Measurement reporting for secondary cell measurements

Abstract

Methods for handling measurement reporting for cells associated with Layer-1 / Layer-2-triggered mobility, LTM, in a wireless network. In example method, a user equipment, UE, receives, from a network node in the wireless network, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells. The one or more SCells are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE, and the one or more Scells are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE. The example method further comprises reporting measurements for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information.

Description

[0001] MEASUREMENT REPORTING FOR SECONDARY CELL MEASUREMENTS

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates generally to the field of wireless networks, and more specifically to improving mobility of user equipment (UEs) across multiple cells in a wireless network, specifically mobility based on layer-1 (L1 ) and / or layer-2 (L2) procedures that incur less delay than conventional layer-3 mobility procedures.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] Currently the fifth generation (5G) of cellular systems is being standardized within the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). This includes a radio network technology widely known as “NR” (from “New Radio”). NR is developed for maximum flexibility to support multiple and substantially different use cases. These include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), machine type communications (MTC), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), side-link device-to-device (D2D), and several other use cases.

[0006] Figure 1 illustrates a high-level view of an exemplary 5G network architecture, consisting of a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN, 199) and a 5G Core (5GC, 198). The NG-RAN can include one or more gNodeBs (gNBs) connected to the 5GC via one or more NG interfaces, such as gNBs (100, 150) connected via respective interfaces (102, 152). More specifically, the gNBs can be connected to one or more Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs) in the 5GC via respective NG-C interfaces and to one or more User Plane Functions (UPFs) in 5GC via respective NG-U interfaces. The 5GC can include various other network functions (NFs), such as Session Management Function(s) (SMF).

[0007] Although not shown in Figure 1 , in some deployments the 5GC can be replaced by an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), which conventionally has been used together with a fourth generation (4G) Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved UMTS RAN (E-UTRAN). In such deployments, gNBs (e.g., 100,150) can connect to one or more Mobility Management Entities (MMEs) in EPC 198 via respective S1-C interfaces. Similarly, gNBs can connect to one or more Serving Gateways (SGWs) in EPC via respective NG-U interfaces.

[0008] In addition, the gNBs can be connected to each other via one or more Xn interfaces, such as Xn interface (140) between gNBs (100, 150). The radio technology for the NG-RAN is often referred to as “New Radio” (NR). With respect to the NR interface to UEs, each of the gNBs can support frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), or a combination thereof. Each of the gNBs can serve a geographic coverage area including one or more cells and, in some cases, can also use various directional beams to provide coverage in the respective cells. In general, a DL “beam” is a coverage area of a network-transmitted reference signal (RS) that may be measured or monitored by a UE.

[0009] NG RAN logical nodes (e.g., gNB 100) include a Central Unit (CU or gNB-CU, e.g., 110) and one or more Distributed Units (DU or gNB-DU, e.g., 120, 130). CUs are logical nodes that host higher-layer protocols and perform various gNB functions such controlling the operation of DUs. DUs are decentralized logical nodes that host lower layer protocols and can include, depending on the functional split option, various subsets of the gNB functions. Each CU and DU can include various circuitry needed to perform their respective functions, including processing circuitry, communication interface circuitry (e.g., transceivers), and power supply circuitry.

[0010] A gNB-CU connects to one or more gNB-DUs over respective F1 logical interfaces (e.g., 122 and 132 shown in Figure 1). However, a gNB-DU can be connected to only a single gNB-CU. The gNB-CU and its connected gNB-DU(s) are only visible to other gNBs and the 5GC as a gNB. In other words, the F1 interface is not visible beyond gNB-CU.

[0011] In NR, measurement and reporting operations enable the network to dynamically configure a user equipment (UE) to use multiple cells, in a so-called Master Cell Group (MCG) and / or in aso-called Secondary Cell Group (SCG), for enhancing coverage, capacity, and mobility. Using measurement and reporting configurations signaled to the UE by the network, the UE performs measurements on neighboring cells, focusing on measurement metrics like reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) to evaluate signal quality and interference levels.

[0012] These measurements performed by the UE are based on reference signals such as the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), for initial synchronization, and Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSI-RS), for detailed channel state information. The network uses Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling to configure the UE with measurement objects and reporting criteria. A measurement object specifies the target frequency of the cells to be measured, cell group information (MCG or SCG), reference signal information (SSB or CSI-RS), measurement types (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR) the UE needs to perform, and other relevant neighbor cell information. Reporting configurations define triggering events for sending measurement reporting, which can be event-based (e.g., based on threshold conditions) or periodic (at regular intervals).

[0013] For an MCG, measurement reports can be used by the network to help decide whether a neighboring cell may be added as a secondary cell (SCell), improving data rates and / or providing redundancy using carrier aggregation (CA). For SCG, in a Dual Connectivity (DC) scenario, reports guide the addition of SCG SCells, to enhance capacity or offload traffic from the MCG.

[0014] The UE sends measurement reports to the Master Node (MN) for MCG SCell measurements or to the Secondary Node (SN) for SCG SCell measurements. Upon receiving reports, the network evaluates signal quality and decides whether to add, modify, or remove SCells based on predefined thresholds and resource availability. The network activates SCells using RRC signaling, specifying carrier aggregation (CA) and / or dual connectivity settings for datatransmission. Dynamic updates allow the network to deactivate SCells with degrading signal quality or to replace them with better-performing neighbors. By leveraging UE measurement and reporting, 5G NR achieves efficient resource allocation, improved coverage, and seamless user mobility management.

[0015] Layer 1 / Layer 2-Triggered Mobility (LTM) has been specified in Release 18of the3GPP specifications as part of the Mobility enhancements Work Item. LTM is a procedure in which a gNB receives Layer 1 (L1 ) measurement report(s) from a UE, via lower layer signaling. (The term “lower layer signaling” as used herein refers to signaling performed using protocols below the RRC layer, i.e., Layer 1 and Layer 2.) These L1 -measurement reports are used by the network for mobility-related decisions, such as executing an LTM cell switch to a target cell by sending an LTM Cell Switch MAC Control Element (MAC CE) command. This cell switch command refers to an LTM candidate cell configuration that the gNB previously prepared and provided to the UE through RRC signalling. Upon receipt of the command, the UE switches to the target cell, according to the cell switch command. The LTM procedure can be used to reduce mobility latency.

[0016] LTM supports both intra-gNB-DU and intra-gNB-CU / inter-gNB-DU mobility. LTM supports both intra-frequency and inter-frequency mobility, including mobility to an inter-frequency cell that is not a current serving cell.

[0017] Figure 2 illustrates the signaling procedure for LTM. Some details of the illustrated steps are as follows:

[0018] 1. The UE sends L3-measurement report(s) to the gNB for one or more cells. Based on these reports, the gNB identifies and configures one or more cells as LTM candidate cells, initiating the LTM preparation phase.

[0019] 2. The gNB sends an RRC Reconfiguration message to the UE with the configuration details for the LTM candidate cells.3. The UE stores the received LTM candidate configurations and acknowledges with an RRC Reconfiguration Complete message.

[0020] 4a. Downlink ((DL) Pre-Synchronization: Optionally, the UE may perform early DL synchronization with LTM candidate cells upon receiving a "Candidate Cell transmission configuration indicator (TCI) States Activation / Deactivation MAC CE," reducing the mobility interruption by avoiding SSB-based synchronization after the cell switch.

[0021] 4b. UL Pre-Synchronization: If the UE receives a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) order for early timing advance (TA) acquisition, it may also perform UL presynchronization with the candidate cells, further reducing the mobility delay.

[0022] 5. The UE performs L1 measurements on the configured LTM candidate cells and reports them to the source node.

[0023] 6. The source node decides the target cell for the switch and sends an “LTM Cell Switch” MAC CE containing the configuration index of the selected LTM cell. The UE switches to the target cell and applies the indicated configuration of the LTM candidate cell.

[0024] 7. If the UE lacks a valid TA value for the target cell, it performs a random-access procedure. If a valid TA was acquired earlier during early UL synchronization, this procedure is skipped. Moreover, if the target cell TCI state indicated in the LTM cell switch MAC CE differs from the pre-synchronized TCI state, additional synchronization may be required.

[0025] 8. The UE completes the LTM cell switch by sending an RRC Reconfiguration Complete message to the target cell. For cases involving random-access, successful completion of the random-access procedure confirms the switch. For RACH-less LTM, the switch is deemed successful once the network acknowledges the UE’s first UL data transmission. The UE determines successful reception of its first UL data by receiving a PDCCH addressing the UE’s C-RNTI in the target cell, which schedules a newtransmission following the first UL data. The PDCCH carries either a DL assignment or an UL grant addressing the same HARQ process as the first UL data.

[0026] As noted above, the LTM cell switch is driven by L1 measurements reported to the network by the UE. Release 18 of the 3GPP specifications for LTM specify measurement resource configuration for supporting L1-RSRP measurements on reference signals in LTM candidate cells. The information element (IE) illustrated in Figure 3 is an example of measurement information sent to the UE by the network, and defines a group of one or multiple measurement resources for one or more LTM candidate configurations.

[0027] As seen in Figure 3, the measurement resource configuration information element includes a measurement resource configuration identifier (ID) and a corresponding measurement resource set for the LTM configuration. Each measurement resource set includes a list of SSB indices and a list of the respective LTM candidate cell ID(s). According to Release 18 (Rel-18) versions of the 3GPP specifications, the UE performs L1-RSRP measurements on the LTM candidate cell SSBs. The ongoing development of Release 19 (Rel-19) versions of the specifications includes agreements related to the performance of L1-RSRP measurements by the UE on the LTM candidate cell CSI-RS, as well.

