Determination of bundled pfs and POS

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for determining bundled Paging Frames (PFs) and Paging Occasions (POs). In one embodiment, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) comprises determining a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, determining a PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, and monitoring for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF, wherein the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more bundled PFs or the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs or both the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more bundled PFs and the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs. In this manner, the UE is enabled to determine the PF and the PO to be monitored when bundled PFs and / or bundled POs are used.

Description

[0001] DETERMINATION OF BUNDLED PFs AND POs

[0002] RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 702,880, filed October 3, 2024, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0004] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] The present disclosure relates to paging in a wireless communications system.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] Today, energy consumption is a considerable challenge of 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Fifth Generation (5G) systems where a major contributor to the energy consumption is the radio unit of Radio Access Network (RAN) system. The network (NW) power consumption for New Radio (NR) is said to be less compared to Long Term Evolution (LTE) because of its lean design, i.e., no Cell Specific Reference Signal (CRS) and the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) periodicity is by default 20 milliseconds (ms). However, NR in the current implementation might consume more energy compared to LTE, partly due to higher bandwidths (BWs), shorter Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs), and massive number of antennas. This is still evident even at times when cells and beams are lightly loaded or serve no traffic or no users at all.

[0008] For a cell in NR, typically, an SSB is transmitted periodically, and it may be used to aid the UE’s initial cell search, acquire frame / slot timing, initial time / frequency synchronization, measurements, and as Quasi Co-Located (QCL) reference for channel s / signals, etc. With beamforming, SSBs must be transmitted in multiple beams, and this can lead to further increased network energy consumption.

[0009] When the NW is in an idle / very-low load scenario, main contributors to network energy consumption may include SSB transmissions, System Information (SI) transmissions, monitoring for uplink (e.g. listening to Random Access Channel (RACH) in RACH occasions), and transmission of paging messages.

[0010] To enable an energy efficient NW, 3GPP first initiated a study item (SI) on Network energy savings in NR, which was concluded with the outcome captured in 3GPP Technical Report (TR) 38.864 version iOO. Following the SI phase, a Work Item (WI) on “Network energy savings for NR’ was approved at RAN#98 and concluded with the outcomes captured in 3 GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.331 and TS 38.304. To further support network energy savings techniques, 3 GPP approved at RAN# 102 a new WI on “Enhancements of network energy savings for NR’ (see 3GPP RP -234065, New WID: Enhancements of network energy savings for NR, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #102, Dec. 11-15, 2024). This WID undergone two revisions in RAN#103, namely, RP- 240170, “Revised WID: Enhancements of network energy savings for NR”, RAN#103, Maastricht, Netherlands, March 2024 and RP-242354, “ Revised WID: Enhancements of network energy savings for NR”, RAN#105, October 2024, respectively. The third objective of the Work Item Description (WID) concerns paging adaptations as highlighted by bold text in the latest version of the WID from RAN# 105:

[0011] 3. Specify adaptation of common signal / channel transmissions. [RAN1 / 2 / 3 / 4]

[0012] • Adaptation ofSSB in time domain, e.g. adapting periodicity

[0013] • Adaptation ofPRACH in time domain

[0014] • Study adaptation ofPRACH in spatial domain, e.g. non-uniform PRACH resources per SSB, and specify if found beneficial

[0015] This study is to be done in 2Q ’2024 only

[0016] • Adaptation of paging occasions including confining the paging occasions in the time domain

[0017] Note: there shall be no paging latency increase

[0018] • Note: there shall be no negative impact to legacy UEs, unless significant benefits are shown

[0019] In Idle / inactive mode, UEs monitor paging in periodic occasions indicated via higher layers and based on UE Identities (IDs).

[0020] The UE monitors one Paging Occasion (PO) per Discontinuous Reception (DRX) cycle. A PO is a set of Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) monitoring occasions and can consist of multiple time slots (e.g. subframe or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol) where a paging Downlink Control Information (DCI) can be sent (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 38.213). One Paging Frame (PF) is one Radio Frame and may contain one or multiple PO(s) or starting point of a PO.

[0021] In multi -beam operations, the UE can assume that the same paging message is repeated in all transmitted beams and thus the selection of the beam(s) for the reception of the paging message is up to UE implementation. The paging message is same for both RAN initiated paging and Core Network (CN) initiated paging.

[0022] The UE initiates the Radio Resource Control (RRC) Connection Resume procedure upon receiving a RAN initiated paging. If the UE receives a CN initiated paging while the UE is in RRC INACTIVE state, the UE moves to RRC IDLE and informs Non-Access Stratum (NAS).

[0023] The PF and PO for paging are determined by the following formulae, which are referred to herein as the “legacy” formulae: System Frame Number (SFN) for the PF is determined by:

[0024] (SFN + PF offset) mod T = (T div N)*(UE_ID mod N)

[0025] Index (i s), indicating the index of the PO is determined by: i_s = floor (UE_ID / N) mod Ns

[0026] The following parameters are used for the calculation of PF and i s above:

[0027] • T : DRX cycle of the UE (T is determined by the shortest of the UE specific DRX value, if configured by Radio Resource Control (RRC) or upper layers, and a default DRX value broadcast in system information. If UE specific DRX is not configured by RRC or by upper layers, the default value is applied).

[0028] • N: number of total paging frames in T

[0029] • Ns: number of paging occasions for a PF

[0030] • PF offset: offset used for PF determination

[0031] • UE ID: 5thGeneration (5G) System Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (5G-S-

[0032] TMSI) mod 1024

[0033] Parameters Ns,firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO, nAndPagingFrameOffset, and the length of default DRX Cycle are signaled in System Information Block (SIB) 1 (SIBP). The values of N and PF offset are derived from the parameter nAndPagingFrameOffset as defined in 3 GPP TS 38.331. Note that the maximum value of Ns allowed in legacy 3GPP NR specifications is 4.

[0034] If the UE has no 5G-S-TMSI, for instance when the UE has not yet registered onto the network, the UE shall use as default identity UE ID = 0 in the PF and i s formulas above.

[0035] 5G-S-TMSI is a 48 bit long bit string as defined in 3GPP TS 23.501. 5G-S-TMSI shall in the formulae above be interpreted as a binary number where the left most bit represents the most significant bit.

[0036] The paging configuration is carried in higher layer signaling and includes the following. defaultPagingCycle PagingCycle, nAndPagingFrameOffset CHOICE { oneT NULL, halff INTEGER (0..1), quarterT INTEGER (0 .3), oneEighthT INTEGER (0..7), oneSixteenthT INTEGER (0 .15)

[0037] }, ns ENUMERATED {four, two, one}, The PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging are determined according to pagingSearchSpace as specified in 3GPP TS 38.213 and firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO if configured as specified in 3GPP TS 38.331. Otherwise, when SearchSpaceld = 0 is configured for pagingSearchSpace, the PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging are same as for Remaining Minimum System Information (RMSI) as defined in clause 13 in 3GPP TS 38.213.

[0038] When SearchSpaceld = 0 is configured for pagingSearchSpace, Ns is either 1 or 2. For Ns = 1, there is only one PO which starts from the first PDCCH monitoring occasion for paging in the PF. For Ns = 2, PO is either in the first half frame (i s = 0) or the second half frame (i s = 1) of the PF.

[0039] When SearchSpaceld other than 0 is configured for pagingSearchSpace, the UE monitors the (i s + l)thPO. A PO is a set of 'S' consecutive PDCCH monitoring occasions where 'S' is the number of actual transmitted SSBs determined according to ssb-PositionsInBurst in SIBP The KthPDCCH monitoring occasion for paging in the PO corresponds to the Kthtransmitted SSB. The PDCCH monitoring occasions for paging which do not overlap with uplink (UL) symbols are sequentially numbered from zero starting from the first PDCCH monitoring occasion in the PF. When firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO is present, the starting PDCCH monitoring occasion number of the (i s + l)thPO is the (i s + l)thvalue of the firstPDCCH- MonitoringOccasionOfPO parameter; otherwise, it is equal to i s * S.

[0040] Note that a PO associated with a PF may start in the PF or after the PF.

