Deactivation of at least one of radio protocol units activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer

Abstract

A method is provided that includes reporting to a source node a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration. The method includes receiving a handover command from the source node for a handover to a target node, the handover command including a configuration for the handover, and the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs. And the method includes performing the handover to the target node based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB based on the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

Description

DEACTIVATION OF AT LEAST ONE OF RADIO PROTOCOL UNITS ACTIVATED FOR PARALLEL PROCESSING A DATA RADIO BEARER TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to telecommunications and, in particular, to radio processing units for parallel processing a data radio bearer within protocols of a radio protocol configuration in a telecommunications system.BACKGROUND

[0002] A telecommunications system can be seen as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities such as user terminals, base stations and / or other nodes by providing carriers between the various entities involved in the communications path. A telecommunications system can be provided for example by means of a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. The communication sessions may comprise, for example, communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, video, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia and / or content data and so on. Non-limiting examples of services provided comprise two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services and access to a data network system, such as the Internet.

[0003] In a wireless telecommunications system, at least a part of a communication session between at least two stations occurs over a wireless link. Examples of wireless telecommunications systems comprise public land mobile networks (PLMN), satellite based communication systems and different wireless local networks, for example wireless local area networks (WLAN). Some wireless systems can be divided into cells, and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.

[0004] A user can access the telecommunications system by means of an appropriate communication device or terminal. A communication device of a user may be referred to as user equipment (UE) or user device. A communication device is provided with an appropriate signal receiving and transmitting apparatus for enabling communications, for example enabling access to a communication network or communications directly withother users. The communication device may access a carrier provided by a station, for example a base station of a cell, and transmit and / or receive communications on the carrier.

[0005] The telecommunications system and associated devices typically operate in accordance with a given standard or specification which sets out what the various entities associated with the communication system are permitted to do and how operations should be achieved. Communication protocols and / or parameters which shall be used for connection of the various entities are also typically defined. One example of a telecommunications system is the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Other examples of telecommunications systems are Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced and the so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. NR is being standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).BRIEF SUMMARY

[0006] Example implementations of the present disclosure are directed to telecommunications and, in particular, to a multi-orbit non-terrestrial network (NTN) of a telecommunications system. The present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[0007] Some example implementations provide an apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least: receive a request from a network node to report a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; report to the network node the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs for the network node to determine at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate; receive an indication from the network node for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs; and deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

[0008] Some example implementations provide a method comprising: receiving a request from a network node to report a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB)within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; reporting to the network node the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs for the network node to determine at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate; receiving an indication from the network node for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs; and deactivating the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

[0009] Some example implementations provide an apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least: send a request to a user equipment (UE) to report a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; receive from the UE the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; determine at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate based on the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; and send an indication to the UE for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the UE to deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

[0010] Some example implementations provide a method comprising: sending a request to a user equipment (UE) to report a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; receiving from the UE the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; determining at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate based on the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; and sending an indication to the UE for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the UE to deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

[0011] Some example implementations provide an apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least: report to a source node a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; receive a handover command from the sourcenode for a handover to a target node, the handover command including a configuration for the handover, and the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs; and perform the handover to the target node based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB based on the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

[0012] Some example implementations provide a method comprising: reporting to a source node a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; receiving a handover command from the source node for a handover to a target node, the handover command including a configuration for the handover, and the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs; and performing the handover to the target node based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB based on the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

[0013] Some example implementations provide an apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least: decide to handover a user equipment (UE) to a target node; receive from the UE a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; send to the target node a handover request including the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; receive a configuration for the handover based on the handover request, the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs; and send a handover command to the UE to trigger the UE to perform the handover to the target node, the handover command including the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the UE to deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

[0014] Some example implementations provide a method comprising: deciding to handover a user equipment (UE) to a target node; receiving from the UE a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; sending to the target node a handover request including the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; receiving a configuration for the handover based on the handover request, the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs; and sending a handover command to the UE to trigger the UE to perform the handover to the target node, the handover command including the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the UE to deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

[0015] Some example implementations provide an apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least: receive from a source node a handover request for a user equipment (UE), the handover request including a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; determine at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate based on the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; send to the source node a configuration for the handover that includes an indication for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the source node to the UE in a handover command; and perform the handover of the UE based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB by the UE based on the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

[0016] Some example implementations provide a method comprising: receiving from a source node a handover request for a user equipment (UE), the handover request including a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; determining at least one of the one or more RPUs todeactivate based on the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; sending to the source node a configuration for the handover that includes an indication for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the source node to the UE in a handover command; and performing the handover of the UE based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB by the UE based on the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

[0017] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description together with the accompanying figures, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise recited in a specific example implementation described herein. The present disclosure is intended to be read holistically such that any separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its aspects and example implementations, should be viewed as combinable unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.

[0018] It will therefore be appreciated that this Brief Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example implementations so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above described example implementations are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. Other example implementations, aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of some described example implementations.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE(S)

[0019] Having thus described example implementations of the disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunications system that includes one or more public land mobile networks (PLMNs) coupled to one or more external data networks, according to some example implementations of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 2 illustrates a deployment of a PLMN, according to some example implementations;

[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates a so-called centralized unit (CU) - distributed unit (DU) radio access network node split in which the CU includes a control plane (CP) part and one or more user plane (UP) parts, according to some example implementations;

[0023] FIG. 4 illustrates an overview of a portion of a radio protocol stack architecture, according to some example implementations;

[0024] FIG. 5 illustrates operation of a dual radio protocol stack for a user plane, according to some example implementations;

[0025] FIG. 6 is a signaling chart of a procedure for deactivation of at least one radio processing unit (RPU) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB), according to some example implementations;

[0026] FIG. 7 is a signaling chart of a procedure for inter-radio access network (RAN) node mobility including deactivation of at least one RPU activated for parallel processing a DRB, according to some example implementations;

[0027] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method according to various example implementations;

[0028] FIGS. 9Aand 9B are flowcharts illustrating various steps in a method according to various example implementations;

[0029] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method according to various example implementations;

[0030] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method according to various example implementations;

[0031] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method according to various example implementations; and

[0032] FIG. 13 illustrates an apparatus according to some example implementations.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Some implementations of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which some, but not all implementations of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, various implementations of the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these example implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0034] Unless specified otherwise or clear from context, references to first, second or the like should not be construed to imply a particular order. A feature described as being above another feature (unless specified otherwise or clear from context) may instead be below, and vice versa; and similarly, features described as being to the left of another feature else may instead be to the right, and vice versa. Also, while reference may be made herein to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships or the like, unless otherwise stated, any one or more if not all of these may be absolute or approximate to account for acceptable variations that may occur, such as those due to engineering tolerances or the like.

