System information offloading in a cell

Abstract

A method performed by a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method includes receiving, from a cell, configuration information associated with acquisition of one or more system information (SI) of the cell. The configuration information includes at least one of: an indication indicating that at least one SI of the one or more SI of the cell is transmitted by at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell. The method includes determining the at least one other cell based on the first information associated with the at least one other cell. And the method includes acquiring the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell based on the second information.

Description

SYSTEM INFORMATION OFFLOADING IN A CELL TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to telecommunications and, in particular, to acquisition of system information for a radio access network.BACKGROUND

[0002] Telecommunications systems can be seen as facilities that enable communications between two or more entities such as between two user equipment, between a user equipment and a base station, between two base stations, a user equipment and a network function of a communication network and / or a base station and other nodes. A telecommunications system can include a communication network and one or more user equipment. The communication sessions may comprise, for example, communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, video, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia and / or content data and so on. Non-limiting examples of services provided comprise two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services and access to a data network system, such as the Internet.

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

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

[0005] Telecommunications systems have evolved through multiple generations, each bringing advancements in speed, capacity, and functionality. The Evolved Packet System (EPS) represents the 4G architecture, which includes Long-Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE- A) as its radio access technologies. The 5G System (5GS) builds upon EPS, introducing 5G New Radio (5G NR) for enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine-type communications, and ultra-reliable low-latency communications. The future 6G System (6GS) is expected to further revolutionize telecommunications with even more advanced capabilities. These systems are interconnected, with 5GS designed to interwork with EPS for seamless service continuity. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) plays a crucial role in developing and maintaining standards for these telecommunications systems, ensuring global interoperability and evolution from Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) (3G) through to the ongoing development of 6G technologies.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0006] Example implementations of the present disclosure are directed to telecommunications and, in particular, to acquisition of system information for a radio access network. The present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[0007] Some example implementations provide an apparatus to implement a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least: receive, from a cell, configuration information associated with acquisition of one or more system information (SI) of the cell, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: an indication indicating that at least one SI of the one or more SI of the cell is transmitted by at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell; determine the at least one other cell based on the first information associated with the at least one other cell; and acquire the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell based on the second information.

[0008] Some example implementations provide a method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a cell, configuration information associated with acquisition of one or more system information (SI) of the cell, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: an indication indicating that at least one SI of the one or more SI of the cell is transmitted by at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell; determining the at least one other cell based on the first information associated with the at least one other cell; and acquiring the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell based on the second information.

[0009] Some example implementations provide an apparatus to implement a radio access network (RAN) node that provides a cell, the apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least: determine that at least one system information (SI) of one or more SI of the cell is to be transmitted by at least one other cell; generate configuration information associated with acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: an indication indicating that the at least one SI is transmitted by the at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell; transmit the configuration information toward at least one user equipment (UE) for the at least one UE to determine the at least one other cell and acquire the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell; and skip transmission of the at least one SI of the cell that is transmitted by the at least one other cell.

[0010] Some example implementations provide a method performed by a radio access network (RAN) node that provides a cell, the method comprising: determining that at least one system information (SI) of one or more SI of the cell is to be transmitted by at least one other cell; generating configuration information associated with acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: an indication indicating that the at least one SI is transmitted by the at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell; transmitting the configurationinformation toward at least one user equipment (UE) for the at least one UE to determine the at least one other cell and acquire the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell; and skipping transmission of the at least one SI of the cell that is transmitted by the at least one other cell.

[0011] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description together with the accompanying figures, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise recited in a specific example implementation described herein. The present disclosure is intended to be read holistically such that any separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its aspects and example implementations, should be viewed as combinable unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.

