Methods and nodes for operating LP-WUS downlink monitoring and initial access on separate bands

Abstract

There is provided a method performed by a wireless device, which has a first radio operating in a first frequency band and a second radio operating in a second frequency band. The method comprises: camping on a cell operating in the first frequency band, after entering an inactive / idle mode; receiving a message, the message comprising an indication of one or more cells operating in the second frequency band; and performing one or more tasks on one or more of the one or more indicated cells operating in the second frequency band.

Description

P112907W001METHODS AND NODES FOR OPERATING LP-WUS DOWNLINK MONITORING AND INITIAL ACCESS ON SEPARATE BANDS RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefits of priority of US 63 / 754,753, entitled “methods for operation LP-WUS downlink monitoring and initial access on separate bands" and filed at the USPTO on February 6, 2025, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This application relates to communication networks and particularly to methods and nodes for operating Low Power (LP)-Wake Up Signal (WUS) downlink monitoring and performing the initial access on separate bands.BACKGROUND

[0003] LP- WUS in RRC IDLE and RRC INACTIVE

[0004] LP-WUS in New Radio (NR) improves the User Equipment (UE) power saving when the UE is in RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE and the UE monitors paging. With LP-WUS, the UE has a separate receiver referred to as the Wake-Up Radio (WUR), with a Low power Radio (LR) that monitors the LP-WUS. When the LP-WUS is detected and the subgroup information in the LP-WUS indicates that the UE should wake-up, then the UE receives a paging on the Physical Downlink (DL) Control Channel (PDCCH) / Physical DL Shared Channel (PDSCH) during the following Paging Occasion (PO) in the Discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle using the Main Radio (MR) of the UE. Typically, the UE is not paged during every PO, i.e. the MR can remain in sleep mode multiple / many DRX cycles and save power. The LR consumes much less power compared to the MR (factor of 10 to 100).

[0005] The WUR can be On-off keying (OOK)-based, which uses Low Power Synchronization Signal (LP-SS) for synchronization and serving cell measurements. Or the WUR can be Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)-based, which uses Primary SS (PSS) / Secondary SS (SSS) for synchronization and serving cell measurements.

[0006] Due to its signal characteristics, the LP-WUS may not provide full cell coverage, i.e. near the cell border there may be poor or no LP-WUS coverage. Thus, an entry condition (i.e. MR Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) / Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) threshold and optionally an LR RSRP / RSRQ threshold) and exit condition (i.e. LR threshold) is used to determine when the UE is allowed to use LP-WUS in RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE. When the UE is above the entry threshold(s), and the LR performs serving cell measurements using LP-SS or Synchronization Signal block (SSB) and the LR uses LP-WUS to monitor paging, then the MR is not required to perform serving cell measurements nor paging monitoring.P112907W001

[0007] LP- H US coverage

[0008] Due to its signal characteristics, the LP-WUS may not provide full cell coverage, i.e. near the cell border there may be poor or no LP-WUS coverage. Based on existing Resource Radio Management (RRM) / Channel state Information-Reference signal (CSLRS) measurement reporting, the gNB can determine when the UE is inside or outside the LP-WUS coverage and (de-)configure the LP-WUS using RRCRe configuration.

[0009] Cell re-selection

[0010] The cell selection and cell re-selection procedures are based on the following (as described in 3GPP TS 38.304):Srxlev = Qrxlevmeas - (Qrxlevmin + Qrxlevminoffset )- Pcompensation - Qoffsettemp Squal = Qqualmeas - (Qqualmin + Qqualminoffset) - Qoffsettemp

[0011] Where the different parameters can be found in 3GPP TS 38.304.

[0012] A high level description of how intra- and inter-cell measurements are performed (ignoring the concept of low mobility and cell-edge) is as follows.

[0013] When the UE is in the cell center of the serving cell (good signal strength and quality), i.e. when

[0014] Srxlev > SlntraSearchP and Squal > SlntraSearchQ:

[0015] The UE is not required to perform any intra-cell measurements.

[0016] Whether to perform inter-frequency measurements depends on the priority of the frequencies. The priorities of the available frequencies are configured in system information (SI) or in RRCRelease when the UE is released to the idle or inactive state. The priorities given in the RRCRelease message override the priorities given in the SI. The priorities in RRCRelease may have a configured validity time.

[0017] Frequencies of equal or lower priorities are not measured if the serving cell fulfills the condition:

[0018] Srxlev > SnonlntraSearchP and Squal > SnonlntraSearchQ:

[0019] If the condition is not fulfilled, these frequencies are measured.

[0020] Frequencies of higher priority than the serving cell are measured irrespective of the conditions.

[0021] RRM Measurement Relaxation

[0022] RRM measurement relaxation in NR refers to a technique used to reduce the frequency and scope of radio resource management (RRM) measurements performed by a UE in cellular networks. When some criteria are met, the UE is allowed to relax its neighbor cell measurements,P112907W001potentially reducing the frequency or scope of measurements performed. The criteria for maximum RRM relaxation are:

[0023] - Low mobility: the UE is stationary or has low mobility;

[0024] - Not at cell edge: the UE is away from the edge of the radio coverage of a cell.

[0025] The criteria are given in 3GPP TS 38.804 Rel-17, section 5.2.4.9.I.

[0026] Operating LR and MR on different bands

[0027] The LR and MR can operate on different frequencies or bands. The motivation for this is that LR may not be configured on all frequencies, or the UE does not support LR on all frequencies; allowing the use of LR on a band different from the frequency where the UE normally camps enables use of the LR and hereby power savings. The typical scenario is envisioned to be that the LR is configured on a lower frequency band (coverage layer) and the data transmissions using the MR are more efficiently carried out on the higher frequency band (capacity layer). The problem with this scenario, in addition to support and configuration, is that the lower frequency could become congested if all WUS capable UEs would camp on this frequency and perform the access to the LR band before moving to the MR band for the data transmissions. Allowing operation on different bands for the LR (LP-WUS reception) and MR (e.g. paging on LR band and random access and data transmission on MR-band) would enable better load balancing between the frequencies.

[0028] In the envisioned scenario, the UE monitors for a WUS on the LR frequency. Upon reception of the WUS, the UE continues to monitor for paging on either the LR or MR frequency. Finally, upon reception of the paging, the UE initiates a random access on the MR frequency where also the data transmi ssion(s) take place. The procedure is as follows:

[0029] 1. The UE in RRC IDLE or RRC INACTIVE, equipped with MR and LR operating in different frequencies, will switch to the LR operation and enter a deep sleep mode after the MR stores the information for RACH on the cell / cells the UE is camping on, and information of the SI associated with the LR cell and / or MR cell.

