Multicarrier bandwdith determination

Abstract

Example embodiments relate to apparatus, methods and computer programs relating to multi-carrier communciations in which a first apparauts determines, when the first apparatus is in a power saving state, a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier. The first apparatus, transmits, to a second apparatus of the communication system, a second indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection. The first and second apparatus initiate the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

Description

[0001] MULTICARRIER BANDWDITH DETERMINATION Field

[0002] Example embodiments may relate to apparatus, devices, methods and computer programs relating to a user equipment (UE) efficiently determining multicarrier bandwidth when establishing a multicarrier communication session.

[0003] Background

[0004] Legacy single carrier single cell communication systems may make use of carrier aggregation after establishment of a communication session connection establishment. Although this can enhance the bandwidth, capacity, throughput of the communication session, this can come at the expense of latency and delays in establishing additional carriers when required. This is particularly so for multi-carrier communication sessions. There remains an interest in reducing the latency for establishing a multi-carrier communication session with all the required carriers whilst improving spectral efficiency of the communication system and reducing power consumption of the user equipment (UE).

[0005] Summary

[0006] The scope of protection sought for various embodiments of the invention is set out by the independent claims. The embodiments and features, if any, described in this specification that do not fall under the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding various embodiments of the invention.

[0007] A first aspect provides a first apparatus, comprising: means for determining, when the first apparatus is in a power saving state, a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; means for transmitting, to a second apparatus of the communication system, a second indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection; and means for initiating the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

[0008] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus, further comprising means for receiving, from the second apparatus of the communication system, system information comprising a third indication of at least the set of carriers prior to the first apparatus entering the power saving state or prior to determining the first indication for initiating the connection by said means for determining the first indication.In some example embodiments, the system information further comprising an indication of the set of carriers that can be combined in communication.

[0009] In some example embodiments, the system information further comprising one or more from the group of: a configuration of the carriers in the set of carriers including number of layers on each carrier and a criterion for reporting; and a maximum number of carriers the first apparatus can report upon after transitioning to radio resource control, RR.C, connected state.

[0010] In some example embodiments, the means for receiving the system information is further configured to receive the system information based on at least one from the group of: one or more broadcasts by the communication system; and a response, by the communication system, to a request from the first apparatus for said system information.

[0011] In some example embodiments, the system information may be provided in a system information block / broadcast (SIB).

[0012] In some example embodiments, the means for determining the second indication is configured to receive, from the second apparatus of the communication system, a fourth indication to initiate the connection.

[0013] In some example embodiments, the fourth indication to initiate the connection comprises at least one from the group of: paging message or signal; extended paging indication signal; wake up signal; and any other message or signal used for indicating the first apparatus to initiate the connection.

[0014] In some example embodiments, the means for determining the second indication is configured to receive, from higher layers of the communication stack of the first apparatus, a fifth indication to initiate the connection.

[0015] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is further configured to select the combination of carriers based on the fifth indication.

[0016] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is further comprising means for determining at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers from the set of carriers to measure and report, wherein the means for transmitting further comprises means for transmitting, to the second apparatus of the communication system, the second indication of the at least one determined combination of carriers for initiating theconnection; and the means for initiating the connection is further based on the second indication of the at least one determined combination of carriers.

[0017] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus, further comprising means for determining a need for multiple carriers based on the fifth indication.

[0018] In some example embodiments, the fifth indication comprises information based on one or more from the group of: a type of service to be initiated; a required quality of service; and an amount of data in a buffer for transmission.

[0019] In some example embodiments, the means for determining the need for multiple carriers further comprising: means for acquiring broadcast uplink power control parameters and primary carrier measurements; means for determining whether primary carrier resources are sufficient based on one of the conditions of: the first apparatus is power limited and a latency for quality of service is met with primary carrier frame structure; and the first apparatus is not power limited and an amount of data in a buffer for transmission is below a preconfigured threshold; means for determining whether primary carrier resources are insufficient based on one of the conditions of: the first apparatus is power limited and a latency for quality of service is not met with primary carrier frame structure; and the first apparatus is not power limited and an amount of data in a buffer for transmission is above a preconfigured threshold; and means for indicating additional carriers are required for the at least one combination of carriers based on determining primary carrier resources are insufficient.

[0020] In some example embodiments, the means for determining the need for multiple carriers is further based on the type of service requested by the stack and an estimated time for measurements of carriers based on the configuration of corresponding reference signals.

[0021] In some example embodiments, the means for determining at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers to measure and report further comprising means for prioritizing the reporting of the at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers based on one or more objectives from the group of: minimization of power consumption of the first apparatus; minimization of overheating occurrences of the first apparatus; minimization of Intermodulation and in-device coexistence interference; maximization of capacity of the uplink and / or downlink of the first apparatus; and minimization of latency or throughput;In some example embodiments, the means for prioritizing is further configured to prioritize the reporting based on a combination of the two or more objectives.

[0022] In some example embodiments, the means for prioritizing is further configured to select the combination of primary and secondary carriers of at least two or more combinations of carriers that rank highest across the combination of the two or more objectives.

[0023] In some example embodiments, when the measurement of one or more primary and secondary carriers is performed prior to said means for prioritizing the reporting, the measurements for those measured primary and / or secondary carriers are used by the means for prioritizing the reporting.

[0024] In some example embodiments, the means for determining at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers from the set of carriers to measure and report is based on a subset of the set of carriers when rapid connection establishment is required.

[0025] In some example embodiments, the set of carriers includes a primary carrier and a plurality of secondary carriers.

[0026] In some example embodiments, the primary carrier is configured for at least broadcasting control signalling and providing first apparatus access to the communication system, and a secondary carrier is configured for at least data transmission.

[0027] In some example embodiments, the means for initiating the connection is configured to initiate an initial access procedure based on the second indication of the combination of carriers.

[0028] In some example embodiments, the initial access procedure further comprising sending the second indication of the combination of carriers via random access channel, R.ACH, or Message 3.

[0029] In some example embodiments, the second indication comprises at least one combination of carriers supported by the first apparatus.

[0030] In some example embodiments, the second indication comprises at least one combination of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication.In some example embodiments, when the second indication comprises a plurality of combinations of carriers from the set of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication, the first apparatus further comprising: means for receiving, from the second apparatus of the communication system, a sixth indication on the selected combination of carriers for uplink and / or downlink scheduling.

[0031] In some example embodiments, the sixth indication is provided in a downlink transmission during an access establishment phase.

[0032] In some example embodiments, the downlink transmission is a Random Access Response (RAR) or Message 4 during RRC Setup.

[0033] In some example embodiments, the set of carriers comprise a set of carriers of a multicarrier single cell. In some example embodiments, the set of carriers comprise a set of carriers from multiple single cells. In some example embodiments, the set of carriers comprise any set of carriers over the frequency spectrum for use by the first apparatus for communication with the second apparatus of the communication system.

[0034] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is synchronised to at least one primary carrier of the second apparatus of the communication system when in a power saving state.

[0035] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is a user equipment.

[0036] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus is a network node.

[0037] A second aspect provides a second apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a first apparatus, a first indication of at least one combination of carriers from a set of carriers for initiating a connection, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; and means for initiating the connection with the first apparatus based on the first indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

[0038] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus, further comprising means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, system information comprising a second indication of at least the set of carriers prior to receiving, from the first apparatus, the first indication.

[0039] In some example embodiments, the system information further comprising an indication of the set of carriers that can be combined in communication.In some example embodiments, the system information further comprising one or more from the group of: a configuration of the carriers in the set of carriers including number of layers on each carrier and a criterion for reporting; and a maximum number of carriers the first apparatus can report upon after transitioning to radio resource control, RR.C, connected state.

[0040] In some example embodiments, the means for transmitting the system information is further configured to transmit the system information based on at least one from the group of: one or more broadcasts by the mobile communication system; and a response, by the second apparatus, to a request from the first apparatus for said system information.

[0041] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus, further comprising means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a third indication to initiate the connection.

[0042] In some example embodiments, the third indication to initiate the connection comprises at least one from the group of: a paging message or signal; an extended paging indication signal; a wake up signal; and any other message or signal used for indicating the first apparatus to initiate the connection.

[0043] In some example embodiments, the set of carriers includes a primary carrier and a plurality of secondary carriers.

[0044] In some example embodiments, the means for initiating the connection is configured to initiate an initial access procedure based on the first indication of the combination of carriers.

[0045] In some example embodiments, the initial access procedure further comprising receiving the first indication of the combination of carriers via random access channel, R.ACH, or Message 3.

[0046] In some example embodiments, the first indication comprises at least one combination of carriers supported by the first apparatus.

[0047] In some example embodiments, the first indication comprises at least one combination of carriers selected by the first apparatus for uplink and / or downlink communication.In some example embodiments, when the first indication comprises a plurality of combinations of carriers from the set of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication, and the second apparatus further comprising:

[0048] means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a fourth indication on the selected combination of carriers for uplink and / or downlink scheduling.

[0049] In some example embodiments, the fourth indication is provided in a downlink transmission during an access establishment phase.

[0050] In some example embodiments, the downlink transmission is a Random Access Response, (RAR) or Message 4 during RRC Setup.

[0051] In some example embodiments, the set of carriers comprise a set of carriers of a multicarrier single cell. In some example embodiments, the set of carriers comprise a set of carriers from multiple legacy single cells. In some example embodiments, the set of carriers comprise any set of carriers over the frequency spectrum for use by the first apparatus for communication with the mobile communication system.

[0052] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is a user equipment.

[0053] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus is a network node.

[0054] A third aspect provides a method for a first apparatus comprising: determining, when the first apparatus is in a power saving state, a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; transmitting, from the first apparatus to the communication system, a second indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection; and for initiating the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers. In some examples, the third aspect may comprise other features relating to the first aspect.

[0055] A fourth aspect provides a method fora second apparatus comprising: for receiving, from a first apparatus, a first indication of at least one combination of carriers from a set of carriers for initiating a connection, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; and initiating the connection with the first apparatus based on the first indication of the at least one combination of carriers. In some examples, the fourth aspect may comprise other features relating to the second aspect.A fifth aspect provides a first apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus at least to: determine, when the first apparatus is in a power saving state, a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; transmit, to a second apparatus, a second indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection; and initiate the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

[0056] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to: receive, from the second apparatus, system information comprising data representative of a third indication of at least the set of carriers prior to the first apparatus entering the power saving state or prior to determining the first indication for initiating the connection.

[0057] In some example embodiments, the system information further comprising data representative of at least one of: an indication of the set of carriers that can be combined in communication; a configuration of the carriers in the set of carriers including number of layers on each carrier and a criterion for reporting; and a maximum number of carriers the first apparatus can report upon after transitioning to radio resource control (RRC) connected state.

[0058] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to: receive the system information receive the system information based on at least one of: receive one or more broadcasts by the second apparatus; and receive a response, by the second apparatus, to a request from the first apparatus for said system information.

[0059] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to: receive, from the second apparatus, a fourth indication to initiate the connection, wherein the fourth indication to initiate the connection comprises at least one of: a paging message or signal; an extended paging indication signal; a wake up signal; and any other message or signal used for indicating the first apparatus to initiate the connection.In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to: determine the second indication based on receiving, from higher layers of the communication stack of the first apparatus, a fifth indication to initiate the connection.

[0060] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to: select the combination of carriers based on the fifth indication.

[0061] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to: determine at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers from the set of carriers to measure and report; transmit, to the second apparatus of the communication system, the second indication of the at least one determined combination of carriers for initiating the connection; and initiate the connection based on the second indication of the at least one determined combination of carriers.

[0062] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to: determine a need for multiple carriers based on the fifth indication.

[0063] In some example embodiments, the fifth indication comprises information based on at least one from the group of: a type of service to be initiated; a required quality of service; and an amount of data in a buffer for transmission.

[0064] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to: determine the need for multiple carriers by performing the actions of: acquiring broadcast uplink power control parameters and primary carrier measurements; determining whether primary carrier resources are sufficient based on one of the conditions of: the first apparatus is power limited and a latency for quality of service is met with primary carrier frame structure; and the first apparatus is not power limited and an amount of data in a buffer for transmission is below a preconfigured threshold; determining whether primary carrier resources are insufficient based on one of the conditions of: the first apparatus is power limited and a latency for quality of service is not met with primary carrier frame structure; and the first apparatus is not power limitedand an amount of data in a buffer for transmission is above a preconfigured threshold; and indicating additional carriers are required for the at least one combination of carriers based on determining primary carrier resources are insufficient.

[0065] In some example embodiments, wherein determining the need for multiple carriers is further based on the type of service requested by the stack and an estimated time for measurements of carriers based on the configuration of corresponding reference signals.

[0066] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to: determine at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers to measure and report by further performing the actions of: prioritizing the reporting of the at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers based on one or more objectives from the group of: minimization of power consumption of the first apparatus; minimization of overheating occurrences of the first apparatus; minimization of Intermodulation and in-device coexistence interference; maximization of capacity of the uplink and / or downlink of the first apparatus; and minimization of latency or throughput.

[0067] In some example embodiments, prioritizing is further comprising prioritizing the reporting based on a combination of the two or more objectives.

[0068] In some example embodiments, prioritizing is further comprising selecting the combination of primary and secondary carriers of at least two or more combinations of carriers that rank highest across the combination of the two or more objectives.

[0069] In some example embodiments, when the measurement of one or more primary and secondary carriers is performed prior to prioritizing the reporting, the measurements for those measured primary and / or secondary carriers are used when performing the prioritizing of the reporting.

[0070] In some example embodiments, wherein determining at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers from the set of carriers to measure and report is based on a subset of the set of carriers when rapid connection establishment is required.

[0071] In some example embodiments, the set of carriers includes a primary carrier and a plurality of secondary carriers.In some example embodiments, the primary carrier is configured for at least broadcasting control signalling and providing the first apparatus access to the second apparatus, and a secondary carrier is configured for at least data transmission.

[0072] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to: initiate the connection with an initial access procedure based on the second indication of the combination of carriers.

[0073] In some example embodiments, the initial access procedure further comprising sending the second indication of the combination of carriers via random access channel (R.ACH) or Message 3.

[0074] In some example embodiments, the second indication comprises at least one of: at least one combination of carriers supported by the first apparatus; at least one combination of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication; and a plurality of combinations of carriers from the set of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the first apparatus at least to receive, from the second apparatus of the communication system, a sixth indication on the selected combination of carriers for uplink and / or downlink scheduling.