[0012] It will therefore be appreciated that this Brief Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example implementations so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above described example implementations are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. Other example implementations, aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of some described example implementations.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE(S)

[0013] Having thus described example implementations of the disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunications system that includes one or more public land mobile networks (PLMNs) coupled to one or more external data networks, according to some example implementations of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 2 illustrates a PLMN, according to some example implementations;

[0016] FIG. 3 illustrates a procedure for acquisition of system information;

[0017] FIG. 4 illustrates a scenario for offloading system information of a cell to at least one other cell, according to some example implementations;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a diagram of a procedure for offloading system information, according to some example implementations;

[0019] FIG. 6 is a diagram of a procedure for offloading system information, according to some other example implementations;

[0020] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method performed by a user equipment (UE), according to various example implementations;

[0021] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method performed by a radio access network (RAN) node that provides a cell, according to various example implementations; and

[0022] FIG. 9 illustrates an apparatus according to some example implementations.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Some implementations of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which some, but not all implementations of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, various implementations of the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these example implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0024] Unless specified otherwise or clear from context, references to first, second or the like should not be construed to imply a particular order. A feature described as being above another feature (unless specified otherwise or clear from context) may instead be below, and vice versa; and similarly, features described as being to the left of another feature else may instead be to the right, and vice versa. Also, while reference may be made herein to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships or the like, unless otherwise stated, any one or more if not all of these may be absolute or approximate to account for acceptable variations that may occur, such as those due to engineering tolerances or the like.

[0025] As used herein, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, the “or” of a set of operands is the “inclusive or” and thereby true if and only if one or more of the operands istrue, as opposed to the “exclusive or” which is false when all of the operands are true. Thus, for example, “[A] or [B]” is true if [A] is true, or if [B] is true, or if both [A] and [B] are true. Further, the articles “a” and “an” mean “one or more,” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Furthermore, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified, the terms “data,” “content,” “digital content,” “information,” and similar terms may be at times used interchangeably. The term “network” may refer to a group of interconnected computers including clients and servers; and within a network, these computers may be interconnected directly or indirectly by various means including via one or more switches, routers, gateways, access points or the like.

[0026] The present disclosure discusses telecommunication systems and mobile or cellular networks and user equipment thereof, and while specific terms may be used, are broadly applicable across various technologies. For instance, while the present disclosure may reference radio access technologies such as 5GNR and 5G Advanced, the present disclosure is equally relevant to next generation radio access technologies, such as 6G. Example implementations of the present disclosure described herein also mention public land mobile networks (PLMNs) and mobile network operators (MNOs), but example implementations are similarly applicable to standalone non-public networks (SNPNs).

[0027] Although some examples and figures focus on radio access networks (RANs) and in particular radio access networks that operate in accordance with the 3 GPP standard for 5G NR (generally referred to as 3 GPP access or 3 GPP access networks), example implementations are applicable to any type of access networks. This includes not only 3GPP access networks but also non-3GPP access networks, such as wireline access, untrusted non-3GPP access network, and trusted non-3GPP access network using wireless access gateway function (W-AGF), non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF), or trusted non-3GPP gateway function (TNGF) to connect to a core network (e.g., a 5G core network (5GC) or a 6G core network (6GC)) of a mobile or cellular network.

[0028] Further, as used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (includingdigital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions); or (c) hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0029] The above definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunications system 100 according to various example implementations of the present disclosure. Examples of suitable telecommunications systems include UMTS, EPS and 5GS, as well as the future 6GS. The telecommunications system (otherwise referred to as a system) generally includes one or more mobile or cellular networks, and these mobile or cellular networks may interwork between telecommunications systems. As shown, for example, the system includes one or more PLMNs 102 coupled to one or more other external data networks 104 - notably including a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. As will be appreciated, a PLMN may be a standalone PLMN that includes a 5GC, or may be a non-standalone PLMN that includes both an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and a 5GC connected to a RAN.

[0031] Each of the PLMNs 102 includes a core network (CN) 106, such as the EPC, the 5GC, or a 6GC; and each CN is coupled to one or more RANs 108 that implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs). Examples of these RANs include the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) of 4G LTE, the next generation (NG) radio access network (NG-RAN) of 5G NR, and the 6G RAN. As used herein, a “network device” refers to any suitable device of a RAN or a core network of a telecommunications system. Examples of suitable network devices are described in greater detail below.