[0028] Rel-18 LTM defines four different types of measurement reporting related to the LTM procedures, e.g., early synchronization and LTM cell switch. The specific measurement reported desired by the network is configured in the UE by providing the UE with LTM reporting configuration information. In Rel-18 LTM, periodic reporting on physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), semi-persistent reporting on PUCCH, semi-persistent reporting on physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and aperiodic reporting methods are supported. Each of these measurement report types is carried via uplink control information (UCI). Figure 4 illustrates the information element used to configure the UE to use each of these reporting types.As indicated above, the periodic report in LTM can only be carried via PUCCH and the associated PUCCH resource configuration for report transmission, reporting periodicity, and offset are provided via RRC configuration in the serving cell. The semi-persistent report in LTM can be carried via PUSCH or PUCCH, and the transmission of semi-persistent report is activated via a MAC CE. Aperiodic reporting in LTM can only be carried via PUSCH and the transmission of the aperiodic LTM CSI report is polled via downlink control information (DCI).

[0029] SUMMARY

[0030] According to the current specifications for LTM, a UE performs L1 measurements and reporting only for LTM candidate cells, and not for SCells that might be in the same group (the MCG or SCG) as an LTM candidate cell. Layer 3 (L3) measurements and reporting may be performed for these SCells, and the reports may be used by the network to make decisions about activating, deactivating, or releasing SCells, but L3 measurement and reporting procedures utilize RRC signaling, which is much slower than the lower layer signaling used for L1 measurements and reporting. Consequently, it may not be possible for the network to simultaneously execute the configuration, activation, deactivation, or release decisions for SCells, while performing the LTM cell switch to one of the LTM candidate cells.

[0031] According to some embodiment, there is a method performed by a UE provided. The method is handling measurement reporting for cells associated with Layer-1 / Layer-2-triggered mobility, LTM, in a wireless network. The method comprises receiving, from a network node in the wireless network, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells. The one or more SCells are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE. The one or more Scells are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE. The method comprises reporting measurements for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information.According to some embodiments, there is a method performed by a first network node provided. The method is for handling measurement reporting for cells associated with Layer-1 / Layer-2-triggered mobility, LTM, in a wireless network. The method comprises sending, to a User Equipment, UE, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells. The one or more SCells are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE. The one or more SCells are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE.

[0032] According to some embodiments, there is provided a UE. The UE is adapted to carry out the method performed by the UE as described herein.

[0033] According to some embodiments, there is provided a first network node. The first network node is adapted to carry out the method performed by the first network node as described herein.

[0034] Embodiments of the methods, apparatuses, and systems described may be used to address this and related problems. These include methods implemented at the UE and the network to provide to the UE measurement reporting configuration information that allows the UE to report measurements on reference signals or beams of one or more Scells associated with an LTM candidate cell configuration. This may be done even for one or more SCells that are not configured as one of the LTM candidate cells.

[0035] In example method, according to some embodiments or instances of the techniques, apparatuses, and systems described herein, a user equipment, UE, receives, from a network node in the wireless network, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells, that are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE but that are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE. The example method further comprises reporting measurements for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information.Further details of these and related techniques for the UE are described below, as are corresponding techniques for network nodes.

[0036] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OFTHE FIGURES

[0037] For better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and to show how it may be put into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0038] Figure 1 shows a high-level view of an exemplary 5G network architecture.

[0039] Figure 2 illustrates the signaling procedure for LTM.

[0040] Figure 3 illustrates a Measurement Resource Configuration information element (IE) in 3GPP Release 18.

[0041] Figure 4 illustrates a reporting configuration IE in 3GPP Release 18.

[0042] Figure 5 shows an exemplary method (e.g., procedure) fora UE, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 6 shows an exemplary method (e.g., procedure) fora network node, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 7 shows a communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 8 shows a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figure 9 shows a network node according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 10 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments of the present disclosure may be virtualized.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] This disclosure may use the term “L1 / L2 based inter-cell mobility” as used in the Work Item Description in 3GPP, though it interchangeably also uses the terms L1 / L2 mobility, L1 -mobility, L1 based mobility, L1 / L2-centric inter-cell mobility, L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility, L1 / L2-Triggered Mobility, Layer-1 / Layer-2-triggered mobility, Lower- layer Triggered Mobility, or simply LTM. The basic principle of LTM is that the UE receives a lower layer signaling from the network indicating to the UE a change (or switch or activation) of its serving cell (e.g., change of PCell, from a source to a target Pcell) in accordance with configuration information previously received by the UE. A lower layer signaling is a message / signaling of a lower layer protocol, which may be referred as a L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility execution command or LTM cell switch command. The change of serving cell (e.g., change of Pcell) may also lead to a change in Scell(s) for the same cell group, e.g., in case the command triggers the UE to change to another cell group configuration of the same type (e.g. another MCG configuration). Before the UE receives the LTM cell switch command, the UE is configured by the network with one or more LTM candidate cell configurations (e.g., reception of an RRC Reconfiguration message, with at least one LTM candidate cell configuration). An LTM candidate cell configuration may include parameters in the IE CellGroupConfig per candidate cell and / or an embedded RRC Reconfiguration per LTM candidate cell.

[0049] The term LTM cell switch procedure refers to the process of a UE changing its cell from a source cell to a target cell (which may be called here a candidate cell ora neighbor cell), using L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM). In the context of LTM execution or LTM cell switch, the text may refer to the serving cell before the LTM cell switch as source cell, old source cell, or previous source cell. An LTM cell switch procedure may sometimes also be known as dynamic switch, LTM switch, (LTM) cell switch, (LTM) serving cell change or (LTM) cell change, or LTM execution. Even if the term change of cell is used, that may comprise a change of a whole cell group configuration, which includes a change in the SpCell (e.g., change of PCell or change of PSCell)and a change in SCells of the cell group (e.g., addition, modification and / or release of one or more SCells). The LTM cell switch procedure may be triggered by the UE receiving an LTM cell switch command from the network. The source and target cells in a LTM cell switch procedure may be controlled by the same gNB, which sometimes is referred to as the intra-gNB case, or when the gNB uses a distributed CU / DU RAN architecture, the intra-CU inter-DU case or the intra-CU intra-DU case (dependingon whetherthe cells are controlled bythe same DU or different DUs). When the source and target cells in a LTM cell switch procedure are controlled by different gNBs, this is sometimes referred to as the inter-gNB case, or inter-CU case, or sometimes known as an inter-CU LTM cell switch procedure.

[0050] Where the term “change of cell” is used, the change of cell may comprise a change of a whole cell group configuration, which includes a change in the SpCell (e.g., change of Pcell, or change of PSCell) and a change in Scells of the cell group (e.g., addition, modification and / or release of one or more Scells).

[0051] An LTM cell switch procedure may be triggered in the UE by reception of a LTM cell switch command, e.g., a MAC CE.

[0052] This document often refers to an LTM candidate cell, which is a cell the UE is configured with when configured with L1 / L2-triggered mobility. That is, a cell the UE can move to in a LTM cell switch procedure, upon reception of a LTM cell switch command. These cells may also be called candidate cell(s), candidates, mobility candidates, non-serving cells, additional cells, target candidate cell, target candidate, etc. A LTM candidate cell is a cell the UE performs measurements on (e.g., CSI measurements) so that the UE reports these measurements and the network may take educated decision on which beam (e.g. TCI state) and / or cell the UE is to be switched to. An LTM candidate cell may be a candidate to be a target Pcell or PSCell, or an Scell of a cell group (e.g. MCG Scell).This disclosure also refers often to “at least one LTM candidate cell configuration” and may state that the UE has received at least one LTM candidate cell configuration. This is also sometimes referred to as a configuration of a LTM candidate cell, which may be an RRC configuration, such as encapsulated in an RRC Reconfiguration message, that the UE receives when being configured with L1 / L2-Triggered Mobility. A LTM candidate cell configuration may comprise the configuration the UE needs to start to operate accordingly when it performs an LTM cell switch procedure to that LTM candidate cell, e.g., upon reception of an LTM cell switch command indicating the UE to perform a LTM cell switch procedure to that LTM candidate cell, which becomes the target cell and the current (new) SpCell, or an SCell in a serving frequency. The LTM candidate cell configuration may comprise parameters of a serving cell (or multiple serving cells, such as a cell group), comprising one or more of the groups of parameters, such as an RRCReconfiguration message an IE CellGroupConfigor an IE SpCellConfig (or the IE SCellConfig, in the case of a Secondary Cell). A LTM candidate cell configuration may in one example comprise one or more of: i) the PCell configuration and one or more SCell configuration(s) of a Master Cell Group (MCG); i) the PSCell configuration and one or more SCell configuration(s) of a secondary Cell Group (SCG). The terms (LTM) candidate configuration, LTM configuration, (LTM) candidate target cell configuration, (LTM) target candidate (cell) configuration may be used interchangeably when referringto LTM candidate cell configuration. An LTM candidate cell configuration may be associated with an identifier which is used in the signaling when referringto a certain LTM candidate cell configuration, such as when the UE receives the LTM candidate cell configuration and when the UE receives an LTM cell switch command indicating the UE to perform a LTM cell switch procedure to that LTM candidate cell. This identifier is sometimes known as the LTM candidate cell configuration identity or LTM candidate configuration index (or similar).