[0075] In some example embodiments, the sixth indication is provided in a downlink transmission during an access establishment phase.

[0076] In some example embodiments, the downlink transmission is a Random Access Response, (RAR) or Message 4 during RRC Setup.

[0077] In some example embodiments, the set of carriers comprise at least one of: a set of carriers of a multicarrier single cell; a set of carriers from multiple single cells; and any set of carriers over the frequency spectrum for use by the first apparatus for communication with the communication system.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is synchronised to at least one primary carrier of the communication system when in a power saving state.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus is a user equipment.In some example embodiments, the second apparatus is a network node.

[0080] A sixth aspect provides second apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus at least to: receive, from a first apparatus, a first indication of at least one combination of carriers from a set of carriers for initiating a connection, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; and initiate the connection with the first apparatus based on the first indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

[0081] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the second apparatus at least to: transmit, to the first apparatus, system information comprising a second indication of at least the set of carriers prior to the second apparatus receiving, from the first apparatus, the first indication.

[0082] In some example embodiments, the system information further comprising at least one of: an indication of the set of carriers that can be combined in communication; a configuration of the carriers in the set of carriers including number of layers on each carrier and a criterion for reporting; and a maximum number of carriers the first apparatus can report upon after transitioning to radio resource control, RRC, connected state.

[0083] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the second apparatus at least to: transmit the system information based on at least one of: one or more broadcasts by the second apparatus to the first apparatus; and a response, by the second apparatus, to a request from the first apparatus for said system information.

[0084] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the second apparatus at least to: transmit, to the first apparatus, a third indication to initiate the connection.

[0085] In some example embodiments, the third indication to initiate the connection comprises at least one of: a paging message or signal; an extended paging indication signal; a wake up signal; and any other message or signal used for indicating the first apparatus to initiate the connection.In some example embodiments, the set of carriers includes a primary carrier and a plurality of secondary carriers.

[0086] In some example embodiments, the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the second apparatus at least to: initiate an initial access procedure based on the first indication of the combination of carriers.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the initial access procedure further comprises receiving the first indication of the combination of carriers via random access channel (R.ACH) or Message 3.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the first indication comprises at least one of: at least one combination of carriers supported by the first apparatus; at least one combination of carriers selected by the first apparatus for uplink and / or downlink communication; a plurality of combinations of carriers from the set of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication, wherein the at least one processor and the at least one memory store instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the second apparatus at least to transmit, to the first apparatus, a fourth indication on the selected combination of carriers for uplink and / or downlink scheduling.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the fourth indication is provided in a downlink transmission during an access establishment phase.

[0090] In some example embodiments, the downlink transmission is a Random Access Response, (RAR) or Message 4 during RRC Setup.

[0091] In some example embodiments, the set of carriers comprise at least one of: a set of carriers of a multicarrier single cell; a set of carriers from multiple legacy single cells; and any set of carriers over the frequency spectrum for use by the first apparatus for communication with the mobile communication system.

[0092] A seventh aspect provides a method of a first apparatus, comprising: determining, when the first apparatus is in a power saving state, a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; transmitting, from the first apparatus to a second apparatus of the communication system, a second indication of at least one combinationof carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection; and initiating the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers. In some examples, the seventh aspect may comprise other features relating to the fifth or first aspects.

[0093] An eighth aspect provides a method of a second apparatus, comprising: receiving, from a first apparatus, a first indication of at least one combination of carriers from a set of carriers for initiating a connection, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; and initiating the connection with the first apparatus based on the first indication of the at least one combination of carriers. In some examples, the eighth aspect may comprise other features relating to the sixth or second aspects.

[0094] An ninth aspect provides a computer program product comprising program instructions which, when the program instructions are executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to carry out a method of: determining, by a first apparatus when the first apparatus is in a power saving state, a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; transmitting, from the first apparatus to a second apparatus of the communication system, a second indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection; and initiating the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers. In some examples, the ninth aspect may comprise other features relating to the first or fifth aspects.

[0095] A tenth aspect provides a computer program product comprising program instructions which, when the program instructions are executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to carry out a method of: receiving, from a first apparatus, a first indication of at least one combination of carriers from a set of carriers for initiating a connection, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; and initiating the connection with the first apparatus based on the first indication of the at least one combination of carriers. In some examples, the tenth aspect may comprise other features relating to the second or sixth aspects.

[0096] An eleventh aspect provides a computer program product embodied on a non-transitory distribution medium readable by a computer and comprising program instructions which, when the program instructions are executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to carry out a method of: determining, by a first apparatus when the first apparatus is in a power saving state, a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, whereinthe set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; transmitting, from the first apparatus to a second apparatus of the communication system, a second indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection; and initiating the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers. In some examples, the eleventh aspect may comprise other features relating to the first or fifth aspects.

[0097] An twelfth aspect provides a computer program product embodied on a non-transitory distribution medium readable by a computer and comprising program instructions which, when the program instructions are executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to carry out a method of: receiving, from a first apparatus, a first indication of at least one combination of carriers from a set of carriers for initiating a connection, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; and initiating the connection with the first apparatus based on the first indication of the at least one combination of carriers. In some examples, the tenth aspect may comprise other features relating to the second or sixth aspects.

[0098] An thirteenth aspect provides a computer program comprising program instructions which, when the program instructions are executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to carry out a method of: determining, by a first apparatus when the first apparatus is in a power saving state, a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; transmitting, from the first apparatus to a second apparatus of the communication system, a second indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection; and initiating the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers. In some examples, the eleventh aspect may comprise other features relating to the first or fifth aspects.

[0099] An fourteenth aspect provides a computer program comprising program instructions which, when the program instructions are executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to carry out a method of: receiving, from a first apparatus, a first indication of at least one combination of carriers from a set of carriers for initiating a connection, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; and initiating the connection with the first apparatus based on the first indication of the at least one combination of carriers. In some examples, the tenth aspect may comprise other features relating to the second or sixth aspects.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0100] Example embodiments will now be described by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0101] Fig. la illustrates an example cellular multi-carrier communication system to which examples disclosed herein may be applied;

[0102] Fig. lb illustrates an example of a multi-carrier communication system to which examples disclosed herein may be applied;

[0103] Fig. 2a illustrates an example frequency spectrum for multi-carrier single cell and legacy single carrier single cell schematically;

[0104] Fig. 2b illustrates an example frequency spectrum for generalized multi-carrier schematically;

[0105] Fig. 3a illustrates a method for a UE establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system; Fig. 3b illustrates a method for a network node establishing the connection with the UE of Fig. 3a;

[0106] Fig. 4 illustrates a message flow sequence of an example method for establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system in a first scenario;

[0107] Fig. 5 illustrates message flow sequence of an example method for establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system in a second scenario;

[0108] Fig. 6 illustrates another example method for a UE establishing a connection in a multicarrier system;

[0109] Fig. 7 illustrates another example method for a network node establishing the connection with the UE of Fig. 6;

[0110] Fig. 8 illustrates another example method for a UE establishing a connection in a multicarrier system;

[0111] Fig. 9 illustrates message flow sequence of an example method for establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system in a third scenario;

[0112] Fig. 10 illustrates message flow sequence of an example method for establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system in a fourth scenario;

[0113] Fig. 11 illustrates another example method for a UE implementing a determination for additional carriers for use in any one of the multi-carrier systems of at least Figs. 5-8, and 10;

[0114] Fig. 12 illustrates another example method for a UE implementing a preferred carrier combination for use in any one of the multi-carrier systems of Figs. 3a to 10;

[0115] Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus that may be used to implement one or more of the example embodiments; andFig. 14 shows tangible media for storing computer-readable code which when executed by one or more processor(s) may perform methods according to example embodiments described herein.

[0116] Detailed Description

[0117] The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the specification may refer to "an", "one", or "some" embodiment(s) in several locations of the text, this does not necessarily mean that each reference is made to the same embodiment(s), or that a particular feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection of an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to apply such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described. It shall be understood that although the terms "first," "second" and the like may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0118] For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrases "at least one of A or B", "at least one of A and B", and "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase "A, B, and / or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B, and C).

[0119] Embodiments described may be implemented in a communication system, such as any of the following radio access technologies (RATs): World-wide Interoperability for Micro-wave Access (WiMAX), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM, 2G), GSM EDGE radio access Network (GERAN), General Packet Radio Service (GRPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS, 3G) based on basic wideband-code division multiple access (W-CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, and enhanced LTE (eLTE), 5G (also called NR), or any future RAT such as 6G and / or beyond. Moreover, communication within the communication system may utilize any proper wireless communication technology, comprising but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple (OFDM), and / or Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM).As used herein, the term "network device" or "network node" refers to a node in a communication system via which user equipment may access the network and / or which is capable of controlling radio communication and managing radio resources within a cell. The network node or network device may be referred to as a base station (BS), an access point (AP) or an access node. The network device may be, depending on the applied technology, for example, a node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node, a low power node, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-ground network device such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) satellite, or an aircraft network device.

[0120] Moreover, in connection of split radio access network (RAN), the network device may refer to a centralized unit (CU) of a base station and / or a distributed unit (DU) of a base station. An interface between CU and DU may be referred to as an Fl interface in NR. In the split RAN architecture, node operations may be carried out, at least partly, in the central / centralized unit, CU, (e.g. server, host or node) operationally coupled to the DU, (e.g. a radio head / node). One CU may control one or more DUs, acting at least as transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) nodes. In some embodiments, the DUs may comprise e.g. a radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY) layer, whereas the CU may comprise the layers above RLC layer, such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio resource control (RRC) and an internet protocol (IP) layers. Other functional splits are possible too. In practice, any processing task may be performed in either the CU or the DU and the boundary where the responsibility is shifted between the CU and the DU may depend on the applied implementation.

[0121] The term "terminal device" refers to any end device that may be capable of wireless communication. By way of example, a terminal device may be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), a Subscriber Station (SS), ora Mobile Station (MS). The terminal device may include a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones a tablet, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), portable computers, desktop computer, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and play-back appliances, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, USB dongles, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronicsdevice, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, any other device capable of wireless communication, and the like.

[0122] A term "resource", as used herein, may refer to radio resources in time domain, in frequency domain, in space domain, and / or in code domain. Some examples of resources include e.g. a physical resource block (PR.B), a radio frame, a subframe, a time slot, a subband, a frequency region, a primary carrier, a secondary carrier, a sub-carrier, a beam, etc. The term "transmission" and / or "reception" may refer to wirelessly transmitting and / or receiving via a wireless propagation channel on radio resources.

[0123] Fig. la illustrates an example of a communication system to which examples disclosed herein may be applied. The communication system or a cellular communication system may comprise a network node 110 providing one or more cells, such as cell 100, and a network node 112 providing one or more other cells, such as cell 102. Each cell may be, e.g., a macro cell, a micro cell, femto, or a pico cell, for example. The cell may define a coverage area or a service area of the corresponding access node.

[0124] The network node 110 may provide a user equipment (UE) 120 (one or more UEs) with wireless access to the communication system. The wireless access may comprise downlink (DL) communication from the network node to the UE 120 and uplink (UL) communication from the UE 120 to the network node. Examples of uplink channels comprise physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for transmitting control information and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for transmitting data towards the network. Examples of downlink channels comprise physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for transmitting control information and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for transmitting data towards the user equipment.

[0125] There may be a plurality of UEs 120, 122 in the system. Each of them may be served by the same or by different network nodes 110, 112. UE may be configured with dual connectivity (DC), wherein the UE, e.g. UE 120, may be connected to multiple network nodes 110, 112. The UEs 120, 122 may communicate with each other, in case device-to-device (D2D) communication interface is established between them via a so-called sidelink (SL). Such D2D communications may be referred to as machine-to-machine, peer-to-peer (P2P) communications, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), for example.

[0126] In the case of multiple network nodes in the communication system, the network nodes may be connected to each other via an interface. LTE specifications call such an interfaceas X2 interface. An interface between an LTE node and a 5G node, or between two 5G nodes may be called Xn interface.

[0127] The network nodes 110 and 112 may be further connected via another interface to a core network 116 of the communication system. The LTE specifications specify the core network as an evolved packet core (EPC), and the core network may comprise e.g. a mobility management entity (MME) and a gateway node. The MME may handle mobility of terminal devices in a tracking area encompassing a plurality of cells and handle signalling connections between the terminal devices and the core network. The gateway node may handle data routing in the core network and to / from the terminal devices. The 5G specifications specify the core network as a 5G core (5GC). The 5G core may comprise e.g. an access and mobility management function (AMF) and a user plane function / gateway (UPF) and other functions. The AMF may handle termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signalling, NAS ciphering & integrity protection, registration management, connection management, mobility management, access authentication and authorization, security context management. The UPF node may support packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection and quality of service (QoS) handling, for example.

[0128] In this example, the network nodes 110 and 112 may make use of multi-carrier communications for establishing a communication session with each of the UEs 120 and 122. For example, each of the cells 100 and 102 served by the network nodes 110 and 112 may implement single cell single carrier communications, in which case the UEs 120 and 122 can communicate with multiple network nodes 110 and 112 to effect multi-carrier communications, effectively using multiple cells 100a and 102 where applicable. In this example, UE 120 may be served by both cells 100 and 102 and establish multi-carrier communications using network nodes 110 and 112. However, UE 122 is only served by cell 100 and so can only effect single carrier communications with network node 110.

[0129] In another example, each of the cells 100 and 102 served by the network nodes 110 and 112 may implement multi-carrier single cell (MC-SC) communications, in which case each cell 100 and 102 served by network nodes 110 and 112 has multiple carriers that each UE 120 and 122 may use to effect a multi-carrier communication session with the respective network nodes 110 and 112. That is, each of UEs 120 and 122 are served by cells 102 and 100, respectively, in which they can each communicate with corresponding network nodes 110 and 112 to effect multi-carrier communications. It is noted that UE 120 is within the coverage of cell 100 and 102, hence UE 120 may be served by both cells 100 and 102 and so may effect multi-carrier communications with network nodes 110 and 112 using the carriers from both cells 100 and 102. Due to the additional carriers, the UE 120can perform communications with even higher bandwidth, higher capacity, higher throughput and the like.