[0030] 2. The UE’s LR performs monitoring of a LP-WUS on the LR band.

[0031] 3. The UE should wake up in the PO associated with the LR band; the LR will proceed to wake up the MR in this band if LP-WUS is detected.

[0032] 4. The UE’ s MR will perform synchronization with the LR band and receive the paging message on this band (e.g. 700 MHz).

[0033] 5. If the paging message is addressed to the UE, the UE MR would then frequency retune and re-synchronize to the higher frequency band for an initial access (e.g. 3.5 GHz) which can be the same as the LR band or different (depending on load balancing).P112907W001

[0034] 6. Upon synchronization and based on the stored configuration received from the previous access, the UE will perform RACH procedure to the band where it was released to the Idle / Inactive state.

[0035] The agreement RAN#106 is rather vague and leaves the following options open:

[0036] 1. The UE is prioritized to camp on the LR band, i.e. the same frequency (cell) is used for both the MR and LR. This will not solve the alleged overload situation.

[0037] 2. The UE is prioritized to camp on the LR band but performs RACH on the MR band, i.e. when paged, the UE moves to the MR band. In this case, the cell re-selection will be on the LR band. This case is illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0038] 3. The UE is not prioritized to camp on the LR band but can be redirected there by dedicated signaling (when released from the connected state).SUMMARY

[0039] There currently exist certain challenge(s). The problem to be solved with this disclosure has two variants depending on the scenario. Both scenarios involve split UE Idle mode procedures over two different bands, i.e. monitoring the LP-WUS and performing the random access procedure are done on different bands.

[0040] In the first scenario, the UE is camping on the ‘LR band’ where it monitors the DL (highest prioritized frequency) but performs access to a cell in the ‘MR band’, if the UE is receiving a LP-WUS and being paged on the LR band, or (optionally) upon uplink (UL) data arrival in the UE buffer. In this scenario, cell re-selection is performed on the LR band where the UE is camping, as long as the UE is within the coverage of a cell in the LR band. In this case, the UE needs a way to find the MR cell to access after being paged on the LR band. When the UE is released from the connected mode, the UE can store the configuration of the MR cell from which it was released. If the UE is stationary, it can access this MR cell by performing the random access to this cell, but it is not clear how the UE should behave if it has moved and is not in the coverage of the old / previous MR cell, e.g. after cell re-selection to a different LR cell.

[0041] In the second scenario, the UE is camping on the MR band (prioritized frequency) where it performs the access (e.g. random access channel (RACH)) procedure after receiving a LP-WUS on the LR band. In this scenario, the paging could be performed on either the LR band or MR band. In this scenario, the UE camps and performs cell re-selection on the MR band as long as it is within the coverage of a cell in the MR band. In this case, the UE needs a way to find the cell on the LR band to monitor the LP-WUS. When the UE is released from the connected mode, it can be informed of which cell to monitor the LP-WUS on, when the UE is stationary, the cellP112907W001being the previous cell the UE was connected to. But the behavior of a non- stationary UE is not clear, e.g. after cell re-selection.

[0042] In both scenarios, there is no problem as long as the UE is stationary and can store the information of the cell on the other band, where it is not camping but when the UE moves, it will lose connection with the initial LR cell or MR cell (depending on the scenario). Thus, it is not clear how to find the new cell in the band where it is not camping, without performing inter-frequency measurements for the cell reselection for UEs that are not stationary UEs.

[0043] Furthermore, another problem with the above scenarios is that that the UE in idle / inactive mode (e.g. RRC IDLE / INACTIVE) no longer camps on one cell as in legacy, but now must perform different RRC IDLE / INACTIVE procedures on two different cells. That is, monitoring the DL on a serving cell in an ‘LR band’, typically at a lower frequency (i.e., monitoring the LP-WUS with the LR and legacy monitoring of paging using the MR), but performing an initial access, e.g. Random Access (RA), using the MR in an ‘MR band’, typically at a higher frequency (upon being paged or upon UL data arrival in the UE). No solution for how this could be done has been proposed.

[0044] With this disclosure, the system information (SI) associated with the cell the UE is camping on contains information of cells on other frequencies (or only frequency information) with similar coverage or within the coverage region of the cell the UE is camping on. This information of cells can be used by the UE for LP-WUS-monitoring. The information can also comprise indication of cells in the MR band that the UE should prioritize for the access procedure after receiving paging on the LR band (depending on the scenario 1 or 2, as described above). The SI may also indicate which frequencies the UE can use depending on UE capability and the conditions for camping on cells on certain frequencies.

[0045] For example, in the first scenario, the SI associated with the serving cell where the UE is monitoring the LP-WUS in the LR band (e.g., after the UE performs cell re-selection to a new cell in the LR band, in the case of RRC redirect configuration) contains information of MR cells / frequencies that will be the cell(s) the UE should prioritize over the current LR band for access, if being paged on the LR band. If the UE fails to sync to one of these cells, the UE will need to do a cell search on the MR band for a better cell or alternatively perform the access on the cell to which it is camping on in the LR band.

[0046] For example, in the second scenario, the SI associated with the serving cell where the UE is camping in the MR band (e.g., after the UE performs cell re-selection to a new cell on the MR band, in the case of RRC redirect configuration) contains indications of LR cells / frequenciesP112907W001where the UE monitors for LP-WUS indications and paging. The UE can then either directly start to monitor the new LR cell, or wait until an entry condition on the current LR cell is fulfilled.

[0047] Furthermore, solutions are provided for how to practically configure the UE with “split UE Idle mode procedures over two different bands” (i.e. above solutions) and signal to the UE supporting LR, referred to as LR UE hereinafter, what it should do and where, including the following:

[0048] - Configuration to restrict camping, cell selection, and cell re-selection to cells where WUR / LR is configured such that LR UEs can benefit from LR power saving gains. For example, if there are N cells overall, only the subset n (n<N) out of those which support LR will be considered by a LR UE for cell (re-) sei ection.

[0049] - Configuration of which Idle mode activity should be performed by the UE on which cell / band, i.e. on which cell the UE should monitor for a LP-WUS, on which cell the UE should monitor legacy paging (PDCCH+PDSCH) using the MR, and on which cell the UE should perform an initial access / RA.

