Radio resource control message with guaranteed delay

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages with guaranteed delay. A method comprises transmitting, to a second apparatus, a delay information associated with a processing delay of the first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; receiving, from the second apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and performing an RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration based on the delay information indicated by the first apparatus.

Description

RADIO RESOURCE CONTROL MESSAGE WITH GUARANTEED DELAYFIELD

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of telecommunication and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatuses and computer readable storage medium for Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages with guaranteed delay.BACKGROUND

[0002] Cellular mobile telecommunication systems are built on top of protocols that control how the data is transmitted between User Equipment (UE) and network (NW). These protocols are often divided into user plane (UP) and control plane (CP) sections. The user plane may be dedicated to the actual task of transmitting user data between a user and the network, while the control plane may be dedicated to ensuring that the user plane remains operational.SUMMARY

[0003] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to: transmit, to a second apparatus, a delay information associated with a processing delay of the first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; receive, from the second apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and perform an RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration based on the delay information indicated by the first apparatus.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus at least to: receive, from a first apparatus, delay information associated with a processing delay of first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and transmit, to the first apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: transmitting, from a first apparatus to a second apparatus, a delay information associated with a processing delay of the first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; receiving, from the second apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and performing an RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration based on the delay information indicated by the first apparatus.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method. The method comprises: receiving, at a second apparatus from a first apparatus, delay information associated with a processing delay of first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and transmitting, to the first apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a first apparatus. The first apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a second apparatus, a delay information associated with a processing delay of the first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; means for receiving, from the second apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and means for performing an RRC configuration switching to the target RRCconfiguration based on the delay information indicated by the first apparatus.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a second apparatus. The second apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a first apparatus, delay information associated with a processing delay of first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the third aspect.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium comprises instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0011] It is to be understood that the Summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following description.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, where:

[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;

[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates a signaling chart for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of RRC procedure delay according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 6 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0019] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer readable medium in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar element.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments described herein can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described below.

[0022] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0023] References in the present disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” and the like indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it is not necessary that every embodiment includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

[0024] It shall be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,”..., etc. in front of noun(s) and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elementsshould not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another and they do not limit the order of the noun(s). For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0025] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0026] As used herein, unless stated explicitly, performing a step “in response to A” does not indicate that the step is performed immediately after “A” occurs and one or more intervening steps may be included.

[0027] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “has”, “having”, “includes” and / or “including”, when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and / or components etc., but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0028] As used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following:(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and(b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable):(i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and(ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and(c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0029] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0030] As used herein, the term “communication network” refers to a network following any suitable communication standards, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) and so on. Furthermore, the communications between a terminal device and a network device in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocols, including, but not limited to, the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, the sixth generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols either currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems. Given the rapid development in communications, there will of course also be future type communication technologies and systems with which the present disclosure may be embodied. It should not be seen as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the aforementioned system.

[0031] As used herein, the term “network device” refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. The network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node suchas a femto, a pico, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, and so forth, depending on the applied terminology and technology. In some example embodiments, radio access network (RAN) split architecture comprises a Centralized Unit (CU) and a Distributed Unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. An IAB node comprises a Mobile Terminal (IAB-MT) part that behaves like a UE toward the parent node, and a DU part of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward the next-hop IAB node.

[0032] The term “terminal device” refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example rather than limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), a Portable Subscriber Station, a Mobile Station (MS), or an Access Terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless customer-premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. The terminal device may also correspond to a Mobile Termination (MT) part of an IAB node (e.g., a relay node). In the following description, the terms “terminal device”, “communication device”, “terminal”, “user equipment” and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0033] As used herein, the term “resource,” “transmission resource,” “resource block,” “physical resource block” (PRB), “uplink resource,” or “downlink resource” may refer to any resource for performing a communication, for example, a communication between a terminal device and a network device, such as a resource in time domain, a resource in frequency domain, a resource in space domain, a resource in code domain, or any othercombination of the time, frequency, space and / or code domain resource enabling a communication, and the like. In the following, unless explicitly stated, a resource in both frequency domain and time domain will be used as an example of a transmission resource for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It is noted that example embodiments of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0034] FIG. 1 illustrates an example communication environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication network 100 may comprise a first apparatus 110 which may be, for example, a terminal device. In some example embodiments, the terminal device may also be discussed as a UE.