[0035] As used herein, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, the “or” of a set of operands is the “inclusive or” and thereby true if and only if one or more of the operands is true, as opposed to the “exclusive or” which is false when all of the operands are true. Thus, for example, “[A] or [B]” is true if [A] is true, or if [B] is true, or if both [A] and [B] are true. Further, the articles “a” and “an” mean “one or more,” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Furthermore, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified, the terms “data,” “content,” “digital content,” “information,” and similar terms may be at times used interchangeably. The term “network” may refer to a group of interconnected computers including clients and servers; and within a network, these computers may be interconnected directly or indirectly by various means including via one or more switches, routers, gateways, access points or the like.

[0036] The present disclosure discusses systems and architectures that, while specific terms may be used, are broadly applicable across various technologies. For instance, while the present disclosure may reference technologies from 3 GPP such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), UMTS, LTE, LTE Advanced, 5GNR, 5G Advanced, and 6G, the present disclosure is equally relevant to non-3GPP technologies like IEEE 802, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy. Example implementations of the present disclosure described herein also mention public land mobile networks (PLMNs) and mobile network operators (MNOs), but example implementations are similarly applicable to standalone non-public networks (SNPNs) and the private entities operating these networks. Furthermore, although some examples and figures focus on radio access networks (RANs) and 3 GPP access, example implementations are applicable to any type of network access. This includes not only 5G or 6G 3GPP access but also non-3GPP access, such as wireline access, untrusted non-3GPP access, and trusted non-3GPP access using wireless access gateway function (W-AGF), non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF), or trusted non-3GPP gateway function (TNGF) to connect to a 5G or 6G core network.

[0037] Further, as used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions); or (c) hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0038] The above definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example andif applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0039] FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunications system 100 according to various example implementations of the present disclosure. The telecommunications system generally includes one or more telecommunications networks. As shown, for example, the system includes one or more PLMNs 102 coupled to one or more other external data networks 104 - notably including a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. As will be appreciated, a PLMN may be deployed in a number of different manners. Some deployments of 4GLTE and 5GNR in particular are considered standalone (SA) deployments. Other deployments combine 4G LTE and 5G technologies, and are referred to as non-standalone (NSA) deployments.

[0040] Each of the PLMNs 102 includes a core network (CN) 106 backbone, such as the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) of 4G LTE, the 5G core network (5GC) (at times referred to as the NGC) of 5G NR, and the 6G core network (6GC) of 6G; and each of the core networks and the Internet are coupled to one or more RANs 108, air interfaces or the like that implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs). Examples of these RANs include the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) of 4G LTE, the next generation (NG) radio access network (NG-RAN) of 5G NR, and the 6G RAN. As used herein, a “network device” refers to any suitable device at a network side of a telecommunications network. Examples of suitable network devices are described in greater detail below.

[0041] Examples of RATs include 3GPP radio access technologies such as GSM, CDMA2000 IxEV-DO (HRPD), CDMA2000 lx (IxRTT), UTRA, E-UTRA, 5GNR, 5G Advanced, and 6G. Other examples of RATs include IEEE 802 technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.15 (including 802.15.1 (WPAN / Bluetooth), 802.15.4 (Zigbee) and 802.15.6 (WBAN)), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), ultra wideband (UWB), and the like. Generally, a RAT may refer to any 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G or higher generation RAT and their different versions, as well as to any other RAT that may be arranged to interwork with such a mobile communication technology to provide access to the CN 106 of a MNO.

[0042] The telecommunications system 100 also includes one or more radio units that may be varyingly known as user equipment (UE) 110, terminal device, terminal equipment, mobile station or the like. The UE is generally a device configured to communicate with a network device or a further UE in a telecommunications network. The UE may be a portable computer (e.g., laptop, notebook, tablet computer), mobile phone (e.g., cell phone, smartphone), wearable computer (e.g., smartwatch), or the like. In other examples, the UE may be an Internet of things (loT) device, an industrial loT (IIoT device), a vehicle equipped with a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology, or the like. In some examples, as referenced by 3 GPP, the UE may be a narrowband loT (NB-IoT) device, an enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) device, a reduced capability (RedCap) device, an ambient loT device, or the like.

[0043] In operation, these UEs 110 may connect to one or more of theRANs 108 according to their particular RATs to thereby access a particular CN 106 of a PLMN 102, or to access one or more of the external data networks 104 (e.g., the Internet). The external data network may provide Internet access, operator services, 3rd party services, etc. For example, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has classified 5G mobile network services into three categories: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine type communications (mMTC) or massive internet of things (MIoT).

[0044] In various examples, a RAN 108 may be configured as one or more macrocells, microcells, picocells, femtocells or the like. The RAN may generally include one or more RAN nodes that interact with UEs 110. In various examples, a RAN node may be referred to as a base station (BS), access point (AP), base transceiver station (BTS), Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), macro BS, NB (MNB) or eNB (MeNB), home BS, NB (HNB) or eNB (HeNB), next generation NB (gNB), enhanced gNB (en-gNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), 6GNB (6gNB), or the like. The term ‘gNB’ in 5GNR may correspond to the eNB in 4G LTE. Also, a NG-RAN node may refer to a gNB or a ng-eNB. And unless otherwise specified, a gNB in 5G NR or a 6gNB in 6G may at times be more generally referred to as a (6)gNB or more simply a gNB.

[0045] The RAN 108 may include some type of network controlling / governing entity responsible for control of the RAN nodes. The network controlling / governing entity andRAN node may be separate or integrated into a single apparatus. The network controlling / governing entity may include processing circuity configured to carry out various management functions, etc. The processing circuity may be associated with a memory, computer-readable storage medium or database for maintaining information required in the management functions.

[0046] FIG. 2 illustrates a deployment of a PLMN 102, such as 4G LTE, 5G NR or 6G deployment. As shown, the RAN 108 (e.g., E-UTRAN, NG-RAN, 6GRAN) includes one or more RAN nodes 202 configured to connect one or more UEs 110 to the RAN to thereby access the CN 106 (e.g., EPC, 5GC, 6GC). In 5GNR, a gNB (a RAN node) may be connected to the 5GC (the CN) via an NG interface, and the gNBs may communicate with each other over an Xn interface. In 5G NR, the NG-RAN and 5GC are at times collectively referred to as the 5G system (5GS). Similarly, in 6G, the 6G RAN and 6GC may at times be collectively referred to as the 6G system (6GS). In some deployments, operations of a gNB or other a RAN node may be distributed or functionally split into components including one or more remote radio head (RRHs) or radio units (RUs), and a baseband unit (BBU); and in some architectures, the BBU may be split into a central / centralized unit (CU) (central node) 204 and a distributed unit (DU) (distributed node) 206. The CU may be, for example, a server, host or node. In some architectures, the RRH / RU and DU may be collocated. It is also possible that node operations may be distributed among a plurality of servers, hosts or nodes.