[0053] The text introduces the concept of Conditional LTM (CLTM), which can be viewed as a form of conditional reconfiguration, in which LTM cell switch is triggered in the UE by some other event,such as a condition, e.g., a triggering condition used for conditional configuration. In CLTM, the UE is configured with at least one LTM candidate cell (denoted as a CLTM candidate cell), by receiving an LTM candidate cell configuration, as in legacy LTM, and called herein a Conditional LTM candidate cell configuration, and an associated execution condition, denoted as CLTM execution condition. The evaluation of CLTM execution condition associated to a CLTM candidate cell may be performed by the assessment of lower layer measurements, such as Layer 1 reference signal received power (L1-RSRP) and / or SS-RSRP, derived from SSBs and / or CSI-RSs of either the source cell and / or an LTM candidate cell. Lower layer measurements, in this context, are measurements reported to support lower layer procedures like beam management, candidate cell TCI state activation / deactivation, early timing advance (TA) acquisition, and link adaptation, and they aren't filtered based on Layer 3 (L3) parameters, though there may or may not be some filtering of these measurements based on the other lower layer parameters. The reception of CLTM execution condition may also involve receiving an indication of the condition and / or configuring it with parameters such as event identifier(s), offset(s), threshold(s), RS type, trigger quantity such as RSRP, RSRQ or SINR, time-to-trigger (TTT), and so forth. The UE reports these lower layer measurements and network may take educated decision on which beam (e.g., TCI state) and / or cell the UE is to be switched to. An LTM candidate cell may be a candidate to be a target PCell or PSCell, or an SCell of a cell group (e.g., MCG SCell).

[0054] In the context of CLTM, the UE relies on evaluating one or two condition(s), referred to as CLTM execution condition(s), LTM execution condition(s), or triggering condition(s), or a combination thereof. And, when the condition(s) for a CLTM candidate cell is(are) fulfilled, the UE may perform a cell switch, which may be seen as a kind of LTM execution which is not triggered by the reception of an LTM cell switch command; this may also be considered as a kind of LTM cell switch, or LTM cell switch execution, or Conditional LTM cell switch, or Conditional LTM execution, or CLTM execution, or simply cell switch. According to the methods outlined in theinvention, upon satisfaction of the execution condition(s), the UE may initiate an LTM cell switch. The term LTM cell switch refers to the process of a UE changing its cell from a source cell to a target cell, using L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM). In the context of Conditional LTM execution, the text may refer to the serving cell before the LTM cell switch as source cell, old source cell, or previous source cell.

[0055] The text also discusses the concept of an LTM candidate cell within the framework of Conditional LTM. The candidate cell may be referred to as a CLTM candidate cell, CLTM cell, simply candidate cell, candidate target cell, simply target cell, LTM candidate cell, LTM cell, or L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility candidate cell, depending on the context or terminology used in the invention. Essentially, it denotes a cell to which the UE is directed or switches to in the event of executing a conditional L1 / L2 inter-cell mobility procedure after meeting the associated execution condition(s) and may also be termed as new source cell or next source cell after the LTM cell switch (or after LTM cell switch execution). These cells may also be termed as candidate cells, mobility candidates, non-serving cells, additional cells, candidate target cell, simply target cell or deactivated cells. In the context of the invention, performing the CLTM execution comprises the UE considering that the CLTM candidate cell becomes its new special cell (SpCell) e.g., PCell in case of CLTM being configured for a Master Cell Group (MCG) and / or PSCell in case of CLTM being configured for a Secondary Cell Group (SCG); or, changing its SpCell from the current PCell to a CLTM candidate cell.

[0056] The text uses the term “conditional LTM” or “conditional LTM candidate configuration” which is used to identify a configuration for which the UE is provided with certain criteria which the UE may need to evaluate by itself. Upon the fulfillment of these one or more criteria the UE may execute autonomously a conditional LTM cell switch procedure and may apply the provided conditional LTM candidate configuration without the network indicating to do so. The text also uses the term “normal LTM” or “normal LTM candidate configuration” which is used to identifyan LTM candidate configuration which the UE applies only upon receiving an indication from the network to trigger an LTM cell switch execution.

[0057] An LTM candidate cell might also pertain to a candidate cell in a 5G Radio Access Technology like NR or a future 6G Radio Access Technology.

[0058] The terms “triggering” the LTM cell switch or “executing” the LTM cell switch are used interchangeably in this disclosure.

[0059] An LTM cell switch procedure may alternatively be triggered in the UE upon the reception of LTM cell switch or by some other event, e.g., an event condition evaluated on L3 -RSRP for conditional configuration, such as conditional handover, being fulfilled, as a result of recovery from radio link failure or handover failure.

[0060] The term “CHO execution procedure” refers to the process of a UE evaluating certain criteria configured by the network and, upon the fulfilling of such criteria, the UE switching (orchanging) its cell from a source cell to a target cell without any network indication. In the context of the invention, switching to the CHO candidate configuration comprises the UE considering that the CHO candidate cell becomes its new special cell (SpCell) e.g., Pcell in case of CHO being configured for a Master Cell Group (MCG) and / or PSCell in case of CHO being configured for a Secondary Cell Group (SCG); or, changing its SpCell from the current PCell to an CHO candidate cell. Further, for the case when CHO is configured on the PSCell, this procedure may also be called as CPA, CPC, CPAC, or subsequent CPAC.

[0061] Even if the term change of cell is used, that may comprise a change of a whole cell group configuration, which includes a change in the SpCell (e.g., change of PCell or change of PSCell) and a change in SCells of the cell group (e.g., addition, modification and / or release of one or more SCells).The text refers to at least one LTM / CLTM candidate cell configuration or CHO candidate configuration and that the UE has received at least one LTM / CLTM candidate cell configuration or CHO candidate configuration. This is also sometimes referred to as a configuration of an LTM / CLTM candidate cell or CHO candidate, which may be an RRC configuration, such as encapsulated in an RRC Reconfiguration message, that the UE receives when being configured with L1 / L2-Triggered Mobility or CHO. An LTM / CLTM or CHO candidate cell configuration comprises the configuration that the UE needs to start to operate accordingly when it performs an LTM cell switch / CLTM execution or a CHO execution procedure to that candidate cell e.g., upon reception of the LTM cell switch command indicating the UE to perform an LTM cell switch procedure to that LTM candidate cell or when certain CLTM / CHO criteria have been fulfilled, which becomes the target cell and the current (new) SpCell, or an SCell in a serving frequency. The LTM / CLTM or CHO candidate cell configuration may comprise parameters of a serving cell (or multiple serving cells, such as a cell group), comprising one or more of the groups of parameters, such as an RRCReconfiguration message, an IE CellGroupConfigoran IE SpCellConfig (or the IE SCellConfig, in the case of an SCell). An LTM / CLTM or CHO candidate cell configuration may in one example comprise one or more of: i) the PCell configuration and one or more SCell configuration(s) of a Master Cell Group (MCG); i) the PSCell configuration and one or more SCell configuration(s) of a secondary Cell Group (SCG). The terms (LTM / CLTM or CHO) candidate configuration, LTM / CLTM or CHO configuration, (LTM / CLTM or CHO) candidate target cell configuration, (LTM / CLTM or CHO) target candidate (cell) configuration may be used interchangeably when referring to LTM or CHO candidate cell configuration. An LTM / CLTM candidate cell configuration may be associated with an identifier which is used in the signaling when referring to a certain LTM or CLTM candidate cell configuration, such as when the UE receives the LTM or CLTM candidate cell configuration and when the UE receives an LTM cell switch command indicating the UE to perform an LTM cell switch procedure to that LTMcandidate cell. This identifier is sometimes known as the LTM / CLTM candidate cell configuration identity or LTM / CLTM candidate configuration index (or similar).

[0062] The text uses the term “cell” to identify a location (or coverage) on which the UE is located. However, the term “cell” can also be exchanged without any loss of meaning with the terms “radio resources”, “beams”, “TCI state”, or “Tracking reference signal (TRS)”. This is just to clarify that this invention does not target specifically a scenario where there is a cell, but rather when a UE uses a set of source radio resources and need to switch to a target set of radio resources. In such a case, radio resource can also identify a set of configurations, field, parameters, or ASN.1 structures or lEs.

[0063] The text further uses the term MCG to identify a first network entity that provides a first connectivity link to the UE and SCG to identify e second network entity that provides a second connectivity link to the UE. However, the terms “MCG” and “MN” can be exchanged without any loss of meaning as well as the terms “SCG” and “SN”. Moreover, the text uses the terms “first network node” and “second network node” to refer to a source cell / servingcell / source gNB-DU / S-DU and an LTM target cell / candidate gNB-DU / C-DU respectively.

[0064] As discussed briefly above, the LTM CSI framework specified for the Rel-18 and Rel-19 versions of L1 / L2 triggered mobility (LTM) assumes that the reference signals provided to the UE to be measured and the measurements reported to the network by the UE, using lower layer signaling (e.g., via UCI and MAC CE), are measurements performed on reference signals that belong to an LTM candidate cell for a change in SpCell (i.e., PCell or PSCell). This means that there is no framework available in Rel-18 and Rel-19 LTM to measure and report on an SCell that is related to an LTM candidate cell configuration but is not an LTM candidate cell, i.e., an SCell that is configured within a CellGroupConfig in which an SpCell configuration includes an LTM candidate cell.Although Layer 3 (L3) measurement reporting performed via RRC signaling may update the network with the radio-related measurements on SCells, thattakes longerthan the UE sending L1 measurement reports on the LTM candidate cells via PUSCH or PUCCH, or via MAC CE(s). Therefore, it is not possible forthe UE to report SCells measurements while sending L1-measurement report on an LTM candidate cell because there is no information directly available to the UE about the reporting configuration for SCells that are in the same cell group as a given LTM candidate cell. In fact, even assuming that a UE is able to detect SCells on its own (e.g., by reading the SCell configuration from an LTM candidate configuration in advance), when reporting the measurements to the network there is no possibility to differentiate which measurements belong to an LTM candidate cell for SpCell change and which measurements belong to an SCell associated to that LTM candidate cell. The only exception to this is when the SCell is also expressly configured as another LTM candidate cell, which may not always be desired.