[0032] Examples of RATs include 3 GPP radio access technologies such as GSM, CDMA2000 IxEV-DO (HRPD), CDMA2000 lx (IxRTT), UTRA, E-UTRA, 5GNR, 5G Advanced, and 6G. Other examples of RATs include IEEE 802 technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.15 (including 802.15.1 (WPAN / Bluetooth), 802.15.4 (Zigbee) and 802.15.6 (WBAN)), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), ultra wideband (UWB), and the like. Generally, a RAT may refer to any 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G or higher generation RAT and their different versions, as well as to any other RAT that may be arranged to interwork with such a RAT to provide access to the CN 106 of a MNO.

[0033] The telecommunications system 100 also includes one or more communication devices that may be varyingly known as user equipment (UE) 110, terminal device, terminal equipment, mobile station or the like. The UE is generally a device configured to communicate with a network device (e.g., an access node such as a RAN node of RAN 108) or a or a further UE in the telecommunications system. The UE may be a portable computer (e.g., laptop, notebook, tablet computer), mobile phone (e.g., cell phone, smartphone), wearable computer (e.g., smartwatch), or the like. In other examples, the UE may be an Internet of things (loT) device, an industrial loT (IIoT device), a vehicle equipped with a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology, or the like. In some examples, as referenced by 3GPP, the UE may be a narrowband loT (NB-IoT) device, an enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) device, a reduced capability (RedCap) device, an ambient loT device, or the like.

[0034] In operation, these UEs 110 may connect to one or more RAN nodes of the RANs 108 according to their particular RATs to thereby access a particular CN 106 of a PLMN 102, or to access one or more of the external data networks 104 (e.g., the Internet) or services provided by the PLMN. The external data network may provide Internet access, or 3rd party services. For example, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has classified 5G mobile network services (e.g., services provided by a 5G mobile network) into three categories: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine type communications (mMTC) or massive internet of things (MIoT).

[0035] In various examples, a RAN 108 may be configured to provide one or more macrocells, microcells, picocells, femtocells or the like. The RAN may generally include oneor more RAN nodes that interact with UEs 110. In various examples, a RAN node may be referred to as a base station (BS), access point (AP), base transceiver station (BTS). Examples of RAN nodes includes a Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), macro BS, NB (MNB) or eNB (MeNB), home BS, NB (HNB) or eNB (HeNB), next generation NB (gNB), enhanced gNB (en-gNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), 6GNB (6gNB), or the like. The term ‘gNB’ in 5G NR may correspond to the eNB in 4G LTE. Also, a NG-RAN node may refer to a gNB or a ng-eNB. And unless otherwise specified, a gNB in 5G NR or a 6gNB in 6G may at times be more generally referred to as a (6)gNB or more simply a gNB.

[0036] The RAN 108 may include some type of network controlling / governing entity responsible for control of the RAN nodes. The network controlling / governing entity and RAN node may be separate or integrated into a single apparatus. The network controlling / governing entity may include processing circuity configured to carry out various management functions for controlling RAN nodes of the RAN. The processing circuity may be associated with a memory, computer-readable storage medium or a data storage device comprising a database for maintaining information required in the various management functions.

[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a PLMN 102, such as 4G LTE, 5G NR or 6G PLMN that communicates with a UE 110 and an external data network 104 of the telecommunications system 100. As shown, the RAN 108 (e.g., E-UTRAN, NG-RAN, 6G RAN) includes one or more RAN nodes 202 configured to connect one or more UEs to the RAN to thereby access the CN 106 (e g., EPC, 5GC, 6GC). In 4G LTE, the UE, E-UTRAN and EPC compose EPS. Similarly, in 5GNR, the UE, NG-RAN and 5GC compose the 5GS. And in 6G, the UE, 6G RAN and 6GC compose the 6GS.

[0038] In some implementations, operations of a gNB or other a RAN node may be distributed or functionally split into components including one or more remote radio head (RRHs) or radio units (RUs), and a baseband unit (BBU); and in some implementations, the BBU may be split into a central / centralized unit (CU) (central node) and a distributed unit (DU) (distributed node). The CU may be, for example, a server, host or node. In some implementations, the RRH / RU and DU may be collocated at a network device. It is also possible that operations of a gNB or RAN node may be distributed among a plurality of servers, hosts or nodes.

