System and method for carrier resource switching and aggregation in UL / dl

Abstract

In accordance with implementations, a network entity transmits, to a user equipment (UE), first signaling with first information indicating a first set of parameters for a first signal or channel. The network entity transmits, to the UE, or receives, from the UE, a first transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a first bandwidth resource (BWR) configured for the UE. The first BWR includes first frequency-domain resources. The network entity transmits, to the UE, or receives, from the UE, a second transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a second BWR configured for the UE. The second BWR includes second frequency-domain resources. The first frequency-domain resources are different from the second frequency-domain resources.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CARRIER RESOURCE SWITCHING AND AGGREGATION IN UL / DLCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 702,378, filed on October 2, 2024, and entitled “System and Method for Carrier Resource Switching and Aggregation in UL / DL,” application of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein as if reproduced in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and, in particular embodiments, to systems and methods for resource switching.BACKGROUND

[0003] Wireless communication systems include long term evolution (LTE), LTE-A, LTE-A-beyond systems, 5th generation (5G) LTE, 5G New Radio (NR), 6G (to be developed), etc. It is w idely observed that carrier design in the current 5G new7radio (NR) systems consumes a considerably high amount of energy. In many cases, due to the increased bandwidth (BW) and number of antennas such as in a multiple-input multipleoutput (MIMO) or Massive MIMO network, the current NR systems operate with even lower energy efficiency than that of the LTE systems. As 6th generation (6G) is to be developed, and as even wider BW and more massive MIMO antenna systems are considered for 6G, energy efficiency may become a major key performance indicator (KPI), and it is desirable to improve the energy efficiency for 6G systems and beyond, for both the netw ork side and the UE side, which may start from the 6G carrier design. In addition, the basic 4G and 5G frequency-domain system design unit can be a carrier, and the approach to incorporating a wider BW is to essentially apply a single-carrier design (most of the operations, signaling, signals and channels, etc.) to multiple carriers, leading to complex operations, high signaling overhead, slow protocols, etc. So, it is desirable to provide new approaches with better scalability properties for carrier design. Overall, it is desired to provide new designs that are scalable, flexible, and energy-efficient to incorporate any number of carrier resources of all types.

[0004] A modern wireless communication system may include a plurality of NodeBs(NBs), which may also be referred to as base stations, network nodes, communications controllers, cells, or enhanced NBs (eNBs), and so on. A NodeB may include one or more network points or network nodes using different radio access technologies (RATs) such as high speed packet access (HSPA) NBs or WiFi access points. A NodeB may be associated with a single netw ork point or multiple network points. A cell may include aFW 6000731PCT02 -1-single network point or multiple network points, and each network point may have a single antenna or multiple antennas. A network point may correspond to multiple cells operating in multiple component carriers. Generally, each component carrier in carrier aggregation is a serving cell, either a primary7cell (PCell) or a secondary7cell (SCell).

[0005] A cell or NodeB may sen e a number of users (also commonly referred to as user equipments (UEs), mobile stations, terminals, devices, and so forth) over a period of time. A communication channel from a NB to a UE is generally7referred to as a downlink (DL) channel, and a transmission from the NB to the UE is a downlink transmission. A communication channel from a UE to a NB is generally referred to an uplink (UL) channel, and a transmission from the UE to the NB is an uplink transmission. NR UEs may also support sidelink communications between two or more nearby UEs, using NR technology7but not traversing any network node.[00061 The downlink (DL) waveform in 5G NR may be the conventional orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) using a cyclic prefix (CP), while the uplink (UL) can be a conventional OFDM using a CP with a transform precoding function performing discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spreading. Downlink and uplink transmissions can be organized into frames with a 10 ms duration, consisting of ten 1 ms subframes. Each frame can be divided into two equally sized half-frames of five subframes each. The slot duration can be 14 symbols with the Normal CP, or 12 symbols with the Extended CP, and scale in time as a function of the used sub-carrier spacing so that there is always an integer number of slots in a subframe.

[0007] For a receiver in the UE to be able to demodulate a DL transmission, it can be sy nchronized with the gNB (transmitter). Therefore, a UE can synchronize with the gNB numerology (e.g., frame, slots, and symbols). The synchronization is achieved in 5G NR via a UE acquiring the synchronization signal (SS) and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block (SSB).SUMMARY

[0008] Technical advantages are generally achieved, by implementations of this disclosure which describe methods, apparatus, and system.

[0009] In accordance with implementations, a network entity transmits, to a user equipment (UE), first signaling with first information indicating a first set of parameters for a first signal or channel. The network entity transmits, to the UE, or receives, from the UE, a first transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a first bandwidth resource (BWR) configured for the UE. The first BWR includes first frequency-domain resources. The network entity transmits, to the UE, orFW 6000731PCT02 -2-receives, from the UE, a second transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance w ith the first set of parameters on a second BWR configured for the UE. The second BWR includes second frequency-domain resources. The first frequency-domain resources are different from the second frequency-domain resources.

[0010] In some implementations, the first BWR may be a first bandwidth part (BWP), and the second BWR may be a second BWP. Or, the first BWR may be a first carrier, and the second BWR may be a second carrier.

[0011] In some implementations, the first transmission may start before the second transmission. The first transmission may be suspended during the second transmission.

[0012] In some implementations, the first transmission may be suspended during switching from the first BWR to the second BWR. A duration of the switching may be based on at least one of a RF retuning time or a BWR switching time greater than or equal to the RF retuning time.

[0013] In some implementations, the first set of parameters may be BWR-common such that the first set of parameters for the first signal or channel are the same for different frequency-domain locations, bandwidths, or numerologies of the first BWR and the second BWR on w hich the first signal or channel is transmitted or received.

[0014] In some implementations, the network entity may transmit to the UE a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR. The first signaling may further indicate a BWR parameter for the first signal or channel. The first set of parameters may exclude the BWR parameter. Transmitting or receiving the second transmission on the second BWR may be further in accordance with a second value for a second parameter obtained in accordance w ith at least the BWR parameter and one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR.

[0015] In some implementations, transmitting or receiving the first transmission on the first BWR may be further in accordance with a first value for a first parameter adjusted in accordance with at least the BWR parameter and one of a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the first BWR.

[0016] In some implementations, the BWR parameter may be a scaling factor. The second value for the second parameter for the second BWR may be obtained in accordance with the BWR parameter, one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR, and a corresponding reference bandwidth or numerology parameter. The reference bandwidth or numerology parameter may be configured for the UE or specified in a standard specification (e.g., a reference bandwidth of 40 MHz), or may be associated with a reference BWR configured (e.g., the first BWR) for the UE or specifiedFW 6000731PCT02 -3-in a standard specification (which may not be any BWR configured for the UE to operate on).

[0017] In some implementations, the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR may be a ban w idth of the second BWR, a frequency-domain location of the second BWR, or a numerology of the second BWR.

[0018] In some implementations, a first location of the first signal or channel w ithin the first BWR may be associated with a first frequency-domain offset. A second location of the first signal or channel within the second BWR may be associated with a second frequency-domain offset. In some implementations, the first frequency-domain offset may be equal to the second frequency-domain offset, and the first frequency-domain offset and the second frequency-domain offset may be configured by a network device, Or, a first ratio of the first frequency-domain offset to a first bandwidth of the first BWR may be equal to a second ratio of the second frequency-domain offset to a second bandwidth of the second BWR, and a first value of the first ratio or a second value of the second ratio may be rounded.

[0019] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may comprise a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or a physical dow nlink shared channel (PDSCH) associated with a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process having a HARQ process identifier. The first transmission on the first BWR and the second transmission the second BWR may be associated with the HARQ process having the HARQ process identifier.

[0020] In some implementations, the second transmission may be different from a retransmission of the first transmission.

[0021] In some implementations, the second transmission may be a HARQ retransmission of the first transmission when there is a NACK for the first transmission.

[0022] In some implementations, the second transmission may be a repetition of the first transmission.

[0023] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may comprise a sounding reference signal (SRS). After transmitting or receiving the SRS on the second BWR, no switching back to the first BWR may be required for subsequent transmissions from the UE or to the UE.

[0024] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may include one of a PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a PDSCH, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), an SRS, a synchronization signal (SS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0025] In some implementations, the first BWR may consist of a first contiguous portion in the frequency domain. The second BWR may consist of a second contiguousFW 6000731PCT02 -4-portion in the frequency domain. In some implementations, each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion may be at least 3 MHz. In some implementations, each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion may include at least 5 respective physical resource blocks (PRBs). Each of the at least 5 respective PRBs may include 12 subcarriers.

[0026] In some implementations, the first set of parameters may include at least one of a number of ports, a scrambling sequence or identifier (ID), a resource allocation type, a periodicity, or a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state.

[0027] In accordance with implementations, a UE receives, from a network entity, first signaling with first information indicating a first set of parameters for a first signal or channel. The UE transmits, to the network entity, or receives, from the network entity, a first transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a first bandwidth resource (BWR) configured for the UE. The first BWR includes first frequency-domain resources. The UE transmits, to the network entity, or receives, from the network entity, a second transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a second BWR configured for the UE. The second BWR includes second frequency-domain resources. The first frequency-domain resources are different from the second frequency-domain resources.

[0028] In some implementations, the first BWR may be a first bandwidth part (BWP), and the second BWR may be a second BWP. Or, the first BWR may be a first carrier, and the second BWR may be a second carrier.

[0029] In some implementations, the first transmission may start before the second transmission. The first transmission may be suspended during the second transmission.

[0030] In some implementations, the first transmission may be suspended during switching from the first BWR to the second BWR. A duration of the switching may be based on at least one of a RF retuning time or a BWR switching time greater than or equal to the RF retuning time.

[0031] In some implementations, the first set of parameters may be BWR-common such that the first set of parameters for the first signal or channel are the same for different frequency-domain locations, bandwidths, or numerologies of the first BWR and the second BWR on which the first signal or channel is transmitted or received.

[0032] In some implementations, the UE may receive from the network entity a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR. The first signaling may further indicate a BWR parameter for the first signal or channel. The first set of parameters may exclude the BWR parameter. Transmitting or receiving the second transmission on theFW 6000731PCT02 -5-second BWR may be further in accordance w ith a second value for a second parameter obtained in accordance with at least the BWR parameter and one of the band width or numerology parameter of the second BWR.

[0033] In some implementations, transmitting or receiving the first transmission on the first BWR may be further in accordance with a first value for a first parameter adjusted in accordance with at least the BWR parameter and one of a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the first BWR.

[0034] In some implementations, the BWR parameter may be a scaling factor. The second value for the second parameter for the second BWR may be obtained in accordance with the BWR parameter, one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR, and a corresponding reference bandwidth or numerology parameter. The reference bandwidth or numerology parameter may be configured for the UE or specified in a standard specification (e.g., a reference bandwidth of 40 MHz), or may be associated with a reference BWR configured (e.g., the first BWR) for the UE or specified in a standard specification (which may not be any BWR configured for the UE to operate on).

[0035] In some implementations, the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR may be a bandwidth of the second BWR, a frequency-domain location of the second BWR, or a numerology of the second BWR.

[0036] In some implementations, a first location of the first signal or channel within the first BWR may be associated with a first frequency-domain offset. A second location of the first signal or channel within the second BWR may be associated with a second frequency-domain offset. In some implementations, the first frequency-domain offset may be equal to the second frequency-domain offset, and the first frequency-domain offset and the second frequency-domain offset may be configured by a network device, Or, a first ratio of the first frequency-domain offset to a first bandwidth of the first BWR may be equal to a second ratio of the second frequency-domain offset to a second bandwidth of the second BWR, and a first value of the first ratio or a second value of the second ratio may be rounded.

[0037] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may comprise a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) associated with a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process having a HARQ process identifier. The first transmission on the first BWR and the second transmission the second BWR may be associated with the HARQ process having the HARQ process identifier.

[0038] In some implementations, the second transmission may be different from a retransmission of the first transmission.FW 6000731PCT02 -6-

[0039] In some implementations, the second transmission may be a HARQ retransmission of the first transmission when there is a NACK for the first transmission.

[0040] In some implementations, the second transmission may be a repetition of the first transmission.

[0041] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may comprise a sounding reference signal (SRS). After transmitting or receiving the SRS on the second BWR, no switching back to the first BWR may be required for subsequent transmissions from the UE or to the UE.

[0042] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may include one of a PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a PDSCH, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), an SRS, a synchronization signal (SS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0043] In some implementations, the first BWR may consist of a first contiguous portion in the frequency domain. The second BWR may consist of a second contiguous portion in the frequency domain. In some implementations, each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion may be at least 3 MHz. In some implementations, each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion may include at least 5 respective physical resource blocks (PRBs). Each of the at least 5 respective PRBs may include 12 subcarriers.

[0044] In some implementations, the first set of parameters may include at least one of a number of ports, a scrambling sequence or identifier (ID), a resource allocation type, a periodicity, or a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state.

[0045] The described techniques in this disclosure could significantly improve the process of inter-BWP sw itching, enhance resource utilization, and reduce the need for separate configurations compared to existing mechanisms, while maintaining efficient and continuous operation across varying network conditions.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0047] FIG. 1A illustrates an example wireless communication system, in accordance with some implementations;

[0048] FIG. 1B illustrates an example use of carrier aggregation (CA), in accordance w ith some implementations;FW 6000731PCT02 -7-

[0049] FIG. 2A shows example SS bursts multiplexed w ith PBCH around the SS bursts, in accordance with some implementations;

[0050] FIG. 2B shows an example of signals / channels multiplexed for more than one UE, in accordance with some implementations;

[0051] FIG. 2C shows examples of non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS used for tracking, in accordance with some implementations;

[0052] FIG. 3A shows an example of QCL assumptions among reference signals with wide beams, in accordance w ith some implementations;

[0053] FIG. 3B shows an example of QCL assumptions among reference signals with narrow beams, in accordance with some implementations;

[0054] FIG. 4A shows an example time-frequency structure of the SSB, in accordance with some implementations;

[0055] FIG. 4B shows an example of SSB time distribution, in accordance w ith some implementations;

[0056] FIG. 4C shows an example of SSB time distribution, in accordance w ith some implementations;

[0057] FIG. 4D illustrates an example of multiple serving cells and multi-carriers in multiple bands, in accordance with some implementations;

[0058] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of SRS carrier-based switching, in accordance with some implementations;

[0059] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of SRS carrier-based switching with lower switching overhead (without the need of switching-back operation for each switching), in accordance with some implementations;

[0060] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of carrier switching with low’er switching overhead, complexity, and capability requirements (without the need of switching-back operation while maintaining transmission continuity over multiple carriers), in accordance with some implementations;

[0061] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of carrier switching with lower switching overhead, complexity, and capability requirements, with potentially different carrier bandwidths and / or potentially different numerologies, in accordance with some implementations;FW 6000731PCT02 -8-

[0062] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of nominal carriers (NCs), Primary-NC (P-NC) and Secondary NCs (S-NCs), anchor / anchored BWPs, or ist-stage / 2nd-stage BWPs, in accordance w ith some implementations;

[0063] FIGs. toA-toD show examples of transmission continuity for SS, in accordance w ith some implementations;

[0064] FIGs. 11A-11D show examples of transmission continuity for CSI-RS, in accordance with some implementations;

[0065] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of adapting a transmission parameter based on the bandwidth of the present BWP, in accordance with some implementations;

[0066] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of maintaining a transmission parameter regardless of the bandwidth of the present BWP, in accordance with some implementations;

[0067] FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of DL BWP switching and updating of DL active BWP, in accordance with some implementations;

[0068] FIG. 15 is a flow-chart illustrating an example of UL BWP switching and updating of UL active BWP, in accordance w ith some implementations;

[0069] FIG. 16A shows a flow chart of a method performed by a network entity, in accordance with some implementations;

[0070] FIG. 16B shows a flow chart of a method performed by a UE, in accordance with some implementations;

[0071] FIG. 17 illustrates an example communication system, in accordance with some implementations;

[0072] FIGs. 18A and 18B illustrate example devices, in accordance with some implementations; and

[0073] FIG. 19 shows a block diagram of a computing system, in accordance with some implementations.

[0074] Corresponding numerals and symbols in the different figures generally refer to corresponding parts unless otherwise indicated. The figures are drawn to clearly illustrate the relevant aspects of the embodiments and are not necessarily drawn to scale.FW 6000731PCT02 -9-DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS

[0075] FIG. 1A illustrates an example wireless communication system too. Communication system too includes a base station no with coverage area tot. The base station no senes a plurality of user equipments (UEs), including UEs 120.Transmissions from the base station no to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) transmission and occurs over a downlink channel (shown in FIG. 1A as a solid arrowed line 135), while transmissions from a UE to the base station no is referred to as an uplink (UL) transmission and occurs over an uplink channel (shown in FIG. 1A as a dashed arrowed line 130). Data carried over the uplink / downlink connections may include data communicated between the UEs 120, as well as data communicated to / from a remote-end (not shown) by way of a backhaul network 115. Example downlink channels and signals include synchronization signal (SS) blocks, also called SS / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block SS / PBCH block (SSB), physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) which includes tracking RS (TRS, aka CSI-RS for tracking), etc. Example uplink channels and signals include physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), an uplink sounding reference signal (SRS), or physical random access channel (PRACH). The transmissions may be periodic, semi- persistent, or aperiodic. For example, P TRS stands for periodic TRS, AP TRS stands for aperiodic TRS, SP CSI-RS stands for semi-persistent CSI-RS, P SSB / SP SSB / AP SSB stand for periodic- / -semi-persistent / aperiodic SSB, and so on. Services may be provided to the plurality of UEs by service providers connected to the base station 110 through the backhaul network 115, such as the Internet. The wireless communication system too may include multiple distributed access nodes 110.

[0076] In a typical communication system, there are several operating modes. In a cellular operating mode, communications to and from the plurality of UEs go through the base station no, while in device to device communications mode, such as proximity services (ProSe) operating mode, for example, direct communication between UEs is possible. As used herein, the term “base station” refers to any component (or collection of components) configured to provide wireless access to a network. Base stations may also be commonly referred to as Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), next generation (NG) Node Bs (gNBs), master eNBs (MeNBs), secondary eNBs (SeNBs), master gNBs (MgNBs), secondary gNBs (SgNBs), network controllers, control nodes, access nodes, access points (APs), transmission points (TPs), transmission-reception points (TRPs), cells, carriers, macro cells, femtocells, pico cells, relays, customer premises equipment (CPE), the network side, the network, and so on. In the present disclosure, the termsFW 6000731PCT02 -10-“base station” and “TRP” are used interchangeably unless otherwise specified. As used herein, the term “UE” refers to any component (or collection of components) capable of establishing a wireless connection with a base station. UEs may also be commonly referred to as mobile stations, mobile devices, mobiles, terminals, user terminals, users, subscribers, stations, communication devices, CPEs, relays, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) relays, and the like. It is noted that when relaying is used (based on relays, picos, CPEs, and so on), especially multi-hop relaying, the boundary’ between a controller and a node controlled by the controller may’ become blurry, and a dual node (e.g., either the controller or the node controlled by the controller) deployment w here a first node that provides configuration or control information to a second node is considered to be the controller. Likewise, the concept of UL and DL transmissions can be extended as well.

[0077] A cell may include one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs) for UL or DL allocated for a UE. Each BWP may have its ow n BWP-specific numerology and configuration, such as the BWP’s bandwidth. It is noted that not all BWPs need to be active at the same time for the UE. A cell may correspond to one carrier, and in some cases, multiple carriers. Typically, one cell (a primary cell (PCell) or a secondary cell (SCell), for example) is a component carrier (a primary component carrier (PCC) or a secondary^ CC (SCC), for example). For some cells, each cell may include multiple carriers in UL, one carrier may be referred to as an UL carrier or non-supplementary UL (non- SUL, or simply UL) carrier which has an associated DL, and other carriers are called supplementary UL (SUL) carriers which do not have an associated DL. A cell, or a carrier, may’ be configured with slot or subframe formats comprising DL and UL symbols, and that cell or carrier may be seen as operating in a time division duplexed (TDD) mode. In general, for unpaired spectrum, the cells or carriers are in TDD mode, and for paired spectrum, the cells or carrier are in a frequency division duplexed (FDD) mode. For TDD mode, the same spectrum resources can be used for UL or DL at different time durations, where the time durations allocated for UL or DL are configured statically or indicated dynamically, and the center frequencies for TDD UL (as in TDD UL BWP or generally UL resources used in a certain process) and TDD DL (as in TDD DL BWP or generally DL resources used in a certain process) are aligned. For FDD mode, one part of the paired spectrum is used for UL all the times and the other part is used for DL all the times. A transmission time interval (TH) generally corresponds to a subframe (in LTE) or a slot (in NR). Access nodes may provide wireless access in accordance with one or more wireless communication protocols, e.g., long term evolution (LTE), LTE advanced (LTE- A), 5G, 4G LTE, 5G NR, future 5G NR releases, 6G, 6G Radio (6GR), High Speed PacketFW 6000731PCT02 -11-Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.na / b / g / n / ac, etc. While it is understood that communication systems may employ multiple access nodes (or base stations) capable of communicating w ith a number of UEs, only one access node, and two UEs are illustrated in FIG. 1A for simplicity.

