Methods in a narrow band-internet of things (NB-IOT) time division duplex (TDD) mode non-terrestrial network (NTN)

Abstract

A UE (200) in a NB-IoT TDD mode NTN is provided. The UE (200) is configured to: operate on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes forming eight consecutive subframes.

Description

METHODS IN A NARROW BAND-INFORMATION OF THINGS (NB-IOT) TIME DIVISION DUPLEX (TDD) MODE NON-TERRESTRIAL NETWORKS (NTN)BACKGROUNDSatellite Communications in 3 GPP

[0001] 3GPP supports since Release 17 NR, LTE-MTC and NB-IoT based NonTerrestrial Networks (NTN). NTN includes both satellite communication and communications using high-altitude platforms (HAPS). In this invention we focus on satellite communication, but the provided description could also be applied to a HAPS network. A satellite radio access network usually includes the following components:• A satellite that refers to a space-borne platform.• An earth-based gateway that connects the satellite to a base station or a core network, depending on the choice of architecture.• Feeder link that refers to the link between a gateway and a satellite• Service link that refers to the link between a satellite and a UE.

[0002] Depending on the orbit altitude, a satellite may be categorized as low earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), or geostationary earth orbit (GEO) satellite:• LEO: typical heights ranging from 500 - 1,500 km, with orbital periods ranging from 90 - 120 minutes.• MEO: typical heights ranging from 5,000 - 25,000 km, with orbital periods ranging from 3 - 15 hours.• GEO: height at about 35,786 km, with an orbital period matching the rotation of earth, i.e., of 24 hours.

[0003] A communication satellite typically generates several beams over a given area. The footprint of a beam on earth is usually in an elliptic shape. Each beam is typically providing coverage to cell in a 5G or 4G network. The footprint of a beam is also often referred to as a spotbeam. The footprint of a beam may move over the earth surface with the satellite movement or may be earth fixed thanks to some beam pointing mechanism used by the satellite to compensate for its motion. The size of a spotbeam depends on the system design, which may range from tens of kilometers to a few thousands of kilometers.

[0004] Figure 1 shows an example architecture of a satellite network according to the so-called transparent architecture where the base station is part of the gateway. Another popular architecture is the regenerative architecture where the BS is located on board thesatellite. The depicted elevation angle of the service link is important as it impacts the distance between the satellite and the device, and the velocity of the satellite relative to the device.

[0005] As illustrated, a satellite may support a set of beams for providing coverage to a set of cells on earth. To provide continuous coverage, adjacent beams are often configured to overlap which creates significant inter-cell interference.Time-Division Duplex (TDD) in NTN

[0006] Most satellite networks operate their NTN over paired frequency bands using Frequency Division Duplex (FDD). At least one vendor does, however, operate their system over a single unpaired band using Time Division Duplex (TDD). As a result, in the on-going Rel-19, a new Work Item (WI) objective has been approved for loT-NTN. Specifically, the Rel-19 Work Item Description (WID) entitled “Introduction of loT-NTN TDD mode,” includes the following assumptions [1]:

[0007] In relation with the above set of assumptions, the WID includes the following objectives:

[0008] Moreover, what is intended to be achieved through the Rel-19 objective described in [1], has been illustrated in [2] as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 illustrates an example of a downlink (DL) periodic pattern, where 1 out of N radio frames is assigned to DL, as illustrated in [2], Figure 3 illustrates an example of a downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) periodic patterns as illustrated in [2],

[0009] The support of DL / UL periodic patterns for introducing a TDD mode for NB- loT in NTN require analyzing the potential impacts on physical channel and signals transmitted in DL and UL respectively.

[0010] For example, in the case of DL, the impact on the physical channels and signals shown in Tables I and II needs to be studied. Table I shows a brief description of some PHY- channels and signals used during initial cell selection for NB-IoT in FDD mode. Table II shows description of the location of some PHY-channels and signals used during initial cell selection for NB-IoT in FDD mode.

[0011] Table I: Brief description of some PHY-channels and signals used during initial cell selection for NB-IoT in FDD mode.

[0012] Table II: Description of the location of some PHY-channels and signals used during initial cell selection for NB-IoT in FDD mode.

[0013] In terms of user data, another aspect to consider is that in NB-IoT, a Transport Block (TB) can be mapped to one or more than one NPDSCH subframes (i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10) [3], Table III shows an extract of TS 36.213 related with the TBS / MCS table for NPDSCH.

[0014] Table III: Extract of TS 36.213 related with the TBS / MCS table for NPDSCH.

[0015] On the other hand, in the case of UL, the impact on the following physical channel and signals needs to be studied.

[0016] For example, NPRACH preambles which use a single-tone transmission with 3.75 kHz SCS and frequency hopping. NB-IoT supports two NPRACH formats (Format 0 using a CP of 66.7 us, and Format 1 using a CP of 266.67 us), and the basic NPRACH repetition unit consist of four symbol groups. The transmission of a single NPRACH as designed in Rel-13 for NB-IoT FDD takes 5.6 ms (with 66.7 us CP) or 6.4 ms (with 266.7 us CP).

[0017] Another physical uplink channel to study is NPUSCH. For example, NPUSCH Format 2 can be used to carry HARQ acknowledgement for NPDSCH, whereas NPUSCH Format 1 can be used for UL data traffic.• For NPUSCH Format 2 single tone with 3.75 kHz SCS, Table 10.1.2.3-1 in TS 36.211 states that the following applies = 1 and = 4 [3], Since the slot duration is 2 ms, the RU is 8 ms.• For NPUSCH Format 2 single tone with 15 kHz SCS, Table 10.1.2.3-1 in TS 36.211 states that the following applies = 1 and = 4 [3], Since the slot duration is 0.5 ms, the RU is 2 ms.• For NPUSCH Format 1 single tone with 3.75 kHz SCS, Table 10.1.2.3-1 in TS 36.211 states that the following applies = 1 and = 16 [3], Since the slot duration is 2 ms, the RU is 32ms.• For NPUSCH Format 1 single-tone with 15 kHz SCS, Table 10.1.2.3-1 in TS 36.211 states that the following applies = 1 and = 16 [3], Since the slot duration is 0.5 ms, the RU is 8 ms.• For NPUSCH Format 1 multi-tone with 15 kHz SCS, the slot duration is 0.5 ms. For multi-tone transmissions, the possible allocations are 3 -subcarriers, 6-subcarriers, and 12-subcarriers which have associated RUs equal to 4 ms, 2 ms, and 1 ms respectively. Table 10.1.2.3-1 defines = 12, 6, and 3, along with = 2, 4, and 8 respectively.

[0018] For NPUSCH Format 1, a given transport block can be mapped to one or more than one RU (i.e., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 or 10 RUs) [3], Table IV shows an extract of TS 36.213 related with the TBS / MCS table for NPDSCH.

