Indicating reporting mode

Abstract

Disclosed is a method comprising: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; receiving, from the network device, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell.

Description

IINDICATING REPORTING MODEFIELD

[0001] The following example embodiments relate to wireless communication.BACKGROUND

[0002] As energy resources are limited, it is desirable to optimize the power consumption of wireless communication devices.SUMMARY

[0003] The scope of protection sought for various example embodiments is set out by the claims. The example embodiments and features, if any, described in this specification that do not fall under the scope of the claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding various embodiments.

[0004] According to a first aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; means for receiving, from the network device, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and means for applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell.

[0005] According to a second aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the first aspect, further comprising: means for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as an initial reporting mode for the one or more cells prior to receiving the indication.

[0006] According to a third aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the second aspect, further comprising: means for continuing to apply the initial reporting mode for at least one other cell of the one or more cells, while applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell of the one or more cells.

[0007] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the second aspect, further comprising: means for stopping applying the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells, while applying the indicated reporting mode.

[0008] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the second to fourth aspects, further comprising: means for resuming applying the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells and means for stopping applying the indicatedreporting mode for the at least one cell, based on one or more pre-defined conditions being fulfilled.

[0009] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the fifth aspect, wherein the one or more pre-defined conditions comprise at least one of: receiving another indication from the network device, a pre-defined time period expiring, transmitting a pre-defined number of reports according to the indicated reporting mode, performing a handover or a cell switch, or receiving another configuration from the network device.

[0010] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the second to sixth aspects, wherein applying the first reporting mode as the initial reporting mode comprises transmitting, to the network device, one or more cell detection status reports indicating the detection status of the one or more cells, or wherein applying the second reporting mode as the initial reporting mode comprises performing one or more reference signal measurements of the one or more cells, and transmitting, to the network device, one or more measurement reports comprising one or more measurement result values obtained from the one or more reference signal measurements.

[0011] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the seventh aspect, wherein the one or more cell detection status reports do not comprise measurement result values associated with the one or more cells.

[0012] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the second to eighth aspects, wherein the means for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as the initial reporting mode are configured to apply the first reporting mode as the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells prior to receiving the indication, and wherein the indication indicates to apply the second reporting mode as the reporting mode for the at least one cell of the one or more cells.

[0013] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the second to eighth aspects, wherein the means for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as the initial reporting mode are configured to apply the second reporting mode as the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells prior to receiving the indication, and wherein the indication indicates to apply the first reporting mode as the reporting mode for the at least one cell of the one or more cells.

[0014] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for transmitting, to a user device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and asecond reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; means for generating an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied at the user device for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and means for transmitting the indication to the user device.

[0015] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the first to eleventh aspects, wherein the indication is comprised in one of: a radio resource control, RRC, message, a medium access control, MAC, control element, CE, an in-band signaling message, a downlink control information message, or a signal related to radio resource management.

[0016] According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the twelfth aspect, wherein the signal related to radio resource management comprises a secondary cell configuration, or a secondary cell activation command.

[0017] According to a fourteenth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the first to thirteenth aspects, wherein the one or more configurations indicate at least one carrier on which the one or more cells are deployed.

[0018] According to a fifteenth aspect, there is provided a method comprising: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; receiving, from the network device, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell.

[0019] According to a sixteenth aspect, there is provided a method comprising: transmitting, to a user device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; generating an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied at the user device for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and transmitting the indication to the user device.

[0020] According to a seventeenth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurationsfor configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; receiving, from the network device, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell.

[0021] According to an eighteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: transmitting, to a user device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; generating an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied at the user device for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and transmitting the indication to the user device.

[0022] According to a nineteenth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; receiving, from the network device, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell.

[0023] According to a twentieth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: transmitting, to a user device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; generating an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied at the userdevice for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and transmitting the indication to the user device.

[0024] According to a twenty-first aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; receiving, from the network device, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell.

[0025] According to a twenty-second aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: transmitting, to a user device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; generating an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied at the user device for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and transmitting the indication to the user device.

[0026] According to a twenty-third aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; receive, from the network device, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and apply the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell.

[0027] According to a twenty-fourth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: transmit, to a userdevice, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; generate an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied at the user device for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and transmit the indication to the user device.

[0028] According to a twenty-fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; means for determining whether one or more conditions are fulfilled for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as a conditional reporting mode for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and means for applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell, based on determining that the one or more conditions are fulfilled.

[0029] According to a twenty-sixth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the twenty-fifth aspect, wherein the one or more conditions are pre-defined, or indicated from the network device.

[0030] According to a twenty-seventh aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the twenty-fifth or twenty-sixth aspect, wherein the one or more conditions comprise at least one of the following conditions for applying the second reporting mode as the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell: a measured signal quality value of the serving cell being below a first threshold, a measured signal quality value of at least one non-serving cell being above a second threshold, the apparatus having data to transmit, or a data buffer status of the apparatus being above a third threshold.

[0031] According to a twenty-eighth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the twenty-fifth to twenty-seventh aspects, wherein the one or more conditions comprise at least one of the following conditions for applying the first reporting mode as the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell: a measured signal quality value of the serving cell being above a fourth threshold, the measured signal quality value of the serving cell being higher than a measured signal quality value of at least one non-serving cell by a pre-defined margin, the measured signal quality value of the at least one non-serving cell being below a fifth threshold, the apparatus having no data to transmit, or a data buffer status of the apparatus being below a sixth threshold.

[0032] According to a twenty-ninth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the twenty-fifth to twenty-eighth aspects, further comprising means for applying the first reporting mode or the second reporting mode as an initial reporting mode for the one or more cells prior to determining whether the one or more conditions are fulfilled.

[0033] According to a thirtieth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the twenty-ninth aspect, further comprising means for continuing to apply the initial reporting mode for at least one other cell of the one or more cells, while applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell of the one or more cells.

[0034] According to a thirty-first aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the twenty-ninth aspect, further comprising means for stopping applying the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells, while applying the conditional reporting mode.

[0035] According to a thirty-second aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the twenty-ninth to thirty-first aspects, further comprising means for resuming applying the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells and means for stopping applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell, based on one or more additional conditions being fulfilled.

[0036] According to a thirty-third aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the thirty-second aspect, wherein the one or more additional conditions comprise at least one of: determining that the one or more conditions are no longer fulfilled, a pre-defined time period expiring, transmitting a pre-defined number of reports according to the conditional reporting mode, performing a handover or a cell switch, receiving another configuration from the network device, or activating another reporting configuration.

[0037] According to a thirty-fourth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the twenty-ninth to thirty-third aspects, wherein applying the first reporting mode as the initial reporting mode comprises transmitting, to the network device, one or more cell detection status reports indicating the detection status of the one or more cells, or wherein applying the second reporting mode as the initial reporting mode comprises performing one or more reference signal measurements of the one or more cells, and transmitting, to the network device, one or more measurement reports comprising one or more measurement result values obtained from the one or more reference signal measurements.

[0038] According to a thirty-fifth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the thirty-fourth aspect, wherein the one or more cell detection status reports do not comprise measurement result values associated with the one or more cells.

[0039] According to a thirty-sixth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the twenty-ninth to thirty-fifth aspects, wherein the means for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as the initial reporting mode are configured to apply the first reporting mode as the initial reporting mode, and wherein the means for applying the conditional reporting mode are configured to apply the second reporting mode as the conditional reporting mode.

[0040] According to a thirty-seventh aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the twenty-ninth to thirty-fifth aspects, wherein the means for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as the initial reporting mode are configured to apply the first reporting mode as the initial reporting mode, and wherein the means for applying the conditional reporting mode are configured to apply the first reporting mode as the conditional reporting mode.

[0041] According to a thirty-eighth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: means for generating one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; and means for transmitting the one or more configurations to a user device.

[0042] According to a thirty-ninth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of the thirty-eighth aspect, further comprising: means for transmitting, to the user device, an indication indicating one or more conditions for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as a conditional reporting mode for at least one cell of the one or more cells.

[0043] According to a fortieth aspect, there is provided the apparatus of any of the twenty-fifth to thirty-ninth aspects, wherein the one or more configurations indicate at least one carrier on which the one or more cells are deployed.

[0044] According to a forty-first aspect, there is provided a method comprising: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; determining whether one or more conditions are fulfilled for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as a conditional reporting mode for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell, based on determining that the one or more conditions are fulfilled.

[0045] According to a forty-second aspect, there is provided a method comprising: generating one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; and transmitting the one or more configurations to a user device.

[0046] According to a forty-third aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; determining whether one or more conditions are fulfilled for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as a conditional reporting mode for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell, based on determining that the one or more conditions are fulfilled.

[0047] According to a forty-fourth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: generating one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; and transmitting the one or more configurations to a user device.

[0048] According to a forty-fifth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; determining whether one or more conditions are fulfilled for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as a conditional reporting mode for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell, based on determining that the one or more conditions are fulfilled.

[0049] According to a forty-sixth aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: generating one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; and transmitting the one or more configurations to a user device.

[0050] According to a forty-seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; determining whether one or more conditions are fulfilled for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as a conditional reporting mode for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell, based on determining that the one or more conditions are fulfilled.

[0051] According to a forty-eighth aspect, there is provided a computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: generating one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; and transmitting the one or more configurations to a user device.

[0052] According to a forty-ninth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; determine whether one or more conditions are fulfilled for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as a conditional reporting mode for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and apply the conditionalreporting mode for the at least one cell, based on determining that the one or more conditions are fulfilled.

[0053] According to a fiftieth aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: generate one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; and transmit the one or more configurations to a user device.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] In the following, various example embodiments will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichFIG. 1A illustrates an example of a wireless communication network;FIG. IB illustrates an example of a system;FIG. 2 illustrates a signal flow diagram;FIG. 3 illustrates a signal flow diagram;FIG. 4 illustrates a signal flow diagram;FIG. 5 illustrates a signal flow diagram;FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart;FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart;FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart;FIG. 9 illustrates a flow chart;FIG. 10 illustrates an example of an apparatus; andFIG. 11 illustrates an example of an apparatus.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The following embodiments are exemplifying. Although the specification may refer to “an”, “one”, or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations of the text, this does not necessarily mean that each reference is made to the same embodiment(s), or that a particular feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the words "comprising" and "including" should be understood as notlimiting the described embodiments to consist of only those features that have been mentioned, and such embodiments may also contain features that have not been specifically mentioned. Reference numbers, in the description and / or in the claims, serve to illustrate the embodiments with reference to the drawings, without limiting the embodiments to these examples only.

[0056] Some example embodiments described herein may be implemented in a wireless communication network comprising a radio access network based on one or more of the following radio access technologies (RATs): global system for mobile communications (GSM) or any other second generation (2G) radio access technology, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), long term evolution (LTE), LTE- Advanced, fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), 5G new radio (NR), 5G-Advanced (i.e., 3GPP NR Rel-18 and beyond), or sixth generation (6G). Some examples of radio access networks include the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) radio access network (UTRAN), the evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRA), or the next generation radio access network (NG-RAN). The wireless communication network may further comprise a core network, and some example embodiments may also be applied to network functions of the core network.

[0057] It should be noted that the embodiments are not restricted to the wireless communication network given as an example, but a person skilled in the art may also apply the solution to other wireless communication networks or systems provided with necessary properties. For example, some example embodiments may also be applied to a communication system based on IEEE 802.11 specifications, or a communication system based on IEEE 802.15 specifications. IEEE is an abbreviation for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

[0058] FIG. 1A depicts an example of a simplified wireless communication network showing some physical and logical entities. The connections shown in FIG. 1A may be physical connections or logical connections. It is apparent to a person skilled in the art that the wireless communication network may also comprise other physical and logical entities than those shown in FIG. 1A.

[0059] The example embodiments described herein are not, however, restricted to the wireless communication network given as an example but a person skilled in the art may apply the example embodiments described herein to other wireless communication networks provided with necessary properties.

[0060] The example wireless communication network shown in FIG. 1A includes a radio access network (RAN) and a core network 110.

[0061] FIG. 1A shows user equipment (UE) 100, 102 configured to be in a wireless connection on one or more communication channels in a radio cell with an access node 104 of a radio access network.

[0062] The access node 104 may comprise a computing device configured to control the radio resources of the access node 104 and to be in a wireless connection with one or more UEs 100, 102. The access node 104 may also be referred to as a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), an access point, a cell site, a network node, a radio access network node, a RAN node, or a network device.

[0063] The access node 104 may be, for example, an evolved NodeB (abbreviated as eNB or eNodeB), or a next generation evolved NodeB (abbreviated as ng-eNB), or a next generation NodeB (abbreviated as gNB or gNodeB), providing the radio cell. The access node 104 may include or be coupled to transceivers. From the transceivers of the access node 104, a connection may be provided to an antenna unit that establishes a bi-directional radio link to one or more UEs 100, 102. The antenna unit may comprise an antenna or antenna element, or a plurality of antennas or antenna elements.

[0064] The wireless connection (e.g., radio link) from a UE 100, 102 to the access node 104 may be called uplink (UL) or reverse link, and the wireless connection (e.g., radio link) from the access node 104 to the UE 100, 102 may be called downlink (DL) or forward link. A UE 100 may also communicate directly with another UE 102, and vice versa, via a wireless connection generally referred to as a sidelink (SL). It should be appreciated that the access node 104 or its functionalities may be implemented by using any node, host, server, access point or other entity suitable for providing such functionalities.