[0078] A way to increase the network resources is to utilize more usable spectrum resources, which include not only the licensed spectrum resources of the same type as the macro, but also the licensed spectrum resources of a different type as the macro (e.g., the macro is a FDD cell but a small cell may use both FDD and TDD carriers), as well as unlicensed spectrum resources and shared-licensed spectrums. Some of the spectrum resources lie in high-frequency bands, such as 6GHz to 6oGHz, 70GHz, and even up to 300GHz (sub-TeraHz). The unlicensed spectrums may be used by generally any user, subject to regulatory requirements. The shared-licensed spectrums are also not exclusive for an operator to use. Traditionally, the unlicensed spectrums are not used by cellular networks because it is generally difficult to ensure quality of sendee (QoS) requirements. Operating on the unlicensed spectrums mainly includes wireless local area networks (WLAN), e.g., the Wi-Fi networks. Due to the fact that the licensed spectrum is generally scarce and expensive, utilizing the unlicensed spectrum by the cellular operator may be considered. Note that on high-frequency bands and unlicensed / shared-licensed bands, typically TDD is used and hence the channel reciprocity can be exploited for the communications.

[0079] In a realistic deployment, a gNB may control one or more cells. Multiple remote radio units may be connected to the same baseband unit of the gNB by fiber cable, and the latency between baseband unit and remote radio unit is quite small. Therefore, the same baseband unit can process the coordinated transmission / reception of multiple cells. For example, the gNB may coordinate the transmissions of multiple cells to a UE, which is called coordinated multiple point (CoMP) or multi-TRP (mTRP, M-TRP) transmission. The gNB may also coordinate the reception of multiple cells from a UE, which is called CoMP / M-TRP reception. In this case, the backhaul link between these cells with the same gNB is a fast backhaul, and the scheduling of data transmitted in different cells for the UE can be easily coordinated in the same gNB. The backhaul connections may also be ones with longer latency and lower transmission rates.

[0080] FIG. 1B illustrates the use of carrier aggregation (CA), which is another deployment strategy. As shown in FIG. 1B, system 150 is a typical wireless network configured with carrier aggregation (CA) where communications controller 160 communicates to a wireless device 165 using wireless link 170 (solid line) and to wireless device 166 using wireless link 172 (dashed line) and using wireless link 170, respectively.FW 6000731PCT02 -12-In some example deployments, for w ireless device 166, wireless link 170 can be called a primary' component carrier (PCC) while wireless link 172 can be called a secondary component carrier (SCC). In some carrier aggregation deployments, the PCC can carry control signaling and data between a UE device and a communications controller while the SCC can mainly' carry' data traffic. In the 3GPP specifications, a component carrier is called a cell. When multiple cells are controlled by a same eNB, cross scheduling of multiple cells can be implemented because there may be a single scheduler in the same eNB to schedule the multiple cells. With CA, one eNB may operate and control several component carriers forming primary’ cell (PCell) and secondary cell (SCell).

[0081] Physical layer channels and signals include PSS / SSS, PBCH and its associated DMRS (see e.g., FIG. 2A, in which the SS bursts are multiplexed with PBCH around the SS bursts), PDSCH and its associated DMRS and phase tracking reference signal (PT- RS), PDCCH and its associated DMRS (see e.g., FIG. 2B for some of these signals / channels which are multiplexed for more than one UE), and CSI-RS w hich further include those used, for CSI acquisition, for beam management, and for tracking (see FIG. 2C for some examples of non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS used for channel estimation, interference measurement, and so on, which are multiplexed with PDSCH and for one or more UEs). The CSI-RS for tracking is also called TRS.

[0082] The UE receives timing advance (TA) commands associated with the configured TA group (TAG) to adjust its uplink transmission timing to synchronize w ith the network for uplink transmission so that uplink transmissions from multiple UEs arrive at the base station at about the same time in a transmission time interval (TTI). Likewise, the UE receives DL reference signals (RS) or synchronization signal (SS) blocks, also called SS / physical broadcast channel (PBCH) block SS / PBCH block (SSB) to acquire and maintain the DL synchronization, such as via maintaining a DL timing tracking loop, based on which the UE places the start of its FFT window inside the cyclic prefix (CP) for its DL reception. In addition, both UL and DL signals / channels are to be associated with some other signals for deriving the signal / channel properties, such as delay spread, Doppler shift, etc.

[0083] In wireless communications operations, tracking functionalities performed by a UE may include fine time tracking, fine frequency tracking, delay spread estimation, and Doppler spread estimation.

[0084] In fine time tracking, a UE may’ detect the first arriving path, and based thereon, the UE may generally optimally’ place its Fast Fourier transform (FFT) window to maximize a data signal to noise plus inter-symbol interference ratio. In a continuousFW 6000731PCT02 -13-operation, a FFT w indow position may drift due to UE mobility and a residual oscillator error between a transmitter and a receiver. The UE may adjust its FFT window position based on a detected change in path arriving / arrival time.

[0085] In fine frequency tracking, a UE may detect a frequency offset between a transmitter and a receiver, and adjust its oscillator accordingly. A residual frequency error may be estimated and compensated in the demodulation of data symbols. The residual frequency error compensation may be very critical, especially in the case of high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and high code rate data transmissions. Uncompensated frequency error may cause phase errors on modulated data symbols and result in decoding performance degradation. Because temperature change affects output precision of an oscillator and Doppler shift caused by UE movement, a UE may periodically track the frequency offset and apply corresponding adjustment and compensation.[00861 Delay spread determines how dispersive a wireless multi-path channel that a UE experiences is. The longer the delay spread, the more frequency selective the channel is. To generally maximize processing gains along the frequency domain in channel estimation based on received pilot signals, the UE may apply linear filtering with a length as long as possible if within the coherent bandwidth of the channel. Coherent bandwidth is inversely proportion to channel selectiveness. Thus, delay spread estimation plays an important role in forming channel estimation filter coefficients and length, hence affecting the performance of channel estimation and data demodulation.

[0087] Doppler spread is usually proportional to UE movement speeds and multipath spatial distribution. Larger Doppler spread corresponds to a faster changing wireless multi-path fading channel. Channel estimation usually applies filtering in the time domain with longer filter length to suppress noise plus interference if within the channel coherent time constraint. Doppler spread estimation is thus another factor along the time domain affecting UE channel estimation performance.

[0088] The quasi co-location (QCL) types corresponding to each DL RS (more specifically , the port(s) or antenna port(s) of the DL RS) are given by the higher layer parameter qcl-Type in QCL-Info and may take one of the following values: 1) 'QCL- TypeA': {Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, delay spread}; 2) 'QCL-TypeB': {Doppler shift, Doppler spread}; 3) 'QCL-TypeC: {Doppler shift, average delay}; and 4) 'QCL-TypeD': {Spatial Rx parameter}. The QCL types may be configured / indicated in transmission configuration indication (TCI) states for a RS. The QCL assumptions are mainly used for DL RS, but can be generalized for UL RS if the association via pathloss RS and spatial relation are specified. The QCL assumption may be specified as: {RS1:FW 6000731PCT02 -14-QCL Type C to RS2}, {RS1: QCL Type C to RS2 and QCL Type D to RS3}. Then, RS1 (destination RS) derives the properties specified according to the QCL types from the associated (i.e., source) RSs (e.g., RS2). Note that the source RS maybe a SSB. Note also that the source RS and destination RS may7be on the same carrier or different carriers (i.e., cross-carrier QCL).

[0089] FIG. 3A is a diagram 300 showing example QCL assumptions among NR reference signals when wide beams are used for communications. For example, a TRS, a SS block or a broadcast DMRS may be transmitted using a wide beam. FIG. 3A shows QCL configurations among a SS block 302, a DMRS 304, a CSI-RS 306, a TRS 308, a CSI-RS 310 and a DMRS 312. The DMRS 304 is for a broadcast channel. That is, the DMRS 304 is a DMRS used for demodulation of a system information block (SIB), radio resource control (RRC) signaling, paging, etc. before a TRS is configured. The CSI-RS 306 is transmitted for beam forming. The CSI-RS 310 is transmitted for channel estimation. The DMRS 312 is used for demodulation of signals transmitted in a unicast channel. An arrow7starting from a first reference signal (e.g., the SS block 302) and ending at a second reference signal (e.g., the DMRS 304) indicates that the second reference signal has a QCL relationship with the first reference signal wdth respect to one or more QCL parameters. The one or more QCL parameters (e.g., an average delay, a Doppler shift, a delay7spread, and a spatial RX) are shown on the arrow7, indicating that the one or more QCL parameters required by the second reference signal may7be derived using the first reference signal.

[0090] As shown, the DMRS 304 is configured to have a QCL relationship with the SS block 302. The average delay, Doppler shift, delay spread, and spatial RX for the DMRS 304 maybe derived based on the SS block 302. Similarly, the CSI-RS 306 and the TRS 308 has a QCL relationship with the SS block 302, respectively. An average delay, a Doppler shift, and a coarse spatial RX required by the CSI-RS 306 may be derived based on the SS block 302. An average delay, a Doppler shift, and a spatial RX required by the TRS 308 may be derived from the SS block 302. The CSI-RS 310 has a QCL relationship wdth the CSI-RS 306 and the TRS 308, respectively. The CSI-RS 310 may be received using a spatial RX derived based on the CSI-RS 306, and use an average delay, a Doppler shift, and a delay spread from the TRS 308. The DMRS 312 has a QCL relationship w ith the TRS 308 and the CSI-RS 310, respectively. The DMRS 312 maybe received using a spatial RX derived based on the CSI-RS 310. The DMRS 312 may7also be received an average delay, a Doppler shift, a Doppler spread and a delay spread derived based on the TRS 308.FW 6000731PCT02 -15-

[0091] FIG. 3B is a diagram 350 showing QCL assumptions among NR reference signals when narrow beams are used for communications. FIG. 3B shows QCL configurations among a SS block 352, a DMRS 354, a CSI-RS 356, a TRS 358, a CSI-RS 360 and a DMRS 362. Similar to FIG. 3A, the DMRS 354 is for demodulation of signals in a broadcast channel, e.g., a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), that is transmitted before a TRS is configured. The CSI-RS 356 is transmitted for beam forming. The CSI-RS 360 is transmitted for channel estimation. The DMRS 362 is used for demodulation of signals transmitted in a unicast channel. An arrow starting from a first reference signal and ending at a second reference signal indicates that the second reference signal has a QCL relationship w ith the first reference signal with respect to one or more QCL parameters. The one or more QCL parameters shown on the arrow indicate that the one or more QCL parameters required by the second reference signal may be derived using the first reference signal. FIG. 3B shows that the reference signals have QCL configurations similar to those illustrated in FIG. 3A, except for TRSs. In FIG. 3B, the TRS 358 has a QCL relationship with the SS block 352 and the CSI-RS 356, respectively. The TRS 358 may be received using a Doppler shift derived based on the SS block 352, and may be received using an average delay and a spatial RX derived based on the CSI- RS 356. Data transmission may employ multiple narrow beams, and multiple narrow TRS beams may be required for tracking. To support both of the scenarios, configuration of TRSs and their QCL assumptions or association should be flexible. In addition to the QCL relation between DL signals and channels, the dependent relationship between UL signals and channels, between UL signals and channels and DL signals and channels, can also be viewed generalized types of QCL, such as how PUSCH / PUCCH depends on their DMRS, how PUSCH MIMO transmissions and / or beams depend on SRS, how PUSCH / PUCCH / SRS / PRACH depend on DL SSB and / or CSI-RS as their pathloss RS and beam reference, etc. In general, all these dependency relationships may be configured / released for UE, or activated / deactivated, or indicated for UE, via TCI state of a signal / channel, in which one or more signals are indicated as the dependency source, and the dependency relationship is also included in the TCI state, so that the UE can derive the necessary properties of signal / channel from the dependency source.

[0092] The SSB can include primary (PSS) and secondary' (SSS) synchronization signals each occupying 1 symbol and 127 subcarriers, and (Physical Broadcast Channel) PBCH spanning across 3 OFDM symbols and 240 subcarriers, but on one symbol leaving an unused part in the middle for SSS, as shown in FIG. 4A. For the 3 MHz channel bandwidth, the PBCH is further equally punctured from both edges to span 144 subcarriers. The possible time locations of SSBs within a half-frame are determined byFW 6000731PCT02 -16-sub-carrier spacing and the periodicity of the half-frames where SSBs are transmitted is configured by the network. During a half-frame, different SSBs may be transmitted in different spatial directions (i.e., using different beams, spanning the coverage area of a cell).

[0093] When an SSB is associated w ith a Remaining Minimum System Information (RMSI) signaling, the SSB is referred to as a Cell-Defining SSB (CD-SSB). A PCell (Primary Cell) is always associated to a CD-SSB located on the synchronization raster. When an SSB is not associated with an RMSI, the SSB is referred to as a non-Cell Defining SSB (NCD-SSB), which can be used to perform RLM, BFD, and RRM measurements and measurements for RA resource selection inside the active DL BWP when the active BWP does not contain the CD-SSB.[00941 The PBCH carries Master Information Block (MIB) information, which provides the UE with parameters (e.g., control resource set (CORESET)#o configuration) for monitoring of PDCCH for scheduling PDSCH that carries the System Information Block 1 (SIBt) . PBCH may also indicate that there is no associated SIB1 (via ssb- SubcarrierOffset field), in which case the UE may be pointed to another frequency from where to search for an SSB that is associated w ith a SIBt as well as a frequency range where the UE may assume no SSB associated with SIBt is present. In addition, the MIB carries cellBarred data field, which is used by UEs to decide whether to select this cell or reselect another cell.

[0095] Upon receiving SIBt, a UE obtains some other system information (such as frequencyBandList, tracking AreaCode, trackingAreaList, servingCellConfigCommon, etc.). Other information like cellBarredNES indicates that cell is allowed for UE supporting NES cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) / discontinuous transmission (DRX). ServingCellConfigCommon carries information about the physical Cell ID, downlink configuration common, uplink configuration common, SSB position in a burst, SSB periodicity, etc.).

[0096] SIBt may also include si-Scheduling Info containing si-RequestConfig, which may be used to initiate the Random Access procedure on normal uplink in accordance with TS 38.321 using the PRACH preamble(s) and PRACH resource(s) in si- RequestConfig corresponding to the SI message(s) that the UE requires to operate within the cell, and for which si-BroadcastStatus is set to notBroadcasting . Thus, a UE may request the system information corresponding to SIBx, where x=2, 3, .., 19.

[0097] The gNB may provide the requested SI corresponding to SIB2-SIB19 in multiple ways depending on the UE’s radio resource control (RRC) state.FW 6000731PCT02 -17-

[0098] For UE in the RRC CONNECTED state, gNB may provide system information(SI) using downlink control information (DCI) Format i_o w ith a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled with Si-radio network temporary identifier (SI-RNTI) (identification of Broadcast and System Information in the downlink). This PDCCH message contains the field System information indicator that indicates whether the system message carried by PDSCH and signaled by this DCI corresponds to SIB1 or other SIBx. The DCI i_o scrambled with SI-RNTI also indicates the time, frequency, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the PDSCH that carries SIB information. In addition, it has at least 15 reserved bits.

[0099] For UEs in the RRC INACTIVE or IDLE state, the gNB may provide information via paging. A Short Message (8 bits) may be carried in DCI Format 1_O with CRC scrambled by paging RNTI (P-RNTI) (identification of paging and system information change notification in the downlink). Repetitions of SI change indication may occur within preceding modification period or within preceding extended DRX (eDRX) acquisition period. SI change indication is not applicable for SI messages containing posSIBs.

[0100] Cell defining SSB (an SSB with an RMSI associated information) provides or is used for cell (re-) selection and initial access with synchronization in time and frequency, frame timing, physical cell identity (PCI), system frame number (SFN), subcarrier spacing (SCS), initial bandwidth part (BWP), CORESET# 0 information, SIB1 related information, cell barring status, PRACH occasions, downlink channel state information (CSI) energy per resource element (EPRE) and radio resource management (RRM) measurements (including signal strength, QCL related information).

[0101] PSS together with SSS provides cell ID, and symbol synchronization. PBCH via MIB’s associated DMRS provides the least significant bit (LSB) of the SSB index (via DMRS sequence and respectively PBCH payload). The SSB index is used for RRM, CSI- RS measurements to assess link quality, and for the link recovery procedures.

[0102] In the case when SSB is not associated with an RMSI, PBCH indicates that there is no associated SIBi, in which case the UE may be pointed to another frequency from where to search for an SSB that is associated with a SIBi as well as a frequency range w here the UE may assume no SSB associated with SIBi is present.

[0103] As specified in TS 38.213, Clause 4.1, for a half frame with SS / PBCH blocks, the first symbol indexes for candidate SS / PBCH blocks are determined according to the SCS of SS / PBCH blocks, w here index 0 corresponds to the first symbol of the first slot in a half-frame.FW 6000731PCT02 -18-

[0104] For instance, for the 15 kHz SCS, there are 4 SSB transmissions in a halfframe for carrier frequencies smaller than or equal to 3 GHz (symbol indexes of {2,8} + 14 • n, n — 0,1), and 8 SSB transmissions (n = 0, 1,2,3) for carrier frequencies larger than 3 GHz, as shown in FIG. 4B.

[0105] For the initial cell selection, a UE may assume that half frames with SS / PBCH blocks occur w ith a periodicity of 2 frames. Thus, the SSB burst may be confined in a 5 ms w indow w ith a typical periodicity of 20ms, as shown in FIG. 4C, which can be increased up to 160 ms.

[0106] A UE can be provided a periodicity of the half frames for reception of the SS / PBCH blocks for the serving cell per serving cell by ssb-periodicityServingCell as a part of the information element (IE) servingCellConfigCommon. The IE contains parameters which a UE would typically acquire from SSB, MIB or SIBs when accessing the cell from RRC IDLE state.

[0107] System Information (SI) is the information delivered to the UE, which can be used by the UE to operate. SI can be delivered via broadcast and unicast, and the SI can be divided into three types of information: MIB, SIB1 and Other SI.

[0108] MIB (Master Information Block) contains basic cell configuration and information necessary to acquire SIB1. In order to enable UE to monitor for the PDCCH scheduling PDSCH carrying SIBt, MIB provides the necessary configuration (pdcch- ConfigSIBi) and the numerology of the broadcast (subCarrier Spacing Common). Search space defining the time domain for PDCCH monitoring is provided by pdcch-ConfigSIBi. The search space configuration for PDCCH monitoring occasions for SIBt scheduling provided by MIB is called Typeo-PDCCH Common search space (CSS), the CORESET determining the physical resources of the PDCCH scheduling SIBt is called Typeo- PDCCH CORESET.

[0109] SIBt (System Information Block 1) contains information about other SI available in the cell (Remaining Minimum SI - RMSI), information necessary for UE to decide whether it may access the cell, and information required to perform mobility procedures in RRC IDLE mode (cell physical layer configuration, including random access related configuration as well as indication of the transmitted SS / PBCH blocks (SSB).

[0110] There are additional SIBs (from SIB2 onwards) can be delivered through broadcast or “on-demand” (OD) manner. The procedure “on-demand” triggers the network to initiate the broadcast of requested System Information messages. The UE is configured with a SI window, where UE can monitor the PDCCH scheduling the SIFW 6000731PCT02 -19-message. For each entiy of the SI message list {scheduling InfoList), there a time w indow duration (si-Window Length) that occurs w ith a configured periodicity {si-Periodicity). Whether the additional SIBs are delivered through broadcast or “on-demand” is signaled in SIB1.

[0111] Random access preambles can only be transmitted in the time resources obtained from Tables 6.3-3.2-2 to 6.3.3.2-4 of TS 38.211 and depends on frequency range 1 (FR1) or frequency range 2 (FR2) and the spectrum type. The configuration index in these tables is given by the higher layer parameter prach-Configurationlndex, or by msgA-PRACH-Configurationlndex if configured.

[0112] PRACH slots have periodicities from 10ms up to 160 ms, as shown Table 6.3.3.2-3 (FR1) and Table 6.3-3.2-4 (FR2), of TS 38.211.