[0050] Furthermore, solutions are provided to solve mobility problems arising from the “split UE Idle mode procedures over two different bands”. For example, for a moving UE, if the LR cell has a better coverage (than the MR cell), cell re-selection may not be triggered for the LR cell, whereas the MR cell for the initial access may require a cell selection. In one example, the MR cell re-selection is always performed after a WUS detection and the start / wake-up of the MR. The drawback of this example is the added DL latency. In an alternative example, the MR is started periodically to perform cell re-selection evaluation.

[0051] Generally stated, embodiments of this disclosure allow to inform the UE of cells with similar coverage as the cell the UE is camping on, either in SI or in the RRCRelease message when releasing the UE to RRC IDLE / INACTIVE. The information may comprise a cell in the LR band (or only LR frequency information) in case the UE is camping on a cell in the MR band, or it may be a cell in the MR band (or only MR frequency information) in case the UE is camping on a cell in the LR band.

[0052] For example, there is provided a method in a wireless device (e.g. WUR UE). The method comprises: camping on a cell operating in the first frequency band, after entering an inactive / idle mode; receiving a message, the message comprising an indication of one or more cells operating in the second frequency band; and performing one or more tasks on one or more of the one or more indicated cells operating in the second frequency band. A wireless device for implementing this method is also provided.P112907W001

[0053] A method in a network node is provided. The method comprises: sending a release message to the wireless device, which triggers the wireless device to enter an inactive or idle mode and to camp on a cell operating in the first frequency band; and indicating one or more cells for operation in the second frequency band. A network node for implementing this method is also provided.

[0054] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantage(s).

[0055] - If the UE is camping on an MR cell, the embodiments herein allow to remove the need for inter-frequency measurements by the MR to find a cell for monitoring a LP-WUS.

[0056] - If the UE is camping on an LR cell, the embodiments allow to remove the need for inter-frequency measurements by the MR to find a cell for accessing the network after receiving an LP-WUS indication and paging on the LR cell.

[0057] -The embodiments clearly define a UE behavior for the case that the idle mode procedures are split to be performed on different frequency bands and cells (e.g. downlink monitoring and initial access).BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] Exemplary embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the following figures, in which:

[0059] Fig. 1 illustrates a diagram of a UE performing some actions at the LR band and some other actions at the MR band.

[0060] Fig. 2 illustrates Scenario 1 where a UE is camping on LR band and receiving information in SI of MR frequencies or cells, according to an embodiment.

[0061] Fig. 3 illustrates Scenario 2 where a UE is camping on MR band and receiving information in SI of LR frequencies or cells, according to an embodiment.

[0062] Fig. 4 illustrates a signal diagram between a UE and a network, for a split idle mode procedure, according to an embodiment.

[0063] Fig. 5 illustrates a method in a wireless device, according to an embodiment.

[0064] Fig. 6 illustrates a method in a network node, according to an embodiment.

[0065] Fig. 7 shows an example of a communication system, according to an embodiment.

[0066] Fig. 8 is another example of a communication system according to some embodiments.

[0067] Fig. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a wireless device, according to an embodiment.

[0068] Fig. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a network node, according to an embodiment.

[0069] Fig. 11 illustrates a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONP112907W001

[0070] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0071] It should be noted that the terms “access or initial access” and “cell re-select” refer to the access (e.g. random access) procedure and the cell re-selection / cell selection procedure, respectively. Also, the terms “frequency”, “band” and “frequency band” can be used interchangeably.

[0072] Embodiments relate to UEs in RRC INACTIVE or RRC IDLE mode and explain how the UEs can be configured to monitor the LP-WUS on a cell in one frequency band but perform the initial access on another cell in another frequency band. The term ‘MR cell’ is used for a cell on which the UE accesses and performs data transmissions after switching to RRC CONNECTED (i.e. due to being paged or upon UL data arrival), and an ‘LR cell’ is a cell on which the UE can monitor a LP-WUS and incoming DL transmissions.

[0073] Fig. 2 depicts an overview of scenario 1 where a UE is camping on the LR band (which is the prioritized frequency), after being released from a connection with the gNB to the idle / inactive mode, for example. The figure shows the UE moving from left to right, initially camping on LR cell 1, and, when paged, accessing MR cell 1. The release message (e.g. RRCRelease) contains information such as a pointer to MR cell 1, so that the UE knows to access MR cell 1, after being paged. The release message can be a suspend message. At one point, the UE re-selects LR cell 2 and acquires the SI associated with LR cell 2. The SI associated with LR cell 2 contains a pointer to MR cell 2, for the UE to access, after being paged. It should be noted that the SI may include pointers to several MR cells, both with respect to frequency (different carriers) and coverage regions (i.e. several different cells on the same band). This is needed since the coverage of the LR cell may span across the coverage areas of several MR cells on a specific MR band. In one option, this information can be provided in another message than the SI, as it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art.

[0074] In one option, the SI associated with the cells in the LR band can contain a separate prioritization for the MR frequency band (instead of individual cells). The priority would be similar to the regular cell selection priority but the new aspect is that it is now applicable only to the initial access. A LP-WUS capable UE (e.g. WUR capable UE, referred to as WUR UE) would, thereby upon receiving the LP-WUS in the cell in the LR band, perform a cell re-selection for the initial access, prioritizing the cells in the MR cell, if found.

[0075] One example could be as follows:P112907W001

[0076] 1) The SI associated with the LR cell contains indications for ‘WUR UEs should trigger RA on another cell if possible’ and an ‘access prioritization for other frequency bands’. If this information is not found (e.g. it is not possible to perform the RA on another cell or the other frequencies are not found), the WUR UE should perform the initial access on the LR cell as usual.

[0077] 2) Finding / receiving the indication(s), a WUR UE would, upon being paged, perform the new ‘cell re-selection for the initial access’.

[0078] 3) If the UE finds a suitable ‘MR cell’, this MR cell will be used for the initial access. Optionally, the SI associated with the MR cell, e.g. SIB1, can contain an indication of “if separate initial access” is allowed by WUR UEs on the cell (even if the cell does not support WUR). As a note, “separate initial access” means that the UE performs the random access on a cell / band where it is not camping on.

[0079] Note that Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 illustrate the cases where the UE would initially receive the configuration for the split operation between the LR and MR in the RRC redirection in the RRCRelease message, when being released from RRC CONNECTED. But the above indication and configuration in the SI would also work without the configuration in the RRCRelease message (reducing the RRC signaling to individual UEs).