[0065] The radio access network may comprise more than one access node 104, in which case the access nodes may also be configured to communicate with one another over wired or wireless links. These links between access nodes may be used for sending and / or receiving control plane signaling and also for routing data from one access node to another access node.

[0066] The access node 104 may further be connected to a core network (CN) 110. The core network 110 may comprise an evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or a 5thgeneration core network (5GC). The EPC may comprise network entities, such as a serving gateway (S-GW for routing and forwarding data packets), a packet data network gateway (P-GW) for providing connectivity of UEs to external packet data networks, and / ora mobility management entity (MME). The 5GC may comprise one or more network functions, such as at least one of: a user plane function (UPF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a location management function (LMF), and / or a session management function (SMF).

[0067] The core network 110 may also be able to communicate with one or more external networks 113, such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet, or utilize services provided by them. For example, in 5G wireless communication networks, the UPF of the core network 110 may be configured to communicate with an external data network via an N6 interface. In LTE wireless communication networks, the P-GW of the core network 110 may be configured to communicate with an external data network.

[0068] It should also be understood that the distribution of functions between core network operations and access node operations may differ in future wireless communication networks compared to that of the LTE or 5G, or even be non-existent.

[0069] The illustrated UE 100, 102 is one type of an apparatus to which resources on the air interface may be allocated and assigned. The UE 100, 102 may also be called a wireless communication device, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a terminal device, or a user device, just to mention but a few names. The UE 100, 102 may be a computing device operating with or without a subscriber identification module (SIM), including, but not limited to, the following types of computing devices: a mobile phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handset, a computing device comprising a wireless modem (e.g., an alarm or measurement device, etc.), a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet, a game console, a notebook, a multimedia device, a reduced capability (RedCap) device, a wearable device (e.g., a watch, earphones or eyeglasses) with radio parts, a sensor comprising a wireless modem, or a computing device comprising a wireless modem integrated in a vehicle.

[0070] It should be appreciated that the UE 100, 102 may also be a nearly exclusive uplink-only device, of which an example may be a camera or video camera loading images or video clips to a network. The UE 100, 102 may also be a device having capability to operate in an Internet of Things (loT) network, which is a scenario in which objects may be provided with the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to- human or human-to-computer interaction.

[0071] The wireless communication network may also be able to support the usage of cloud services. For example, at least part of core network operations may be carried out as a cloud service (this is depicted in FIG. 1A by “cloud” 114). The UE 100, 102 may alsoutilize the cloud 114. In some applications, the computation for a given UE may be carried out in the cloud 114 or in another UE.

[0072] The wireless communication network may also comprise a central control entity, such as a network management system (NMS), or the like. The NMS is a centralized suite of software and hardware used to monitor, control, and administer the network infrastructure. The NMS is responsible for a wide range of tasks such as fault management, configuration management, security management, performance management, and accounting management. The NMS enables network operators to efficiently manage and optimize network resources, ensuring that the network delivers high performance, reliability, and security.

[0073] 5G enables using multiple-input and multiple-output (M1M0) antennas in the access node 104 and / or the UE 100, 102, many more base stations or access nodes than an LTE network (a so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in cooperation with smaller stations and employing a variety of radio technologies depending on service needs, use cases and / or spectrum available. 5G wireless communication networks may support a wide range of use cases and related applications including video streaming, augmented reality, different ways of data sharing and various forms of machine-type applications, such as (massive) machine-type communications (mMTC), including vehicular safety, different sensors and real-time control.

[0074] In 5G wireless communication networks, access nodes and / or UEs may have multiple radio interfaces, such as below 6 gigahertz (GHz), centimeter wave (cmWave) and millimeter wave (mmWave), and also being integrable with legacy radio access technologies, such as LTE. Integration with LTE may be implemented, for example, as a system, where macro coverage may be provided by LTE, and 5G radio interface access may come from small cells by aggregation to LTE. In other words, a 5G wireless communication network may support both inter- RAT operability (such as interoperability between LTE and 5G) and inter-Rl operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as between below 6GHz, cmWave, and mmWave).

[0075] 5G wireless communication networks may also apply network slicing, in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual sub-networks (network instances) may be created within the same physical infrastructure to run services that have different requirements on latency, reliability, throughput and mobility.

[0076] In one embodiment, an access node 104 may comprise: a radio unit (RU) 103 comprising a radio transceiver (TRX), i.e., a transmitter (Tx) and a receiver (Rx); one ormore distributed units (DUs) 105 that may be used for the so-called Layer 1 (LI) processing and real-time Layer 2 (L2) processing; and a central unit (CU) 108 (also known as a centralized unit) that may be used for non-real-time L2 and Layer 3 (L3) processing. The CU 108 may be connected to the one or more DUs 105 for example via an Fl interface. Such an embodiment of the access node 104 may enable the centralization of CUs relative to the cell sites and DUs, whereas DUs may be more distributed and may even remain at cell sites. The CU and DU together may also be referred to as baseband or a baseband unit (BBU). The CU and DU may also be comprised in a radio access point (RAP).

[0077] The CU 108 may be a logical node hosting radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) and / or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), of the NR protocol stack for an access node 104. The CU 108 may comprise a control plane (CU-CP), which may be a logical node hosting the RRC and the control plane part of the PDCP protocol of the NR protocol stack for the access node 104. The CU 108 may further comprise a user plane (CU-UP), which may be a logical node hosting the user plane part of the PDCP protocol and the SDAP protocol of the CU for the access node 104.

[0078] The DU 105 may be a logical node hosting radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC) and / or physical (PHY) layers of the NR protocol stack for the access node 104. The operations of the DU 105 may be at least partly controlled by the CU 108. It should also be understood that the distribution of functions between the DU 105 and the CU 108 may vary depending on the implementation.

[0079] Cloud computing systems may also be used to provide the CU 108 and / or DU 105. A CU provided by a cloud computing system may be referred to as a virtualized CU (vCU). In addition to the vCU, there may also be a virtualized DU (vDU) provided by a cloud computing system. Furthermore, there may also be a combination, where the DU may be implemented on so-called bare metal solutions, for example application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or customer-specific standard product (CSSP) system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0080] Edge cloud may be brought into the radio access network by utilizing network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined networking (SDN). Using edge cloud may mean access node operations to be carried out, at least partly, in a computing system operationally coupled to a remote radio head (RRH) or a radio unit (RU) 103 of an access node 104. It is also possible that access node operations may be performed on a distributed computing system or a cloud computing system located at the access node 104. Application of cloud RAN architecture enables RAN real-time functions being carried out atthe radio access network (e.g., in a DU 105), and non-real-time functions being carried out in a centralized manner (e.g., in a CU 108).

[0081] 5G (or new radio, NR) wireless communication networks may support multiple hierarchies, where multi-access edge computing (MEC) servers may be placed between the core network 110 and the access node 104. It should be appreciated that MEC may be applied in LTE wireless communication networks as well.

[0082] A 5G wireless communication network (“5G network”) may also comprise a non-terrestrial communication network, such as a satellite communication network, to enhance or complement the coverage of the 5G radio access network. For example, satellite communication may support the transfer of data between the 5G radio access network and the core network 110, enabling more extensive network coverage. Possible use cases may include: providing service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (loT) devices or for passengers on board of vehicles, or ensuring service availability for critical communications, and future railway, maritime, or aeronautical communications. Satellite communication may utilize geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite systems, or low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, such as mega-constellations (i.e., systems in which hundreds of (nano)satellites are deployed). Alternatively, the satellites may be an airborne devices, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or a high-altitude platform system (HAPS). A given satellite 106 may provide communication services on Earth via one or more satellite beams. The one or more satellite beams create one or more cells over a given service area that may be bounded by the field of view of the satellite 106.

[0083] It is obvious for a person skilled in the art that the access node 104 depicted in FIG. 1A is just an example of a part of a radio access network, and in practice the radio access network may comprise a plurality of access nodes 104, the UEs 100, 102 may have access to a plurality of radio cells, and the radio access network may also comprise other apparatuses, such as physical layer relay access nodes or other entities. At least one of the access nodes may be a Home eNodeB or a Home gNodeB. A Home gNodeB or a Home eNodeB is a type of access node that may be used to provide indoor coverage inside a home, office, or other indoor environment.

[0084] Additionally, in a geographical area of a radio access network, a plurality of different kinds of radio cells as well as a plurality of radio cells may be provided. Radio cells may be macro cells (or umbrella cells) which may be large cells having a diameter of up to tens of kilometers, or smaller cells such as micro-, femto- or picocells. The access node(s) 104 of FIG. 1A may provide any kind of these cells. A cellular radio network may beimplemented as a multilayer access networks including several kinds of radio cells. In multilayer access networks, one access node may provide one kind of a radio cell or radio cells, and thus a plurality of access nodes may be needed to provide such a multilayer access network.

[0085] For fulfilling the need for improving performance of radio access networks, the concept of “plug-and-play” access nodes may be introduced. A radio access network, which may be able to use “plug-and-play” access nodes, may include, in addition to Home eNodeBs or Home gNodeBs, a Home Node B gateway (HNB-GW) (not shown in FIG. 1A). An HNB-GW, which may be installed within an operator’s radio access network, may aggregate traffic from a large number of Home eNodeBs or Home gNodeBs back to a core network 110 of the operator.

[0086] 6G wireless communication networks are expected to adopt flexible decentralized and / or distributed computing systems and architecture and ubiquitous computing, with local spectrum licensing, spectrum sharing, infrastructure sharing, and intelligent automated management underpinned by mobile edge computing, artificial intelligence, short-packet communication and blockchain technologies. Key features of 6G may include intelligent connected management and control functions, programmability, integrated sensing and communication, reduction of energy footprint, trustworthy infrastructure, scalability and affordability. In addition to these, 6G is also targeting new use cases covering the integration of localization and sensing capabilities into system definition to unifying user experience across physical and digital worlds.

[0087] FIG. IB illustrates an example of a system, to which some example embodiments may be applied. The system comprises at least a UE 100 and a plurality of access nodes 104, 104B, 104C controlling a plurality of cells 121, 122, 123. Herein the term “cell” refers to a radio cell. The access nodes 104, 104B, 104C may also be referred to as network devices.

[0088] Although three cells 121, 122, 123 and three access nodes 104, 104B, 104C are shown in FIG. IB, it should be noted that the number of cells and access nodes may also be higher or lower than three. Moreover, in FIG. IB, each of the cells is managed by a separate access node. However, it should be noted that one access node (e.g., 104, 104B, or 104C) may manage or control one or more cells 121, 122, 123.

[0089] One of the cells (e.g., cell 121) may be referred to as a serving cell of the UE 100, while the other cells (e.g., cells 122, 123) may be referred to as neighboring cells or non-serving cells. Each cell 121, 122, 123 covers a specific geographic area. The serving cell121 is the cell that is currently providing network coverage and connectivity to the UE 100. The serving cell 121 (or the access node 104 controlling the serving cell 121) handles the communication between the UE 100 and the network. As UE 100 moves, it may transition from one cell to another. The process of switching from the current serving cell 121 to a new cell 122, 123 may be referred to as a handover, handoff, cell change or cell switch.

[0090] The UE 100 may perform measurements of the radio signals that the UE 100 receives from one or more cells 121, 122, 123 (or from the corresponding access nodes 104, 104B, 104C), and the UE 100 may report these measurements to the access node 104 of the serving cell 121. For example, these measurements may be based on at least one of the following metrics: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (S1NR), or received signal strength indicator (RSS1).

[0091] For example, in NR, the UE measurements and reporting may be used for beam management, carrier aggregation and / or mobility purposes (e.g., handovers). The UE measurements may be performed and reported at Layer 1 (i.e., physical layer) and / or Layer 3 (i.e., RRC layer). The measurements may be based on a synchronization signal block (SSB) or, if configured in CSl-MeasConfig, also based on a channel state information reference signal (CS1-RS).

[0092] LI measurements are beam-level measurements that were originally introduced for the purpose of beam management (BM) and for the serving cell only. Later LI measurement support for LI RSRP for inter-cell BM was introduced (enabling measurements and reporting from a non-serving cell). Additionally, LI measurements and reporting have been introduced for cell change or cell switch, such as L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM). LI RSRP measurements may be reported by the UE 100 in channel state information (CSI) based on CSl-ReportConfig. LI measurements and reporting may be configured for the serving cell for beam management purposes and for neighboring cells 122, 123 for example for lower-layer mobility purposes (e.g., LTM).

[0093] L3 measurements may be cell-level or SSB-level measurements. In frequency range one (FR1), SSB-level measurements may, in some cases, be generated from the LI measurements by applying L3 filtering. Cell-level measurements may be derived from the LI measurements using certain rules. L3 RSRP measurements may be reported in an RRC measurement report in the MeasResults information element.

[0094] Currently, L3 measurement reporting of synchronization signal reference signal received power (SS-RSRP) and channel state information reference signal receivedpower (CS1-RSRP) may be defined, for example, from -156 decibel-milliwatts (dBm) to -31 dBm with 1 decibel (dB) resolution as defined in table 10.1.6.1-1 in TS 38.133, where the UE 100 may report the value corresponding to the L3 filtered measurement and fulfil the measurement accuracy requirement depending on frequency range and conditions as defined in section 10 of TS 38.133. LI measurement reporting may follow the same table, but the range of reporting may be, for example, from -140 dBm to -44 dBm according to the specifications.

[0095] Differential reporting may be used for LI reporting, where the UE 100 reports the best value (e.g., according to the mapping in table 10.1.6.1-1 in TS 38.133), and reports other values as differential values compared to this first value, for example, with 0 dB to -30 dB with a 2 dB resolution as defined in table 10.1.6.1-2 in TS 38.133.