[0065] As a result, it is not possible forthe network to simultaneously execute SCell configuration, activation, deactivation, or release decisions while performing the LTM cell switch to one of the LTM candidate cells.

[0066] The inventive techniques, apparatuses, and systems described herein aim to support the reporting of measurements of an SCell that is configured in an LTM candidate cell configuration, or an SCell that the UE is using in the current serving cell, when LTM is configured, when the UE receives from the network an LTM CSI measurement configuration. Such an SCell may be:

[0067] • a current SCell the UE is configured with - e.g., the techniques described herein support one or more measurements on an SSB level (beam level) of sucha current SCell (which may be indicated to be reported via a serving cell index and an associated SSB index).

[0068] • an SCell associated to an LTM candidate cell -e.g., the UE may be configured to report one or more measurements on an SSB level (beam level) of such associated SCell(which may be indicated to be reported via a serving cell index and an associated SSB index).

[0069] According to various embodiments or instances of the techniques described herein, a first network node (such as a source gNB or source DU) receives information from a second network node (such as an LTM candidate gNB or LTM candidate DU), about the measurement resource configuration, i.e. , measurement resource set, associated to one or more Secondary cells (SCells) and, according to this, transmits to the UE a reporting configuration to indicate to the UE whether to report measurements related to the SCell(s), SpCell, or both.

[0070] Embodiments also include methods performed by the UE, such that the UE receives a measurement configuration and a measurement reporting configuration from the first network node and, according to the received measurement reporting configuration, it reports measurement results to the first network node. Such results can be related to SCell(s), SpCell, or both, of a candidate cell.

[0071] As will be seen, the methods and solutions described herein, which support the reporting of measurements that belong to SCells, when LTM is configured and a UE receives from the network an LTM CSI measurement configuration, can provide several advantages. In particular:

[0072] • The UE may be able to report measurements for SCell(s) of a candidate cell, which allows the network to activate or deactivate carrier aggregation when an LTM cell switch procedure is triggered at the UE. This avoids additional delays needed with current signalling, where the network may generally activate an SCell only after an LTM cell switch procedure is completed.

[0073] • The UE may be able to report measurements on deactivated SCell(s), which allows the network to activate an SCell directly when sending an LTM cell switch command to the UE.• The network may take informed decisions about the SCell activation or deactivation upon LTM cell switch, therefore reducing any interruptions in providing the aggregated throughput of the primary and the secondary cells.

[0074] • The network may take informed decisions about the SCell addition and release before the LTM cell switch, therefore ensuring that the UE is served by a better quality SCell upon LTM cell switch.

[0075] The techniques described herein include methods implemented at the UE and the network to provide to the UE a measurement reporting configuration that allows the UE to report Layer 1 measurements on one or more SCells of an LTM candidate configuration and / or one or more SCells currently configured for the UE.

[0076] Below, several inventive techniques for handling measurements reporting for cells associated with LTM in a wireless network are described, with various examples. While the following describes these in the specific context of NR, the techniques can be more generally applicable, e.g., as NR evolves and / or as successor network technologies are defined.

[0077] First, embodiments can be described from the perspective of methods carried out in a user equipment (UE) that is configured with at least one LTM candidate cell (or LTM candidate cell configuration). According to these embodiments, the UE receives an LTM CSI resource configuration that provides information about the beams, e.g., SSB index or CSI-RS index, to be measured by the UE on one or more SCells. The UE further receives a measurement reporting configuration, from a first network node, such than an example method comprises receiving an indication, from a first network node, that includes or identifies a measurement reporting configuration (e.g. an instance of an LTM-ReportConfig IE). The measurement reporting configuration may provide the UE with information about howto report measurements performed on one or more SCells of an LTM candidate configuration and / or current SCell(s). The example method further comprises a step of transmitting a measurement report to the firstnetwork node, where the measurement report includes at least measurements performed on one or more SCells of an LTM candidate configuration.

[0078] The measurements performed on one or more SCells of the LTM candidate configuration may correspond to lower-layer measurements, e.g., CSI measurements, Layer 1 (L1) measurements, etc.

[0079] In one option the “reporting configuration” corresponds to an instance of the Information Element (IE) LTM-ReportConfig, in which the UE is associated to an LTM candidate cell and one or more SCell(s) associated to an LTM candidate cell. As an example, the association may be indicated using an SSB resource identifier (SSBRI) which indicates an LTM candidate ID and an indication of an SCell associated to the LTM candidate cell of that LTM candidate ID. For example, each SSBRI may correspond to: an LTM candidate ID, an SCell index, an SSB index of the SCell indicated by the SSB index, by defining multiple lists and / or a single list. Thus, when the UE reports an SSBRI and associated measurement (e.g. L1-RSRP), the UE is indicatingthat the associated measurement is for a particular SSB of a particular SCell associated to a particular LTM candidate cell.

[0080] The SCell index may be used by the UE to figure out which Scell the UE measures and includes in the report by inspecting the LTM candidate cell configuration (e.g., container including the RRC Reconfiguration in which the cell group configuration is including the Scell configuration). Alternatively, the SCell index may be used by the UE to figure out which Scell the UE measures and includes in the report by inspecting a configuration outside the LTM candidate cell configuration (e.g., outside the container including the RRC Reconfiguration in which the cell group configuration is including the Scell configuration). This means that the UE would receive information about the associated SCell(s) as part of a configuration associated to the LTM candidate cell to be applied by the UE upon reception, when LTM is being configured. In another option, the SCell index may be used by the UE to determine a carrier frequency (e.g., SBfrequency), where the UE then reports the best cell (e.g. strongest L1-RSRP) in that carrier frequency.

[0081] In some embodiments or instances, the UE is provided with a measurement object identifier, indicating a serving frequency (of a current SCell). In some embodiments or instances, the UE is provided with a measurement object identifier indicating a frequency of an SCell associated to an LTM candidate cell.

[0082] In one option, all or part of the measurement reporting configuration information corresponds to an instance of the Information Element (IE) LTM-ReportConfig, in which the UE is associated to one or more current SCell(s) of the same cell group of the SpCell.

[0083] In some embodiments, the indication received by the UE (which includes or identifies a measurement reporting configuration) is an LTM CSI measurement report.

[0084] In some embodiments, this indication includes or identifies any one or more of any of the following:

[0085] • an indication of whether to report measurements related to the SpCell

[0086] • an indication whether to report measurements related to one or more current SCell (associated with the SpCell i.e. within the UE’s current CellGroupConfig of that SpCell). In one option, an indication indicates to the UE to include measurements of one or more current SCell(s). That may be for example a measurement of the strongest SSB of an SCell .e.g L1-RSRP of the strongest SSB.

[0087] • an indication of whether to report measurements related to one or more SCells of an LTM candidate configuration.

[0088] • an SCell index (associated with an SCell of an LTM candidate configuration).

[0089] • an SCell index (associated with a current SCell).• an identifier (or list of identifiers) of an SCell (e.g., PCI, serving cell index, PCI + SSB frequency)

[0090] • an SpCell identifier (e.g., PCI, serving cell index)

[0091] • a number of SCells to be reported

[0092] • a number of reference signals (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) to be reported for each SCell

[0093] • an indication to report best neighbors on a serving frequency of an SCell of an LTM candidate cell

[0094] • an indication to report best neighbors on a serving frequency of a current SCell

[0095] • a report type (e.g., periodic, semi-persistent, aperiodic, event-triggered) which is related to the SpCell

[0096] • a report type (e.g., periodic, semi-persistent, aperiodic, event-triggered) which is related to an SCell.

[0097] • a beam-specific and or a cell-specific offset.

[0098] In some embodiments or instances, the indication received by the first network node includes information to report only measurements on SCell(s) that belong to an LTM candidate configuration.

[0099] • In one option, the indication indicates one or more SCell(s) that belong to an LTM candidate configuration and the UE will report measurements only on the indicated SCell(s).

[0100] • In another option, the indication indicates that the SCell reference signal measurements of the best “n”SCell(s) associated to an LTM candidate configuration or to a list of LTM candidate configuration(s) are to be reported.

[0101] • In another option, the indication indicates that the best “n” reference signal measurements within the SCell(s) that are related to an LTM candidate configuration or a list of LTM candidate configuration(s) are to be reported.• In one option, the indication indicates a list of LTM candidate configurations and for each LTM candidate configuration one or more SCell(s) for which the UE needs to report the measurements. This means that the UE for each of the indicated LTM candidate configuration is to report the measurement for each indicated SCelL

[0102] • In one option, the indication indicates one more more SCell(s) that belong to an LTM candidate configuration and an SpCell. This means that the UE is to report measurements related to the SpCell and measurements related to the indicated SCells.