[0041] Also note that, when SearchSpaceld other than 0 is configured for pagingSearchSpace , the PDCCH monitoring occasions for a PO can span multiple radio frames and multiple periods of the paging search space.

[0042] Transmitting paging messages to different UEs in different slots / subframes / SFNs consumes energy at gNodeB (gNB), e.g. to wake up from a sleep state just to transmit a paging message, etc.

[0043] SUMMARY

[0044] Systems and methods are disclosed for determining bundled Paging Frames (PFs) and Paging Occasions (POs). In one embodiment, a method performed by a User Equipment (UE) comprises determining a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, determining a PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, and monitoring for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF, wherein the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more bundled PFs or the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs or both the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more bundled PFs and the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs. In this manner, the UE is enabled to determine the PF and the PO to be monitored when bundled PFs and / or bundled POs are used.

[0045] In one embodiment, determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining an index of the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, and determining the PO comprises determining an index of the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging.

[0046] In one embodiment, the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more first PFs and one or more additional bundled PFs. In one embodiment, the method further comprises, prior to determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, receiving, from a network node, a configuration or instruction comprising either: an indication that the UE is to utilize a formula that enables PF bunding, rather than a formula that does not enable PF bundling, for determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging or a parameter for a single formula used for determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, where the parameter causes the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging to be a bundled PF, rather than a first PF. In one embodiment, the one or more additional bundled PFs are consecutive to the one or more first PFs without any time gap between the one or more additional bundled PFs and the one or more first PFs. In another embodiment, determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PF based on a network configured parameter that if set to a first value causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more first PFs and if set to a second value causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more additional bundled PFs. In another embodiment, determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PF based on the following formula:

[0047] SFN’= (SFN + PF_offset_bundle) mod T, where

[0048] • PF offset bundle = bundled_PF*(l + floor (UE ID div N) mod N’),

[0049] • bundled PF E {0,1}: is a network configured parameter that, if set to ‘0’ causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more first PFs and if set to ‘ T causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more additional bundled PFs,

[0050] • SFN: is a system frame number (SFN) calculated using a formula that does not enable PF bundling,

[0051] • SFN’: is the index of the PF that the UE is to monitor for paging,

[0052] • N: number of first PFs in T,

[0053] • N’: is the number of additional bundled PFs in a single bundle,

[0054] • T: Discontinuous Reception (DRX) cycle of the UE, and

[0055] • UE ID: a UE ID of the UE.

[0056] In another embodiment, determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PF based on the following formula:

[0057] SFN’= (SFN + PF_offset_bundle) mod T, where

[0058] • PF offset bundle = bundled PF*(PF offset config + floor (UE ID div N) mod N), where PF offset config is a configured offset, which enables a network node, e.g., to introduce a gap between first PFs and additional bundled PFs;

[0059] • bundled PF E {0,1}: is a network configured parameter that, if set to ‘0’ causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more first PFs and if set to ‘ T causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more additional bundled PFs,

[0060] • SFN: is a SFN calculated using a formula that does not enable PF bundling,

[0061] • SFN’: is the index of the PF that the UE is to monitor for paging,

[0062] • N: number of first PFs in T,

[0063] • N’: is the number of additional bundled PFs in a single bundle,

[0064] • T: DRX cycle of the UE, and

[0065] • UE ID: a UE ID of the UE.

[0066] In one embodiment, PF offset config is a UE specific parameter. In another embodiment,

[0067] PF offset config is a UE group specific parameter. In one embodiment, the PO is one of a set of POs comprising one or more first POs and one or more additional bundled POs. In one embodiment, determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging based on the following formula: i_s’ = floor(UE_ID / N’) mod Ns’ + i_s_offset, where

[0068] • i s offset £ {0, 1, Ns}: The offset used to shift Rel-19 POs relative to first POs,

[0069] • N’: is the number of new bundled PFs in a single bundle,

[0070] • Ns ’: The number of additional bundled POs within a PF,

[0071] • Ns: The number of first POs within a PF,

[0072] • UE ID: is a UE ID of the UE.

[0073] In one embodiment, the PO is one of a set of POs comprising one or more first POs and one or more additional bundled POs. In one embodiment, the method further comprises, prior to determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, receiving, from a network node, a configuration or instruction comprising either: an indication that the UE is to utilize a formula that enables PO bunding, rather than a formula that does not enable PO bundling, for determining the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging or a parameter for a single formula used for determining the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging, where the parameter causes the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging to be a bundled PO, rather than a first PO. In one embodiment, determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging based on a network- configured parameter that controls whether the one or more first POs and the one or more additional bundled POs overlap. In another embodiment, determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging based on the following formula: i_s’ = floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns’ + i_s_offset, where

[0074] • i s offsets {0, 1, Ns} is an offset used to shift the one or more additional bundled POs relative to the one or more first POs,

[0075] • N: is a number of PFs in T where Zis a Discontinuous Reception, DRX, cycle of the UE,

[0076] • Ns a number of additional bundled POs within a PF,

[0077] • Ns: a number of first POs within a PF,

[0078] • UE ID: a UE ID of the UE.

[0079] In one embodiment, the number of POs within a PF is greater than a legacy value (e.g., 4), and each of the POs is associated with its own parameter that independently shifts that PO.

[0080] In one embodiment, the number of POs within a PF is greater than a legacy value (e.g., 4), and positions of the POs within a PF follow a repetitive pattern.

[0081] In one embodiment, a networked-configured parameter ensures that there are gaps between POs that are associated with two successive PFs.

[0082] Corresponding embodiments of a UE are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a UE comprises a communication interface comprising a transmitter and a receiver, and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the UE to determine a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, determine a PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, and monitor for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF, wherein the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising and one or more bundled PFs or the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs or both the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more bundled PFs and the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs.

[0083] Embodiments of a method performed by a network node are also disclosed. In one embodiment, a method performed by a network node comprises transmitting, to a UE, a configuration or instruction comprising either: an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a first formula that does not enable PF bundling or a second formula that enables PF bundling for determining a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging or a parameter for a third formula to be used by the UE for determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, the parameter being a parameter that controls whether, as determined by the parameter in the formula, the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging is a first PF or a bundled PF.

[0084] In one embodiment, the method further comprises transmitting, to the UE, a second configuration or instruction comprising either: an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a fourth formula that does not enable PO bundling or a fifth formulas that enables PO bundling for determining a PO, within the PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging or a second parameter for a sixth formula to be used by the UE for determining the PO, within the PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging, the second parameter being a parameter that controls whether, as determined by the parameter in the sixth formula, the PO, within the PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging is a first PO or a bundled PO.

[0085] In one embodiment, the configuration or instruction and / or the second configuration or instruction is such that there is a configurable transmission gap between bundled POs.

[0086] In one embodiment, the method further comprises, based on a paging load on first PFs and / or POs and / or a paging load on bundled PFs and / or POs, configuring at least some UEs capable of using bundled PFs and / or bundled POs to share the same PFs and / or POs with UEs that do not support PF and / or PO bundling or only to use the bundled PFs and / or bundled POs on which no such UEs are assigned.

[0087] In another embodiment, a method performed by a network node comprises transmitting, to a UE, a configuration or instruction comprising either: an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a first formula that does not enable PO bundling or a second formula that enables PF bundling for determining a PO within a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging or a parameter for a third formula to be used by the UE for determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, the parameter being a parameter that controls whether, as determined by the parameter in the third formula, the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging is a first PO or a bundled PO.

[0088] In another embodiment, a method performed by a UE comprises determining a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, determining a PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, and monitoring for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF, wherein the PO is one of set of POs within the PF, the number of POs in the set of POs is greater than a legacy value (e.g., 4), and each PO in the set of POs within the PF is associated with its own parameter firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO that independently shifts that PO. In one embodiment, a UE comprises a communication interface comprising a transmitter and a receiver, and processing circuitry associated with the communication interface. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the UE to determine a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, determine a PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, and monitor for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF, wherein the PO is one of set of POs within the PF, the number of POs in the set of POs is greater than a legacy value (e.g., 4), and each PO in the set of POs within the PF is associated with its own parameter firstPDCCH- MonitoringOccasionOfPO that independently shifts that PO.