[0096] L3 measurement reporting may be done on RRC-leveL L3 measurement reporting may be configured as periodic, event-triggered, or event-triggered periodic. The periodic reporting means that the UE transmits the reports with a configured periodicity. The event-triggered reporting means that the UE transmits the report when a configured condition for event-triggered reporting is fulfilled (multiple different events may be supported for mobility purposes). The event- triggered periodic reporting means that the UE starts periodic reporting once a configured condition for event-triggered periodic reporting is fulfilled.

[0097] LI reporting may be done as CS1 reporting on LI. Before NR Release 19, LI measurement reporting for serving and neighboring cells may be configured as periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic. The periodic reporting means that the UE transmits the reports with a configured periodicity. The semi-persistent reporting means that the reporting is either activated by the network by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or triggered by the network by downlink control information (DC1) for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The aperiodic reporting means that the reporting is triggered by the network by a DC1 for one cell at a time on PUSCH.

[0098] In NR Release 19, event-triggered LI reporting for beam management and LTM purposes may be defined.

[0099] TS 38.133 defines cell identification and measurement reporting delay for connected-mode LI and L3 measurements. For example, for L3 intra-frequency measurements defined in section 9.2 of TS 38.133, the UE shall be able to identify a newdetectable intra-frequency cell within Tidentifyjntra.withoutjndex or Tidentifyjntra.withjndex depending on whether the reporting is configured to be with or without SSB index:Tidentify_intra_without_index=(Tpss / SSS syncJntra + T SSB_measurement_period_intra) U1S Tidentifyjntra_with_index=(Tpss / SSS syncJntra + T SSB_measurement_period_intra + TsSB_time_index_intra) U1S where Tpss / sss.sync.mtra is the time period for detection of the primary synchronization signal (PSS) and / or the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), TssB.timejndex.mtra is the time period used to acquire the index of the SSB being measured, and TssB_measurement_period_intra is the measurement period of SSB based measurement. The values of each of these parameters depend on multiple parameters and the number of carriers the UE is configured to measure, as defined in TS 38.133.

[0100] Similar requirements are defined in section 9 of TS 38.133 for LI and L3 intra- and inter-frequency SSB and CS1-RS based measurements. Idle mode measurement requirements for cell reselection and early measurement reporting (EMR) purposes are defined in section 4 of TS 38.133. These sections also define the reporting requirements.

[0101] The UE may perform cell detection and measurements (and possibly SSB index detection) on one or more configured measurement objects or carriers for (or on) one or more cells. Measurement objects may refer to specific configurations that define what the UE should measure. For example, measurement objects may include one or more of the following parameters: frequency, time location, and / or subcarrier spacing of one or more reference signals.

[0102] Measurement reporting means that the UE reports the measurement results (based on the performed measurements) to the network in a measurement report. For example, the measurement results in the measurement report may comprise reference signal received power (RSRP) and / or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) values (and possibly SSB index). The SSB index indicates the beam direction, but it may not be included in some reporting formats. Beam Index indicates the order of the SSB and may be used for identifying the SSB out of multiple SSBs to be used. The measurement results may be, for example, LI, L2 or L3 measurements, and the reporting format may depend on the type of measurements.

[0103] For 6G, a new type of reporting, called detected cell reporting, may be introduced for the purpose of informing the network about which cell(s) the UE currently has detected (without reporting the measurement results). Detected cell reporting may be based on the UE identifying a cell based on one or more signals transmitted from the cell, which enable the UE to determine that a new cell has been identified or detected. Forexample, the UE may detect a given cell by detecting one or more synchronization signals of the cell, such as PSS and / or SSS, or any other signal(s) providing synchronization of the cell. After the detection, the UE may report the one or more detected cells to the network (e.g., to the access node 104 of the serving cell 121). Thus, when the UE reports a cell as “detected”, it means that the UE is able to detect a signal of this cell (e.g., a synchronization signal such as PSS and / or SSS, or any other type of signal used to identify a cell). The UE may not be required to perform measurements of the detected cell(s) before transmitting the detected cell report to the network.

[0104] In other words, for the detected cell reporting, the UE scans the configured measurement object(s) or carrier(s) to detect if any new cell(s) become available and detectable. The UE then reports, to the network, the cell detection status of these carrier(s) and possibly cell information related to the detected cells (e.g., the physical cell identity or a temporary cell identifier). Hence, in the detected cell report, the UE may report, for example, that one or more new cells are detected and / or that one or more previously detected cells are no longer detectable. For the detected cell report, the UE may not perform measurements on the detected cell(s) or any cell on the configured carrier(s), and therefore the UE may not report measurement results of the detected cell(s) to the network.

[0105] Since the detected cell report may not include any measurement information (measurement result values), it can be considered as a lighter type of reporting in comparison to the measurement reporting. For example, the detected cell report may only comprise an indication of the detection status of each cell or carrier that the network has configured the UE to report.

[0106] On the other hand, in the measurement reporting, the UE may measure one or more cells and collect one or more measurement samples of the measured reference signal(s) (e.g., SSB or CS1-RS), and the UE may report, for example, the averaged measurement results to the network. For example, the measurement results may be reported in the form of an RSRP or RSRQ value.

[0107] The configuration for the detected cell reporting may indicate one or more cells or carriers, for which the detection status should be reported. The detected cell reporting can be configured to be periodical, network-triggered or event-triggered. The periodic reporting means that the UE transmits the detected cell reports with a configured periodicity (i.e., reporting at certain time intervals). The network- triggered reporting means that the UE transmits the detected cell report in response to receiving a request or indication from the network (e.g., from the access node 104 of the service cell 121) to transmit thedetected cell report. The event-triggered reporting means that the UE transmits the report when one or more configured conditions for event- triggered reporting are fulfilled.

[0108] The detected cell report may be separate from the measurement report or merged together with the measurement report. In case the reports are merged, the UE may, for example, report measurement results (e.g., RSRP values) for some cells that it has measured (e.g., for the serving cell), and only the detection status for other (e.g., non-serving) cells (but no measurement results).

[0109] Detected cell reporting and measurement reporting may be configured for the same carrier(s) or cell(s), either partially or fully (i.e., the configurations may overlap partially or fully in terms of carriers or cells). Alternatively, the carrier(s) or cell(s) configured for these two reporting types may be completely separate (i.e., the measurement reporting may be independent from the detected cell reporting). The measurements may be configured, updated, removed, activated or deactivated based on the detected cell reporting.

[0110] Detected cell reporting can be used in various scenarios, for example when there is no immediate need for the UE to measure and report the measurement results for some intra- or inter-frequency cell. For example, if the UE is at the cell center of the serving cell and there is no immediate need for a handover, there may not be a need for the UE to measure and report all (neighboring) cells (or carriers). In the detected cell reporting, the UE may only detect the cell(s) on the configured carrier(s) and report the detected cell(s) to the network after the detection. Detected cell reporting may be used to inform the network about the cell detection status on the UE side, such as cells appearing (being detected) or disappearing (no longer being detectable) from the reach of the UE.

[0111] Measuring more cells (or carriers) than needed, and even performing more intra-frequency measurements than needed, may cause interruptions to data transmission and / or reception (e.g., due to usage of measurement gaps or scheduling restrictions). Furthermore, some UE power may be consumed unnecessarily for measurement sampling, processing the measurement samples, detection of new cells and reporting, etc. Similarly, UE measurements in idle or inactive mode need to be considered, although the measurement results may not be reported to the network.

[0112] Thus, the detected cell reporting (i.e., skipping the measurements for at least some cells) may reduce the UE’s burden of performing and reporting measurements (and thus reduce the UE power consumption), while also providing information to the network about the UE’s current cell detection status of neighboring intra-frequency cells and / or inter-frequency cells. With the detected cell report, the reporting delay of informingthe network about the detected cell(s) can be reduced in comparison to the measurement report, since the UE 100 is not required to perform a full set of measurements on the detected cell(s). For example, based on the detected cell report, the network can select one or more carriers on which the UE 100 should perform a specific set of measurements (in a more focused manner compared to the legacy measurement configuration).

[0113] Keeping the cells detected and informing the network about the detection status helps the network to know which cell(s) the UE has already detected, and hence what kind of measurement reporting delay to expect when the measurement reporting is needed.

[0114] The detected cell report may be beneficial, for example, when the UE is in a low-mobility state (e.g., moving slowly) and there is no immediate need for a handover, and hence no need to report a full set of neighbor cell measurements. Additionally, the information of the detected cells can be used as an input for network algorithms that may benefit from such information. For example, upon receiving the detected cell report, the network (e.g., network device 104) may consider traffic load of a set of (detected) candidate cells and / or backhaul load, and decide to activate measurements for a cell that is able to provide high capacity for the UE (e.g., low cell and backhaul load). As another example, the network (e.g., network device 104) may select a frequency that is currently not highly scheduled and enable measurements on that cell. The detected cell report may be designed to be energy-efficient in terms of UE measurement effort as well as over-the-air signaling and the network processing side.

[0115] As another example, the detected cell report may be beneficial, when there is no need for carrier aggregation, and thus there is also no need for the UE to continuously measure the carriers or cells intended to be used for carrier aggregation.

[0116] Furthermore, for the case where the cells on a carrier are used for carrier aggregation, there may not be a need on the network side for detailed measurement results, but only for the detection status indicating whether the UE has detected a cell, i.e., a potential secondary cell (SCell), on the carrier or not.

[0117] However, there is a challenge in how detected cell reporting can be used alongside measurement reporting, when at least some of the carriers or cells are configured for both of these reporting types for a UE (i.e., if the detected cell reporting configuration and the measurement reporting configuration overlap at least partially).

[0118] Some example embodiments provide methods for handling simultaneous configuration (or parallel configuration) of detected cell reporting and measurementreporting, depending on the current need for network information, such as cell detection status, measurement results and reporting from the UE.

[0119] In some example embodiments, when the UE 100 is configured with both the detected cell reporting and the measurement reporting, the UE 100 may apply either the detected cell reporting or the measurement reporting as an initial (or default) reporting mode. The UE 100 may then apply the other (non-default) reporting mode based on a network indication or based on one or more conditions being fulfilled.

[0120] Some example embodiments help the UE and / or the network to determine which reporting mode shall be applied at the UE (when the UE is configured with at least two reporting modes). Furthermore, when this kind of switching between reporting modes is possible, the network can configure both reporting modes simultaneously and there is no need for a reconfiguration each time when the reporting mode changes. Thus, some example embodiments may reduce signaling overhead, since there is no need to transmit these separate reconfigurations to the UE. In addition to signaling overhead reduction, dynamic control of the measurement types allows the UE and network to control the measurement schemes more effectively, which may lead to power saving via reduced measurement, and reduced measurement processing burden.

[0121] Some example embodiments can be applied regardless of whether the detected cell report and measurement report are separate from each other, or if they are merged together in the same report.

[0122] Some example embodiments are described below using principles and terminology of 5G radio access technology without limiting the example embodiments to 5G radio access technology, however. For example, the example embodiments may be applied in 6G and beyond.

[0123] FIG. 2 illustrates a signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment for network-triggered measurements based on detected cell report. In this example embodiment, a UE 100 is performing detected cell reporting as an initial reporting mode (or default reporting mode). The UE 100 starts and stops measurements and measurement reporting on one or more of the configured carriers based on a separate network indication.

[0124] Referring to FIG. 2, at 201, a network device associated to a serving cell 121 of the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the UE 100, a first reporting configuration for reporting a detection status of one or more cells. In other words, the first reporting configuration may be used to configure a first reporting mode at the user device 100 forreporting the detection status of the one or more cells. The one or more cells may be nonserving cells 122, 123 that are different from the serving cell 121 of the UE 100. The UE 100 receives the first reporting configuration. For example, the first reporting configuration may be comprised in an RRC configuration.

[0125] The network device may be, for example, an access node 104 (e.g., a gNB) or a DU 105 controlling the serving cell 121.

[0126] The first reporting configuration indicates how the detected cell report should be transmitted by the UE 100. The first reporting configuration may also be referred to as a detected cell reporting configuration.

[0127] For example, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more carriers (e.g., carrier 1 and carrier 2 in FIG. 2) on which the detection is to be performed (i.e., one or more carriers on which the UE 100 should search for the one or more cells 122, 123). Alternatively, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more cells that the UE 100 attempts to detect. In other words, the network device 104 may configure the UE 100 to report the detection status for certain cell(s) or carrier(s).

[0128] Alternatively, or additionally, the first reporting configuration may indicate a reporting periodicity for transmitting the detected cell reports, and / or one or more reporting conditions for reporting the detection status of the one or more cells (i.e., to transmit the detected cell report, if certain condition(s) are fulfilled).

[0129] For example, the one or more reporting conditions may comprise at least one of: any (new) cell being detected, a cell on a specific carrier becoming detectable, a first cell on a carrier becoming detectable, a previously detected cell becoming undetectable, a last cell on a carrier becoming undetectable, a change of a radio resource control mode at the UE 100 (e.g., switching between RRC_CONNECTED mode, RRCJDLE mode, or RRCJNACT1VE mode), or receiving a (new) measurement configuration for measuring one or more cells or carriers.