[0019] Table IV: Extract of TS 36.213 related with the TBS / MCS table for NPDSCH.

[0021] One important aspect to highlight is the following proposal discussed during RANI# 118bis, which illustrates a non-3GPP “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band”. Such a system intends to reserve part of its uplink resources (8 ms) and part of its downlink resources (8 ms) within 90 ms for NB-IoT operation, and therefore the design of NB-IoT NTN TDD mode is expected to fit into such resources. The proposal discussed during RANI# 118bis (not agreed yet) is cited below [4]:

[0022] Techniques and proposals are still lacking for supporting interoperability of the NB-IoT NTN TDD mode operation into the “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band.”

[0023] There currently exist certain challenges. The “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” (Figure 1) intends to reserve part of its uplink resources (UL = 8 ms, equivalent to U = 8 consecutive uplink subframes) and part of its downlink resources (DL = 8 ms, equivalent to D = 8 consecutive downlink subframes) within 90 ms (equivalent to N = 9 ms) for NB-IoT operation. However, this resource allocation tends to be too limited for an anchor carrier (i.e., a carrier carrying essential system information or control signals for the NB-IoT system) since in the DL of this carrier, beyond the user data carried on NPDSCH scheduled by NPDCCH, it is necessary to transmit essential PHY-channels and signals such as NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, SIB1-NB, SIB2-NB, and SIB31-NB. Similarly, in the UL, beyond the user data carried on NPUSCH Format 1 scheduled by NPDCCH, it is necessary to transmit e.g., NPRACH and NPUSCH Format 2.SUMMARY

[0024] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0025] Certain embodiments described herein include methods to align 3 GPP resources with the resources usable for uplink and downlink in the satellite system where this alignment enables all essential physical channels and signals of a NB-IoT system to be transmitted during each period of available resources. That is, in one or more embodiments, the methods provide for transmission of NB-IoT physical channels and signals over a satellite link via time-domain alignment of 3GPP radio resources with satellite transmission windows. Furthermore, one or more embodiments of the alignment keep compatibility with legacy NB-IoT-FDD operation, thereby enabling interoperability with legacy operation.

[0026] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method in a user equipment in a narrow band Internet of Things, NB-IoT, time division duplex TDD mode, nonterrestrial network, NTN, is provided. The method includes operating on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes form eight consecutive subframes.

[0027] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the subframes are downlink subframes.

[0028] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the first subset of subframes corresponds to subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first radio frame; and the second subset of subframes corresponds to subframe 0 of the second radio frame.

[0029] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the unmuted subframes of the first and second radio frames are configured to fit into a downlink slot of a legacy TDD pattern of a system deployed in a 1616-1626.5 MHz band.

[0030] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the unmuted subframes are configured to carry one or more physical, PHY, channels and one or more PHY signals.

[0031] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the one or more PHY channels corresponds to one or more of Narrow Band Physical Broadcast Channel, NPBCH, Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel, NPDCCH, and Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel, NPDSCH.

[0032] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the PHY signals comprises one or more of Narrow Band Primary Synchronization Signal, NPSS, Narrow Band Secondary Synchronization Signal, NSSS, System Information Block Type 1 for Narrowband loT, SIBl-NB, System Information Block Type 2 for Narrowband loT, SIB2- NB, System Information Block Type 31 for Narrowband loT, SIB31-NB or any other System Information Block Type for Narrowband loT.

[0033] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the subframes are uplink subframes.

[0034] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a user equipment in a narrow band Internet of Things, NB-IoT, time division duplex TDD mode, non-terrestrial network, NTN, is provided. The user equipment is configured to: operate on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes forming eight consecutive subframes.

[0035] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the subframes are downlink subframes.

[0036] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the first subset of subframes corresponds to subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first radio frame; and the second subset of subframes corresponds to subframe 0 of the second radio frame.

[0037] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the unmuted subframes of the first and second radio frames are configured to fit into a downlink slot of a legacy TDD pattern of a system deployed in a 1616-1626.5 MHz band.

[0038] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the unmuted subframes are configured to carry one or more physical, PHY, channels and one or more PHY signals.

[0039] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the one or more PHY channels corresponds to one or more of Narrow Band Physical Broadcast Channel, NPBCH, Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel, NPDCCH, and Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel, NPDSCH.

[0040] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the PHY signals comprises one or more of Narrow Band Primary Synchronization Signal, NPSS, Narrow Band Secondary Synchronization Signal, NSSS, System Information Block Type 1 for Narrowband loT, SIBl-NB, System Information Block Type 2 for Narrowband loT, SIB2- NB, System Information Block Type 31 for Narrowband loT, SIB31-NB or any other System Information Block Type for Narrowband loT.

[0041] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the subframes are uplink subframes.

[0042] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method in a network node configured to communicate with a user equipment in a narrow band Internet of Things, NB-IoT, time division duplex TDD mode, non-terrestrial network, NTN, is provided. The method includes operating on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes forming eight consecutive subframes.

[0043] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the subframes are downlink subframes.

[0044] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the first subset of subframes corresponds to subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first radio frame; and the second subset of subframes corresponds to subframe 0 of the second radio frame.

[0045] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the unmuted subframes of the first and second radio frames are configured to fit into a downlink slot of a legacy TDD pattern of a system deployed in a 1616-1626.5 MHz band.

[0046] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the unmuted subframes are configured to carry one or more physical, PHY, channels and one or more PHY signals.

[0047] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the one or more PHY channels corresponds to one or more of Narrow Band Physical Broadcast Channel, NPBCH, Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel, NPDCCH, and Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel, NPDSCH.

[0048] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the PHY signals comprises one or more of Narrow Band Primary Synchronization Signal, NPSS, Narrow Band Secondary Synchronization Signal, NSSS, System Information Block Type 1 for Narrowband loT, SIBl-NB, System Information Block Type 2 for Narrowband loT, SIB2- NB, System Information Block Type 31 for Narrowband loT, SIB31-NB or any other System Information Block Type for Narrowband loT.

[0049] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the subframes are uplink subframes.

[0050] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a network node that is configured to communicate with a user equipment in a narrow band Internet of Things, NB- loT, time division duplex TDD mode, non-terrestrial network, NTN, is provided. The network node is configured to: operate on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes forming eight consecutive subframes.

[0051] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the subframes are downlink subframes.

[0052] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the first subset of subframes corresponds to subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first radio frame; and the second subset of subframes corresponds to subframe 0 of the second radio frame.

[0053] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the unmuted subframes of the first and second radio frames are configured to fit into a downlink slot of a legacy TDD pattern of a system deployed in a 1616-1626.5 MHz band.

[0054] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the unmuted subframes are configured to carry one or more physical, PHY, channels and one or more PHY signals.

[0055] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the one or more PHY channels corresponds to one or more of Narrow Band Physical Broadcast Channel, NPBCH, Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel, NPDCCH, and Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel, NPDSCH.