[0035] The communication network 100 may further comprise a second apparatus 120, which may be, for example, a network device. In some example embodiments, the network device may be discussed as a BS, a gNB, or an eNB.

[0036] A serving area provided by the second apparatus 120 is called a cell. The first apparatus 110 may communicate with the second apparatus 120 within the cell 102. The cell currently serving the first apparatus 110 may be considered as a serving cell 102.

[0037] In the following, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described with the first apparatus 110 operating as a terminal device and the second apparatus 120 operating as a network device. However, in some example embodiments, operations described in connection with a terminal device may be implemented at a network device or other device, and operations described in connection with a network device may be implemented at a terminal device or other device.

[0038] In some example embodiments, if the first apparatus 110 is a terminal device and second apparatus 120 is a network device, a link from the second apparatus 120 to the first apparatus 110 is referred to as a downlink (DL), while a link from the first apparatus 110 to the second apparatus 120 is referred to as an uplink (UL). In DL, the second apparatus 120 is a transmitting (TX) apparatus (or a transmitter) and the first apparatus 110 is a receiving (RX) apparatus (or a receiver). In UL, the first apparatus 110 is a TX apparatus (or a transmitter) and the second apparatus 120 is a RX apparatus (or a receiver).

[0039] It is to be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devicesshown in FIG. 1 is given for the purpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations. The communication environment 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices.

[0040] Communications in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any proper communication protocol(s), comprising, but not limited to, cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), the fifth generation (5G), 5.5G, the sixth generation (6G), and the like, wireless local network communication protocols such as Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and the like, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Moreover, the communication may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technologies currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0041] As described above, protocols that control how the data is transmitted between UE and network are often divided into UP and CP sections. The CP may be used for establishing the UP and it is the task of CP to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of the UP.

[0042] The primary protocol used for the CP is the Radio Resource Control (RRC). The RRC specifications define the mechanisms for setting up the connection, establishing the other (UP) protocol layers and reconfiguring their parameters, as well as various procedures intended to keep both UP and CP operations.

[0043] The 5G RRC protocol has evolved through several releases to contain a stable structure, but remains mostly monolithic and complex, with inherent procedural delays imposed for basic operations. Moreover, the same RRC configuration is often repeated many times for the same UE, which results in an inefficient use of the radio resources.

[0044] In addition to this, facilitating increased energy efficiency has become one of the primary prerequisites of 6G network protocol design. Therefore, it is essential that the 6G RRC protocol design is built in a natively energy efficient manner. Moreover, 6Gnetworks are expected to support a diverse range of applications with dissimilar requirements like augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR), massive twinning, immersive smart cities, holographic communications, and remote surgery which would inherently benefit from a modular structured design which enables efficient RRC operations with low latency.

[0045] Therefore, one of the key objectives for 6G radio resource control configuration concept is to build up and maintain RRC configurations in a layered, scalable, and robust manner. A clear modular design for the RRC protocol would enable fast transitions between distinct operational modes such as power saving, MIMO with minimum signaling overheads and delays. Such a design would accrue multitude of benefits for both the UE and the network including reduced latency due to the efficient data transmission, lower power consumption and more effective resource utilization.

[0046] Assignment of a basic RRC configuration to the UE during the RRC setup based on the UE capabilities would help to enable the UE to access the network faster. This would be especially critical for devices which demand low latency operation. Additionally, low performance devices which need only the basic RRC configuration to proceed with operation while facilitating low energy consumption would benefit from the faster assignment of a basic RRC profile.

[0047] That is, RRC operation in CONNECTED mode is mainly handled by one message, i.e., the RRCReconfiguration message, which allows network to configure anything and everything. This allows predictable UE behavior, but also burdens all UEs with the same requirements and ensures networks have to make fixed assumptions on UE behavior, which can never be changed. Since many different types of UE are envisioned to happen in 6G, this can be limiting.

[0048] RRC profiles have also been envisioned to be used by having UE store multiple RRC configurations at once and switching between those. To enable energy-efficient RRC, the changing between profiles is expected to be fast for the RRC protocol mechanism that allows this. The term “RRC profile” used hereinafter may be considered as an RRC configuration. That is, one RRC profile may correspond to an RRC configuration.

[0049] Therefore, to facilitate the fast switching between the RRC profiles, it is expected to create a message dedicated to switching between stored RRC configurations,with specified delay requirements that may change according to the UE type as well as the specific profiles.