[0130] Herein the term “carrier” refers to a carrier frequency. In other words, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more carrier frequencies on which the one or more cells 122, 123 are deployed, and the UE 100 may search for the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for one or more synchronization signals of the one or more cells 122, 123) on the one or more carrier frequencies. The one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed on the same carrier frequency or on different carrier frequencies (i.e., there may be one or more cells on a given carrier). It should be noted that a given cell may be deployed on one or more carriers.1

[0131] At 202, the network device 104 transmits, to the UE 100, a second reporting configuration for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 and / or the serving cell 121. In other words, the second reporting configuration may be used to configure a second reporting mode at the user device 100 for reporting the measurement results associated with the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 and / or the serving cell 121. The second reporting configuration may also be referred to as a measurement configuration or a measurement reporting configuration. The UE 100 receives the second reporting configuration. For example, the second reporting configuration may be comprised in an RRC configuration.

[0132] The second reporting configuration may indicate one or more carriers associated with the one or more cells (e.g., carrier 1 and carrier 2 in FIG. 2). The one or more carriers indicated by the second reporting configuration may be the same as the one or more carriers indicated by the first reporting configuration. Alternatively, the second reporting configuration may indicate one or more cells that the UE is to measure and report.

[0133] The network device 104 may transmit the first reporting configuration and the second reporting configuration to the UE 100 together (or simultaneously), or they may be transmitted separately. For example, the network device may transmit the first reporting configuration and / or the second reporting configuration, when the UE 100 enters connected (RRC_CONNECTED) mode (i.e., is connected to the serving cell 121).

[0134] Herein the terms “first reporting configuration” and “second reporting configuration” are used to distinguish the configurations, and they do not necessarily mean any specific order of the configurations.

[0135] Similarly, the terms “first reporting mode” and “second reporting mode” are used to distinguish the reporting modes, and they do not necessarily mean any specific order of the reporting modes.

[0136] At 203, the UE 100 applies the first reporting configuration or mode (detected cell reporting) as an initial reporting mode (or default reporting mode) for the one or more cells 122, 123 (prior to receiving any network indication on which reporting mode to apply). In other words, by default, the UE 100 may aim to detect cells on the one or more carriers and perform reporting according to the detected cell reporting configuration.

[0137] At 204, based on applying the first reporting configuration or mode, the UE 100 detects the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 (different from the serving cell 121) by detecting one or more signals (e.g., one or more synchronization signals, such as PSS and / or SSS) of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., based on RSRP of the one or more signalsbeing above a threshold). In other words, the one or more cells 122, 123 become detectable by the UE 100.

[0138] The UE 100 may detect the one or more cells 122, 123 by periodically searching or monitoring the one or more carriers (e.g., carrier 1 and carrier 2) that may be indicated in the first reporting configuration. The one or more carriers on which the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 are detected maybe the same or different than the carrier of the serving cell 121.

[0139] At 205, the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the network device 104, a detected cell report (message) indicating the detection status of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for carrier 1 and carrier 2). The UE 100 may generate and / or transmit the detected cell report according to the first reporting configuration. The network device 104 receives the detected cell report. The detected cell report may also be referred to as a cell detection status report.

[0140] For example, the UE 100 may transmit the detected cell report according to the reporting periodicity (which may be indicated in the first reporting configuration), and / or based on detecting or determining that the one or more reporting conditions are fulfilled. Alternatively, the network device 104 may request the UE 100 to transmit the detected cell report, and the UE 100 may transmit the detected cell report in response to the request.

[0141] The detected cell report may further comprise cell information associated with the one or more cells. For example, the cell information may comprise at least one of: one or more cell identities (cell IDs) of the one or more cells 122, 123, or one or more temporary cell identifiers derived from or based on the one or more cell identities of the one or more cells 122, 123. The detected cell report may not comprise measurement result values associated with the one or more cells 122, 123. In other words, the measurement result values may be omitted in the detected cell report.

[0142] The detection status indicates whether the one or more cells 122, 123 are detected by the UE 100. For example, the detection status of a given cell may be indicated as a bit indication associated to that cell (i.e., a binary value, such as '1' for detected or ‘0’ for not detected, or vice versa, associated with the corresponding cell identity), or as an enumerator associated to that cell (e.g., ‘DETECTED’ or ‘NOT_DETECTED’ associated with the corresponding cell identity).

[0143] The cell identity may refer to, for example, a physical cell identity (PCI), which is a physical layer cell identifier that may be used to indicate the physical identity of acell. A temporary cell identifier is a unique identifier assigned to a cell for a limited period. The temporary cell identifier may have a different value range than the physical cell identity. For example, the UE 100 may be assigned, in RRCReconfiguration, an identifier that is temporary for a certain time, e.g., for a time period, or until the next UE reconfiguration. In one example, the temporary cell identifier may be a scalar value starting from 0 or from an offset and is a running number with step size of one or more. In another example, the temporary cell identifier may be derived using a function, for instance a bitmap, applied to a cell identifier + offset. In another example, the detected cell configuration object identifier may be used as a temporary cell identifier.

[0144] For example, the UE 100 may read the cell identity of a given cell from the one or more synchronization signals (e.g., PSS and / or SSS) or from a master information block (M1B) of that cell. Alternatively, or additionally, the first reporting configuration may comprise a list of cell identities for cells for which the UE 100 should report the detection status. Alternatively, the first reporting configuration may just indicate the one or more carriers on which to search for the one or more cells (but not any cell identities).

[0145] The format of the detected cell report may be indicated in the first reporting configuration, or otherwise pre-configured at the UE 100. For example, the report may be a radio resource control (RRC) report (i.e., L3 report), or a channel state information (CS1) report (i.e., LI report), or a medium access control (MAC) level report (i.e., L2 report), or an in-band control signalling report (e.g., above or below the MAC layer), or an abstract syntax notation one (ASN.l) message, or an uplink control information (UCI) message.

[0146] An in-band control signalling report refers to the transmission of control information within the same channel or frequency band as the main data. For example, the in-band control signalling report may be comprised in one of: a MAC CE, an RRC message, a radio link control (RLC) control header, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) control header, or a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) control header.

[0147] The ASN. 1 message may be, for example, an RRC message delivered from the RRC layer of the UE 100 to the RRC layer of the network device 104. As another example, the ASN.l message may be a short message (short ASN.l message) delivered between the lower layer (below RRC) protocol entities (e.g., MAC to MAC, or a control layer associated with the MAC layer).

[0148] Alternatively, some other format than ASN.l may be used for delivering the report. This other format may be, for example, text format or a format that is coded to abinary format by the transmitting entity (the UE 100) and decompiled by the receiving entity (the network device 104).

[0149] It should be noted that the above reporting formats are just examples, and any other suitable reporting format may alternatively be used.

[0150] The detected cell report may be generated and / or transmitted regardless of whether any measurements on any reference signal (other than the one or more synchronization signals) of the one or more detected cells 122 have been performed by the UE 100.

[0151] At 206, based on receiving the detected cell report, the network device 104 generates and transmits, to the UE 100, an indication indicating to apply the second reporting configuration or mode (measurement reporting) as a reporting mode for at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., at least for carrier 1). The reporting mode indicated by the indication may also be referred to as a non-default reporting mode. In other words, the non-default reporting mode may be triggered for one or more (one, some, or all) of the configured carrier(s). The at least one cell 122 may be comprised in the one or more cells 122, 123 indicated as detected in the detected cell report.

[0152] For example, the indication may be comprised in one of: a higher layer message such as a radio resource control (RRC) message, a lower layer message such as a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), an in-band signaling message, a downlink control information (DC1) message, or a signal related to radio resource management (RRM) procedures.

[0153] The signal related to RRM procedures may comprise, for example, a secondary cell configuration, or a secondary cell activation command.

[0154] A secondary cell (SCell) configuration may be used in carrier aggregation to allow the UE 100 to connect to multiple cells simultaneously, enhancing data throughput by using additional resources from one or more secondary cells alongside the primary cell 121.

[0155] A secondary cell activation command may be transmitted when the network wants to activate data transmission and / or reception on a configured secondary cell. Similarly, a secondary cell deactivation command may be transmitted when the secondary cell is deactivated. Measurement requirements for activated and deactivated secondary cells may be different.

[0156] Alternatively or additionally, the network device 104 may transmit the measurement configuration along with the indication, at 206. In this case, the network device 104 does not transmit the measurement configuration at 202.

[0157] At 207, based on receiving the indication, the UE 100 applies the second reporting configuration or mode (i.e., the indicated reporting mode) and performs at least one reference signal measurement of the at least one cell (e.g., cell 122 on carrier 1).

[0158] The reference signal measurement means measuring a reference signal of the at least one cell (i.e., a reference signal transmitted from a network device associated to the at least one cell 122). Some examples of reference signals include, but are not limited to: a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CS1-RS), a phase-tracking reference signal (PTRS), or a positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0159] For example, the UE 100 may measure at least one of: RSRP, RSRQ, RSS1 and / or S1NR of at least one reference signal transmitted on the at least one cell 122.

[0160] At 208, the UE 100 may continue applying the first reporting configuration or mode (i.e., the initial or default reporting mode) for at least one other cell 123 (e.g., for carrier 2) of the one or more cells 122, 123 or for all of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2), while applying the indicated reporting mode (measurement reporting) for the at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123. If the UE 100 continues applying the first reporting configuration or mode (detected cell reporting) for the at least one other cell 123 (e.g., on carrier 2, for which measurement reporting was not triggered), then the UE 100 may stop applying the first reporting configuration or mode for the at least one cell 122 (e.g., stop detected cell reporting for carrier 1), for which the second reporting configuration or mode is applied (as the nondefault reporting mode).

[0161] Alternatively, the UE 100 may stop applying the initial reporting mode (detected cell reporting) for (all of) the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2), while applying the indicated reporting mode (measurement reporting) for the at least one cell 122.

[0162] In other words, at the time of triggering the non-default reporting mode (measurement reporting), the UE 100 may continue the default reporting mode (detected cell reporting) alongside the non-default reporting mode for: all the configured carriers, or the carrier(s) for which the non-default reporting mode was not triggered, or none of the configured carriers (i.e., stopping the default reporting mode for all the configured carriers).

[0163] At 209, the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the network device 104 associated to the serving cell 121, a measurement report comprising one or more measurement result values obtained from the at least one reference signal measurement of the at least one cell (e.g., cell 122 for carrier 1) performed at 207. For example, the measurement report may comprise at least one of: one or more RSRP values of the at least one cell 122, one or more RSRQ values of the at least one cell 122, one or more RSS1 values of the at least one cell 122, or one or more S1NR values of the at least one cell 122.

[0164] For example, the measurement report may be an L3 measurement report transmitted via RRC signaling, or an LI measurement report (e.g., channel state information report) transmitted on lower layers, or a MAC-level measurement report (e.g., for event- triggered LI reporting in LTM).

[0165] At 210, if the UE 100 continued to apply the initial (default) reporting mode (detected cell reporting) at 208, then the UE 100 may transmit, to the network device 104, another detected cell report indicating the detection status of the at least one other cell 123 (e.g., for carrier 2) or for all of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2).

[0166] At 211, the UE 100 stops the non-default reporting mode (measurement reporting) based on one or more pre-defined conditions (leave conditions) being fulfilled. If the UE 100 stopped applying the first reporting configuration (i.e., the initial reporting mode) for the at least one cell 122 or for all of the one or more cells 122, 123 at 208, then the UE 100 may resume applying the initial reporting mode for (all of) the one or more cells 122, 123, based on the one or more pre-defined conditions being fulfilled (after applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell 122).

[0167] In other words, after the non-default reporting mode (measurement reporting) is started based on the network indication, the UE 100 may return back to the initial (default) reporting mode (detected cell reporting) based on one or more pre-defined conditions or events (if the initial reporting mode was stopped at least partially).

[0168] The one or more pre-defined conditions (leave conditions) may be predefined or indicated from the network device 104. For example, the one or more pre-defined conditions may comprise (but are not limited to) at least one of: receiving another indication from the network device 104 (e.g., an indication to apply the first reporting configuration or an indication to stop applying the second reporting configuration), a pre-defined time period or timer expiring (which may be started, for example, upon receiving the indication or triggering the indicated reporting mode), transmitting a pre-defined (or configured) numberof reports according to the indicated reporting mode, performing a handover or a cell switch, or receiving another RRC configuration from the network device 104 (e.g., another measurement configuration).

[0169] A handover or a cell switch refers to a process of transferring an ongoing call or data session from the serving cell 121 to another cell to maintain seamless connectivity as the UE 100 is moving.

[0170] FIG. 3 illustrates a signal flow diagram according to another example embodiment for network-triggered measurements based on detected cell report. In this example embodiment, a UE 100 is performing measurement reporting as an initial reporting mode (or default reporting mode). The UE 100 starts and stops detected cell reporting on one or more of the configured carriers based on a separate network indication.

[0171] Referring to FIG. 3, at 301, a network device associated to a serving cell 121 of the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the UE 100, a first reporting configuration for reporting a detection status of one or more cells. In other words, the first reporting configuration may be used to configure a first reporting mode at the user device 100 for reporting the detection status of the one or more cells. The one or more cells may be nonserving cells 122, 123 that are different from the serving cell 121 of the UE 100. The UE 100 receives the first reporting configuration. For example, the first reporting configuration may be comprised in an RRC configuration.

[0172] The network device 104 may be, for example, an access node 104 (e.g., a gNB) or a DU 105 controlling the serving cell 121.

[0173] The first reporting configuration indicates how the detected cell report should be transmitted by the UE 100. The first reporting configuration may also be referred to as a detected cell reporting configuration.

[0174] For example, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more carriers (e.g., carrier 1 and carrier 2 in FIG. 3) on which the detection is to be performed (i.e., one or more carriers on which the UE 100 should search for the one or more cells 122, 123). Alternatively, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more cells that the UE 100 attempts to detect. In other words, the network device 104 may configure the UE 100 to report the detection status for certain cell(s) or carrier(s).