[0130] In multi-carrier communications, a primary carrier may be defined as the carrier that broadcasts the control signaling and which enables a UE 120 or 122 to access to the cell 100 or 102 or cells 100 and 102 via network nodes 110 and 112. Carriers which are not primary carriers are denominated as secondary carriers and may be added depending on type of service required, the quality of service required, whether the UE 120 or 122 is power limited, the UE capability, whether a data buffer for transmitting data is reaching or above a certain threshold, and / or any other criteria requiring additional carriers during a multi-carrier communication session. For MC-SC, there may be more than one primary carrier in each cell 100 and 102, and the one or more carriers which are not primary carriers and are part of a MC-SC are secondary carriers. There may be a plurality of primary carriers and a plurality of secondary carriers that may be used by UEs 120 and 122 for establishing communications sessions via network nodes 110 and 112. Carriers that act as secondary carriers to some UEs may act as primary carriers to some other UEs and vice versa.

[0131] Fig. lb illustrates another example of a communication system to which examples disclosed herein may be applied. The communication system may comprise network nodes 110 and 112 serving UEs 120 and 122. As for Fig. la, the network nodes 110 and 112 may be further connected via another interface to a core network 116 of the communication system. In this example, the network nodes 110 and 112 may make use of multi-carrier communications for establishing a communication session with each of the UEs 120 and 122. For example, each of the network nodes 110 and 112 may provide a plurality of primary and secondary carriers for use by the UEs 120 and 122 to establish multi-carrier communications using network nodes 110 and 112. Depending on the capability of the UEs 120 and 122, each UE 120 and 122 may make use of a combination of carriers (e.g., a set of primary and secondary carriers) to establish a multi-carrier communication session via network nodes 110 and 112. In this example, each network node 110 and 112 may provide a plurality of primary carriers and a plurality of secondary carriers that may be used by UEs 120 and 122 for establishing a multi-carrier communications session via network nodes 110 and 112.

[0132] Referring to both Figs, la and lb, existing single cell single carrier and multicarrier single cell (MC-SC) systems make use of legacy carrier aggregation protocols that enable a UE 120 or 122 to establish a multi-carrier communication session via network nodes 110 and 112. However, the spectrum typically has fragmented spectrum blocks and it takes non-negligible time period before the full aggregated bandwidth of the fragmented spectrum blocks can be employed for scheduling data. In MC-SC, since the MS-SC cell is composed of multiple carriers, once a UE enters the RRC connected state, similar to current carrier aggregation, the network node 110 (e.g., gNB) may request the UE capabilities and then measurements to be able to determine which out of the available carriers of the MC-SC cell can be employed for the UE scheduling. This additional delay in access to the MC-SC bandwidth significantly impacts spectral efficiency and can make the primary carrier of an MC-SC cell a bottleneck. Furthermore, considering the yet prevailing dominance of bursty traffic, in some cases without enhancements to current procedures, the secondary carriers would be hard to leverage and this would be counterproductive to the goal of MC-SC deployments.

[0133] Another aspect for consideration, is that in order to maximize UE battery life, the UE should be allowed to sleep or be in a power saving state for extended periods of time, where it can leverage deeper sleep or power saving states. To this extent the corresponding 3GPP specifications have envisioned several scenarios in which a UE in a sleep or power saving state (e.g., in 5G this may be referred to as IDLE mode or RRC_IN ACTIVE mode) can relax its measurements. A power saving state may be defined as a power saving state in which communication is not ongoing or not currently ongoing. When the UE is in the power saving state, the UE may still maintain a limited connection with the communication system so the UE is able to initiate a connection in the current primary carrier or spectrum block the UE is connected to. For MC-SC deployments of Fig. la or generalized multicarrier deployments of Fig. lb the UE should not be taxed with excessive measurements which impact its battery life. There is a requirement for improving latency and reducing power consumption for establishing a multi-carrier communication session for a UE in a sleep or power saving state.

[0134] Fig. 2a illustrates an example frequency spectrum 200 for use in MC-SC and legacy SC-SC schematically. In this example, the frequency spectrum 200 illustrates an example of frequency spectrum that with bands (e.g., black blocks) allocated to operators (e.g., Communication Service Provider (CSP)). As illustrated, the lower frequency range (sub 1 GHz) is extremely fragmented and the bandwidth available in these bands is small leading to excessive system overheads.

[0135] Although a CSP may have a vast amount of spectrum, when this is fragmented to a number of relatively small blocks in different bands its challenging to use the resources efficiently, especially for legacy SC-SC systems, which have a plurality of cells 202 due to the fragmented nature of the frequency spectrum, because:• A non-carrier aggregation (non-CA) UE is bound to a single carrier (single contiguous block of spectrum) and cannot benefit from the availability of several carriers being deployed by the CSP;

[0136] • A carrier aggregation (CA) capable UE 120 has a limitation on the number of bands / layers it can combine and may have restrictions on the number of low bands it can aggregate. In addition, downlink only CA can create a bottleneck in the uplink of a Pell in legacy SC-SC systems.

[0137] Rather than having a plurality of SC-SC cells 202, Fig. 2a illustrates the formation of example Multi-Carrier Single Cell (MS-SC) cells 202a-202d (e.g., Cell 1, Cell 2, Cell 3, Cell 4) each of which includes a plurality of primary carriers having, without limitation, for example different bandwidth, different numerology (e.g. subcarrier spacing), different duplex mode (e.g. FDD vs TDD), different type (e.g. Supplemental DL carrier vs UL and DL carrier) and the like. The resulting MC-SC cells 202a-202d may have reduced overhead compared to the current legacy SC-SC cell solutions.

[0138] In this example, Fig. 2a illustrates four MS-SC cells 202a-202d (e.g., Cell 1, Cell 2, Cell 3, Cell 4) having various separate spectrum blocks / bands (carriers) from the frequency spectrum 200 that are bundled together, each bundle of bands forming an MS-SC cell. As previously discussed, a primary carrier of an MS-SC cell 202a is defined as the carrier of the MC-SC cell 202a which broadcasts the control signaling and which enables UE 120 access to the MC-SC cell 202a. As illustrated, MS-SC cell 202a (e.g., Cell 1) is formed from a bundle of frequency bands from the lower 2.5GHz portion of the frequency spectrum 200 (e.g., #1: FDD900MHz, #2: FDD 1800 MHz, and #3: FDD 2100MHz). There may be at least three primary carriers for MS-SC cell 202a for each of the frequency bands (e.g., #1, #2, #3) forming the MS-SC cell 202a. In addition, there may be a plurality of secondary carriers available for the UE 120 to use within MS-SC cell 202a during a multicarrier communication session. The remaining MS-SC cells may be similarly formed for other portions of the frequency spectrum 200. Although UE 120 is described with an example combination of carriers 202a, this is by way of example only and not limiting, it is to be appreciated by the skilled person that UE 120 may have any combination of carriers from the set of carriers of another MS-SC cell of the MS-SC cells 202a-202d covering the frequency spectrum 200 and which are provided by network nodes 110 and 112 and the like, and / or as the application demands.

[0139] Fig. 2b illustrates the example frequency spectrum 200 of Fig. 2a but for a generalized multi-carrier system. In this example, the network nodes 110 or 112 may provide a plurality of primary carriers and secondary carriers from the allocated bands of thefrequency spectrum 200. Each of the UEs 120 and 122 may use a combination of carriers 204a and 204b from the set of carriers comprising a plurality of primary and secondary carriers provided by each network node 110 and / or 112 for establishing a multi-carrier communication session via network nodes 110 or 112. In this example, UE 120 includes the combination of carriers 204a from the set of carriers that are in the lower 5GHz portion of the frequency spectrum (e.g., #1: FDD 900MHz, #2: FDD 2600MHz, #3: TDD 3500MHz, #4: TDD 4700MHz). UE 122 includes the combination of carriers 204b from the set of carriers that are from different frequency bands of the frequency spectrum (e.g., #1: FDD 1800MHz, #2: TDD 4700MHz, #3: mmW 48GHz). Although UE 120 and 122 are described with an example combination of carriers 204a and 204b, this is by way of example only and not limiting, it is to be appreciated by the skilled person that UEs 120 and 122 may have any combination of carriers from the set of carriers of the frequency spectrum 200 provided by network nodes 110 and 112 and the like, and / or as the application demands.

[0140] In a Carrier Aggregation framework in legacy SC-SC communication systems / network, the UE performs measurements for a set of configured SCells as configured by the network and then provides feedback to possibly activate its preferred set of SCells out of the set. However, this introduces significant delays I latencies at the UE before being able to use the required communication resources for a communication session.

[0141] There is an interest in significantly reducing these delays / latencies with an improved connection establishment mechanism / framework as described by the methods and systems herein in which the UE, already has the acquired system information in relation to the sets of carriers it is able to access and / or use prior to entering a power saving state, where the UE retains these sets of carriers, and when the UE returns from its power saving state or when it enters the communication system (e.g., powers up, or coming from out-of-coverage) the UE is able to initiate or establish a communication session by selecting at least one combination of carriers (e.g., its preferred carriers) from the set of carriers retained by the UE. The combination of carriers may include a primary carrier and one or more secondary carriers required by the UE for the communication session. The primary carrier may include the carrier that the UE may have been connected to during the power saving state. The combination of carriers provided by the UE, and which are used for establishing the communication session are sufficient to allow the UE to fulfil the type of service, service requirements, quality of service requirements, and the like that the UE requires for the communication session. The UE providing a combination of carriers from knowledge of the set of carriers retained prior to the power saving state provides the advantage of significantly reducing the latency in the UE establishing a communication session with aggregated carriers.In order for the UE to acquire the system information associated with the set of carriers, a minimum system information broadcast (SIB) that includes an indication of the set of carriers and other required configuration, reporting criterion, or other system information may be broadcast and / or provided for use by the UE. Alternatively or additionally, the UE acquires the system information associated with the set of carriers, in a minimum system information block that is broadcast, and which includes data representative of an indication of the set of carriers and other required configuration, reporting criterion, or other system information for use by the UE. Alternatively or additionally, the UE may negotiate or fetch the system information from the communication system such as, for example, by requesting the required system information in which the communication system responds over a primary carrier with the set of carriers accordingly. The UE may receive the broadcast system information or the negotiation / fetching of the system information prior to entering its power saving state but retains this system information for use in efficiently transitioning from the power saving state to establishing a communication session in a connected state.

[0142] The provided improved connection establishment mechanism I framework goes beyond legacy carrier aggregation, where the UE can provides the communication system with feedback not only of its preferred carriers but its preferred combination of carriers when it transitions from its power saving state to a connected state when a communication session has been established (e.g., in 5G this may be from an IDLE / RRC_INACTIVE to an RRC_CONNECTED state).

[0143] Fig. 3a illustrates an example method 300 for a first apparatus referred to as UE 120 establishing a connection in a communication system, e.g., a multi-carrier communication system, with a second apparatus referred to as network node 110. For example, the communication system may be any of the multi-carrier systems described with reference to Figs, la to 2b, modifications thereto, combinations thereof, and the like and / or as the application demands. In this example, the UE 120 is assumed to already have acquired a set of carriers from which to select a combination of carriers for establishing a multi-carrier communication session via a network node 110. In examples, the UE 120 may be in a power saving state (e.g., sleeping in a particular low power state). A power saving state may be defined as a power saving state in which communication is not ongoing or not currently ongoing. When the UE 120 is in the power saving state, the UE 120 may still maintain a limited connection with the communication system, so the UE is able to initiate a connection in the current primary carrier or spectrum block the UE is connected to. For example, in 5G systems this may be an RRC state such as the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLEstates. The UE 120 is in a power saving state prior to it establishing the multi-carrier communication session with a corresponding one or more network nodes 110 and / or 112. The method 300 includes the following steps of:

[0144] At step 302, determining, when the UE is in power saving state (e.g., a sleep, low power state, an idle / inactive mode (e.g., RRC_IDLE or RRC_IN ACTIVE), or other power saving state), a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers. The set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier.

[0145] At step 304, transmitting, to the communication system (e.g., network node), a second indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection.

[0146] At step 306, initiating or establishing the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

[0147] The method 300 may be further modified to include, receiving, from the communication system, system information comprising a third indication of at least the set of carriers prior to entering the power saving state and step 302 of determining the first indication for initiating the connection. The system information may be received from a network node or one or more network nodes of the communication system. The received set of carriers are used by the UE 120 prior to transmitting the second indication in step 304 for determining the second indication comprising data representative of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers. The at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers include a primary carrier and one or more secondary carriers supported by the UE.

[0148] In some examples, the system information may further include, without limitation, for example data representative of: an indication of the set of carriers that can be combined in communication; a configuration of the carriers in the set of carriers including number of layers on each carrier and a criterion for reporting; and a maximum number of carriers the UE can report upon after transitioning to radio resource control (RRC) connected state, and / or any other information or data required by the UE 120 for use in establishing a multi-carrier communication session as described herein.

[0149] Prior to step 302, the system information may be received based on, without limitation, for example at least one of: one or more broadcasts by the communication system; and a response, by the communication system, to a request from the UE for said systeminformation. For example, one or more network nodes of the communication system may be configured to broadcast system information associated with the set of carriers available to UEs for establishing multi-carrier communications, the set of carriers including one or more primary carriers and one or more secondary carriers.

[0150] Alternatively or additionally, the UE may be configured to send a request for the system information from one or more network nodes of the communication system (e.g., the UE is camped on one or more network nodes), where at least one of the network nodes may respond with system information including data representative of at least a set of carriers. The set of carriers including one or more primary carriers and one or more secondary carriers. The set of carriers may include a plurality of primary carriers and a plurality of secondary carriers.

[0151] In step 302, determining the first indication may further include receiving, from the communication system, a fourth indication to initiate the connection. For example, a network node of the communication system may send the fourth indication in the form of a message to the UE. For example, the fourth indication to initiate the connection may include, without limitation, for example comprises at least one from the group of: paging message or signal; extended paging indication signal (EPI); wake up signal (WUS); and any other message or signal used for indicating to the UE that the UE should initiate the connection or establish a communication session accordingly.

[0152] Alternatively, step 302 may be further modified to include means for determining the first indication based on higher layers of the communication stack of the UE sending a fifth indication to initiate the connection. For example, one or more applications of the UE may trigger the UE with a fifth indication to establish a communication connection. The fifth indication may include the type of service, service requirements, the required quality of service and the like to enable the UE to select at least one combination of carriers that will satisfy the application I service when the UE establishes the communication session.