[0056] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the PHY signals comprises one or more of Narrow Band Primary Synchronization Signal, NPSS, Narrow Band Secondary Synchronization Signal, NSSS, System Information Block Type 1 for Narrowband loT, SIBl-NB, System Information Block Type 2 for Narrowband loT, SIB2- NB, System Information Block Type 31 for Narrowband loT, SIB31-NB or any other System Information Block Type for Narrowband loT.

[0057] According to one or more embodiments of the this aspect, the subframes are uplink subframes.

[0058] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] A more complete understanding of the present embodiments, and the attendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0060] Figure l is a diagram of an example architecture of a satellite network according to the so-called transparent architecture where the base station is part of the gateway;

[0061] Figure 2 is a diagram of an example of a downlink (DL) periodic pattern, where 1 out of N radio frames is assigned to DL;

[0062] Figure 3 is a diagram of an example of a downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) periodic patterns;

[0063] Figure 4 is is diagram of the TDD pattern of the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626 Mhz band;

[0064] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example of candidate frameworks of usable slots for UL and DL for the “Legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band;

[0065] Figure 6 is a diagram of an example of PHY-channels and signals NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, and SIB1-NB fitting into D = 8 ms andN = 9 for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band

[0066] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example PHY-channels and signals NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, and SIBl-NB keeping unmuted subframe #3 to subframe #0 of two adjacentNB-IoT radio frames as to fit into D = 8 ms and N = 9 for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616- 1626.5 MHz band;”

[0067] Figure 8 is a diagram of an example of PHY-channels and signals NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, and SIBl-NB keeping unmuted subframe #4 to subframe #1 of two adjacent NB-IoT radio frames as to fit into D = 8 ms and N = 9 for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band;”

[0068] Figure 9 is a diagram of an example for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” an UL slot and a DL slot used for NB-IoT services cannot be adjacent to each other since what is in between them (i.e., 0.36 + guardband) has a duration of less than a “half-duplex guard subframe;”

[0069] Figure 10 is a diagram of an example of UL PHY-channels and signals as per legacy NB-IoT NTN in FDD mode fitting into U = 8 subframes, accounting for “half-duplex guard subframe” and that the location of the NB-IoT radio frame with respect to the unmuted DL slot conditions the location of the NB-IoT radio frames with respect to the unmuted UL slot;

[0070] Figure 11 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0071] Figure 12 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments;

[0072] Figure 13 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments;

[0073] Figure 14 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized;

[0074] Figure 15 is a flowchart of an example process in a network node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0075] Figure 16 is a flowchart of an example process in a user equipment according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0077] Certain embodiments described herein include methods to align 3 GPP resources, expressed in terms of radio frames and subframes, with the resources usable for uplink and downlink in the satellite system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band, illustrated in Figure 4. This alignment can be done to ensure that all essential physical channels and signals of a NB-IoT system can be transmitted during each period of available resources, which is characterized by how often uplink and downlink resources are available (denoted by N) and for how long (denoted by D), see notation below.

[0078] A few notes should be considered regarding terminology. The terms U and UL are used to denote uplink resources available within the TDD pattern of the legacy system deployed in the 1616 - 1626.5 MHz band, which can be expressed in terms of ms (on those uplink resources an equivalent amount of NB-IoT subframes of length 1 ms each can be mapped). For example, U = 8 or U = 8 ms denote uplink resources spanning 8 ms on which 8 consecutive NB-IoT subframes can be mapped. The terms D and DL are used similarly. The term N is used to denote the duration of the TDD pattern of the legacy system deployed in the 1616 - 1626.5 MHz band, which spans 9 ms.

[0079] One example embodiment includes methods to interoperate NB-IoT NTN TDD mode into a non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band.” In this embodiment, accounting for the inherent restrictions (i.e., N = 9 ms, D = 8 ms, U = 8 ms) of non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” the potentially usable slots for UL and DL NB-IoT services are arranged as in Figure 5, which illustrates candidate frameworks of usable slots for UL and DL for the “Legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band.”

[0080] Another example embodiment includes, for a given DL slot of the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band, two adjacent NB-IoT radio frames of the legacy 3 GPP system, denoted as reference radio frames, are used to transmit / receive DL PHY- channels and signals (NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, SIB1-NB, SIB2-NB, SIB31-NB, NPDCCH, and NPDSCH), wherein a number of consecutive subframes across these two reference radio frames are used (i.e., active or unmuted) while the remaining subframes are unused (i.e., inactive or muted). An example is illustrated in Figure 6, which shows PHY-channelsand signals NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, and SIB1-NB fitting into D = 8 ms and N = 9 for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band.”

[0081] In one dependent embodiment of the preceding embodiments, for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” with N = 9 ms and D = 8 ms, aiming at fitting into D = 8 ms all essential DL PHY-channels and signals and their locations as per legacy NB-IoT NTN in FDD mode, the following variants can be considered.

[0082] In one variant, across the two reference radio frames (i.e., two adjacent 3GPP SFNs), subframe #3 of the first radio frame to subframe #0 of the second radio frame are kept unmuted as to fit into D = 8 ms. This is shown in Figure 7, which shows PHY-channels and signals NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, and SIB1-NB keeping unmuted subframe #3 to subframe #0 of two adjacent NB-IoT radio frames as to fit into D = 8 ms and N = 9 for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band.”

[0083] In another variant, across the two reference radio frames (i.e., two adjacent 3GPP SFNs), subframe #4 of the first radio frame to subframe #1 of the second radio frame are kept unmuted as to fit into D = 8 ms. This is shown in Figure 8, which illustrates PHY- channels and signals NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, and SIB1-NB keeping unmuted subframe #4 to subframe #1 of two adjacent NB-IoT radio frames as to fit into D = 8 ms and N = 9 for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band”.

[0084] In a dependent embodiment, the boundary of the leftmost active subframe of the reference radio frames is aligned with the left boundary of the DL slot spanning 8.32 ms in the legacy satellite system. In another example, the boundary of the rightmost active subframe of the reference radio frames is aligned with the right boundary of the DL slot spanning 8.32 ms in the legacy satellite system. Yet in another example, the active subframes of the reference radio frames are contained inside the boundaries of the DL slot spanning 8.32 ms in the legacy satellite system.

[0085] In a third embodiment, since NB-IoT legacy procedures for Type-B half-duplex FDD operation require having a “half-duplex guard subframe,” then an UL slot and a DL slot used for NB-IoT services in “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” cannot be adjacent to each other since what is in between them (i.e., 0.36 + guard band) has a duration of less than a “half-duplex guard subframe” (i.e., 1 ms). This is shown in Figure 9, which illustrates for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” an UL slot and a DL slot used for NB-IoT services cannot be adjacent to each other since what is in between them (i.e., 0.36 + guardband) has a duration of less than a “halfduplex guard subframe.”