[0089] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0090] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0091] Figure 1 illustrates the location of legacy and Rel-19 bundled Paging Frames (PFs) and the assignment of User Equipments (UEs) to the PFs in accordance with an example of a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0092] Figure 2 illustrates the location of legacy and Rel-19 bundled Paging Occasions (POs) and the assignment of UEs to PFs and POs in accordance with an example of a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0093] Figure 3 illustrates the operation of a UE and a network node, in accordance with at least some of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0094] Figure 4 shows an example of a communication system in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0095] Figure 5 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments.

[0096] Figure 6 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments.

[0097] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized.

[0098] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0099] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0100] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0101] There currently exist certain challenge(s). Paging frames (PFs) in 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Rel-18 (and earlier releases) are uniformly distributed within a paging cycle, which can lead to increased gNodeB (gNB) wake-ups just to transmit paging messages, consuming energy on the network side. Being able to bundle paging occasions (POs) in time can be beneficial but detailed solutions on how to enable such functionality and how to associate the User Equipments (UEs) with the bundled PFs / POs are missing.

[0102] There are two solutions that are being discussed in Radio Access Network (RAN) Working Group 2 (RAN2) for achieving bundled POs as specified in the following agreement from RAN2#125bis meeting (see R2-2403731, “Report from session on V2X / SL, R19 NES and MOB”, 3GPP TSG-RAN WG2 Meeting #125bis, Changsha, China, April 15 - 19, 2024.):

[0103] For adaptation of paging occasions in time domain, RAN2 to study: a) bundle paging frames and b) extend the values of N to have increased interval between PFs (e.g. T / 64, T / 128 ...) and compensating decrease in number of PFs by increasing POs per PF.

[0104] The existing formulas that the UEs use to calculate the indices of the associated PFs and POs rely on the assumption that the PFs are uniformly distributed within a paging cycle, and they cannot be used to support the above two options that are being discussed in RAN2. Furthermore, the existing mechanisms do not provide the network (NW) with the flexibility to dedicate some of the PFs / POs to one group of UEs and other PFs / POs to another group of UEs (e.g., it is not possible to dedicate certain PFs / POs only to legacy UEs and the other PFs / POs to Rel-19 UEs).

[0105] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Systems and methods are disclosed for enabling UEs to find bundled PFs and / or bundled POs. In the embodiments described herein, formulas are defined and used by UEs for finding bundled PFs / POs. Systems and methods are also disclosed that provide mechanisms that the NW can use to dedicate some of the PFs / POs (e.g., some of the bundled PFs / POs) to one group of UEs and other PFs / POs (e.g., other PFs / POs of the bundled PFs / POs) to another group of UEs.

[0106] Example embodiments of a method performed by a UE are as follows:

[0107] • Embodiment 1 : A method performed by a UE, the method comprising: based on NW configuration / instruction, using a formula or one or more formulas (e.g., legacy, or new formula), or using one or more parameters for a same formula (e.g., a new formula through which legacy or new POs can be chosen through parametrization) to find an index of a PF that should be monitored by the UE for paging.

[0108] • Embodiment 2: The method of embodiment 1, further comprising, based on NW configured on / instructi on, using a formula or one or more formulas (e.g., legacy, or new formula), or using one or more parameters from a same formula (e.g., a new formula through which legacy or new POs can be chosen through parametrization) to find an index of a PO that should be monitored by the UE for paging.

[0109] Example embodiments of a method performed by a network node are as follows:

[0110] • Embodiment 1 : A method performed by a network node, the method comprising instructing / configuring a UE whether to use a legacy or new formula, or configuring a PF of the UE to be from a legacy or new set of PFs through parameters using a new formula for calculating an index of a PF that should be monitored by the UE for paging.

[0111] • Embodiment 2: The method of embodiment 1, further comprising instructing / configuring the UE whether to use a legacy or new formula, or configuring a PO of the UE to be from a legacy or new set of POs through parameters using a new formula for calculating an index of a PO that should be monitored by the UE for paging.

[0112] • Embodiment 3 : The method of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the configuration including the new formula is such that, compared to legacy mechanisms and for at least the same number of POs as in legacy, there is a configurable transmission gap between bundled POs, e.g., for the purpose of scheduling other traffic. The gap can be configured, for example, using a new or an existing parameter (Q.§,.,firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO parameter).

[0113] • Embodiment 4: The method of any of embodiments 1 to 3, further comprising, based on paging load on legacy vs new PF / POs, (re-)configuring the new UE population (UEs capable of the new formula) to share the same PF / POs with legacy UEs, or only to use the new PF / POs on which no legacy UEs are assigned.

[0114] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s). Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a simple way to modify the PF and PO determination without unduly increasing the UE / gNB implementation complexity while facilitating network energy savings and / or having a reduced impact on UE power savings. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a simple way for a UE to determine the indices of legacy and bundled PFs and POs and a simple way for the NW to utilize the paging resources by associating different UEs with different PFs / POs depending on the load situation. For example, if the legacy load is high (higher than a certain threshold, e.g., number of pagings per second), the NW can restrict Rel-19 UEs to monitor only new bundled PFs / POs and otherwise, if the legacy paging load is low, the NW can allow Rel-19 UEs to monitor both bundled and legacy PFs / POs.

[0115] The teachings of certain embodiments may improve (e.g., reduce) the power consumption of the RAN.

[0116] Now, a more detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure will be provided.

[0117] As used herein, “bundled PFs” refer to the PFs that are consecutive to the legacy PFs with no or small gaps (e.g., no or small time gaps) in between. Terminologies such as “confined” and “condensed” are sometimes used in 3GPP and in the present disclosure to refer to the bundled PFs. Likewise, “bundled POs” refer to POs that are consecutive to the legacy POs with no or small gaps (e.g., no or small time gaps) in between.

[0118] The term “Rel-19 UEs” used herein refers to UEs support 3GPP Rel-19 and beyond, or generally, UEs supporting bundled PFs and / or POs.

[0119] Embodiments of the present disclosure modify the following legacy formulas for finding indices of PFs (SFN) and indices of POs (i.e., i s), respectively, such that the candidate solutions for paging adaptations are supported:

[0120] (SFN + PF offset) mod T = (T div N)*(UE_ID mod N), (1) i_s = floor (UE_ID / N) mod Ns. (2)

[0121] The following parameters are used for the calculation of SFN and i_s above:

[0122] • T: DRX cycle of the UE (T is determined by the shortest of the UE specific DRX value, if configured by RRC or upper layers, and a default DRX value broadcast in system information. If UE specific DRX is not configured by RRC or by upper layers, the default value is applied).

[0123] • N: number of total paging frames in T

[0124] • TVs.- number of paging occasions for a PF

[0125] • PF offset: offset used for PF determination

[0126] • UE ID: 5G-S-TMSI mod 1024

[0127] In a first embodiment of the present disclosure, the paging adaptation for network energy savings is supported by confining / bundling new PFs consecutive to the legacy PFs, i.e., the adaptation is done at the level of PFs. In this case, a Rel-19 UE can calculate the SFN of the PF that it should monitor for paging according to the following formula:

[0128] SFN’= (SFN + PF_offset_bundle) mod T, (3) where • PF offset bundle = bundled_PF*(l + floor (UE ID div N) mod N’),

[0129] • bundled PF E {0,1}: indicates whether the UE calculates the index of a PF using legacy formula or a new formula,

[0130] • SFN: is calculated using legacy formula (1), i.e., as if Rel-19 UE was assigned to one of legacy PFs,

[0131] • SFN’: is the index of the PF that a Rel-19 UE should monitor for paging,

[0132] • N: number of legacy PFs in T,

[0133] • N’: is the number of new bundled PFs in a single bundle,

[0134] • T: Discontinuous Reception (DRX) cycle of the UE, and

[0135] • UE ID: If the UE operates in enhanced DRX (eDRX):

[0136] 5thGeneration (5G) System Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (5G-S-TMSI) mod 4096 else:

[0137] 5G-S-TMSI mod 1024.