[0103] • In one option, the indication indicates a list of LTM candidate configurations and, for each LTM candidate configuration, one or more SCell(s) and an SpCell. This means that the UE, in addition to the measurements related to the SpCell, for each of the indicated LTM candidate configuration, the UE is to report the measurement for each indicated SCelL

[0104] In some embodiments or instances, the received measurement reporting configuration may include an indication that refers to a measurement resource set configuration for SCell(s) (a list of reference signals or beams for the SCell(s) to be measured by the UE). In one option, the measurement resource set indicates explicitly that the resource set is onlyfor SCells. In another option, the measurement resource set does not indicate explicitly that the resource set is only for SCells. In one option, the UE receives two measurement resource sets, one for the SpCell of the LTM candidate cell configuration and one for the SCell(s).

[0105] In some embodiments or instances, the measurement reporting configuration is a new measurement reporting configuration (e.g., LTM-CSI-ReportConfigSCell) which is only used to configure the UE on howto report measurement for the SCell(s). In some embodiments or instances, the measurement reporting configuration includes a reference signal based on which the UE may report the measurement for the SCell(s).• In one option, the reference signal indicates the SSB

[0106] • In one option, the reference signal indicates the CSI-RS

[0107] • In one option, the reference signal indicates both an SSB or CSI-RS

[0108] • In one option, the reference signal indicated is common for all the SCells indicated in the measurement reporting configuration.

[0109] • In one option, the reference signal indicated is SCell specific. This means that for each SCell indicated in the measurement reporting configuration, it is indicated the reference signal which the UE may report in the measurement report.

[0110] • In one option, the reference signal indicated is LTM candidate configuration specific.

[0111] This means that for each LTM candidate configuration it is indicated the reference signal of the SCells (within the LTM candidate configuration) which the UE may report in the measurement report.

[0112] In some embodiments or instances, the measurement report configuration includes an indication on whether to report one or more measurements via any of UCI, MAC CE, or RRC.

[0113] • In one option, the indication can be explicit, meaningthat a field indicates to the UE whether to include the measurements in a UCI, MAC CE, or RRC message

[0114] • In one option, the indication is implicit. For instance, based on the type of the report the UE can determine how the measurement report needs to be sent. In one example, if the report type is aperiodic, periodic, or semi-persistent, the UE will send the report via UCI and if the report type is event-triggered, the UE will send the measurement in a MAC CE.

[0115] In some embodiments or instances, the UE may receive, from a first network node a measurement reporting configuration that removes a previously provided configuration about the measurement reporting for SCell(s) which are associated to the LTM candidate cell.In some embodiments or instances, a UCI message sent by the UE to report one or more measurements may include one or more of the following:

[0116] • An identifier of a reference signal which refer to a SpCell (e.g., SSBRI or CRI of the SpCell resource set)

[0117] • An identifier of a reference signal which refer to a SCell (e.g., SSBRI or CRI of the SCell resource set)

[0118] • An identifier of an element within a resource set which indicates an SpCell or a SCell and an associated reference signal.

[0119] • A measurement quantity of a SpCell (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, RSSI)

[0120] • A measurement quantity of a Scell (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, RSSI)

[0121] In some embodiments or instances, the UE sends separate UCI message for the SpCell and SCell(s).

[0122] • In one option, the UE sends a UCI message for each SCell indicated in the resource set based on which the UE has performed the measurements.

[0123] • In one option, the UE sends a UCI message which is common for all the SCells which are part of the resource set based on which the UE has performed the measurements.

[0124] • In one option, the UE sends a UCI only for the SCell for which the reporting on UCI was indicated in the measurement reporting configuration.

[0125] In some embodiments or instances, a MAC CE message sent by the UE to report one or more measurements may include one or more of the following:

[0126] • An identifier of a reference signal which refer to a SpCell (e.g., SSBRI or CRI of the SpCell resource set)

[0127] • An identifier of a reference signal for an SCell (e.g., SSBRI or CRI of the SCell resource set)• An identifier of an element within a resource set which indicates an SpCell or a SCell and an associated reference signal.

[0128] • A measurement quantity of a SpCell (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, RSSI)

[0129] • A measurement quantity of a SCell (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, RSSI)

[0130] • An event identifier

[0131] • An SCell identifier of the SCell which has fulfilled an event

[0132] • A resource set ID which identity a set of SCells for which the measurement are sent. • A flag indicating whether the leaving condition(s) triggered the report.

[0133] In some embodiments or instances, the UE sends separate MAC CEs for reportingthe SpCell and SCell(s).

[0134] • In one option, the UE sends a MAC CE for each SCell indicated in the resource set based on which the UE has performed the measurements.

[0135] • In one option, the UE sends a MAC CE that is common for all the SCells which are part of the resource set based on which the UE has performed the measurements.

[0136] • In one option, the UE sends a MAC CE onlyforthe SCell forwhich the reportingon MAC CE was indicated in the measurement reporting configuration.

[0137] In some embodiments or instances, a MAC CE report that includes the SCell measurements for the related LTM candidate configuration or a list of LTM candidate configurations, is transmitted by the UE when one or more of the conditions are fulfilled:

[0138] • Event condition(s) corresponding to the SpCell measurements.

[0139] • Event condition(s) corresponding to the LTM candidate cell measurements.

[0140] • Event condition(s) corresponding to the SCell measurements, i.e . , the measurements for the SCell reference signal which are associated to the LTM candidate cell.

[0141] • Leaving condition(s) corresponding to the SpCell measurements.

[0142] • Leaving condition(s) corresponding to the LTM candidate cell measurements.• Leaving condition(s) corresponding to the SCell measurements, i.e., the measurements for the SCell reference signal which are associated to the LTM candidate cell.

[0143] In some embodiments or instances, the LTM candidate cell measurements for SpCell cell switch are transmitted by the UE via UCI and the corresponding SCell measurements are transmitted by the UE via MAC CE, or vice versa.

[0144] Given the above examples for measurement report configurations received by a UE and measurement reports sent to the network bythe UE, it will be appreciated thatthe inventive techniques exemplified above can also be described from the perspective of a network node, such as an NR gNB that provides the measurement report configurations and / or that receives the measurement reports from the UE. Note that it need not be the same network node that configures the UE for measurement reporting that also receives the measurement reports -thus, while the present description may describe various example techniques in the context of a “first network node,” e.g., a source gNB-DU, a source gNB-CU, a source gNB, it should be appreciated that different network nodes may perform parts of the techniques described herein.

[0145] In some embodiments or instances, then, a first network node configures a UE with a measurement reporting configuration, where the UE is configured with at least one LTM candidate configuration that includes an LTM CSI resource configuration, where the LTM CSI resource configuration provided to the UE provides information about the beams, e.g., SSB index or CSI-RS index, to be measured on one or more SCells. Note that “configuring a UE” means providing the UE with configuration information, e.g., by means of dedicated signaling, such as RRC messaging, or by broadcasted messages. “Configuring a UE” with a certain measurement configuration or measurement reporting configuration may mean sending the UE one message or several messages, in various embodiments or instances.In an example method performed by the first network node mentioned immediately above, the first network node receiving a measurement configuration from a second network node (e.g., a candidate gNB-DU, a candidate gNB-CU, or a candidate gNB) which includes information about beams, e.g., SSB index or CSI-RS index, to be measured on one or more SCells of an LTM candidate configuration, and then transmits to a UE an indication that includes a measurement reporting configuration that configures the UE about howto report measurements performed on one or more SCells of an LTM candidate configuration. Various examples and details of that indication and measurement reporting configuration were described above, and are equally applicable to methods described from the perspective of the first network node. Similarly, the first network node described herein (or a different one) may also receive measurement reports from the UE in accordance with the measurement reporting configuration provided to the UE. Again, numerous examples and details of the measurement reporting by the UE to the network were described above - all of these are equally applicable to methods described from the perspective of a network node receiving the measurement reports from the UE. Of course, it will also be appreciated that a network node receiving these measurement reports from the UE, whether directly from the UE orvia one or more other network nodes, may use those reports to make one or more decisions regarding activation, deactivation, or release of one or more SCells, in connection with instructing the UE to execute an LTM procedure.

[0146] In view of the explanation and several detailed examples provided above, it will be appreciated that Figure 5 and Figure 6 are process flow diagrams illustrating example methods such as might be carried out by a UE (which term is used here to generally refer to an access device for a wireless communication system) and first network node, respectively. Each of these illustrated methods is intended to encompass many, if not all, of the example methods and techniques described above. Accordingly, where the terminology or semantics used to describe Figures 5 and 6 differ slightly from corresponding terms used to describe the various examples above, theformer should be understood to be synonymous with or to be generalizations of the latter, unless the context for either clearly indicates otherwise.

[0147] First, Figure 5 illustrates a method, in / performed by a UE, for handling measurement reporting for cells associated with Layer-1 / Layer-2-triggered mobility, LTM, in a wireless network. As shown at block 510, the illustrated method comprises receiving, from a network node in the wireless network, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells. The one or more SCells are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE but the one ro more SCells are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE. (The measurement information may additionally include measurement resources for an SCell that is configured as an LTM candidate cell.) The method further comprises, as shown at block 520, reporting measurements for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information.

[0148] In some embodiments or instances, the reported measurements are Layer 1 measurements, such as Received Signal Reference Power, L1-RSRP, measurements. In some embodiments or instances, reporting the measurements uses only lower layer signaling.

[0149] In some embodiments or instances, the method further comprises receiving, from the network, a lower layer indication to activate, deactivate, or release at least one of the one or more SCells for which measurements were reported, in response to said reporting. As shown at block 540, the UE may then activate, deactivate, or release the SCell, per the indication. Blocks 530 and 540 are illustrated in Figure 5 with dashed outlines to indicate that these need not appear in every instance of the illustrated method, since not every reporting of SCell measurement will lead to such an indication.In some embodiments or instances, the received measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information for one or more SCells in a cell group currently configured for the UE. In some embodiments or instances, the received measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information fora special cell, SpCell, of an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.