[0086] In a fourth embodiment, for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” the UL PHY-channels and signals as per legacy NB-IoT NTN in FDD mode should fit into U = 8 subframes, and as stated in the previous embodiment “half-duplex guard subframe” should be considered. In addition, having settled the location of the NB- loT radio frames with respect to the unmuted DL slot, will in turn condition the location of adjacent NB-IoT radio frames with respect to the unmuted UL slot. The location of the UL TDD pattern with respect to the DL TDD pattern can for example be as shown in Figure 10, which illustrates UL PHY-channels and signals as per legacy NB-IoT NTN in FDD mode fitting into U = 8 subframes, accounting for “half-duplex guard subframe” and that the location of the NB-IoT radio frame with respect to the unmuted DL slot conditions the location of the NB-IoT radio frames with respect to the unmuted UL slot.

[0087] In certain dependent embodiments, the following can be considered for the design of NB-IoT NTN TDD operation in UL:• That the gap between an UL slot and a DL slot used for NB-IoT services shall be of at least one “half-duplex guard subframe” as defined for NB-IoT NTN in FDD mode.• That across two adjacent NB-IoT radio frames (i.e., two adjacent 3GPP SFNs), 8 contiguous subframes are kept unmuted as to fit into U = 8 ms.• That given 3GPP SFNs are sequential and used for both UL and DL, the NB- loT radio frames (3GPP SFNs) containing the 8 contiguous subframes fitting into U = 8 ms, depend on the NB-IoT radio frames (3GPP SFNs) containing the 8 contiguous subframes fitting into D = 8 ms.

[0088] In a fifth embodiment, one or more offsets / buffer / padding radio resources (for example, but not limited to, one or more subframes or frames) can be used by one or more of the previous embodiments as to e.g., align the 3GPP SFNs, or subframes with respect to the slot boundaries of the “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band”.

[0089] In a sixth embodiment, the one or more offsets can be signalled from the UE to the network using an early indication e.g., information in MIB-NB or it can be an implicit indication through for example a specific sync raster frequency point or points intended to be used for NB-IoT NTN TDD mode.

[0090] In one embodiment, given the limited resources available in both uplink (U = 8 ms) and downlink (D = 8 ms) that the “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” can allocate for NB-IoT services. At least in uplink, NPUSCH can be considered betransmitted using pre-configured uplink resources (PUR) as to transmit in uplink without scheduling information provided by NPDCCH.

[0091] In one embodiment, any legacy feature or feature under development in Rel-19 (e.g. OCC for NPUSCH, or CB-msg3 EDT) that can be used to e.g., increase the capacity or reduce the signalling exchange (e.g., eliminating the need of transmitting one or more PHY-channels and / or signal) can be considered to be used along with NB-IoT NTN TDD mode.

[0092] In one embodiment, since for single-tone with 3.75 kHz SCS one Resource Unit spans 32 ms, and given that there are only 8 ms available for UU every 90 ms, then 360 ms will be required to transmit the entire RU. Thus, for NB-IoT NTN TDD mode operating in the “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” one possibility is to support only single-tone with 15 kHz SCS (its resource unit spans 8 ms).

[0093] In certain embodiments, one or more of the previous embodiments are used in an NTN deployment using “one beam per cell.” In certain embodiments, one or more of the previous embodiments are used in an NTN deployment using “more than one beam per cell.” In certain embodiments, one or more of the previous embodiments (or similar ones) can be fully or partially applicable to other radio access technologies supporting NTN, for example LTE-MTC over NTN, which is part of loT-NTN. In certain embodiments, one or more of the previous embodiments are equally applicable to a non-terrestrial network scenario based on transparent payload or regenerative payload. In certain embodiments, one or more of the previous embodiments are equally applicable to different satellite orbits such as LEO, MEO, and GEO.Additional Embodiments

[0094] Figure 11 shows an example of a communication system 100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0095] In the example, the communication system 100 includes a telecommunication network 102 that includes an access network 104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 106, which includes one or more core network nodes 108. The access network 104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 110a and 110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 110), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that networknodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O- RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 102, including one or more network nodes 110 and / or core network nodes 108.

[0096] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O- RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 112a, 112b, 112c, and 112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 112) to the core network 106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0097] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0098] The UEs 112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 102.

[0099] In the depicted example, the core network 106 connects the network nodes 110 to one or more host computing systems, such as host 116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0100] The host 116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 104 and / or the telecommunication network 102. The host 116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0101] As a whole, the communication system 100 of Figure 11 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications(GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0102] In some examples, the telecommunication network 102 is a cellular network that implements 3 GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 102. For example, the telecommunications network 102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0103] In some examples, the UEs 112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multistandard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0104] In the example, the hub 114 communicates with the access network 104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 112c and / or 112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 110b). In some examples, the hub 114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 114. As another example,the hub 114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR device, display, loudspeaker, or other media delivery device, the hub 114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0105] The hub 114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 110b. The hub 114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 114 and UEs (e.g., UE 112c and / or 112d), and between the hub 114 and the core network 106. In other examples, the hub 114 is connected to the core network 106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 110 while still connected via the hub 114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 110b. In other embodiments, the hub 114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0106] Figure 12 shows a UE 200 in accordance with some embodiments. The UE 200 presents additional details of some embodiments of the UE 112 of Figure 1. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage / playback device, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptopmounted equipment (LME), an Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR) device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB- loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0107] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0108] The UE 200 includes processing circuitry 202 that is operatively coupled via a bus 204 to an input / output interface 206, a power source 208, a memory 210, a communication interface 212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 12. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0109] The processing circuitry 202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 210. The processing circuitry 202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0110] In the example, the input / output interface 206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, orany combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.[OHl] In some embodiments, the power source 208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 200 to which power is supplied.

[0112] The memory 210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 210 includes one or more application programs 214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 216. The memory 210 may store, for use by the UE 200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0113] The memory 210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM),external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 210 may allow the UE 200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non- transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0114] The processing circuitry 202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 212. The communication interface 212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 222. The communication interface 212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 218 and / or a receiver 220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 218 and receiver 220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0115] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0116] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 212, via a wireless connection to anetwork node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0117] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0118] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 200 shown in Figure 12.

[0119] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and anairplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0120] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’ s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0121] Figure 13 shows a network node 300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), 0-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., 0-RU, 0-DU, O-CU).

[0122] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an 0-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0123] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi- TRP) 5G access nodes, multi -standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi- cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes,positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0124] The network node 300 includes a processing circuitry 302, a memory 304, a communication interface 306, and a power source 308. The network node 300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 300 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeB s. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 300.

[0125] The processing circuitry 302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 300 components, such as the memory 304, to provide network node 300 functionality.

[0126] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 312 and baseband processing circuitry 314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 312 and the baseband processing circuitry 314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 312 and baseband processing circuitry 314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0127] The memory 304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device- readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 302. The memory 304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 302 and utilized by the network node 300. The memory 304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 302 and / or any data received via the communication interface 306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 302 and memory 304 is integrated.