[0039] It should also be understood that the distribution of work between core network operations and RAN node operations may vary depending on implementation. A 5G or 6G network architecture, for example, may be based on a so-called CU-DU split. One gNB-CU (a CU) may control one or more gNB-DUs (DUs). The gNB-CU may control a plurality of spatially separated gNB-DUs, acting at least as transmit / receive (Tx / Rx) nodes. In some example implementations, however, the gNB-DUs may include, for example, a radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC) layer and a physical (PHY) layer, whereas the gNB-CU may include the layers above the RLC layer, such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio resource control (RRC), and an internet protocol (IP) layer. Other functional splits are also possible. It is considered that skilled person is familiar with the open systems interconnection (OSI) model and the functionalities within each layer.

[0040] In some example implementations, the server or CU may generate a virtual network through which the server communicates with the radio node. In general, virtual networking may involve a process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based administrative entity, a virtual network. Such virtual network may provide flexible distribution of operations between the server and the radio head / node. In practice, any digital signal processing task may be performed in either the CU or the DU, and the boundary where the responsibility is shifted between the CU and the DU may be selected according to implementation.

[0041] When a UE 110 enters the geographic area of a cell provided by a RAN node 202, the UE may perform a cell search and synchronization, during which the UE may acquire system information (SI) broadcast by the cell. FIG. 3 illustrates a procedure for acquisition of system information. As shown, different types of system information may be transmitted in system information blocks (SIBs). One block, for example, is known as the master information block (MIB). The system information other than the MIB may be referred to as remaining minimum system information (RMSI). One example RMSI is SIB type 1 (SIB1), which includes information relating to access restriction information of the UE, and scheduling information for other SIBs. Another example of system information is positioning SIB (posSIB), which includes information for positioning services.

[0042] The MIB may be broadcast with a periodicity of 80 milliseconds (ms) and repetitions made within 80 ms. The MIB includes parameters that are needed to acquire SIB1from the cell. If the period of synchronization signal block (SSB) transmission is larger than 80 ms, the MIB transmission period may be synchronized with the SSB period.

[0043] The SIB1 may be broadcast with a periodicity of 160 ms and variable transmission repetition periodicity within 160 ms. The default transmission repetition periodicity of SIB1 may be 20 ms, although the actual transmission repetition periodicity may be up to network implementation. When the SSB and control resource set (CORESET) multiplexing pattern 1 is used, SIB1 may be broadcast repeatedly every 20 ms. SIB1 may include information regarding the availability and scheduling (e.g., mapping of SIBs to SI messages, periodicity, Si-window size) of other SIBs with an indication whether one or more SIBs are only provided on-demand and, in that case, the configuration needed by the UE 110 to perform a SI request for the SIBs.

[0044] SIBs (other than SIB1) and posSIBs may be carried in SI messages. SIBs or posSIBs having the same periodicity may be mapped to the same SI message, although SIBs and posSIBs are mapped to different SI messages. Each SI message may broadcast within periodically occurring time domain windows. An SI message may be repeated with the same content a number of times within the SI- window. Any SIB or posSIB except SIB1 may be configured to be cell specific or area specific, using an indication in SIB1.

[0045] The SIB1 may include a Sl-Schedulinglnfo information element (IE) that provides scheduling information for other SIBs or posSIBs. In the Sl-Schedulinglnfo IE, SIB1 the mapping of SIBs to SI messages may be configured in schedulinglnfoList and schedulingInfoList2 IES, while the mapping of posSIBs to SI messages may be configured in posSchedulinglnfoList and scheduling!nfoList2 IEs. The SIB1 may also include a si-BroadcastStatus field that provides a broadcasting status indicating whether SIBs (other than SIB1) and posSIBs are to be periodically broadcast (broadcasting or broadcast on-demand (not Broadcast) ng). In some cases, SIBs (other than SIB1) and posSIBs may be sent by dedicated transmission to UEs 110 in the RRC CONNECTED state using a RRC reconfiguration message.