[0150] The received measurement reporting information for at least one SCell may indicate a reporting type. The reporting type may be anyfrom among periodic, semi-persistent, aperiodic, and event-triggered types, in some embodiments or instances. In some embodiments or instances, the received measurement reporting configuration information indicates a measurement resource set configuration for one or more SCells to be measured by the UE.

[0151] In some embodiments or instances, the received measurement reporting information for at least one SCell indicates whether to report measurement information for the SCell via any of uplink control information, UCI, a Medium Access Control Control Element, MAC CE, and / or via Radio Resource Control, RRC, messaging.

[0152] In some embodiments or instances, the method may further comprise receiving, from the network node, configuration information that removes previously provided measurement reporting information for one or more SCells associated with an LTM candidate cell configuration for the UE.

[0153] In some embodiments or instances, the measurement reporting information identifies two or more reference signals and / or beams and includes an indication of which reference signal and / or beam belongs to which SCell, or which Special Cell, SPCell, in the same group as the LTM candidate cell configured for the UE. The measurement reporting information may identify at least one of the one or more SCells with an SCell index, or a physical cell identifier, PCI, in some embodiments or instances. In some embodiments or instances, the measurementreporting information identifies at least one measurement resource to be reported for an SCell using a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB, index and / or a Channel State Information Reference Signal, CSI-RS, index.

[0154] The method shown in Figure 5, as noted above, is a generalization of the various UE-based techniques described above. Thus, the several variations and alternatives described above in connection with those techniques are equally applicable to the method of Figure 5.

[0155] Figure 6 illustrates an example method, in / performed by a first network node, for handling measurement reporting for cells associated with Layer-1 / Layer-2-triggered mobility, LTM, in a wireless network. It will be appreciated that this method and its variants complement the example method shown in Figure 5.

[0156] The illustrated method includes, as shown at block 630, the step of sending, to a UE, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells. The one or more SCells are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE but the one or more SCells are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE. In some embodiments or instances the method includes, as shown at block 610 and 620, the steps of requesting measurement information from a second network node that provides the LTM candidate cell configured for the UE and receiving the measurement reporting information to be sent to the UE from the second network node, in response.

[0157] As shown at block 640, the method may further comprise, in some instances, receiving, from the UE, a measurement report for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information. The received measurement report may report one or more Layer 1 measurements, such as Received Signal Reference Power, L1-RSRP, measurements, forexample. The received measurement report may be received using only lower layer signaling, in some embodiments or instances.

[0158] The method may still further comprise determining to activate, deactivate, or release at least one of the one or more SCells, based on the reported measurements. This is shown at block 650. The activating, deactivating, or releasing may be carried out by sending lower layer signaling to the UE, in some embodiments or instances, the lower layer signaling comprising a lower layer indication to activate, deactivate, or release at least one of the one or more SCells for which measurements were reported.

[0159] In some embodiments or instances, the measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information for one or more SCells in a cell group currently configured for the UE. In some embodiments or instances, the measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information for a special cell, SpCell, of an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.

[0160] In some embodiments or instances, the measurement reporting information for at least one SCell indicates a reporting type. The reporting type may be anyone from among periodic, semi-persistent, aperiodic, and / or event-triggered types.

[0161] In some embodiments or instances, the measurement reporting configuration information indicates a measurement resource set configuration for one or more SCells to be measured by the UE. The measurement reporting information for at least one SCell may indicate whether to report measurement information for the SCell via any of uplink control information, UCI, a Medium Access Control Control Element, MAC CE, and / or via Radio Resource Control, RRC, messaging, in some embodiments or instances.In some embodiments or instances, the method further comprises sending, to the UE, configuration information that removes previously provided measurement reporting information for one or more SCells associated with an LTM candidate cell configuration for the UE.

[0162] In some embodiments or instances, the measurement reporting information sent to the UE may identify two or more reference signals and / or beams, for example, and include an indication of which reference signal and / or beam belongs to which SCell or which Special Cell, SPCell, in the same group as the LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.

[0163] In some embodiments or instances, the measurement reporting information sent to the first network node may identify at least one of the one or more SCells with an SCell index ,or a physical cell identifier, PCI, for example. In some embodiments or instances, the measurement reporting information sent to the UE may identify at least one measurement resource using a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB, index, and / or a Channel State Information Reference Signal, CSI-RS, index.

[0164] Figure 7 shows an example of a communication system 700 in accordance with some embodiments. In this example, communication system 700 includes telecommunication network 702 that includes access network 704 (e.g., RAN) and a core network 706, which includes one or more core network nodes 708. Access network 704 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 71 Oa-b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 710), or any other similar 3GPP access node or non-3GPP access point. Network nodes 710 facilitate direct or indirect connection of UEs, such as by connecting UEs 712a-d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 712) to core network 706 over one or more wireless connections.

[0165] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / orother types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, 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. 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.

[0166] UEs 712 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes 710 and other communication devices. Similarly, network nodes 710 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with UEs 712 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in telecommunication network 702 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in telecommunication network 702.

[0167] In the depicted example, core network 706 connects network nodes 710 to one or more hosts, 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. Core network 706 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., 708) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of core network node 708. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified DataManagement (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0168] Host 716 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of access network 704 and / or telecommunication network 702, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. Host 716 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more services. 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.

[0169] As a whole, communication system 700 of Figure 7 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); LongTerm Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0170] In some examples, telecommunication network 702 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, telecommunication network 702 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to telecommunication network 702. For example, telecommunication network 702 may provideUltra 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.

[0171] In some examples, 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 access network 704 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from 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 anyone orcombination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e., being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0172] In the example, hub 714 communicates with access network 704 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or712d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 710b). In some examples, hub 714 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, hub 714 may be a broadband router enabling access to core network 706 for the UEs. As another example, 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 hub 714. As another example, 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. As another example, hub 714 may be a content source. For example, fora UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, hub 714 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which hub 714 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after addingadditional local content. In still another example, hub 714 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular in if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0173] Hub 714 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to network node 710b. Hub 714 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between hub 714 and UEs (e.g., UE 712c and / or 712d), and between hub 714 and core network 706. In other examples, hub 714 is connected to core network 706 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, hub 714 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over access network 704 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with network nodes 710 while still connected via hub 714 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, hub 714 may be a dedicated hub -that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to network node 710b. In other embodiments, hub 714 may be a non-dedicated 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.

[0174] Figure 8 shows a UE 800 in accordance with some embodiments. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptopmounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by 3GPP, including a narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, orwhich may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0175] UE 800 includes processing circuitry 802 that is operatively coupled via bus 804 to input / output interface 806, power source 808, memory 810, communication interface 812, and possibly other components not explicitly shown. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 8. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0176] Processing circuitry 802 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 memory 810. Processing circuitry 802 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, processing circuitry 802 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs). The processing circuitry 802 may be operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other UE 800components, such as the memory 810, UE 800 functionality. For example, the processing circuitry 802 may be configured to cause the UE 800 to perform the methods as described herein, such as the method described with reference to Figure 5.

[0177] In the example, input / output interface 806 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices.

[0178] Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into UE 800. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0179] In some embodiments, power source 808 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. Power source 808 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from power source 808 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of UE 800 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging power source 808. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from power source 808 to make the power suitable for the respective components of UE 800 to which power is supplied.Memory 810 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, memory810 includes one or more application programs 814, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 816. Memory 810 may store, for use by UE 800, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0180] Memory 810 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUlCC), integrated UICC (iUICC) ora removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ Memory 810 may allow UE 800 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizinga communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in memory 810, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0181] Processing circuitry 802 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using communication interface 812. Communication interface 812 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled toantenna 822. Communication interface 812 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE ora network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include transmitter 818 and / or receiver 820 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., 822) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0182] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in accordingto one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11 , Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0183] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 812, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 10 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., an alert is sent when moisture is detected), in response to arequest (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0184] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0185] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smartwatch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to UE 800 shown in Figure 8.As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, 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.

[0186] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0187] Figure 9 shows a network node 900 in accordance with some embodiments. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (e.g., radio access points) and base stations (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, eNBs, and gNBs).

[0188] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as RemoteRadio 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).

[0189] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0190] Network node 900 includes processing circuitry 902, memory 904, communication interface 906, and power source 908. Network node 900 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which network node 900 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, network node 900 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 904 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 910 may be shared by different RATs). Network node 900 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 900, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. Thesewireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 900.

[0191] Processing circuitry 902 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 900 components, such as memory 904, to provide network node 900 functionality.

[0192] In some embodiments, processing circuitry 902 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, processing circuitry 902 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry912 and baseband processing circuitry 914. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 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 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0193] Processing circuitry 912 may be configured to cause the network node 900 to perform methods as described herein, such as the method described with reference to Figure 6.

[0194] Memory 904 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) ora Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or nonvolatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by processing circuitry 902. Memory904 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 (collectively denoted computer program product 904a) capable of being executed by processing circuitry 902 and utilized by network node 900. Memory 904 may be used to store any calculations made by processing circuitry 902 and / or any data received via communication interface 906. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 902 and memory 904 is integrated.