[0128] The communication interface 306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 306 also includes radio front-end circuitry 318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 310. Radio front-end circuitry 318 comprises filters 320 and amplifiers 322. The radio front-end circuitry 318 may be connected to an antenna 310 and processing circuitry 302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 310 and processing circuitry 302. The radio frontend circuitry 318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 320 and / or amplifiers 322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0129] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 318, instead, the processing circuitry 302 includes radiofront-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 312 is part of the communication interface 306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 306 includes one or more ports or terminals 316, the radio front-end circuitry 318, and the RF transceiver circuitry 312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0130] The antenna 310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 310 is separate from the network node 300 and connectable to the network node 300 through an interface or port.

[0131] The antenna 310, communication interface 306, and / or the processing circuitry 302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 310, the communication interface 306, and / or the processing circuitry 302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0132] The power source 308 provides power to the various components of network node 300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 308. As a further example, the power source 308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0133] Embodiments of the network node 300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 13 for providing certain aspects of the network node’sfunctionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 300 and to allow output of information from the network node 300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 300. In some embodiments providing a core network node, such as core network node 108 of FIG. 11, some components, such as the radio front-end circuitry 318 and the RF transceiver circuitry 312 may be omitted.

[0134] Figure 14 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 400 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 400 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 400 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface. Virtualization may facilitate distributed implementations of a network node, UE, core network node, or host.

[0135] Applications 402 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0136] Hardware 404 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 406 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 408a and 408b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 408), and / orperform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 406 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 408.

[0137] The VMs 408 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 406. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 402 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 408, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0138] In the context of NFV, a VM 408 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 408, and that part of hardware 404 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 408 on top of the hardware 404 and corresponds to the application 402.

[0139] Hardware 404 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 404 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 404 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 410, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 402. In some embodiments, hardware 404 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 412 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0140] EXAMPLES

[0141] Group A Embodiments

[0142] 1. A method performed by a user equipment for interoperating NB-IoT NTNTDD mode into a non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” the method comprising:

[0143] transmitting or receiving a signal, wherein (accounting for the inherent restrictions (i.e., N = 9 ms, D = 8 ms, U = 8 ms) of non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,”) the usable slots for UL and DL NB-IoT services are arranged as in Figure 5, which illustrates candidate frameworks of usable slots for UL and DL for the “Legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band.”

[0144] 2 A method performed by a user equipment for interoperating NB-IoT NTNTDD mode into a non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” the method comprising:

[0145] transmitting or receiving a signal, wherein, for a given DL slot of the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band, two adjacent NB-IoT radio frames of the legacy 3GPP system, denoted as reference radio frames, are used to transmit / receive DL PHY-channels and signals (NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, SIB1-NB, SIB2-NB, SIB31-NB, NPDCCH, and NPDSCH), wherein a number of consecutive subframes across these two reference radio frames are used (i.e., active or unmuted) while the remaining subframes are unused (i.e., inactive or muted).

[0146] 3 The method of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” with N = 9 ms and D = 8 ms, aiming at fitting into D = 8 ms all essential DL PHY-channels and signals and their locations as per legacy NB- loT NTN in FDD mode;

[0147] across the two reference radio frames (i.e., two adjacent 3GPP SFNs), subframe #3 of the first radio frame to subframe #0 of the second radio frame are kept unmuted as to fit into D = 8 ms.

[0148] 4. The method of embodiment 1 or 2, wherein for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” with N = 9 ms and D = 8 ms, aiming at fitting into D = 8 ms all essential DL PHY-channels and signals and their locations as per legacy NB- loT NTN in FDD mode;

[0149] across the two reference radio frames (i.e., two adjacent 3GPP SFNs), subframe #4 of the first radio frame to subframe #1 of the second radio frame are kept unmuted as to fit into D = 8 ms.

[0150] 5. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein the boundary of the leftmost active subframe of the reference radio frames is aligned with the left boundary of the DL slot spanning 8.32 ms in the legacy satellite system.

[0151] 6. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein the boundary of the rightmost active subframe of the reference radio frames is aligned with the right boundary of the DL slot spanning 8.32 ms in the legacy satellite system.

[0152] 7. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein the active subframes of the reference radio frames are contained inside the boundaries of the DL slot spanning 8.32 ms in the legacy satellite system.

[0153] 8. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein, since NB-IoT legacy procedures for Type-B half-duplex FDD operation require having a “half-duplex guard subframe,” then an UL slot and a DL slot used for NB-IoT services in “the legacy system deployed in the 1616- 1626.5 MHz band” cannot be adj acent to each other since what is in between them (i.e., 0.36 + guard band) has a duration of less than a “half-duplex guard subframe” (i.e., 1 ms).

[0154] 9. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” the UL PHY-channels and signals as per legacy NB-IoT NTN in FDD mode should fit into U = 8 subframes, and as stated in the previous embodiment “half-duplex guard subframe” should be considered.

[0155] 10. The method of embodiment 9, wherein in addition, having settled the location of the NB-IoT radio frames with respect to the unmuted DL slot, will in turn condition the location of adj acent NB-IoT radio frames with respect to the unmuted UL slot.

[0156] 11. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein any of the following can be considered for the design of NB-IoT NTN TDD operation in UL:

[0157] That the gap between an UL slot and a DL slot used for NB-IoT services shall be of at least one “half-duplex guard subframe” as defined for NB-IoT NTN in FDD mode.

[0158] That across two adjacent NB-IoT radio frames (i.e., two adjacent 3GPP SFNs), 8 contiguous subframes are kept unmuted as to fit into U = 8 ms.

[0159] That given 3GPP SFNs are sequential and used for both UL and DL, the NB- loT radio frames (3GPP SFNs) containing the 8 contiguous subframes fitting into U = 8 ms, depend on the NB-IoT radio frames (3GPP SFNs) containing the 8 contiguous subframes fitting into D = 8 ms.

[0160] 12. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein one or more offsets / buffer / padding radio resources (for example, but not limited to, one or moresubframes or frames) can be used by one or more of the previous embodiments as to e.g., align the 3GPP SFNs, or subframes with respect to the slot boundaries of the “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band”.

[0161] 13. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein the one or more offsets can be signalled from the UE to the network using an early indication e.g., information in MIB-NB or it can be an implicit indication through for example a specific sync raster frequency point or points intended to be used for NB-IoT NTN TDD mode.

[0162] 14. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein, given the limited resources available in both uplink (U = 8 ms) and downlink (D = 8 ms) that the “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” can allocate for NB-IoT services. At least in uplink, NPUSCH can be considered be transmitted using pre-configured uplink resources (PUR) as to transmit in uplink without scheduling information provided by NPDCCH.

