission based on the configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. For example, the apparatus may determine, based on the configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, the start position and size of the one or more frequency resources, and then determine the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission accordingly. For example, if the configuration of the one or more frequency resources indicates a size of 2 RBs, which corresponds to 10% of the size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, and a start position of the one or more frequency resources being 20 RBs from the lowermost edge of the channel, the apparatus may determine that the size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission is 20 RBs, which starts 22 RBs from the lowermost edge of the channel.

[0170] In some examples the apparatus may determine the power reduction based on the size of the one or more frequency resources and the size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0171] In some examples the power reduction may be positive or negative. That is to say, the determined power reduction may result in a decrease in the transmission power (when the power reduction is positive), or may result in an increase in the transmission power (when the power reduction is negative).

[0172] In some examples the power reduction may be at least one of: an input power reduction (or input backoff); and an output power reduction (or output backoff). The input power reduction may be a power reduction to apply on an input signal input to the power amplifier of the apparatus. The output power reduction may be a power reduction to apply on and / or applied on an output signal of the power amplifier of the apparatus. The input power reduction may be associated with the output power reduction. The relationship between the input power reduction and the output power reduction may be dependent on characteristics of the power amplifier. For example, FIG. 1 1 illustrates an example relationship between input power and output power of a power amplifier, where the power amplifier responds approximately linearly in a first region 1100 and non-linearly in a second region 1 102. By determining the output power reduction, an appropriate input power reduction may also be determined. For instance, as shown in FIG. 1 1 , an output power reduction of - 2dB may be achieved by applying a - 7 dB input power reduction.

[0173] In some examples, the transmission power determined based on the power reduction associated with one or more frequency resources as described above may be equal or higher than the transmission power determined without using the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

[0174] In some examples, the apparatus may determine a first ratio, r1 , of the size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission to a size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. The apparatus may then compare the first ratio, r1 , against a first threshold value, th1 , and / or a second threshold value, th2.

[0175] In some examples, the apparatus may determine a second ratio, r2, of the size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission to the sum of a size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and the size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission. The apparatus may then compare the second ratio, r2, against the first threshold value, th1 , and / or the second threshold value, th2.

[0176] When either r1 or r2 = 0, then the apparatus may utilize the MPR as per existing standards, or apply no additional power boost to the power amplifier.

[0177] When 0 < r1 and / or when r2 < th1 , the apparatus may apply a first value for the transmission power. That is to say, the apparatus may determine a first power reduction value which is less than the MPR when 0 < r1 , and / or when r2 < th 1 .

[0178] When th1 < r1 and / or r2 < th2, the apparatus may apply a second value for the transmission power. The second value may be higher than the first value. That is to say, the apparatus may determine a second power reduction value which is less than the first power reduction value.

[0179] When either r1 or r2 > th2, the apparatus may apply a third value for the transmission power. The third value may be higher than the second value. That is to say, the apparatus may determine a third power reduction value which is less than the second power reduction value.

[0180] The values of th1 , th2, the first, second and third values for the transmission power (and correspondingly the first, second and third power reduction values) may be dependent on the configuration of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and / or a configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission described previously. That is to say, the values of th1 , th2, the first, second and third values for the transmission power (and correspondingly the first, second and third power reduction values) may be dependent on a size of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; a size of the one or more frequency resources; a starting point of the one or more frequency resources; or a relative location of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission with respect to a channel bandwidth. Additionally or alternatively, the values of th1 , th2, the first, second and third values for the transmission power (and correspondingly the first, second and third power reduction values) may be dependent on the uplink configuration information described previously, such as the waveform, modulation scheme, power class, frequency band etc.

[0181] By applying the concepts described above, some examples may enable the apparatus to utilize a higher transmission power and / or apply a lower power reduction to a power amplifier than may be possible without use of the one or more resources described herein. This may enable the apparatus to increase throughput or increase transmission range or coverage. Some examples may provide flexible mechanisms for configuring the apparatus to determine the appropriate transmission power / power reduction, and may improve frequency spectrum exploitation. Some examples may enable higher apparatus power saving potential due to lower power reduction, where the apparatus’ power amplifier operates with higher power amplifier efficiency, and faster transmission with this higher power (i.e. , faster switch to power saving mode).

[0182] While reference may be made to “an”, “one”, or “some” example(s) throughout the present disclosure, this does not necessarily mean that each reference is made to the same example(s), or that a particular feature only applies to a single example. Single features of different examples may also be combined to provide other examples. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection of an example, it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to apply such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other examples whether or not explicitly described. It shall be understood that although the terms “first,” “second” and the like may be used herein to describe variouselements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0183] It is understood that references in the above to various network functions (e.g., to an AMF, an SMF, etc.) may be implemented by apparatus that perform at least some of the functionality associated with those network functions. Further, an apparatus configured to implement a network function may further be configured to implement a virtual network function instance of that network function.