[0195] Communication interface 906 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, communication interface 906 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 916 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. Communication interface 906 also includes radio front-end circuitry 918 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, antenna 910. Radio front-end circuitry 918 comprises filters 920 and amplifiers 922. Radio front-end circuitry 918 may be connected to antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio frontend circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. Radio front-end circuitry 918 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. Radio front-end circuitry 918 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 920 and / or amplifiers 922. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 910. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 910 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by radio front-end circuitry 918. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 902. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0196] In certain alternative embodiments, network node 900 does not include separate radio frontend circuitry 918, instead, processing circuitry 902 includes radio front-end circuitryand is connected to antenna 910. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of RF transceivercircuitry 912 is part of communication interface 906. In still other embodiments, communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, radio front-end circuitry 918, and RF transceiver circuitry 912, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and communication interface 906 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 914, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0197] Antenna 910 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. Antenna 910 may be coupled to radio front-end circuitry 918 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, antenna 910 is separate from network node 900 and connectable to network node 900 through an interface or port.

[0198] Antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals maybe received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0199] Power source 908 provides power to the various components of network node 900 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). Power source 908 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of network node 900 with powerfor performing the functionality described herein. For example, network node 900 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 suppliespower to power circuitry of power source 908. As a further example, power source 908 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.

[0200] Embodiments of network node 900 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 9 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, includingany of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, network node 900 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into network node 900 and to allow output of information from network node 900. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for network node 900.

[0201] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1000 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 1000 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized.

[0202] Applications 1002 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualizationenvironment 1000 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0203] Hardware 1004 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions (collectively denoted computer program product 1004a) 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 1006 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 1008a-b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1008), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1006 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to VMs 1008.

[0204] VMs 1008 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1006. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1002 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1008, and the implementations may differ. 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.

[0205] In the context of NFV, each VM 1008 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executingon a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of VMs 1008, and that part of hardware 1004 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 forhandling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1008 on top of hardware 1004 and corresponds to application 1002.

[0206] Hardware 1004 maybe implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1004 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1004 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 1010, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1002. In some embodiments, hardware 1004 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 control system 1012 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0207] The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the disclosure. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems, arrangements, and procedures that, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the disclosure and can be thus within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various embodiments can be used together with one another, as well as interchangeably therewith, as should be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art.

[0208] The term unit, as used herein, can have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and / or electronic devices and can include, for example, electrical and / or electronic circuitry, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid state and / or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for carrying out respective tasks, procedures,computations, outputs, and / or displaying functions, and so on, as such as those that are described herein.

[0209] Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include Digital Signal Processor (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and / or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0210] As described herein, device and / or apparatus can be represented by a semiconductor chip, a chipset, or a (hardware) module comprising such chip or chipset; this, however, does not exclude the possibility that a functionality of a device or apparatus, instead of being hardware implemented, be implemented as a software module such as a computer program or a computer program product comprising executable software code portions for execution or being run on a processor. Furthermore, functionality of a device or apparatus can be implemented by any combination of hardware and software. A device or apparatus can also be regarded as an assembly of multiple devices and / or apparatuses, whether functionally in cooperation with or independently of each other. Moreover, devices and apparatuses can beimplemented in a distributed fashion throughout a system, so long as the functionality of the device or apparatus is preserved. Such and similar principles are considered as known to a skilled person.

[0211] Furthermore, functions described herein as being performed by a wireless device or a network node may be distributed over a plurality of wireless devices and / or network nodes. In other words, it is contemplated that the functions of the network node and wireless device described herein are not limited to performance by a single physical device and, in fact, can be distributed among several physical devices.

[0212] In addition, certain terms used in the present disclosure, includingthe specification, drawings and embodiments thereof, can be used synonymously in certain instances, including, but not limited to, e.g., data and information. It should be understood that, while these words and / or other words that can be synonymous to one another, can be used synonymously herein, that there can be instances when such words can be intended to not be used synonymously.

[0213] Further, to the extent that the prior art knowledge has not been explicitly incorporated by reference herein above, it is explicitly incorporated herein in its entirety. All publications referenced are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0214] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0215] In addition, certain terms used in the present disclosure, including the specification and drawings, can be used synonymously in certain instances (e.g., “data” and “information”). Itshould be understood, that although these terms (and / or other terms that can be synonymous to one another) can be used synonymously herein, there can be instances when such words can be intended to not be used synonymously.

[0216] EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0217] Examples of the inventive techniques, apparatuses, and systems described herein include, but are not limited to, the following enumerated embodiments:

[0218] 1. A method, in a user equipment, UE, for handling measurement reporting for cells associated with Layer-1 / Layer-2-triggered mobility, LTM, in a wireless network, the method comprising: receiving, from a network node in the wireless network, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells, that are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE but that are not configured as LTM candidate cells forthe UE; and

[0219] reporting measurements for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information.

[0220] 2. The method of example embodiment 1 , wherein the reported measurements are Layer 1 measurements, such as Received Signal Reference Power, L1-RSRP, measurements.

[0221] 3. The method of example embodiment 1 or 2, wherein said reporting measurements uses only lower layer signaling.

[0222] 4. The method of example embodiment 3, further comprising:receiving, from the network, a lower layer indication to activate, deactivate, or release at least one of the one or more SCells for which measurements were reported, in response to said reporting.

[0223] 5. The method of anyone of example embodiments 1-4, wherein the received measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information for one or more SCells in a cell group currently configured for the UE.

[0224] 6. The method of anyone of example embodiments 1-5, wherein the received measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information fora special cell, SpCell, of an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.

[0225] 7. The method of anyone of example embodiments 1-6, wherein the received measurement reporting information for at least one SCell indicates a reporting type, from among periodic, semi-persistent, aperiodic, and event-triggered types.

[0226] 8. The method of anyone of example embodiments 1-7, wherein the received measurement reporting configuration information indicates a measurement resource set configuration for one or more SCells to be measured by the UE.

[0227] 9. The method of any one of example embodiments 1-8, wherein the received measurement reporting information for at least one SCell indicates whether to report measurement information for the SCell via uplink control information, UCI, a Medium Access Control Control Element, MAC CE, orvia Radio Resource Control, RRC, messaging.10. The method of any one of example embodiments 1-9, wherein the method further comprises receiving, from the network node, configuration information that removes previously provided measurement reporting information for one or more SCells associated with an LTM candidate cell configuration for the UE.

[0228] 11. The method of anyone of example embodiments 1-10, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies two or more reference signals and / or beams and includes an indication of which reference signal and / or beam belongs to which SCell or which Special Cell, SPCell, in the same group as the LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.

[0229] 12. The method of anyone of example embodiments 1-11, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies at least one of the one or more SCells with an SCell index or a physical cell identifier, PCI.

[0230] 13. The method of anyone of example embodiments 1-12, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies at least one measurement resource to be reported for an SCell using a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB, index and / or a Channel State Information Reference Signal, CSI-RS, index.

[0231] 14. A method, in a first network node, for handling measurement reporting for cells associated with Layer-1 / Layer-2-triggered mobility, LTM, in a wireless network the method comprising: sending, to a UE, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells, that are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE but that are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE.15. The method of example embodiment 14, further comprising receiving, from the UE, a measurement report for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information.

[0232] 16. The method of example embodiment 15, wherein the received measurement report reports one or more Layer 1 measurements, such as Received Signal Reference Power, L1-RSRP, measurements.

[0233] 17. The method of example embodiment 15 or 16, wherein the received measurement report is received using only lower layer signaling.

[0234] 18. The method of any one of example embodiments 15-17, further comprising:

[0235] sending, to the UE, a lower layer indication to activate, deactivate, or release at least one of the one or more SCells for which measurements were reported, in response to said reporting.

[0236] 19. The method of anyone of example embodiments 14-18, wherein the measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information for one or more SCells in a cell group currently configured for the UE.

[0237] 20. The method of anyone of example embodiments 14-19, wherein the measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information for a special cell, SpCell, of an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.21. The method of any one of example embodiments 14-20, wherein the measurement reporting information for at least one SCell indicates a reporting type, from among periodic, semi-persistent, aperiodic, and event-triggered types.

[0238] 22. The method of any one of example embodiments 14-21 , wherein the measurement reporting configuration information indicates a measurement resource set configuration for one or more SCells to be measured by the UE.

[0239] 23. The method of any one of example embodiments 14-22, wherein the measurement reporting information for at least one SCell indicates whether to report measurement information for the SCell via uplink control information, UCI, a Medium Access Control Control Element, MAC CE, orvia Radio Resource Control, RRC, messaging.

[0240] 24. The method of anyone of example embodiments 14-23, wherein the method further comprises sending, to the UE, configuration information that removes previously provided measurement reporting information for one or more SCells associated with an LTM candidate cell configuration for the UE.

[0241] 25. The method of anyone of example embodiments 14-24, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies two or more reference signals and / or beams and includes an indication of which reference signal and / or beam belongs to which SCell or which Special Cell, SPCell, in the same group as the LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.

[0242] 26. The method of anyone of example embodiments 14-25, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies at least one of the one or more SCells with an SCell index or a physical cell identifier, PCI.27. The method of anyone of example embodiments 14-26, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies at least one measurement resource to be reported for an SCell using a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB, index and / or a Channel State Information Reference Signal, CSI-RS, index.

[0243] 28. A user equipment, UE (800), comprising:

[0244] communication interface circuitry (812) configured to communicate with a wireless network via at least one serving cell; and

[0245] processing circuitry (802) operably coupled to the communication interface circuitry (812), wherein the processing circuitry (802) and communication interface circuitry (812) are configured to:

[0246] receive, from a network node in the wireless network, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells, that are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE but that are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE; and

[0247] report measurements for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information.