[0080] Fig. 3 shows an overview of scenario 2, where the UE is camping on the MR band (which is the prioritized frequency), after being released from a connection with the gNB to the idle / inactive mode. The RRCRelease message comprises information such as a pointer to LR cell 1, indicating the UE to monitor the LP-WUS on LR Cell 1. The figure shows a UE moving from left to right, initially camping on MR cell 1 and monitoring a LP-WUS and receiving paging on LR cell 1. At one point, the UE re-selects MR cell 2 and acquires the SI associated with MR cell 2. The SI associated with MR Cell 2 contains a pointer to LR cell 2, on where it should perform LP-WUS monitoring.

[0081] The above 2 scenarios can be summarized in Fig. 4, which illustrates a signal diagram for the split idle mode procedure between a UE and a gNB, which are connected to each other.

[0082] In step 110, the UE receives a release message, e.g. RRCRelease, which releases the UE from the current connection. The UE enters in the idle / inactive mode, and is camping on a first cell at a first frequency, in step 120. The release message can comprise information to indicate to the UE to perform an action in a second cell at a second frequency. For example, in scenario 1, the first cell at the first frequency is the LR cell with the LR band. And the second cell at the second frequency is the MR cell with the MR band. In scenario 2, the first cell at the first frequency is the MR cell with the MR band. And the second cell at the second frequency is the LR cell with the LR band.P112907W001

[0083] In step 130, the gNB broadcasts SI or SIB, which can be acquired by the UE. The SI can comprise information / indication such as a list cells and / or frequencies for the action in the second cell. More detail regarding the information will be described below.

[0084] In step 140, based on the received information / indication, the UE performs the action / operation on the one of the indicated cells (e.g. second cell). In scenario 1, the UE performs the access procedure with one of the indicated MR cells. In scenario 2, the UE performs monitoring the LP-WUS and paging on one of the indicated LR cells.

[0085] In one example (scenario 1), the SI contains information such as a list of cells, i.e. Physical Cell Identities (PCIs), of cells where the UE should perform a random access after receiving a LP-WUS and paging on the LR band. These MR cells should have similar coverage and be within the coverage area of the LR cell where the UE is camping, i.e. the cell to which the SI belongs. In one option, further information other than just the PCI is included in the SI. This information may be a random access configuration, for example.

[0086] In one example (scenario 2), the SI contains information such as a list of cells, i.e. PCIs, of cells that support the LP-WUS and have similar coverage or cover the cell to which the SI belongs. In one option, further information is included in the SI. This information may be the LP-WUS and paging configuration, e.g. an offset between a LP-WUS and a PO, and a configuration of a LP-SS. Furthermore, the information in the SI may specify which of the cells (frequency) a UE with a certain capability should use. In one example, a UE which has a capability that supports LP-WUS monitoring on both frequency fl and f2, can be ordered to monitor LP-WUS on f2. This leaves fl to UEs only capable of monitoring LP-WUS on fl.

[0087] In one example, the additional information, i.e. LP-WUS or random access configuration information is provided in a new SIB. The information can be, for example, in an on-demand SI, which can be requested by the LP-WUS capable UE, if desired.

[0088] In one example (scenario 2), when the UE is monitoring a LP-WUS or wants to monitor a LP-WUS, while the LP-WUS entry condition is fulfilled, then the UE may consider the LP-WUS frequency as the highest priority frequency and the UE is not required to perform higher priority measurements. When the LP-WUS exit condition is fulfilled, then the UE considers the LP-WUS frequency and other frequencies in the same band as the lowest priority frequency and the UE is required to perform higher priority measurements.

[0089] In one example (scenario 2), the UE can be configured with IpwusRedirectedCellCarrierlnfo in RRCRelease, i.e. including a frequency where the LP-WUS is supported when the carrier on which the UE is released does not support LP-WUS. The UE shall try to perform cell selection on this frequency, i.e. check if the strongest cell on the frequency isP112907W001suitable. If the UE cannot find a suitable cell on this frequency, then the UE may select a cell on the frequency where it is released (e.g. PCell in connected mode).

[0090] In one example (scenario 1), the UE can be configured with the new IpwusRedirectedCellCarrierlnfoRA in RRCRelease, i.e. including a frequency / cell where the UE shall perform the initial access separate from the DL monitoring frequency / cell, e.g. when the network wishes to have load balancing for RA from WUR UEs and have (some of them) perform RA on a separate ‘MR cell’ in a higher frequency band. The UE shall try to perform cell selection on this frequency after reception of the LP-WUS and being paged on the lower ‘LR band’, i.e. check if the strongest cell on the frequency is suitable for RA. If the UE cannot find a suitable cell on this frequency, then the UE may select a cell on the frequency where it is released (e.g. PCell in connected mode).

[0091] In one example (scenario 2), the UE first selects a cell on the frequency where it is released (e.g. PCell in RRC CONNECTED) and camps on this cell. This ensures that the UE does not miss paging directly after RRCRelease, e.g. in case the UE tries to find immediately an LP- WUS frequency using inter-frequency measurements. It may take some time for the UE to find such a frequency with a suitable cell for which the LP-WUS entry condition is fulfilled.

[0092] In one example (scenario 2), the UE can be configured with rachRedirectionCarrierlnfo in RRC Re lease, i.e. the UE should try to select a cell on the RACH carrier when the UE is monitoring LP-WUS and RACH is triggered.

[0093] In one example (scenario 2), the information of which cells the UE could use is contained in the interFreqNeighCellList information element (IE) contained in SIB4. This could be done by adding an entry such as “LP-WUS enabled” indicating that the cell supports LP-WUS. There could be further information such as if the cell supports OFDM-based WUR operation and / or if the cell supports OOK-based WUR operation. An example of the IE interFreqNeighCellList IE is illustrated below, where a new entry is defined to indicate that the cell supports LP-WUS:>}

[0094] As another option, the SI contains information of which frequencies or bands that support LP-WUS. There could be further information such as if the frequency or band supportsP112907W001OFDM-based WUR operation or if the frequency or band supports OOK -based WUR operation. This could be captured in the IE InterFreqCarrierFreqlnfo in SIB4. In this option, it could also include the list of PCIs supporting LP-WUS.

[0095] In one example, the RRCRelease message may contain information of cells in other bands and a mapping between the neighboring LR and MR frequencies that the UE should monitor a LP-WUS on or perform a random access on. This information could then be carried in the parameter CarrierlnfoNR by adding corresponding entries such as “LP-WUS enabled” indicating that the frequency or band supports LP-WUS. There could be further information such as if the frequency or band supports OFDM or if the frequency or band supports OOK. It could also contain information about which MR frequencies the UE should access when performing a random access. Furthermore, the RRCRelease message could contain lists of cells supporting LP-WUS or cells to access with the MR. That is, this is a generalization where the UE would already receive information when released to RRC INACTIVE / IDLE, the information about which frequencies are expected to be monitored by the LR and which frequencies to access with the MR. In this case, after cell re-selection either in Scenario 1 or 2 above, the UE would immediately know which frequency it can monitor using the receiver (LR or MR) it is currently not using. In a further example, the UE performs the cell-reselection to a frequency used by the other receiver type (but not currently used). For example, in Scenario 2, a UE does a cell re-selection and selects the LR cell 2, as it knows the frequencies for MR cell 2 and LR cells 2 already from the earlier RRCRelease message.