[0163] 15. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein any legacy feature or feature under development in Rel-19 (e.g. OCC for NPUSCH, or CB-msg3 EDT) that can be used to e.g., increase the capacity or reduce the signalling exchange (e.g., eliminating the need of transmitting one or more PHY-channels and / or signal) can be considered to be used along with NB-IoT NTN TDD mode.

[0164] 16. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein, since for single-tone with 3.75 kHz SCS one Resource Unit spans 32 ms, and given that there are only 8 ms available for UL every 90 ms, then 360 ms will be required to transmit the entire RU, thus, for NB-IoT NTN TDD mode operating in the “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” one possibility is to support only single-tone with 15 kHz SCS (its resource unit spans 8 ms).

[0165] 17. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein it is performed in an NTN deployment using “one beam per cell.”

[0166] 18. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein it is performed in an NTN deployment using “more than one beam per cell.”

[0167] 19. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein it can be fully or partially applicable to other radio access technologies supporting NTN, for example LTE- MTC over NTN, which is part of loT-NTN.

[0168] 20. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein it can be equally applicable to a non-terrestrial network scenario based on transparent payload or regenerative payload.

[0169] 21. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein it can be used equally applicable to different satellite orbits such as LEO, MEO, and GEO.

[0170] 22. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein the UE comprises an loT device.

[0171] Group B Embodiments

[0172] 23. A method performed by a network node for interoperating NB-IoT NTNTDD mode into a non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” the method comprising:

[0173] transmitting or receiving a signal, wherein (accounting for the inherent restrictions (i.e., N = 9 ms, D = 8 ms, U = 8 ms) of non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,”) the usable slots for UL and DL NB-IoT services are arranged as in Figure 5, which illustrates candidate frameworks of usable slots for UL and DL for the “Legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band.”

[0174] 24. A method performed by a network node for interoperating NB-IoT NTNTDD mode into a non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” the method comprising:

[0175] transmitting or receiving a signal, wherein, for a given DL slot of the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band, two adjacent NB-IoT radio frames of the legacy 3GPP system, denoted as reference radio frames, are used to transmit / receive DL PHY-channels and signals (NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, SIB1-NB, SIB2-NB, SIB31-NB, NPDCCH, and NPDSCH), wherein a number of consecutive subframes across these two reference radio frames are used (i.e., active or unmuted) while the remaining subframes are unused (i.e., inactive or muted).

[0176] 25. The method of embodiment 23 or 24, wherein for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” with N = 9 ms and D = 8 ms, aiming at fitting into D = 8 ms all essential DL PHY-channels and signals and their locations as per legacy NB- loT NTN in FDD mode;

[0177] across the two reference radio frames (i.e., two adjacent 3GPP SFNs), subframe #3 of the first radio frame to subframe #0 of the second radio frame are kept unmuted as to fit into D = 8 ms.

[0178] 26. The method of embodiment 23 or 24, wherein for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” with N = 9 ms and D = 8 ms, aiming at fitting into D = 8 ms all essential DL PHY-channels and signals and their locations as per legacy NB- loT NTN in FDD mode;

[0179] across the two reference radio frames (i.e., two adjacent 3GPP SFNs), subframe #4 of the first radio frame to subframe #1 of the second radio frame are kept unmuted as to fit into D = 8 ms.

[0180] 27. The method of any embodiments 23 to 26, wherein the boundary of the leftmost active subframe of the reference radio frames is aligned with the left boundary of the DL slot spanning 8.32 ms in the legacy satellite system.

[0181] 28. The method of any embodiments 23 to 27, wherein the active subframes of the reference radio frames are contained inside the boundaries of the DL slot spanning 8.32 ms in the legacy satellite system.

[0182] 29. The method of any embodiments 23 to 28, wherein, since NB-IoT legacy procedures for Type-B half-duplex FDD operation require having a “half-duplex guard subframe,” then an UL slot and a DL slot used for NB-IoT services in “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” cannot be adjacent to each other since what is in between them (i.e., 0.36 + guard band) has a duration of less than a “half-duplex guard subframe” (i.e., 1 ms).

[0183] 30. The method of any embodiments 23 to 29, wherein for “the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” the UL PHY-channels and signals as per legacy NB-IoT NTN in FDD mode should fit into U = 8 subframes, and as stated in the previous embodiment “half-duplex guard subframe” should be considered.

[0184] 31. The method of embodiment 30, wherein in addition, having settled the location of the NB-IoT radio frames with respect to the unmuted DL slot, will in turn condition the location of adjacentNB-IoT radio frames with respect to the unmuted UL slot.

[0185] 32. The method of any embodiments 23 to 31, wherein any of the following can be considered for the design of NB-IoT NTN TDD operation in UL:

[0186] That the gap between an UL slot and a DL slot used for NB-IoT services shall be of at least one “half-duplex guard subframe” as defined for NB-IoT NTN in FDD mode.

[0187] That across two adjacent NB-IoT radio frames (i.e., two adjacent 3GPP SFNs), 8 contiguous subframes are kept unmuted as to fit into U = 8 ms.

[0188] That given 3GPP SFNs are sequential and used for both UL and DL, the NB- loT radio frames (3GPP SFNs) containing the 8 contiguous subframes fitting into U = 8 ms, depend on the NB-IoT radio frames (3GPP SFNs) containing the 8 contiguous subframes fitting into D = 8 ms.

[0189] 33. The method of any embodiments 23 to 32, wherein one or more offsets / buffer / padding radio resources (for example, but not limited to, one or moresubframes or frames) can be used by one or more of the previous embodiments as to e.g., align the 3GPP SFNs, or subframes with respect to the slot boundaries of the “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band”.

[0190] 34. The method of any embodiments 23 to 33, wherein the one or more offsets can be signalled from the UE to the network using an early indication e.g., information in MIB-NB or it can be an implicit indication through for example a specific sync raster frequency point or points intended to be used for NB-IoT NTN TDD mode.

[0191] 35. The method of any embodiments 23 to 34, wherein, given the limited resources available in both uplink (U = 8 ms) and downlink (D = 8 ms) that the “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” can allocate for NB-IoT services. At least in uplink, NPUSCH can be considered be transmitted using pre-configured uplink resources (PUR) as to transmit in uplink without scheduling information provided by NPDCCH.

[0192] 36. The method of any embodiments 23 to 35, wherein any legacy feature or feature under development in Rel-19 (e.g. OCC for NPUSCH, or CB-msg3 EDT) that can be used to e.g., increase the capacity or reduce the signalling exchange (e.g., eliminating the need of transmitting one or more PHY-channels and / or signal) can be considered to be used along with NB-IoT NTN TDD mode.

[0193] 37. The method of any embodiments 23 to 36, wherein, since for single-tone with 3.75 kHz SCS one Resource Unit spans 32 ms, and given that there are only 8 ms available for UL every 90 ms, then 360 ms will be required to transmit the entire RU, thus, for NB-IoT NTN TDD mode operating in the “legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band” one possibility is to support only single-tone with 15 kHz SCS (its resource unit spans 8 ms).