[0046] One area of focus in networks is network energy savings (NES), such as at the RAN 108 which consumes a significant amount of the total energy consumption in a PLMN 102. From this perspective, a future system may be expected to operate with relaxed SIB1 transmission. SIB1 is energy consuming as a reference signal and modification of its transmission may benefit the NES potential of a network. Modifying the density of the SIB1transmission has been discussed. More recently, 3GPP Release 19 discussed on-demand SIB1 (OD-SIB1) for UEs in the RRC IDLE / INACTIVE state. Moreover, the topic of relaxed SSB transmission for less congested air interface, and by extension, achieving NES has been discussed; and as a result, relaxation of SIB1 (repetition) periodicity may also be impacted.

[0047] SIBs (other than SIB1) and posSIBs that are normally scheduled for broadcast in a cell on a periodic manner may compromise the NES gain of a cell as these SIBs may prevent the cell from entering a sleep state. On-demand transmission of SI requested by a UE 110 may enhance the NES gain potential, but not all SIBs are necessary to be provided by the cell, such as posSIBs or non-terrestrial network (NTN) assistance information. Moreover, while scheduling information for SI messages may be contained in SIB1, the transmission of SIB1 may in the future be more relaxed, such as for NES or in response to relaxed SSB transmission. In these scenarios, UEs may experience concatenated delay to acquire any other SIB.

[0048] The UE 110 in the RRC INACTIVE state or the RRC IDLE state may need to have a valid version of (at least) the MIB, and SIB1 through SIB4. For NR sidelink (SL), NTN and other features that the UE may access through the NR, the respective SIB may need to be acquired. In various scenarios, for example, the UE may need to acquire SIB 12 (if the UE is capable of NR SL communication / discovery), SIB14 (if the UE is capable of V2X SL communication), and / or SIB23 (if UE is capable of NR SL positioning and is configured by upper layers to receive or transmit SL-PRS). In another scenario, for example, the UE may need to acquire SIB 19 if UE the is accessing NR via NTN access). In this regard, SIB 19 in NTN may give the UE vital information about nearby cells or satellite gateways for cell reselection. In the case when this information is not available or UE doesn’t know how to acquire it, the UE may not be able to decide which satellite or gateway to connect to.

[0049] Some features like positioning may also use SIBs (e.g., posSIBs) in the RRC INACTIVE and RRC IDLE states. In the RRC INACTIVE state, for example, a UE 110 may be allowed to move within a RAN notification area (RNA) without notifying the RAN 108 about cell reselection. Therefore, if the positioning system information carrying assistance data is broadcasted to the UE via posSIB, the assistance data should be valid within the RNA to avoid unnecessary RRC state transitions for SIB update.

[0050] In view of the foregoing, example implementations of the present disclosure provide solution(s) to enhance the NES gain potential of a cell and allow faster acquisition of SIBs (other than SIB1), posSIBs or other SIBs where the UE accesses one or more other system features together with NR, at least for certain. These other system features may include, for example, LS, V2X, NTN, earthquake and tsunami warning system (ETWS), or the like. In the solution(s) of some example implementations, at least one system information (SI) of one or more SI of a cell may be offloaded to at least one other cell, such as from a NES cell to a cell A. In some examples, the SI offloaded to the other cell(s) may include or correspond to at least one SIB other than SIB1, or at least one posSIB. And in some examples, the SI may be mapped to and carried in one or more SI messages.

[0051] FIG. 4 illustrates a scenario for offloading SI of a cell to at least one other cell, according to some example implementations. As shown and described, the cell may be a NES cell 402, and SI such as SI message(s) of the NES cell may be offloaded to another cell 404 (shown as cell A). The NES cell and other cell may be provided by the same RAN node 202 or by different RAN nodes. Although described in the context of offloading SI of a NES cell to other cell, example implementations are equally applicable to offloading SI of a cell other than a NES cell to other cell. As shown, a UE 110 in RRC IDLE / INACTIVE may be camping in the NES cell, and receive information for acquiring SI (e.g., SIBxs) of the NES cell via the SIB1 of the NES cell.

[0052] According to some example implementations, the UE 110 may receive, from the NES cell 402, configuration information associated with acquisition of SI of the NES cell. The configuration information may include, for example, an indication indicating that at least one SI of the cell is transmitted by at least one other cell 404. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the configuration information may include (first) information associated with the other cell. In another example, additionally or alternatively, the configuration information may include (second) information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the other cell. The UE may determine the other cell based on the first information associated with the other cell, and acquire the at least one SI of the cell from the other cell based on the second information.