[0096] In one example, the PCIs of cells supporting LP-WUS are different from the PCIs of LTE and NR, i.e., 0-503 for LTE, and 0-1007 for NR. For the cells supporting LP-WUS, the PCIs can start from 1008 or it can also be a subset of the LTE or NR PCIs. The information about these PCIs is provided in the SI.

[0097] In one example (scenario 2), the UE starts to monitor a LP-WUS in one of the indicated LR cells upon cell re-selection to a new MR cell. In one option, this is conditional to the fact that the new / candidate LR cell fulfills the entry conditions as measured by the MR. This requires that the MR performs inter-frequency measurements.

[0098] In one example (scenario 2), the UE starts to monitor a LP-WUS in one of the indicated LR cells after cell reselection of the MR cell, when the exit condition for LP-WUS monitoring is fulfilled in the current LR cell. This example lets the UE continue to monitor LP-WUS in the LR cell as long as it has sufficient signal strength. This can be advantageous in some cases, due to different coverage regions for the LR band and the MR band. The MR coverage may typically beP112907W001more spotty than the LR coverage, implying that the MR may perform several cell re-selections while the LR cell is in good coverage.

[0099] In one example, the UE starts to monitor a LP-WUS in one of the indicated LR cells, when the entry condition for LP-WUS monitoring as measured by the LR is fulfilled in this LR cell.

[0100] In one example, the gNB configures the UE with a set of channels / frequencies for the UE to monitor for a LP-WUS. The MR measures a subset of the set channels for scanning in the cell search as part of the intra-frequency cell search. The first number (subset) is less than a total number (set) of channels in the set of intra-frequency channels and has the highest priority because of the association with LR channels. This set is defined by the gNB as the frequencies where the UE is most likely to find LP-WUS related information.

[0101] In one example, if the UE is unable to find the LP-WUS related information from the subset of channels, then the MR scans all the channels in the intra-frequency cell search and looks for LP-WUR information in the SI.

[0102] In one example, the cell reselection criteria ( SrxLev> 0 and Squai> 0) for UEs equipped with LP-WUR also includes an LR threshold i.e., (Srxiev> 0 and Squai> 0 and Lrxiev > 0 and Lquai> 0), where Lrxievis the received power level of LP-WUS cell and Lquaiis the quality of the LP-WUS cell. In this case, the cell reselection process involves the measurements from both the MR cell and LR cell.

[0103] In one example, if the UE is unable to find any cell during the cell reselection procedure that satisfies the LR threshold, the UE camps on the strongest MR cell. In this case, the UE starts a timer and after the expiration of the timer the UE tries to find a LR cell where it can monitor LP-WUS.

[0104] The disclosure addresses WUR UE operation but adaptations of “the split Idle mode procedures to different cells on different frequency bands” (DL monitoring on one band, and initial access on the other band) could be equally relevant to non-WUR UEs in other contexts.

[0105] Note that the above embodiments / examples typically mention an initial access triggered by the UE receiving the LP-WUS and being paged by the network, but the embodiments are not limited to that. For example, there are two variants:

[0106] 1) A separate initial access on another cell on another frequency band (‘MR cell’) is only applicable when the UE receives a LP-WUS and is being paged.

[0107] 2) A separate initial access on another cell on another frequency band (‘MR cell’) is applicable (for WUR UEs) for any type of initial access or RA triggering, or arrival of data in the UL buffer in the UE (i.e. RA is always triggered in the same way, as in legacy).P112907W001

[0108] Now turning to Fig. 5, a flow chart of an example method 200, in a wireless device, such as a WUR UE, or such as 712 or 900, for performing different actions in different frequency bands will be described. For example, the wireless device has a first radio operating in a first frequency band and a second radio operating in a second frequency band. The method 200 comprises:

[0109] Step 210: camping on a cell operating in the first frequency band, after entering an inactive or idle mode;

[0110] Step 220: receiving a message, the message comprising an indication of one or more cells operating in the second frequency band; and

[0111] Step 230: performing one or more tasks on one or more of the one or more indicated cells operating in the second frequency band.

[0112] In some examples, the first radio is a LR and the second radio is a MR. This case refers to scenario 1. For example, after receiving a release message or suspend message, the wireless device enters the inactive / idle mode and camps on a LR cell (operating in the first frequency band). In some examples, the one or more cells (e.g. MR cells) operating in the second frequency band are within a coverage area of the cell (e.g. LR cell) operating in the first frequency band or have similar coverage than the cell operating in the first frequency band. In some examples, the one or more cells (e.g. MR cells) operating in the second frequency band have different frequencies within the second frequency band. In some examples, the message is a SI message or a release / suspend message. In some examples, the SI message comprises a list of cells on which the wireless device can perform a random access procedure. In some examples, the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are indicated with PCIs. In some examples, the message further comprises random access configuration. In some examples, the wireless device performs a random access procedure on one of the indicated cells, operating in the second frequency band. In some examples, the message further comprises an indication of one or more frequencies in the second frequency band.

[0113] In some examples, the first radio is a MR and the second radio is a LR. This corresponds to scenario 2. In some examples, the wireless device performs monitoring for a LP-WUS and / or paging in the second frequency band. In some examples, the message further comprises LP-WUS configuration and / or paging configuration. In some examples, the one or more cells (e.g. LR cells) operating in the second frequency band are within a coverage area of the cell (e.g. MR cell) operating in the first frequency band or have similar coverage than the cell operating in the first frequency band. In some examples, the message is a SI message or a release / suspend message. In some examples, the SI message comprises a list of cells that support receiving a LP-P112907W001WUS. In some examples, the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are indicated with PCIs. In some examples, the message further includes a list of frequencies or bands that support LP-WUS. In some examples, the wireless device receives a release or suspend message, that triggers the wireless device to enter the idle / inactive mode.