[0153] Step 302 may be further modified in which the UE is further configured to select the combination of carriers from the set of carriers based on the fifth indication. The set of carriers includes at least one primary carrier and a plurality of secondary carriers. The at least one combination of carriers includes carriers that are supported by the UE and meet the communication requirements of the UE. In some examples, the second indication comprises at least one combination of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication.Step 306 may be further modified to include initiating an initial access procedure based on the second indication of the combination of carriers. For example, the initial access procedure may further include sending the second indication of the combination of carriers via random access channel, RACH, or Message 3 to a network node of the communication system, the network node serving the UE. In some examples, the second indication may include a plurality of combinations of carriers from the set of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication. In which case, the UE is further configured to receive, from a network node of the communication system, a sixth indication on the selected combination of carriers for uplink and / or downlink scheduling. The sixth indication can be provided from the network node in a downlink transmission during an access establishment phase. For example, the downlink transmission may be a Random Access Response (RAR) or Message 4 during RRC Setup.

[0154] The set of carriers may include carriers based on one or more from the group of: a set of carriers of one or more multi-carrier single cells; a set of carriers from multiple single carrier cells; any set of carriers supported by one or more network nodes over the frequency spectrum for use by the UE for a communication session with the corresponding network nodes of the communication system.

[0155] Fig. 3b illustrates an example corresponding method 310 for a second apparatus referred to as the network node 110 establishing the connection with a first apparatus referred to as the UE 120 of Fig. 3a. It is assumed that the steps 302 to 306 of Fig. 3a are performed at the UE 120 in conjunction with the following method 310. The method 310 includes the following steps of:

[0156] At step 312, receiving, from the UE 120, the second indication of at least one combination of carriers from a set of carriers for initiating a connection. The second indication having been transmitted from the UE 120 in step 304 of Fig. 3a. The set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier.

[0157] At step 314, initiating or establishing the connection with the UE 120 based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

[0158] Steps 312 and 314 may be further modified to include the network node steps or functionality as described with reference to the UE establishing the communication session of Fig. 3a. For example, prior to step 312, the network node is configured for transmitting, to the UE, system information including a third indication of at least the set of carriers prior to receiving, from the UE, the second indication of the at least onecombination of carriers. Transmitting the system information may further include transmitting the system information, from the network node 110 to the UE 120, based on at least one from the group of: one or more broadcasts by the network node of the communication system; and a response, by the network node, to a request from the UE for said system information.

[0159] Prior to step 312, the network node may be configured for transmitting, to the UE, the first indication to initiate the connection. The first indication is received by the UE in step 302 and used by the UE to determine when to initiate a connection based on the set of carriers. The first indication to initiate the connection is transmitted from the network node and includes, without limitation, for example at least one from the group of: a paging message or signal; an extended paging indication signal; a wake up signal; and any other message or signal used for indicating the UE to initiate the connection.

[0160] The network node in step 314 is further configured to initiate the connection with the UE based on initiating an initial access procedure based on the second indication of the combination of carriers. For example, the initial access procedure further including receiving the second indication of the combination of carriers via RACH or Message and / or any other suitable messaging protocol / structure or format for initiating a connection.

[0161] When the second indication includes data representative of a plurality of combinations of carriers from the set of carriers selected by the UE for uplink and / or downlink communication, and the network node may determine the best combination of carriers and may be further configured for transmitting, to the UE, the sixth indication as described with reference to Fig. 3a on the selected combination of carriers for uplink and / or downlink scheduling. The sixth indication is provided in a downlink transmission during an access establishment phase, where the downlink transmission is, without limitation, for example a RAR or Message 4 during RRC Setup and / or any other suitable messaging protocol / format for initiating the connection with the UE based on the combination of carriers associated with the sixth indication.

[0162] The communication system may be a multi-carrier communication system with either one or more from the group of: a plurality of SC-SC cell; a plurality of MS-SC cells; or a plurality of primary and secondary carriers distributed across the frequency spectrum and supported by one or more network nodes, and / or a combination thereof. For example, the set of carriers may include one or more from the group of: a set of carriers from one or more SC-SC cells (e.g., PCell, SCell and the like); a set of carriers from one or more MC-SC cells, or a set of carriers supported by each network node, and / or anyset of carriers over the frequency spectrum for use by the UE for multi-carrier communication with the communication system. The set of carriers may include at least one primary carrier and one or more secondary carriers. It is to be appreciated that each MC-SC cell will typically have a plurality of primary carriers and a plurality of secondary carriers.

[0163] Although the methodology and modifications thereto as described with reference to Figs.

[0164] 3a and 3b and / or as described herein further improves upon the legacy carrier aggregation framework in which the UE provides its preferred combination of carriers and, as an option, feedback of its preferred carriers immediately to the network node in the transition from its power saving state its connected state (e.g., sleep state to connected state, low power state to connected state, RRC_IDLE to an RRC_CONNECTED state). The UE does not wait, as in typical legacy SC-SC systems or legacy carrier aggregation for establishment of a primary carrier and then subsequent establishment of secondary carriers, which causes significant delays. Rather, the UE provides the network node with at least one combination of carriers required by the UE for establishing a multi-carrier communication session with sufficient communication resources prior to establishing the communication session. The methodology described herein significantly reduces latency or delays in establishing the required communication resources for the multicarrier communication session for the UE.

[0165] Furthermore, the methods 300 and 310 and / or the methods as described herein provide the further advantages of: allowing for fast activation of carriers, where all carriers could be directly available for data communication rather than just the primary carrier; improves spectral efficiency, because the primary carrier (typically common to many UEs) is not the only communication channel at the beginning of the connection and thus leaving the other carriers sitting idle until communication link over secondary carriers have been established; reduces UE battery consumption by getting the data transaction over faster and not requiring UE to continuously measure all possible carriers of, for example, a MC-SC.

[0166] Fig. 4 illustrates a message flow sequence of an example method 400 for establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system in a first scenario. The example method 400 is configured to include and further modify the steps of methods 300 and 310 of Figs. 3a and 3b as described with reference to Fig. 4. In this example, the first scenario is for a mobile terminated connection for when a network node 110 sends a message or signal to a terminal apparatus, which is referred to as the UE 120, and which may be in a power saving state, with an indication or prompt for causing UE 120 to exit the power saving state and establish a communication session via the network node 110 and / or 112 (e.g.,gNBl and / or gNB2). For example, the message or signal may be, without limitation, for example a paging signal, EPI, WUS, or any other message or signal capable of indicating and causing the UE to exit its power saving state. In this example, prior to performing the mobile terminated connection and / or prior to receiving the message or signal the UE 120 will have acquired a set of carriers from one or more of the network nodes 110 and 112 (e.g., gNBl and / or gNB2) of the communication system from which to determine and / or select at least one combination of carriers (at least a primary carrier and one or more secondary carriers) that have sufficient communication resources for establishing a multicarrier communication session with the required full service.

[0167] As illustrated, the UE 120 may be in communication with one or more network nodes 110 and / or 112 depending on the configuration of the communication system and the support for multi-carrier communication. For example, the communication system may include one or more SC-SC cells and / or one or more MS-SC cells. The communication system may at least include a network node 110 providing at least one primary carrier and one or more secondary carriers. For example, the network node 110 may provide a plurality of primary carriers and a plurality of secondary carriers for sharing amongst UEs 120 and 122 being served by the network node 110. In this example, the UE (or terminal device) 120 is in communication with a network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), and the message flow sequence of the example method 400 includes the following steps of:

[0168] At step S401, the UE 120 receives, from a network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) of the communication system, system information including an indication of at least a set of carriers. The UE 120 receives the system information prior to the UE entering a power saving state, and / or prior to either a mobile terminated connection (MTC) or mobile initiated connection (MIC) is performed. The UE 120 communicates with the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) using a primary carrier for receiving the system information associated with the set of carriers.

[0169] For example, in step S401, the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) broadcasts, on at least one primary carrier (e.g., Primary Carrier), system information including data representative of an indication of a set of carriers, which include one or more primary carriers and one or more secondary carrier that can be combined for use in multi-carrier communications. The system information may further include data representative of a configuration of the set of carriers (e.g., configuration information including number of layers on each carrier) and / or a criterion for reporting measurements for one or more carriers in the set of carriers. The system information may optionally include data representative of a maximum number of carriers that UE 120 can report upon transitioning to a connected state (e.g.,in 5G this may be an RRC connected state). In another example, rather than broadcasting the system information, the UE 120 may negotiate, fetch and / or request the system information from the network node 110 for transmission over the primary carrier to the UE 120.

[0170] In another example, the UE 120 receive and acquire the system information from a primary carrier on other supported primary and secondary carriers by network nodes 110 and / or 112 of the communication system (e.g., MC-SC serving the UE 120, and / or multiple SC-SCs serving the UE 120, or other multicarrier communication system topology / configuration). The system information that is provided to the UE 120 may include data representative of a set of carriers. The system information may include, without limitation, for example, data representative of:

[0171] • Carrier bandwidths, numerology, and other physical parameters of the carrier configuration such as time division duplex (TDD) frame structure and reference signals for measurement;

[0172] • Carrier configurations supported for simultaneous operation in DL and / or UL. This could be provided as a prioritized list and the list may be different for different types of services provided by the network nodes 110 and / or 112 of the communication system (e.g., MC-SC serving the UE 120, and / or multiple SC-SCs serving the UE 120, or other multicarrier communication system topology / configuration);

[0173] • A criterion / condition, possibly per carrier, to be employed by a UE 120 prior to reporting the carrier as available. For example, the criterion / condition may be based on measures of signal levels, without limitation, for example Reference Signals Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), and / or minimum / maximum RSRP and / or RSRQ thresholds, and the like;

[0174] • An indication of which carrier to perform measurements on: in some examples a secondary carrier may be deactivated, but if the network node(s) 110 and / or 112 (e.g., gNBl or gNB2) is aware of similarity of the propagation environment between the deactivated carrier and another active carrier it may indicate for measurements to be provided based on the active carrier;

[0175] • An indication of the maximum number of available UL and DL carriers to be reported;

[0176] • A reporting criterion, which establishes different levels of reporting for the various UL / DL carriers in the set of carriers based on, without limitation, for example if the UE 120 is at cell edge or not, or based on the distance the UE 120 is from the network nodes 110 and / or 112, and the like; and / or• Any other system information, reporting, measurement, signalling, criterions / conditions, and / or carrier information of the carriers in the set of carriers that may be required by the UE 120 for use in selecting one or more combinations of carriers from the set of carriers, and establishing the communication session with the selected or preferred combination of carriers.

[0177] In step S401, the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) does not need to expose all of the primary and / or secondary carriers of the set of all carriers that are supported by the network node 110 and / or 112 via the broadcast system information. Rather, it may only expose a subset of the set of all carriers, where this subset may vary depending on the network node's 110 and / or 112 load (e.g., MC-SC load). This subset forms the set of carriers that are transmitted in system information to the UE 120 in step S401.

[0178] At a later stage, after receiving the system information associated with at least the set of carriers and any associated system information and the like from network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), the UE 120 may enter the power saving state. In the power saving state, the UE 120 may still have a limited connection with the network node 110 via a primary carrier for receiving any further messages or signals (e.g., paging signal, EPI, wake up signal (WUS) and the like), as in, for example, step S402.

[0179] In this example, the network node 110 performs a mobile terminated connection (MTC) and the method 400 proceeds to step S402.

[0180] At step S402, the network node 110 transmits, to the UE when in the power saving state, a message or signal with an indication to initiate the connection or establish a communication session. The message or signal with the indication to initiate the connection may include, without limitation, for example a paging message or signal; an EPI signal; a WUS; or any other message or signal that may be modified and / or applied for indicating to a UE, when in a power saving state, to initiate the connection and / or establish a communication session. The indication to initiate the connection or establish the communication session may include data representative of whether the primary carrier and / or additional carriers are required for the communication session.

[0181] For example, in step S402, the network node 110 may transmit an explicit indication for the UE to initiate a connection. The explicit indication may be included in a message or signalling over the primary carrier that the UE 120 has a limited connection with when in the power saving state. The message or signalling may include, without limitation, for example a paging message, early paging indication (EPI), or wake up signal (WUS), orany other message or signalling capable of notifying the UE to exit a power saving state and initiate a connection. As an option, the network node 110 may further indicate, e.g., in the explicit indication or in a separate message or signalling, data representative for the requirement for additional bandwidth beyond the capacity of the primary carrier that is being used by the UE 120 during the power saving state. This further indication may be sent depending on the primary carrier load or the amount of data in the downlink buffer that is to be transmitted to the UE 120 once a communication session has been established.

[0182] As part of step S402, in response to the UE 120 receiving the message or signal indicating to initiate the connection, the UE 120 in the power saving state (e.g., a sleep, low power state, an idle / inactive mode (e.g., RRC IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE) determines from the message or signal that there is an indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, which the UE 120 has already acquired in step S401.

[0183] In another example, in step S402, the UE 120 may receive, from the network node 110 serving the UE 120 during the power saving state (e.g., a Primary Cell), an indication for the need of bandwidth beyond the primary carrier capability that is being provided. This indication may be included in a WUS, EPI, or paging indication, which have been suitably modified or formatted to include such an indication. In this case, the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) determines that the UE 120 would benefit from additional carrier resources based on its current load on the primary carrier, the type of service the UE is expected to initiate (e.g., based on service type, paging type, etc.) and information of data in the DL buffer, if available, that may be transmitted to the UE 120 once a communication session is established (e.g., a pending background data transfer, or a request for a data transfer (e.g., streaming session, media session, conference call and / or any other service requesting or requiring a data connection with UE 120 and the like). In addition to the indication of the need of the additional bandwidth, the indication could also provide the maximum number of carriers to be reported. This number can vary per network indication depending on the amount of data in the DL buffer triggering the transmission of the indication for the need of bandwidth and / or the type of service expected to be initiated as a result of the mobile terminated connection (MTC).

[0184] At step S404, the UE 120 transmits, to the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), an initial access message with an indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection. The at least one combination of carriers may include an indication of uplink and / or downlink carriers that meet the required communication resources for the communication session when established.For example, in step S404, the UE 120 transmits to the network node 110 an indication (e.g., within the initial access message) and / or during access establishment (e.g. in RACH procedure's Message 3(e.g. RRC Request)) of which uplink and downlink carriers of the at least one combination of carriers meet the configured criterion (e.g., UL and DL carriers of the MC-SC) during connection setup. The UE 120 may optionally provide a data representative of an uplink indication associated with uplink transmission (e.g., Tx) configuration possibilities. This uplink indication may include data representative that informs the network node 110 (and / or other network nodes 112) which uplink carriers are mutually exclusive and cannot be used simultaneously, and which uplink carriers are not mutually exclusive and can be used simultaneously, and / or any other uplink transmission configuration possibilities that may be required to be notified to the network node 110 and / or 112.