[0050] In accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a solution for messages with guaranteed delay. In this solution, the first apparatus transmits to the second apparatus delay information associated with a processing delay of the first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus. The second apparatus transmit to the first apparatus a message, for example an RRC, MAC or DCI message, dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus. The first apparatus then performs an RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration based on the delay information indicated by the first apparatus.

[0051] Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which shows a signaling chart 200 for communication according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the signaling chart 200 involves a first apparatus 110 and a second apparatus 120. For the purpose of discussion, reference is made to FIG. 1 to describe the signaling chart 200.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 2, the first apparatus 110 is in RRC connected mode. One or more RRC configurations may be configured (202) by the second apparatus 120 for the first apparatus 110, for example, via one or more RRC configuration message(s). For example, the second apparatus 120 may configure a first RRC configuration and a second RRC configuration to the first apparatus 110. The first RRC configuration and the second RRC configuration may also be referred to as the first RRC profile and the second RRC profile.

[0054] Furthermore, the second apparatus 120 may also indicate which RRC configuration is to be used by the first apparatus 110. For example, the second apparatus 120 may indicate the first apparatus 110 to use the first RRC configuration.

[0055] Then the first apparatus 110 may determine (204) delay information associatedwith a processing delay of the first apparatus 110 for performing at least one RRC configuration / profile switching between all the different configured RRC configurations / profiles. The term “a switching delay” used hereinafter may be considered as being same as, or similar to the processing delay it would take for first apparatus to switch from one RRC configuration / profile to another. That is, the first apparatus 110 may indicate how long it takes to switch to using the configured RRC configuration from current RRC configuration and / or indicate the times of configuration changes between all configured RRC configurations, or any combination of these.

[0056] As an example, the delay information may comprise one or more switching delays corresponding to the respective RRC configuration switching associated with the plurality of RRC configurations. A switching delay hereinafter may refer to a preparation time for performing, by the first apparatus 110, an RRC configuration switching after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command and / or a time duration for switching, by the first apparatus 110, from a currently used RRC configuration to a further RRC configuration to be used by the first apparatus 110.

[0057] Then the first apparatus 110 may transmit (206) the determined delay information to the second apparatus 120. As an example, the first apparatus 110 may transmit the delay information via an RRC configuration complete message. The absence of the determined delay information may indicate that the delay follows the specified delay, for example a fixed delay specified in the RRC specification.

[0058] For example, if the first apparatus 110 is configured with the first RRC configuration and the second RRC configuration, the first apparatus 110 may indicate, to the second apparatus 120, a switching delay for changing from the first RRC configuration to the second RRC configuration (e.g., from the first RRC profile (with RRC profile ID=1) to the second RRC profile (with RRC profile ID=2)) by the first apparatus 110.

[0059] After that, the first apparatus 110 may operate under the first RRC configuration (e.g., under the RRC profile with RRC profile ID=1).

[0060] The second apparatus 120 may decide (208) that an RRC configuration switching (i.e., an RRC profile change) is to be performed at the first apparatus 110. For example, the second apparatus 120 may determine that the second RRC configuration is to be used by the first apparatus 110. That is, the first RRC configuration currently used by the first apparatus 110 is to be changed.

[0061] In this situation, the second apparatus 120 may assume a switching delay of the first apparatus 110 for performing the RRC configuration switching based on delay information obtained from the first apparatus 110.

[0062] The second apparatus 120 may transmit (210), to the first apparatus 110, a message indicating an RRC configuration switching command for switching to a target RRC configuration. For example, a new RRC message “RRC profile change” may be introduced for carrying the RRC configuration switching command. The “RRC profile change” message may indicate a target RRC configuration to which the first apparatus 110 will switch. Moreover, the message indicating an RRC configuration switching command may also be an Medium Access Control (MAC) message or a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message.

[0063] Specifically, the RRC configuration switching command may comprise an identifier of the target RRC configuration to be used by the first apparatus 110.

[0064] In some embodiments, the RRC profile change message may be defined as a command to modify the currently used RRC profile. The associated signaling radio bearer (SRB) for the RRC profile change message may be SRB 1, the related Radio Link Control (RLC) Service Access Point (SAP) may operate with an Acknowledged Mode (AM), the logical channel for carrying the RRC profile change message may be a Dedicated Control Channel (DCCH), and the transmission direction of the RRC profile change message may be transmitted from the NW to the UE.