[0138] • Note: The total number of new bundled PFs in Tis N*N’, and the total number of PFs (i.e., legacy and Rel-19) in Tis N + N*N’.

[0139] In this embodiment, a Rel-19 UE can calculate the SFN of the PF according to equation (3), and the index of the PO within the PF according to equation (2). Furthermore, the NW can decide whether a Rel-19 UE monitors legacy PF or new bundled PF through the Boolean parameter bundled PF. For example, if bundled PF is set to 0, PF offset bundle = 0, and the Rel-19 UE will monitor one of the legacy PFs. Otherwise, if bundled PF is set to 1, PF offset bundle = 1 + floor (UE ID div N) modN and the Rel-19 UE will monitor one of the new bundled PFs. N’ and bundled PF can be configured via system information or dedicated signaling, e.g., RRC signaling.

[0140] In a related embodiment, the formula for PF offset bundle is enhanced to comprise a configurable offset against the legacy PFs, instead of a default of ‘ 1’, if PFs are bundled. The alternative formula for PF offset bundle is as follows:

[0141] PF offset bundle = bundled_PF*(PF_offset_config + floor (UE ID div N) mod N’), where PF offset config is the (additional) configurable offset, which enables the NW, e.g., to introduce a gap between legacy PFs and new PFs. By setting PF offset config = 1, the NW can ensure there is no gap between a legacy PF and new PFs. PF offset config may be an optional parameter, with default value 1, if not configured. PF offset config and N’ can be configured via system information or dedicated signaling, e.g., RRC signaling. The NW may use this flexibility to configure different UEs, e.g., different groups of UEs, with different values for PF offset config (and potentially with different values for TV’). In this way, the NW can control whether UEs using the new set of PFs use the same or different PFs, i.e., full overlap, partial overlap, or no overlap. For example, UEs may be configured differently depending on their capabilities, e.g., UEs with or without certain capabilities, e.g., RedCap. Following this example, if PF offset config is set via system information, the system information may specify PF offset config and PF offset config RedCap respectively.

[0142] In a second embodiment, the paging adaptation for network energy savings is supported by increasing the values of parameter Ns, i.e., the paging adaptation is done at the level of POs. In this case, a Rel-19 UE can calculate the index of the PO that it should monitor for paging according to the following formula: i_s’ = floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns’ + i_s_offset, (4) where

[0143] • i- -Offi te{0, 1, •••, Ns}: The offset used to shift Rel-19 POs relative to legacy POs,

[0144] • N: is the number of PFs in T,

[0145] • Ns’: The number of Rel-19 POs within a PF,

[0146] • TVs: The number of legacy POs within a PF,

[0147] • VE ID: If the UE operates in eDRX as specified in clause 7.4:

[0148] 5G-S-TMSI mod 4096 else:

[0149] 5G-S-TMSI mod 1024.

[0150] • Note: If 0 < i_s_offset < Ns, the legacy and Rel-19 POs may overlap. Otherwise, if i_s_offset = Ns the legacy and Rel-19 POs do not overlap,

[0151] • Note: The total number of POs (legacy and Rel-19) in a PF is max {Ns, Ns’} + i_s_offset.

[0152] In this embodiment, a Rel-19 UE can calculate the SFN of the PF according to equation (1), and the index of the PO within the PF according to equation (4). Furthermore, the NW can decide whether a Rel-19 UE monitors legacy PO or a new PO through the parameter i_s_offset. For example, if the legacy paging load is low (i.e., below a predefined threshold) and / or Rel-19 paging load is high (i.e., above a predefined threshold), the NW can decide to set i_s_offset to 0, in which case Rel-19 UEs will monitor legacy POs. Otherwise, if the legacy paging load is high (i.e., above a predefined threshold) and / or Rel-19 paging load is low (i.e., below a predefined threshold), the NW can decide to set i_s_offset to Ns, in which case Rel-19 UEs will monitor new POs. Finally, if the legacy and / or Rel-19 paging loads are moderate (e.g., within a predefined range), the NW can decide to set i_s_offset to a value between 1 and Ns - 1, which is appropriate for the legacy to Rel-19 paging load ratio, and as a result a Rel-19 UE may monitor a legacy or new PO depending on its UE ID. Therefore, through parameter i_s_offset, the NW can decide whether the new POs overlap or not with legacy POs. i_s_offset may be an optional parameter, e.g., with default value 0 or with default value Ns, if not configured. i_s_offset and Ns’ can be configured via system information or dedicated signaling, e.g., RRC signaling. The NW may use this flexibility to configure different UEs, e.g., different groups of UEs, with different values for i s offset (and potentially with different values for TVs’)- In this way, the NW can control whether UEs using the set of new POs use the same or different POs, i.e., full overlap, partial overlap, or no overlap.

[0153] The NW may configure UE (or UE group) specific PF offset config and / or i_s_offset and thus control whether / how different UEs monitor different paging resources on PF and / or PO level, incl. controlling overlap on PF and / or PO level.

[0154] In a third embodiment, the paging adaptation for network energy savings is supported by increasing the values of parameter TVs and each of the Ns POs is associated with its own parameter firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO, i.e., each PO within a PF can be shifted independently by its own firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO parameter. In another example, the paging adaptation for network energy savings is supported by increasing the values of parameter Ns and the positions of the POs within a PF follow a repetitive pattern. For example, this can be done by introducing a new parameter K (where K is chosen such that Ns is a multiple of K) that defines the pattern, i.e., the pattern of the PO locations repeats after every K POs within a PF.

[0155] In a fourth embodiment, the paging adaptation for network energy savings is supported by the combination of the above two solutions, i.e., by confining / bundling the new PFs consecutive to the legacy PFs and increasing the values of parameter Ns. In this embodiment, a Rel-19 UE can calculate the SFN of the PF using equation (3) and the index of the PO within the PF using the following equation (5). i_s’ = floor(UE_ID / N’) mod Ns’ + i_s_offset, (5) where

[0156] • i- -Off t {0, 1, •••, Ns}: The offset used to shift Rel-19 POs relative to legacy POs,

[0157] • N’: is the number of new bundled PFs in a single bundle,

[0158] • Ns’: The number of Rel-19 POs within a PF,

[0159] • TVs: The number of legacy POs within a PF,

[0160] • VE ID: If the UE operates in eDRX as specified in clause 7.4:

[0161] -5G-S-TMSI mod 4096 else:

[0162] -5G-S-TMSI mod 1024. • Note: If 0 < i_s_offset < Ns, the legacy and Rel-19 POs may overlap. Otherwise, if i_s_offset = Ns the legacy and Rel-19 POs do not overlap,

[0163] • Note: The total number of POs (legacy and Rel-19) in a PF is max {Ns, Ns’} + i s offset.

[0164] In a fifth embodiment, the NW can use a new or an existing parameter (Q. .,firstPDCCH- MonitoringOccasionOfPO') to ensure that there are gaps between the POs that are associated with two successive PFs, i.e., in this way, the NW can ensure that there are gaps between the bundled PFs. Similarly, the NW can use a new or an existing parameter (e.g., firstPDCCH- MonitoringOccasionOfPO') to ensure gaps between the POs associated with the same PF. Ensuring gaps between successive PFs and POs is useful in terms of delay when scheduling the other traffic. The size of the gaps can be configurable, in the order of slots or frames.

[0165] In one aspect, based on the methods above, the NW may choose to assign the new UEs to PF / POs that are also applicable to legacy UEs, or assign the new UEs exclusively to new PF / POs where no legacy UEs are assigned, or allow a mixture of legacy and new PF / POs to be used for the new UEs. In one embodiment, if the load on legacy PF / POs is high (higher than a certain threshold, e.g., number of pagings per second, e.g., 200 paging / s tracked over a certain time window), the NW can restrict new Rel-19 UEs to be assigned only to the new bundled PFs / POs and otherwise if the legacy paging load is moderate (e.g., lower than a threshold e.g., 100 paging / s) the NW can allow Rel-19 UEs to monitor both bundled and legacy PFs / POs, while if the paging load is low (e.g., lower than 50 paging / s), the NW then configures to UEs to only use the legacy PF / POs.