[0185] In another example, in step S404, the UE 120 initiates the initial access procedure with an indication of the measured / preferred carrier combinations (e.g., at least one carrier combination preferred by the UE 120). This indication of the at least one carrier combinations could be provided via, without limitation, for example:

[0186] • RACH: based on gNB provided configuration in which specific RACH preambles and occasions are mapped to certain supported multi-carrier combinations

[0187] • Message 3 with additional or new field(s) included in the message 3 transmission to indicate the measured / preferred carrier combinations. These additional or new field(s) may be allowed to have different lengths such that the impact for a cell edge UE 120 is minimized. The message 3 transmission could correspond to, without limitation, for example an RRC Request or RRC Resume procedure.

[0188] For example, in some embodiments for non-power limited UEs employing, i.e., UEs with an RSRP above a configured threshold, the additional or new field could include, without limitation, for example:

[0189] o A bitmap mapping to the prioritized list of the set of carriers with particular carrier combinations provided to the UE 120 in system information in step S401, where the UE 120 would set a bit to 1 if that multi-carrier combination has measured above the established criterion, and the UE 120 selects that multi-carrier combination from the set of carriers.

[0190] o Optionally, an information element (IE) with the supported UL transmission configuration, where the UE 120 provides information on which UL carriers are mutually exclusive and cannot be used simultaneously, and which UL carriers are not mutually exclusive and can be used simultaneously.For power limited UEs, the increase in payload size could impact the accessibility, hence for these UEs the reporting criterion configured in step S401 could request for the reporting to be, without limitation, for example limited to:

[0191] • a bitmap for DL only. For example, cases where the other carrier frequencies are expected to have worst UL propagation than the primary carrier; or

[0192] • a short bitmap for DL and UL. For example, in the DL, the short bitmap is configured to map to the most commonly reported / used carrier combinations for cell edge UEs for the primary carrier. In the UL, the short bitmap is configured for carriers supported by network nodes 112 and / or 112 (e.g., carriers supported within the MC-SC) that are more favourable from an UL propagation point of view and are intended to be employed during the initial establishment phase in single UL transmission mode only.

[0193] At step S405, as an option, the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), on receiving the initial access message, may indicate from the at least one combination of carriers send a message or signal to the UE 120 indicating a particular selected set of carriers from the at least one combination of carriers that the UE 120 may use.

[0194] For example, optional step S405 may further include the following: should the UE 120 provide, in step S404, an indication of multiple combinations of carriers from the set of carriers that meet the communication requirements needed for the communication session when established, the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) may provide an indication on a selected one or more of the multiple combination of carriers for UL and DL scheduling. This indication can be transmitted after the UE 120 reports in step S404 on multiple combinations of carriers and their supported UL and / or DL configurations. This provides the advantage of allowing the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) to prioritize carrier combinations and load balance UEs that are supported by the network node 110 and / or network node 112. Alternatively, this indication may also be transmitted during the access establishment phase in step S406 in a DL transmission (PDCCH or PDSCH) of a Random Access Response or Message 4 (e.g. RRC Setup).

[0195] In another example, optional step S405 may further include the following: the network node 1120 (e.g., gNBl) may provide and transmit an indication of the selected combination of carriers if the UE 120 provides in step S404 more than one supportedcombination of carriers, then the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) may select one of the supported combination of carriers based on, without limitation, for example:

[0196] • load per carrier: distribute the load on different UL and DL carriers of a preferred combination of carriers that maximizes the end user experience;

[0197] • energy efficiency aspects such as, without limitation, for example selecting the combination of carriers based on the desire to keep certain carriers less loaded or deactivated to minimize energy consumption at the UE 120 and / or network nodes 110 and / or 112;

[0198] • minimization of interference to other cells, where with high spectral re-use, coordinated frequency usage schemes such as elCIC may yield improved performance for a particular one of the combinations of carriers, hence this particular combination of carriers is selected by the network node 110;

[0199] • Any other suitable criteria that enables the network node 110 to select the most suitable combination of carriers from the more than one supported combination of carriers provided by the UE 120 in step S404.

[0200] The network node 110 notifies the UE 120 of the selected combination of carriers for use in the UE 120 initiating and establishing the communication session in step S406.

[0201] At step S406, the UE 120 and network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) initiate or establish the connection based on the at least one of the combination of carriers indicated by the UE 120. The connection may be established with one or more network nodes 110 and / or 112 (e.g., gNBl and / or gNB2) depending on which network nodes 110 and / or 112 are associated with the carriers in the at least one combination of carriers indicated by the UE 120.

[0202] Fig. 5 illustrates message flow sequence of another example method 500 for establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system in a second scenario. The example method 500 is configured to include and further modify the steps of methods 300, 310 and 400 of Figs.

[0203] 3a, 3b and 4 as described with reference to Fig. 5. In this example, the second scenario is for a mobile initiated connection for when the higher layers of a terminal apparatus, which is referred to as the UE 120, determines that a connection is required when the UE 120 is a power saving state. The higher layers may be at the application layer or any of the lower layers of the stack at the UE 120. The UE 120 determines that an indication or prompt is received from a higher layer for causing UE 120 to exit the power saving state and establish a communication session via the network node 110 and / or 112 (e.g., gNBl and / or gNB2) that is providing the UE 120 with a primary carrier during the power saving state. In this example, prior to performing the mobile initiated connection and / or prior toreceiving the indication or signal from the higher layer of the UE 120, the UE 120 will have acquired a set of carriers from one or more of the network nodes 110 and 112 (e.g., gNBl and / or gNB2) of the communication system from which to determine and / or select at least one combination of carriers (at least a primary carrier and one or more secondary carriers) that have sufficient communication resources required by the higher layer (e.g., an application requiring additional carriers) for establishing a multi-carrier communication session with the required full service. In this example, when in the power saving mode, the UE (or terminal device) 120 is in limited communication over a primary carrier with network node 110 (e.g., gNBl). The message flow sequence of the example method 500 includes the following steps of:

[0204] At step S501, the UE 120 acquires system information associated with a set of carriers from the network nodes 110 and / or 112 as described with reference to step 401 of method 400 with reference to Fig. 4.

[0205] At a later stage, after receiving the system information associated with at least the set of carriers and any associated system information and the like from network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), the UE 120 may enter the power saving state. In the power saving state, the UE 120 may still have a limited connection with the network node 110 via a primary carrier for receiving / transmitting any further messages or signals (e.g., control messages / signals etc.).

[0206] In this example, the UE 120 performs a mobile initiated connection (MIC) and the method 500 proceeds to step S502.

[0207] At step S502, a higher layer of the UE 120, when the UE is in a power saving state, sends an indication to initiate the connection or establish a communication session. The higher layer may be, without limitation, an application layer in which an application executing on the UE 120 needs communication resources such as, for example, additional carriers than the primary carrier providing the limited connection while the UE 120 is in the power saving state. In response to the UE 120 receiving the indication from the higher layer to initiate the connection, the UE 120 in the power saving state, determines that the indication is for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, which the UE 120 has already acquired in step S501. The UE 120 is configured to select a combination of carriers based on the indication from the higher layer and the required communication resources (e.g., additional carriers), which may be specified in the higher layer indication.For example, in step S502, an application at the application layer, or another process at one of the higher layers of the communication stack of the UE 120 may determine there is a need to transmit a large amount of data in the UL, or a low latency requirement for a UL transfer is required. If the UE 120 is initiating a communication then the UE 120 could determine that e.g. the primary carrier TDD frame configuration is not sufficient for its latency / capacity needs and may, at the higher layer, determine that it needs to measure additional carriers (e.g., additional carriers of an MC-SC, or additional carriers of multiple SC-SCs) as a step to establish communication on those additional carriers (set the receiver automatic gain control (AGC), synchronize to the carrier, and obtain a channel state information (CSI) for the carrier). Thus, the higher layer indicates to the UE 120, when in the power saving state, to initiate a connection accordingly.

[0208] In another example, in step S502, the UE 120 (e.g., a higher layer) determines the need for additional carriers when initiating access via the primary carrier. This determination may be based on an indication or information provided by one or more higher layers of the UE 120 regarding the type of service to be initiated, the required QoS and the amount of data in the UL buffer. If the type of service being initiated is known to have a mostly heavy UL traffic (e.g., uploading of a video, music, gaming or live streaming, or large file transfer and the like) then the UE 120 may only measure and report combinations for multiple UL carriers. If the UE 120 is initiating a connection with symmetrical traffic such as video call it may then measure and report combinations of UL and DL carriers. Further details of this determination are provided in Fig. 12. An additional delay criterion or latency may also be considered by the UE 120 when determining the need for additional carriers. The delay criterion or latency could be based on the type of service requested and the estimated time for measurements of carriers based on their configuration of reference signals. In any event, the UE 120 receives from the higher layer an indication to initiate a connection and / or further information requiring additional carriers are required at the beginning of the communication session when established, rather than after establishment of the communication session.

[0209] At step S504, the UE 120 transmits, to the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), an initial access message with an indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection as described with reference to step S404 of method 400 with reference to Fig. 4.

[0210] At step S505, as an option, step S405 of Fig. 4 may be performed.At step S506, the UE 120 and network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) initiate or establish the connection based on the at least one of the combination of carriers indicated by the UE 120 as described in step S406 with reference to Fig. 4.

[0211] At the end of the methods 400 or 500, the network node 110 and / or 112 may request the UE 120 to communicate its full capabilities upon establishing its RRC connection or once the communication session has been established. This may be required in case the network node 110 and / or 112 (e.g., gNBl and / or gNB2) needs to reconfigure the UE's 120 assigned carriers (e.g., the UE 120 may indicate the number of multiple-input multipleoutput (MIMO) layers, or supported modulation orders for each carrier and the network node 110 or 112 could then upgrade the configuration from the default assumption if the UE 120 was more capable than the default).

[0212] As previously described, message flow sequence of example methods 400 or 500 provides the following advantages of 1) allowing for fast activation of carriers (e.g., carriers of an MS-SC), where all carriers could be directly available for data communication rather than just the primary carrier; 2) Improving spectral efficiency (e.g., of an MC-SC) due to the primary carrier (typically common to many UEs) not being the only communication channel at the beginning of the communication session. Thus, the secondary carriers in the at least one combination of carriers used to established the communication session are not idle. For example, when the UE 120 transitions to the RRC connected state, it employs all of the carriers in the at least one combination of carriers that the UE 120 provided in step S404 or step S504, or the network node 110 selected in step S405 or S505. This is in contrast to conventional legacy SC-SC or MS-SC multi-carrier systems, which leave the secondary carriers sitting idle until after the communication session has been established using the primary carrier, where additional secondary carriers are typically added using carrier aggregation protocols leading to a significant delay or latency in the UE 120 receiving the full communication resources required after establishment; and 3) reduces UE 120 battery consumption by ensuring the data transaction for communication session establishment is completed earlier, and by not requiring UE to continuously measure all possible carriers supported by a network node 110 or 112 (e.g., all possible carriers of an MC-SC or multiple SC-SCs, etc.).

[0213] Fig. 6 illustrates another example method 600 for a terminal apparatus, which is referred to as UE 120, establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system. As described for the example methods 300, 400 and 500 of Figs 3a, 4 and 5, and methods 800, 900 and 1000 of Figs. 8, 9 and 10 the UE 120 has acquired a set of carriers from system information provided by network nodes 110 and / or 112, prior to entering a power saving state aspreviously described. The method 600 further modifies the methods 300, 400 and 500 of Figs 3a-5. The method 600 includes the following steps of:

[0214] At step S601, the UE 120 receives a list or set of carriers from the communication system in a similar manner as described with reference to with reference to methods 300 or 310 of Figs. 3a and 3b, and / or steps 401 and 501 with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, and / or steps 901 and 1001 of Figs. 9 and 10.

[0215] At step S602a, the UE 120 determines (or detects) whether it has received (e.g., RX) a network indication to report available carriers when an MTC is initiated by the network node 110 (e.g., paging message, EPI, WUS, or other message or signal). Step S602a may further include the relevant operations or functions performed in steps 302 or 402 of Figs.

[0216] 3a or 4 in relation to an MTC initiated by the network node 110. If the UE 120 has received a network indication (e.g., Yes), then the method 600 proceeds to step S603b, otherwise (e.g., No) the method 600 proceeds to step S602b.

[0217] At step S602b, the UE 120 determines (or detects) whether it has received an indication from an upper layer (or higher layer) of the stack of the UE 120 for initiating a MIC. Step S602b may further include the relevant operations or functions performed in steps 302 or 502 of Figs. 3a or 5 in relation to an MIC initiated by the UE 120. If the UE 120 has received an indication from an upper layer (e.g., Yes), then the method 600 proceeds to step S604a, otherwise (e.g., No) the method 600 proceeds to step S602a, where UE 120 remains in a power saving state and monitors the primary carrier providing limited communications for determining (or detecting) whether a MTC or MIC is being initiated.

[0218] At step S603a, the UE 120 determines whether the primary carrier has sufficient resources for initiating the MIC. If additional carriers are required to meet the communication requirements of the communication session to be established, the method 600 proceeds to step S603b. If no further additional carriers are required, then the method 600 proceeds to step S604a.

[0219] At step S604a, the UE 120 initiates an RRC connection using the primary carrier (e.g., Primary Cell) without performing measurements of secondary carriers (e.g., secondary cells).

[0220] At step S603b, when the UE 120 requires additional carriers for either a MTC or MIC (e.g., from steps S602a or S603a), the UE 120 determines one or more carriers for at least one combination of carriers (e.g., primary carrier and one or more secondary / additionalcarriers) for measuring, and, if possible, perform measurements on one or more of the at least one combination of carriers. The method proceeds to step S604b.

[0221] At step S604b, the UE 120 initiates an RRC connection by sending an initial access message or similar message to the network node 110 indicating the at least one combination of carriers, and, if possible, report measurements for one or more of the at least one combination of carriers during the establishment of the communication session. For example, the UE 120 indicates a preferred combination of carriers and, during the transition from power saving state to the RRC connected state, the UE 120 reports measurements for any carriers for the preferred combination of carriers.