[0114] Fig. 6 illustrates a flow chart of an example method 300, in a network node, such as 710 or 1000, in a network comprising at least a wireless device, for performing different actions in different frequency bands. For example, the wireless device has a first radio operating in a first frequency band and a second radio operating in a second frequency band. The method 300 comprises:

[0115] Step 310: sending a release message to the wireless device, which triggers the wireless device to enter an inactive or idle mode and to camp on a cell operating in the first frequency band; and

[0116] Step 320: indicating one or more cells operating in the second frequency band.

[0117] In some examples, the first radio is a LR and the second radio is a MR. This corresponds to scenario 1. In some examples, the one or more cells (e.g. MR cells) operating in the second frequency band are within a coverage area of the cell (e.g. LR cell) operating in the first frequency band or have similar coverage than the cell operating in the first frequency band. In some examples, the one or more cells (e.g. MR cells) operating in the second frequency band have different frequencies within the second frequency band. In some examples, the indication is received in SI message or the indication is contained in a release / suspend message. In some examples, the SI message comprises a list of cells on which the wireless device can perform a random access procedure. In some examples, the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are indicated with PCIs. In some examples, the message further comprises random access configuration. In some examples, the network node performs a random access procedure on one of the indicated cells, operating in the second frequency band. In some examples, the release message or SI message further comprises an indication of one or more frequencies in the second frequency band.

[0118] In some examples, the first radio is a MR and the second radio is a LR. This corresponds to scenario 2. In some examples, the network node pages the wireless device in the second frequency band. In some examples, the one or more cells (e.g. LR cells) operating in the second frequency band are within a coverage area of the cell (e.g. MR cell) operating in the first frequency band or have similar coverage than the cell operating in the first frequency band. In some examples, the indication is received in a SI message or the indication is contained in the release / suspend message. In some examples, the SI message comprises a list of cells that supportP112907W001receiving a LP-WUS, a list of frequencies or bands that support LP-WUS, a LP-WUS configuration or a paging configuration. In some examples, the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are indicated with PCIs.

[0119] Fig. 7 shows an example of a communication system 700 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0120] In the example, the communication system 700 includes a telecommunications network 702 that includes an access network 704, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 706, which includes one or more core network nodes 708. The access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes or base stations of various types, access network nodes 710A and 710B are depicted (which may be collectively referred to as network nodes 710), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points (APs). Some embodiments of the access network 704 may include more than one access network technology. The network nodes 710 of access network 704 facilitate direct or indirect connection of wireless devices, e.g. UEs, such as by connecting UEs 712A, 712B, 712C, and 712D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections.

[0121] Moreover, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunications network 702 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a network node in the telecommunications network 702 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other network nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any network node in the telecommunications network 702, including one or more access network nodes 710 and / or core network nodes 708.

[0122] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). An ORAN network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an openP112907W001fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN network node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies.

[0123] The network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of one or more UEs 712 to the core network 706 over one or more wireless connections. Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 700 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 700 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0124] The UEs 712 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 708, 710 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly (e.g., via other devices of telecommunications network 702) with the UEs 712 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunications network 702 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunications network 702. More specifically, UEs 712 may send messages, data, and / or other signals to network nodes 708, 710 or other elements of the telecommunications network 702 by transmitting such signals to the relevant device directly without the signals passing through any intervening devices or by transmitting such signals to the relevant device indirectly through an intervening device (or multiple intervening devices) that then transmit the signal to the relevant device. Similarly, network nodes 708, 710 may send messages, data, and other signals to UEs 7122, other network nodes 708, 710, and other devices in telecommunications network 702 directly or indirectly. As one specific example, a core network node 108 may transmit a particular message to a UE 712 by transmitting the message to an access network node 710 that will then transmit the message to the intended UE 712. Similarly, a core network node 108 may receive aP112907W001particular message from a UE 712 by receiving the message from an access network node 710 that itself received the message from the UE 712.

[0125] In the depicted example, the core network 706 connects elements of the access network 704 (e.g., one or more of the network nodes 710) to one or more host computing systems, such as host 716. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 706 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 708) of various types, one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 708. Network nodes 708 are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, access network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 708. Example core network nodes provide functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0126] The host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 704 and / or the telecommunications network 702. The host 716 may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 716 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0127] As a whole, the communication system 700 of Fig. 7 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 700 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (Wi-Fi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such asP112907W001the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wi-Max), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, Li-Fi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox. Moreover, the communication system 700 may be configured to support multiple different standards, protocols, or other rule sets, with individual components supporting all of the relevant rule sets or with different components or sub-systems within the communication system 700 supporting different standards, protocols, or rule sets.

[0128] As one example, in certain embodiments, access network 704 may contain some access network nodes 710 that support 3 GPP radio access technologies (RAT), such as LTE or NR, while other access network nodes 710 support (or the same access network nodes 710 additionally support) non-3GPP RATs, such as Wi-Fi or a proprietary RAT. As another example, telecommunications network 702 may support multiple generations of related communication standards (e.g., 4G and 5G 3GPP communication standards) and, as a result, may include an access network 104 and / or a core network 106 that supports multiple different standard generations or may include multiple access networks 104 and / or multiple core networks 106 with individual networks 104, 106 supporting different standard generations.

[0129] Telecommunications network 702 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunications network 702. For example, the telecommunications network 702 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0130] In some examples, one or more of the UEs 712 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 704 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 704. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi -standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0131] In the example, the hub 714 communicates with the access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 712C and / or 712D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 710B). In some examples, the hub 714 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 714 may be a broadband router enabling access to the coreP112907W001network 706 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 714 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 710, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 714.

[0132] As another example, the hub 714 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. In still another example, the hub 714 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0133] The hub 714 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 710B. The hub 714 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 714 and UEs (e.g., UE 712C and / or 712D), and between the hub 714 and the core network 706. In other examples, the hub 714 is connected to the core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 714 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 704 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 710 while still connected via the hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 714 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 710B. In other embodiments, the hub 714 may be a nondedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 710B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0134] Fig. 8 is another example of a communication system 800 according to some embodiments. As used herein, the communication system 800 includes multiple APs 810 (with four exemplary APs 810A, 810B, 810C, and 810D being depicted) and multiple wireless devices, referred to in the context of communication system 800 as stations (STAs) 812 (referred to individually as STA 812A, STA 812B, STA 812C, STA 812D, and STA 812E). STA 812A is served by AP 810A in a first basic service set (BSS) 820A. STA 810B and STA 810C are served by AP 810B in a second BSS, BSS 820B. STA 812D is served by AP 810C in a third BSS, BSS 820C. STA 812E is served by AP 810D in a fourth BSS, BSS 820D. Stations 812 may be non-AP STAs and correspond to various kinds of wireless devices, for example, user terminals, such as mobile or stationary computing devices like smartphones, head-mounted displays (HMDs) for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), or the like. Further, stations 812 could, for example, correspond to other kinds of equipment like smart home devices, printers, multimedia devices, data storage devices, or the like.P112907W001

[0135] Each of STAs 812 may connect through a radio link to one of APs 810. For example, depending on location or channel conditions experienced by a given STA 812, the STA may select an appropriate AP and BSS for establishing the radio link. The radio link may be based on one or more orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) carriers from a frequency spectrum that is shared on the basis of a contention-based mechanism, e.g., an unlicensed or license exempt band like 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band, the 5 GHz band, the 6 GHz band, or the 60 GHz band.