[0065] An example of a definition of the RRC profile change message is listed as below:Table 1 : RRCProfileChange message

[0066] As shown in Table 1, the RRCProfileChange message comprises a field named RRCProfileChange-IEs, which may refer to information elements associated with the RRC configuration / profile switching procedure to be performed by the first apparatus 110. A description of RRCProfileChange-IEs field is listed as below: Table 2

[0067] Upon receiving the RRC configuration switching command, if the first apparatus 110 determines that the RRC configuration switching command indicates the first apparatus 110 should switch to the target RRC configuration (e.g., the second RRC configuration), the first apparatus 110 may perform (212) the switching procedure, i.e., switching from the currently used RRC configuration to the target RRC configuration.

[0068] After the switching is successfully completed, the first apparatus 110 may transmit (214), to the second apparatus 120, an indication of a successful completion of the RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration. That is, the first apparatus 110 may indicate to the second apparatus 120 that the switching to the target RRC configuration has been completed.

[0069] For example, the indication is transmitted from the first apparatus 110 to the second apparatus 120 via an RRC profile change complete message.

[0070] In some embodiments, the RRC profile change complete message is used to confirm the successful completion of an RRC profile change. The associated SRB for theRRC profile change complete message may be SRB 1, the related RLC SAP may operate with an AM, the logical channel for carrying the RRC profile change complete may be a DCCH, and the transmission direction of the RRC profile change complete message may be transmitted from the NW to the UE.

[0071] An example of a definition of the RRC profile change complete message is listed as below:Table 3: RRCProfileChangeComplete message_ _

[0072] As shown in Table 3, the RRCProfileChangeComplete message comprises a field named RRCProfileChangeComplete-IEs, which may refer to information elements associated with the RRC configuration / profile switching procedure performed by the first apparatus 110. A description of RRCProfileChange-IEs field is listed as below:Table 4

[0073] As shown in Table 3 and Table 4, the indication of a successful completion of the RRC configuration switching, e.g., the RRCProfileChangeComplete message may indicate an identifier of the RRC configuration used by the first apparatus 110 after the RRC configuration switching.

[0074] As an example, the first apparatus 110 may also indicate, in the RRCProfileChangeComplete message, at least one time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching from at least one previously used RRC configuration to the target RRC configuration after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command, which may be indicated by the field “RRC -Delay Value” in Table 3. For example, the first apparatus 110 may indicate the time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching from a previously used RRC configuration (e.g., the first RRC configuration or the configuration that UE is currently using) to the target RRC configuration (e.g., the second RRC configuration) after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command.

[0075] After a successful completion of the RRC configuration switching to the second apparatus 120, the first apparatus 110 may operate with the target RRC configuration (e.g., the second RRC configuration).

[0076] In some embodiments, when the second apparatus 120 configures the one or more RRC configurations to the first apparatus 110, the second apparatus 120 may also configure at least one processing delay requirement for the first apparatus 110 to perform one or more RRC procedures. For example, a processing delay requirement may be expressed as the time in [ms] from the end of reception of the NW (e.g., the second apparatus 120) to a UE (e.g., the first apparatus 110) message 301 on the UE physical layer up to when the UE shall be ready for the reception of uplink grant 302 for the UE and to the NW response message (303)

[0077] with no access delay other than the alignment to the closest possible scheduling time instant N(e.g., excluding delays caused by actual scheduling process, the random access procedure or the physical layer synchronisation). The processing delay is shown in FIG. 3 by a time interval 310.

[0078] In a case where the RRC procedure triggers actions related to UE processing such as bandwidth changes (for example via a Bandwidth Part (BWP) switching), the RRC procedure delay is the value defined plus the UE processing delay (for example the BWP switching delay).

[0079] An example of UE performance requirements for RRC procedures is listed as below:Table 5: UE performance requirements for RRC procedures

[0080] As shown in Table 5, a default processing delay requirement (i.e. the default fixed value that is specified and all UEs support in specified circumstances) associated with the RRC configuration / profile change may be indicated by the value specified for“RRC profile change”, e.g., 8ms. Even in this case, the first apparatus 110 may also indicate if it can do the change faster or even slower than the official requirement. That is to say, the first apparatus 110 may determine the processing delay based on its capability or type.

[0081] Additionally, the absence of a delay value may also refer to basic UE capabilities or requirements for a profile change, i.e. there could be a (default) capability value or minimum UE requirement for how long a profile change can take. In this case, it could be either implicit (e.g., fixed in specification as exemplified above or determined by another capability such as UE type) or explicit (i.e., specific capability listing UE profile switching delay). An example of the explicit capability is shown below in Table 6.Table 6

[0082] As described above, in the solution of the present disclosure, in addition to the UE minimum requirements, additional signaling, such as RRCProfileChange message and RRCProfileChangeComplete message, can be defined enabling a UE indicating different minimum behavior than the defined fixed minimum requirements.