[0222] Steps S603a, S603b, S604a and S604b may further include similar or the same steps / operations of steps 304 / 306, S404 / S406, S504 / S506, 803, S903, S1003 of Figs. 3a to 5 and 8 to 10. Steps S603a / S603b may further include similar or the same steps / operations performed by the UE 120 as described in methods 1100 and 1200 of Figs. 11 and 12.

[0223] Fig. 7 illustrates another example method 700 for a network node establishing the connection with a terminal apparatus, which is referred to as the UE 120, of Fig. 6. As described for the example methods 310, 400 and 500 of Figs 3b, 4 and 5, and methods 800, 900 and 1000 of Figs. 8, 9 and 10 the network node 110 may perform an MTC or receive a connection request from the UE 120 performing an MIC as previously described. The method 700 further modifies the methods 310, 400 and 500 of Figs 3b-5. The method 700 includes the following steps of:

[0224] At step S701, the network node 110 transmits a list or set of carriers to the UE 120 in a similar manner as described with reference to methods 300 or 310 of Figs. 3a and 3b, and / or steps S401 and S501 with reference to Figs. 4 and 5, and / or steps S901 and S1001 of Figs. 9 and 10.

[0225] At step S702a, the network node 110 determines whether it will transmit a network indication to the UE 120 for initiating a MTC. In this case, the network indication may require the UE 120 to report available carriers when the MTC is initiated by the network node 110. The network indication may include, without limitation, for example a paging message, EPI, WUS, or other suitable message or signal. Step S702a may further include the relevant network node operations or functions performed in steps 302, 312 or S402 of Figs. 3a-4 in relation to an MTC initiated by the network node 110. If the network node 110 does determine it will transmit a network indication (e.g., Yes), the network node 110transmits the network indication to the UE 120 for initiating a connection a network indication (e.g., Yes) and the method 700 proceeds to step S704, otherwise (e.g., No) the method 700 proceeds to step S702b.

[0226] At step S702b, the network node 110 determines (or detects) whether it has received an initial access message (or similar indication) from the UE 120 with a preferred combination of carriers for initiating a MIC. Step S702b may further include the relevant network node operations or functions performed in steps 302, 312 or S502 of Figs. 3a-3b or 5 in relation to an MIC initiated by the UE 120. If the network node 110 has received the initial access message or similar indication from the UE 120 (e.g., Yes), then the method 700 proceeds to step S703, otherwise (e.g., No) the method 700 proceeds to loop back to steps S702a-S702b, where the network node 110 may wait until it determines or detects a MTC or MIC should be initiated for UE 120.

[0227] At step S703, the network node 110 determines whether the UE 120 is requesting additional carriers over the primary carrier the UE 120 is using, i.e., does the primary carrier have sufficient resources for initiating the MIC. If additional carriers are required to meet the communication requirements of the communication session to be established, the method 700 proceeds to step S704b. If no further additional carriers are required, then the method 700 proceeds to step S704a.

[0228] At step S704a, the network node and UE 120 initiate an RRC connection using the primary carrier (e.g., Primary Cell) without the UE 120 performing measurements of secondary carriers (e.g., secondary cells).

[0229] At step S704b, the network node 110 and UE 120 initiate an RRC connection, where the network node 110 receives an initial access message or similar message from the UE 120 indicating at least one combination of carriers (e.g., one or more preferred combination of carriers), and, if available, a report on measurements for one or more of the at least one combination of carriers prior to establishment of the communication session. For example, the network node 110 receives from the UE 120 an indication of a preferred combination of carriers and, during the transition from power saving state to the RRC connected state, the UE 120 reports to the network node 110 measurements for one or more carriers for the preferred combination of carriers.Steps S703, S704a and S704b may further include similar or the same network node steps / operations of steps 304 / 306, S404 / S406, S504 / S506, 803, S903, S1003 of Figs. 3a to 5 and 8 to 10.

[0230] Fig. 8 illustrates another example method 800 for a terminal apparatus, which is referred to as UE 120, establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system. For example, the communication system may be any of the multi-carrier systems described with reference to Figs, la to 2b, modifications thereto, combinations thereof, and the like and / or as the application demands. Method 800 further modifies the method 300 as described with reference to Fig. 3a by including some further implementation steps that are performed by the UE 120 for determining the at least one combination of carriers that the UE selects for use in establishing the communication session. As for the method 300, the UE 120 has acquired a set of carriers from the communication system in a similar manner as steps S401 and S501 as described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. The method 800 includes the following steps of:

[0231] Step 802 substantially corresponds to method steps 302, S402 and / or S502 of Figs. 3a, 4 and 5, respectively, and / or further modifications thereto as described with reference to Figs. 3a, 4 and 5.

[0232] At step 803, the UE 120 determines at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers from the set of carriers to measure and report.

[0233] Step 804 substantially corresponds to method steps 304, S404 and / or S504 of Figs. 3a, 4 and 5, respectively, and / or further modifications thereto as described with reference to Figs. 3a, 4 and 5, in which the at least one combination of carriers is the determined at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers.

[0234] Step 806 substantially corresponds to method steps 306, S406 and / or S506 of Figs. 3a, 4 and 5, respectively, and / or the further modifications thereto as described with reference to Figs. 3a, 4 and 5.

[0235] The steps 802, 804 and 806 of method 800 may be further modified to include the further modifications to steps 302, 304, 306, 312 and 314 as described with reference to methods 300 and 310 of Figs. 3a and / or 3b.

[0236] Step 803 of determining at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers from the set of carriers to measure and report may further include determining, by the UE 120,a need for multiple carriers in addition to the primary carrier that the UE 120 is using during its power saving state. For example, the UE's 120 need for multiple carriers may be based on the UE 120 receiving an indication including data representative of the communication resources that will be required during the communication session that is being established. For example, the indication including data representative of communication resources may include, without limitation, for example one or more from the group of: a type of service to be initiated; a required quality of service; and an amount of data in a buffer at the network node 120 and / or at the UE 120 for transmission therebetween. The amount of data in the buffer at the UE 120 may be above a preconfigured threshold in which case additional carriers may be required, where the preconfigured threshold is sent to the UE 120 from the network node 110 in the system information sent to the UE 120.

[0237] For example, determining the need for multiple carriers may further include the UE 120 acquiring broadcast uplink power control parameters and primary carrier measurements. The UE 120 may further determine whether primary carrier resources are sufficient based on one of the conditions of: the UE 120 is power limited and a latency for quality of service is met with primary carrier frame structure; and the UE 120 is not power limited and an amount of data in a buffer for transmission is below a preconfigured threshold. The UE 120 may further determine whether primary carrier resources are insufficient based on one of the conditions of: the UE 120 is power limited and a latency for quality of service is not met with primary carrier frame structure; and the UE 120 is not power limited and an amount of data in a buffer for transmission is above a preconfigured threshold. Based on determining that the primary carrier resources are insufficient or not, the UE 120 indicates to the network node 110 that additional carriers are required for the at least one combination of carriers.

[0238] Additionally, as an option, determining, by the UE 120, the need for multiple or additional carriers is further based on the type of service requested by the communication stack (e.g., application layer) and an estimated time for measurements of carriers based on the configuration of corresponding reference signals.

[0239] In step 803, the determining at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers to measure and report may be further modified to include prioritizing the reporting of the at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers based on one or more objectives from the group of: minimization of power consumption of the UE; minimization of overheating occurrences of the UE; minimization of Intermodulation and in-device coexistence interference; maximization of capacity of the uplink and / or downlink of theUE; and minimization of latency or throughput. Prioritizing may further include prioritizing the reporting based on a combination of two or more of the objectives. As an option, prioritizing may include selecting the combination of primary and secondary carriers of at least two or more combinations of carriers that rank highest across the combination of the two or more objectives. As another option, when the measurement of one or more primary and secondary carriers is performed prior to prioritizing the reporting, the measurements for those measured primary and / or secondary carriers are used when prioritizing the reporting.

[0240] In step 803, the determining at least one combination of primary and secondary carriers from the set of carriers to measure and report may be based on a subset of the set of carriers when rapid connection establishment is required.

[0241] The network node establishes the connection with the UE 120 of Fig. 8 by substantially performing the method steps 312 and 314 of Fig. 3a and / or based on method 700 of Fig.

[0242] 7 in a similar manner within the context of Fig. 8. It is assumed that the steps 802 to 806 of Fig. 8 are performed at the UE 120 in conjunction with the corresponding network node operations in method steps 312 and 314 of Fig. 3a and method 700 of Fig. 7 as the application demands.

[0243] Furthermore, the method 800 as described herein provides the further advantages as described with reference to Figs. 3a, 3b, 400 and 500 of Figs. 3a, 3b, 4 and 5.

[0244] Fig. 9 illustrates message flow sequence of an example method 900 for establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system in a third scenario. The example method 900 is configured to include and further modify the steps of methods 400, 700 or 800 of Figs. 4, 7 or 8. In this example, the third scenario is for a MTC for when the network node 110 sends a message or signal to a terminal apparatus, which is referred to as the UE 120 and which is in a power saving state, with an indication or prompt for causing UE 120 to exit the power saving state and establish a communication session via the network node 110 and / or 112 (e.g., gNBl and / or gNB2). In this example, the UE (or terminal device) 120 is communication with the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), and the message flow sequence of the example method 800 includes the following steps of:

[0245] At step S901, the UE 120 acquires system information by receiving, from the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) of the communication system, system information including an indication of at least a set of carriers. Step S901 substantially corresponds to methodsteps S401 and / or S501 of Figs. 4 and / or 5, respectively, and / or further modifications thereto as described with reference to Figs. 3a-7.

[0246] At a later stage, after receiving the system information associated with at least the set of carriers and any associated system information and the like from network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), the UE 120 may enter the power saving state. In the power saving state, the UE 120 may still have a limited connection with the network node 110 via a primary carrier for receiving any further messages or signals (e.g., paging signal, EPI, wake up signal (WUS) and the like), as in, for example, step S902.

[0247] In this example, the network node 110 performs a MTC and the method 900 proceeds to step S902.

[0248] At step S902, the network node 110 transmits, to the UE when in the power saving state, a message or signal with an indication to initiate the connection or establish a communication session. Step S902 substantially corresponds to method steps S402 and / or S502 of Figs. 4 and / or 5, respectively, and / or further modifications thereto as described with reference to Figs. 3a-7.

[0249] At step S903, the UE 120 determines, in response to receiving the indication to initiate the connection or establish a communication session, at least one combination of carriers (e.g., a primary carrier and / or one or more secondary carriers) from the set of carriers to measure and / or report. For example, the UE 120 determines whether additional carriers (in addition to the primary carrier) are necessary to be included in the at least one combination of carriers to meet the communication resources required for the communication session, and / or whether to measure and / or report UL and / or DL carriers in the at least one determined combination of carriers.

[0250] For example, should the UE 120 determine that addition carriers are required for the communication session, then the UE 120 determine an appropriate set of secondary carriers to measure and / or report for UL and DL for use with the primary carrier to form a combination of carriers. Depending on the supported carriers of the network node 110 I 112 of the communication system (e.g., of the MC-SCs), the UE determines a combination of preferred carriers on the basis of at least one of: capacity, latency, power consumption, intermodulation or in-device coexistence (interference avoidance), and / or impacts of overheating at the UE 120.

[0251] Additionally or alternatively, in step S903, the UE 120 may further determine which primary and secondary carriers it should measure and report to the network node 110 forthe UL and the DL. The UE 120 may report different carriers for the UL and the DL. In some examples or additionally, the UE 120 may report one or more combinations of UL and DL carriers from the set of carriers supported by the network nodes 110 and / or 112 (e.g., gNBl and / or gNBl) (e.g., the set of carriers received from the network node 110 in step S901) in accordance with its preferred configurations (e.g., preferred MC-SC configuration(s)).

[0252] For example, the UE 120 determination process for which carriers to measure and report is described in further detail in Fig. 12, but in summary, the UE 120 may prioritize the measurement and reporting based on different criterions such as:

[0253] • Minimization of power consumption based on, without limitation, for example number of layers and bandwidth supported per carrier, number of TX / RX chains required for each carrier combination;

[0254] • Minimization of Overheating occurrences based on, without limitation, for example number of layers supported bandwidth such that maximum capacity can be achieved with minimum number of carriers;

[0255] • Minimization of Intermodulation and in-device coexistence interference based on, without limitation, for example combinations of carriers that minimize intermodulation issues and interference to other transceivers within the device (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GNSS etc.);

[0256] • Maximization of capacity: based on combinations that allow highest UL / DL capacity, without limitation, for example a number of layers supported bandwidth, RSRQ, support for simultaneous UE TX, and the like;

[0257] • Minimization of latency: based on, without limitation, for example the possible frequency of UL / DL transmissions and bandwidth, possibility of simultaneous UL transmission. For example, FDD carriers would have the higher priority.

[0258] In step S903, the UE 120 may prioritize the reporting based on a combination of the above objectives by, without limitation, for example selecting the combination of carriers which ranks highest across the all the optimization criterion / objectives. In some examples, the measurements may be performed prior to the prioritization of reporting and for these instances the measurements of the carriers (e.g., RSRQ) could also be employed in the carrier prioritization for reporting. In some examples, the UE 120 may determine to measure and report only a subset of the configured / combination of carriers based on the need for quick or rapid connection establishment. The need for the quick connection or rapid establishment could be based on, without limitation, for example the paging priority (or any other reason for rapidly initiating a connection in non-MTC cases). The subset ofcarriers the UE 120 determines to measure in these examples could be based on the timing of reference signals associated with the different carriers.

[0259] At step S904, the UE 120 transmits, to the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), an initial access message with an indication of the at least one determined combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection. The at least one determined combination of carriers may include an indication of uplink and / or downlink carriers that meet the required communication resources for the communication session when established. The initial access message and / or any other message or signal may be transmitted to the network node and further includes an indication of the UL and / or DL carriers meeting configured criterion, i.e., with, where possible, information reporting measurements for one or more UL carriers and / or DL carriers in the at least one determined combination of carriers. Step S904 may further include similar or the same steps 304, S404, S504 of method 300, 400, 500 and / or substantially correspond to method steps 304, S404 and / or S504 of Figs. 3a-5 and / or further modifications thereto as described with reference to Figs.

[0260] 3a-8 and 10-12.

[0261] At step S905, as an option, the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), on receiving the initial access message and / or any subsequent message related thereto, may determine, when two or more determined combination of carriers are indicated, whether a particular combination of carriers is preferred by the network node 110 for use by the UE 120, and transmit a message or signal to the UE 120 indicating the particular or preferred combination of carriers that the UE 120 may use. Step S905 may further include similar or the same steps S405 and / or S505 of methods 400 and / or 500 and / or substantially correspond to method steps S405 and / or S505 of Figs. 3a-5 and / or further modifications thereto as described with reference to Figs. 8-12.