[0047] It should also be understood that the distribution of work between core network operations and RAN node operations may vary depending on implementation. A network architecture may be based on a so-called CU-DU split. In the context of a gNB, one gNB-CU (a CU 204) may control one or more gNB-DUs (DUs 206). The gNB-CU may control a plurality of spatially separated gNB-DUs, acting at least as transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) nodes. In some example implementations, however, the gNB-DUs may include, for example, a radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY) layer, whereas the gNB-CU may include the layers above the RLC layer, such as a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer. Other functional splits arealso possible. It is considered that skilled person is familiar with the OSI model and the functionalities within each layer.

[0048] In some example implementations, the server or CU 204 may generate a virtual network through which the server communicates with the radio node. In general, virtual networking may involve a process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based administrative entity, a virtual network. Such virtual network may provide flexible distribution of operations between the server and the radio head / node. In practice, any digital signal processing task may be performed in either the CU or the DU 206, and the boundary where the responsibility is shifted between the CU and the DU may be selected according to implementation.

[0049] The CN 106 may include a number of network functions (NFs) divided between the control plane (CP) and the user plane (UP). In particular, for example, the CN may include, for example, NFs for mobility management (MM) (at times referred to as a MM NF) and session management (SM) (at times referred to as a SM NF). The MM may be, for example, a mobility management entity (MME) in the EPC, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 208 in the 5GC, or a 6G MM in the 6GC.Similarly, the SM may be, for example, a serving gateway (SGW) control plane function (SGW-C) and / or packet data network gateway (PGW) control plane function (PGW-C) in the EPC, a session management function (SMF) 210 in the 5GC, or a 6G SM in the 6GC. The CN may also include a user plane function (UPF) 212, which in the EPC may be a SGW user plane function (SGW-U) and / or PGW user plane function (PGW-U).

[0050] As indicated above, a RAN node 202 may be monolithic or disaggregated (high layer split (HLS)) in the case of a CU-DU split. In the disaggregated case, a RAN node may include a CU 204 and one or more DUs 206. In 5G NR, the Xn and NG interfaces may be terminated at the CU, and the CU may be connected to each DU via an Fl interface. As shown in FIG. 3, in some deployments, a CU may be separated into a CP part and one or more UP parts, namely a CU-CP 204A and CU-UP(s) 204B. In this case, a CU-CP may be connected to each CU-UP via an El interface. The CU-CP may terminate the CP part of the Fl, Xn and NG interfaces, while the CU-UP may terminate the UP part of the Fl, Xn and NG interfaces. In these deployments, the CU-CP may hostthe RRC and PDCP-C protocols, while the CU-UP may host the SDAP and PDCP-U protocols.

[0051] FIG. 4 illustrates an overview of a portion of a radio protocol stack 400 architecture such as a 5G NR radio protocol stack architecture, between a UE 110 and a RAN node 202, according to some example implementations. As shown, the radio protocol stack has two different stacks depending on the type of data that is processed by the stack. User data goes through a UP stack 402, signaling messages go through a CP stack 404. Both UP and CP stacks are made up of a common structure including a Layer 1 (LI) with a PHY 406, and a layer 2 (L2) with sublayers including a MAC 408, RLC 410, and PDCP 412. A layer 3 (L3) sits on top of PHY / MAC / RLC / PDCP, and includes sublayers that are different between the CP and UP In the UP, L3 includes a sublayer SDAP 414 that may be connected to the UPF 212 or other suitable NF in the CN 106. In the CP, L3 includes two sublayers referred to as RRC 416 and non-access stratum (NAS) 418, and the NAS layer connects to the AMF 208 or other MM NF in the CN.

[0052] Generally, each layer of the radio protocol stack 400 performs a specific data communications task, a service to and for the layer that precedes it. For example, the RLC 410 provides its services to the PDCP 412. Similarly, the PDCP provides its services to the SDAP 414 (in the UP 402) or the RRC 416 (in the CP 404). Services or functions of the SDAP 414 may include, for example, the transfer of UP data, and mapping between quality of service (QoS) flows and data radio bearers (DRBs) for both the downlink (DL) and the uplink (UL).

[0053] Services or functions of the PDCP 412 may include (in the UP 402) the transfer of UP data, as well as header compression and decompression, such as using the robust header compression (ROHC) protocol. Other services or functions of the PDCP may include, for example, (re)ordering, (de)ciphering and integrity protection of UP data. Also, in the UP, the RLC 410 may perform services or functions including the transfer of UP data between the upper and lower layers, segmentation and reassembly of upper layer packets, and error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ) mechanisms. And the MAC 408 may (in the UP) perform services or functions including scheduling and priority handling, multiplexing and demultiplexing MAC service data units (SDUs) fromdifferent logical channels into / from transport blocks (TBs), and error correction using hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ).

[0054] The process of layers of the radio protocol stack 400 performing specific data communication tasks can be likened to placing a letter in a series of envelopes before it is sent through the postal system. Each succeeding envelope adds another layer of processing or overhead information necessary to process the transaction. Together, all the envelopes help make sure the letter gets to the right address and that the message received is identical to the message sent. Once the entire package is received at its destination, the envelopes are opened one by one until the letter itself emerges exactly as written.

[0055] A data flow between a source (transmitter) and destination (destination), such as the RAN node 202 and the UE 110, is from top to bottom in the source, across the communications line, and then from bottom to top in the destination. Each time, user data passes downward from one layer to the next layer in the source more processing information is added. When that information is removed and processed by the peer layer in the destination, it causes various tasks (error correction, flow control, etc.) to be performed.

[0056] For the design of 6G radio protocols, a dual radio protocol stack that relies on two configurations has been proposed. This dual radio protocol stack is at times referred to as FlexStack, and the dual radio protocol stack includes a first configuration and a second configuration. In a more particular example, the dual radio protocol stack includes a two stacks, including a first stack and a second stack. The first stack may be referred to as an anchor protocol stack (APS), and the second stack may be referred to as a fast protocol stack (FPS).