[0113] The PRACH slots are in the index frame given by the formula nfmod x = y, (TS 38.212, Clause 6.3.3.21 where x is the configuration period {1,2,4,8,16}. The PRACH slots are in a subframe (indicated by the Subframe number) while the number of slots is indicated by the Number of PRACH slots within a subframe (none, one or two). For instance, in Table 6.3.3.2-3, if PRACH configuration 76 is selected, the period x=2, i.e. 20ms, thus in the odd frames, one PRACH slot will be in each of the subframes 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9-

[0114] Note that in the above tables for FR2 the column of the subframe number is replaced w ith the column of slot number, where a slot duration corresponds to 60 kHz SCS.

[0115] The UE can monitor the paging occasions (POs) as described in Clause 7.1 of TS 38.304 to receive SI change notifications in the RRC_IDLE and RRC_INACTIVE states. Any changes in the system information are notified by the network using a Short Message as specified in TS 38.331. When the Short Message notifies system information changes, then the UE can acquire or re-acquire the relevant system information as specified in TS 38.331.

[0116] The paging procedure is used to transmit information to a UE in RRC_IDLE or RRC_1NACT1VE state (TS 38.331, Clause 5.3.2). The UE may use DRX in the RRC_1DLE and RRC_INACT1VE state to reduce power consumption. The UE monitors one paging occasion (PO) per DRX cycle.

[0117] The network initiates the paging procedure by transmitting the Paging message at the UE’s paging occasion as specified in TS 38.304. The network may address multiple UEs within a Paging message by including one PagingRecord for each UE. TheFW 6000731PCT02 -20-network may also include one or multiple temporary mobile group identities (TMGIs). TMGIs in the Paging message to page UEs for specific multicast broadcast service (MBS) multicast session(s).

[0118] For each SSB, there are several paging occasions (nrojPDCCH- Mon itoringOccasionPerSSB-InPO) .

[0119] The number of PDCCH monitoring occasions corresponding to an SSB within a Paging Occasion (PO), specified in TS 38.304, Clause 7.1.

[0120] The maximum number of paging occasions per paging frame can be 4. One paging frame (PF) is one radio frame and may contain one or multiple PO(s) or starting point of a PO.

[0121] The PF and PO for paging can be determined by the following formulae.

[0122] SFN for the PF is determined by:(SFN + PF_offset) mod T = (T div N)*(UE_ID mod N)

[0123] Index (i_s), indicating the index of the PO is determined by: i_s = floor (UE_ID / N) mod Ns where T=DRX cycle of UE. If UE does not operate in DRX (eDRX) mode, T is determined by the shortest of the UE specific DRX value (s), if configured by RRC and / or upper layers, and a default DRX value broadcast in system information.N: number of total paging frames in TNs: number of paging occasions for a PFPF_offset: offset used for PF determinationUE_ID:If the UE operates in eDRX as specified in Clause 7.4:5G-S-TMSI mod 4096 else:5G-S-TMSI mod 1024.

[0124] Parameters Ns, nAndPagingFrameQffset, nrofPDCCH- MonitoidngOccasionPerSSB-InPO, and the length of default DRX Cycle are signaled in SIBi. The values of N and PF_offset are derived from the parameter nAndPagingFrameOffset as defined in TS 38.331. The parameter firstPDCCH- MonitoringOccasionOfPO is signaled in SIBi for paging in the BWP configured byFW 6000731PCT02 -21-initialDownlinkBWP . For paging in a DL BWP other than the BWP configured by initialDownlinkBWP, the parameter first-PDCCH-MonitoringOccasionOfPO is signaled in the corresponding BWP configuration.

[0125] The values for paging cycle period (T) are defined in TS 38.331:PagingCycle ::= ENUMERATED {rf32, rf64, rfl28, rf256}

[0126] In Rel-17 more values were added:ExtendedPagingCycle-riy ::= ENUMERATED {rf256, rf.512, rfiO24, spare } which allows extending the period up to 1024 frames =10.2403 duration.

[0127] In 5G NR, when multiple carriers are aggregated for a UE to utilize, i.e., for carrier aggregation (CA), the carriers are configured as serving cells for the UE. Two or more component carriers (CCs) are aggregated. A UE may simultaneously receive or transmit on one or multiple CCs depending on its capabilities. CA is supported for both contiguous and non-contiguous CCs within a band (i.e., intra-band CA), or can be across different bands (i.e., inter-band CA). The maximum number of configured CCs for a UE can be 16 for DL and 16 for UL in 5G. Generally, each serving cell is configured with an SSB, and the SSB is transmitted on the carrier of the serving cell. There are some serving cells that may be configured as SSB-less SCells, for which the SSB is not configured on the carriers of the SCells, but the SCells utilize other serving cells’ SSBs (e.g., reference cells) for their synchronization and sources of the QCL chains. Generally, each serving cell is also configured with its ow n BWP(s), configuration for PDCCH (via information element (IE) PDCCH -config), configuration for PDSCH (via PDSCH-config), configuration for CSI-RS, PUCCH-config (via CSI-ResourceConfig or CSI-MeasConfig), configuration for PUSCH (via PUSCH -config), etc. In some cases, a SCell may not be configured with the PDCCH on the associated carrier but may rely on PDCCH on another carrier sent by another serving cell for performing cross-carrier scheduling for the SCell. There can be some scalability issues with the current CA framework. For example, when n carriers are supported as n cells for a UE, in essence, it is a single-carrier cell design duplicated n times, and overhead / complexity / energy scale about n times. This has been found undesirable in some situations. This is illustrated in below FIG. 4D, in which 5 carriers with 5 cell configurations are shown. Examples of guard bands are also shown for illustration purposes, which may or may not be present.

[0128] An SCell, upon configuration for a UE via RRC configuration signaling, is generally deactivated. It can be activated via medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) w hen the SCell is to be utilized, and deactivated via explicit MAC CEFW 6000731PCT02 -22-deactivation signaling or based on inactivity timer expiration. Carrier-level adaptation, or adaptive transmission, has been studied in 3GPP, such as carrier on / off, cell on / off, fast SCell activation / deactivation, SCell layer-i dormancy, etc., to achieve efficient network adaptation for various purposes, such as bursty traffic delivery’, network / UE power saving, interference management, network / UE complexity reduction, and so on. NR Rel- 15 SCell activation latency is generally in the range of tens to hundreds of milliseconds, which is even longer than LTE for many cases. The large latency in activating an SCell can be primarily dominated by the time gap associated with the SSB measurement timing configuration (SMTC), which configures the UE to monitor and process SSB once every typically tens of milliseconds. Based on SSB, the UE can gain information to set its automatic gain control (AGC), acquire timing, and perform frequency’ synchronization. In contrast, in LTE SCell activation, these operations are based on the always-on cellspecific reference signal (CRS) (e.g., periodic CRSs with short intervals in between) and hence may be completed faster. 5G NR Rel-17 introduced faster SCell activation via aperiodic TRS for certain cases when the SCell is known. However, the management of multiple serving cells via existing protocols, procedures, and signaling can be slow, cumbersome, and of high overhead.

[0129] Bandwidth adaptation (BA) within a CC associated with a serving cell was introduced in 5G. The receive and transmit bandwidths of a UE need not be as large as the bandwidth of the cell and can be adjusted: the bandwidth can be ordered to change (e.g. to shrink during period of low activity to save power); the location of the BWP can move in the frequency domain (e.g. to increase scheduling flexibility); and the subcarrier spacing can be ordered to change (e.g. to allow’ different services). A subset of the total cell bandwidth of a cell is referred to as a bandwidth part (BWP) and BA is achieved by configuring the UE with BWP(s) and signaling the UE which of the configured BWPs is currently the active one. Each BWP may have its own BWP-specific numerology and configuration, such as the BWP’s bandwidth and location in the carrier with respect to a carrier-level reference point, subcarrier spacing (SCS) w hich is also tied to the OFDM symbol duration, and CP length. To enable BA on the PCell, the gNB configures the UE with UL and DL BWP(s). To enable BA on SCells in case of CA, the gNB configures the UE with DL BWP(s) at least (i.e., there may be none in the UL). For the PCell, the BWP used for initial access is configured via system information. For the SCell(s), the BWP used after initial activation is configured via dedicated RRC signaling. In paired spectrum, DL and UL can switch BWP independently. In unpaired spectrum, generally’ the DL and UL center frequencies are aligned, and hence if one changes its center frequency in a BWP switching, the other may also perform a BWP switching to be sureFW 6000731PCT02 -23-the center frequencies are still aligned. Switching between configured BWPs happens by means of RRC signaling, DCI, inactivity timer or upon initiation of random access. When an inactivity timer is configured for a serving cell, the expity of the inactivity timer associated to that cell switches the active BWP to a default BWP configured by the network. For one serving cell or one CC, at most 4 BWPs can be configured. There can be at most one active BWP per cell, per UL, or per DL direction, except when the serving cell is configured with the SUL, in which case there can be at most one on each UL carrier. Channels and signals, PDCCH-config, PDSCH-config, CSI-RS, PUCCH-config, PUSCH- config, RACH-config, SRS-config, etc., are configured for each BWP.

[0130] However, the current BWP framework is quite limited. For example, one CC can support at most 4 RRC-configured BWPs with only one active BWP at a time. BWP switching is only between the RRC-configured BWPs. The carrier resources are still inefficiently utilized. For instance, 4 BWPs are configured for a CC with 4 bandwidths at 4 locations via the RRC, but w hen a particular traffic with some specific traffic statistics arrives, the network may find none of these BWPs work efficiently for the traffic since the network could not have predicted the traffic condition and the CSI condition during the RRC configuration. The network may tty to reconfigure the BWP(s), but the reconfiguration may take tens of milliseconds. In other words, in real-time, predetermined BWP configurations may not work efficiently and cannot adapt fast enough based on traffic conditions, CSI conditions, etc.

[0131] For future wireless systems, a UE may need to utilize very wide spectrum resources. For example, the UE may need to utilize one or more frequency ranges (FRs), such as FR1 (e.g., under 6GHz) for wider coverage and high penetration, FR2 (e.g., 7GHz to about 24GHz) for good tradeoff between better propagation conditions and wider bandwidths, and frequency range 3 (FR3) (e.g., above 24 or 30GHz) for wider bandwidths. Then, in each FR, there could be one or more frequency bands. In each frequency band, there could be one or more carriers. In addition, the bandwidth of a carrier could also be wide (wider than existing ones) in 6G. The existing CA framework and BWP framework for utilizing wide spectrum resources is desired to be enhanced considering at least overhead / complexity / energy consumption / adaptability, etc. Embodiments will be provided below for this technical improvement.

[0132] In future wireless systems, energy efficiency can be a critical KPI and hence an important design objective. Closely related to energy efficiency KPI includes operational complexity, overhead, etc., since an increase in the complexity and / or overhead likely leads to an increase in energy consumption, at the network and / or UE side. However, when very wide bandwidth is utilized, generally the complexity, overhead,FW 6000731PCT02 -24-and energy consumption increase. How to reduce / limit the complexity, overhead, and energy consumption increases can be important to for example, 6G, and new designs can be considered to this general goal. Some embodiments are provided to achieve high energy efficiency while limiting the complexity and overhead for very w ide bandwidth support. While these embodiments are provided for the cellular case (the network to / from UE communication) on licensed carriers, they can be extended as well to sidelink communication, unlicensed carrier, etc.

[0133] Embodiments are provided below for wireless carrier resource flexible, low- overhead, low-energy-consumption, and low-complexity operations. It is desirable to provide a carrier design that can efficiently and simultaneously support energy saving, multiple carriers, ultrawide bandwidth, flexible bandwidth and bandwidth adaptation, and cross-carrier operations at the network and UE. In other words, embodiments are provided with aims to dynamically support any portions of any number of carriers with arbitrary bandwidth, without significant increase of overhead / complexity / energy consumption.

[0134] New carrier design and BWP design embodiments are provided for wireless systems to support carrier / BWP switching with lower complexity, overhead, and UE capability requirements, while allowing high flexibility in switching and maintaining continuity of all transmissions. Most embodiments allow no required switching-back operation after each carrier / BWP switching, and hence they can help reduce carrier / BWP switching overhead and complexity. Some embodiments enable configuration of a signal / channel to a subset or all of the potential carriers / BWPs with common parameters, so the same signal / channel can be transmitted on those carriers / BWPs with switching, maintaining service / transmission continuity, and avoid UE / network complexity of maintaining multiple signals / channels of the same usage / purpose on multiple carriers / BWPs. Embodiments of configuration or UE behavior of UE obtaining carrier- / BWP-specific parameters (such as transmission bandwidth on a BWP) are also provided.

[0135] In many communication systems, carrier-level switching and bandwidth part (BWP) switching could play a critical role in enhancing the efficiency and performance of wireless networks. These mechanisms can be both necessary and advantageous in various situations, particularly in scenarios where efficient resource allocation and energy utilization are crucial. For example, carrier-based switching, specifically sounding reference signal (SRS) carrier-based switching, is often employed to acquire downlink channel state information (CSI) in a TDD system. In this case, a UE may be capable of simultaneously supporting n DL component carriers but only m (n>m) UL componentFW 6000731PCT02 -25-carriers, so by transmitting SRS via carrier-based switching over all n component carriers, the system can obtain more accurate downlink CSI on all the DL component carriers, enabling better adaptation of the communication link to varying channel conditions, despite of limited UE UL capability. FIG. 5 illustrates an example, where the UE is capable of simultaneously using all 3 carriers in DL but only 1 in UL (DL is not shown, as the UE is capable of supporting 3 DL carriers simultaneously, and all 3 carriers are used for DL without carrier switching). Additionally, both uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) switching are employed to enable fast carrier selection, which se es multiple purposes. One use is in exploiting frequency-selective channels, w here different frequencies offer distinct channel characteristics. Fast carrier selection helps the system adapt to these variations, allowing more effective communication. Another application is load shifting in the frequency domain. By dynamically switching carriers, the system can balance the load across different frequency bands, improving overall network efficiency. This approach is also useful in cases where there is a need to utilize wider bandwidths but the UE has limitations in terms of radio frequency (RF) capability or where there are constraints related to energy saving on the part of the UE or the network. These switching operations, at the carrier-level, BWP -level, or both, may be often executed frequently due to the rapidly changing conditions of the network and the inherent limitations of the hardware involved. This frequent switching helps maintain enhanced performance across a range of scenarios, from addressing capacity demands to conserving energy. In the rest of this disclosure, all possible carrier switching, BWP switching, or similar switching in the frequency-domain resources may be referred to as bandwidth resource (BWR) switching, as “BWP switching” or “BWR switching” for simplicity, but it could be understood that either can cover all possible scenarios.

[0136] Although downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) bandwidth part (BWP) switching are beneficial for improving network performance, such switching may come with certain drawbacks. One of the challenges is that both DL and UL BWP switching often require hardware and software operations, e.g., RF retuning operations and associated reconfigurations, w hich can lead to temporary interruptions in the ongoing transmissions. As a result, switching operations can be costly in terms of time, complexity, and potential disruption to communication. More specifically, switching between carriers or BWPs takes time, which may delay ongoing UL or DL transmissions. Additionally, the switching process itself consumes energy, making frequent switching undesirable, particularly in energy-constrained environments. The hardware interruptions and the overhead associated with these operations make it beneficial for some applications to limit the frequency of such switches. In some cases, uplink,FW 6000731PCT02 -26-downlink, and even combined uplink / downlink switching maybe adopted. The uplink and / or downlink switching may be carried out independently or as a joint / combined process. Joint or combined switching operations, in w hich both the uplink and downlink switch simultaneously, can help reduce overall switching overhead. By aligning these operations in time, the network can minimize interruptions and energy costs associated with performing separate UL and DL switches.

[0137] To illustrate some limitations of sw itching operations, FIG. 5 shows that every time the UE switches its UL transmission away from Carrier 1, immediately after the SRS transmission on another carrier, it switches back to Carrier 1, since the other carriers are only configured with (temporary) SRS transmissions and cannot support other UL transmission. However, switching-back to the original carrier or BWP introduces additional overhead. For example, w hen the UE switches from Carrier 1 to Carrier 2 for SRS transmissions, it will have to switch back to Carrier 1 after the SRS transmissions. Carrier 1 is configured as the Switching-from Carrier for Carrier 2 in the standards. In other words, the carrier switching is only for temporary transmission on some other carrier. In general, for S SRS transmissions, 2*S switching operations are needed.

[0138] Given these technical challenges, it is desirable to address how switching can be reduced or how the overhead associated with switching can be minimized. One general approach is to focus on reducing or eliminating the need for switching-back. By maintaining transmission continuity and moving all ongoing transmissions to the target carrier or BWP, the system can avoid the added overhead of returning to the original configuration, e.g., the UE is not required to switch back from the target carrier or BWP to the switching-from carrier or BWP in order to continue communicating with the network. This can be achieved by implementing signal or channel switching in conjunction with carrier or BWP switching, ensuring that all active transmissions are continued on the new (switching-to) carrier / BWP. Additionally, adopting joint or combined switching strategies w here both UL and DL switch together can further reduce the overall switching overhead, making the network more efficient and resilient to frequent switching demands. FIG. 6 illustrates an example of this general technical solution, w here the UL transmissions are configured on all carriers, and the UE switches to another carrier for all the configured UL transmissions w ithout the need to immediately switching back. This technical solution helps lower the switching overhead.

[0139] There can still be issues or limitations with the example in FIG. 6. For example, the UL transmissions (PUSCH, PUCCH, their accompanying DMRS, PRACH, and SRS) need to be configured 3 times, each for a carrier. Such configuration and switching among a large number of carriers or BWPs (n carriers / BWPs) can lead toFW 6000731PCT02 -27-significant complexity, overhead, and capability demands. That is, each carrier or BWP may be configured w ith a unique set of transmissions. As the number of carriers or BWPs increases, the system must configure and maintain n sets of transmissions, which roughly scales the complexity, overhead, and capability requirements linearly with n. For example, maintaining n sets of transmissions can require higher computational capabilities in user equipment (UE) and increased energy consumption.

[0140] So, it is desirable to address the technical challenges of how the complexity, overhead, and capability requirements can be (further) reduced when switching among a large number of carriers or BWPs. One technical approach to mitigate the complexity is to maintain only a single set (or a reduced number, k sets, where k is much smaller than n) of transmissions across the n carriers or BWPs. By doing so, the complexity and overhead associated with managing and maintaining separate sets of transmissions for each carrier or BWP are reduced. This technical approach allows the system to scale better and reduces the burden on the UE in terms of both energy and processing power. Then the next technical challenge is how to maintain transmission continuity when sw itching among these carriers or BWPs. In existing network designs, different BWPs or carriers are configured w ith separate sets of signals or channels. To ensure transmission continuity for a specific signal or channel when switching among different BWPs or carriers, a “switching back” operation is usually performed. In this process, the system switches away from one carrier or BWP and returns to the original configuration after the task is completed. While effective, this approach introduces additional sw itching overhead, which is undesirable in some scenarios. Another aspect to consider is that different carrier or BWP may have different bandwidths or numerologies. So it is needed to address the technical issue of maintaining transmission continuity for a single signal or channel over multiple carriers or BWPs w ithout requiring a switching-back operation. One technical solution is to configure the signal or channel across multiple carriers or BWPs in a way that allows it to adapt or scale its transmission parameters to the characteristics of each carrier or BWP. By doing this, the system can maintain continuity for the same signal or channel without needing to revert to a previous carrier or BWP after switching or without needing to explicitly configure multiple signals or channels on multiple carriers or BWPs for same purpose. This adaptive approach allows the signal to adapt to varying conditions, such as different bandwidths or numerologies, w hile reducing the overall switching overhead.

[0141] FIG. 7 is an illustrating example for the above approach. In this example, over the 3 carriers, only 1 set of UL signals / channels need to be configured (more can still be configured), as opposed to at least 3 sets of UL signals / channels for 3 carriers. After theFW 6000731PCT02 -28-UE performs a carrier switching, the transmissions of the same set of UL signals / channels are continued on the switching-to carrier, and thus there is no need for the UE to immediately switch back. Therefore, carrier / BWP switching is supported with transmission continuity, and the UE / network only need to configure / maintain 1 set of UL signals / channels for 3 carriers, reducing overhead, complexity, and requirements for UE / network capabilities. When the carriers have the same bandwidth and numerology, the configuration of a UL signal / channel can be fully reused on another carrier without any changes needed. When the carriers have different bandwidths and / or numerologies, the configuration of the UL signal / channel may not be fully reusable on all the carriers, and the UE / network may utilize a same way to scale and reposition the transmissions based on the carrier-specific bandwidth and / or numerology. FIG. 8 illustrates the example and details of carrier switching with lower switching overhead. Most of the transmission parameters for a signal / channel configured for multiple carriers / BWPs are maintained despite of switching, for example, the number of ports, scrambling sequence / ID, resource allocation type, etc.