[0175] Alternatively, or additionally, the first reporting configuration may indicate a reporting periodicity for transmitting the detected cell reports, and / or one or more reporting conditions for reporting the detection status of the one or more cells (i.e., to transmit the detected cell report, if certain condition(s) are fulfilled).

[0176] For example, the one or more reporting conditions may comprise at least one of: any (new) cell being detected, a cell on a specific carrier becoming detectable, a first cell on a carrier becoming detectable, a previously detected cell becoming undetectable, a last cell on a carrier becoming undetectable, a change of a radio resource control mode at the UE 100 (e.g., switching between RRC_CONNECTED mode, RRCJDLE mode, or RRCJNACT1VE mode), or receiving a (new) measurement configuration for measuring one or more cells or carriers.

[0177] Herein the term “carrier” refers to a carrier frequency. In other words, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more carrier frequencies on which the one or more cells 122, 123 are deployed, and the UE 100 may search for the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for one or more synchronization signals of the one or more cells 122, 123) on the one or more carrier frequencies. The one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed on the same carrier frequency or on different carrier frequencies (i.e., there may be one or more cells on a given carrier). It should be noted that a given cell may be deployed on one or more carriers.

[0178] At 302, the network device 104 transmits, to the UE 100, a second reporting configuration for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more (non-serving) cells (e.g., cells 122, 123) and / or the serving cell 121. In other words, the second reporting configuration may be used to configure a second reporting mode at the user device 100 for reporting the measurement results associated with the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 and / or the serving cell 121. The second reporting configuration may also be referred to as a measurement configuration or a measurement reporting configuration. The UE 100 receives the second reporting configuration. For example, the second reporting configuration may be comprised in an RRC configuration.

[0179] The second reporting configuration may indicate one or more carriers associated with the one or more cells (e.g., carrier 1 and carrier 2 in FIG. 3). The one or more carriers indicated by the second reporting configuration may be the same as the one or more carriers indicated by the first reporting configuration. Alternatively, the second reporting configuration may indicate one or more cells that the UE is to measure and report.

[0180] The network device 104 may transmit the first reporting configuration and the second reporting configuration to the UE 100 together (or simultaneously), or they may be transmitted separately. For example, the network device may transmit the first reporting configuration and / or the second reporting configuration, when the UE 100 enters connected (RRC_CONNECTED) mode (i.e., is connected to the serving cell 121).

[0181] At 303, the UE 100 applies the second reporting configuration or mode (measurement reporting) as an initial reporting mode (or default reporting mode) for the one or more cells 122, 123 (prior to receiving any network indication on which reporting configuration or mode to apply).

[0182] At 304, the UE 100 performs one or more reference signal measurements of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., on carrier 1 and carrier 2) according to the second reporting configuration (measurement configuration).

[0183] The reference signal measurement means measuring a reference signal of each of the one or more cells 122, 123 (i.e., a reference signal transmitted from a network device associated to the one or more cells 122, 123). Some examples of reference signals include, but are not limited to: a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CS1-RS), a phase-tracking reference signal (PTRS), or a positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0184] For example, the UE 100 may measure at least one of: RSRP, RSRQ, RSS1 and / or S1NR of at least one reference signal transmitted on the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0185] At 305, the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the network device 104, a measurement report comprising one or more measurement result values obtained from the one or more reference signal measurements ofthe one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for carrier 1 and carrier 2) performed at 304. For example, the measurement report may comprise at least one of: one or more RSRP values of the one or more cells 122, 123, one or more RSRQ values of the one or more cells 122, 123, one or more RSS1 values of the one or more cells 122, 123, or one or more S1NR values of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0186] The measurement report may further comprise one or more measurement result values ofthe serving cell 121.

[0187] At 306, based on receiving the measurement report, the network device 104 generates and transmits, to the UE 100, an indication indicating to apply the first reporting configuration or mode (detected cell reporting) as a reporting mode for at least one cell 122 ofthe one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., at least for carrier 1). The reporting mode indicated by the indication may also be referred to as a non-default reporting mode. In other words, the non-default reporting mode may be triggered for one or more (one, some, or all) of the configured carrier(s). The at least one cell 122 may be comprised in the one or more cells 122, 123 indicated as detected in the detected cell report.

[0188] For example, the network device 104 may transmit the indication based on the measurement report indicating that the measured signal quality value of the servingcell 121 is above a first threshold, and / or that the measured signal quality value of the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 is below a second threshold (which may be the same or different than the first threshold). This means that the UE 100 is at or close to the cell center of the serving cell 121, and thus a handover is not expected soon (i.e., further measurements are not needed at the moment).

[0189] For example, the indication may be comprised in one of: a higher layer message such as a radio resource control (RRC) message, a lower layer message such as a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), an in-band signaling message, a downlink control information (DC1) message, or a signal related to radio resource management (RRM) procedures.

[0190] The signal related to RRM procedures may comprise, for example, a secondary cell configuration, or a secondary cell activation command.

[0191] At 307, based on receiving the indication, the UE 100 applies the first reporting configuration or mode (i.e., the indicated reporting mode), and the UE 100 detects at least one cell 122 (e.g., on carrier 1) of the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 by detecting one or more signals (e.g., one or more synchronization signals, such as PSS and / or SSS) of the at least one cell 122 (e.g., based on RSRP of the one or more signals being above a threshold).

[0192] The UE 100 may detect the at least one cell 122 by periodically searching or monitoring the associated carrier(s) (e.g., carrier 1) that may be indicated in the indication.

[0193] At 308, the UE 100 may continue applying the second reporting configuration or mode (i.e., the initial or default reporting mode) for at least one other cell 123 (e.g., for carrier 2) of the one or more cells 122, 123 or for all of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2), while applying the indicated reporting mode (detected cell reporting) for the at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123. If the UE 100 continues applying the second reporting configuration or mode (measurement reporting) for the at least one other cell 123 (e.g., on carrier 2, for which detected cell reporting was not triggered), then the UE 100 may stop applying the second reporting configuration or mode for the at least one cell 122 (e.g., stop measurement reporting for carrier 1), for which the first reporting configuration or mode is applied (as the non-default reporting mode).

[0194] Alternatively, the UE 100 may stop applying the initial reporting mode (measurement reporting) for (all of) the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1and carrier 2), while applying the indicated reporting mode (detected cell reporting) for the at least one cell 122.

[0195] In other words, at the time of triggering the non-default reporting mode (detected cell reporting), the UE 100 may continue the default reporting mode (measurement reporting) alongside the non-default reporting mode for: all the configured carriers, or the carrier(s) for which the non-default reporting mode was not triggered, or none of the configured carriers (i.e., stopping the default reporting mode for all the configured carriers).

[0196] At 309, the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the network device 104 associated to the serving cell 121, a detected cell report (message) indicating the detection status of the at least one cell 122 (e.g., for carrier 1). The UE 100 may generate and / or transmit the detected cell report according to the first reporting configuration. The network device 104 receives the detected cell report. The detected cell report is explained in more detail above with reference to step 205 of FIG. 2. The detected cell report may also be referred to as a cell detection status report.

[0197] For example, the UE 100 may transmit the detected cell report according to the reporting periodicity (which may be indicated in the first reporting configuration), and / or based on detecting or determining that the one or more reporting conditions are fulfilled.

[0198] At 310, if the UE 100 continued to apply the initial (default) reporting mode (measurement reporting) at 308, then the UE 100 may transmit, to the network device 104, another measurement report comprising measurement results of the at least one other cell 123 (e.g., for carrier 2) or for all of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2).

[0199] At 311, the UE 100 stops the non-default reporting mode (detected cell reporting) based on one or more pre-defined conditions (leave conditions) being fulfilled. If the UE 100 stopped applying the second reporting configuration (i.e., the initial reporting mode) for the at least one cell 122 or for all of the one or more cells 122, 123 at 308, then the UE 100 may resume applying the initial reporting mode for (all of) the one or more cells 122, 123 based on the one or more pre-defined conditions being fulfilled (after applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell 122).

[0200] In other words, after the non-default reporting mode (detected cell reporting) is started based on the network indication, the UE 100 may return back to theinitial (default) reporting mode (measurement reporting) based on one or more pre-defined conditions or events (if the initial reporting mode was stopped at least partially).

[0201] The one or more pre-defined conditions (leave conditions) may be predefined or indicated from the network device 104. For example, the one or more pre-defined conditions may comprise (but are not limited to) at least one of: receiving another indication from the network device 104 (e.g., an indication to apply the second reporting configuration or an indication to stop applying the first reporting configuration), a pre-defined time period or timer expiring (which may be started, for example, upon receiving the indication or triggering the indicated reporting mode), transmitting a pre-defined (or configured) number of reports according to the indicated reporting mode, performing a handover or a cell switch, or receiving another RRC configuration from the network device 104 (e.g., another measurement configuration).

[0202] FIG. 4 illustrates a signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment, where the UE 100 initially (or by default) is performing detected cell reporting, and the UE 100 starts and stops measurements and measurement reporting on one or more of the configured carriers based on one or more pre-defined or network-configured conditions. The UE 100 may return to detected cell reporting, when the condition(s) for measurement reporting is no longer fulfilled or if a separate leave condition is fulfilled.

[0203] Referring to FIG. 4, at 401, a network device 104 associated to a serving cell 121 of the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the UE 100, a first reporting configuration for reporting a detection status of one or more cells. In other words, the first reporting configuration may be used to configure a first reporting mode at the user device 100 for reporting the detection status of the one or more cells. The one or more cells may be nonserving cells 122, 123 that are different from the serving cell 121 of the UE 100. The UE 100 receives the first reporting configuration. For example, the first reporting configuration may be comprised in an RRC configuration.

[0204] The network device 104 may be, for example, an access node 104 (e.g., a gNB) or a DU 105 controlling the serving cell 121.

[0205] The first reporting configuration indicates how the detected cell report should be transmitted by the UE 100. The first reporting configuration may also be referred to as a detected cell reporting configuration.

[0206] For example, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more carriers (e.g., carrier 1 and carrier 2 in FIG. 4) on which the detection is to be performed (i.e., one or more carriers on which the UE 100 should search for the one or more cells 122, 123).Alternatively, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more cells that the UE 100 attempts to detect. In other words, the network device 104 may configure the UE 100 to report the detection status for certain cell(s) or carrier(s).

[0207] Alternatively, or additionally, the first reporting configuration may indicate a reporting periodicity for transmitting the detected cell reports, and / or one or more reporting conditions for reporting the detection status of the one or more cells (i.e., to transmit the detected cell report, if certain condition(s) are fulfilled).

[0208] For example, the one or more reporting conditions may comprise at least one of: any (new) cell being detected, a cell on a specific carrier becoming detectable, a first cell on a carrier becoming detectable, a previously detected cell becoming undetectable, a last cell on a carrier becoming undetectable, a change of a radio resource control mode at the UE 100 (e.g., switching between RRC_CONNECTED mode, RRCJDLE mode, or RRCJNACT1VE mode), or receiving a (new) measurement configuration for measuring one or more cells or carriers.

[0209] At 402, the network device 104 transmits, to the UE 100, a second reporting configuration for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 and / or the serving cell 121. In other words, the second reporting configuration may be used to configure a second reporting mode at the user device 100 for reporting the measurement results associated with the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 and / or the serving cell 121. The second reporting configuration may also be referred to as a measurement configuration or a measurement reporting configuration. The UE 100 receives the second reporting configuration. For example, the second reporting configuration may be comprised in an RRC configuration.

[0210] The second reporting configuration may indicate one or more carriers associated with the one or more cells (e.g., carrier 1 and carrier 2 in FIG. 4). The one or more carriers indicated by the second reporting configuration may be the same as the one or more carriers indicated by the first reporting configuration. Alternatively, the second reporting configuration may indicate one or more cells that the UE is to measure and report.

[0211] The network device 104 may transmit the first reporting configuration and the second reporting configuration to the UE 100 together (or simultaneously), or they may be transmitted separately. For example, the network device may transmit the first reporting configuration and / or the second reporting configuration, when the UE 100 enters connected (RRC_CONNECTED) mode (i.e., is connected to the serving cell 121).

[0212] At 403, the UE 100 applies the first reporting configuration or mode(detected cell reporting) as an initial reporting mode (or default reporting mode) for the one or more cells 122, 123. In other words, by default, the UE 100 may aim to detect cells on the one or more carriers and perform reporting according to the detected cell reporting configuration.

[0213] At 404, based on applying the first reporting configuration or mode, the UE 100 detects the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 (different from the serving cell 121) by detecting one or more signals (e.g., one or more synchronization signals, such as PSS and / or SSS) of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., based on RSRP of the one or more signals being above a threshold). In other words, the one or more cells 122, 123 become detectable by the UE 100.

[0214] The UE 100 may detect the one or more cells 122, 123 by periodically searching or monitoring the one or more carriers (e.g., carrier 1 and carrier 2) that may be indicated in the first reporting configuration. The one or more carriers on which the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 are detected may be the same or different than the carrier of the serving cell 121.

[0215] At 405, the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the network device 104, a detected cell report (message) indicating the detection status of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for carrier 1 and carrier 2). The UE 100 may generate and / or transmit the detected cell report according to the first reporting configuration. The network device 104 receives the detected cell report. The detected cell report is explained in more detail above with reference to step 205 of FIG. 2. The detected cell report may also be referred to as a cell detection status report.