[0248] 29. The UE (800) of example embodiment 28, wherein the processing circuitry (802) and communication interface circuitry (812) are configured to carryout a method according to any of example embodiments 2-13.

[0249] 30. A user equipment, UE, adapted to carryout a method according to any of example embodiments 1-13.31. A network node (900), comprising:

[0250] communication interface circuitry (906) configured to communicate with one or more user equipments, UEs, via at least one serving cell; and

[0251] processing circuitry (902) operably coupled to the communication interface circuitry, wherein the processing circuitry (902) and communication interface circuitry (906) are configured to:

[0252] send, to a UE, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells, that are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE but that are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE.

[0253] 32. The first network node of example embodiment 31 , wherein the processing circuitry (902) and communication interface circuitry (906) are configured to carryout a method according to any of example embodiments 15-27.

[0254] 33. A first network node (900), adapted to carryout a method according to any of example embodiments 14-27.

[0255] ABBREVIATIONS

[0256] 5GC or5GCN 5G Core Network

[0257] ARFCN Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number

[0258] CA Carrier Aggregation

[0259] CC Component Carrier

[0260] C-CU Candidate CUC-DU Candidate DU

[0261] CE Control Element

[0262] CGI Cell Global Identity

[0263] CHO Conditional Handover

[0264] CLTM Conditional LTM

[0265] CPC Conditional PSCell Change

[0266] CPA Conditional PSCell Addition

[0267] CPAC Conditional PSCell Addition orChange

[0268] CN Core Network

[0269] CP Control Plane

[0270] CRI CSI-RS Resource Indicator

[0271] CSI Channel State Information

[0272] CU Central Unit

[0273] DC Direct Current

[0274] DC Dual Connectivity

[0275] DCI Downlink Control Information

[0276] DL Downlink

[0277] DU Distributed Unit

[0278] F1 Interface between Central Unit and Distributed Unit gNB NR base station

[0279] IE Information Element

[0280] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0281] LTM L1 / L2-Triggered Mobility

[0282] MCG Master Cell Group

[0283] MAC Medium Access Control

[0284] MACCE MAC Control ElementMN Master Node

[0285] MR-DC Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity

[0286] NG-RAN Next Generation Radio Access Network

[0287] NR New Radio

[0288] PCell Primary Cell (in LTE) or Primary MCG Cell (in NR)

[0289] PCI Physical Cell Identity

[0290] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0291] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0292] PSCell Primary Secondary Cell (in LTE) or Primary SCG Cell (in NR) PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel

[0293] PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0294] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0295] RS Reference Signal

[0296] RSRP Reference Signal Received Power

[0297] RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality

[0298] RSSI Received Signal Strength Indicator

[0299] SCell Secondary Cell

[0300] S-DU Source DU

[0301] S-CU Source CU

[0302] SINR Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio

[0303] SN Secondary Node

[0304] SNR Signal to Noise Ratio

[0305] SR Scheduling Request

[0306] SSB Synchronization Signal Block

[0307] SSBRI SSB Resource Indicator

[0308] SpCell Special Cell, the primary cell of MCG or SCGTA Timing Advance

[0309] TAT Time Alignment Timer

[0310] TCI Transmission Configuration Indication TRS Tracking Reference Signal

[0311] TTT Time to trigger

[0312] UCI Uplink Control Information

[0313] UE User Equipment

[0314] UL Uplink

[0315] UL-SCH UplinkShared Channel

[0316] UP User Plane

[0317] Xn Interface between base stations

Claims

1. CLAIMS1. A method, in a user equipment, UE, for handling measurement reporting for cells associated with Layer-1 / Layer-2-triggered mobility, LTM, in a wireless network, the method comprising: receiving, from a network node in the wireless network, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells, wherein the one or more SCells are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE, wherein the one or more Scells are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE; andreporting measurements for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reported measurements are Layer 1 measurements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the L1 measurements are Received Signal Reference Power, L1-RSRP, measurements.

4. The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein said reporting measurements uses only lower layer signaling.

5. The method of any of claims 3-4, further comprising:receiving, from the network, a lower layer indication to activate, deactivate, or release at least one of the one or more SCells for which measurements were reported, in response to said reporting.

6. The method of anyone of claims 1-5, wherein the received measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information for one or more SCells in a cell group currently configured for the UE.

7. The method of anyone of claims 1-6, wherein the received measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information for a special cell, SpCell, of an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.

8. The method of anyone of claims 1-7, wherein the received measurement reporting information for at least one SCell indicates a reporting type, wherein the reporting type is any offrom among periodic, semi-persistent, aperiodic, and / or event-triggered types.

9. The method of anyone of claims 1-8, wherein the received measurement reporting configuration information indicates a measurement resource set configuration for one or more SCells to be measured by the UE.

10. The method of anyone of claims 1-9, wherein the received measurement reporting information for at least one SCell indicates whether to report measurement information for the SCell via any of uplink control information, UCI, a Medium Access Control Control Element, MAC CE, and / or via Radio Resource Control, RRC, messaging.

11. The method of anyone of claims 1-10, wherein the method further comprises: receiving, from the network node, configuration information that removes previously provided measurement reporting information for one or more SCells associated with an LTM candidate cell configuration for the UE.

12. The method of anyone of claims 1-11, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies two or more reference signals and / or beams and includes an indication of which reference signal and / or beam belongs to which SCell, or which Special Cell, SPCell, in the same group as the LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.

13. The method of anyone of claims 1-12, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies at least one of the one or more SCells with an SCell index, or a physical cell identifier, PCI.

14. The method of anyone of claims 1-13, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies at least one measurement resource to be reported for an SCell using a Synchronization Signal Block, SSB, index, and / or a Channel State Information Reference Signal, CSI-RS, index.

15. A method, in a first network node, for handling measurement reporting for cells associated with Layer-1 / Layer-2-triggered mobility, LTM, in a wireless network the method comprising: sending, to a User Equipment, UE, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells, wherein the one or more SCells are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE, wherein the one or more SCells are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving, from the UE, a measurement report for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the received measurement report reports one or more Layer 1 measurements.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more L1 measurements areReceived Signal Reference Power, L1-RSRP, measurements.

19. The method of any of claims 16-1815 or 16, wherein the received measurement report is received using only lower layer signaling.

20. The method of any one of claims 16-19, further comprising:sending, to the UE, a lower layer indication to activate, deactivate, or release at least one of the one or more SCells for which measurements were reported, in response to said reporting.

21. The method of any one of claims 15-20, wherein the measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information for one or more SCells in a cell group currently configured for the UE.

22. The method of any one of claims 15-21 , wherein the measurement reporting configuration information indicates or specifies measurement reporting information for a special cell, SpCell, of an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.

23. The method of any one of claims 15-22, wherein the measurement reporting information for at least one SCell indicates a reporting type, wherein the reporting type is anyone of periodic, semi-persistent, aperiodic, and / or event-triggered types.

24. The method of any one of claims 15-23, wherein the measurement reporting configuration information indicates a measurement resource set configuration for one or more SCells to be measured by the UE.

25. The method of any one of claims 15-24, wherein the measurement reporting information for at least one SCell indicates whether to report measurement information for the SCell via any of uplink control information, UCI, a Medium Access Control Control Element, MAC CE, and / or via Radio Resource Control, RRC, messaging.

26. The method of any one of claims 15-25, wherein the method further comprises sending, to the UE, configuration information that removes previously provided measurement reporting information for one or more SCells associated with an LTM candidate cell configuration for the UE.

27. The method of any one of claims 15-26, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies two or more reference signals and / or beams, and includes an indication of which reference signal and / or beam belongs to which SCell or which Special Cell, SPCell, in the same group as the LTM candidate cell configured for the UE.

28. The method of any one of claims 15-27, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies at least one of the one or more SCells with an SCell index, or a physical cell identifier, PCI.

29. The method of any one of claims 15-28, wherein the measurement reporting information identifies at least one measurement resource to be reported for an SCell using aSynchronization Signal Block, SSB, index, and / or a Channel State Information Reference Signal, CSI-RS, index.

30. A user equipment, UE (800), comprising:communication interface circuitry (812) configured to communicate with a wireless network via at least one serving cell; andprocessing circuitry (802) operably coupled to the communication interface circuitry (812), wherein the processing circuitry (802) and communication interface circuitry (812) are configured to:receive, from a network node in the wireless network, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells, wherein the one or more Scells are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE, wherein the one or more SCells are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE; andreport measurements for at least one of the one or more SCells, in accordance with the measurement reporting information.

31. The UE (800) of claim 30, wherein the processing circuitry (802) and communication interface circuitry (812) are configured to carryout a method according to any of claims 2-14.

32. A user equipment, UE, adapted to carryout a method according to any of claims 1-14.

33. A first network node (900), comprising:communication interface circuitry (906) configured to communicate with one or more user equipments, UEs, via at least one serving cell; andprocessing circuitry (902) operably coupled to the communication interface circuitry, wherein the processing circuitry (902) and communication interface circuitry (906) are configured to:send, to a User Equipment, UE, measurement reporting configuration information indicating or specifying measurement reporting information for one or more secondary cells, SCells, wherein the one or more SCells are in a same group as an LTM candidate cell configured for the UE, wherein the one or more SCElls are not configured as LTM candidate cells for the UE.

34. The first network node of claim 33, wherein the processing circuitry (902) and communication interface circuitry (906) are configured to carryout a method according to any of example embodiments 16-29.

35. A first network node (900), adapted to carryout a method according to any of claims 15-29

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