[0142] To summarize the general problems to solve, when designing systems that involve switching among a potentially large number of carriers or bandwidth parts (BWPs), several technical challenges can be addressed. Some objectives of new designs could focus on how to reduce the frequency of switching, minimize the switching overhead, and prevent the complexity, overhead, and capability requirements from scaling linearly with the number of carriers or BWPs (denoted as n). As n increases, traditional approaches that involve managing separate sets of transmissions for each carrier / BWP become inefficient, leading to significant energy consumption, processing / storage / capability demands, and potential interruptions in communication (such as due to the switching-back operations).

[0143] To address these technical problems, several technical solutions described below can be applied.

[0144] (1) Reduce or Eliminate the Need for Switching-Back: One of the sources of switching overhead is the need to “switch back” to a previous carrier or BWP after switching to a new one. By reducing or completely eliminating this requirement, significant overhead can be reduced or avoided. In other words, in conventional systems, if a certain signal or channel is configured on only one of the two carriers or two BWPs, for example, then the UE has to switch back to the carrier or the BWP configured with the signal or channel to transmit / receive that signal or channel. But if that signal or channel can be transmitted or received on any carriers or BWPs, then the switching-back requirement can be reduced or eliminated.FW 6000731PCT02 -29-

[0145] (2) Configure Each Signal / Channel for Multiple Carriers / BWPs: Instead of configuring separate sets of transmissions for each carrier / BWP, a single signal or channel can be configured to operate across multiple carriers or BWPs. In this approach, a signal or channel is not tied to a specific carrier or BWP but is maintained for multiple carriers / BWPs. This avoids the need for constant reconfiguration, switching-back operations, high configuration overhead, and high capability and resource demand.

[0146] (3) Adapt / Scale Transmission Parameters: In cases where switching among carriers / BWPs w ith different characteristics (such as bandwidth or numerology) is necessary, the transmission parameters (e.g., transmission bandwidth and location) can be adapted or scaled according to the specific conditions of the carrier / BWP being switched to. This dynamic adjustment ensures that the signal remains robust and efficient across a variety of carriers / BWPs without requiring separate and distinct configurations for each. By doing this, transmission continuity is maintained.

[0147] Overall, these technical solutions above could streamline the carrier / BWP switching process, reduce the need for switching-back, and ensure the system can efficiently handle a large number of carriers or BWPs without scaling overhead, complexity, and capability requirements.

[0148] In some embodiments, there is no need for configuring a (required) switching-back operation after carrier / BWP switching. The carrier / BWP that the UE switches to becomes active / activated if not yet so, and it supports or takes over from the switching-from carrier / BWP as many operations as possible.

[0149] In some embodiments, as illustrated by FIG. 9, several technical solutions are shown, including nominal carriers (NCs), Primaiy-NC (P-NC) and Secondary NCs (S- NCs), anchor / anchored BWPs, or ist-stage / 2nd-stage BWPs, which could be used in this disclosure. On one or multiple frequency bands for a UE, narrow bandwidth NCs are configured, which can help reduce the power consumption for nominal operations such as maintaining connections / synchronization / tracking / RRM measurements / CSI, receiving system and control commands, transmitting and receiving data of low’ to moderate data rates, etc. NCt is the P-NC and other NCs are S-NCs. NCi is always activated, and NC2 and NC3 may be activated or deactivated. Yet the network and UE can still efficiently utilize the resources around NC2 and NC3 without periodically monitoring NC2 or NC3. One or more anchored BWPs (anchored on an anchor BWP, e.g., BWP1, BWP2, etc.) can be configured via higher physical layer (Hi-PHY) or low- latency MAC / RRC, and the synchronization / tracking can be derived or at least partially derived from NCt. By definition, BWPn_o is the same as the NC. For example, BWPt =FW 6000731PCT02 -30-BWPi_o = NC1 in FIG. 9. For some anchored BWPs, BWP1_1 may be configured to have 40 MHz bandw idth, with +60 MHz offset from NC1, i.e., no overlap w ith NCt, and it can have same or different numerologies as BWP1. BWP1_2 may be configured to have 40 MHz bandwidth, with +15 MHz offset from NCt, i.e., fully covering NCt, and as described above, it can also have same or different numerologies as BWPi. BWPI_3 may be configured to have 300 MHz bandwidth, with +80 MHz offset from NCt, i.e., fully covering NCt. This may be the maximum BWP if NC3 is activated but NC2 is deactivated (i.e., bordering an activated NC), but if NC2 and NC3 are deactivated, then the maximum BWP can be one spanning the entire band. In some other embodiments, a narrowband RRM BWP configured for RRM measurement on some resources, a PRS BWP, a positioning SRS BWP, an antennaSwitching SRS BWP, a CSI BWP, an extremely large MIMO (XL-MIMO) PDSCH BWP, a PUSCH BWP, etc., maybe configured. Different BWPs can have different time-domain activation / deactivation behaviors. Any such anchored BWP is considered as part of a flexible carrier (FC), FC1 in this case, and therefore, FCi does not have a predefined bandwidth or boundaries. A FC can be as wide as the frequency band is, or as wide as the maximum bounded by guard band(s), but can also be as narrow- as a bandwidth of an anchor BWP (generally may be configured to have a narrow bandwidth for energy reduction purposes) within it; however, its bandwidth is not configured but varies in real-time according to the bandwidth(s) of the active anchor and anchored (if any) BWPs, i.e., with flexible and dynamically varying bandwidth and boundaries. Each BWP can be configured with BWP -level or sub-BWP-level CSI, control, and data, but by default, they share most of the parameters with the NC, i.e., main differences are in the frequency-domain locations, unless otherwise configured. The configuring DCI may also indicate to activate / deactivate the BWP. These anchored BWPs are primarily configured by Hi-PHY, and can be activated / deactivated by Hi-PHY. For lower PHY (Lo-PHY), it can activate / deactivate a BWP and sub-BWP resources, via, e.g., group common DCI (GC-DCI), and can manage transmission of data within a BWP. It can dynamically activate a BWP or sub-BWP resource on the fly when scheduling a data (i.e., BWP activation without activation command but based on a data scheduling DCI for the BWP), which could require a RF retuning time / switching time when a BWP is newly activated. Since an anchored BWP is configured dependent on its anchor BWP, the anchor BWP may also be called a ist-stage BWP, and the anchored BWP may be called a 2nd-stage BWP.

[0150] In some embodiments, the concepts of carriers and BWPs are generalized to be bandw idth resources (BWRs), and thus a description for a BWR may be applied to either a carrier or a BWP, or even a generalized frequency-domain resource chunk. AFW 6000731PCT02 -31-BWR is a contiguous portion in the frequency domain. The portion is defined by a starting position in the frequency domain and a bandwidth value. The starting position can be configured based on a frequency offset value with respect to some reference point. There can be multiple types of BWRs, some resembling carriers such as BWP1, BWP2, and BWP3 in FIG. 9, some resembling BWPs, while still some BWRs are configured based on and dependent on some other BWRs. Using the term BWR may unify all these terms and simplify the descriptions and designs. In the rest of the documents, the terms “carriers,” “BWPs,” and “BWRs” may be used interchangeably unless otherwise specified.

[0151] In some embodiments, the network sends a configuration signaling to configure a signal / channel to a subset or all of the potential carriers / BWPs (e.g., 1st- and 2nd-stage BWP(s) / anchor and anchored BWP(s)). The signal / channel is not configured to just a specific carrier or a specific anchored BWP. It can be configured via RRC to an anchor BWP (e.g., ist-stage BWP), even before any anchored BWP (e.g., 2nd-stage BWP) is configured, and hence “potential” anchored BWP(s). RRC configured parameters for the signal / channel may be the default and / or common to at least some or all potential switching-to BWPs (e.g., anchored BWPs). The UE behavior of scaling / repositioning the transmission according to the actual bandwidth / numerology of the potential switching- to BWPs maybe specified. No scaling for some signal / channel is also possible, i.e., the signal / channel is limited to the configured bandwidth and does not scale to the entire bandwidth of a potential switching-to BWPs. Additional parameters dependent on the bandwidth of the anchored BWP may be dynamically configured or indicated by Hi-PHY or Lo-PHY DCI. Modifying the default parameters configured by RRC is also possible via RRC / MAC / Hi-PHY / Lo-PHY signaling.

[0152] In some embodiments, the UE supports simultaneous transmissions / receptions on more than one BWP / carrier. In this case, the UE may transmit / receive the signal / channel on the first BWP during a first time duration, and then the UE may be indicated to also use the second BWP. Then the UE may turn on / activate the transmission / reception on the second BWP, but without BWP switching. That is, the UE may transmit / receive the signal / channel on the first BWP and second BWP during a second time. A transmission on the first BWP and another transmission on the second BWP may be partially, fully, or without overlap in time. The transmissions of the signal / channel on the second BWP are assumed to have the same configurations as the BWP switching scenarios, e.g., the transmissions of the signal / channel may scale some parameters based on the bandwddth / numerology of the second BWP, but keep other parameters the same as in the first BWP. Both the first and second BWPs areFW 6000731PCT02 -32-active / activated, different from BWP switching that only one of them may be active / activated.

[0153] Some embodiments on transmission continuity designs for specific signals / channels are described below.

[0154] In some embodiments, transmission continuity for a synchronization signal (SS) across different bandwidths and numerologies is maintained across different bandwidth parts (BWPs) or carriers, even when the bandwidths or numerologies differ between them. The SS may be a PSS, an SSS, both the PSS and the SSS, or a new signal different from the PSS / SSS. The SS or SSB has the same parameters across the BWPs or carriers, except otherwise configured / specified. For example, parameters such as periodicity and offset (in terms of slots), duration, PCI, position in burst, transmission power density in terms of watts per hertz (W / Hz), energy per resource element (EPRE) in Joules, other signal’s power offset / power control offset relative to the SS, the assumed ratio of other signal EPRE to SS EPRE (in dB), SSB measurement timing configuration (SSB-MTC), SSB-index, if configured, may be the same across the BWPs or carriers. In an embodiment, a SS is configured for a carrier with a ist-stage BWP, BWP1. BWP1 is configured with a numerology / / i, bandwidth Bl MHz, and Pl PRBs. The SS is configured w ith the numerologybandwidth bl MHz, pi PRBs, and offset to a reference point (usually PRBo of the BWP) 01 PRBs, as shown in FIG. 10A. The UE may switch among BWP1 and other BWPs, including 2nd-stage BWPs configured to be dependent on BWP1 or other ist-stage BWPs. When switching between carriers or BWPs with the same bandwidths and the same numerology, the same SS configuration and transmission parameters are assumed by the UE.

[0155] In some embodiments, the offset of the SS transmission, relative to the center or edge of the BWP, is fixed, ensuring that the SS remains in a consistent position relative to a reference point, such as PRBo or another reference, for instance, Point A. In alternative embodiments, the offset may scale based on the bandwidth of the BWP. This allows the SS to maintain the same number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) or subcarriers, but with an offset that varies according to the BWP's bandwidth. In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10B, when switching between carriers or BWPs with different bandwidths, but with the same numerology, the SS transmission bandwidth does not scale with the bandwidth of the BWP, but the offset may scale w ith the bandwidth. For example, BWP2 is configured w ith a numerology bandwidth B2 MHz, and P1*B2 / B1 PRBS, per standardization, network configuration information, or network indication, for not scaling the SS transmission BW and / or for scaling the SSB PRB number. For all scaling calculations, proper rounding could be applied, e.g., floor, ceiling,FW 6000731PCT02 -33-or nearest integer operations, when applicable, and is know n to both the UE and the network, which is assumed to be always done when needed but omitted in the description for brevity. The SS is still assumed to have the numerology and pi PRBs, but have scaled bandwidth bi*B2 / Bi MHz and offset to reference point OI*B2 / BI PRBs. When the SS transmission bandwidth in terms of the MHz is scaled, the SS transmission power (or the SS transmission power received by the UE, determined from the average EPRE over the power contributions in Watts of the SS REs) is also scaled w ith the same factor, keeping the same power density in W / Hz. The network does not need to configure these parameters explicitly for BWP2, but the UE can derive these parameter values for BWPs based on configured information for BWP1, BWP2, and the SS, and the derived parameter values are assumed and used in the SS transmissions / receptions. The network could derive / assume / use the same parameters.

[0156] In some embodiments, when the numerologies differ between the carriers or BWPs, the SS transmission bandwidth scales in accordance with the numerology. Specifically, the SS maintains the same number of PRBs or subcarriers, but the actual bandwidth of the SS, in terms of MHz, changes to reflect the numerology variation. Furthermore, the offset of the SS transmission may also scale based on the BWP bandwidth. In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. toC, w hen switching between carriers or BWPs with different numerologies, but with the same bandwidth, the SS transmission bandwidth scales with the bandwidth of the BWP (but with the same PRBs), and the offset may scale with the bandwidth. For example, BWP3 is configured with a numerology z3, bandwidth Bl MHz, and P1 1 / F3 PRBs. The SS is assumed to have the numerology bU ^ / j MHz, pi PRBs, offset to reference point 01 1 / F3 PRBs. In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10D, w hen switching between carriers or BWPs with different numerologies and different bandwidths, the SS transmission bandwidth scales with the bandwidth of the BWP (but with the same PRBs), and the offset scales with the bandwidth and the numerology. For example, BWP4 is configured with a numerology / / 4, bandwidth B4 MHz, and Pi* / ;, / / ^ * — PRBs. The SS is assumed to have the numerologyS4 .3, bU / ^ / Fi MHz, pi PRBs, offset to reference point or i / l * — PRBs. When the SS transmission bandwidth in terms of the MHz is scaled, the SS transmission power (or the SS transmission power received by the UE, determined from the average EPRE over the power contributions in Watts of the SS REs) is also scaled with the same factor, keeping the same power density in W / Hz.

[0157] In general, the number of PRBs or subcarriers assigned to the SS, and the slot structure of the SS transmission, are maintained across all carriers or BWPs. In someFW 6000731PCT02 -34-embodiments, the SS pattern is pre-configured and assumed to be correctly known by the UE and network via a protocol or network signaling, ensuring that the correct scaling (or no scaling) with changes in the BWP or carrier bandwidth / numerology is done by both the UE and the network. Particularly, in cases of SS or SSB (Synchronization Signal Block), the PRB number or the subcarrier number is not scaled, while the other parameters may scale according to the bandwidth / numerology properly.

[0158] In some embodiments, for transmissions that require rate matching around the SS or the SSB, the SS pattern, or rate matching pattern, is assumed to be know n by all the UEs that are multiplexed on the same time-frequency domain resources, so that the UEs can rate match around the SS for transmissions on BWPs with switching and with potentially different ban dwidths / numerol ogies. In some embodiments, if a UE is not directly configured with the SS but is operating within the same BWP, the UE may be signaled with a rate-matching pattern that accounts for the SS, at least when the SS is switched to and transmitted on the BWP. This ensures that the UE can correctly rate match around the SS.

[0159] In some embodiments, to support the above-mentioned different cases, some of the configuration parameters are modified for configuring SS (or SSB). A SS-specific frequency-domain reference offset (or starting RB) may be configured, and the reference offset is relative to a reference point and for a specific bandwidth-numerology combination. The specific band width- numerology combination may be for a reference BWP, which may be the ist-stage (or anchor) BWP. The actual offset value on a BWP may be scaled from the reference offset according to the present BWP’s bandwidth / numerology as described above (e.g., oi* r1 / (u4* — Bl PRBs). Potentially different from legacy mechanisms, the actual offset may be relative to a B WP-specific (i.e., localized) reference point, such as PRBo of the present BWP, which may not be the reference point of the carrier or frequency band. In an embodiment, specifically for SS, the reference point may be a non-BWP -specific (i.e., non-localized) reference point, such as based on Absolute Radio-Frequency Channel Number (ARFCN) in the carrier or frequency band; for example, the UE identifies the ARFCN(s) in the switching-to BWP, and if multiple exist, one of them as indicated by the network is used as the reference point, and then the UE applies the offset with respect to the reference point. The SS or SSB, or a parameter of the SS or SSB (e.g., the offset to a reference point), may also be configured with a parameter such as ‘toScale’ or ‘notToScale’, but since generally scaling is desirable, the default may be ‘toScale’ and the parameter may be implicit. An additional scaling factor may also be configured. Similarly, for SS transmission power, a reference power for the reference BWP may be configured, and the actual transmissionFW 6000731PCT02 -35-power may be scaled per the actual transmission bandw idth in terms of the MHz, or alternatively, the SS power density in W / Hz, or SS EPRE, which is constant, may be configured. When the band width / numerology of the BWP changes, the SS based RSRP measurement, which is the linear average of EPRE over the power contributions in Watts of the SS REs, may be scaled per the SS RE bandwidth (in Hz) across different BWPs.

[0160] In summary, in some embodiments, the SS transmission can be designed to scale in accordance with bandwidth and numerology variations w hile preserving key parameters, such as the number of PRBs and the slot structure, across multiple BWPs or carriers. This approach ensures that the SS can be adapted to different network configurations without compromising transmission continuity.

[0161] In some embodiments, transmission continuity for a CSI-RS is maintained across different bandwidth parts (BWPs) or carriers. The CSI-RS plays a critical role in channel state information acquisition and is therefore usually configured to span the entire bandwidth of the BWP, and thus there is generally a need to adapt CSI-RS transmission bandwidth to varying BWP bandwidths while preserving transmission continuity. However, in some cases, the CSI-RS is configured to be partial band (i.e., the bandwidth of the resources over which CSI-RS is configured is smaller than the BW of the BWP) within a BWP, which is a bit similar to the SS cases. Several sets of embodiments are provided below.

[0162] In some embodiments, the CSI-RS transmission bandwidth is scaled to match the bandwidth of the BWP, in the sense of the number of PRBs (or the bandwidth in terms of MHz) for the actual CSI-RS transmission and the number of PRBs (or the bandwidth in terms of MHz, respectively) of the BWP are equal. This is applicable when the RRC parameter freqBand is configured as wideband CSI, or the RRC parameter CSI- FrequencyOccupation comprised by startingRB and nrofRBs indicates a bandwidth covering all possible BWPs of the CSI-RS (e.g., spanning the entire bandwidth of the carrier or the frequency band, or wider than the BWPs), and / or an RRC parameter indicating scaling the CSI-RS transmission bandwidth. This allows the CSI-RS to fully utilize the available bandwidth for CSI acquisition and reporting, beam management, and tracking (via CSI-RS for Tracking, aka TRS). Despite the scaling of the transmission bandwidth, the same configuration parameters are used across different BWPs, including parameters such as resourceMapping (including number of the ports, density, CDM type, etc.), resource ID, power control offset of PDSCH RE to CSI-RS RE, power control offset of CSI-RS to SS REs, scrambling ID, periodicity and offset, QCL relationship (to be described further below), and other related transmission settings. By keeping these parameters consistent, transmission continuity is maintained, even as the bandwidthFW 6000731PCT02 -36-changes. When the numerologies of the BWPs are different for different BWPs, the CSI- RS transmission will adapt to the BWP’s numerology and span the entire bandwidth, as shown in FIGs. 11A and 11B with illustrating examples.

[0163] In some embodiments, the CSI-RS transmission bandwidth is configured as partial band, or a parameter of the CSI-RS (e.g., the bandwidth in terms of the PRBs, the offset to a reference point) is configured to be scaled, the UE performs the scaling accordingly. For example, if the reference BWP for the CSI-RS has SCS, Bl MHz, and Pt PRBs, and the CSI-RS is configured with a reference bandwidth of pi PRBs and a reference offset of 01 PRBs, and w hen the CSI-RS bandwidth and / or offset is configured with toScale, the UE expects the CSI-RS to have an actual bandwidth of pi*ju1 / / i2*B2 / Bi PRBs and / or actual offset (to the PRBo of the present BWP) of 01* ^ / G *B2 / B1 PRBs, if the present BWP has r2SCS, B2 MHz, and PI* I1 / (U2*B2 / BI PRBs. This case may be a generalization of the SS design (where the SS’s actual bandwidth in terms of the number of PRBs is fixed and only the offset may scale).

[0164] In some embodiments, for the power offsets, since they are relative values, if the CSI-RS / SS / PDSCH are on the same BWP or with the same numerology, the UE can directly apply the configured offset without any compensation. In some embodiments, even if the CSI-RS / SS / PDSCH are on different BWPs with the different numerologies, since the per-RE average energy (EPRE) is still maintained as discussed before, the UE can directly apply the configured offset without any compensation, since the configured offset is defined as EPRE offset (in dB) or ratio. For the same reason, the measurement based on CSI-RS, such as RSRP, CSI, etc., can still apply the configured offset without any compensation.

[0165] In summary for CSI-RS, several embodiments may be utilized. The actual CSI-RS transmission bandwidth may always utilize the entire bandwidth of the present BWP, may or may not scale the number of PRBs per the number of PRBs of the present BWP, and may scale its offset (starting RB relative to the BWP’s PRBo) per the number of PRBs of the present BWP. These embodiments may be applicable to other signals or channels. In the design of other signals or channels, we may refer to these CSI-RS (or SS) example embodiments for brevity.