[0184] It should be understood that the apparatuses may comprise or be coupled to other units or modules etc., such as radio parts or radio heads, used in or for transmission and / or reception. Although the apparatuses have been described as one entity, different modules and memory may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

[0185] It is noted that whilst some examples have been described in relation to 5G networks, similar examples can be applied in relation to other networks and communication systems. Therefore, although certain examples were described above by way of example with reference to certain example architectures for wireless networks, technologies and standards, further examples may be applied to any other suitable forms of communication systems than those illustrated and described herein.

[0186] It is also noted herein that there are several variations and modifications which may be made to the various examples described herein without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0187] As used herein, the phrases “at least one of A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, and “A and / or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase “A, B, and / or C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C). .

[0188] As used herein, the term “or” refers to a non-exclusive “or” unless otherwise indicated (e.g., use of “or else” or “or in the alternative”).

[0189] As used herein, unless stated explicitly, performing a step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs and one or more intervening steps may be included. Analogously, performing a step or functionality “based on A” does not indicate that the step or functionality is performed solely based on “A” as one or more additional conditions may be included.

[0190] FIG. 9 shows, by way of example, a block diagram of an apparatus 10. The apparatus 10 comprises, for example, at least one processor 12 and at least one memory 14 storing instructions 15 that, when executed by the at least one processor, may cause the apparatus 10 at least to perform the method or methods as disclosed herein. In an example, the at least one memory and the instructions (e.g. a computer program code, software), are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus 10 to perform the method or methods as disclosed herein.

[0191] A processor 12 may comprise circuitry, or be constituted as circuitry or circuitries, the circuitry or circuitries being configured to perform phases of methods in accordance with examples described herein. As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations, such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry, and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as, as applicable: (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a user equipment, to perform various functions) and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this disclosure, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this disclosure, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0192] The memory 14 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology. The memory may comprise a database for storing data. The memory 14 may be at least in part external to apparatus 10 but accessible to apparatus 10.

[0193] The instructions 15 may be comprised in a computer readable medium or a non- transitory computer readable medium. A term non-transitory, as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e. tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g. random access memory, RAM, vs. read only memory, ROM).

[0194] For example, the apparatus 10 may be a terminal device, such as the apparatus or UE described previously. As another example, the apparatus may be comprised in such a terminal device, e.g. as a chipset configured to control the terminal device. The apparatus 10 may be caused or configured to perform at least the method of FIG. 3 and / or 8 and / or any one or more of the examples described.

[0195] As another example, the apparatus 10 may be a network node, such as the network node described previously. In another example, the apparatus may be comprised in such a network node, e.g. as a chipset configured to control the network node. The apparatus 10 may be caused or configured to perform at least the method of FIG. 4 and / or any one or more of the examples described.

[0196] The apparatus may comprise one or more entities of any of protocol layers, such as a MAC entity, an RRC entity, an RLC entity, a PDCP entity or a PHY entity. In some examples, the entity may be configured to perform at least the method of FIG. 3 or 4 or 8, and / or any one or more of the examples described.

[0197] The apparatus 10 may comprise a radio interface 16. The radio interface 16 may provide the apparatus 10 with communication capabilities. The radio interface 16 may comprise a receiver configured to receive information in accordance with at least one cellular or non-cellular standard. The radio interface 16 may comprise a transmitter configured to transmit information in accordance with at least one cellular or non-cellular standard. The receiver may comprise more than one receiver. The transmitter may comprise more than one transmitter. The radio interface 16 may comprise a transceiver configured to receive and transmit information in accordance with at least one cellular or non-cellular standard. The transceiver may comprise more than one transceiver.

[0198] The apparatus 10 may comprise a user interface 18 comprising, for example, at least one of a keypad, a microphone, a touch display, a display, a speaker, etc. The user interface 18 may be used to control the apparatus by the user. The user interface 18 may be external to the apparatus 10. For example, the apparatus 10 may be connected to another device, such as a computer, either via wireless or wired connection, and the apparatus 10 is controlled by the user via the computer.