[0083] In this case, a specific RRC processing requirement can be defined for a message that only causes UE to switch its configuration to a stored value. The RRC processing requirements may vary for different UE types, i.e. the processing requirements will be fixed for a given UE, but the processing delay requirements may have different values for different UE types.

[0084] In addition, a UE may indicate to NW that it can support different processing delay than indicated by the default requirements for its type. Specifically, the UE can indicate the delay requirements in UE capabilities and / or response to the NW when a new RRC (profile) configuration is provided by the NW to the UE. Therefore, the indicated processing / switching delay can be shorter, same or longer to accommodate different types of UEs such as UEs with low capabilities requiring longer processing time.

[0085] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a first apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 400 will be described from the perspective of the first apparatus 110 in FIG. 1.

[0086] At block 410, the first apparatus 110 transmits, to a second apparatus, a delay information associated with a processing delay of the first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

[0087] At block 420, the first apparatus 110 receives, from the second apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

[0088] At block 430, the first apparatus 110 performs an RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration based on the delay information indicated by the first apparatus.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the method 400 further comprises: in accordance with a determination that the plurality of RRC configurations is received by the first apparatus from the second apparatus, determining the delay information based on a capability of the first apparatus.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the delay information comprises one or more switching delay corresponding to respective RRC configuration switching associated with the plurality of RRC configurations.

[0091] In some example embodiments, a switching delay represents at least one of the following: a preparation time for performing, by the first apparatus, an RRC configuration switching after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command; or a time duration for switching, by the first apparatus, from an RRC configuration to a further RRC configuration.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the message comprises an RRC profile change message or a medium access control, MAC message or a downlink control information, DCI message .

[0093] In some example embodiments, the RRC message indicates an identifier of thetarget RRC configuration to be used by the first apparatus.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the method 400 further comprises: transmitting, to the second apparatus, an indication of a successful completion of the RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the indication is transmitted via an RRC profile change complete message.

[0096] In some example embodiments, the indication indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration currently used by the first apparatus.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the method 400 further comprises: indicating, to the second apparatus along with the indication of the successful completion of the RRC configuration switching, at least one time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching from at least one previously used RRC configuration to the target RRC configuration after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command.

[0098] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0099] FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a second apparatus in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, the method 500 will be described from the perspective of the second apparatus 120 in FIG. 1.

[0100] At block 510, the second apparatus 120 receives, from a first apparatus, delay information associated with a processing delay of first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

[0101] At block 520, the second apparatus 120 transmits, to the first apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

[0102] In some example embodiments, the delay information comprises one or more switching delay corresponding to respective RRC configuration switching associated with the plurality of RRC configurations.

[0103] In some example embodiments, a switching delay represents at least one of the following: a preparation time for performing, by the first apparatus, an RRC configuration switching after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command; or a time duration for switching, by the first apparatus, from an RRC configuration to a further RRC configuration.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the message comprises an RRC profile change message or a medium access control, MAC message or a downlink control information, DCI message.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the RRC message indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration to be used by the first apparatus.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises: receiving, from the first apparatus, an indication of a successful completion of the RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the indication is received via an RRC profile change complete message.

[0108] In some example embodiments, the indication indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration currently used by the first apparatus.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises: receiving, from the first apparatus along with the indication of the successful completion, at least one time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching from at least one previously used RRC configuration to the target RRC configuration after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises: assuming a time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching by the first apparatus based on the delay information and / or a default delay value associated with the capability of the first apparatus during a determination on the RRC configuration switching of first apparatus.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0112] In some example embodiments, a first apparatus capable of performing any ofthe method 400 (for example, the first apparatus 110 in FIG. 1) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 400. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The first apparatus may be implemented as or included in the first apparatus 110 in FIG. 1.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises means for transmitting, to a second apparatus, a delay information associated with a processing delay of the first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; means for receiving, from the second apparatus, a dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and means for performing an RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration based on the delay information indicated by the first apparatus.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for, in accordance with a determination that the plurality of RRC configurations is received by the first apparatus from the second apparatus, determining the delay information based on a capability of the first apparatus.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the delay information comprises one or more switching delay corresponding to respective RRC configuration switching associated with the plurality of RRC configurations.