[0057] The APS and FPS may support different services. The APS may support low (first) bitrate services, coverage (e.g., bit-level optimizations and reliability, while the FPS may support high (second) bitrate services. In this regard, the focus of the FPS may be on a processing-friendly and implementation-friendly design that employs one or more radio processing units (RPUs) to enable parallel processing of radio functions and targeted simplified processing. For example, the FPS may omit a RLC acknowledgedmode (AM) and ROHC. The FPS may employ fixed header structures for SDAP / PDCP / RLC, and a fixed PDCP / RLC sequence number (SN) length.

[0058] Although the term “stack” is used, other equally valid terms would be “track” or “path” which is used to refer to two distinct configurations of the same radio protocols, as long as the separation between the two remains clear in order to guarantee a set of assumptions that can benefit implementation.

[0059] FIG. 5 illustrates operation of a dual radio protocol stack 500 for the UP, according to some example implementations. As shown, at the destination (e.g., UE 110), the PDCP 412 may be split into PDCP-hi 412A and PDCP-low 412B, and the MAC layer may be split into MAC-hi 408A and MAC-low 408B. In some examples, PDCP-hi may perform (re)ordering of UP data, and PDCP-low may perform (de)ciphering and integrity protection. As also shown, the dual radio protocol stack includes an APS 502 and an FPS 504, and the FPS includes one or more RRUs 506. The APS and each of the FPS include one or more sublayers of layer 2 (U2), including PDCP(-low), RUC and MAC(-hi). At each slot / sub-slot, on request by MAC(-low), the APS and FPS may deliver a set of protocol data units (PDUs) to MAC(-low), and the PDUs may be multiplexed in one single TB. Considering modular based design, APS may be called as “Anchor Module” and FPS be called as “Additional Module”.

[0060] In the FPS 504, the RPUs 506 may perform parallel processing similar to cores in a processor architecture. The RPUs may be managed to activate and deactivate on demand to provide scalability for higher bitrate services, and increased sustainability for lower bitrate services. The goal of efficient RPU management may be to maximize the power saving gains made possible by the RPU framework. In this regard, the number of RPUs that are activated for parallel processing a DRB may be adjusted according to the instantaneous bitrate or load.

[0061] When the RAN 108 (e.g., RAN node 202) wants to reduce the number of RPUs 506 activated for parallel processing a given DRB, the RAN may deactivate at least one of the RPUs, while the remaining RPU(s) remain activated. The problem is to choose which RPU(s) to remain active, and which to deactivate. Each activated RPU may include a buffer. More specifically, each RPU may include a buffer for each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated, such as PDCP-low 412B, RLC 410 and MAC-hi 408A. The data present in the buffers of a deactivated RPU may need to be resent by PDCP-hi 412A (or by the IP layer), or the data may be lost and create a small service disruption. In that case, the RAN may have to correctly choose which RPU(s) remain activated in order to avoid loss of data, especially when the number of RPUs activated is reduced by deactivation of at least one RPU (e.g., reducing the number of activated RPUs from two to one RPU). If the RAN does not carefully address the status of the data in the RPU(s) that are deactivated, the data in the deactivated RPU(s) may be lost and need to be resent by the PDCP-hi / IP layer.

[0062] In view of the foregoing, example implementations of the present disclosure provide a solution when the RAN 108 (e.g., RAN node 202) decides to deactivate at least one RPU 506 for a given DRB. The decision may be made by a network node (at times more simply referred to as a “node”), which depending on the deployment may be, for example, a RAN node 202, a CU 204 or a CU-CP 204A. According to some example implementations, the network node may request that the UE 110 report a buffer status of the RPU(s) activated for parallel processing the DRB. In the case of a CU-DU split, the CU (or CU-CP) may request that both the UE and DU 204 report the buffer status of the RPU(s) activated for parallel processing the DRB at the UE and DU, respectively. The UE may report the buffer status on the uplink direction for each RPU, while the DU may report the buffer status on the downlink direction for each RPU.

[0063] The network node (e.g., RAN node 202, CU 204, CU-CP 204A) may determine at least one of the RPU(s) 506 to deactivate based on the reported buffer status. The network node may determine the RPU(s) to deactivate based on a number of different criteria. In some examples, the network node may determine the RPU(s) to deactivate based on an amount of data in the buffer of each of the RPU(s), such as by deciding to deactivate the RPU with the least amount of buffered data in either or both the downlink direction or the uplink direction. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the network node may determine the RPU(s) to deactivate based on a QoS and / or a priority of the DRB.

[0064] In some examples, a determination to deactivate RPU(s) 506 may be made during inter-RAN node handover in which a target RAN node 202 (a target node) may determine to deactivate RPU(s) for a given DRB. In some of these examples, a sourceRAN node may request that the UE 110 report a buffer status of the RPU(s) activated for parallel processing the DRB. The buffer status may sent by the source RAN node (a source node) to the target RAN node for the handover, and the target RAN node may determine at least one of the RPU(s) to deactivate based on the reported buffer status.

[0065] FIG. 6 is a signaling chart 600 of a procedure for deactivation of at least one RPU 506 activated for parallel processing a DRB, according to some example implementations. The procedure is shown in the context of a CU-DU split in which the CU 204 is further separated into a CU-CP 204A and CU-UP(s) 204B. As shown, the CU-CP may at step 601 send a request to a UE 110 to report a buffer status (e.g., buffer measurement) of each RPU 506 activated for parallel processing a DRB within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration (e.g., FPS 504). The UE may receive the request, and the UE may at step 602 report the buffer status (a first buffer status) to the CU-CP. This buffer status may be on the downlink direction for each RPU, and may include a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing (e.g., PDCP-low 412B, RLC 410, MAC-hi 408A).

[0066] The CU-CP 204A may at step 603 send a request to a DU 206 providing the serving cell to the UE 110 to report a similar buffer status (e.g., buffer measurement) of each RPU 506 activated for parallel processing the DRB. The DU may receive the request, and the DU may at step 604 report the buffer status (a second buffer status) to the CU-CP. This buffer status may be on the uplink direction for each RPU, and may include a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing (e g., PDCP-low 412B, RLC 410, MAC-hi 408A).

[0067] The CU-CP 204A may at step 605 determine at least one of the RPU(s) 506 to deactivate based on the buffer status, including the buffer status (first buffer status) reported by the UE 110 and / or the buffer status (second buffer status) reported by the DU 206. As indicated above, the CU-CP (network node) may determine the RPU(s) to deactivate based on a number of different criteria. In some examples, the CU-CP may determine the RPU(s) to deactivate based on an amount of data in the buffer of each of the RPU(s), such as by deciding to deactivate the RPU with the least amount of buffered data in either or both the downlink direction or the uplink direction. Additionally oralternatively, for example, the CU-CP may determine the RPU(s) to deactivate based on a QoS and / or a priority of the DRB.