[0166] Examples:

[0167] Example 1 : An example associated with the first embodiment.

[0168] PF offset = 2, T = 32, N = T / 16 = 2, N’ = T / 8 = 4, bundled_PF = 1,

[0169] UE_ID_legacy G {0, 1, 2, 3, 4}, and

[0170] UE_ID_Rel_19 G {5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14},

[0171] Legacy UEs calculate the SFN of the PF according to the legacy formula given in equation (1). As a result, UEs with even UE ID are associated with SFN = 30 and UEs with odd UE ID are associated with SFN = 14, i.e.:

[0172] UE ID legacy = x G {0, 2, 4}: (SFN + 2) mod 32 = (32 div 2)*(x mod 2), SFN = 30, and UE ID legacy = x G { 1, 3}: (SFN + 2) mod 32 = (32 div 2)*(x mod 2), SFN = 14.

[0173] Rel-19 UEs calculate the SFN of the PF according to the new formula given in equation (3), i.e.:

[0174] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 5: SFN = 14, PF_offset_bundle = 1 + floor(5 div 2) mod 4 = 3, SFN’ = (14 + 3) mod 32 = 17, UE_ID_Rel_19 = 6: SFN = 30, PF_offset_bundle = 1 + floor(6 div 2) mod 4 = 4, SFN’ = (30 + 4) mod 32 = 2,

[0175] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 7: SFN = 14, PF_offset_bundle = 1 + floor(7 div 2) mod 4 = 4, SFN’ = (14 + 4) mod 32 = 18,

[0176] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 8: SFN = 30, PF offset bundle = 1 + floor(8 div 2) mod 4 = 1, SFN’ = (30 + 1) mod 32 = 31,

[0177] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 9: SFN = 14, PF offset bundle = 1 + floor(9 div 2) mod 4 = 1, SFN’ = (14 + 1) mod 32 = 15,

[0178] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 10: SFN = 30, PF offset bundle = 1 + floor(10 div 2) mod 4 = 2, SFN’= (30 + 2) mod 32 = 0,

[0179] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 11 : SFN = 14, PF offset bundle = 1 + floor(l 1 div 2) mod 4 = 2, SFN’ = (14 + 2) mod 32 = 16,

[0180] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 12: SFN = 30, PF offset bundle = 1 + floor(12 div 2) mod 4 = 3, SFN’ = (30 + 3) mod 32 = 1,

[0181] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 13: SFN = 14, PF offset bundle = 1 + floor(13 div 2) mod 4 = 3, SFN’ = (14 + 3) mod 32 = 17, and

[0182] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 14: SFN = 30, PF offset bundle = 1 + floor(14 div 2) mod 4 = 4, SFN’ = (30 + 4) mod 32 = 2.

[0183] The location of legacy and Rel-19 bundled PFs and the assignment of the UEs to the PFs are illustrated in Figure 1.

[0184] Example 2: An example associated with the second embodiment.

[0185] PF offset = 2, T = 32, N = T / 16 = 2, Ns = 2, Ns’ = 6,

[0186] UE_ID_legacy G {0, 1, 2, 3},

[0187] UE_ID_Rel_19 G { 10, 12, 15, 16, 18, 21 }, and

[0188] First-PDCCH-monitoring-occasion-of-PO: 3 (for legacy PO with i s = 0), 12 (for legacy PO with i s = 1), 20 (for Rel-19 PO with i s’ = 2), 28 (for Rel-19 PO with i s’ = 3), 33 (for Rel- 19 PO with i s’ = 4), 41 (for Rel-19 PO with i s’ = 5), 49 (for Rel-19 PO with i s’ = 6), 54 (for Rel-19 PO with i s’ = 7).

[0189] Both legacy and Rel-19 UEs calculate the SFN of the PF using legacy formula given in equation (1). As a result, UEs with even UE ID are associated with SFN = 30 and UEs with odd UE_ID are associated with SFN = 14, i.e.:

[0190] UE ID = x G {0, 2, 10, 12, 16, 18}: (SFN + 2) mod 32 = (32 div 2)*(x mod 2), SFN = 30, and

[0191] UE_ID = x G { 1, 3, 15, 21 }: (SFN + 2) mod 32 = (32 div 2)*(x mod 2), SFN = 14. Legacy UEs calculate the index of the PO according to the legacy formula given in equation (2), i.e.:

[0192] UE_ID_legacy = 0: i_s = floor (0 / 2) mod 2 = 0, i_s = 0,

[0193] UE_ID_legacy = 1 : i_s = floor (1 / 2) mod 2 = 0, i_s = 0,

[0194] UE_ID_legacy = 2: i_s = floor (2 / 2) mod 2 = 1, i_s = 1, and

[0195] UE_ID_legacy = 3: i_s = floor (3 / 2) mod 2 = 1, i_s = 1.

[0196] Rel-19 UEs calculate the index of the PO according to the new formula given in equation (4), i.e.:

[0197] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 10: i s’ = floor (10 / 2) mod 6 + 2 = 7, i s’ = 7,

[0198] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 12: i s’ = floor (12 / 2) mod 6 + 2 = 2, i s’ = 2,

[0199] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 15: i s’ = floor (15 / 2) mod 6 + 2 = 3, i s’ = 3,

[0200] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 16: i s’ = floor (16 / 2) mod 6 + 2 = 4, i s’ = 4,

[0201] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 18: i_s’ = floor (18 / 2) mod 6 + 2 = 5, i_s’ = 5, and

[0202] UE_ID_Rel_19 = 21 : i s’ = floor (21 / 2) mod 6 + 2 = 6, i s’ = 6.

[0203] The location of legacy and Rel-19 POs and the assignment of the UEs to the PFs and POs are illustrated in Figure 2.

[0204] Figure 3 illustrates the operation of a UE and a network node (e.g., a RAN node such as, e.g., a base station, e.g., a gNB), in accordance with at least some of the embodiments described above. Optional steps are represented by dashed lines. Note that not all of the details described above for the various embodiments are described here with respect to Figure 3; however, it to be understood that the details provided above are equally applicable here to the corresponding steps of Figure 3.

[0205] As illustrated, the UE may receive, from the network node, a first configuration or instruction related to PF determination (step 300). For example, the first configuration or instruction may include either: (i) an indication to use a first formula(s) (e.g., the legacy formula(s)) for determining the PF to be monitored by the UE) or a second formula(s) (e.g., a new formula(s) that enables PF bundling such as, e.g., Equation (3) above) or (ii) a parameter (e.g., bundled PF) for a same formula (e.g., Equation (3) above) that controls whether the PF determined by the UE is a legacy PF or one of the bundled PFs. In addition or alternatively, the UE may receive, from the network node, a first configuration or instruction related to PO determination (step 302). For example, the first configuration or instruction may include either: (i) an indication to use a third formula(s) (e.g., the legacy formula(s)) for determining the PO to be monitored by the UE) or a second formula(s) (e.g., a new formula(s) that enables PO bundling such as, e.g., Equation (4) above) or (ii) a parameter (e.g., i s offset) for a same formula (e.g., Equation (4) above) that controls whether the PF determined by the UE is a legacy PO or one of the bundled POs.

[0206] The UE determines a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging and a PO within the determined PO to be monitored by the UE for paging (step 304). As described herein, either:

[0207] • the determined PF is one of a set of PFs including bundled PFs (e.g., in addition to legacy PF(s)), or

[0208] • the determined PO is one of a set of POs including bundled POs (e.g., in addition to legacy PO(s)), or

[0209] • both the determined PF is one of a set of PFs including bundled PFs (e.g., in addition to legacy PF(s)) and the determined PO is one of a set of POs including bundled POs (e.g., in addition to legacy PO(s)).

[0210] The details about how the UE determines the PF and PO in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure are provided above and those details are equally applicable here to step 304.

[0211] The UE then monitors for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF (step 306).