[0136] Each AP 810 may provide data connectivity to STAs 812 connected to a particular AP 810. As illustrated, APs 810 may be connected to a data network 830. In this way, APs 810 may also provide data connectivity between STAs 812 and other entities, e.g., to one or more servers, service providers, data sources, data sinks, user terminals, or the like. Accordingly, the radio link established between a given STA 812 and its serving AP 810 may be used for providing various kinds of services to STA 812, e.g., a voice service, a multimedia service, or other data service. Such services may be based on applications that are executed on STA 812 and / or on a device linked to STA 812. By way of example, Fig. 8 illustrates an application service platform 832 provided in data network 830. The application(s) executed on STA 812 and / or on one or more other devices linked to STA 812 may use the radio link for data communication with one or more other STA 812 and / or the application service platform 832, thereby enabling utilization of the corresponding service(s) at STA 812.

[0137] Fig. 9 shows a wireless device 900, which may be configured to operate in communication system 700 of Fig. 7 or in communication system 800 of Fig. 80. The wireless device 900 may be alternatively referred to as a UE 900, like a UE 712 within the context of communication system 700, or as a station (STA) 900 or as a non-access-point station (non-AP STA) 900, like a STA 812 within the context of the communication system 800, in accordance with respective embodiments. As used herein, a wireless device refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, and wireless terminal. Other examples include any type of UE identified by the 3 GPP, including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE. The UE can be also a WUR UE, with a LR and a MR, for example.

[0138] A wireless device 900 may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-RangeP112907W001Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X).

[0139] In particular embodiments, wireless device 900 includes processing circuitry 902 that is operatively coupled via a bus 904 to an input / output interface 906, a power source 908, a memory 910, a communication interface 912, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain embodiments of wireless device 900 may include all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. 9. The level of integration between the components may vary from one embodiment of wireless device 900 to another. In general, in a particular embodiment of wireless device 900, processing circuitry 902, input / output interface 906, power source 908, memory 910, and communication interface 912 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of wireless device 900. Further, certain embodiments of wireless devices 900 may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0140] The processing circuitry 902 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 910. The processing circuitry 902 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 902 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). Furthermore, the processing circuitry 902 is configured to perform any steps of method 200 of Fig. 5.

[0141] In the example, the input / output interface 906 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. An input device may allow a user to capture information into wireless device 900. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0142] In some embodiments, the power source 908 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used to supply power to circuitry or to charge an associated battery. The power source 908 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 908 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of wireless device 900 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Power source 908P112907W001may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to make accessible power suitable for the respective components of the wireless device 900 to which power is supplied.

[0143] The memory 910 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM) and other kinds of ROMs, magnetic disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 910 includes one or more programs 914, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 916. The memory 910 may store, for use by wireless device 900, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0144] The memory 910 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 910 may allow wireless device 900 to access instructions, programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 910, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0145] The processing circuitry 902 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network via or using the communication interface 912. The communication interface 912 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 922. The communication interface 912 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another wireless device or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 918 and / or a receiver 920 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 918 and receiver 920 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 922) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0146] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 912 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth,P112907W001near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0147] In particular embodiments, wireless device 900 may provide an output of data captured via a sensor, through its communication interface 912, via a wireless connection to a network node, and / or in any appropriate manner. Data captured by sensors of a wireless device 900 can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another wireless device 900.

[0148] Wireless device 900, when in the form of an loT device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, an animal- or item-tracking device, and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. In particular embodiments, wireless device 900 represents an loT device that comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the example embodiment of wireless device 900 shown in Fig. 9.

[0149] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, wireless device 900 may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another wireless device and / or a network node. Wireless device 900 may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, wireless device 900 may implement the 3 GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, wireless device 900 may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0150] In practice, any number of wireless devices 900 may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first wireless device 900 might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second wireless device 900 that is a remote controller operating the drone.

[0151] Fig. 10 shows a network node 1000 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable toP112907W001communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunications network. In accordance with respective embodiments, network node 1000 may be configured to operate in communication system 700 of Fig. 7, like network nodes 708 or 710, or in communication system 800 of Figure 8, like an AP 810 or a station 812. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs (NBs), evolved NBs (eNBs) and NR NBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0152] Network nodes 1000 may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. Network node 1000 may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. Network nodes 1000 may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0153] Other examples of network nodes 1000 include multiple transmission point (multi -TRP) 5G access nodes, multi -standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0154] In particular embodiments, network node 1000 includes a processing circuitry 1002, a memory 1004, a communication interface 1006, and a power source 1008. In general, in a particular embodiment of network node 1000, processing circuitry 1002, memory 1004, communication interface 1006, and power source 1008 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of network node 1000.

[0155] The network node 1000 may be composed of multiple distinct network entities (e.g., a NB entity and a RNC entity, or a BTS entity and a BSC entity, etc.), which may each have or utilize their own respective physical components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1000 comprises multiple such entities (e.g., BTS and BSC), one or more of the separate entitiesP112907W001may be shared among several network nodes. In some embodiments, the network node 1000 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memories 1004 or portions of memory 1004 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1010 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1000 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1000, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, Wi-Fi (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1000.

[0156] The processing circuitry 1002 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other components, such as the memory 1004, to provide network node 1000 functionality.

[0157] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1012 and the baseband processing circuitry 1014 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1012 and baseband processing circuitry 1014 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0158] The memory 1004 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, ROM, mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1002. The memory 1004 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1002 and utilized by the network node 1000. The memory 1004 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1002 and / or any data received via theP112907W001communication interface 1006. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1002 and memory 1004 is integrated. Furthermore, the processing circuitry 1002 is configured to perform any one of the steps of method 300 of Fig. 5.