[0166] In some embodiments, transmission continuity for a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is maintained across different BWPs or carriers. In some embodiments, the same control resource set (CORESET) configurations are used across different BWPs or carriers. Generally, the PDCCH transmission bandwidth does not scale based on the BWP bandwidth. Instead, the PDCCH may maintain a fixed offset from theFW 6000731PCT02 -37-center or edge of the BWP, ensuring that the control channel occupies a consistent position relative to the BWP's reference point, such as PRBo, wherein the offset is based on a parameter configured by the network, usually in a number of PRBs (more specifically, a multiple of 6 PRBs). In some alternative embodiments, the offset may scale w ith the BWP ban w idth, allow ing the PDCCH to adjust its relative position within the BWP while maintaining the same transmission parameters. Therefore, the design principles for PDCCH transmission continuity are similar to those used for the synchronization signal (SS). In some embodiments, regardless of the scaling of the BWP or carrier bandwidth, the core transmission parameters of the PDCCH remain constant, allowing the system to manage the switching between BWPs or carriers w ithout interrupting the control channel's operations. In an embodiment, the search space configuration (i.e., the time-domain configuration of PDCCH, in terms of slots and OFDM symbols rather than radio frames or absolute time) is also the same over different BWPs / carriers. By keeping the search space and CORESET configurations consistent, the PDCCH is able to maintain its operational continuity even with BWP switching and in the presence of variations in BWP bandwidth. In some embodiments, some DCI formats carried by a PDCCH may adjust. Further details on data (PDSCH / PUSCH) transmissions are described below.

[0167] In some embodiments, the transmission continuity for the sounding reference signal (SRS) is maintained. There can be different design embodiments that handle the transmission bandw idth (parameter m_SRS, in terms of the number of PRBs) in a flexible manner, depending on the BWP configuration and network requirements.

[0168] In some embodiments, the SRS transmission bandwidth, denoted as m_SRS, is fixed, similar to the design used for the synchronization signal (SS). In this approach, the SRS transmission bandwidth remains constant across different BWPs or carriers, regardless of the variation in BWP bandwidth. The position of the SRS within the BWP may be determined by an offset, either from the center or edge of the BWP, or relative to a reference point such as PRBo of the present BWP, and the offset may be scaled per the bandwidth / numerology of the present BWP similar to the SS design. This fixed bandwidth approach simplifies the transmission configuration by avoiding the need to dynamically adjust the SRS bandwidth for different BWP parameters. It ensures transmission continuity by keeping the SRS parameters, such as SRS time-frequency domain allocation, consistent, even when switching between BWPs with different bandwidths and numerologies, and hence the baseband processing of the SRS is always kept the same.FW 6000731PCT02 -38-

[0169] In some embodiments, the SRS transmission bandw idth, m_SRS, is scaled according to the BWP bandw idth. That is, both the SRS transmission bandwidth and offset (starting PRB) are scaled, which is similar to the above designs for CSI-RS. This approach allows the SRS to adapt to different BWP configurations by adjusting its transmission bandwidth to match the available bandwidth of each BWP. For example, on BWPn_o of 50 PRBs, the SRS m_SRS, which is configured as a reference, is set as 48 PRBs, so that the UE can sound on almost the entire bandwidth of the BWP. When switching to BWPn_t of too PRBs with the same numerology, the SRS will scale the reference m_SRS by 2, i.e., sounding on 96 PRBs so that the network can still acquire relevant CSI on almost the entire bandwidth of the BWP. However, unlike the scaling utilized in other signals such as CSI-RS, the SRS in this option may use a more granular or "multi-hop" scaling approach (to be described below, w hich uses more hops to cover a wide bandwidth).

[0170] In some embodiments, the parameters that determine the SRS frequency hopping and potential bandwidth adjustment are configured via RRC signaling. In existing systems, hopping pattern is determined based on a few RRC parameters, such as m_SRS,b (per-hop SRS transmission bandwidth in number of PRBs), B_SRS (=b), and b_hop, which further determine other hopping parameters such as N_b (a value obtained from RRC configuration based on b), N (the number of hops in a complete hopping cycle, in general, N =Nt>)>n_ b, m_SRS (total bandwidth covered bySRS with frequency hopping), etc. These may be used as the reference parameters associated with a reference BWP, or a reference BWP bandwidth and numerology. When m_SRS is scaled by a factor of s, there can be several embodiments. In one embodiment, N_b and hence N are scaled by s (with rounding if needed), e.g., in the example above, the hopping takes s=2 times more hops to complete a hopping cycle. This embodiment is useful since it maintains the per-hop SRS transmission PRB number, and hence the UE does not have to re-generate the SRS sequence. In one embodiment, the per-hop bandwidth in MHz is kept as the same and the SRS total bandwidth is kept as the same, i.e., pmSRS bis kept constant for different BWPs, effectively scaling m_SRS,b by This ensures the per-hop SRS transmission power is constant, so that the UE will use the same power for all transmissions. In one embodiment, m_SRS,b and hence m_SRS are scaled by the BWP PRB number scaling factor, so that more bandwidth is sounded. In an embodiment, some of the above are combined for more flexibility. This hop-based approach allow-s more precise control over the SRS bandwidth, enabling it to be flexibly aligned with the BWP bandwidth / numerology while maintaining transmission continuity.FW 6000731PCT02 -39-

[0171] In some embodiments, the hopping of the SRS transmission within each BWP may be periodic, semi-persistent, aperiodic, or a mixture of them. New parameter configuration may be needed if the scaling properties are to be signaled, such as toScaleHops (i.e., to scale N), toScaleBw (i.e., to scale m_SRS,b), constantPower, or not to scale. Other than these, they may not require additional parameter signaling for the SRS configuration. In such cases, the existing SRS transmission (including hopping) equations and algorithms are used to handle the bandwidth or numerology-based scaling across different BWPs or carriers. This method reduces signaling overhead, as the hopping and scaling operations are performed automatically based on the pre-configured equations, thereby simplifying the management of SRS transmission across multiple BWPs.

[0172] In some embodiments, transmission continuity7for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) is maintained across different BWPs or carriers. PUCCH is responsible for transmitting uplink control information (UCI), which includes at least hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) Acknowledgments, scheduling requests (SR), and channel state information (CSI). In some embodiments, the PUCCH ban w idth in terms of the number of PRBs / REs is fixed, independent of the BWP ban w idth or numerology. Thus, PUCCH transmission continuity design can be essentially7similar to SS transmission continuity design, including its scaling of SS transmission bandwidth in terms of MHz and its location / offset relative to a reference point (of and within the BWP). In an embodiment, the PUCCH is placed at an edge of a BWP, and w7hen the PUCCH is transmitted on different BWPs, it is alw ays placed at the edge, which follows that the PUCCH offset to the reference point may not be calculated via scaling, and the PUCCH just utilizes the lowest or highest PRBs in the BWP.

[0173] In some embodiments, the transmission continuity and operation of the physical random access channel (PRACH) are maintained across different uplink UL BWPs or carriers by using various approaches for bandwidth and offset handling. The PRACH is utilized in the initial connection establishment, random access procedures, fallback procedures (e.g., during radio link failure), etc.

[0174] In some embodiments, if a PRACH is configured to support fallback operations such as during radio link failure, lost synchronization, etc., a dedicated nonswitching uplink BWP (such as an anchor BWP, a primary BWP, etc.) may be preferred on which RACH occasions are configured and are available regardless of BWP switching, and this non-switching BWP would serve as a stable resource for PRACH transmissions, ensuring that PRACH resources remain available regardless of BWP switching operations in other parts of the uplink. Such technical approach would be useful in scenarios whereFW 6000731PCT02 -40-it is important to maintain consistent PRACH availability for random access procedures, independent of other BWP configurations or sw itching activities. In an embodiment, the RACH occasions on the non-sw itchi ng BWP are available regardless of BWP switching, but they can also be configured to sw itch along the switching UL BWP. For example, BWPn_o is configured with RACH occasions and is monitored by the network as long as the BWP is active and the RACH occasion configuration is not released, so the UE can always transmit PRACH on these RACH occasions. When another UL BWP, e.g., BWPn_m, is activated and UE transmits PUSCH / PUCCH / SRS / etc. on BWPn_m, per the network configuration, the RACH occasion configuration is also duplicated on this BWP so that UE may perform all UL transmissions on BWPn_m, but only transmits PRACH on BWPn_o if some connection issue arises on BWPn_m. This technique adds robustness to the system.

[0175] In some embodiments, however, the PRACH may be allowed to switch along with the active UL BWP. For example, some PRACH are configured not to support fallback or other operations critical to maintain the connection. In this case, the PRACH operates within the same BWP as other uplink transmissions, and dynamically adapting to the changing BWP configuration may be allowed.

[0176] In some embodiments, the PRACH bandwidth, measured in the number of REs or PRBs, is fixed across different UL BWPs. For example, it is fixed to be 2 PRBs, regardless of the numerology or BWP bandwidth. This design is similar to the approach used for the synchronization signal (SS), where the transmission bandwidth does not scale with BWP changes. In such embodiments, the PRACH occupies a consistent number of REs or PRBs regardless of the UL BWP’s total bandwidth. The offset of the PRACH relative to the BWP’s center or edge can be fixed as a number of REs or PRBs, ensuring that the PRACH maintains a stable position within the BWP, relative to reference points such as PRBo. This fixed bandwidth approach simplifies the configuration and reduces the complexity of dynamically adapting the PRACH resources to each BWP’s bandwidth. Alternatively, the offset may scale similarly to the SS design described above.

[0177] In some embodiments, the PRACH bandwidth, measured in kHz or MHz, is fixed across different UL BWPs. For example, it is fixed to be 2 MHz, regardless of the numerology or BWP bandwidth. In such embodiments, the PRACH occupies a consistent MHz bandwidth or a same number of REs or PRBs with an assumed numerology regardless of the UL BWP’s bandwidth / numerology. The offset of the PRACH relative to the BWP’s center or edge can be fixed as a certain MHz, ensuring that the PRACH maintains a stable position within the BWP, relative to reference points such as bandFW 6000731PCT02 -41-edge. This fixed bandwidth approach simplifies the configuration and reduces the complexity of dynamically adapting the PRACH resources to each BWP’s bandwidth. Alternatively, the offset in MHz may scale similarly to the SS design described above.

[0178] In some alternative embodiments, the PRACH bandwidth and / or its offset may be scaled in accordance with the numerology and bandwidth of the active UL BWP. In these cases, the PRACH transmission bandwidth is adjusted dynamically based on the bandwidth of the current BWP, as shown in FIGs. 11C and 11D with illustrating examples. This scaling ensures that the PRACH utilizes the appropriate portion of the BWP for optimal performance, particularly in scenarios where BWP bandwidths vary significantly. The number of PRBs allocated to the PRACH may scale with the numerology and BWP bandwidth, similar to some CSI-RS embodiments. The number of PRBs for the PRACH offset may scale with the numerology and BWP bandwidth. Alternatively, the PRACH bandwidth and / or offset measured in kHz or MHz may scale with the BWP bandwidth, but does not change with the BWP numerology if the PRACH is assumed to have a reference numerology. In an embodiment, when the number PRBs allocated for the PRACH is not sufficient to support the number of RACH occasions configured for the PRACH after the scaling, the number of RACH occasions can be truncated to fit into the bandwidth. In an embodiment, wiien the offset after scaling leads to some RACH occasions outside the BWP, those RACH occasions are omitted.

[0179] In some embodiments, the number of RACH opportunities in the frequency domain in a BWP is fixed. In some other embodiments, the number of RACH opportunities in the frequency domain in a BWP is scaled with the BWP bandwidth / numerology, so that if more RACH opportunities can be accommodated in the frequency domain, such as due to wider bandwidth, the total RACH capacity can be increased.

[0180] PRACH transmission may also be called as message 1 transmission in a random access procedure. When message 2 (random access response via PDCCH / PDSCH), message 3 (PUSCH, if any), and message 4 (PDCCH / PDSCH, if any) follow the PRACH, in some embodiments, they perform the same scaling as the PRACH.

[0181] In summary, the PRACH operation may be managed in several ways, e.g., using a fixed number of PRBs or MHz across different UL BWPs, or dynamically scaling the PRACH bandwidth and offset based on numerology and BWP bandwidth. Additionally, a fallback PRACH mechanism may be supported in some cases, requiring a non-switching UL BWP to ensure continuous PRACH availability. Both approaches offerFW 6000731PCT02 -42-different advantages depending on the need for flexibility, complexity, and transmission continuity during random access procedures across multiple UL BWPs.

[0182] In some embodiments, data transmissions, including PDSCH and PUSCH, and their associated Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRS) are designed to maintain continuity across different bandwidth parts (BWPs) or carriers, while adapting to variations in bandwidth. The same resource allocation type, DMRS mapping type, etc. are generally employed across different BWP configurations, ensuring consistency in the scheduling and allocation of resources. However, in some embodiments, the number of available physical resource blocks (PRBs) and the granularity of the resource allocation may vary depending on the bandwidth of the BWP, while generally not affected by the BWP numerology. The data transmission and scheduling are generally based on RB Groups (RBGs), and each RBG may have 2, 4, 8, or 16 PRBs.

[0183] In some embodiments, the number of PRBs and RBG size remain unchanged for PDSCH / PUSCH. When BWP bandwidth / numerology variations affect the total PRBs in the BWP, more or less RBGs may be supported in the BWP, i.e., scaled with the total PRBs in the BWP. Correspondingly, the DCI format for scheduling may need to indicate more or less RBGs, varying its payload size, and the change is known to both the network and the UE. For example, if the reference BWP has 36 PRBs and RBG size is 4 PRBs, i.e., 9 RBGs, then on a BWP of 54 PRBs, the RBG size is still 4 PRBs but there are 13 RBGs, and the DCI could indicate how to select a subset of the RBGs for a data transmission.

[0184] In some embodiments, the number of RBGs used for a PDSCH / PUSCH transmission remains unchanged for different BWPs, while the RBG size for PDSCH / PUSCH varies with the total PRBs in the BWP. The network and UE can determine the number of RBGs in a BWP based on the total PRBs in the BWP and vary the RBG size synchronously. In these embodiments, while the general resource allocation scheme remains consistent across different bandwidths, the available PRBs and the specific resource granularity are scaled in accordance with the BWP’s bandwidth. For instance, larger bandwidths may offer a greater number of PRBs, while smaller bandwidths may reduce the number of available PRBs, thus impacting the resource granularity. This scaling ensures that the data transmission and its DMRS can fully utilize the available bandwidth in each BWP configuration, while still adhering to the same resource allocation framework.

[0185] In an embodiment, when the PDSCH / PUSCH is configured with Configuration 1, and when the BWP has no more than 36 PRBs, the RBG size is 2 PRBs; but when the PDSCH / PUSCH switches to a BWP with 37-72 PRBs, it assumes RBG sizeFW 6000731PCT02 -43-of 4 PRBs; when the PDSCH / PUSCH sw itches to a BWP with 73-144 PRBs, it assumes RBG size of 8 PRBs; and when the PDSCH / PUSCH sw itches to a BWP with 145-275 PRBs, it assumes RBG size of 16 PRBs. If RBG size Configuration 2 is configured, the embodiment is similar but the RBG sizes are 4, 8, 16, and 16, respectively. When the RBG size varies on different BWPs, the UE assumes that the number of available REs within each RBG is also varying accordingly, and will account for the variation when processing the data transmission, i.e., with a wider BWP (and hence a w ider RBG), each RBG carries more modulated symbols and potentially higher throughput can be achieved to deliver a larger transport block faster. An advantage of this embodiment is that the scheduling PDCCH has the same payload size for the DCI format.

[0186] In another embodiment, regardless of the PDSCH / PUSCH configuration of Configuration 1 or 2, on the reference BWP (e.g., the anchor BWP or a BWP with the reference bandwddth / numerology), the RBG size is based on the reference RBG size, i.e., 2, 4, 8, and 16 for Configuration 1, and 4, 8, 16, and 16 for Configuration 2. When the PDSCH / PUSCH switches to another BWP, the RBG size is scaled. For example, say the reference BWP has 50 PRBs with RBG size of 4 PRBs; wiien the PDSCH / PUSCH switches to a BWP with 75 PRBs, it assumes RBG size of 6 PRBs; and w hen the PDSCH / PUSCH switches to a BWP with 100 PRBs, it assumes RBG size of 8 PRBs; and so on. In other words, the RBG size is scaled by P2 / P1 (with proper rounding), where Pl is the reference BWP PRB number and P2 is the present BWP PRB number. The RBG size for this embodiment then may be any positive integer. An advantage of this embodiment is that the scheduling PDCCH has the same payload size for the DCI format, and the at the RBG level, the network and UE are always assuming the same number of available RBGs for any BWP.

[0187] In some embodiments, HARQ processes are maintained according to the RRC configuration. HARQ operation remains consistent across different BWPs, with retransmission and feedback mechanisms functioning according to the predefined RRC setup, independent of the specific BWP or carrier being used. To this end, the same set of HARQ processes (and their IDs or numbers) are configured for a subset or all of the BWPs. When a transmission with HARQ process ID j is used on a BWP, and w hen the UE switches from this BWP to another BWP, the same HARQ process ID j is continued, and any retransmission is sent on the swdtching-to BWP. For example, before the switching, the process had an initial transmission (with NDI=1) on a first BWP, but the transmission fails (with a NACK), and hence a retransmission is to be attempted. Either or both of the NACK (or in general, ACK / NACK feedback via PUCCH / PUSCH regardless of the success or failure) and the retransmission (with the same HARQ process ID j andFW 6000731PCT02 -44-NDI=o) may be sent on a second BWP which the UE sw itches to. This ensures that the error correction and retransmission processes for data are stable and reliable, even when sw itching between BWPs with different bandwidths, PRB configurations, or numerologies.

[0188] In summary, in some embodiments, data and its DMRS maintain the same resource allocation type across different bandwidths, while possibly adapting the available PRBs and granularity to match the bandwidth of the active BWP. The HARQ processes are maintained per RRC configuration, ensuring consistency in data transmission and error correction across varying BWPs and carriers.

[0189] In some embodiments, extreme cases arise where the anchored bandwidth part (BWP) has a bandwidth that is either too wide or too narrow for certain transmissions, or where the dwelling time of the anchored BWP is too short to accommodate particular transmission requirements. In such scenarios, certain transmissions may skip a switching or may remain fixed. This behavior can be designed in a manner that is transparent to both the standards and the communicating device, ensuring seamless operation without requiring explicit signaling or configuration adjustments.

[0190] In some embodiments, in cases where the bandwidth of the anchored BWP is too narrow (e.g., the UE temporarily switches to a narrow bandwidth BWP for a RRM measurement during a measurement gap) to support a specific transmission type (such as data-heavy or high-throughput transmissions), the system may decide not to switch these transmissions to the anchored BWP. Instead, the transmissions may continue on a wider, more appropriate BWP (such as the next BWP the UE will switch to) or remain on a dedicated part of the spectrum that better matches the transmission’s resource demands. This non-switching behavior helps maintain performance without introducing unnecessary complexity or interruptions.

[0191] In some embodiments, if the bandwidth of the anchored BWP is too wide or the SCS is too wide, leading to inefficient utilization of resources for some transmissions (e.g., too short OFDM symbols or too often periodic transmission due to short symbols / slots), the system may opt not to switch certain transmissions to this BWP, e.g., skipping those transmissions on the switching-to BWP, while resuming when switching to another BWP.

[0192] In some embodiments, if the dwelling time of the anchored BWP is too short, meaning the time available for transmissions in this BWP is insufficient / inefficient for certain operations, specific transmissions may remain unaffected by BWP switching. InFW 6000731PCT02 -45-such cases, the system may avoid switching transmissions that require longer durations or more stable conditions or are configured / scheduled to be sent only after the dwelling time on the anchored BWP, ensuring that they continue seamlessly without being impacted by the shorter dwelling time of the anchored BWP. For example, the UE may switch from a first BWP to a second BWP in a measurement gap of 1 slot, and then switch to a third BWP, then a CSI-RS configured with a periodicity of 10 slots may skip the transmission on the second BWP.