[0212] As described above, in some embodiments, the network node provides the first configuration or instruction (step 300) and / or the second configuration or instruction (302) such that there is a configurable transmission gap between bundled POs.

[0213] As also discussed above, in some embodiments, the network node determines whether to configure the UE to use a legacy PF or bundled PF (in step 300) and / or whether to configure the UE to use a legacy PO or a bundled PO (in step 302) based on paging load on legacy PFs versus paging load on bundled PFs (sometimes referred to herein as Rel-19 PFs) and / or based on paging load on legacy POs versus paging load on bundled POs (sometimes referred to herein as Rel-19 POs). Details are provided above and are equally applicable here.

[0214] Figure 4 shows an example of a communication system 400 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Note that the functionality of the UE described above may be implemented in any of the UEs 412 described below. Likewise, the functionality of the network node or gNB described above may be implemented in any of the network nodes 410 described below.

[0215] In the example, the communication system 400 includes a telecommunication network 402 that includes an access network 404, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 406, which includes one or more core network nodes 408. The access network 404 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 410A and 410B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 410), or any other similar Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP Access Points (APs). Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 402 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 402 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 402, including one or more network nodes 410 and / or core network nodes 408.

[0216] Examples of an ORAN network node include an Open Radio Unit (O-RU), an Open Distributed Unit (O-DU), an Open Central Unit (O-CU), including an O-CU Control Plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU User Plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non- real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 410 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 412A, 412B, 412C, and 412D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 412) to the core network 406 over one or more wireless connections.

[0217] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 400 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 400 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0218] The UEs 412 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 410 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 410 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 412 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 402 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 402.

[0219] In the depicted example, the core network 406 connects the network nodes 410 to one or more hosts, such as host 416. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 406 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 408) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 408. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-Concealing Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0220] The host 416 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 404 and / or the telecommunication network 402, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 416 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0221] As a whole, the communication system 400 of Figure 4 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 400 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., Sixth Generation (6G)); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0222] In some examples, the telecommunication network 402 is a cellular network that implements 3 GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 402 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 402. For example, the telecommunication network 402 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / massive Internet of Things (loT) services to yet further UEs.

[0223] In some examples, the UEs 412 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 404 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 404. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) or multi -standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e. being configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0224] In the example, a hub 414 communicates with the access network 404 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 412C and / or 412D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 410B). In some examples, the hub 414 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 414 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 406 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 414 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 410, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 414. As another example, the hub 414 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 414 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 414 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 414 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 414 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0225] The hub 414 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 410B. The hub 414 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 414 and UEs (e.g., UE 412C and / or 412D), and between the hub 414 and the core network 406. In other examples, the hub 414 is connected to the core network 406 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 414 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 404 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 410 while still connected via the hub 414 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 414 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 410B. In other embodiments, the hub 414 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and the network node 410B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0226] Figure 5 shows a UE 500 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, Laptop Embedded Equipment (LEE), Laptop Mounted Equipment (LME), smart device, wireless Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3 GPP, including a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0227] A UE may support Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), or Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0228] The UE 500 includes processing circuitry 502 that is operatively coupled via a bus 504 to an input / output interface 506, a power source 508, memory 510, a communication interface 512, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 5. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0229] The processing circuitry 502 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 510. The processing circuitry 502 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 502 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0230] In the example, the input / output interface 506 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 500. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0231] In some embodiments, the power source 508 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 508 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 508 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 500 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 508. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 508 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 500 to which power is supplied.

[0232] The memory 510 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 510 includes one or more application programs 514, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 516. The memory 510 may store, for use by the UE 500, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0233] The memory 510 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, High Density Digital Versatile Disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, Holographic Digital Data Storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM), Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a tamper resistant module in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a Universal SIM (USIM) and / or Internet Protocol Multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as a ‘SIM card.’ The memory 510 may allow the UE 500 to access instructions, application programs, and the like stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 510, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium. The processing circuitry 502 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 512. The communication interface 512 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 522. The communication interface 512 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 518 and / or a receiver 520 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 518 and receiver 520 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 522) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0234] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 512 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, NFC, location-based communication such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Intemet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Quick User Datagram Protocol Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0235] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 512, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected, an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0236] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0237] A UE, when in the form of an loT device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a television, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or VR, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 500 shown in Figure 5.

[0238] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3 GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship, an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0239] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators. Figure 6 shows a network node 600 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, APs (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR Node Bs (gNBs)), and O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0240] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node), and / or Remote Radio Units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such RRUs may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a Distributed Antenna System (DAS).

[0241] Other examples of network nodes include multiple Transmission Point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, Multi -Standard Radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) or BS Controllers (BSCs), Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, Multi-Cell / Multicast Coordination Entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0242] The network node 600 includes processing circuitry 602, memory 604, a communication interface 606, and a power source 608. The network node 600 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 600 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 600 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 604 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 610 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 600 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 600, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within the network node 600.

[0243] The processing circuitry 602 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 600 components, such as the memory 604, to provide network node 600 functionality.

[0244] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 602 includes a System on a Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 602 includes one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 612 and baseband processing circuitry 614. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 612 and the baseband processing circuitry 614 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 612 and the baseband processing circuitry 614 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0245] The memory 604 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, ROM, mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD), or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable, and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 602. The memory 604 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 602 and utilized by the network node 600. The memory 604 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 602 and / or any data received via the communication interface 606. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 602 and the memory 604 are integrated.

[0246] The communication interface 606 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 606 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 616 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 606 also includes radio front-end circuitry 618 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 610. The radio front-end circuitry 618 comprises filters 620 and amplifiers 622. The radio front-end circuitry 618 may be connected to the antenna 610 and the processing circuitry 602. The radio front-end circuitry 618 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 610 and the processing circuitry 602. The radio front-end circuitry 618 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 618 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 620 and / or the amplifiers 622. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 610. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 610 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 618. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 602. In other embodiments, the communication interface 606 may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0247] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 600 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 618; instead, the processing circuitry 602 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 610. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 612 is part of the communication interface 606. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 606 includes the one or more ports or terminals 616, the radio front-end circuitry 618, and the RF transceiver circuitry 612 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 606 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 614, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0248] The antenna 610 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 610 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 618 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 610 is separate from the network node 600 and connectable to the network node 600 through an interface or port.

[0249] The antenna 610, the communication interface 606, and / or the processing circuitry 602 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 600. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 610, the communication interface 606, and / or the processing circuitry 602 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node 600. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. The power source 608 provides power to the various components of the network node 600 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 608 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 600 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 600 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid or an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 608. As a further example, the power source 608 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0250] Embodiments of the network node 600 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 6 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 600 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 600 and to allow output of information from the network node 600. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 600. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 108 of FIG. 4, some components, such as the radio frontend circuitry 618 and the RF transceiver circuitry 612 may be omitted.

[0251] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 700 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more Virtual Machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtualization environments 700 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, a UE, a core network node, or a host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 700 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, a UE, a core network node, or a host.

[0252] Applications 702 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 700 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0253] Hardware 704 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, an input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 706 (also referred to as hypervisors or Virtual Machine Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 708A and 708B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 708), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 706 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 708.

[0254] The VMs 708 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 706. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 702 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 708, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as Network Function Virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and customer premise equipment.

[0255] In the context of NFV, a VM 708 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 708, and that part of the hardware 704 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 708 on top of the hardware 704 and corresponds to the application 702.

[0256] The hardware 704 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 704 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 704 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 710, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 702. In some embodiments, the hardware 704 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 712 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0257] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non- computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0258] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0259] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

[0260] Group A Embodiments

[0261] Embodiment 1 : A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising:

[0262] • receiving (300), from a network node, a configuration or instruction comprising either: o an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a first formula (e.g., a legacy formula) or a second formula (e.g., a new formula that enables PF bundling) for determining a Paging Frame, PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging; or o a parameter for a same formula that controls whether, as determined using by the parameter in the same formula, the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging is a legacy PF or a bundled PF;

[0263] • determining (304) a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, in accordance with the received configuration or instruction;

[0264] • determining (304) a paging occasion, PO, within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging; and

[0265] • monitoring (306) for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF. Embodiment 2: The method of embodiment 1, further comprising:

[0266] • receiving (302), from a network node, a second configuration or instruction comprising either: o an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a third formula (e.g., a legacy formula) or a fourth formulas (e.g., a formula that enables PO bundling) for determining the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging; or o a parameter for a same formula that controls whether, as determined using by the parameter in the same formula, the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging is a legacy PO or a bundled PO;

[0267] • wherein determining (304) the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging is in accordance with the received second configuration or instruction.