[0262] At step S906, the UE 120 and network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) initiate or establish the connection based on the determined combination of carriers indicated by the UE 120 and / or, from step S905 as indicated by the network node 110 from those determined combinations of carriers indicated by the UE 120 in step S904. The connection may be established with one or more network nodes 110 and / or 112 (e.g., gNBl and / or gNB2) depending on which network nodes 110 and / or 112 are associated with the carriers in the determined combination of carriers.

[0263] The UE 120 and network nodes 110 and / or 112 proceed to communicate using the established communication session using the determined combination of carriers.Furthermore, the method 900 as described herein provides the further advantages as described with reference to Figs, la to 8.

[0264] Fig. 10 illustrates message flow sequence of an example method 1000 for establishing a connection in a multi-carrier system in a fourth scenario. The example method 1000 is configured to include and further modify the steps of methods 500, 700 and 800 of Figs.

[0265] 5, 7 and 8. In this example, the fourth scenario is for a MIC for when the higher layers of a terminal apparatus, which is referred to as the UE 120, determines that a connection is required when the UE 120 is a power saving state. The higher layers may be at the application layer or any of the upper / lower layers of the stack at the UE 120. The UE 120 determines that an indication or prompt is received from a higher layer for causing UE 120 to exit the power saving state and establish a communication session via the network node 110 and / or 112 (e.g., gNBl and / or gNB2) that is providing the UE 120 with a primary carrier during the power saving state. The message flow sequence of the example method 1000 includes the following steps of:

[0266] At step S1001, the UE 120 acquires system information by receiving, from the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) of the communication system, system information including an indication of at least a set of carriers. The system information may further include configurations for the data buffer at the UE 120, e.g., preconfigured threshold that data in the buffer should exceed before additional carriers, amongst other objectives, are determined to be required. Step S1001 substantially corresponds to method steps S401, S501, S601, S701, S901 as described with reference to Figs. 4-7 or 9 and / or further modifications thereto, and / or further modifications as described with reference to Figs. 11 and 12.

[0267] At a later stage, after receiving the system information associated with at least the set of carriers and any associated system information and the like from network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), the UE 120 may enter the power saving state. In the power saving state, the UE 120 may still have a limited connection with the network node 110 via a primary carrier for receiving / transmitting any further messages or signals (e.g., control messages / signals etc.).

[0268] In this example, the UE 120 performs a MIC and the method 1000 proceeds to step S1002.

[0269] At step S1002, a higher layer of the UE 120, when the UE is in a power saving state, sends an indication to initiate the connection or establish a communication session. The higher layer may be, without limitation, an application layer in which an application executing onthe UE 120 needs communication resources such as, for example, additional carriers than the primary carrier providing the limited connection while the UE 120 is in the power saving state. Step S1002 substantially corresponds to method steps S402, S502, S602b, S702b, 802 as described with reference to Figs. 4-8 and / or further modifications thereto, and / or further modifications as described with reference to Figs. 11 and 12.

[0270] At step S1003a, the UE 120 determines, in response to receiving the indication to initiate the connection or establish a communication session, whether there is a need for multiple or additional carriers.

[0271] For example, in the MIC scenario the UE 120 is configured to determine the need for additional carriers when initiating access via the primary carrier. This determination of additional carriers may be based on the information provided by the higher layers (upper layers) (e.g., application layer) of the UE 120 regarding, without limitation, for example the type of service to be initiated, the required quality of service (QoS), and the amount of data in the UL buffer at the UE 120. For example, if the type of service being initiated is known to have a mostly heavy UL traffic (e.g. uploading of a video or other large data transfer) then the UE 120 may only measure and report combinations for multiple UL carriers. In another example, if the UE 120 is initiating a connection with symmetrical traffic such as, without limitation, for example a video call it may then measure and report combinations of UL and DL carriers. An additional delay criterion may also be considered by the UE 120 when determining the need for additional carriers. The delay criterion could be based on the type of service requested and the estimated time for measurements of carriers based on their configuration of reference signals.

[0272] At step S1003b, the UE 120 determined, in response to determining whether or not there is a need for multiple or additional carriers, at least one combination of carriers (e.g., a primary carrier and / or one or more secondary carriers if required) from the set of carriers to measure and / or report. For example, the UE 120 determines whether additional carriers (in addition to the primary carrier) are necessary to be included in the at least one combination of carriers to meet the communication resources required for the communication session, and / or whether to measure and / or report UL and / or DL carriers in the at least one determined combination of carriers. Step S1003 may further substantially correspond to step S903 of method 900 as described with reference to Fig.

[0273] 9.

[0274] At step S1004, the UE 120 transmits, to the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl), an initial access message with an indication of the at least one determined combination of carriersfrom the set of carriers for initiating the connection. Step 1004 may further include similar or the same steps 304, S404, S504, S604a / b, S704a / b, 804, S904 of methods 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 as described with reference to Figs. 3a-9 and / or substantially corresponds to method steps 304, S404, S504, S604a / b, S704a / b, 804, S904 of Figs. 3a-9 and / or further modifications thereto as described with reference to Figs. 11-12.

[0275] At step S1005, this optional step substantially corresponds to step S905 of Fig. 9.

[0276] At step S1006, this step substantially corresponds to step S906 of Fig. 9.

[0277] The UE 120 and network nodes 110 and / or 112 proceed to communicate using the established communication session using the determined combination of carriers.

[0278] Furthermore, the method 1000 as described herein provides the further advantages as described with reference to Figs, la to 9.

[0279] Fig. 11 illustrates another example method 1100 for a terminal apparatus, which is referred to as the UE 120, implementing a determination for additional carriers when performing MIC for use in any one of the multi-carrier systems of at least Figs. 5-8, and 10. For example, method 1100 may be applied in methods 300 / 310, 500, 600, 700, 800 and 1000 of Figs. 5-8 and 10 as the application demands. For example, method 1100 may further modify or be applied in steps S502 / S504, S603a / S603b, S703, 803, and S1003a of methods 500, 600, 700, 800, and 1000 as described with reference to Figs. 5-8 and 10. The method 1100 is performed by the UE 120 and includes the following steps of:

[0280] In step S1101, receiving from higher layers of the UE 120 an communication resource indication including data representative of, without limitation, for example the type of service required for the communication session, the quality of service required for the communication session, the amount of data in the UL buffer of the UE 120, an amount of data to be transferred or the required bandwidth, etc., and the like. This communication resource indication may be included in the indication from higher layers of the UE's need for initiating communication, i.e., the indication for performing MIC as described, for example, in 302, S502, S602b, S702b, 802, S1002 of Figs, 3a, 5-8, and 10.

[0281] In step S1102, acquiring by the UE 120 broadcasted UL power control parameters and primary carrier measurements.In step S1103, determining whether the UE is power limited or not. When the UE is determined to be power limited (e.g., Yes) then proceed to S1104, otherwise (e.g., No), proceed to step S1107.

[0282] In step S1104, determining whether latency required with primary carrier frame structure. If latency required (e.g., Yes), then proceed to S1105, otherwise proceed to S1106.

[0283] In step S1105, send an indication to the UE 120 that primary carrier resources are sufficient. That is, additional carriers are not necessary. The method 1100 then ends.

[0284] In step S1106, determining whether the amount of data in the UL buffer is above a preconfigured / predetermined threshold. If the amount of data in the UL buffer is above the preconfigured / predetermined threshold (e.g., Yes), then additional carriers are required and the method 1100 proceeds to S1107, otherwise (e.g., No), then no additional carriers are necessary and the method 1100 proceeds to S1105.

[0285] In step S1107, send an indication to the UE 120 that primary carrier resources are insufficient. That is, additional carriers (e.g., secondary carriers) are required. The indication may further include an estimate of the number of additional carriers that are necessary, or the UE 120 may determine this after receiving the indication. The method 1100, then ends.

[0286] Although method 1100 has been described for an MIC scenario, this is by way of example only and this is not so limited, it is to be appreciated by the skilled person that method 1100 may also be further modified and / or adapted for application in MTC methods 400 and 900 of Figs. 4 and 9, where, for example, the network node 110 may provide in S402 and S902 similar or the same information as the higher layers (upper layers) provide to UE 120 in step S1101, whereby the UE 120 may use this information to determine whether additional carriers are required and select at least one preferred combination of carriers that meet the required amount of communication resources for use in the communication session that is established.

[0287] Fig. 12 illustrates another example method 1200 for a terminal apparatus, which is referred to as the UE 120, implementing the determination of a preferred carrier combination for use in any of the methods 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100 of Figs. 3a-10. For example, method 1200 may further modify or be adapted and / or applied prior to steps 304, S404, S504 of Figs. 3a-5, or part of steps S603a / S603b, S703, 803, S903, and S1003b of methods 600, 700, 800, 900, and 1000 as described withreference to Figs. 6-10. The method 1200 is performed by the UE 120 and includes the following steps of:

[0288] At step S1201, acquiring, by the UE 120, a list of carriers or a set of carriers, supported configurations, and measuring / reporting criterions. This information may be acquired from system information as described with reference to Figs. 4-7, 9 and 10. For example, step S1201 may be substantially the same or similar to steps S401, S501, S601 / S701, S901, S1001 of Figs. 4-7, 9 and 10. Alternatively or additionally, step S1201 may be implemented or performed as steps S401, S501, S601 / S701, S901, S1001 of Figs. 4-7, 9 and 10.

[0289] At step S1202, determining, by the UE 120, supported UL and DL carriers. For example, the supported UL and DL secondary carriers may be determined by the UE 120 based on the set of carriers and other system information acquired in step S1201.

[0290] At step S1203, determining prioritized carrier combination lists or at least one combination of carriers based on different objectives outlined in, without limitation, for example steps S1204a / S1205a, S1204b / S1205b, S1204c / S1205c, S1204d / S1205d, and S1204e / S1205e, which include:

[0291] In step S1204a, a first objective used in determining prioritized carrier combinations are determining a first set of carrier combinations that minimize power consumption.

[0292] In step S1205a, the first set of carrier combinations are ordered based on, without limitation, for example a number of layers supported bandwidth, minimum number of UE TX / R.X chains required, and / or any other criteria associated with minimizing power consumption.

[0293] In step S1204b, a second objective used in determining prioritized carrier combinations are determining a second set of carrier combinations that minimize overheating occu rrences.

[0294] In step S1205b, the second set of carrier combinations are ordered based on, without limitation, for example a number of layers supported bandwidth such that maximum capacity can be achieved with minimum number of carriers, and / or any other criteria associated with minimizing overheating occurrences.In step 51204c, a third objective used in determining prioritized carrier combinations are determining a third set of carrier combinations that minimize intermodulation and indevice interference.

[0295] In step S1205c, the third set of carrier combinations are ordered based on, without limitation, for example combinations that minimize intermodulation issues and interference to other transceivers within the device (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi GNSS etc.), and / or any other criteria associated with minimizing intermodulation and in-device interference.

[0296] In step S1204d, a fourth objective used in determining prioritized carrier combinations are determining a fourth set of carrier combinations that maximize capacity.

[0297] In step S1205d, the fourth set of carrier combinations are ordered based on, without limitation, for example combinations that allow highest UL / DL capacity e.g. number of layers supported bandwidth, support for simultaneous UE TX, and / or any other criteria associated with maximizing capacity.

[0298] In step S1204e, a fifth objective used in determining prioritized carrier combinations are determining a fifth set of carrier combinations that minimize latency.

[0299] In step S1205e, the fifth set of carrier combinations are ordered based on, without limitation, for example the possible frequency of UL / DL transmissions and bandwidth, possibility of simultaneous UL transmission (e.g., Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) carriers would have the higher priority, support for simultaneous UE TX), and / or any other criteria associated with reducing or minimizing latency.

[0300] In step 51206, merging the determined carrier combination lists (e.g., the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth combinations of carriers) based on, without limitation, the prioritized objectives of, without limitation, for example S1204a / S1205a, S1204b / S1205b, S1204c / S1205c, S1204d / S1205d, and S1204e / S1205e or a selection of these objectives, ranking the merged carrier combinations, and selecting the combination of carriers from the ranking that meets one or more from the group of: all of the objectives, most objectives, some of the objectives, or a selected number of the objectives. The number of additional carriers may increase as the number of objectives that the combination of carriers are required to meet are relaxed. Additionally or alternatively, one or more other optimization functions or methods may be applied to determine the best combinations of carriers based on the above objectives.In step S1207, selecting one or more carrier combination(s) that meets the required / selected objectives and perform measurements on at least one or more carriers from the selected carrier combination(s).

[0301] In step S1208, determining whether the network configured criteria for all carriers within a selected carrier combination is met. If the network configured criteria for all carriers in the selected carrier combination is met (e.g., Yes), then proceed to step S1211, otherwise proceed to step S1209.

[0302] In step S1209, determining whether a subset of the carriers in the selected carrier combination meets the criteria to fulfill the requirements of the connection / communication session. If this is the case (e.g., Yes), then proceed to step S1211 in which the combination of carriers is the subset of carriers, otherwise (e.g., No) proceed to step S1210.

[0303] In step S1210, select the next prioritized carrier combination from the carrier combinations selected in step S1207 and proceed to S1208, if no further carrier combinations in the selected carrier combinations remain, then select the topmost priority carrier combination from the selection, and bypass any further checks and proceed to S1211.

[0304] In step S1211, report the selected carrier combination(s) to the network node. For example, the UE 120 may perform steps S304, S404, S505, S604a / S604b, S704a / S704b, S804, S904, S1004 of Figs. 3a-10 with an indication of the selected carrier combination(s).

[0305] It is to be appreciated by the skilled person that method 1200 may be applied to any of the methods as described herein with reference to Figs. 3a to 10 for use by the UE 120 in determining one or more carrier combinations for initiating or establishing a communication session with the network node 110 / 112 and the like.