[0193] In some embodiments, a signal is configured to be comprised of a set of subsignals, each on a BWP. On BWPn_o, signal Sn or Sn_o is configured. When dependent BWPn_m is configured, the corresponding Sn_m is also configured, with the same set of parameters, except for some or all of those described separately before. Similarly, a channel is configured to comprise a set of sub-channel, each on a BWP. Throughout this disclosure, except that sometimes we use a (same) signal / channel for the sub- signals / sub-channels on multiple BWPs is used (such as the same first signal / channel before and after the BWP switching), these (sub-)signals / channels may be referred to as different (sub-)signals / channels but sharing the same configuration (except for otherwise specified), such as before the BWP switching, the first signal / channel according to Configuration A is transmitted on the first BWP, and after the switching, the second signal / channel according to Configuration A is transmitted on the second BWP, and transmission continuity is maintained. In other words, whether to refer them as a same signal / channel or multiple (sub-)signals / channels sharing a same configuration (except for otherwise specified) may not be substantial, which does not alter the essence of transmission continuity via one configuration. In this sense, “the same configuration” or “one configuration” does not mean the same configuration duplicated for multiple (sub-)signals / channels. Also “the same signal / channel” does not mean the transmissions of the signal / channel on different BWPs are necessarily repetitions of each other. For example, for data transmission, the same HARQ process can continue on the second BWP (e.g., via a retransmission based on a same or different redundant version but with the same HARQ process ID, with NDI=o), and after the transport block is completed, another transport block can be transmitted on the second BWP (which may be using the same HARQ process ID or a different HARQ process ID, with NDI=1), so it does not have to be simple repetition in order to be referred to transmissions of the same signal / channel. Nevertheless, repetition on multiple BWPs may also be supported to exploit the frequency-domain (BWP) diversity, i.e., multiple transmissions on multiple BWPs coded from the same transport block are allowed, using a same or differentFW 6000731PCT02 -46-redundant versions and the receiver can (soft) combine these transmissions to achieve lower block error rate or successful delivery of the transport block.

[0194] In some embodiments, the design considerations for UL BWPs differ from those of DL BWPs due to the differing roles of UL and DL in network operations. For DL, generally there are anchor BWPs to handle essential operations like synchronization, control channel monitoring, fallback mechanisms, and measurement of radio resource management (RRM). UL, on the other hand, might not absolutely require an anchor BWP in all scenarios, though certain advantages may exist for anchoring specific uplink operations. Further discussions and designs are provided.

[0195] For DL, having anchor BWP(s) simplifies the support for tasks such as maintaining synchronization, control channel monitoring, and CS1 reporting, and is advantageous because the UE typically has (much) greater DL bandwidth aggregation capabilities compared to UL. Anchoring these tasks on specific DL resources is advantageous for ensuring continuity in communication and monitoring.

[0196] In contrast, for UL, it may not be strictly necessary to maintain a fixed anchor BWP, though there could be several benefits to having an anchor UL BWP. These advantages include improved reliability for PRACH, fallback operations, and enhanced performance of PUCCH. For example, when there is a beam failure occurring in an anchored BWP, the UE may need to send a beam failure report or beam recovery7request to the network in UL. Having dedicated PRACH resources for such an UL transmission on an anchor UL BWP whose connection / beam(s) are always maintained can avoid losing the UL transmission.

[0197] In some embodiments, particularly for UEs that support more than one BWP at a time, it might be preferable to configure an anchor UL BWP for simplicity and continuity, where the anchor UL BWP can handle abovementioned UL transmissions and the other UL BWP(s) can be used for data transmission.

[0198] In some other embodiments, such as where the UE does not support multiple BWPs simultaneously, a dynamically switching UL BWP might be more efficient. Such designs would allow the UL BWP to switch over time, ensuring optimized use of resources based on network conditions and traffic load. This dynamic switch ing could be particularly useful in scenarios involving bandwidth-limited UEs or energy-saving strategies.

[0199] In some other embodiments, such as in time-division duplex (TDD) systems, where UL and DL resources share the same carrier frequency and may have aligned center frequency, UL BWPs may move in conjunction with the DL active BWP. ThisFW 6000731PCT02 -47-means that when the DL active BWP switches, the UL active BWP follows, subject to UL bandwidth capability limitations.

[0200] In some embodiments, upon the configuration and activation of an anchor DL BWP, the UL active BWP is automatically set to overlap with the DL anchor BWP. It is critical, however, that the bandwidth of the UL BWP does not exceed the UL capability of the UE, and in case the DL BWP is wider than UE UL capability, the UL BWP is truncated in the frequency domain. That is, the UL BWP has its center frequency aligned w ith the DL BWP, but the bandwidth is smaller than the DL BWP and can be a value up to the UE reported UL BWP bandwidth capability. If the DL active BWP sw itches, the UL active BWP follows, again considering the UL capability limitations. This coordinated movement ensures that UL and DL transmissions remain aligned.[02011 In some embodiments, the UE may receive explicit control commands from the network to switch or activate / deactivate its UL active BWP. These commands are typically delivered via DCI, MAC CE, or RRC signaling, and upon receiving the command, the UE follows the instructions to adjust its active UL BWP. In the absence of a command to switch or deactivate the UL BWP, the UE continues using the last active UL BWP, maintaining it as the currently active, operational BWP. This simplifies UL operations by avoiding unnecessary switching back to an anchor BWP unless needed, which reduces signaling overhead and latency.

[0202] In some embodiments, the DL active BWP may switch along with the UL active BWP. For example, if the DL BWP associated with the to-be-switched-to UL active BWP is not active, switching the DL active BWP may become necessary to align both UL and DL operations.

[0203] Some embodiments may be utilized for UL power control when BWP sw itching is configured. In an embodiment, one or more pathloss (PL) RSs may be configured on a DL BWP overlapping with the current UL BWP, and the UL transmissions in the UL BWP are based on the PL estimates using measurements of the PL RSs, ensuring that UL transmissions are adjusted based on the conditions of the DL counterpart since the UL and DL are on the same frequency. Alternatively, the PL RS may be configured on a non-overlapping reference DL BWP or, by default, on the DL anchor BWP, which may be on a different frequency as the UL BWP. If the frequency separation between the UL and DL BWPs is large, pathloss compensation or transmission power compensation may be calculated by the UE based on the separation. In such cases, compensation parameters can be configured by the network via RRC signaling, ensuring that the UE adjusts its transmission power accordingly to maintainFW 6000731PCT02 -48-reliable communications over the separated frequencies. In some embodiments, the UL transmission power may be additionally compensated based on the bandwidth / numerology of the DL BWP containing the PL RS.

[0204] In some other embodiments, pathloss estimates are calculated as PL = referenceSignalPower - higher layer filtered RSRP, where referenceSignalPower is the transmission power of the DL PL RS, and RSRP is the received power of the DL PL RS. If the DL PL RS transmission power is configured as an absolute value in dBm or Watts, that value can be directly used for PL calculation. If the DL PL RS transmission power is configured as an EPRE offset in dB relative to another RS, the UE may need to first determine the other RS transmission power, and then based on the EPRE offset, determine referenceSignalPower used for PL calculation.[02051 In some embodiments, the UL power control closed-loop state (or adjustment state) may be reset after switching occurs between UL BWPs for the cases with Transmission Power Control (TPC) being accumulative, particularly if there is significant frequency separation between the two. The threshold for resetting the state can be configured by the network or indicated explicitly through network signaling. This reset mechanism ensures that after switching, the power control loop recalibrates to the new conditions, preventing under- or over-powering transmissions due to changes in the operating environment.

[0206] In some embodiments, the UL transmission timing advance (TA) is configured as the same for all possible UL BWPs associated with a same TRP. This may be achieved by configuring the UL signals / channels with a same TA group (TAG) ID, and this configuration is needed only once on an anchor BWP and does not need to be repeated on multiple BWPs. For different TRPs, different TAG IDs may be configured.

[0207] In some embodiments, different BWPs (or BWRs) may be associated with different transmiss ion / receiving panels of the same device and therefore with different TAs. In this case, switching between BWPs may be associated with switching between different panels and vice-versa. In one embodiment, one panel is associated with an anchor BWP and therefore called anchor panel. In this case, a switching transmit / receive configuration can be defined with respect to the configuration associated with the anchor panel. In one embodiment, the switching betw een panels may be associated with the same TA. In a different embodiment, the transmit / receive configuration may indicate the offset (positive or negative) of the TA when switching with to a second panel.FW 6000731PCT02 -49-

[0208] In a different embodiment, the first transmission is associated w ith a first panel and the second transmission associated w ith the second panel, where the first and second transmissions may be overlapping or non-overlapping in time.

[0209] In one embodiment, each BWP may correspond to a different antenna port, thus a BWP / BWR sw itching may be associated with antenna port switching.

[0210] In some embodiments, DL / UL quasi co-location (QCL) source (or in general, the source in a DL / UL / unified TCI state) designs are provided, for, e.g., tracking, beamforming, and / or PL estimation purposes. In some embodiments, the default QCL source is located on the anchor BWP. The anchor BWP is typically used for synchronization, fallback, and control purposes, and the anchor BWP is generally not switching, making it a reliable choice for the QCL source. In some other embodiments, the QCL source may also be on the current active BWP which switches along the QCL target signal / channel. This allows the UE to maintain high accuracy in the channel properties derived from the QCL source for the QCL target since they are on the same BWP, or on the DL BWP covering the UL BWP. When the DL BWP covers the UL BWP, the QCL source can be derived from the current DL BWP, especially when the target signal pertains to UL transmissions. This is particularly useful in TDD systems where the UL and DL BWPs have the same center frequency. In some other embodiments, a QCL source may be located on a non-overlapping reference BWP.

[0211] In some embodiments, after BWP switching, the network may trigger aperiodic (AP) tracking reference signals (AP TRS), AP CSI-RS, or AP SRS to facilitate faster acquisition of tracking, CSI, timing advance, or transmission power adjustment. These signals are used to ensure high link quality / transmission efficiency and quality, but they may have (slight) differences for different BWPs. Then, with these triggered RS(s), the UE / network can quickly adjust and update the channel / transmission properties according to the new BWP after a BWP switching, thus improving the transmission. The triggering signaling may be RRC, MAC CE, or DCI, which selects a RRC-configured RS resource for aperiodic transmission (with a configured or indicated slot offset from the signaling).

[0212] The flowchart in FIG. 12 shows an example method for adapting transmission parameters based on the bandwidth of the currently active bandwidth part (BWP) in a wireless communication system, in accordance with some implementations. The method shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12 can be used in systems where multiple bandwidth parts are supported, and transmission parameters may adjust dynamically as the network or the user equipment (UE) switches between different BWPs.FW 6000731PCT02 -50-

[0213] The operation 1202 includes the network’s BWP configuration. In some embodiments, the network (NW, e.g., a base station) begins by configuring the bandwidth part (BWP) for the user equipment (UE). The BWP may be configured on Carrier n. It may be configured as an anchor BWP or a reference BWP. It is configured with an ID BWRn or BWRn_o. This configuration is sent to the UE, specifying the anchor BWP's bandwidth, numerology, and other parameters. If configuring BWRn_o as an anchor, the UE has a known baseline configuration to fall back on if needed during future BWR switching events.

[0214] The operation 1204 includes RRC configuration of a signal or channel for Carrier n. The flowchart uses SRS as one example, but the design can be applied to other signals / channels, sometimes with proper modifications as described elsewhere. In this example, the RRC configuration of a CSI-RS for Carrier n is provided, with CSI-RS transmission parameters. The CSI-RS may be labeled as CSI-RSn. This CSI-RS is not (necessarily) configured for BWPn or a specific BWP, but for Carrier n, w hich may be configured with BWP(s) other than BWPn. When other BWPs are configured, either before the configuration of the CSI-RS or after, the SRS configuration is applied to the BWPs. As a simple illustrating example, the CSI-RS is configured as ‘wideband’ so that it scales its transmission bandwidth according to the active BWP it is sent on. More complicated details will be described below.

[0215] The operation 1206 includes configuration of one or more BWPs in Carrier n. The operation 1206 involves the configuration of one or more BWPs in Carrier n. The BWPs may be anchored BWPs, anchored to BWPn and Carrier n. The configuration signaling may be RRC signaling, but w hen more flexibility and lower latency are needed, faster signaling, such as low-latency RRC signaling, low-latency MAC CE signaling, higher PHY (Hi-PHY) signaling, maybe used. These BWRs, labeled BWRn_i, BWRn_2, and so on, serve as alternate or supplementary bandwidth parts for the UE to utilize w hen switching away from BWRn_o.

[0216] The configuration of a BWPn_m may be done at a later operation, such as the operation shown as optional via dotted arrow (e.g., the operation 1210) and text in square brackets. That is, the network has the flexibility of configuring a BWP on demand, which may be much later than configuring the signal / channel for Carrier n, and does not have to be at the same time as configuring any other BWP.

[0217] These BWPs do not need to be configured with all parameters for CSI-RSn, since CSI-RSn is already assumed to be configured for potential BWPs anchored, dependent, or associated with BWPn. However, if some additional CSI-RS parametersFW 6000731PCT02 -51-need to be configured on BWRn_m, e.g., BWP-specific transmission density when applicable.

[0218] The operation 1208 includes activation of a BWP. At the same time as the configuration of a BWPn_m or after that, the BWPn_m may be activated. For example, the Hi-PHY configuration signaling configuring the BWP may also indicate (explicitly w ith a field or implicitly) that this BWP is activated. The BWP may be alternatively activated via another signaling, such as RRC / MAC / DCI activation command to activate it or a RRC / MAC / DCI BWP switching command to switch from another BWP to this BWP.

[0219] The operation 1210 includes transmission / reception on a first BWP. On a first BWP, which may be the anchor BWPn, or another BWP such as BWPn_m, the configured signal / channel is transmitted. The transmission is according to the configured parameters. In the illustrating example of the CSI-RS is configured as wideband, the transmission spans the entire bandwidth of the BWP.

[0220] The operation 1214 includes the UE performing BWP switching. The UE may perform the BWP switching operation, triggered via the UE receiving a BWP switching command, or according to a configured timing such as for a periodic / semi-persistent transmission / reception of a signal / channel on alternating BWPs (similar to SRS carrierbased switching), or according to a configured timing such as for a periodic / semi- persistent BWP switching configuration, or according to a MAC layer timer such as the expiration of an inactivity timer on the current BWP (for which another BWP is configured as the fallback BWP, which may be an anchor BWP, a narrow bandwidth BWP, etc.).

[0221] The operation 1216 includes transmission / reception on a second BWP. On the second BWP, which is the BWP activated after the BWP switching, the UE continues the transmission / reception of the signal / channel. In the illustrating example of the CSI-RS is configured as wideband, the transmission still spans the entire bandwidth of the second BWP, even if the bandwidth of the second BWP may be different from the first BWP. In other words, a transmission parameter is scaled according to the bandwidth of the present BWP.

[0222] Though the above is described only for transmission bandwidth of the signal / channel scaling per the bandwidth of the present BWP, it can be generalized according to other embodiments, such as the transmission offset (starting point) of the signal / channel scaling per the bandwidth of the present BWP, or transmissionFW 6000731PCT02 -52-bandwidth / offset of the signal / channel scaling per the bandw idth / numerology of the present BWP.

[0223] This technique allows the UE to dynamically adapt to changing network configurations, ensuring that transmission parameters are always optimized for the active BWP. This technical approach can reduce switching overhead, improve resource utilization, and enhance the overall efficiency of the communication system.

[0224] The flowchart in FIG. 13 represents an embodiment example of a method for adapting transmission parameters based on the bandwidth of the currently active bandwidth part (BWP) in a wireless communication system, in accordance with some implementations. This example can be used in systems where multiple bandwidth parts are supported, and transmission parameters may adjust dynamically as the network or user equipment (UE) switches between different BWPs.

[0225] The operation 1302 includes the network’s BWP configuration, the same as to similar to the operation 1202 described above.

[0226] The operation 1304 includes RRC configuration of a signal or channel for Carrier n. The flowchart in FIG. 13 uses SRS as one example, but the technique can be applied to other signals / channels, sometimes with proper modifications as described elsewhere. In this example, the RRC configuration of an SRS for Carrier n is provided, with SRS transmission parameters. The SRS may be labeled as SRSn. This SRS is not (necessarily) configured for BWPn or a specific BWP, but for Carrier n, which may be configured with BWP(s) other than BWPn. When other BWPs are configured, either before the configuration of the SRS or after, the SRS configuration is applied to the BWPs.

[0227] The SRS configuration may be configured with a reference / default value for m_SRS (via the row ID and B_SRS=b, to determine m_SRS_b). The value may be utilized for all BWPs, or the value may only the reference and the UE adapts the value on each BWP, based on one or more embodiments described before.

[0228] This operation may or may not include m_SRS in the configuration. If m_SRS is not provided, a value for m_SRS may be configured or indicated later for a specific BWP.

[0229] Though the description is for parameter m_SRS, it can also be applied to other parameter related to the BWP bandwidths / numerologies.

[0230] The operation 1306 includes configuration of one or more BWPs in Carrier n. This operation may be the same as or similar to the operation 1206 described above. ButFW 6000731PCT02 -53-these BWPs do not need to be configured with all parameters for SRSn, since SRSn is already assumed to be configured for potential BWPs anchored, dependent, or associated with BWPn. However, some additional SRS parameters may need to be configured on BWRnjn, e.g., BWP-specific SRS transmission bandwidth m_SRS when applicable.

[0231] If a reference / default m_SRS is already configured for SRSn, and if m_SRS is not specifically configured for this BWP, it could be assumed to use the default or scaled value as described above.

[0232] If a reference / default m_SRS is already configured for SRSn, and if m_SRS is specifically configured for this BWP, then the BWP-specific value overwrites the reference / default for this BWP, unless signaled by the network otherwise.

[0233] If a reference / default m_SRS is not configured for SRSn, and if m_SRS is specifically configured for this BWP, then the BWP-specific value is used for this BWP.

[0234] If a reference / default m_SRS is not configured for SRSn, and if m_SRS is not specifically configured for this BWP, the UE assumes that in a later operation, the network will signal a value before or when switching to this BWP.

[0235] The SRSn on the BWPn_m may be labeled as SRSn_m, since it depends on / is anchored to SRSn. Therefore, SRSn may also be labeled as SRSn_o.

[0236] The configuration of a BWPn_m may be done at a later operation, such as the operation shown as optional via dotted arrow (e.g., the operations 1312 and 1316) and text in square brackets.

[0237] The operation 1308 includes activation of a BWP, the same as or similar to the operation 1208 in FIG. 12 described above.

[0238] The operation 1310 includes transmission / reception on a first BWP. On the first BWP, which may be the anchor BWPn, or another BWP, such as BWPn_m, the configured signal / channel is transmitted. The transmission is according to the configured parameters. In the illustrating example of the SRS, the transmission utilizes the configured parameters such as m_SRS in the BWP.

[0239] The operation 1314 includes the UE performing BWP switching, the same as or similar to the operation 1214 in FIG. 12 described above.

[0240] The operation 1318 includes transmission / reception on a second BWP. On the second BWP, which is the BWP activated after the BWP switching, the UE continues the transmission / reception of the signal / channel. In the illustrating example of the SRS is configured as fixed parameters, the transmission still spans the same number of PRBsFW 6000731PCT02 -54-per the configured parameter m_SRS in the second BWP, even if the bandwidth of the second BWP may be different from the first BWP. In other words, a transmission parameter is fixed according to the bandwidth of the present BWP.

[0241] Though the above is described only for fixed transmission bandwidth parameter of the signal / channel per the bandwidth of the present BWP, it can be generalized according to other embodiments, such as the transmission offset (starting point) of the signal / channel per the bandwidth of the present BWP, or transmission bandwidth / offset of the signal / channel per the bandwidth / numerology of the present BWP, which may be scaled or fixed in general.

[0242] The flowchart in FIG. 14 describes an example of the UE setting and updating the active DL BWP based on commands received by the UE. At the operation 1402, the UE sets DL BWRn_ 0 as DL_ active (or set DL_ active as BWRn_ 0). That is, the process starts by setting the initial DL BWP (e.g., BWRn_ 0) as the active BWP, w here this DL BWP may be a default or anchor BWP that the UE will use for DL operations unless otherwise commanded, and may be used as a fallback DL BWP in case of some events (e.g., connect failure). The ‘DL_active’ setting may be a flag attached to a DL BWP, and if a DL BWP is attached with this flag, it is the active DL BWP. Alternatively, the ‘DL_active’ setting may be a container, and when a DL BWP ID is associated with or assigned into the container, the associated DL BWP becomes the active DL BWP, and any DL BWP ID removed from the container will have the associated DL BWP become inactive.

[0243] At the operation 1404, the UE determines whether a command has been received to switch the active DL BWP to a different BWP (e.g., BWRnjn). If such a command is received (Y), the flowchart proceeds to the operation 1406; if no such command is received, the process continues with the current active DL BWP (N) at the operation 1408.

[0244] If the result of the operation 1404 is N (no such command is received), at the operation 1404, the UE keeps DL BWRn_o as DL_active (or keep current DL_active as BWRn_o). In the case where no such command is received, the UE continues using BWRn_o as the active DL BWP, i.e., BWRn_o is still flagged as DL_active, or the DL_active container still contains the same BWR.