[0053] The NES cell 402 may provide the configuration information in a number of different manners, such as in the SIB1 of the NES cell. In some of these examples, the SIB1may include a Sl-Schedulinglnfo IE that provides scheduling information for other SIBs or posSIBs of the NES cell.

[0054] In some examples, the configuration information provided by the NES cell 402 may include, for example, an indication indicating that at least one SI of the cell is transmitted by at least one other cell 404. In some examples, presence of the indication can instruct the UE 110 that at least one SI is offloaded to or otherwise transmitted by at least one other cell. In some examples, the indication may be included in the Sl-Schedulinglnfo IE, such as follows:si-OffloadingStatus ENUMERATED {offloading}

[0055] In some examples, the configuration information provided by the NES cell 402 may include information that identifies the at least one SI of the NES cell offloaded to or otherwise transmitted by the other cell 404. In some examples, this information can be a list of the at least one SI of the NES cell offloaded to the other cell.

[0056] In some examples, the configuration information provided by the NES cell 402 may include (first) information associated with the other cell 404, such as information that identifies the other cell. The other cell may be identified by frequency and / or identifier, such as absolute radio frequency channel number (ARFCN), physical cell ID (PCI), or the like. In some examples, the (first) information may be included in the Sl-Schedulinglnfo, such as follows:si-OffloadingFreqCarrierList SEQUENCE (SIZE (1... maxFreq) OFOffloadingF reqCarrierINF O

[0057] The configuration information of the NES cell 402 may also include (second) information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the NES cell by the other cell 404. This (second) information may include, for example, information that indicates whether scheduling information, or part of the scheduling information, associated with the at least one SI is to be received from the NES cell or the other cell. The (second) information may include any of the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the NES cell. The UE 110 may otherwise receive, from the other cell, any of the scheduling information that is to be received from the other cell.

[0058] The (second) information of the NES cell 402 may therefore indicate where to acquire further scheduling information for the at least one SI (e.g., at least one SI message) of the NES cell, such as from the NES cell and / or the other cell 404. In some examples, the UEmay determine from the indication that further scheduling information for the at least one SI is at least partly provided by the NES cell. This may be explicitly or implicitly indicated. For example, by the UE not detecting a field of scheduling information for the at least one SI, the UE may implicitly understand that this field is provided by the other cell. In some examples, the other cell may provide the scheduling information for the at least one SI of the NES cell via an interface (e.g., Xn) between RAN nodes 202 providing the respective cells.

[0059] When the (second) information includes scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the NES cell 402, the UE 110 may acquire and read the scheduling information for the at least one SI from the configuration information of the NES cell. The scheduling information may include, for example, a broadcasting status that indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast by the other cell 404, or broadcast on-demand by the other cell. More particularly, for example, the SIB1 of the NES cell may include a si-BroadcastStatus field that provides a broadcasting status indicating whether the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast (broadcasting) or broadcast on-demand (notBroadcasting) by the other cell.

[0060] The scheduling information may also include other corresponding scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that depends on the broadcasting status. When the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast (broadcasting), the scheduling information may include information that indicates a configuration of resource(s) to be monitored by the UE 110 for the at least one SI. This configuration may be indicated in one or more fields, such as si-Window Position, si-Periodicity, sib-Mappinglnfo, and the like. When the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be broadcast on-demand (notBroadcasting), the scheduling information may include information that indicates a configuration of resource(s) to be used by the UE to transmit a request for the at least one SI from the other cell. This configuration may be provided in one or more fields in the SIB1, such as i-RequestConfig, si-RequestConfigRepetition, and the like.

[0061] Once the UE 110 receives any of the scheduling information (second information) associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the NES cell 402, the UE may reselect to the other cell 404 or perform an initial access to the other cell. The UE may then acquire the at least one SI of the NES cell from the other cell based on the schedulinginformation, and store the at least one SI. In some examples, the at least one SI of the NES cell may be multiplexed with at least one SI of the other cell. In this regard, SI message(s) of the NES cell may be multiplexed with SI message(s) of the other cell. In other examples, at least one SI of the NES cell may be provided by the other cell in dedicated resources. When the at least one SI is transmitted by the other cell, the NES cell may skip transmission of the at least one SI.