[0159] The communication interface 1006 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data with UEs, other network nodes, and / or any other network equipment. In the illustrated embodiment, communication interface 1006 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1016 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. In particular embodiments, network node 900 may be capable of wireless communication and communication interface 1006 may also include radio front-end circuitry 1018 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, an antenna 1010. Particular embodiments of radio front-end circuitry 1018 include filter(s) 1020 and amplifier(s) 1022. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may be connected to an antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1010 and processing circuitry 1002. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1018 may convert the digital data into a radio signal(s) having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1020 and / or amplifiers 1022. The radio signal(s) may then be transmitted via the antenna 1010. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1010 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1018. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1002. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0160] In certain alternative embodiments, network node 1000 may be capable of wireless communication but does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1018, instead, the processing circuitry 1002 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1010. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1012 is part of the communication interface 1006. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1006 includes one or more ports or terminals 1016, the radio front-end circuitry 1018, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1012, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1006 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1014, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0161] The antenna 1010 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1010 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1018 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / orP112907W001signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1010 is separate from the network node 1000 and connectable to the network node 1000 through one or more interfaces or ports.

[0162] The antenna 1010, communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to perform some or all of the receiving operations and / or obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1000. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1010, the communication interface 1006, and / or the processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to perform some or all of the transmitting or sending operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1000. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0163] The power source 1008 provides power to the various components of network node 1000 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1008 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1000 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1000 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1008. As a further example, the power source 1008 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0164] Embodiments of the network node 1000 may include additional components beyond those shown in Fig. 10 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein.

[0165] Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1100 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1100 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computingP112907W001device that operates as an access network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which a virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1100 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface.

[0166] Applications 1102 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0167] Hardware 1104 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1106 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VM 1108 A and VM 1108B (which may be collectively referred to as VMs 1108), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1106 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to one or more of the VMs 1108.

[0168] The VMs 1108 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by virtualization layer 1106. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1102 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1108, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0169] In the context of NFV, each of the VMs 1108 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1108, and that part of hardware 1104 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more of the VMs 1108 on top of the hardware 1104 and corresponds to an application 1102.P112907W001

[0170] Hardware 1104 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1104 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1104 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1110, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1102. In some embodiments, hardware 1104 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1112 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0171] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface.

[0172] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality.

[0173] It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein are not limited to what has been particularly shown and described herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above to the contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawings are not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings.

Claims

P112907W001Claims1. A method (200) performed by a wireless device (712, 900), which has a first radio operating in a first frequency band and a second radio operating in a second frequency band, the method comprising:- camping (210) on a cell operating in the first frequency band, after entering an inactive / idle mode;- receiving (220) a message, the message comprising an indication of one or more cells operating in the second frequency band; and- performing (230) one or more tasks on one or more of the one or more indicated cells operating in the second frequency band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radio is a Low power Radio (LR) and the second radio is a main radio (MR).

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are within a coverage area of the cell operating in the first frequency band or have similar coverage than the cell operating in the first frequency band.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band have different frequencies within the second frequency band.

5. The method of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the message is one of a System Information (SI) message, a release message or a suspend message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the SI message comprises a list of cells on which the wireless device can perform a random access procedure.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are indicated with Physical Cell Identities (PCIs).

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the message further comprises a random access configuration.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein performing one or more tasks comprises performing a random access procedure on one of the indicated cells, operating in the second frequency band.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the message further comprises an indication of one or more frequencies in the second frequency band.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first radio is a MR and the second radio is a LR.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein performing one or more tasks comprises monitoring for a Low Power Wake Up Signal (LP-WUS) and / or paging in the second frequency band.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein the message further comprises a LP-WUSP112907W001configuration and / or paging configuration.

14. The method of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are within a coverage area of the cell operating in the first frequency band or have similar coverage than the cell operating in the first frequency band.

15. The method of any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the message is a System Information (SI) message, a release message or a suspend message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the SI message comprises a list of cells that support receiving a LP-WUS.

17. The method of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are indicated with Physical Cell Identities (PCIs).

18. The method of any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the message further includes a list of frequencies or bands that support LP-WUS.

19. A method (300) performed by a network node (710, 1000) in a network comprising at least a wireless device (712, 900), which has a first radio operating in a first frequency band and a second radio operating in a second frequency band, the method comprising:- sending (310) a release message to the wireless device, which triggers the wireless device to enter an inactive or idle mode and to camp on a cell operating in the first frequency band; and - indicating (320) one or more cells for operation in the second frequency band.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first radio is a Low power Radio (LR) and the second radio is a main radio (MR).

21. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are within a coverage area of the cell operating in the first frequency band or have similar coverage than the cell operating in the first frequency band.

22. The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band have different frequencies within the second frequency band.

23. The method of any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the indication is received in a System Information (SI) message or the indication is contained in the release message.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the SI message comprises a list of cells on which the wireless device can perform a random access procedure.

25. The method of any one of claims 19 to 24, wherein the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are indicated with Physical Cell Identities (PCIs).

26. The method of any one of claims 23 to 25, wherein the release message or the SI message further comprises random access configuration.

27. The method of any one of claims 19 to 26, further comprising performing a random accessP112907W001procedure on one of the indicated cells, operating in the second frequency band.

28. The method of any one of claims 23 to 27, wherein the release message or the SI message further comprises an indication of one or more frequencies in the second frequency band.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the first radio is a MR and the second radio is a LR.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising paging in the second frequency band.

31. The method of any one of claims 29 to 30, wherein the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are within a coverage area of the cell operating in the first frequency band or have similar coverage than the cell operating in the first frequency band.

32. The method of any one of claims 29 to 31, wherein the indication is received in a System Information (SI) message or the indication is contained in the release message.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the SI message comprises a list of cells that support receiving a LP-WUS, a list of frequencies or bands that support LP-WUS, a LP-WUS configuration or a paging configuration.

34. The method of any one of claims 29 to 33, wherein the one or more cells operating in the second frequency band are indicated with Physical Cell Identities (PCIs).

35. A wireless device (712, 900) which has a Low power Radio (LR) operating in a first frequency band and a Main Radio (MR) operating in a second frequency band, the wireless device comprising a network interface (912) and processing circuitry processing circuitry (902)connected thereto, the processing circuitry (902) configured to perform the method of any of the claims 1 to 18.

36. A network node (710, 1000) in communication with a wireless device (712, 900), which has a Low power Radio (LR) operating in a first frequency band and a Main Radio (MR) operating in a second frequency band, and comprising a network interface (1006) and processing circuitry (1002) connected thereto, the processing circuitry (1002) configured to perform the method of any of the claims 19 to 34.

37. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the methods according to any one of claims 1 to 34.

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