[0245] If the result of the operation 1404 is Y (such a command is received), at the operation 1406, the UE sets DL BWRnjn as DL_active, sets DL BWRn_o as DL_inactive (or reset DL_active as BWRnjn), where m is an ID of the switching-to BWP from the command. In this case w here such a command is received to switch theFW 6000731PCT02 -55-DL BWP, the UE sw itches its active DL BWP from BWRn_o (or the current active BWP) to the new BWRnjn as specified in the command. The previously active BWP (BWRn_o) is deactivated (may be assigned with a DL_inactive flag or removed from the DL_active container) and the new BWRnjn becomes the active DL BWP.

[0246] After the sw itch to the new BWRn n, the flow returns to the operation 1404, which means that the new BWRnjn becomes the active BWP for further transmissions, and the UE awaits any additional commands for subsequent switching.

[0247] The flowchart in FIG. 15 describes UE implementations for managing the active UL BWP in response to changes in the active DL BWP or based on specific command triggers, in accordance with some implementations. At the operation 1502, the UE sets UL BWRn corresponding to DL active as UL active (or set UL_active the same as DL_active). That is, the process initiates by aligning the active UL BWP w ith the active DL BWP. Similar to the DL case, the ‘UL_ active’ setting may be a flag attached to an UL BWP, and if an UL BWP is attached with this flag, it is the active UL BWP. Alternatively, the ‘UL_active’ setting may be a container, and when an UL BWP ID is associated with or assigned into the container, the associated UL BWP becomes the active UL BWP, and any UL BWP ID removed from the container will have the associated UL BWP become inactive.

[0248] At the operation 1504, the UE checks if there has been a command to switch the UL BWP. If such a command is received (Y), the process will proceed to the operation 1506, where the UE adjusts the UL BWP accordingly. If no such command is received (N), the process proceeds to the operation 1508, where the UE checks the necessity of resetting the UL BW.

[0249] If the result of the operation 1504 is Y (such a command is received), at the operation 1506, the UE sets UL BWRnjn as UL_active, sets the previous UL BWRn as UL_inactive (or reset UL_active as BWRnjn), where m is an ID of the switching-to BWP from the command. Upon receiving a command, the UL BWP is switched to a new BWP (BWRnjn) as specified in the command.

[0250] If the result of the operation is N (no command is received N), the UE maintains the previous UL_active. Another decision point at the operation 1508 follows to check the necessity of updating / maintaining the UL active BWP.

[0251] At the operation 1508, the UE checks if a DL BWP switching command is received. If no command to switch the UL BWP is received but the DL BWP has switched (Y), then at the operation 1510, the previously active UL BWP becomes deactivated, and the UL active BWP is set to be the same as the newly active DL BWP. This ensures thatFW 6000731PCT02 -56-the UL BWP remains aligned w ith the DL BWP after any changes in the downlink. If no command to sw itch the UL BWP is received and no command to switch the DL BWP is received (N), then at the operation 1512, the UE keeps the current UL_active (N from the operation 1508). This maintains the current states, allowing continuous and stable communications without unnecessary switches.

[0252] After processing the command or maintaining the current UL BWP, the system continues monitoring for any new commands or changes in the network configuration, ready to initiate another cycle of evaluation and adjustment as needed.

[0253] In some embodiments, the described techniques in this disclosure for inter- BWP switching offer significant improvements over existing mechanisms, particularly when comparing it to SRS carrier-based switching, frequency hopping, legacy BWP switching, switching outside the present BWP / carrier for measurement / positioning purposes, in TDD / FDD, for non-RedCap or RedCap UE, etc. The described techniques enhance signal and channel configurations, reduce overhead and complexity, and simplify switching operations by allowing multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs) or carriers to be handled more efficiently.

[0254] In existing SRS carrier-based switching mechanisms, the UE is configured to switch from a RRC-configured switching-from carrier component (CC) to a target CC not configured with any UL transmission except for SRS, requiring a “switching-back” operation. Specifically, after transmitting on a target carrier (or BWP in related cases), the UE must switch back to the initial configuration such as the switching-from CC. Similarly, in RedCap UE implementations with positioning SRS frequency hopping outside the initial BWP, the UE is required to return to its initial BWP after the positioning SRS transmission. Also similarly for positioning RS (PRS) reception in DL, the UE may switch to another CC or BWP for wide bandwidth PRS reception, but it needs to switch back. The target CC / BWP that the UE switches to which is outside the switching-from CC or initial BWP is generally only configured with one signal (e.g., SRS, PRS), and no other transmissions are configured. Therefore, if the UE does not switch back, other transmissions cannot be performed, and service can be interrupted, which is undesirable.

[0255] In contrast, the described techniques in this disclosure do not require a configured “switching-from-CC / BWP” or "switching-back" operation. Instead, the UE can continue to transmit / receive across multiple BWPs or carriers without the need to return to an initial configuration. One signal or channel can be configured for multiple BWPs or carriers, and hence its transmission will not be interrupted due to switching toFW 6000731PCT02 -57-another BWP or carrier, allow ing inter- BWP / CC switching across different bandwidth resources with much less overhead.

[0256] In SRS carrier-based switching, multiple SRS configurations are needed, i.e., n SRSs for n CCs, which also requires high UE capability. The described techniques in this disclosure allow for a more efficient process by enabling a single signal or channel to span n BWPs / carriers. For example, on a carrier or frequency band, the UE capability of being configured with (and hence maintaining) SRS may be limited by a number s, then with the legacy approach, SRS may be configured on at most s BWPs. However, the proposed allow- one SRS to be configured with and maintained on more than s BWPs. Thus, inter-BWP switching becomes more efficient, as the described techniques consolidate n SRS configurations into just one configuration.[02571 Frequency hopping in existing systems is applied to a single signal or channel within one operating bandwidth resource, though the operating bandwidth resource is generally configured with multiple signals / channels and those signals / channels are not configured with hopping. Each time the UE transmits the signal / channel configured with hopping, the UE hops to a portion (with a smaller bandwidth) within the configured bandwidth of the operating bandwidth resource, while the other signals / channels are not limited to the smaller bandwidth and may utilize any resource within the full configured bandwidth of the operating bandwidth resource (subject to network configuration / indication, of course). The hopping pattern is pre-configured and fixed, and the operating bandwidth resource itself does not hop or switch between carriers or BWPs.

[0258] In contrast, the described techniques in this disclosure, however, enable a set of signals and channels to be configured across multiple operating bandwidth resources, such that inter-BWP switching occurs across these resources. Hopping can still be applied on top of this switching mechanism, but it is within the configured bandwidth of each operating bandwidth resource, not across the BWPs / CCs. In this embodiment, switching is triggered on demand and can apply to all signals and channels collectively, rather than just one signal or channel within a single BWP. The described techniques may also support inter-BWP switching of a complete set of signals and channels, compared to intra-BWP frequency hopping of a single signal or channel while other signals / channels are not configured with hopping.

[0259] The described techniques also extend the capability to switch dynamically, which enables more flexible switching patterns driven by traffic demand, interferenceFW 6000731PCT02 -58-conditions, CSI, etc., w ith the ability to sw itch on demand rather than adhering to a fixed hopping pattern as in frequency hopping.

[0260] In legacy BWP switching mechanisms, the current set of signals and channels on the current BWP is suspended when switching to another BWP, and can only resume until the UE switches back the BWP. This conventional approach requires the system to configure n different sets of signals and channels for n BWPs, leading to complexity and overhead in managing multiple configurations. When switching BWP, the network and the UE also need to sw itch from a first sets of signals and channels to a second sets of signals and channels w ith different configurations. Even if the network deliberately makes the configurations the same across the BWPs, the different sets are handled differently in the PHY layer, in the MAC layer, and in the upper layer. For example, when a BWP is deactivated (which is also the case when a CC is deactivated), the UE has to clear any configured downlink assignment and configured uplink grant of configured grant Type 2 on the (inactive) BWP, suspend any configured uplink grant of configured grant Type 1 on the (inactive) BWP, and then for the switching-to BWP (if it is not dormant), (re-)initialize any suspended configured uplink grants of configured grant Type 1 on the active BWP according to the stored configuration, etc.

[0261] In contrast, the described techniques in this disclosure allow a single signal or channel to be configured for multiple BWPs or CCs, reducing the number of configurations and requirements on UE capabilities. Rather than having n sets of configurations for n BWPs, the system only requires one set of configurations that can be applied across all BWPs or carriers (though more may be configured subject to network decision). When switching BWP, the network and the UE utilize the same (or almost the same due to some parameter scaling) configurations for the sets of signals and channels. On these BWPs, the same handling can be performed in the PHY layer, in the MAC layer, and in the upper layer. For example, when a BWP is deactivated (which is also the case when a CC is deactivated), the UE does not clear any configured downlink assignment and configured uplink grant of configured grant Type 2 on the (inactive) BWP, does not suspend any configured uplink grant of configured grant Type 1 on the (inactive) BWP, and then for the switching-to BWP (if it is not dormant), does not (re-)initialize any suspended configured uplink grants of configured grant Type 1 on the active BWP according to the stored configuration, but just resumes the operations (possibly with some updates on the parameters). The network / UE baseband operations may be the same across the BWPs, and the main differences may be where (on which BWP) to perform the physical resource mapping.FW 6000731PCT02 -59-

[0262] Therefore, both the legacy BWP switch ing and the described techniques in this disclosure are designed for inter-BWP switching. However, the described techniques in this disclosure optimize the switching process by requiring only one set of signals or channels to be switched and continued across multiple BWPs, as opposed to the legacy method’s requirement of multiple sets and suspension / (re-)initialization of the sets.

[0263] To summarize, the described inter-BWP joint switching mechanism offers a more efficient approach to handling multiple operating bandwidth resources. All signals and channels switch together among multiple BWPs, with minimal reconfiguration and with transmission continuity. This method maintains the transmission parameters of each signal or channel, except w here scaling of a small number of parameters may be required based on the bandwidth or numerology of the BWP.

[0264] The technical advantages of the described techniques in this disclosure could include the following.

[0265] (1) Inter-BWP switching of a single set of signals / channels across multipleBWPs or carriers: Instead of managing n sets for n BWPs, only one set is needed, reducing configuration complexity and requirements on UE capability. This approach also maintains transmission continuity across multiple BWPs and avoids unnecessary suspending / storing / re-initiating operations due to BWP / CC switching.

[0266] (2) Joint switching of all signals and channels: The entire set of signals and channels can switch together, rather than individually, reducing extra overhead due to switching for individual signal / channel and due to switching-back operation.

[0267] (3) On-demand switching and flexibility: The mechanism supports on- demand switching, allowing greater adaptability in dynamic network environments.

[0268] (4) Seamless operation across multiple bandwidth resources with different bandwidths / numerologies: The method enables continuity within one or more configured operating bandwidth resources, even if the bandwidths / numerologies may be different, via adapting transmission parameters according to bandwidths / numerologies per network configuration and adapting protocols.

[0269] The described techniques in this disclosure could significantly improve the process of inter-BWP switching, enhance resource utilization, and reduce the need for separate configurations compared to existing mechanisms, while maintaining efficient and continuous operation across vaiying network conditions.

[0270] FIG. 16A shows a flow chart of a method 1600 performed by a netw ork entity in accordance with some implementations. The network entity may include computer-FW 6000731PCT02 -60-readable code or instructions executing on one or more processors of the network entity. Coding of the software for carrying out or performing the method 1600 is well within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art having regard to the present disclosure. The method 1600 may include additional or fewer operations than those shown and described and may be carried out or performed in a different order. Computer-readable code or instructions of the softw are executable by the one or more processors may be stored on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as for example, at least one memory of the network entity. In some embodiments, the method 1600 may be performed by one or more of units or modules (e.g., an integrated circuit) of the network entity, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0271] The method 1600 starts at the operation 1602, where the network entity transmits, to a user equipment (UE), first signaling w ith first information indicating a first set of parameters for a first signal or channel. At the operation 1604, the network entity transmits, to the UE, or receives, from the UE, a first transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a first bandwidth resource (BWR) configured for the UE. The first BWR includes first frequency-domain resources. At the operation 1606, the network entity transmits, to the UE, or receives, from the UE, a second transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance w ith the first set of parameters on a second BWR configured for the UE. The second BWR includes second frequency-domain resources. The first frequency-domain resources are different from the second frequency-domain resources.

[0272] In some implementations, the first BWR may be a first bandw idth part (BWP), and the second BWR may be a second BWP. Or, the first BWR may be a first carrier, and the second BWR may be a second carrier.

[0273] In some implementations, the first transmission may start before the second transmission. The first transmission may be suspended during the second transmission.

[0274] In some implementations, the first transmission may be suspended during sw itching from the first BWR to the second BWR. A duration of the switching may be based on at least one of a RF retuning time or a BWR switching time greater than or equal to the RF retuning time.

[0275] In some implementations, the first set of parameters may be BWR-common such that the first set of parameters for the first signal or channel are the same for different frequency-domain locations, bandwidths, or numerologies of the first BWR and the second BWR on which the first signal or channel is transmitted or received.FW 6000731PCT02 -61-

[0276] In some implementations, the network entity may transmit to the UE a bandw idth or numerology parameter of the second BWR. The first signaling may further indicate a BWR parameter for the first signal or channel. The first set of parameters may exclude the BWR parameter. Transmitting or receiving the second transmission on the second BWR may be further in accordance w ith a second value for a second parameter obtained in accordance with at least the BWR parameter and one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR.

[0277] In some implementations, transmitting or receiving the first transmission on the first BWR may be further in accordance with a first value for a first parameter adjusted in accordance with at least the BWR parameter and one of a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the first BWR.

[0278] In some implementations, the BWR parameter may be a scaling factor. The second value for the second parameter for the second BWR may be obtained in accordance with the BWR parameter, one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR, and a corresponding reference bandwidth or numerology parameter. The reference bandwidth or numerology parameter may be configured for the UE or specified in a standard specification (e.g., a reference bandwidth of 40 MHz), or may be associated with a reference BWR configured (e.g., the first BWR) for the UE or specified in a standard specification (which may not be any BWR configured for the UE to operate on).

[0279] In some implementations, the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR may be a bandwidth of the second BWR, a frequency-domain location of the second BWR, or a numerology of the second BWR.

[0280] In some implementations, a first location of the first signal or channel within the first BWR may be associated with a first frequency-domain offset. A second location of the first signal or channel within the second BWR may be associated with a second frequency-domain offset. In some implementations, the first frequency-domain offset may be equal to the second frequency-domain offset, and the first frequency-domain offset and the second frequency-domain offset may be configured by a network device, Or, a first ratio of the first frequency-domain offset to a first bandwidth of the first BWR may be equal to a second ratio of the second frequency-domain offset to a second bandwidth of the second BWR, and a first value of the first ratio or a second value of the second ratio may be rounded.

[0281] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may comprise a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) associated with a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process having a HARQ process identifier. The first transmission on the first BWR and the second transmissionFW 6000731PCT02 -62-the second BWR may be associated with the HARQ process having the HARQ process identifier.

[0282] In some implementations, the second transmission may be different from a retransmission of the first transmission.

[0283] In some implementations, the second transmission may be a HARQ retransmission of the first transmission when there is a NACK for the first transmission.

[0284] In some implementations, the second transmission may be a repetition of the first transmission.

[0285] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may comprise a sounding reference signal (SRS). After transmitting or receiving the SRS on the second BWR, no switching back to the first BWR may be required for subsequent transmissions from the UE or to the UE.

[0286] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may include one of a PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a PDSCH, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), an SRS, a synchronization signal (SS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0287] In some implementations, the first BWR may consist of a first contiguous portion in the frequency domain. The second BWR may consist of a second contiguous portion in the frequency domain. In some implementations, each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion may be at least 3 MHz. In some implementations, each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion may include at least 5 respective physical resource blocks (PRBs). Each of the at least 5 respective PRBs may include 12 subcarriers.

[0288] In some implementations, the first set of parameters may include at least one of a number of ports, a scrambling sequence or identifier (ID), a resource allocation type, a periodicity, or a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state.

[0289] FIG. 16B shows a flow chart of a method 1650 performed by a UE in accordance w ith some implementations. The UE may include computer-readable code or instructions executing on one or more processors of the UE. Coding of the software for carrying out or performing the method 1650 is well within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art having regard to the present disclosure. The method 1650 may include additional or fewer operations than those shown and described and may be carried out or performed in a different order. Computer-readable code or instructions of the software executable by the one or more processors may be stored on at least one non- transitory computer-readable medium, such as for example, at least one memory of the UE. In some embodiments, the method 1650 may be performed by one or more of unitsFW 6000731PCT02 -63-or modules (e.g., an integrated circuit) of the UE, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application -specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0290] The method 1650 starts at the operation 1652, where the UE receives, from a network entity, first signaling with first information indicating a first set of parameters for a first signal or channel. At the operation 1654, the UE transmits, to the network entity, or receives, from the network entity, a first transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance w ith the first set of parameters on a first bandwidth resource (BWR) configured for the UE. The first BWR includes first frequency-domain resources. At the operation 1656, the UE transmits, to the network entity, or receives, from the network entity, a second transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a second BWR configured for the UE. The second BWR includes second frequency-domain resources. The first frequency-domain resources are different from the second frequency-domain resources.

[0291] In some implementations, the first BWR may be a first bandwidth part (BWP), and the second BWR may be a second BWP. Or, the first BWR may be a first carrier, and the second BWR may be a second carrier.

[0292] In some implementations, the first transmission may start before the second transmission. The first transmission may be suspended during the second transmission.

[0293] In some implementations, the first transmission may be suspended during switching from the first BWR to the second BWR. A duration of the switching may be based on at least one of a RF retuning time or a BWR switching time greater than or equal to the RF retuning time.

[0294] In some implementations, the first set of parameters may be BWR-common such that the first set of parameters for the first signal or channel are the same for different frequency-domain locations, bandwidths, or numerologies of the first BWR and the second BWR on which the first signal or channel is transmitted or received.

[0295] In some implementations, the UE may receive from the network entity a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR. The first signaling may further indicate a BWR parameter for the first signal or channel. The first set of parameters may exclude the BWR parameter. Transmitting or receiving the second transmission on the second BWR may be further in accordance with a second value for a second parameter obtained in accordance with at least the BWR parameter and one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR.

[0296] In some implementations, transmitting or receiving the first transmission on the first BWR may be further in accordance with a first value for a first parameterFW 6000731PCT02 -64-adjusted in accordance w ith at least the BWR parameter and one of a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the first BWR.

[0297] In some implementations, the BWR parameter may be a scaling factor. The second value for the second parameter for the second BWR may be obtained in accordance with the BWR parameter, one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR, and a corresponding reference bandwidth or numerology parameter. The reference bandwidth or numerology parameter may be configured for the UE or specified in a standard specification (e.g., a reference bandwidth of 40 MHz), or may be associated with a reference BWR configured (e.g., the first BWR) for the UE or specified in a standard specification (which may not be any BWR configured for the UE to operate on).

[0298] In some implementations, the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR may be a bandwidth of the second BWR, a frequency-domain location of the second BWR, or a numerology of the second BWR.

[0299] In some implementations, a first location of the first signal or channel within the first BWR may be associated with a first frequency-domain offset. A second location of the first signal or channel within the second BWR may be associated with a second frequency-domain offset. In some implementations, the first frequency-domain offset may be equal to the second frequency-domain offset, and the first frequency-domain offset and the second frequency-domain offset may be configured by a network device, Or, a first ratio of the first frequency-domain offset to a first bandwidth of the first BWR may be equal to a second ratio of the second frequency-domain offset to a second bandwidth of the second BWR, and a first value of the first ratio or a second value of the second ratio may be rounded.

[0300] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may comprise a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) associated with a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process having a HARQ process identifier. The first transmission on the first BWR and the second transmission the second BWR may be associated with the HARQ process having the HARQ process identifier.

[0301] In some implementations, the second transmission may be different from a retransmission of the first transmission.

[0302] In some implementations, the second transmission may be a HARQ retransmission of the first transmission when there is a NACK for the first transmission.

[0303] In some implementations, the second transmission may be a repetition of the first transmission.FW 6000731PCT02 -65-

[0304] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may comprise a sounding reference signal (SRS). After transmitting or receiving the SRS on the second BWR, no switching back to the first BWR may be required for subsequent transmissions from the UE or to the UE.

[0305] In some implementations, the first signal or channel may include one of a PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a PDSCH, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), an SRS, a synchronization signal (SS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0306] In some implementations, the first BWR may consist of a first contiguous portion in the frequency domain. The second BWR may consist of a second contiguous portion in the frequency domain. In some implementations, each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion may be at least 3 MHz. In some implementations, each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion may include at least 5 respective physical resource blocks (PRBs). Each of the at least 5 respective PRBs may include 12 subcarriers.