[0068] The CU-CP 204A may at step 606 send an indication to the DU 206 for deactivation of the RPU(s) 506 that the CU-CP determined to deactivate. The DU may receive the indication from the CU-CP and the respective RPU(s) based on the indication. In some examples, the CU-CP may at step 607 inform the CU-UP 204B about the deactivation of the respective RPU(s).

[0069] The CU-CP 204A may at step 608 send an indication to the UE 110 for deactivation of the RPU(s) 506 that the CU-CP determined to deactivate. The UE may receive the indication from the CU-CP and deactivate the respective RPU(s) based on the indication. The UE may at step 609 send to the CU-CP an indication that the respective RPU(s) has been deactivated, such as to confirm deactivation of the respective RPU(s).

[0070] The CU-CP 204A may at step 610 send to the CU-UP 204B an indication (e.g., an order) for the CU-UP to perform data recovery for any data lost in connection with deactivation of the respective RPU(s). The UE 110 may at step 611 perform data recovery for any data lost in connection with the deactivation, and the CU-UP may at step 612 perform a similar data recovery.

[0071] FIG. 7 is a signaling chart 700 of a procedure for inter-RAN node mobility including deactivation of at least one RPU activated for parallel processing a DRB, according to some example implementations. As shown, a source RAN node 202A may at step 701 decide to perform a handover (HO) of a UE 110 to a target RAN node 202B, such as based on a measurement report from the UE.

[0072] The source RAN node 202A may at step 702 send a request to the UE 110 to report a buffer status (e.g., buffer measurement) of each RPU 506 activated for parallel processing a DRB within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration (e.g., FPS 504). The UE may receive the request, and the UE may at step 703 report the buffer status to the source RAN node. As before, this buffer status may be on the downlink direction for each RPU, and may include a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing (e.g., PDCP-low 412B, RLC 410, MAC-hi 408A).

[0073] The source RAN node 202A may at step 704 send to the target RAN node 202B a HO request that includes the buffer status reported by the UE 110.

[0074] The target RAN node 202B may receive the HO request, and the target RAN node may at step 705 determine at least one of the RPU(s) 506 to deactivate based on the buffer status reported by the UE. The target RAN node (network node) may determine the RPU(s) to deactivate based on a number of different criteria. In some examples, the target RAN node may determine the RPU(s) to deactivate based on an amount of data in the buffer of each of the RPU(s), such as by deciding to deactivate the RPU with the least amount of buffered data in either or both the downlink direction or the uplink direction. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the target RAN node may determine the RPU(s) to deactivate based on a QoS and / or a priority of the DRB.

[0075] The target RAN node 202B may prepare a configuration for the HO that includes an indication for deactivation of the RPU(s) 506 that the target RAN node determined to deactivate. The target RAN node may at step 706 send to the source RAN node 202A a HO acknowledge that includes the configuration with the indication for the deactivation of the respective RPU(s). In some examples, the indication may be expressed as one or more less RPUs compared to a configuration of the source RAN node.

[0076] The source RAN node 202A may receive the configuration from the target RAN node 202B, and the source RAN node may at step 707 send a HO command to the UE to trigger the UE to perform the HO to the target RAN node. The HO command may include the indication for the deactivation of the respective RPU(s). The UE may perform the HO with the target RAN node based on the configuration, and the UE may deactivate the respective RPU(s) based on the indication for the deactivation of the respective RPU(s).

[0077] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method 800 according to various example implementations. The method includes receiving a request from a network node to report a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration, as shown at block 802. The method includes reporting to the network node the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs for the networknode to determine at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate, as shown at block 804. The method includes receiving an indication from the network node for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs, as shown at block 806. And the method includes deactivating the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication, as shown at block 808.

[0078] In some examples, the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

[0079] In some examples, the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

[0080] In some examples, the method 800 further includes sending to the network node an indication that the at least one of the one or more RPUs has been deactivated.

[0081] In some examples, the method 800 further includes performing data recovery for any data lost in connection with deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

[0082] In some examples, the method is performed by a user equipment (UE), and the network node from which the request is received at block 802 and to which the buffer status is reported at block 804 is a radio access network (RAN) node. In some of these examples, the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs is received at block 806 from the RAN node.

[0083] In some examples, the buffer status reported at block 804 to the RAN node is a buffer status on an uplink direction for each of the one or more RPUs.

[0084] In some examples, the request is received at block 802 from and the buffer status is reported at block 804 to a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN node, and In some of these examples, the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs is received at block 806 from the CU.

[0085] In some examples, the method is performed by a distributed unit (DU) of a radio access network (RAN) node, and the network node from which the request is received at block 802 and to which the buffer status is reported at block 804 is acentralized unit of the RAN node. In some of these examples, the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs is received at block 806 from the CU.

[0086] In some examples, the buffer status reported at block 804 to the CU is a buffer status on a downlink direction for each of the one or more RPUs.

[0087] FIGS. 9A and 9B are flowcharts illustrating various steps in a method 900 according to various example implementations. The method includes sending a request to a user equipment (UE) to report a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration, as shown at block 902 of FIG. 9A. The method includes receiving from the UE the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs, as shown at block 904. The method includes determining at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate based on the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs, as shown at block 906. And the method includes sending an indication to the UE for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the UE to deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication, as shown at block 908.

[0088] In some examples, the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

[0089] In some examples, the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

[0090] In some examples, the one or more RPUs are activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB), and the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined at block 906 based on at least one of a quality of service (QoS) or a priority of the DRB.

[0091] In some examples, the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs indicates an amount of data in a buffer of each of the one or more RPUs, and the at least one of theone or more RPUs to deactivate is determined at block 906 based on the amount of data in the buffer of each of the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate.

[0092] In some examples, the method 900 further includes receiving from the UE an indication that the at least one of the one or more RPUs has been deactivated.

[0093] In some examples, the method is performed by a centralized unit (CU) of a radio access network (RAN) node.

[0094] In some examples, the buffer status received at block 904 from the UE is a first buffer status on an uplink direction for each of the one or more RPUs. In some of these examples, the method 900 further includes sending a request to a distributed unit (DU) of the RAN node to report a second buffer status on a downlink direction for each of the one or more RPUs, as shown at block 910 of FIG. 9B. The method includes receiving the second buffer status from the DU, as shown at block 912. And the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined at block 906 based on the first buffer status and the second buffer status.