[0306] As described, the methods 300, 310, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200 as described with reference to Figs. 3a-12, and / or combinations thereto, modifications thereto and the like and / or as described herein further improves upon the legacy carrier aggregation framework in which the UE 120 provides its preferred or selected combination of carriers that meet the performance or resource requirements for a communication session and, as an option, feedback of its preferred or selected carriers immediately to the network node 110 / 112 in the transition from its power saving state to its connected state (e.g., sleep state to connected state, low power state to connected state, RRC IDLE to anRRC_CONNECTED state). The UE 120 does not wait, as in typical legacy SC-SC systems or legacy carrier aggregation for establishment of a primary carrier and then subsequent establishment of secondary carriers, which causes significant delays. Rather, the UE 120 provides the network node 110 / 112 with at least one combination of carriers required by the UE 120 for establishing a multi-carrier communication session that will have the sufficient or required communication resources prior to (or in advance of) establishing the communication session. The methodology described herein significantly reduces latency or delays in allocating, assigning and / or establishing the required communication resources for the multicarrier communication session for the UE.

[0307] Furthermore, the methods 300, 310, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200 as described with reference to Figs. 3a-12, combinations thereof, modifications thereto, and / or as described herein provide the further advantages of: allowing for fast activation of carriers, where all carriers could be directly available for data communication rather than just the primary carrier; improves spectral efficiency, because the primary carrier (typically common to many UEs) is not the only communication channel at the beginning of the connection as additional secondary carriers have been immediately requested will be used at the beginning of the connection, i.e., the additional secondary carriers that the UE 120 will be using are notified to the network node 110 before establishment of the connection, which means these additional secondary carriers are not left sitting idle as opposed to legacy multi-carrier systems which wait until after a communication link has been established before secondary carriers are allocated / requested; reduces UE battery consumption by getting the data transaction over faster and not requiring UE 120 to continuously measure all possible carriers of, for example, a MC-SC.

[0308] Further modifications to the above-mentioned methods 300, 310, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 110, 1100, 1200 of Figs 3a-12 may further include, once the communication session has been established (e.g., upon or after establishing its RRC connection), the UE 120 may be requested to communicate its full capabilities to the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) in case the network node 110 needs to reconfigure the UE's 120 assigned carriers. For example, the UE 120 could indicate capabilities such as, without limitation, for example the number of MIMO layers, or supported modulation orders for each carrier, where on receiving the UE's capabilities the network node 110 (e.g., gNBl) could then upgrade the configuration from the default assumption if the UE 120 was more capable than the default.

[0309] The above-mentioned methods 300, 310, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 110, 1100, 1200 of Figs 3a-12 are applicable in any multi-carrier communication system such as, forexample, SC-SC systems, MC-SC systems, any other multi-carrier system, combinations thereof, modifications thereto, as described herein, and / or as the application demands.

[0310] For completeness, FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of components of one or more of the example embodiments described previously, which hereafter are referred to generically as a processing system 1300. The processing system 1300 may, for example, be comprised by the user equipment and / or network node referred to in the claims below.

[0311] The processing system 1300 may have one or more processor(s) 1302, a memory 1304 closely coupled to the processor(s) and comprised of a Random Access Memory (RAM) 1306 and a Read Only Memory (ROM) 1308, and, optionally, a user input 1310 and a display 1312. The processing system 1300 may comprise one or more network / apparatus interfaces 1380 for connection to a network / apparatus, e.g., a modem which may be wired or wireless. The network / apparatus interface 1380 may also operate as a connection to other apparatus such as device / apparatus which is not network side apparatus. Thus, direct connection between devices / apparatus without network participation is possible.

[0312] The processor(s) 1302 is connected to each of the other components in order to control operation thereof.

[0313] The memory 1304 may comprise a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). The ROM 1308 of the memory 1304 stores, amongst other things, an operating system 1309a and may store software applications 1309b. The RAM 1306 of the memory 1304 is used by the processor(s) 1302 for the temporary storage of data. The operating system 1309a may contain code which, when executed by the processor implements aspects of the methods 300, 310, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 810, 900, 1000, 1100, and 1200 described above. Note that in the case of a terminal device / apparatus the memory can be most suitable for the size usage i.e., not always a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD) is used.

[0314] The processor(s) 1302 may take any suitable form. For instance, it may be a microcontroller, a plurality of microcontrollers, a processor, or a plurality of processors.

[0315] The processing system 1300 may be a standalone computer, a server, a console, or a network thereof. The processing system 1300 and needed structural parts may be all inside device / apparatus such as UE device / apparatus.In some example embodiments, the processing system 1300 may also be associated with external software applications. These may be applications stored on a remote server device / apparatus and may run partly or exclusively on the remote server device / apparatus. These applications may be termed cloud-hosted applications. The processing system 1300 may be in communication with the remote server device / apparatus in order to utilize the software application stored there.

[0316] FIG. 14 shows a tangible media, in the form of a removable memory unit 1400, storing computer-readable code which when run by a computer may perform methods according to example embodiments described above. The removable memory unit 1400 may be a memory stick, e.g., a Universal Serial Bus (USB) memory stick, having internal memory 1402 storing the computer-readable code. The internal memory 1402 may be accessed by a computer system via a connector 1404. Of course, other forms of tangible storage media may be used, as will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skilled in the art. Tangible media can be any device / apparatus capable of storing data / information which data / information can be exchanged between devices / apparatus / network.

[0317] Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in software, computer programs, hardware, application logic or a combination of software, hardware and application logic. The software, computer program, application logic and / or hardware may reside on memory, or any computer media. In an example embodiment, the application logic, software, computer program or an instruction set is maintained on any one of various conventional computer-readable media. In the context of this document, a "memory" or "computer-readable medium" may be any non-transitory media or means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate or transport the instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer.

[0318] Reference to, where relevant, "computer-readable medium", "computer program product", "tangibly embodied computer program" etc., or a "processor" or "processing circuitry" etc. should be understood to encompass not only computers having differing architectures such as single / multi-processor architectures and sequencers / parallel architectures, but also specialised circuits such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), signal processing devices / apparatus and other devices / apparatus. References to computer program, instructions, code etc. should be understood to express software for a programmable processor firmware such as the programmable content of a hardware device / apparatus as instructions for a processor or configured or configuration settings for a fixed function device / apparatus, gate array, programmable logic device / apparatus, etc.If desired, the different functions discussed herein may be performed in a different order and / or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the abovedescribed functions may be optional or may be combined. Similarly, it will also be appreciated that the method, flow and signalling diagrams of Figures 3a-12 are examples only and that various operations depicted therein may be omitted, reordered and / or combined.

[0319] It will be appreciated that the above-described example embodiments are purely illustrative and are not limiting on the scope of the invention. Other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reading the present specification.

[0320] Moreover, the disclosure of the present application should be understood to include any novel features or any novel combination of features either explicitly or implicitly disclosed herein or any generalization thereof and during the prosecution of the present application or of any application derived therefrom, new claims may be formulated to cover any such features and / or combination of such features.

[0321] Although various aspects of the invention are set out in the independent claims, other aspects of the invention comprise other combinations of features from the described example embodiments and / or the dependent claims with the features of the independent claims, and not solely the combinations explicitly set out in the claims.

[0322] It is also noted herein that while the above describes various examples, these descriptions should not be viewed in a limiting sense. Rather, there are several variations and modifications which may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0323] List of abbreviations

[0324] AGC Automatic Gain Control

[0325] CA Carrier Aggregation

[0326] CSI Channel State Information

[0327] CSP Communication Service Provider

[0328] elCIC Enhanced Inter Cell Interference Cancellation

[0329] FDD Frequency Division Duplex

[0330] gNB gNodeB

[0331] MC-SC Multicarrier Single CellMTC Mobile Terminated Communication Pee 11 Primary Cell

[0332] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel RACH Random Access Channel

[0333] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0334] Rx Receiver

[0335] Scell Secondary Cell

[0336] SIB System Information Broadcast SoA State of Art

[0337] TDD Time Division Duplex

[0338] Tx Transmitter

[0339] UE User Equipment

[0340] WUS Wake Up Signal

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A first apparatus, comprising:means for determining, when the first apparatus is in a power saving state, a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier;means for transmitting, to a second apparatus of the communication system, a second indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection; andmeans for initiating the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

2. The first apparatus of claim 1, further comprising means for receiving, from the second apparatus of the communication system, system information comprising a third indication of at least the set of carriers prior to the first apparatus entering the power saving state or prior to determining the first indication for initiating the connection by said means for determining the first indication.

3. The first apparatus of claim 2, wherein the system information further comprising an indication of the set of carriers that can be combined in communication.

4. The first apparatus of claims 2 or 3, wherein the system information further comprising one or more from the group of:a configuration of the carriers in the set of carriers including number of layers on each carrier and a criterion for reporting; anda maximum number of carriers the first apparatus can report upon after transitioning to radio resource control, RRC, connected state.

5. The first apparatus of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the means for receiving the system information is further configured to receive the system information based on at least one from the group of:one or more broadcasts by the communication system; anda response, by the communication system, to a request from the first apparatus for said system information.

6. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the means for determining the second indication is configured to receive, from the second apparatus of the communication system, a fourth indication to initiate the connection.

7. The first apparatus of claim 6, wherein the fourth indication to initiate the connection comprises at least one from the group of:paging message or signal;extended paging indication signal;wake up signal; andany other message or signal used for indicating the first apparatus to initiate the connection.

8. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the means for determining the second indication is configured to receive, from higher layers of the communication stack of the first apparatus, a fifth indication to initiate the connection.

9. The first apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first apparatus is further configured to select the combination of carriers based on the fifth indication.

10. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the set of carriers includes a primary carrier and a plurality of secondary carriers.

11. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the primary carrier is configured for at least broadcasting control signalling and providing first apparatus access to the communication system, and a secondary carrier is configured for at least data transmission.

12. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the means for initiating the connection is configured to initiate an initial access procedure based on the second indication of the combination of carriers.

13. The first apparatus of claim 12, wherein the initial access procedure further comprising sending the second indication of the combination of carriers via random access channel, RACH, or Message 3.

14. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the second indication comprises at least one combination of carriers supported by the first apparatus.

15. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the second indication comprises at least one combination of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication.

16. The first apparatus of claim 15, wherein, when the second indication comprises a plurality of combinations of carriers from the set of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication, the first apparatus further comprising:means for receiving, from the second apparatus of the communication system, a sixth indication on the selected combination of carriers for uplink and / or downlink scheduling.

17. The first apparatus of claim 16, wherein the sixth indication is provided in a downlink transmission during an access establishment phase.

18. The first apparatus of claim 17, wherein the downlink transmission is a Random Access Response, RAR, or Message 4 during RRC Setup.

19. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the set of carriers comprise a set of carriers of a multicarrier single cell.

20. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the set of carriers comprise a set of carriers from multiple single cells.

21. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the set of carriers comprise any set of carriers over the frequency spectrum for use by the first apparatus for communication with the second apparatus of the communication system.

22. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the first apparatus is synchronised to at least one primary carrier of the second apparatus of the communication system when in a power saving state.

23. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the first apparatus is a user equipment.

24. The first apparatus of any preceding claim, wherein the second apparatus is a network node.

25. A second apparatus comprising:means for receiving, from a first apparatus, a first indication of at least one combination of carriers from a set of carriers for initiating a connection, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; and means for initiating the connection with the first apparatus based on the first indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

26. The second apparatus of claim 25, further comprising means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, system information comprising a second indication of at least the set of carriers prior to receiving, from the first apparatus, the first indication.

27. The second apparatus of claim 26, wherein the system information further comprising an indication of the set of carriers that can be combined in communication.

28. The second apparatus of claims 26 or 27, wherein the system information further comprising one or more from the group of:a configuration of the carriers in the set of carriers including number of layers on each carrier and a criterion for reporting; anda maximum number of carriers the first apparatus can report upon after transitioning to radio resource control, RRC, connected state.

29. The second apparatus of any of claims 25 to 28, wherein the means for transmitting the system information is further configured to transmit the system information based on at least one from the group of:one or more broadcasts by the mobile communication system; anda response, by the second apparatus, to a request from the first apparatus for said system information.

30. The second apparatus of any of claims 25 to 29, further comprising means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a third indication to initiate the connection.

31. The second apparatus of claim 30, wherein the third indication to initiate the connection comprises at least one from the group of:a paging message or signal;an extended paging indication signal;a wake up signal; andany other message or signal used for indicating the first apparatus to initiate the connection.

32. The second apparatus of any of claims 25 to 31, wherein the set of carriers includes a primary carrier and a plurality of secondary carriers.

33. The second apparatus of any of claims 25 to 32, wherein the means for initiating the connection is configured to initiate an initial access procedure based on the first indication of the combination of carriers.

34. The second apparatus of claim 33, wherein the initial access procedure further comprising receiving the first indication of the combination of carriers via random access channel, RACH, or Message 3.

35. The second apparatus of any of claims 25 to 34, wherein the first indication comprises at least one combination of carriers supported by the first apparatus.

36. The second apparatus of any of claims 25 to 35, wherein the first indication comprises at least one combination of carriers selected by the first apparatus for uplink and / or downlink communication.

37. The second apparatus of claim 25 to 36, wherein, when the first indication comprises a plurality of combinations of carriers from the set of carriers selected for uplink and / or downlink communication, and the second apparatus further comprising:means for transmitting, to the first apparatus, a fourth indication on the selected combination of carriers for uplink and / or downlink scheduling.

38. The second apparatus of claim 37, wherein the fourth indication is provided in a downlink transmission during an access establishment phase.

39. The second apparatus of claim 38, wherein the downlink transmission is a Random Access Response, RAR, or Message 4 during RRC Setup.

40. The second apparatus of any of claims 35 to 39, wherein the set of carriers comprise a set of carriers of a multicarrier single cell.

41. The second apparatus any of claims 25 to 40, wherein the set of carriers comprise a set of carriers from multiple legacy single cells.

42. The second apparatus of any of claims 25 to 41, wherein the set of carriers comprise any set of carriers over the frequency spectrum for use by the first apparatus for communication with the mobile communication system.

43. The second apparatus of any of claims 25 to 42, wherein the first apparatus is a user equipment.

44. The second apparatus of any of claims 25 to 43, wherein the second apparatus is a network node.

45. A method for a first apparatus comprising :determining, when the first apparatus is in a power saving state, a first indication for initiating a connection based on a set of carriers, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier;transmitting, from the first apparatus to the communication system, a second indication of at least one combination of carriers from the set of carriers for initiating the connection; andfor initiating the connection based on the second indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

46. A method for a second apparatus comprising:for receiving, from a first apparatus, a first indication of at least one combination of carriers from a set of carriers for initiating a connection, wherein the set of carriers includes at least a primary carrier and at least a secondary carrier; andinitiating the connection with the first apparatus based on the first indication of the at least one combination of carriers.

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