[0216] For example, the UE 100 may transmit the detected cell report according to the reporting periodicity (which may be indicated in the first reporting configuration), and / or based on detecting or determining that the one or more reporting conditions are fulfilled. Alternatively, the network device 104 may request the UE 100 to transmit the detected cell report, and the UE 100 may transmit the detected cell report in response to the request.

[0217] At 406, the UE 100 determines whether one or more conditions are fulfilled for applying the second reporting configuration or mode (measurement reporting) as a conditional reporting mode (or non-default reporting mode) for at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0218] The one or more conditions may be pre-defined, or they may be indicated or configured by the network device 104. For example, the network device 104 may transmit,to the UE 100 (e.g., together with the first reporting configuration and / or the second reporting configuration), an indication indicating the one or more conditions for applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0219] For example, the one or more conditions may comprise (but are not limited to) at least one of the following conditions for applying the second reporting configuration or mode as the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell 122 (i.e., for starting measurements and measurement reporting): a measured signal quality value (e.g., RSRP) of the serving cell 121 being below a first threshold, a measured signal quality value (e.g., RSRP) of at least one non-serving cell 122 being above a second threshold, the UE 100 having data to transmit to the network device 104, or a data buffer status of the UE 100 being above a third threshold (i.e., the amount of data waiting to be transmitted from the UE 100 exceeds a pre-defined limit).

[0220] Different conditions may be used for triggering the non-default reporting mode for different carriers, or the same conditions may be used for all of the configured carriers.

[0221] At 407, based on determining that the one or more conditions are fulfilled for applying the conditional reporting mode (measurement reporting) for the at least one cell 122 (e.g., for carrier 1), the UE 100 applies the second reporting configuration or mode (i.e., the conditional reporting mode) and performs at least one reference signal measurement of the at least one cell 122 (e.g., on carrier 1).

[0222] The reference signal measurement means measuring a reference signal of the at least one cell 122 (i.e., a reference signal transmitted from a network device associated to the at least one cell 122). Some examples of reference signals include, but are not limited to: a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CS1-RS), a phase-tracking reference signal (PTRS), or a positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0223] For example, the UE 100 may measure at least one of: RSRP, RSRQ, RSS1 and / or S1NR of at least one reference signal transmitted on the at least one cell 122.

[0224] At 408, the UE 100 may continue applying the first reporting configuration or mode (i.e., the initial or default reporting mode) for at least one other cell 123 (e.g., for carrier 2) of the one or more cells 122, 123 or for all of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2), while applying the conditional reporting mode (measurement reporting) for the at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123. If the UE 100 continues applying the first reporting configuration or mode (detected cellreporting) for the at least one other cell 123 (e.g., on carrier 2, for which measurement reporting was not triggered), then the UE 100 may stop applying the first reporting configuration or mode for the at least one cell 122 (e.g., stop detected cell reporting for carrier 1), for which the second reporting configuration or mode is applied (as the nondefault reporting mode).

[0225] Alternatively, at 408, the UE 100 may stop applying the initial reporting mode (detected cell reporting) for (all of) the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2), while applying the conditional reporting mode (measurement reporting) for the at least one cell 122.

[0226] In other words, at the time of triggering the non-default reporting mode (measurement reporting), the UE 100 may continue the default reporting mode (detected cell reporting) alongside the non-default reporting mode for: all the configured carriers, or the carrier(s) for which the non-default reporting mode was not triggered, or none of the configured carriers (i.e., stopping the default reporting mode for all the configured carriers).

[0227] At 409, the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the network device 104 associated to the serving cell 121, a measurement report comprising one or more measurement result values obtained from the at least one reference signal measurement of the at least one cell 122 (e.g., for carrier 1) performed at 407. For example, the measurement report may comprise at least one of: one or more RSRP values of the at least one cell 122, one or more RSRQ values of the at least one cell 122, one or more RSS1 values of the at least one cell 122, or one or more S1NR values of the at least one cell 122.

[0228] At 410, if the UE 100 continued to apply the initial (default) reporting mode (detected cell reporting) at 408, then the UE 100 may transmit, to the network device 104, another detected cell report indicating the detection status of the at least one other cell 123 (e.g., for carrier 2) or for all of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2).

[0229] At 411, the UE 100 determines whether one or more additional conditions (leave conditions) are fulfilled for stopping the conditional reporting mode (measurement reporting) and resuming the initial (default) reporting mode (detected cell reporting). The one or more additional conditions are different from the one or more conditions mentioned at 406 for triggering the conditional (non-default) reporting mode. The one or more additional conditions are used to determine when to return back to the initial (default) reporting mode.

[0230] The one or more additional conditions (leave conditions) may be predefined or indicated from the network device 104. For example, the one or more additional conditions (leave conditions) may comprise (but are not limited to) at least one of: determining that the one or more conditions (for applying the conditional reporting mode) are no longer fulfilled, a pre-defined time period or timer expiring (e.g., this time period or timer may start when triggering the conditional reporting mode), transmitting a pre-defined (or configured) number of reports according to the conditional reporting mode, performing a handover or a cell switch, receiving another RRC configuration (e.g., another measurement configuration) from the network device 104, or activating another configuration (e.g., another reporting configuration for LI, L2 or L3-based signaling).

[0231] As an example, the condition for transmitting the pre-defined number of reports may mean that the UE 100 is required to perform one measurement period for the measurement and transmit a measurement report.

[0232] As another example, the condition for transmitting the pre-defined number of reports may mean that the UE 100 is required to perform at least one measurement period and transmit two or more measurement reports according to the measurement reporting configuration (e.g., based on the reporting periodicity indicated in the measurement reporting configuration).

[0233] Activating another configuration may mean, for example, that a periodical reporting configuration is activated, wherein the UE 100 is required to transmit measurement reports periodically. For instance, the UE’s LI or L2 measurement reporting may be activated for a reference signal, and the UE 100 may be required to transmit periodical reporting according to the configuration (e.g., every 100 milliseconds).

[0234] At 412, based on determining that the one or more additional conditions are fulfilled, the UE 100 resumes applying the initial reporting mode (detected cell reporting) for (all of) the one or more cells 122, 123 and stops applying the conditional reporting mode (measurement reporting) for the at least one cell 122.

[0235] Based on resuming the detected cell reporting, the UE 100 may transmit, to the network device 104, a further detected cell report indicating the detection status of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for carrier 1 and carrier 2).

[0236] FIG. 5 illustrates a signal flow diagram according to an example embodiment, where the UE 100 initially (or by default) is performing measurements and measurement reporting, and the UE 100 starts and stops detected cell reporting on one or more of the configured carriers based on one or more pre-defined or network-configuredconditions. The UE 100 may return to measurement reporting, when the condition(s) for detected cell reporting is no longer fulfilled or if a separate leave condition is fulfilled.

[0237] Referring to FIG. 5, at 501, a network device associated to a serving cell 121 of the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the UE 100, a first reporting configuration for reporting a detection status of one or more cells. In other words, the first reporting configuration may be used to configure a first reporting mode at the user device 100 for reporting the detection status of the one or more cells. The one or more cells may be nonserving cells 122, 123 that are different from the serving cell 121 of the UE 100. The UE 100 receives the first reporting configuration. For example, the first reporting configuration may be comprised in an RRC configuration.

[0238] The network device may be, for example, an access node 104 (e.g., a gNB) or a DU 105 controlling the serving cell 121.

[0239] The first reporting configuration indicates how the detected cell report should be transmitted by the UE 100. The first reporting configuration may also be referred to as a detected cell reporting configuration.

[0240] For example, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more carriers (e.g., carrier 1 and carrier 2 in FIG. 5) on which the detection is to be performed (i.e., one or more carriers on which the UE 100 should search for the one or more cells 122, 123). Alternatively, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more cells that the UE 100 attempts to detect. In other words, the network device 104 may configure the UE 100 to report the detection status for certain cell(s) or carrier(s).

[0241] Alternatively, or additionally, the first reporting configuration may indicate a reporting periodicity for transmitting the detected cell reports, and / or one or more reporting conditions for reporting the detection status of the one or more cells (i.e., to transmit the detected cell report, if certain condition(s) are fulfilled).

[0242] For example, the one or more reporting conditions may comprise at least one of: any (new) cell being detected, a cell on a specific carrier becoming detectable, a first cell on a carrier becoming detectable, a previously detected cell becoming undetectable, a last cell on a carrier becoming undetectable, a change of a radio resource control mode at the UE 100 (e.g., switching between RRC_CONNECTED mode, RRCJDLE mode, or RRCJNACTIVE mode), or receiving a (new) measurement configuration for measuring one or more cells or carriers.

[0243] Herein the term “carrier” refers to a carrier frequency. In other words, the first reporting configuration may indicate one or more carrier frequencies on which theone or more cells 122, 123 are deployed, and the UE 100 may search for the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for one or more synchronization signals of the one or more cells 122, 123) on the one or more carrier frequencies. The one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed on the same carrier frequency or on different carrier frequencies (i.e., there may be one or more cells on a given carrier). It should be noted that a given cell may be deployed on one or more carriers.

[0244] At 502, the network device 104 transmits, to the UE 100, a second reporting configuration for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells 122, 123 and / or the serving cell 121. In other words, the second reporting configuration may be used to configure a second reporting mode at the user device 100 for reporting the measurement results associated with the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 and / or the serving cell 121. The second reporting configuration may also be referred to as a measurement configuration or a measurement reporting configuration. The UE 100 receives the second reporting configuration. For example, the second reporting configuration may be comprised in an RRC configuration.

[0245] The second reporting configuration may indicate one or more carriers associated with the one or more cells (e.g., carrier 1 and carrier 2 in FIG. 5). The one or more carriers indicated by the second reporting configuration may be the same as the one or more carriers indicated by the first reporting configuration.

[0246] The network device 104 may transmit the first reporting configuration and the second reporting configuration to the UE 100 together (or simultaneously), or they may be transmitted separately. For example, the network device may transmit the first reporting configuration and / or the second reporting configuration, when the UE 100 enters connected (RRC_CONNECTED) mode (i.e., is connected to the serving cell 121).

[0247] At 503, the UE 100 applies the second reporting configuration or mode (measurement reporting) as an initial reporting mode (or default reporting mode) for the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0248] At 504, the UE 100 performs one or more reference signal measurements of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., on carrier 1 and carrier 2) according to the second reporting configuration (measurement configuration).

[0249] The reference signal measurement means measuring a reference signal of each of the one or more cells 122, 123 (i.e., a reference signal transmitted from a network device associated to the one or more cells 122, 123). Some examples of reference signals include, but are not limited to: a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a synchronizationsignal block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CS1-RS), a phase-tracking reference signal (PTRS), or a positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0250] For example, the UE 100 may measure at least one of: RSRP, RSRQ, RSS1 and / or S1NR of at least one reference signal transmitted on the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0251] At 505, the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the network device 104, a measurement report comprising one or more measurement result values obtained from the one or more reference signal measurements ofthe one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for carrier 1 and carrier 2) performed at 504. For example, the measurement report may comprise at least one of: one or more RSRP values of the one or more cells 122, 123, one or more RSRQ values of the one or more cells 122, 123, one or more RSS1 values of the one or more cells 122, 123, or one or more S1NR values of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0252] The measurement report may further comprise one or more measurement result values ofthe serving cell 121.

[0253] At 506, the UE 100 determines whether one or more conditions are fulfilled for applying the first reporting configuration or mode (detected cell reporting) as a conditional reporting mode (or non-default reporting mode) for at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0254] The one or more conditions may be pre-defined, or they may be indicated or configured by the network device 104. For example, the network device 104 may transmit, to the UE 100 (e.g., together with the first reporting configuration and / or the second reporting configuration), an indication indicating the one or more conditions for applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0255] For example, the one or more conditions may comprise (but are not limited to) at least one of the following conditions for applying the first reporting configuration or mode as the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell 122 (i.e., for starting detected cell reporting and possibly stopping measurements and measurement reporting): a measured signal quality value (e.g., RSRP) of the serving cell 121 being above a fourth threshold, the measured signal quality value (e.g., RSRP) of the serving cell 121 being higher than a measured signal quality value (e.g., RSRP) of at least one non-serving cell 122 by a pre-defined margin, the measured signal quality value (e.g., RSRP) of the at least one non-serving cell 122 being below a fifth threshold, the UE 100 having no data to transmit, or a data buffer status of the UE 100 (i.e., the amount of data waiting to be transmitted at the UE 100) being below a sixth threshold.

[0256] Different conditions may be used for triggering the non-default reporting mode for different carriers, or the same conditions may be used for all of the configured carriers.

[0257] At 507, based on determining that the one or more conditions are fulfilled, the UE 100 applies the first reporting configuration or mode (i.e., the conditional reporting mode), and the UE 100 detects at least one cell 122 (e.g., on carrier 1) of the one or more (non-serving) cells 122, 123 by detecting one or more signals (e.g., one or more synchronization signals, such as PSS and / or SSS) of the at least one cell 122 (e.g., based on RSRP of the one or more signals being above a threshold). The UE 100 may detect the at least one cell 122 by periodically searching or monitoring the associated carrier(s) (e.g., carrier 1)-

[0258] At 508, the UE 100 may continue applying the second reporting configuration or mode (i.e., the initial or default reporting mode) for at least one other cell 123 (e.g., for carrier 2) of the one or more cells 122, 123 or for all of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2), while applying the conditional reporting mode (detected cell reporting) for the at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123. If the UE 100 continues applying the second reporting configuration or mode (measurement reporting) for the at least one other cell 123 (e.g., on carrier 2, for which detected cell reporting was not triggered), then the UE 100 may stop applying the second reporting configuration or mode for the at least one cell 122 (e.g., stop measurement reporting for carrier 1), for which the first reporting configuration or mode is applied (as the non-default reporting mode).