[0268] Embodiment 3: A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising:

[0269] • receiving (302), from a network node, a configuration or instruction comprising either: o an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a first formula (e.g., a legacy formula) or a second formula (e.g., a new formula that enables PO bundling) for determining a Paging Occasion, PO, to be monitored by the UE for paging; or o a parameter for a same formula that controls whether, as determined using by the parameter in the same formula, the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging is a legacy PO or a bundled PO;

[0270] • determining (304) a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging;

[0271] • determining (304) a paging occasion, PO, within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, in accordance with the received configuration or instruction; and

[0272] • monitoring (306) for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF.

[0273] Embodiment 4: A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: determining (304) a paging frame, PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging; determining (304) a paging occasion, PO, within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging; and monitoring (306) for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF; wherein the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising and one or more bundled PFs, or the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs, or both the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more bundled PFs and the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs .

[0274] Embodiment 5: The method of embodiment 4, wherein determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining an index of the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, and determining the PO comprises determining an index of the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging.

[0275] Embodiment 6: The method of embodiment 4 or 5, wherein the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more legacy PFs and one or more additional bundled PFs.

[0276] Embodiment 7: The method of embodiment 6, wherein determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PF based on a network configured parameter that if set to a fist value causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more legacy PFs and if set to a second value causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more additional bundled PFs.

[0277] Embodiment 8: The method of embodiment 6, wherein determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PF based on the following formula:

[0278] SFN’= (SFN + PF_offset_bundle) mod T, where

[0279] • PF offset bundle = bundled_PF*(l + floor (UE ID div N) mod N’), • bundled PF E {0,1}: is a network configured parameter that, if set to ‘0’ causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more legacy PFs and if set to ‘ 1’ causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more additional bundled PFs,

[0280] • SFN is a system frame number, SFN, calculated using a legacy formula, i.e., as if the UE was assigned to one of the one or more legacy PFs,

[0281] • SFN’: is the index of the PF that the UE is to monitor for paging,

[0282] • N: number of legacy PFs in T,

[0283] • N’: is the number of additional bundled PFs in a single bundle,

[0284] • T: Discontinuous Reception, DRX, cycle of the UE, and

[0285] • UE ID: a UE ID of the UE.

[0286] Embodiment 9: The method of embodiment 6, wherein determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PF based on the following formula:

[0287] SFN’= (SFN + PF_offset_bundle) mod T, where

[0288] • PF offset bundle = bundled PF*(PF offset config + floor (UE ID div N) mod N), where PF offset config is a configured offset, which enables a network node, e.g., to introduce a gap between legacy PFs and additional bundled PFs;

[0289] • bundled PF E {0,1}: is a network configured parameter that, if set to ‘0’ causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more legacy PFs and if set to ‘ 1’ causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more additional bundled PFs,

[0290] • SFN: is a system frame number, SFN, calculated using a legacy formula, i.e., as if the UE was assigned to one of the one or more legacy PFs,

[0291] • SFN’: is the index of the PF that the UE is to monitor for paging,

[0292] • N: number of legacy PFs in T,

[0293] • N’: is the number of additional bundled PFs in a single bundle,

[0294] • T: Discontinuous Reception, DRX, cycle of the UE, and

[0295] • UE ID: a UE ID of the UE.

[0296] Embodiment 10: The method of embodiment 9, wherein PF offset config is a UE specific parameter.

[0297] Embodiment 11 : The method of embodiment 9, wherein PF offset config is a UE group specific parameter.

[0298] Embodiment 12: The method of any of embodiments 9 to 11, wherein the PO is one of a set of POs comprising one or more legacy POs and one or more additional bundled POs. Embodiment 13: The method of embodiment 12, wherein determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging based on the following formula: i_s’ = floor(UE_ID / N’) mod Ns’ + i_s_offset, where

[0299] • i s offsets {0, 1, Ns}: The offset used to shift Rel-19 POs relative to legacy POs,

[0300] • N’: is the number of new bundled PFs in a single bundle,

[0301] • Ns The number of additional bundled POs within a PF,

[0302] • Ns: The number of legacy POs within a PF,

[0303] • UE ID: is a UE ID of the UE.

[0304] Embodiment 14: The method of embodiment 4 or 5, wherein the PO is one of a set of POs comprising one or more legacy POs and one or more additional bundled POs.

[0305] Embodiment 15: The method of embodiment 14, wherein determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging based on a network-configured parameter that controls whether the one or more legacy POs and the one or more additional bundled POs overlap.

[0306] Embodiment 16: The method of embodiment 14, wherein determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging based on the following formula: i_s’ = floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns’ + i_s_offset, where

[0307] • i s offsets {0, I, Ns} is an offset used to shift the one or more additional bundled POs relative to the one or more legacy POs,

[0308] • N: is a number of PFs in T where Zis a Discontinuous Reception, DRX, cycle of the UE,

[0309] • Ns ’: a number of additional bundled POs within a PF,

[0310] • Ns: a number of legacy POs within a PF,

[0311] • UE ID: a UE ID of the UE.

[0312] Embodiment 17: The method of embodiment 4 or 5, wherein the number of POs (e.g., number of legacy POs to total number of POs) within a PF is greater than a legacy value, and each of the POs is associated with its own parameter (Q.^.^firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO') that independently shifts that PO.

[0313] Embodiment 18: The method of embodiment 4 or 5, wherein the number of POs (e.g., number of legacy POs to total number of POs) within a PF is greater than a legacy value, and positions of the POs within a PF follow a repetitive pattern (e.g., predefined or configured repetitive pattern).

[0314] Embodiment 19: The method of any of embodiments 4 to 18, wherein a networked- configured parameter ensures that there are gaps between POs that are associated with two successive PFs.

[0315] Group B Embodiments

[0316] Embodiment 20: A method performed by a network node, the method comprising:

[0317] • transmitting (300), to a UE, a configuration or instruction comprising either: o an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a first formula (e.g., a legacy formula) or a second formula (e.g., a new formula that enables PF bundling) for determining a Paging Frame, PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging; or o a parameter for a same formula that control whether, as determined using by the parameter in the same formula, the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging is a legacy PF or a bundled PF.

[0318] Embodiment 21 : The method of embodiment 20, further comprising:

[0319] • transmitting (302), to the UE, a second configuration or instruction comprising either: o an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a third formula (e.g., a legacy formula) or a fourth formulas (e.g., a formula that enables PO bundling) for determining the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging; or o a parameter for a same formula that control whether, as determined using by the parameter in the same formula, the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging is a legacy PO or a bundled PO.

[0320] Embodiment 22: The method of embodiment 20 or 21, wherein the configuration or instruction and / or the second configuration or instruction is such that there is a configurable transmission gap between bundled POs.

[0321] Embodiment 23: The method of embodiment 20 or 21, based on a paging load on legacy PFs and / or POs and / or a paging load on bundled PFs and / or POs, configuring at least some UEs capable of using bundled PFs and / or bundled POs to share the same PFs and / or POs with legacy UEs or only to use the bundled PFs and / or bundled POs on which no legacy UEs are assigned.

[0322] Embodiment 24: A method performed by a network node, the method comprising:

[0323] • transmitting (302), to a UE, a configuration or instruction comprising either: o an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a first formula (e.g., a legacy formula) or a second formula (e.g., a new formula that enables PF bundling) for determining a Paging Occasion, PO, to be monitored by the UE for paging; or o a parameter for a same formula that control whether, as determined using by the parameter in the same formula, the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging is a legacy PO or a bundled PO.