[0199] In some examples, at least some of the processes described herein may be carried out by an apparatus comprising means for carrying out at least some of the describedprocesses. Means for performing method steps as disclosed herein may include software and / or hardware components of the apparatus 10. For example, the at least one processor 12, the memory 14, and the computer program code form means for carrying out the method or methods as disclosed herein, and any of the examples. As used herein the term “means” is to be construed in singular form, i.e. referring to a single element, or in plural form, i.e. referring to a combination of single elements. Therefore, terminology “means for [performing A, B, C]”, is to be interpreted to cover an apparatus in which there is only one means for performing A, B and C, or where there are separate means for performing A, B and C, or partially or fully overlapping means for performing A, B, C. Further, terminology “means for performing A, means for performing B, means for performing C” is to be interpreted to cover an apparatus in which there is only one means for performing A, B and C, or where there are separate means for performing A, B and C, or partially or fully overlapping means for performing A, B, C.

[0200] The scope of protection sought for various examples of the disclosure is set out by the independent claims. The examples and features thereof, if any, described in this disclosure that do not fall under the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding various examples of the disclosure.

[0201] Even though examples of the invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is clear that the examples are not restricted thereto but can be modified in several ways within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly and they are intended to illustrate, not to restrict, the examples. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. Further, it is clear to a person skilled in the art that the described examples may, but are not required to, be combined with other examples in various ways.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . An apparatus comprising: means for obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and / an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; means for determining a transmission power of the apparatus based at least in part on a power reduction associated with the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and means for performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined transmission power.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more resources comprises one or more of: one or more frequency resources within and adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; or one or more frequency resources in an additional band adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the one or more frequency resources comprises at least part of a resource block.

4. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the power reduction is associated with one or more requirements to be satisfied by the apparatus when performing uplink transmissions.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the one or more requirements comprises one or more of: in-band emission; error vector magnitude; occupied channel bandwidth; adjacent channel leakage ratio; spectrum emission mask; spurious emissions; or additional spurious emissions.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more requirements comprises the in- band emission, and wherein the in-band emission is calculated from an outer edge of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

7. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein obtaining the information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission comprises: receiving the information from a network node; and / or determining the information based on hard-coded information at the apparatus.

8. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the one or more frequency resources at the lowermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and the one or more resources at the uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission are the same size or different sizes.

9. The apparatus of any preceding claim, further comprising: means for determining a size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the size of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission is determined based on: the obtained information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; or the obtained information indicating the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission and information indicating the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.1 1. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the information indicating the one or more frequency resources is configured per: user equipment; group of user equipments; or cell.

12. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein further comprising: means for sending, to a network node, information indicating a maximum transmission power of the apparatus.

13. The apparatus of any preceding claim, further comprising: means for sending, to the network node, information indicating the apparatus’ capability for partially muting transmissions on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.14 The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the information indicating the apparatus’s capability further comprises: information indicating one or more supported configurations of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and / or information indicating at least one preferred configuration of the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising: means for receiving, from the network node, information indicating at least one possible configuration for the one or more frequency resources; wherein the at least one possible configuration comprises the one or more supported configurations and / or the at least one preferred configuration.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the at least one preferred configuration maximizes the transmission power for the apparatus.

17. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus further comprises: means for sending, to the network node, information indicating one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the information indicating the one or more transmission bandwidth configurations and / or the one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus further comprises information indicating a maximum transmission power associated with each of the one or more transmissionbandwidth configurations and / or the one or more sizes of the one or more frequency resources supported by the apparatus.

19. A network node comprising: means for determining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein an apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; and means for receiving, from the apparatus, one or more uplink transmissions based on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources.

20. The network node of claim 19, wherein the one or more frequency resources comprises one or more of: one or more frequency resources within and adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; or one or more frequency resources in an additional band adjacent to an edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission.

21. The network node of claim 19 or 20, wherein the one or more frequency resources comprises at least part of a resource block.

22. An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising code that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform: obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and / an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; determining a transmission power of the apparatus based at least in part on a power reduction associated with the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined transmission power.

23. A method for an apparatus, the method:obtaining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and / an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein the apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; determining a transmission power of the apparatus based at least in part on a power reduction associated with the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources for uplink transmission; and performing one or more uplink transmissions based on the determined transmission power.

24. A network node comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising code that, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform: determining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein an apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; and receiving, from the apparatus, one or more uplink transmissions based on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources.

25. A method for a network node, the method comprising: determining information indicating one or more frequency resources at at least one of a lowermost edge and an uppermost edge of a set of frequency resources for uplink transmission, wherein an apparatus is configured to at least partially mute transmissions on the one or more frequency resources; and receiving, from the apparatus, one or more uplink transmissions based on the one or more frequency resources at the at least one of the lowermost edge and uppermost edge of the set of frequency resources.

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