[0307] In some implementations, the first set of parameters may include at least one of a number of ports, a scrambling sequence or identifier (ID), a resource allocation type, a periodicity, or a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state.

[0308] The network entity described in this disclosure may include a base station, a network relay node, or a plurality of base stations each configured to perform at least one of the network entity operations described above. For example, a first base station of the network entity may transmit the first signaling. A second base station of the network entity may transmit or receive the first transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on the first BWR. The first base station or the second base station (or a third base station of the network entity) may transmit or receive the first transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on the second BWR. The network entity operations may be distributed among different base stations in any combination or configuration, without limitation to the specific examples provided herein.

[0309] FIG. 17 illustrates an example communication system 1700. In general, the system 1700 enables multiple wireless or wired users to transmit and receive data and other content. The system 1700 may implement one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), or non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA).

[0310] In this example, the communication system 1700 includes electronic devices (ED) 17103-17100, radio access networks (RANs) I72oa-i72ob, a core network 1730, aFW 6000731PCT02 -66-public sw itched telephone network (PSTN) 1740, the Internet 1750, and other networks 1760. While certain numbers of these components or elements are show n in FIG. 17, any number of these components or elements may be included in the system 1700.

[0311] The EDs 17103-17100 are configured to operate or communicate in the system 1700. For example, the EDs 17103-17100 are configured to transmit or receive via w ireless or wired communication channels. Each ED 17103-17100 represents any suitable end user device and may include such devices (or may be referred to) as a user equipment or device (UE), wireless transmit or receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, fixed or mobile subscriber unit, cellular telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, laptop, computer, touchpad, wireless sensor, AIoT device (e.g., for asset management), or consumer electronics device.

[0312] The RANs I72oa-i72ob here include base stations i770a-i770b, respectively. Each base station 1770 a- 1770 b is configured to wirelessly interface with one or more of the EDs 17103-17100 to enable access to the core network 1730, the PSTN 1740, the Internet 1750, or the other networks 1760. For example, the base stations l oa-i ob may include (or be) one or more of several well-known devices, such as a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B (NodeB), an evolved NodeB (eNB), a Next Generation (NG) NodeB (gNB), a gNB centralized unit (gNB-CU), a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU), a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), or a wireless router. The EDs 17103-17100 are configured to interface and communicate with the Internet 1750 and may access the core network 1730, the PSTN 1740, or the other networks 1760.

[0313] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 17, the base station 1770a forms part of the RAN 1720a, which may include other base stations, elements, or devices. Also, the base station 1770b forms part of the RAN 1720b, which may include other base stations, elements, or devices. Each base station I77oa-i77ob operates to transmit or receive wireless signals within a particular geographic region or area, sometimes referred to as a “cell.” In some embodiments, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology maybe employed having multiple transceivers for each cell.

[0314] The base stations i770a-i770b communicate with one or more of the EDs 17103-17100 over one or more air interfaces 1790 using wireless communication links. The air interfaces 1790 may utilize any suitable radio access technology.

[0315] It is contemplated that the system 1700 may use multiple channel access functionality, including such schemes as described above. In particular embodiments, the base stations and EDs implement 5G New Radio (NR), LTE, LTE-A, or LTE-B. Of course, other multiple access schemes and wireless protocols may be utilized.FW 6000731PCT02 -67-

[0316] The RANs 17203-1720!} are in communication with the core network 1730 to provide the EDs 17103-17100 w ith voice, data, application, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), or other services. Understandably, the RANs I72oa-i72ob or the core network 1730 may be in direct or indirect communication with one or more other RANs (not shown). The core network 1730 may also serve as a gateway access for other networks (such as the PSTN 1740, the Internet 1750, and the other networks 1760). In addition, some or all of the EDs 17103-17100 may include functionality for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links using different wireless technologies or protocols. Instead of wireless communication (or in addition thereto), the EDs may communicate via wired communication channels to a service provider or switch (not shown), and to the Internet 1750.

[0317] Although FIG. 17 illustrates one example of a communication system, various changes may be made to FIG. 17. For example, the communication system 1700 could include any number of EDs, base stations, networks, or other components in any suitable configuration.

[0318] FIGs. 18A and 18B illustrate example devices that may implement the methods and teachings according to this disclosure. In particular, FIG. 18A illustrates an example ED 1810, and FIG. 18B illustrates an example base station 1870. The ED 1810 and the base station 1870 may communicate over the air interface 1890. These components could be used in the system 1700 or in any other suitable system.

[0319] As shown in FIG. 18A, the ED 1810 includes at least one processing unit 1800. The processing unit 1800 implements various processing operations of the ED 1810. For example, the processing unit 1800 could perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other functionality enabling the ED 1810 to operate in the system 1700. The processing unit 1800 also supports the methods and teachings described in more detail above. Each processing unit 1800 includes any suitable processing or computing device configured to perform one or more operations. Each processing unit 1800 could, for example, include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field programmable gate array, or application specific integrated circuit.

[0320] The ED 1810 also includes at least one transceiver 1802. The transceiver 1802 is configured to modulate data or other content for transmission by at least one antenna or NIC (Network Interface Controller) 1804. The transceiver 1802 is also configured to demodulate data or other content received by the at least one antenna 1804. Each transceiver 1802 includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission or processing signals received wirelessly or by wire. Each antenna 1804 includes any suitable structure for transmitting or receiving wireless or wiredFW 6000731PCT02 -68-signals. One or multiple transceivers 1802 could be used in the ED 1810, and one or multiple antennas 1804 could be used in the ED 1810. Although show n as a single functional unit, a transceiver 1802 could also be implemented using at least one transmitter and at least one separate receiver.

[0321] The ED 1810 further includes one or more input / output devices 1806 or interfaces (such as a wired interface to the Internet 1750). The input / output devices 1806 facilitate interaction with a user or other devices (network communications) in the network. Each input / output device 1806 includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving information from a user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touch screen, including network interface communications.

[0322] In addition, the ED 1810 includes at least one memoiy 1808. The memory' 1808 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the ED 1810. For example, the memory 1808 could store software or firmware instructions executed by the processing unit(s) 1800 and data used to reduce or eliminate interference in incoming signals. Each memory 1808 includes any suitable volatile or non-volatile storage and retrieval device(s). Any suitable type of memory may be used, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disc, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memoiy stick, secure digital (SD) memoiy card, and the like.

[0323] As shown in FIG. 18B, the base station 1870 includes at least one processing unit 1850, at least one transceiver 1852, which includes functionality for a transmitter and a receiver, one or more antennas 1856, at least one memory 1858, and one or more input / output devices or interfaces 1866. A scheduler, which would be understood by one skilled in the art, is coupled to the processing unit 1850. The scheduler could be included within or operated separately from the base station 1870. The processing unit 1850 implements various processing operations of the base station 1870, such as signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, or any other functionality. The processing unit 1850 can also support the methods and teachings described in more detail above. Each processing unit 1850 includes any suitable processing or computing device configured to perform one or more operations. Each processing unit 1850 could, for example, include a microprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor, field programmable gate array, or application specific integrated circuit.

[0324] Each transceiver 1852 includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless or wired transmission to one or more EDs or other devices. Each transceiver 1852 further includes any suitable structure for processing signals received wirelessly or by wire from one or more EDs or other devices. Although shown combined as a transceiver 1852, a transmitter and a receiver could be separate components. Each antenna 1856 includes any suitable structure for transmitting or receiving wireless orFW 6000731PCT02 -69-wired signals. While a common antenna 1856 is shown here as being coupled to the transceiver 1852, one or more antennas 1856 could be coupled to the transceiver(s) 1852, allow ing separate antennas 1856 to be coupled to the transmitter and the receiver if equipped as separate components. Each memory’ 1858 includes any suitable volatile or non-volatile storage and retrieval device(s). Each input / output device 1866 facilitates interaction with a user or other devices (network communications) in the network. Each input / output device 1866 includes any suitable structure for providing information to or receiving / providing information from a user, including network interface communications.

[0325] FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a computing system 1900 that may be used for implementing the devices and methods disclosed herein. For example, the computing system can be any entity of UE, access network (AN), mobility management (MM), session management (SM), user plane gateway (UPGW), or access stratum (AS). Specific devices may utilize all of the components shown or only a subset of the components, and levels of integration may vary from device to device. Furthermore, a device may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processing units, processors, memories, transmitters, receivers, etc. The computing system 1900 includes a processing unit 1902. The processing unit includes a central processing unit (CPU) 1914, memory 1908, and may further include a mass storage device 1904, a video adapter 1910, and an I / O interface 1912 connected to a bus 1920.

[0326] The bus 1920 may be one or more of any type of several bus architectures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, or a video bus. The CPU 1914 may comprise any type of electronic data processor. The memory 1908 may comprise any type of non-transitory system memory such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), or a combination thereof. In an embodiment, the memory 1908 may include ROM for use at boot-up, and DRAM for program and data storage for use while executing programs.

[0327] The mass storage 1904 may comprise any type of non-transitory storage device configured to store data, programs, and other information and to make the data, programs, and other information accessible via the bus 1920. The mass storage 1904 may comprise, for example, one or more of a solid state drive, hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, or an optical disk drive.

[0328] The video adapter 1910 and the I / O interface 1912 provide interfaces to couple external input and output devices to the processing unit 1902. As illustrated, examples of input and output devices include a display 1918 coupled to the video adapter 1910 and a mouse, keyboard, or printer 1916 coupled to the I / O interface 1912. Other devices may beFW 6000731PCT02 -70-coupled to the processing unit 1902, and additional or fewer interface cards may be utilized. For example, a serial interface such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) (not shown) may be used to provide an interface for an external device.

[0329] The processing unit 1902 also includes one or more network interfaces 1906, which may comprise wired links, such as an Ethernet cable, or wireless links to access nodes or different networks. The network interfaces 1906 allow the processing unit 1902 to communicate with remote units via the networks. For example, the network interfaces 1906 may provide wireless communication via one or moretransmitters / transmit antennas and one or more receivers / receive antennas. In an embodiment, the processing unit 1902 is coupled to a local-area network 1922 or a wide-area network for data processing and communications with remote devices, such as other processing units, the Internet, or remote storage facilities.

[0330] It should be appreciated that not all components in the devices described in FIGs. 18-19 are required. In a non-limiting example, the ED 1810 may be implemented as an AIoT device 1810. But, the AIoT device 1810 may not include an input / output devices 1806 for providing information to or receiving information from a user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touch screen. The transceiver 1802 of the AIoT device 1810 may be capable of transmitting by backscattering a radio wave received, instead of by generating the radio wave, for wireless communication purpose. In another non-limiting example, the system 1900 may be implemented as an AIoT device 1900 that does not include or use the mass storage device 1904, the video adapter 1910, the mouse, keyboard, or printer 1916, or the display 1918.

[0331] It should be appreciated that one or more steps of the embodiment methods provided herein may be performed by corresponding units or modules. For example, a signal may be transmitted by a transmitting unit or a transmitting module. A signal may be received by a receiving unit or a receiving module. A signal may be processed by a processing unit or a processing module. Other steps may be performed by a performing unit or module, a generating unit or module, an obtaining unit or module, a setting unit or module, an adjusting unit or module, an increasing unit or module, a decreasing unit or module, a determining unit or module, a modifying unit or module, a reducing unit or module, a removing unit or module, or a selecting unit or module. The respective units or modules may be hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For instance, one or more of the units or modules may be an integrated circuit, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0332] Although the description has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, theFW 6000731PCT02 -71-scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments described herein, as one of ordinary skill in the art w ill readily appreciate from this disclosure that processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps, presently existing or later to be developed, may perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding embodiments described herein. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include w ithin their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps.FW 6000731PCT02 -72-

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method, comprising: transmitting, by a network entity to a user equipment (UE), first signaling with first information indicating a first set of parameters for a first signal or channel; transmitting, by the network entity to the UE, or receiving, by the network entity from the UE, a first transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a first bandwidth resource (BWR) configured for the UE, the first BWR includes first frequency-domain resources; and transmitting, by the network entity to the UE, or receiving, by the network entity from the UE, a second transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a second BWR configured for the UE, the second BWR includes second frequency-domain resources, the first frequency-domain resources being different from the second frequencydomain resources.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first BWR is a first bandwidth part (BWP), and the second BWR is a second BWP, or the first BWR is a first carrier, and the second BWR is a second carrier.

3. The method of any of claims 1-2, wherein the first transmission starts before the second transmission, and the first transmission is suspended during the second transmission.

4. The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the first transmission is suspended during switching from the first BWR to the second BWR, and a duration of the switching is based on at least one of a RF retuning time or a BWR switching time greater than or equal to the RF retuning time.

5. The method of any of claims t-4, w herein the first set of parameters are BWR- common such that the first set of parameters for the first signal or channel are the same for different frequency-domain locations, bandwidths, or numerologies of the first BWR and the second BWR on which the first signal or channel is transmitted or received.

6. The method of any of claims 1-5, further comprising: transmitting, by the netw ork entity to the UE, a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR, wherein the first signaling further indicates a BWR parameter for the first signalFW 6000731PCT02 -73-or channel, the first set of parameters excludes the BWR parameter, and wherein the transmitting or receiving the second transmission on the secondBWR is further in accordance with a second value for a second parameter obtained in accordance w ith at least the BWR parameter and one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR.

7. The method of claim 6, w herein the transmitting or receiving the first transmission on the first BWR is further in accordance with a first value for a first parameter adjusted in accordance with at least the BWR parameter and one of a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the first BWR.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the BWR parameter is a scaling factor, and the second value for the second parameter for the second BWR is obtained in accordance with the BWR parameter, one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR, and a corresponding reference bandwidth or numerology parameter.

9. The method of claim 6, w herein the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR is a band width of the second BWR, a frequency-domain location of the second BWR, or a numerology of the second BWR.

10. The method of any of claims 1-9, wherein a first location of the first signal or channel within the first BWR is associated with a first frequency-domain offset, wherein a second location of the first signal or channel within the second BWR is associated with a second frequency-domain offset, and wherein the first frequency-domain offset is equal to the second frequencydomain offset, and the first frequency-domain offset and the second frequency-domain offset are configured by a network device, or wherein a first ratio of the first frequency-domain offset to a first bandwidth of the first BWR is equal to a second ratio of the second frequency-domain offset to a second bandwidth of the second BWR, and a first value of the first ratio or a second value of the second ratio are rounded.

11. The method of any of claims 1-10, wherein the first signal or channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or a physical dow nlink shared channel (PDSCH) associated with a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process having a HARQ process identifier, and wherein the first transmission on the first BWR and the second transmission the second BWR are associated with the HARQ process having the HARQ process identifier.FW 6000731PCT02 -74-12. The method of any of claims 1-11, wherein the second transmission is different from a retransmission of the first transmission.

13. The method of claim 1 or 11, wherein the second transmission is a HARQ retransmission of the first transmission when there is a NACK for the first transmission.

14. The method of claim 1 or 11, wherein the second transmission is a repetition of the first transmission.

15. The method of any of claims 1-14, wherein the first signal or channel comprises a sounding reference signal (SRS), and wherein, after transmitting or receiving the SRS on the second BWR, no switching back to the first BWR is required for subsequent transmissions from the UE or to the UE.

16. The method of any of claims 1-15, wherein the first signal or channel includes one of a PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a PDSCH, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), an SRS, a synchronization signal (SS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

17. The method of any of claims 1-16, wherein the first BWR consists of a first contiguous portion in the frequency domain, and wherein the second BWR consists of a second contiguous portion in the frequency domain, and wherein each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion is at least 3 MHz, or wherein each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion includes at least 5 respective physical resource blocks (PRBs), and each of the at least 5 respective PRBs includes 12 subcarriers.

18. The method of any of claims 1-17, the first set of parameters including at least one of a number of ports, a scrambling sequence or identifier (ID), a resource allocation type, a periodicity, or a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state.

19. A method, comprising: receiving, by a user equipment (UE) from a network entity, first signaling with first information indicating a first set of parameters for a first signal or channel; transmitting, by the UE to the network entity, or receiving, by the UE from the network entity, a first transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a first bandwidth resource (BWR) configured for the UE, the first BWR includes first frequency-domain resources; andFW 6000731PCT02 -75-transmitting, by the UE to the network entity, or receiving, by the UE from the network entity, a second transmission of the first signal or channel in accordance with the first set of parameters on a second BWR configured for the UE, the second BWR includes second frequency-domain resources, the first frequency-domain resources being different from the second frequencydomain resources.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first BWR is a first bandwidth part (BWP), and the second BWR is a second BWP, or the first BWR is a first carrier, and the second BWR is a second carrier.

21. The method of any of claims 19-20, wherein the first transmission starts before the second transmission, and the first transmission is suspended during the second transmission.

22. The method of any of claims 19-21, w herein the first transmission is suspended during switching from the first BWR to the second BWR, and a duration of the switching is based on at least one of a RF retuning time or a BWR switching time greater than or equal to the RF retuning time.

23. The method of any of claims 19-22, wherein the first set of parameters are BWR- common such that the first set of parameters for the first signal or channel are the same for different frequency-domain locations, bandwidths, or numerologies of the first BWR and the second BWR on which the first signal or channel is transmitted or received.

24. The method of any of claims 19-23, further comprising: receiving, by the UE from the network entity, a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR, where! n the first signaling further indicates a BWR parameter for the first signal or channel, the first set of parameters excludes the BWR parameter, and w herein the transmitting or receivi ng the second transmission on the second BWR is further in accordance with a second value for a second parameter obtained in accordance with at least the BWR parameter and one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the transmitting or receiving the first transmission on the first BWR is further in accordance with a first value for a firstFW 6000731PCT02 -76-parameter adjusted in accordance w ith at least the BWR parameter and one of a bandwidth or numerology parameter of the first BWR.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the BWR parameter is a scaling factor, and the second value for the second parameter for the second BWR is obtained in accordance with the BWR parameter, one of the bandwidth or numerology parameter of the second BWR, and a corresponding reference bandwidth or numerology parameter.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the bandw idth or numerology parameter of the second BWR is a bandwidth of the second BWR, a frequency-domain location of the second BWR, or a numerology of the second BWR.

28. The method of any of claims 19-27, wherein a first location of the first signal or channel w ithin the first BWR is associated with a first frequency-domain offset, wherein a second location of the first signal or channel within the second BWR is associated with a second frequency-domain offset, and wherein the first frequency-domain offset is equal to the second frequencydomain offset, and the first frequency-domain offset and the second frequency-domain offset are configured by a network device, or wherein a first ratio of the first frequency-domain offset to a first bandwidth of the first BWR is equal to a second ratio of the second frequency-domain offset to a second bandwidth of the second BWR, and a first value of the first ratio or a second value of the second ratio are rounded.

29. The method of any of claims 19-28, wherein the first signal or channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) associated with a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process having a HARQ process identifier, and wherein the first transmission on the first BWR and the second transmission the second BWR are associated with the HARQ process having the HARQ process identifier.

30. The method of any of claims 19-29, wherein the second transmission is different from a retransmission of the first transmission.

31. The method of claim 19 or 29, wherein the second transmission is a HARQ retransmission of the first transmission when there is a NACK for the first transmission.

32. The method of claim 19 or 29, wherein the second transmission is a repetition of the first transmission.FW 6000731PCT02 -77-33- The method of any of claims 19-32, wherein the first signal or channel comprises a sounding reference signal (SRS), and wherein, after receiving or transmitting the SRS on the second BWR, no switching back to the first BWR is required for subsequent transmissions from the UE or to the UE.

34. The method of any of claims 19-33, wherein the first signal or channel includes one of a PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a PDSCH, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), an SRS, a synchronization signal CSS), or a channel state information reference signal (CSI- RS).

35. The method of any of claims 19-34, wherein the first BWR consists of a first contiguous portion in the frequency domain, and wherein the second BWR consists of a second contiguous portion in the frequency domain, and wherein each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion is at least 3 MHz, or wherein each of the first contiguous portion and the second contiguous portion includes at least 5 respective physical resource blocks (PRBs), and each of the at least 5 respective PRBs includes 12 subcarriers.

36. The method of any of claims 19-35, the first set of parameters including at least one of a number of ports, a scrambling sequence or identifier (ID), a resource allocation type, a periodicity, or a transmission configuration indication (TCI) state.

37. A network entity, comprising: at least one processor; and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming, the programming including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network entity to perform a method according to any of claims 1-18.

38. A user equipment (UE), comprising: at least one processor; and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing programming, the programming including instructions that, w hen executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE to perform a method according to any of claims 19-36.

39. A non-transitoiy computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to perform a method according to any of claims 1-18.FW 6000731PCT02 -78-40. A non-transitoiy computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform a method according to any of claims 19-36.FW 6000731PCT02 -79-

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