[0095] In some examples, the method 900 further includes sending an indication to the DU for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DU to also deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs based on the indication.

[0096] In some examples, the method is performed by a control plane part of the CU, and In some of these examples, the method further includes informing a user plane part of the CU about deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

[0097] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method 1000 according to various example implementations. The method includes reporting to a source node a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration, as shown at block 1002. The method includes receiving a handover command from the source node for a handover to a target node, the handover command including a configuration for the handover, and the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs, as shown at block 1004. And the method includes performing the handover to the target node based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or moreRPUs is deactivated for the DRB based on the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs, as shown at block 1006.

[0098] In some examples, the method 1000 further includes receiving a request from the source node to report the buffer status, and the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs is reported to the source node based on the request.

[0099] In some examples, the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

[0100] In some examples, the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

[0101] In some examples, the buffer status reported at block 1002 to the source node is a buffer status on an uplink direction for each of the one or more RPUs.

[0102] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method 1100 according to various example implementations. The method includes deciding to handover a user equipment (UE) to a target node, as shown at block 1102. The method includes receiving from the UE a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration, as shown at block 1104. The method includes sending to the target node a handover request including the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs, as shown at block 1106. The method includes receiving a configuration for the handover based on the handover request, the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs, as shown at block 1108. And the method includes sending a handover command to the UE to trigger the UE to perform the handover to the target node, the handover command including the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the UE to deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication, as shown at block 1110.

[0103] In some examples, the method 1100 further includes sending a request to the UE to report the buffer status, and the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs is received from the UE based on the request.

[0104] In some examples, the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

[0105] In some examples, the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

[0106] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method 1200 according to various example implementations. The method includes receiving from a source node a handover request for a user equipment (UE), the handover request including a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration, as shown at block 1202. The method includes determining at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate based on the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs, as shown at block 1204. The method includes sending to the source node a configuration for the handover that includes an indication for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the source node to the UE in a handover command, as shown at block 1206. And the method includes performing the handover of the UE based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB by the UE based on the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs, as shown at block 1208.

[0107] In some examples, the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

[0108] In some examples, the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

[0109] In some examples, the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined at block 1204 based on at least one of a quality of service (QoS) or a priority of the DRB.

[0110] In some examples, the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs indicates an amount of data in a buffer of each of the one or more RPUs, and the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined at block 1204 based on the amount of data in the buffer of each of the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate.

[0111] According to example implementations of the present disclosure, a telecommunications system 100 or PLMN 102, and its components such as a UE 110, CN 106, RAN 108, RAN node 202, CU 204, CU-CP 204A, CU-UP 204B, DU 206, MM NF (e.g., AMF 208), SM NF (e.g., SMF 210) and / or UPF 212, may be implemented by various means. Means for implementing the system and its components may include hardware, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. In some examples, one or more apparatuses may be configured to function as or otherwise implement the system and its components shown and described herein. In examples involving more than one apparatus, the respective apparatuses may be connected to or otherwise in communication with one another in a number of different manners, such as directly or indirectly via a wired or wireless network or the like.

[0112] According to some example implementations, at least some of the methods 800, 900 described with respect to FIG. 8 and FIGS. 9A and 9B may be carried out by respective apparatuses comprising means for performing functions corresponding steps of the methods. Similarly, at least some of the methods 1000, 1100, 1200 described with respect to FIG. 10, FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 may be carried out by respective apparatuses comprising means for performing functions corresponding steps of the methods.Examples of a suitable apparatus may include a user equipment, user device, user terminal or the like. Other examples of a suitable apparatus may include aa RAN node (e.g., ng-eNB, gNB, CU, CU-UP, CU-CP, DU) or any suitable apparatus, such as a server, host or node.

[0113] FIG. 13 illustrates an apparatus 1300 in which means for performing various functions includes hardware, alone or under direction of one or more computer programs from a computer-readable storage medium or other memory, such as computer memory,according to some example implementations of the present disclosure. The apparatus may include one or more of each of a number of components such as, for example, processing circuitry 1302 connected to computer-readable storage medium or other memory 1304.

[0114] The processing circuitry 1302 may be composed of one or more processors alone or in combination with one or more computer-readable storage media. The processing circuitry is generally any piece of computer hardware that is capable of processing information such as, for example, data, computer programs and / or other suitable electronic information. The processing circuitry is composed of a collection of electronic circuits some of which may be packaged as an integrated circuit or multiple interconnected integrated circuits (an integrated circuit at times more commonly referred to as a “chip”). The processing circuitry may be configured to execute computer programs, which may be stored onboard the processing circuitry or otherwise stored in the memory 1304 (of the same or another apparatus).

[0115] The processing circuitry 1302 may be a number of processors, a multi-core processor or some other type of processor, depending on the particular implementation. Further, the processing circuitry may be implemented using a number of heterogeneous processor systems in which a main processor is present with one or more secondary processors on a single chip. As another illustrative example, the processing circuitry may be a symmetric multi-processor system containing multiple processors of the same type. In yet another example, the processing circuitry may be embodied as or otherwise include one or more ASICs, FPGAs or the like. Thus, although the processing circuitry may be capable of executing a computer program to perform one or more functions, the processing circuitry of various examples may be capable of performing one or more functions without the aid of a computer program. In either instance, the processing circuitry may be appropriately programmed to perform functions or operations according to example implementations of the present disclosure.

[0116] The memory 1304 is generally any piece of computer hardware that is capable of storing information such as, for example, data, computer programs, instructions 1306 (e.g., computer-readable program code) and / or other suitable information either on a temporary basis and / or a permanent basis. The memory may include volatile and / or nonvolatile memory, and may be fixed or removable. Examples of suitable memory includerecording media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard drive, a flash memory, a thumb drive, a removable computer diskette, an optical disk or some combination thereof.

[0117] The memory 1304 is a non-transitory device capable of storing information. One example of a suitable memory is a computer-readable storage medium, which is distinguishable from a computer-readable transmission medium capable of carrying information from one location to another. Examples of suitable computer-readable transmission media comprise electronic carrier signals, telecommunications signals, or some combination thereof. As used herein, the term “non-transitory” is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM versus ROM). A computer-readable medium as described herein generally refers to a computer-readable storage medium or computer-readable transmission medium. A computer-readable medium is any entity or device capable in which information, such as one or more computer programs or portions thereof, may be stored and carried.