[0259] Alternatively, at 508, the UE 100 may stop applying the initial reporting mode (measurement reporting) for (all of) the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2), while applying the conditional reporting mode (detected cell reporting) for the at least one cell 122.

[0260] In other words, at the time of triggering the non-default reporting mode (detected cell reporting), the UE 100 may continue the default reporting mode (measurement reporting) alongside the non-default reporting mode for: all the configured carriers, or the carrier(s) for which the non-default reporting mode was not triggered, or none of the configured carriers (i.e., stopping the default reporting mode for all the configured carriers).

[0261] At 509, the UE 100 generates and transmits, to the network device 104 associated to the serving cell 121, a detected cell report (message) indicating the detectionstatus of the at least one cell 122 (e.g., for carrier 1). The UE 100 may generate and / or transmit the detected cell report according to the first reporting configuration. The network device 104 receives the detected cell report. The detected cell report is explained in more detail above with reference to step 205 of FIG. 2. The detected cell report may also be referred to as a cell detection status report.

[0262] For example, the UE 100 may transmit the detected cell report according to the reporting periodicity (which may be indicated in the first reporting configuration), and / or based on detecting or determining that the one or more reporting conditions are fulfilled.

[0263] At 510, if the UE 100 continued to apply the initial (default) reporting mode (measurement reporting) at 508, then the UE 100 may transmit, to the network device 104, another measurement report comprising measurement results of the at least one other cell 123 (e.g., for carrier 2) or for all of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for both carrier 1 and carrier 2).

[0264] At 511, the UE 100 determines whether one or more additional conditions (leave conditions) are fulfilled for stopping the conditional reporting mode (detected cell reporting) and resuming the initial (default) reporting mode (measurement reporting). The one or more additional conditions are different from the one or more conditions mentioned at 506 for triggering the conditional (non-default) reporting mode. The one or more additional conditions are used to determine when to return back to the initial (default) reporting mode.

[0265] The one or more additional conditions (leave conditions) may be predefined or indicated from the network device 104. For example, the one or more additional conditions (leave conditions) may comprise (but are not limited to) at least one of: determining that the one or more conditions (for applying the conditional reporting mode) are no longer fulfilled, a pre-defined time period or timer expiring (e.g., this time period or timer may start when triggering the conditional reporting mode), transmitting a pre-defined (or configured) number of reports according to the conditional reporting mode, performing a handover or a cell switch, receiving another RRC configuration (e.g., another measurement configuration) from the network device 104, or activating another configuration (e.g., another reporting configuration for LI, L2 or L3-based signaling).

[0266] At 512, based on determining that the one or more additional conditions are fulfilled, the UE 100 resumes applying the initial reporting mode (measurementreporting) for (all of) the one or more cells 122, 123 and stops applying the conditional reporting mode (detected cell reporting) for the at least one cell 122.

[0267] Based on resuming the measurement reporting, the UE 100 may transmit, to the network device 104, a further measurement report comprising (new) measurement results of the one or more cells 122, 123 (e.g., for carrier 1 and carrier 2).

[0268] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method for parallel use of reporting configurations. The method of FIG. 6 may be performed by an apparatus 1000 depicted in FIG. 10. For example, the apparatus 1000 may be, or comprise, or be comprised in, a user device (i.e., UE) 100, 102.

[0269] Referring to FIG. 6, in block 601, the apparatus 1000 receives, from a network device 104 (e.g., associated to a serving cell 121 of the apparatus 1000), one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes.

[0270] The at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells 122, 123, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0271] The first reporting mode may also be referred to as a detected cell reporting mode or a cell detection status reporting mode. The second reporting mode may also be referred to as a measurement reporting mode. In some cases, the at least two reporting modes may also comprise one or more other reporting modes in addition to the first reporting mode and the second reporting mode.

[0272] The one or more cells 122, 123 may be different from the serving cell 121 of the apparatus 1000. The one or more cells 122, 123 may also be referred to as one or more non-serving cells or one or more neighbor cells.

[0273] The at least two reporting modes may be related to at least one carrier, on which the one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed. The one or more configurations may indicate the at least one carrier on which the one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed.

[0274] The apparatus 1000 may receive a separate configuration for each of the at least two reporting modes, or the apparatus 1000 may receive a single configuration for all of the at least two reporting modes (instead of receiving separate configurations). For example, the one or more configurations may comprise the first reporting configuration (for configuring the first reporting mode) and the second reporting configuration (for configuring the second reporting mode), as described above. As another example, the one ormore configurations may comprise a single configuration for configuring the at least two reporting modes.

[0275] In block 602, the apparatus 1000 receives, from the network device 104, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123, wherein the reporting mode indicates whether to apply the first reporting configuration or the second reporting configuration for the at least one cell 122.

[0276] For example, the indication may be comprised in one of: a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), an in-band signaling message, a downlink control information message, or a signal related to radio resource management.

[0277] The signal related to radio resource management may comprise, for example, a secondary cell configuration, or a secondary cell activation command.

[0278] In block 603, the apparatus 1000 applies the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell 122.

[0279] The apparatus 1000 may apply one of the at least two reporting modes (e.g., the first reporting mode or the second reporting mode) as an initial reporting mode for the one or more cells 122, 123 prior to receiving the indication.

[0280] Applying the first reporting mode as the initial reporting mode may comprise transmitting, to the network device 104, one or more cell detection status reports indicating the detection status of the one or more cells. The one or more cell detection status reports may not comprise measurement result values associated with the one or more cells 122, 123. In other words, the measurement result values may be omitted in the one or more cell detection status reports. The one or more cell detection status reports may also be referred to as one or more detected cell reports.

[0281] Applying the second reporting mode as the initial reporting mode may comprise performing one or more reference signal measurements of the one or more cells 122, 123, and transmitting, to the network device 104, one or more measurement reports comprising one or more measurement result values obtained from the one or more reference signal measurements.

[0282] The apparatus 1000 may continue applying the initial reporting mode for at least one other cell 123 of the one or more cells 122, 123, while applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0283] Alternatively, the apparatus 1000 may stop applying the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells 122, 123, while applying the indicated reporting mode.

[0284] After applying the indicated reporting mode, the apparatus 1000 may resume applying the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells 122, 123 and stop applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell 122, based on one or more pre-defined conditions being fulfilled.

[0285] For example, the one or more pre-defined conditions may comprise at least one of: receiving another indication (e.g., indicating another reporting mode to be applied) from the network device 104, a pre-defined time period expiring, transmitting a pre-defined number of reports according to the indicated reporting mode, performing a handover or a cell switch, or receiving another configuration from the network device 104.

[0286] In one embodiment, the first reporting mode may be applied as the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells 122, 123 prior to receiving the indication, and the indication may indicate to apply the second reporting configuration as the reporting mode for the at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0287] In another embodiment, the second reporting mode may be applied as the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells 122, 123 prior to receiving the indication, and the indication may indicate to apply the first reporting configuration as the reporting mode for the at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0288] FIG. 7 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method for parallel use of reporting configurations. The method of FIG. 7 may be performed by an apparatus 1100 depicted in FIG. 11. For example, the apparatus 1100 may be, or comprise, or be comprised in, a network device 104 associated to a serving cell 121 of a user device 100.

[0289] Referring to FIG. 7, in block 701, the apparatus 1100 transmits, to the user device 100, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes.

[0290] The at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells 122, 123, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells 122, 123. The first reporting mode may also be referred to as a detected cell reporting mode or a cell detection status reporting mode. The second reporting mode may also be referred to as a measurement reporting mode. In some cases, the at least two reporting modes may also comprise one or more other reporting modes in addition to the first reporting mode and the second reporting mode.

[0291] The one or more cells 122, 123 may be different from the serving cell 121 of the user device 100. The one or more cells 122, 123 may also be referred to as one or more non-serving cells or as one or more neighbor cells.

[0292] The at least two reporting modes may be related to at least one carrier, on which the one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed. The one or more configurations may indicate the at least one carrier on which the one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed.

[0293] The apparatus 1100 may transmit a separate configuration for each of the at least two reporting modes, or the apparatus 1100 may transmit a single configuration for all of the at least two reporting modes (instead of transmitting separate configurations). For example, the one or more configurations may comprise the first reporting configuration (for configuring the first reporting mode) and the second reporting configuration (for configuring the second reporting mode), as described above. As another example, the one or more configurations may comprise a single configuration for configuring the at least two reporting modes.

[0294] In block 702, the apparatus 1100 generates an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied at the user device 100 for at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0295] In other words, the apparatus 1100 may generate a message comprising the indication. For example, the indication may be comprised in one of: a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), an in-band signaling message, a downlink control information message, or a signal related to radio resource management.

[0296] The signal related to radio resource management may comprise, for example, a secondary cell configuration, or a secondary cell activation command.

[0297] In block 703, the apparatus 1100 transmits the indication to the user device 100.

[0298] FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method for parallel use of reporting configurations. The method of FIG. 8 may be performed by an apparatus 1000 depicted in FIG. 10. For example, the apparatus 1000 may be, or comprise, or be comprised in, a user device (i.e., UE) 100, 102.

[0299] Referring to FIG. 8, in block 801, the apparatus 1000 receives, from a network device 104 (e.g., associated to a serving cell 121 of the apparatus 1000), one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes.

[0300] The at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells 122, 123, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells 122, 123. The first reporting mode may also be referred to as a detected cell reporting mode or a cell detection status reporting mode. The second reporting mode may also be referred to as a measurement reporting mode. In some cases, the at least two reporting modes may also comprise one or more other reporting modes in addition to the first reporting mode and the second reporting mode.

[0301] The one or more cells 122, 123 may be different from the serving cell 121 of the apparatus 1000. The one or more cells 122, 123 may also be referred to as one or more non-serving cells or one or more neighbor cells.

[0302] The at least two reporting modes may be related to at least one carrier, on which the one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed. The one or more configurations may indicate the at least one carrier on which the one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed.

[0303] The apparatus 1000 may receive a separate configuration for each of the at least two reporting modes, or the apparatus 1000 may receive a single configuration for all of the at least two reporting modes (instead of receiving separate configurations). For example, the one or more configurations may comprise the first reporting configuration (for configuring the first reporting mode) and the second reporting configuration (for configuring the second reporting mode), as described above. As another example, the one or more configurations may comprise a single configuration for configuring the at least two reporting modes.

[0304] In block 802, the apparatus 1000 determines whether one or more conditions are fulfilled for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as a conditional reporting mode for at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0305] The one or more conditions may be pre-defined, or indicated from the network device 104.

[0306] In block 803, based on determining that the one or more conditions are fulfilled (block 802: yes), the apparatus 1000 applies the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell 122.

[0307] The one or more conditions may comprise at least one of the following conditions for applying the second reporting mode as the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell 122: a measured signal quality value of the serving cell 121 being below afirst threshold, a measured signal quality value of at least one non-serving cell being above a second threshold, the apparatus 1000 having data to transmit (or waiting to be transmitted), or a data buffer status of the apparatus 1000 being above a third threshold.

[0308] Alternatively, or additionally, the one or more conditions may comprise at least one of the following conditions for applying the first reporting mode as the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell 122: a measured signal quality value of the serving cell 121 being above a fourth threshold, the measured signal quality value of the serving cell 121 being higher than a measured signal quality value of at least one non-serving cell by a pre-defined margin, the measured signal quality value of the at least one non-serving cell being below a fifth threshold, the apparatus 1000 having no data to transmit (or waiting to be transmitted), or a data buffer status of the apparatus 1000 being below a sixth threshold.

[0309] The first threshold may be the same or different than the fourth threshold. The second threshold may be the same or different than the fifth threshold. The third threshold may be the same or different than the sixth threshold.

[0310] The apparatus 1000 may apply the first reporting mode or the second reporting mode as an initial reporting mode for the one or more cells 122, 123 prior to determining whether the one or more conditions are fulfilled (or prior to applying the conditional reporting mode).

[0311] Applying the first reporting mode as the initial reporting mode may comprise transmitting, to the network device 104, one or more cell detection status reports indicating the detection status of the one or more cells. The one or more cell detection status reports may not comprise measurement result values associated with the one or more cells 122, 123. The one or more cell detection status reports may also be referred to as one or more detected cell reports.

[0312] Applying the second reporting mode as the initial reporting mode may comprise performing one or more reference signal measurements of the one or more cells 122, 123, and transmitting, to the network device 104, one or more measurement reports comprising one or more measurement result values obtained from the one or more reference signal measurements.

[0313] The apparatus 1000 may continue applying the initial reporting mode for at least one other cell 123 of the one or more cells 122, 123, while applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0314] Alternatively, the apparatus 1000 may stop applying the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells 122, 123, while applying the conditional reporting mode.

[0315] The apparatus 1000 may resume applying the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells 122, 123 and stop applying the conditional reporting mode for the at least one cell 122, based on one or more additional conditions being fulfilled. The one or more additional conditions may also be referred to as one or more leave conditions.

[0316] For example, the one or more additional conditions (leave conditions) may comprise at least one of: determining that the one or more conditions are no longer fulfilled, a pre-defined time period expiring, transmitting a pre-defined number of reports according to the conditional reporting mode, performing a handover or a cell switch, receiving another configuration from the network device 104, or activating another reporting configuration.