[0194] 38. The method of any embodiments 23 to 37, wherein it is performed in anNTN deployment using “one beam per cell.”

[0195] 39. The method of any embodiments 23 to 38, wherein it is performed in anNTN deployment using “more than one beam per cell.”

[0196] 40. The method of any embodiments 23 to 39, wherein it can be fully or partially applicable to other radio access technologies supporting NTN, for example LTE- MTC over NTN, which is part of loT-NTN.

[0197] 41. The method of any embodiments 23 to 40, wherein it can be equally applicable to a non-terrestrial network scenario based on transparent payload or regenerative payload.

[0198] 42. The method of any embodiments 23 to 41, wherein it can be used equally applicable to different satellite orbits such as LEO, MEO, and GEO.

[0199] 43. The method of any embodiments 23 to 42, wherein the network node comprises at least one of: a base station; a gNB; an eNB; a satellite; a node in a NTN.

[0200] 44. The method of any embodiments 23 to 43, wherein the boundary of the rightmost active subframe of the reference radio frames is aligned with the right boundary of the DL slot spanning 8.32 ms in the legacy satellite system.

[0201] Group C Embodiments

[0202] 45. A user equipment for for interoperating NB-IoT NTN TDD mode into a non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” comprising:

[0203] processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A embodiments; and

[0204] power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0205] 46. A network node for for interoperating NB-IoT NTN TDD mode into a non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” the network node comprising:

[0206] processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B embodiments;

[0207] power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0208] 47. A computer-implemented method for interoperating NB-IoT NTN TDD mode into a non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” the method comprising:

[0209] interoperating or communicating, wherein (accounting for the inherent restrictions (i.e., N = 9 ms, D = 8 ms, U = 8 ms) of non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,”) the usable slots for UL and DL NB-IoT services are arranged as in Figure 5, which illustrates candidate frameworks of usable slots for UL and DL for the “Legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band.”

[0210] 48. A computer-implemented method for interoperating NB-IoT NTN TDD mode into a non-3GPP satellite “system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band,” the method comprising:

[0211] interoperating or communicating, wherein, for a given DL slot of the legacy system deployed in the 1616-1626.5 MHz band, two adjacent NB-IoT radio frames of the legacy 3GPP system, denoted as reference radio frames, are used to transmit / receive DL PHY-channels and signals (NPBCH, NPSS, NSSS, SIB1-NB, SIB2-NB, SIB31-NB,NPDCCH, and NPDSCH), wherein a number of consecutive subframes across these two reference radio frames are used (i.e., active or unmuted) while the remaining subframes are unused (i.e., inactive or muted).

[0212] Figure 15 is a flowchart of an example process in a network node 300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. One or more blocks described herein may be performed by one or more elements of network node 300 such as by one or more of processing circuitry 302 and / or communication interface 306. Network node 300 is configured to operate (Block SI 00) on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes form eight consecutive subframes, as described herein.

[0213] According to one or more embodiments, the subframes are downlink subframes.

[0214] According to one or more embodiments, the first subset of subframes corresponds to subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first radio frame; and the second subset of subframes corresponds to subframe 0 of the second radio frame.

[0215] According to one or more embodiments, the unmuted subframes of the first and second radio frames are configured to fit into a downlink slot of a legacy TDD pattern of a system deployed in a 1616-1626.5 MHz band.

[0216] According to one or more embodiments, the unmuted subframes are configured to carry one or more physical, PHY, channels and one or more PHY signals.

[0217] According to one or more embodiments, the one or more PHY channels corresponds to one or more of Narrow Band Physical Broadcast Channel, NPBCH, Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel, NPDCCH, and Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel, NPDSCH.

[0218] According to one or more embodiments, the PHY signals comprises one or more of Narrow Band Primary Synchronization Signal, NPSS, Narrow Band Secondary Synchronization Signal, NSSS, System Information Block Type 1 for Narrowband loT, SIBl-NB, System Information Block Type 2 for Narrowband loT, SIB2-NB, System Information Block Type 31 for Narrowband loT, SIB31-NB or any other System Information Block Type for Narrowband loT.

[0219] According to one or more embodiments, the subframes are uplink subframes.

[0220] According to one or more embodiments, network node 300 is configured to operate on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: downlink subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of a first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB- loT TDD mode NTN; and downlink subframe 0 of the second radio frame is configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the remaining downlink subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN, as described herein

[0221] Figure 16 is a flowchart of an example process in a user equipment 200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. One or more blocks described herein may be performed by one or more elements of user equipment 200 such as by one or more of processing circuitry 202 and / or communication interface 212. UE 200 is configured to operate (Block SI 02) on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes forming eight consecutive subframes, as described herein.

[0222] According to one or more embodiments, the subframes are downlink subframes.

[0223] According to one or more embodiments, the first subset of subframes corresponds to subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first radio frame; and the second subset of subframes corresponds to subframe 0 of the second radio frame.

[0224] According to one or more embodiments, the unmuted subframes of the first and second radio frames are configured to fit into a downlink slot of a legacy TDD pattern of a system deployed in a 1616-1626.5 MHz band.

[0225] According to one or more embodiments, the unmuted subframes are configured to carry one or more physical, PHY, channels and one or more PHY signals.

[0226] According to one or more embodiments, the one or more PHY channels corresponds to one or more of Narrow Band Physical Broadcast Channel, NPBCH, Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel, NPDCCH, and Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel, NPDSCH.

[0227] According to one or more embodiments, the PHY signals comprises one or more of Narrow Band Primary Synchronization Signal, NPSS, Narrow Band Secondary Synchronization Signal, NSSS, System Information Block Type 1 for Narrowband loT, SIBl-NB, System Information Block Type 2 for Narrowband loT, SIB2-NB, System Information Block Type 31 for Narrowband loT, SIB31-NB or any other System Information Block Type for Narrowband loT.

[0228] According to one or more embodiments, the subframes are uplink subframes.

[0229] REFERENCES1. RP -240776, “New WID on introduction of loT-NTN TDD mode”, 3GPP TSG RAN Meeting #105, Melbourne, Australia, September 9-12, 2024.2. Iridium in 3GPP Workshop #2, Rel-19 NTN-IoT Network Energy Reduction, Aug 06, 2024. (Not available online, but rather distributed over e-mail to the participants of the Workshop).3. 3GPP TS 36.213, Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA); Physical layer procedures, version 18.2.0.4. Session notes for 9.11 Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) for NR Phase 3, Internet of Things (loT) Phase 3 v06, and loT-NTN TDD mode, 3GPP RANI# 118bis, Hefei, China, October 14th - 18th, 2024.

[0230] ABBREVIATIONS

[0231] At least some of the following abbreviations may be used in this disclosure. If there is an inconsistency between abbreviations, preference should be given to how it is used above. If listed multiple times below, the first listing should be preferred over any subsequent listing(s).