[0118] In addition to the memory 1304 (e.g., computer-readable storage medium), the processing circuitry 1302 may also be connected to one or more interfaces for displaying, transmitting and / or receiving information. The interfaces may include a communications interface 1308 and / or one or more user interfaces. The communications interface may be configured to transmit and / or receive information, such as to and / or from other apparatus(es), network(s) or the like. The communications interface may be configured to transmit and / or receive information by physical (wired) and / or wireless communications links. Examples of suitable communication interfaces include a network interface controller (NIC), wireless NIC (WNIC) or the like.

[0119] The user interfaces may include a display 1310 and / or one or more user input interfaces 1312. The display may be configured to present or otherwise display information to a user, suitable examples of which include a liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) display, organic LED (OLED) display, active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) or the like. The user input interfaces may be wired or wireless, and may be configured to receive information from a user into the apparatus, such as for processing, storage and / or display. Suitable examples of user input interfaces include a microphone,image or video capture device, keyboard or keypad, joystick, touch-sensitive surface (separate from or integrated into a touchscreen), biometric sensor or the like. The user interfaces may further include one or more interfaces for communicating with peripherals such as printers, scanners or the like.

[0120] Execution of the instructions 1306 by the processing circuitry 1302, or storage of the instructions in the memory 1304, supports combinations of operations for implementing example implementations of the present disclosure. In this manner, an apparatus 1300 may comprise at least one processing circuitry and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing circuitry, where the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute instructions stored in the at least one memory. It will also be understood that one or more functions, and combinations of functions, may be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems and / or processing circuitry which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and program code instructions.

[0121] Some example implementations of the present disclosure may also be carried out in the form of a computer process defined by one or more computer programs or portions thereof. Example implementations of the present disclosure may be carried out by executing at least one portion of a computer program comprising instructions. The computer program may be in source code form, object code form, or in some intermediate form. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable medium that is readable by a computer, processing circuitry or other suitable apparatus. As indicated above, for example, the computer program may be stored in a memory, such as a computer-readable storage medium. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable transmission medium. The coding of software for carrying out example implementations of the present disclosure is well within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0122] As will be appreciated, any suitable instructions may be loaded onto a computer, a processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus from a memory or a computer-readable medium (e.g., computer-readable storage medium, computer-readable transmission medium) to produce a particular machine, such that the particular machine becomes a means for implementing the functions specified herein. The instructions mayalso be stored in a computer-readable medium that can direct a computer, a processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner to thereby generate a particular machine or particular article of manufacture. In some examples, the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium may produce an article of manufacture, where the article of manufacture becomes a means for implementing functions described herein. The instructions may be retrieved from a computer-readable medium and loaded into a computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to configure the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to execute operations to be performed on or by the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus.

[0123] Retrieval, loading and execution of instructions comprising program code instructions may be performed sequentially such that one instruction is retrieved, loaded and executed at a time. In some example implementations, retrieval, loading and / or execution may be performed in parallel such that multiple instructions are retrieved, loaded, and / or executed together. Execution of the program code instructions may produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions executed by the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus provide operations for implementing functions described herein.

[0124] As explained above and reiterated below, the present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[0125] Clause 1. A method comprising: receiving a request from a network node to report a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; reporting to the network node the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs for the network node to determine at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate; receiving an indication from the network node for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs; and deactivating the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

[0126] Clause 2. The method of clause 1 , wherein the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supportingfirst bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

[0127] Clause 3. The method of clause 1 or clause 2, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

[0128] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the method further comprises sending to the network node an indication that the at least one of the one or more RPUs has been deactivated.

[0129] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the method further comprises performing data recovery for any data lost in connection with deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

[0130] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the method is performed by a user equipment (UE), and the network node from which the request is received and to which the buffer status is reported is a radio access network (RAN) node, and wherein the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs is received from the RAN node.

[0131] Clause 7. The method of clause 6, wherein the buffer status reported to the RAN node is a buffer status on an uplink direction for each of the one or more RPUs.

[0132] Clause 8. The method of clause 6 or clause 7, wherein the request is received from and the buffer status is reported to a centralized unit (CU) of the RAN node, and wherein the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs is received from the CU.

[0133] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 1 to 8, wherein the method is performed by a distributed unit (DU) of a radio access network (RAN) node, and the network node from which the request is received and to which the buffer status is reported is a centralized unit of the RAN node, and wherein the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs is received from the CU.

[0134] Clause 10. The method of clause 9, wherein the buffer status reported to the CU is a buffer status on a downlink direction for each of the one or more RPUs.

[0135] Clause 11. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least onememory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 10.

[0136] Clause 12. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 1 to 10.

[0137] Clause 13. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 10.

[0138] Clause 14. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 10.

[0139] Clause 15. A computer program comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 10.

[0140] Clause 16. A method comprising: sending a request to a user equipment (UE) to report a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; receiving from the UE the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; determining at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate based on the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; and sending an indication to the UE for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the UE to deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

[0141] Clause 17. The method of clause 16, wherein the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

[0142] Clause 18. The method of clause 16 or clause 17, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

[0143] Clause 19. The method of any of clauses 16 to 18, wherein the one or more RPUs are activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB), and the at least oneof the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined based on at least one of a quality of service (QoS) or a priority of the DRB.

[0144] Clause 20. The method of any of clauses 16 to 19, wherein the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs indicates an amount of data in a buffer of each of the one or more RPUs, and the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined based on the amount of data in the buffer of each of the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate.

[0145] Clause 21. The method of any of clauses 16 to 20, wherein the method further comprises receiving from the UE an indication that the at least one of the one or more RPUs has been deactivated.

[0146] Clause 22. The method of any of clauses 16 to 21, wherein the method is performed by a centralized unit (CU) of a radio access network (RAN) node.

[0147] Clause 23. The method of clause 22, wherein the buffer status received from the UE is a first buffer status on an uplink direction for each of the one or more RPUs, and wherein the method further comprises: sending a request to a distributed unit (DU) of the RAN node to report a second buffer status on a downlink direction for each of the one or more RPUs; and receiving the second buffer status from the DU, and wherein the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined based on the first buffer status and the second buffer status.

[0148] Clause 24. The method of clause 23, wherein the method further comprises sending an indication to the DU for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DU to also deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs based on the indication.

[0149] Clause 25. The method of any of clauses 22 to 24, wherein the method is performed by a control plane part of the CU, and wherein the method further comprises informing a user plane part of the CU about deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

[0150] Clause 26. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 16 to 25.

[0151] Clause 27. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 16 to 25.

[0152] Clause 28. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 16 to 25.