[0062] When the (second) information indicates scheduling information associated with the at least one SI of the NES cell 402 is to be received from the other cell 404, the UE 110 may reselect to the other cell 404 or perform an initial access to the other cell. The UE may then acquire and read the scheduling information for the at least one SI from the other cell. In some examples, the scheduling information may be multiplexed with SI of the other cell, or provided by the other cell in dedicated resources. As indicated above, the scheduling information may include, for example, broadcasting status that indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast by the other cell, or broadcast on-demand by the other cell. The scheduling information may also include other corresponding scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that depends on the broadcasting status.

[0063] As before, the UE 110 may then acquire the at least one SI of the NES cell 402 from the other cell 404 based on the scheduling information, and store the at least one SI. In some examples, the at least one SI of the NES cell may be multiplexed with at least one SI of the other cell. In this regard, SI message(s) of the NES cell may be multiplexed with SI message(s) of the other cell. In other examples, at least one SI of the NES cell may be provided by the other cell in dedicated resources. When the at least one SI is transmitted by the other cell, the NES cell may skip transmission of the at least one SI.

[0064] In some examples, the NES cell 402 may indicate the at least one SI is to be transmitted by the other cell 404 permanently or for a period of time. In some of these examples, the NES cell may indicate the at least one SI is to be transmitted by the other cell while the NES cell is applying a NES feature, such as cell discontinuous transmission (DTX) and / or discontinuous reception (DRX), or during the non-active period of a cell DTX and / or DRX operation. The NES cell may skip transmission of the at least one SI for the period of time. In some examples, the NES cell may send a message to the other cell to trigger the other cell to transmit the at least one SI of the NES cell.

[0065] To further illustrate some example implementations, FIG. 5 is a diagram of a procedure for offloading system information, according to some example implementations of the present disclosure. As shown, the procedure involves a UE 110 and at least two cells. One of the cells may enter a NES mode of operation, and may therefore operate as a NES cell 402. The NES cell and the other cell 404 may each transmit at least its own minimum SI, including SIB1, as well as SI other than SIB1 (e.g., SIBx, posSIB). In some examples, the SI may be mapped to and carried in one or more SI messages. As shown, the UE 110 may be in the RRC IDLE state or the RRC INACTIVE state, and the UE may be camping in the NES cell. In some examples, a UE that powers on in the NES cell may perform initial cell selection to the NES cell, and access the NES cell.

[0066] In some examples, the NES cell 402 may determine to offload one or more SI message(s) of the NES cell to the other cell 404 for at least for a period of time, such as when applying a NES feature in the NES mode of operation (e.g., cell DTX and / or DRX). The NES cell may update at least configuration information for acquiring SI message(s) of the NES cell for offloading the SI message(s). In some examples, the configuration information may be provided by the SIB1 of the NES cell.

[0067] The configuration information may be updated to include at least one of an indication (e.g., si-OffloadingStatus) indicating SI message(s) of the NES cell 402 is transmitted by the other cell 404. Additionally or alternatively, the configuration information may be updated to include (first) information (e.g., si-OffloadingFreqCarrierList) associated with the other cell, and / or (second) information associated with transmission of the SI message(s) by the other cell. In some examples, the configuration information of the NES cell may also be updated to include information that identifies the SI message(s) of the NES cell offloaded to or otherwise transmitted by the other cell.

[0068] The NES cell may at step 501 transmit the configuration information (e.g., included in SIB1), which may be received by the UE 110. The UE may at step 502 read the configuration information. When the (second) information includes indication and scheduling information associated with the SI message(s) that is to be received from the NES cell, the UE may at step 503 read the scheduling information for the SI message(s) from the configuration information of the NES cell. This scheduling information may include, for example, abroadcasting status si-BroadcastStatus), and other corresponding scheduling information that may depend on the broadcasting status.