[0324] Group C Embodiments

[0325] Embodiment 25: A user equipment comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0326] Embodiment 26: A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0327] Embodiment 27: A user equipment (UE) comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: determining (304) a paging frame, PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging; determining (304) a paging occasion, PO, within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging; and monitoring (306) for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF; wherein: the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more bundled PFs, or the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs, or both the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more bundled PFs and the PO is one of a set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining an index of the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, and determining the PO comprises determining an index of the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more first PFs and one or more additional bundled PFs.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, prior to determining (304) the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, receiving (300), from a network node, a configuration or instruction comprising either: an indication that the UE is to utilize a formula that enables PF bunding, rather than a formula that does not enable PF bundling, for determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging; or a parameter for a single formula used for determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, where the parameter causes the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging to be a bundled PF.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the one or more additional bundled PFs are consecutive to the one or more first PFs without any time gap between the one or more additional bundled PFs and the one or more first PFs.

6. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PF based on a network configured parameter that if set to a first value causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more first PFs and if set to a second value causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more additional bundled PFs.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PF based on the following formula:SFN’= (SFN + PF_offset_bundle) mod T, where• PF offset bundle = bundled_PF*(l + floor (UE ID div N) mod N’),• bundled PF E {0,1}: is a network configured parameter that, if set to ‘0’ causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more first PFs and if set to ‘ 1’ causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more additional bundled PFs,• SFN: is a system frame number, SFN, calculated using a formula that does not enable PF bundling,• SFN’: is the index of the PF that the UE is to monitor for paging,• N: number of first PFs in T,• N’: is the number of additional bundled PFs in a single bundle,• T: Discontinuous Reception, DRX, cycle of the UE, and• UE ID: a UE ID of the UE.

8. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PF based on the following formula:SFN’= (SFN + PF_offset_bundle) mod T, where• PF offset bundle = bundled PF*(PF offset config + floor (UE ID div N) mod N), where PF offset config is a configured offset, which enables a network node, e.g., to introduce a gap between first PFs and additional bundled PFs;• bundled PF E {0,1}: is a network configured parameter that, if set to ‘0’ causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more first PFs and if set to ‘ 1’ causes the determined PF to be one of the one or more additional bundled PFs,• SFN is a system frame number, SFN, calculated using a formula that does not enable PF bundling,• SFN’: is the index of the PF that the UE is to monitor for paging,• N: number of first PFs in T,• N’: is the number of additional bundled PFs in a single bundle,• T: Discontinuous Reception, DRX, cycle of the UE, and• UE ID: a UE ID of the UE.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein PF offset config is a UE specific parameter.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein PF offset config is a UE group specific parameter.

11. The method of any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the PO is one of a set of POs comprising one or more first POs and one or more additional bundled POs.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging based on the following formula: i_s’ = floor(UE_ID / N’) mod Ns’ + i_s_offset, where• i s offsets {0, 1, Ns}: The offset used to shift Rel-19 POs relative to first POs,• N’: is the number of new bundled PFs in a single bundle,• Ns ’: The number of additional bundled POs within a PF,• Ns: The number of first POs within a PF,• UE ID: is a UE ID of the UE.

13. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the PO is one of a set of POs comprising one or more first POs and one or more additional bundled POs.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, prior to determining (304) the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, receiving (302), from a network node, a configuration or instruction comprising either: an indication that the UE is to utilize a formula that enables PO bunding, rather than a formula that does not enable PO bundling, for determining the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging; or a parameter for a single formula used for determining the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging, where the parameter causes the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging to be abundled PO, rather than a first PO.

15. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging based on a network-configured parameter that controls whether the one or more first POs and the one or more additional bundled POs overlap.

16. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging comprises determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging based on the following formula: i_s’ = floor(UE_ID / N) mod Ns’ + i_s_offset, where• i s offsets {0, 1, Ns} is an offset used to shift the one or more additional bundled POs relative to the one or more first POs,• N: is a number of PFs in T where Zis a Discontinuous Reception, DRX, cycle of the UE,• Ns a number of additional bundled POs within a PF,• Ns: a number of first POs within a PF,• UE ID: a UE ID of the UE.

17. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the number of POs within a PF is greater than a legacy value (i.e., 4), and each of the POs is associated with its own parameter that independently shifts that PO.

18. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the number of POs within a PF is greater than a legacy value (i.e., 4), and positions of the POs within a PF follow a repetitive pattern.

19. The method of any of claims 1 to 18, wherein a networked-configured parameter ensures that there are gaps between POs that are associated with two successive PFs.

20. A User Equipment, UE, (500), comprising: a communication interface (512) comprising a transmitter (518) and a receiver (520); and processing circuitry (502) associated with the communication interface (512), the processing circuitry (502) configured to cause the UE (500) to: determine (304) a paging frame, PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging;determine (304) a paging occasion, PO, within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging; and monitor (306) for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF; wherein: the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising and one or more bundled PFs, or the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs, or both the PF is one of a set of PFs comprising one or more bundled PFs and the PO is one of set of POs comprising one or more bundled POs.

21. The UE (500) of claim 20, wherein the processing circuitry (502) is further configured to cause the UE (500) to perform the method of any of claims 2 to 19.

22. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising:• transmitting (300), to a UE, a configuration or instruction comprising either: o an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a first formula that does not enable paging frame, PF, bundling or a second formula that enables PF bundling for determining a PF to be monitored by the UE for paging; or o a parameter for a third formula to be used by the UE for determining the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, the parameter being a parameter that controls whether, as determined by the parameter in the formula, the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging is a first PF or a bundled PF.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:• transmitting (302), to the UE, a second configuration or instruction comprising either: o an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a fourth formula that does not enable paging occasion, PO, bundling or a fifth formulas that enables PO bundling for determining a PO, within the PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging; or o a second parameter for a sixth formula to be used by the UE for determining the PO, within the PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging, the second parameter being a parameter that controls whether, as determined by the parameter in the sixth formula, the PO, within the PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging is a first PO or a bundled PO.

24. The method of claim 22 or 23, wherein the configuration or instruction and / or the secondconfiguration or instruction is such that there is a configurable transmission gap between bundled POs.

25. The method of claim 22 or 23, further comprising, based on a paging load on first PFs and / or POs and / or a paging load on bundled PFs and / or POs, configuring at least some UEs capable of using bundled PFs and / or bundled POs to share the same PFs and / or POs with UEs that do not support PF bundling and / or PO bundling or only to use the bundled PFs and / or bundled POs on which no such UEs are assigned.

26. A method performed by a network node, the method comprising:• transmitting (302), to a UE, a configuration or instruction comprising either: o an indication as to whether the UE is utilize a first formula that does not enable paging occasion, PO, bundling or a second formula that enables PF bundling for determining a PO within a paging frame, PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging; or o a parameter for a third formula to be used by the UE for determining the PO within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging, the parameter being a parameter that controls whether, as determined by the parameter in the third formula, the PO to be monitored by the UE for paging is a first PO or a bundled PO.

27. A method performed by a User Equipment, UE, the method comprising: determining (304) a paging frame, PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging; determining (304) a paging occasion, PO, within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging; and monitoring (306) for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF; wherein: the PO is one of a set of POs within the PF; the number of POs in the set of POs is greater than a legacy value (e.g., 4); and each PO in the set of POs within the PF is associated with its own parameter firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO that independently shifts that PO.

28. A User Equipment, UE, (500) comprising: a communication interface (512) comprising a transmitter (518) and a receiver (520); and processing circuitry (502) associated with the communication interface (512), theprocessing circuitry (502) configured to cause the UE (500) to: determine (304) a paging frame, PF, to be monitored by the UE for paging; determine (304) a paging occasion, PO, within the PF to be monitored by the UE for paging; and monitor (306) for paging in the determined PO within the determined PF; wherein: the PO is one of set of POs within the PF; the number of POs in the set of POs is greater than a legacy value (e.g., 4); and each PO in the set of POs within the PF is associated with its own parameter firstPDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO that independently shifts that PO.

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