[0153] Clause 29. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 16 to 25.

[0154] Clause 30. A computer program comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 16 to 25.

[0155] Clause 31. A method comprising: reporting to a source node a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; receiving a handover command from the source node for a handover to a target node, the handover command including a configuration for the handover, and the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs; and performing the handover to the target node based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB based on the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

[0156] Clause 32. The method of clause 31, wherein the method further comprises receiving a request from the source node to report the buffer status, and the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs is reported to the source node based on the request.

[0157] Clause 33. The method of clause 31 or clause 32, wherein the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

[0158] Clause 34. The method of any of clauses 31 to 33, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

[0159] Clause 35. The method of any of clauses 31 to 34, wherein the buffer status reported to the source node is a buffer status on an uplink direction for each of the one or more RPUs.

[0160] Clause 36. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 31 to 35.

[0161] Clause 37. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 31 to 35.

[0162] Clause 38. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 31 to 35.

[0163] Clause 39. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 31 to 35.

[0164] Clause 40. A computer program comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 31 to 35.

[0165] Clause 41. A method comprising: deciding to handover a user equipment (UE) to a target node; receiving from the UE a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; sending to the target node a handover request including the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; receiving a configuration for the handover based on the handover request, the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs; and sending a handover command to the UE to trigger the UE to perform the handover to the target node, the handover command including the indication from thetarget node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the UE to deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

[0166] Clause 42. The method of clause 41, wherein the method further comprises sending a request to the UE to report the buffer status, and the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs is received from the UE based on the request.

[0167] Clause 43. The method of clause 41 or clause 42, wherein the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

[0168] Clause 44. The method of any of clauses 41 to 43, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

[0169] Clause 45. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 41 to 44.

[0170] Clause 46. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 41 to 44.

[0171] Clause 47. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 41 to 44.

[0172] Clause 48. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 41 to 44.

[0173] Clause 49. A computer program comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 41 to 44.

[0174] Clause 50. A method comprising: receiving from a source node a handover request for a user equipment (UE), the handover request including a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing adata radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration; determining at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate based on the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs; sending to the source node a configuration for the handover that includes an indication for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the source node to the UE in a handover command; and performing the handover of the UE based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB by the UE based on the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

[0175] Clause 51. The method of clause 50, wherein the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

[0176] Clause 52. The method of clause 50 or clause 51, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

[0177] Clause 53. The method of any of clauses 50 to 52, wherein the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined based on at least one of a quality of service (QoS) or a priority of the DRB.

[0178] Clause 54. The method of any of clauses 50 to 53, wherein the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs indicates an amount of data in a buffer of each of the one or more RPUs, and the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined based on the amount of data in the buffer of each of the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate.

[0179] Clause 55. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 50 to 54.

[0180] Clause 56. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 50 to 54.

[0181] Clause 57. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 50 to 54.

[0182] Clause 58. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 50 to 54.

[0183] Clause 59. A computer program comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 50 to 54.

[0184] Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated figures. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific implementations disclosed and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing description and the associated figures describe example implementations in the context of certain example combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative implementations without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and / or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An apparatus comprising:at least one memory configured to store instructions; andat least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least:report to a source node a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration;receive a handover command from the source node for a handover to a target node, the handover command including a configuration for the handover, and the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs; andperform the handover to the target node based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB based on the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to further receive a request from the source node to report the buffer status, and the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs is reported to the source node based on the request.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.-39-5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the buffer status reported to the source node is a buffer status on an uplink direction for each of the one or more RPUs.

6. A method comprising:reporting to a source node a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration;receiving a handover command from the source node for a handover to a target node, the handover command including a configuration for the handover, and the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs; andperforming the handover to the target node based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB based on the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises receiving a request from the source node to report the buffer status, and the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs is reported to the source node based on the request.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the buffer status reported to the source node is a buffer status on an uplink direction for each of the one or more RPUs.

10. An apparatus comprising:at least one memory configured to store instructions; and-40-at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least:decide to handover a user equipment (UE) to a target node;receive from the UE a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration;send to the target node a handover request including the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs;receive a configuration for the handover based on the handover request, the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs; andsend a handover command to the UE to trigger the UE to perform the handover to the target node, the handover command including the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the UE to deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to further send a request to the UE to report the buffer status, and the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs is received from the UE based on the request.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.-41-14. A method comprising:deciding to handover a user equipment (UE) to a target node;receiving from the UE a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration;sending to the target node a handover request including the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs;receiving a configuration for the handover based on the handover request, the configuration including an indication from the target node for deactivation of at least one of the one or more RPUs; andsending a handover command to the UE to trigger the UE to perform the handover to the target node, the handover command including the indication from the target node for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the UE to deactivate the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the DRB based on the indication.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises sending a request to the UE to report the buffer status, and the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs is received from the UE based on the request.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

17. An apparatus comprising:at least one memory configured to store instructions; andat least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least:receive from a source node a handover request for a user equipment (UE), the handover request including a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units (RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration;determine at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate based on the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs;send to the source node a configuration for the handover that includes an indication for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the source node to the UE in a handover command; andperform the handover of the UE based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB by the UE based on the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the radio protocol configuration is a first radio protocol configuration of dual radio protocol configurations that also include a second radio protocol configuration, the first radio protocol configuration supporting first bitrate services, and the second radio protocol configuration supporting second bitrate services.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined based on at least one of a quality of service (QoS) or a priority of the DRB.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs indicates an amount of data in a buffer of each of the one or more RPUs, and the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined based on the amount of data in the buffer of each of the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate.

22. A method comprising:receiving from a source node a handover request for a user equipment (UE), the handover request including a buffer status of each of one or more radio processing units(RPUs) activated at the UE for parallel processing a data radio bearer (DRB) within radio protocols of a radio protocol configuration;determining at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate based on the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs;sending to the source node a configuration for the handover that includes an indication for deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs for the source node to the UE in a handover command; andperforming the handover of the UE based on the configuration for the handover, and in which the at least one of the one or more RPUs is deactivated for the DRB by the UE based on the indication for the deactivation of the at least one of the one or more RPUs.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the buffer status of each RPU of the one or more RPUs includes a buffer status of each of the radio protocols for which the RPU is activated for parallel processing.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined based on at least one of a quality of service (QoS) or a priority of the DRB.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the buffer status of each of the one or more RPUs indicates an amount of data in a buffer of each of the one or more RPUs, and the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate is determined based on the amount of data in the buffer of each of the at least one of the one or more RPUs to deactivate.-44-

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