[0232] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may beconfigured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0233] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0234] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein are not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method in a user equipment (200) in a narrow band Internet of Things, NB- loT, time division duplex TDD mode, non-terrestrial network, NTN, the method comprising: operating (SI 00) on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes forming eight consecutive subframes.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein the subframes are downlink subframes.

3. The method of any one of Claims 1 and 2, wherein the first subset of subframes corresponds to subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first radio frame; and the second subset of subframes corresponds to subframe 0 of the second radio frame.

4. The method of any one of Claims 1 and 2, wherein the unmuted subframes of the first and second radio frames are configured to fit into a downlink slot of a legacy TDD pattern of a system deployed in a 1616-1626.5 MHz band.

5. The method of any one of Claims 1-4, wherein the unmuted subframes are configured to carry one or more physical, PHY, channels and one or more PHY signals.

6. The method of Claim 5, wherein the one or more PHY channels corresponds to one or more of Narrow Band Physical Broadcast Channel, NPBCH, Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel, NPDCCH, and Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel, NPDSCH.

7. The method of any one of Claims 5 and 6, wherein the PHY signals comprises one or more of Narrow Band Primary Synchronization Signal, NPSS, Narrow Band Secondary Synchronization Signal, NSSS, System Information Block Type 1 for Narrowband loT, SIBl-NB, System Information Block Type 2 for Narrowband loT, SIB2- NB, System Information Block Type 31 for Narrowband loT, SIB31-NB or any other System Information Block Type for Narrowband loT.

8. The method of Claim 1, wherein the subframes are uplink subframes.

9. A user equipment (200) in a narrow band Internet of Things, NB-IoT, time division duplex TDD mode, non-terrestrial network, NTN, the user equipment (200) configured to: operate on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes forming eight consecutive subframes.

10. The user equipment (200) of Claim 9, wherein the subframes are downlink subframes.

11. The user equipment (200) of any one of Claims 9 and 10, wherein the first subset of subframes corresponds to subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first radio frame; and the second subset of subframes corresponds to subframe 0 of the second radio frame.

12. The user equipment (200) of any one of Claims 9 and 10, wherein the unmuted subframes of the first and second radio frames are configured to fit into a downlink slot of a legacy TDD pattern of a system deployed in a 1616-1626.5 MHz band.

13. The user equipment (200) of any one of Claims 9-12, wherein the unmuted subframes are configured to carry one or more physical, PHY, channels and one or more PHY signals.

14. The user equipment (200) of Claim 13, wherein the one or more PHY channels corresponds to one or more of Narrow Band Physical Broadcast Channel, NPBCH, Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel, NPDCCH, and Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel, NPDSCH.

15. The user equipment (200) of any one of Claims 13 and 14, wherein the PHY signals comprises one or more of Narrow Band Primary Synchronization Signal, NPSS, Narrow Band Secondary Synchronization Signal, NSSS, System Information Block Type 1 for Narrowband loT, SIBl-NB, System Information Block Type 2 for Narrowband loT, SIB2-NB, System Information Block Type 31 for Narrowband loT, SIB31-NB or any other System Information Block Type for Narrowband loT.

16. The user equipment (200) of Claim 9, wherein the subframes are uplink subframes.

17. A method in a network node (300) configured to communicate with a user equipment (200) in a narrow band Internet of Things, NB-IoT, time division duplex TDD mode, non-terrestrial network, NTN, the method comprising: operating (SI 02) on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes forming eight consecutive subframes.

18. The method of Claim 17, wherein the subframes are downlink subframes.

19. The method of any one of Claims 17 and 18, wherein the first subset of subframes corresponds to subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first radio frame; and the second subset of subframes corresponds to subframe 0 of the second radio frame.

20. The method of any one of Claims 17 and 18, wherein the unmuted subframes of the first and second radio frames are configured to fit into a downlink slot of a legacy TDD pattern of a system deployed in a 1616-1626.5 MHz band.

21. The method of any one of Claims 17-20, wherein the unmuted subframes are configured to carry one or more physical, PHY, channels and one or more PHY signals.

22. The method of Claim 21, wherein the one or more PHY channels corresponds to one or more of Narrow Band Physical Broadcast Channel, NPBCH, Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel, NPDCCH, and Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel, NPDSCH.

23. The method of any one of Claims 21 and 22, wherein the PHY signals comprises one or more of Narrow Band Primary Synchronization Signal, NPSS, Narrow Band Secondary Synchronization Signal, NSSS, System Information Block Type 1 for Narrowband loT, SIBl-NB, System Information Block Type 2 for Narrowband loT, SIB2- NB, System Information Block Type 31 for Narrowband loT, SIB31-NB or any other System Information Block Type for Narrowband loT.

24. The method of Claim 17, wherein the subframes are uplink subframes.

25. A network node (300) that is configured to communicate with a user equipment (200) in a narrow band Internet of Things, NB-IoT, time division duplex TDD mode, non-terrestrial network, NTN, the network node (300) configured to: operate on two consecutive radio frames according to a frame structure that includes a first radio frame followed by a second radio frame, where: a first subset of subframes of the first radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN;a second subset of subframes of the second radio frame are configured to be unmuted and usable for signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; the remaining subframes of the first radio frame and the second radio frame are muted with respect to signaling in the NB-IoT TDD mode NTN; and the first subset of subframes and the second subset of subframes forming eight consecutive subframes.

26. The network node (300) of Claim 25, wherein the subframes are downlink subframes.

27. The network node (300) of any one of Claims 25 and 26, wherein the first subset of subframes corresponds to subframes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the first radio frame; and the second subset of subframes corresponds to subframe 0 of the second radio frame.

28. The network node (300) of any one of Claims 25 and 26, wherein the unmuted subframes of the first and second radio frames are configured to fit into a downlink slot of a legacy TDD pattern of a system deployed in a 1616-1626.5 MHz band.

29. The network node (300) of any one of Claims 25-28, wherein the unmuted subframes are configured to carry one or more physical, PHY, channels and one or more PHY signals.

30. The network node (300) of Claim 29, wherein the one or more PHY channels corresponds to one or more of Narrow Band Physical Broadcast Channel, NPBCH, Narrowband Physical Downlink Control Channel, NPDCCH, and Narrowband Physical Downlink Shared Channel, NPDSCH.

31. The network node (300) of any one of Claims 29 and 30, wherein the PHY signals comprises one or more of Narrow Band Primary Synchronization Signal, NPSS, Narrow Band Secondary Synchronization Signal, NSSS, System Information Block Type 1 for Narrowband loT, SIBl-NB, System Information Block Type 2 for Narrowband loT, SIB2-NB, System Information Block Type 31 for Narrowband loT, SIB31-NB or any other System Information Block Type for Narrowband loT.

32. The network node (300) of Claim 25, wherein the subframes are uplink subframes.

Images