[0116] In some example embodiments, a switching delay represents at least one of the following: a preparation time for performing, by the first apparatus, an RRC configuration switching after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command; or a time duration for switching, by the first apparatus, from an RRC configuration to a further RRC configuration.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the message comprises an RRC profile change message or a medium access control, MAC message or a downlink control information, DCI message .

[0118] In some example embodiments, the RRC message indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration to be used by the first apparatus.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting, to the second apparatus, an indication of a successful completion of the RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the indication is transmitted via an RRC profile change complete message.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the indication indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration currently used by the first apparatus.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for indicating, to the second apparatus along with the indication of the successful completion of the RRC configuration switching, at least one time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching from at least one previously used RRC configuration to the target RRC configuration after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0124] In some example embodiments, a second apparatus capable of performing any of the method 500 (for example, the second apparatus 120 in FIG. 1) may comprise means for performing the respective operations of the method 500. The means may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the means may be implemented in a circuitry or software module. The second apparatus may be implemented as or included in the second apparatus 120 in FIG. 1.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus comprises means for receiving, from a first apparatus, delay information associated with a processing delay of first apparatus for performing at least one RRC configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the delay information comprises one or more switching delay corresponding to respective RRC configuration switching associated with the plurality of RRC configurations.

[0127] In some example embodiments, a switching delay represents at least one of thefollowing: a preparation time for performing, by the first apparatus, an RRC configuration switching after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command; or a time duration for switching, by the first apparatus, from an RRC configuration to a further RRC configuration.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the message comprises an RRC profile change message or a medium access control, MAC message or a downlink control information, DCI message .

[0129] In some example embodiments, the RRC message indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration to be used by the first apparatus.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the first apparatus, an indication of a successful completion of the RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration.[013 l]In some example embodiments, the indication is received via an RRC profile change complete message.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the indication indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration currently used by the first apparatus.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the first apparatus along with the indication of the successful completion, at least one time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching from at least one previously used RRC configuration to the target RRC configuration after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for assuming a time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching by the first apparatus based on the delay information and / or a default delay value associated with the capability of the first apparatus during a determination on the RRC configuration switching of first apparatus.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

[0136] FIG. 6 is a simplified block diagram of a device 600 that is suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 600 may beprovided to implement a communication device, for example, the first apparatus 110 or the second apparatus 120 as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the device 600 includes one or more processors 610, one or more memories 620 coupled to the processor 610, and one or more communication modules 640 coupled to the processor 610.

[0137] The communication module 640 is for bidirectional communications. The communication module 640 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interfaces may represent any interface that is necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 640 may include at least one antenna.

[0138] The processor 610 may be of any type suitable to the local technical network and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 600 may have multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the main processor.

[0139] The memory 620 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of the non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a Read Only Memory (ROM) 624, an electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disk (DVD), an optical disk, a laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of the volatile memories include, but are not limited to, a random-access memory (RAM) 622 and other volatile memories that will not last in the power-down duration.

[0140] A computer program 630 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 610. The instructions of the program 630 may include instructions for performing operations / acts of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 630 may be stored in the memory, e.g., the ROM 624. The processor 610 may perform any suitable actions and processing by loading the program 630 into the RAM 622.

[0141] The example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of the program 630 so that the device 600 may perform any process of thedisclosure as discussed with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5. The example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the program 630 may be tangibly contained in a computer readable medium which may be included in the device 600 (such as in the memory 620) or other storage devices that are accessible by the device 600. The device 600 may load the program 630 from the computer readable medium to the RAM 622 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer readable medium may include any types of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, a flash memory, a hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like. The term “non-transitory,” as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0143] FIG. 7 shows an example of the computer readable medium 700 which may be in form of CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 700 has the program 630 stored thereon.

[0144] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. Although various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representations, it is to be understood that the block, apparatus, system, technique or method described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0145] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer readable medium, such as a non- transitory computer readable medium. The computer program product includes computerexecutable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor, to carry out any of the methods as described above. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks orimplement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0146] Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

[0147] In the context of the present disclosure, the computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable the device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of the carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

[0148] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium would include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0149] Further, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, although several specific implementation details are containedin the above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Unless explicitly stated, certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, unless explicitly stated, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in a plurality of embodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0150] Although the present disclosure has been described in languages specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A first apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to: transmit, to a second apparatus, a delay information associated with a processing delay of the first apparatus for performing at least one radio resource control, RRC, configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; receive, from the second apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and perform an RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration based on the delay information indicated by the first apparatus.

2. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: in accordance with a determination that the plurality of RRC configurations is received by the first apparatus from the second apparatus, determine the delay information based on a capability of the first apparatus.

3. The first apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the delay information comprises one or more switching delay corresponding to respective RRC configuration switching associated with the plurality of RRC configurations.

4. The first apparatus of claim 3, wherein a switching delay represents at least one of the following: a preparation time for performing, by the first apparatus, an RRC configuration switching after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command; or a time duration for switching, by the first apparatus, from an RRC configuration to a further RRC configuration.

5. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein the message comprises an RRC profile change message or a medium access control, MAC message or a downlink control29information, DCI message.

6. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-5, wherein the message indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration to be used by the first apparatus.

7. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-6, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: transmit, to the second apparatus, an indication of a successful completion of theRRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration.

8. The first apparatus of claim 7, wherein the indication is transmitted via an RRC profile change complete message.

9. The first apparatus of claim 7 or 8, wherein the indication indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration currently used by the first apparatus.

10. The first apparatus of any of claims 7-9, wherein the first apparatus is caused to: indicate, to the second apparatus along with the indication of the successful completion of the RRC configuration switching, at least one time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching from at least one previously used RRC configuration to the target RRC configuration after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command.

11. The first apparatus of any of claims 1-10, wherein the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

12. A second apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus at least to: receive, from a first apparatus, delay information associated with a processing delay of first apparatus for performing at least one radio resource control, RRC, configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and transmit, to the first apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC30configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

13. The second apparatus of claim 12, wherein the delay information comprises one or more switching delay corresponding to respective RRC configuration switching associated with the plurality of RRC configurations.

14. The second apparatus of claim 13, wherein a switching delay represents at least one of the following: a preparation time for performing, by the first apparatus, an RRC configuration switching after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command; or a time duration for switching, by the first apparatus, from an RRC configuration to a further RRC configuration.

15. The second apparatus of any of claims 12-14, wherein the message comprises an RRC profile change message or a medium access control, MAC message or a downlink control information, DCI message .

16. The second apparatus of any of claims 12-15, wherein the message indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration to be used by the first apparatus.

17. The second apparatus of any of claims 12-16, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: receive, from the first apparatus, an indication of a successful completion of the RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration.

18. The second apparatus of claim 17, wherein the indication is received via an RRC profile change complete message.

19. The first apparatus of claim 17 or 18, wherein the indication indicates an identifier of the target RRC configuration currently used by the first apparatus.

20. The second apparatus of any of claims 17-19, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: receive, from the first apparatus along with the indication of the successfulcompletion, at least one time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching from at least one previously used RRC configuration to the target RRC configuration after a reception of the RRC configuration switching command.

21. The second apparatus of any of claims 12-20, wherein the second apparatus is caused to: assume a time duration for completing the RRC configuration switching by the first apparatus based on the delay information and / or a default delay value associated with the capability of the first apparatus during a determination on the RRC configuration switching of first apparatus.

22. The second apparatus of any of claims 12-21, wherein the first apparatus comprises a terminal device and the second apparatus comprises a network device.

23. A method comprising: transmitting, from a first apparatus to a second apparatus, a delay information associated with a processing delay of the first apparatus for performing at least one radio resource control, RRC, configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; receiving, from the second apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and performing an RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration based on the delay information indicated by the first apparatus.

24. A method comprising: receiving, by a second apparatus from a first apparatus, delay information associated with a processing delay of first apparatus for performing at least one radio resource control, RRC, configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and transmitting, to the first apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

25. A first apparatus comprising: means for transmitting, to a second apparatus, a delay information associated with a processing delay of the first apparatus for performing at least one radio resource control, RRC, configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; means for receiving, from the second apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and means for performing an RRC configuration switching to the target RRC configuration based on the delay information indicated by the first apparatus.

26. A second apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a first apparatus, delay information associated with a processing delay of first apparatus for performing at least one radio resource control, RRC, configuration switching between RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus; and means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a message dedicated for an RRC configuration change indicating an RRC configuration switching command to switch to a target RRC configuration in the RRC configurations configured for the first apparatus.

27. A computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for causing an apparatus at least to perform the method of claim 23 or the method of claim 24.

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