[0317] In one embodiment, the first reporting mode may be applied as the initial reporting mode, and the second reporting mode may be applied as the conditional reporting mode.

[0318] In another embodiment, the second reporting mode may be applied as the initial reporting mode, and the first reporting mode may be applied as the conditional reporting mode.

[0319] FIG. 9 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method for parallel use of reporting configurations. The method of FIG. 9 may be performed by an apparatus 1100 depicted in FIG. 11. For example, the apparatus 1100 may be, or comprise, or be comprised in, a network device 104 associated to a serving cell 121 of a user device 100.

[0320] Referring to FIG. 9, in block 901, the apparatus 1100 generates, for the user device 100, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes.

[0321] The at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells 122, 123, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells 122, 123. The first reporting mode may also be referred to as a detected cell reporting mode or a cell detection status reporting mode. The second reporting mode may also be referred to as a measurement reporting mode. In some cases, the at least two reporting modes may also comprise one or more other reporting modes in addition to the first reporting mode and the second reporting mode.

[0322] The one or more cells 122, 123 may be different from the serving cell 121 of the user device 100. The one or more cells 122, 123 may also be referred to as one or more non-serving cells or as one or more neighbor cells.

[0323] The at least two reporting modes may be related to at least one carrier, on which the one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed. The one or more configurations may indicate the at least one carrier on which the one or more cells 122, 123 may be deployed.

[0324] The apparatus 1100 may generate a separate configuration for each of the at least two reporting modes, or the apparatus 1100 may generate a single configuration for all of the at least two reporting modes (instead of generating separate configurations). For example, the one or more configurations may comprise the first reporting configuration (for configuring the first reporting mode) and the second reporting configuration (for configuring the second reporting mode), as described above. As another example, the one or more configurations may comprise a single configuration for configuring the at least two reporting modes.

[0325] In block 902, the apparatus 1100 transmits the one or more configurations to the user device 100.

[0326] In block 903, the apparatus 1100 may optionally transmit, to the user device 100, an indication indicating one or more conditions for applying one of the at least two reporting modes as a conditional reporting mode for at least one cell 122 of the one or more cells 122, 123.

[0327] Alternatively, the one or more conditions may be pre-defined or preconfigured at the user device 100.

[0328] The blocks, related functions, and information exchanges (messages) described above by means of FIGS. 2 to 9 are in no absolute chronological order, and some of them may be performed simultaneously or in an order differing from the described one. Other functions can also be executed between them or within them, and other information may be sent, and / or other rules applied. Some of the blocks or part of the blocks or one or more pieces of information can also be left out or replaced by a corresponding block or part of the block or one or more pieces of information.

[0329] 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.

[0330] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of an apparatus 1000 comprising means for performing one or more of the example embodiments (e.g., the method of FIG. 6 or FIG. 8, or the functionalities of the UE 100 in any of FIGS. 2 to 5) described above. For example, the apparatus 1000 may be an apparatus such as, or comprising, or comprised in, a user device (i.e., UE) 100, 102.

[0331] The apparatus 1000 may comprise a circuitry or a chipset applicable for realizing one or more of the example embodiments described above. For example, the apparatus 1000 may comprise at least one processor 1010. The at least one processor 1010 interprets instructions (e.g., computer program instructions) and processes data. The at least one processor 1010 may comprise one or more programmable processors. The at least one processor 1010 may comprise programmable hardware with embedded firmware and may, alternatively or additionally, comprise one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0332] The at least one processor 1010 is coupled to at least one memory 1020. The at least one processor is configured to read and write data to and from the at least one memory 1020. The at least one memory 1020 may comprise one or more memory units. The memory units may be volatile or non-volatile. It is to be noted that there may be one or more units of non-volatile memory and one or more units of volatile memory or, alternatively, one or more units of non-volatile memory, or, alternatively, one or more units of volatile memory. Volatile memory may be for example random-access memory (RAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) or synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM). Non-volatile memory may be for example read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, optical storage or magnetic storage. In general, memories may be referred to as non-transitory computer readable media. 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). The at least one memory 1020 stores computer readable instructions that are executed by the at least one processor 1010 to perform one or more of the example embodiments described above. For example, nonvolatile memory stores the computer readable instructions, and the at least one processor 1010 executes the instructions using volatile memory for temporary storage of data and / or instructions. The computer readable instructions may refer to computer program code.

[0333] The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored to the at least one memory 1020 or, alternatively or additionally, they may be received, by theapparatus, via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or may be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer readable instructions by the at least one processor 1010 causes the apparatus 1000 to perform one or more of the example embodiments described above. That is, the at least one processor and the at least one memory storing the instructions may provide the means for providing or causing the performance of any of the methods and / or blocks described above.

[0334] In the context of this document, a “memory” or “computer-readable media” or “computer-readable medium” may be any non-transitory media or medium or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer. 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).

[0335] The apparatus 1000 may further comprise, or be connected to, an input unit 1030. The input unit 1030 may comprise one or more interfaces for receiving input. The one or more interfaces may comprise, for example, at least one of: one or more temperature, motion and / or orientation sensors, one or more cameras, one or more accelerometers, one or more microphones, one or more buttons and / or one or more touch detection units. Further, the input unit 1030 may comprise an interface to which external devices may connect to.

[0336] The apparatus 1000 may also comprise an output unit 1040. The output unit may comprise or be connected to one or more displays capable of rendering visual content, such as a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD) and / or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display. The output unit 1040 may further comprise one or more audio outputs. The one or more audio outputs may be for example loudspeakers.

[0337] The apparatus 1000 further comprises a connectivity unit 1050. The connectivity unit 1050 enables wireless connectivity to one or more external devices. The connectivity unit 1050 comprises at least one transmitter and at least one receiver that may be integrated to the apparatus 1000 or that the apparatus 1000 may be connected to. The at least one transmitter comprises at least one transmission antenna, and the at least one receiver comprises at least one receiving antenna. The connectivity unit 1050 may comprise an integrated circuit or a set of integrated circuits that provide the wireless communication capability for the apparatus 1000. Alternatively, the wireless connectivity may be a hardwired application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The connectivity unit 1050 mayalso provide means for performing at least some of the blocks or functions of one or more example embodiments described above. The connectivity unit 1050 may comprise one or more components, such as: power amplifier, digital front end (DFE), analog-to-digital converter (ADC), digital-to-analog converter (DAC), frequency converter, (de) modulator, and / or encoder / decoder circuitries, controlled by the corresponding controlling units.

[0338] It is to be noted that the apparatus 1000 may further comprise various components not illustrated in FIG. 10. The various components may be hardware components and / or software components.

[0339] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of an apparatus 1100 comprising means for performing one or more of the example embodiments (e.g., the method of FIG. 7 or FIG. 9, or the functionalities of the network device 104 in any of FIGS. 2 to 5) described above. For example, the apparatus 1100 may be an apparatus such as, or comprising, or comprised in, a network device 104 associated to a serving cell 121 of the user device 100, 102.

[0340] The apparatus 1100 may comprise, for example, a circuitry or a chipset applicable for realizing one or more of the example embodiments described above. The apparatus 1100 may be an electronic device comprising one or more electronic circuitries. The apparatus 1100 may comprise a communication control circuitry 1110 such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 1120 storing instructions 1122 which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus 1100 to carry out one or more of the example embodiments described above. Such instructions 1122 may, for example, include computer program code (software). The at least one processor and the at least one memory storing the instructions may provide the means for providing or causing the performance of any of the methods and / or blocks described above.

[0341] The processor is coupled to the memory 1120. The processor is configured to read and write data to and from the memory 1120. The memory 1120 may comprise one or more memory units. The memory units may be volatile or non-volatile. It is to be noted that there may be one or more units of non-volatile memory and one or more units of volatile memory or, alternatively, one or more units of non-volatile memory, or, alternatively, one or more units of volatile memory. Volatile memory may be for example random-access memory (RAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) or synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM). Non-volatile memory may be for example readonly memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, optical storage or magnetic storage. In general, memories may be referred to as non-transitory computer readablemedia. 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). The memory 1120 stores computer readable instructions that are executed by the processor. For example, non-volatile memory stores the computer readable instructions, and the processor executes the instructions using volatile memory for temporary storage of data and / or instructions.

[0342] The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored to the memory 1120 or, alternatively or additionally, they may be received, by the apparatus, via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or may be copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer readable instructions causes the apparatus 1100 to perform one or more of the functionalities described above.

[0343] The memory 1120 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and / or removable memory. The memory may comprise a configuration database for storing configuration data, such as a current neighbour cell list, and, in some example embodiments, structures of frames used in the detected neighbour cells.

[0344] The apparatus 1100 may further comprise or be connected to a communication interface 1130, such as a radio unit, comprising hardware and / or software for realizing communication connectivity with one or more wireless communication devices according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 1130 comprises at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver (Rx) that may be integrated to the apparatus 1100 or that the apparatus 1100 may be connected to. The communication interface 1130 may provide means for performing some of the blocks and / or functions (e.g., transmitting and receiving) for one or more example embodiments described above. The communication interface 1130 may comprise one or more components, such as: power amplifier, digital front end (DFE), analog-to-digital converter (ADC), digital-to-analog converter (DAC), frequency converter, (de)modulator, and / or encoder / decoder circuitries, controlled by the corresponding controlling units.

[0345] The communication interface 1130 provides the apparatus with radio communication capabilities to communicate in the wireless communication network. The communication interface may, for example, provide a radio interface to one or more UEs 100, 102. The apparatus 1100 may further comprise or be connected to another interface towards a core network 110, such as the network coordinator apparatus or AMF, and / or to otheraccess nodes of the wireless communication network.

[0346] The apparatus 1100 may further comprise a scheduler 1140 that is configured to allocate radio resources. The scheduler 1140 may be configured along with the communication control circuitry 1110 or it may be separately configured.

[0347] It is to be noted that the apparatus 1100 may further comprise various components not illustrated in FIG. 11. The various components may be hardware components and / or software components.

[0348] 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, 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 (for example firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0349] 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.

[0350] The techniques and methods described herein may be implemented by various means. For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or combinations thereof. For a hardware implementation, the apparatus(es) of example embodiments may be implemented within one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combinationthereof. For firmware or software, the implementation can be carried out through modules of at least one chipset (for example procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The software codes may be stored in a memory unit and executed by processors. The memory unit may be implemented within the processor or externally to the processor. In the latter case, it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means, as is known in the art. Additionally, the components of the systems described herein may be rearranged and / or complemented by additional components in order to facilitate the achievements of the various aspects, etc., described with regard thereto, and they are not limited to the precise configurations set forth in the given figures, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art.

[0351] It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept may be implemented in various ways within the scope of the claims. The embodiments are not limited to the example embodiments described above, but may vary within the scope of the claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to illustrate, not to restrict, the embodiments.

Claims

1. CLAIMS1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; receive, from the network device, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and apply the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further being caused to: apply one of the at least two reporting modes as an initial reporting mode for the one or more cells prior to receiving the indication.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further being caused to: continue applying the initial reporting mode for at least one other cell of the one or more cells, while applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell of the one or more cells.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further being caused to: stop applying the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells, while applying the indicated reporting mode.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 2 to 4, further being caused to: resume applying the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells and stop applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell, based on one or more predefined conditions being fulfilled.

646. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more pre-defined conditions comprise at least one of: receiving another indication from the network device, a pre-defined time period expiring, transmitting a pre-defined number of reports according to the indicated reporting mode, performing a handover or a cell switch, or receiving another configuration from the network device.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 2 to 6, wherein applying the first reporting mode as the initial reporting mode comprises transmitting, to the network device, one or more cell detection status reports indicating the detection status of the one or more cells, or wherein applying the second reporting mode as the initial reporting mode comprises performing one or more reference signal measurements of the one or more cells, and transmitting, to the network device, one or more measurement reports comprising one or more measurement result values obtained from the one or more reference signal measurements.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more cell detection status reports do not comprise measurement result values associated with the one or more cells.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 2 to 8, wherein the first reporting mode is applied as the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells prior to receiving the indication, and wherein the indication indicates to apply the second reporting mode as the reporting mode for the at least one cell of the one or more cells.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 2 to 8, wherein the second reporting mode is applied as the initial reporting mode for the one or more cells prior to receiving the indication, and wherein the indication indicates to apply the first reporting mode as the reporting mode for the at least one cell of the one or more cells.6511. An apparatus comprising at least one processor, and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: transmit, to a user device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; generate an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied at the user device for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and transmit the indication to the user device.

12. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the indication is comprised in one of: a radio resource control, RRC, message, a medium access control, MAC, control element, CE, an in-band signaling message, a downlink control information message, or a signal related to radio resource management.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the signal related to radio resource management comprises a secondary cell configuration, or a secondary cell activation command.

14. The apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the one or more configurations indicate at least one carrier on which the one or more cells are deployed.

15. A method comprising: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and66 a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; receiving, from the network device, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell.

16. A method comprising: transmitting, to a user device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; generating an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied at the user device for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and transmitting the indication to the user device.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving, from a network device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; receiving, from the network device, an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and applying the indicated reporting mode for the at least one cell.6718. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: transmitting, to a user device, one or more configurations for configuring at least two reporting modes, wherein the at least two reporting modes comprise at least: a first reporting mode for reporting a detection status of one or more cells, and a second reporting mode for reporting measurement results associated with the one or more cells; generating an indication indicating a reporting mode from the at least two reporting modes to be applied at the user device for at least one cell of the one or more cells; and transmitting the indication to the user device.

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