[0069] In some examples, the NES cell 402 may at step 504 send a message to the other cell 404 to start SI offloading. As shown at step 505, the other cell may be triggered by the message to start transmission of the SI message(s) of the NES cell; and as shown at step 506, the NES cell may skip or otherwise stop transmission of the SI message(s). Once the UE 110 receives the scheduling information (second information) associated with the SI message(s), the UE may at step 507 reselect or perform an initial access to the other cell. The UE may then at step 508 acquire the SI message(s) of the NES cell from the other cell based on the scheduling information, and store the SI message(s). In some examples in which the broadcasting status indicates the SI message(s) are to be broadcast on-demand, the UE may in the RRC connected state in the other cell may send a dedicated SIB request message to the other cell for on-demand transmission of the SI message(s).

[0070] FIG. 6 is a diagram of a procedure for offloading system information, according to some other example implementations of the present disclosure. As shown, the procedure may include steps 601, 602 which are similar to steps 501, 502 described above. In FIG. 6, however, the configuration information (e.g., included in SIB1) from the NES cell 402 may include (second) information that indicates scheduling information associated with the SI message(s) of the NES cell is to be received from the other cell 404. Also similar to before, in some examples, the NES cell may at step 603 send a message to the other cell to start SI offloading. As shown at step 604, the other cell may be triggered by the message to start transmission of the SI message(s) of the NES cell; and as shown at step 605, the NES cell may skip or otherwise stop transmission of the SI message(s).

[0071] When the (second) information indicates scheduling information associated with the at least one SI of the NES cell 402 is to be received from the other cell 404, the UE 110 may at step 606 reselect or perform an initial access to the other cell. The UE may at step 607 acquire and read the scheduling information for the SI message(s) of the NES cell from other cell. The UE may then at step 608 acquire the SI message(s) of the NES cell from the other cell 404 based on the scheduling information, and store the SI message(s). In some examples in which the broadcasting status indicates the SI message(s) are to be broadcast on-demand,the UE may in the RRC connected state in the other cell may send a dedicated SIB request message to the other cell for on-demand transmission of the SI message(s).

[0072] As described above, the solution(s) of example implementations enable a cell to offload SI transmission (other than SIB1) to another cell. In some examples, the SI offloaded to the other cell may include posSIBs and / or other SIBs with which a UE 110 may access one or more other system features (e.g., ETWS, SL, V2X, NTN) together with NR. For a UE in the RRC INACTIVE state or the RRC IDLE state, this may ensure the UE has a valid version of (at least) the MIB, and SIB1 through SIB4, and access to the other system feature(s) together with NR.

[0073] In the case in which SI transmission is offloaded from a NES cell 402, the solution(s) may allow the NES cell to achieve NES gain by skipping the transmission of SI, which is instead transmitted by the other cell 404 with minimal extra energy consumption by the other cell. The solution(s) may also allow for the possibility of sleep modes for the NES cell. In some cases, a UE 110 camping in the other cell may acquire SI information for the NES cell in advance, which may reduce potential delay to acquire the SI due to a long SIB1 periodicity. And in some examples, a UE in the RRC INACTIVE state may move within a RNA without notifying the RAN 108 about cell reselection and still have stored assistance data for positioning, normally broadcast to the UE via posSIB without having to perform RRC state transitions for SIB update.

[0074] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method performed by a user equipment (UE), according to various example implementations. The method includes receiving, from a cell, configuration information associated with acquisition of one or more system information (SI) of the cell, as shown at block 702. In this regard, the configuration information includes at least one of: an indication indicating that at least one SI of the one or more SI of the cell is transmitted by at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell. The method includes determining the at least one other cell based on the first information associated with the at least one other cell, as shown at block 704. And the method includes acquiring the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell based on the second information, as shown at block 706.

[0075] In some examples, the at least one SI of the cell transmitted by the at least one other cell corresponds to one or more of at least one system information block (SIB) other than SIB type 1 (SIB1), or at least one positioning SIB (posSIB).

[0076] In some examples, the configuration information associated with the acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell comprises information that identifies the at least one SI of the cell transmitted by the at least one other cell.

[0077] In some examples, the first information associated with the at least one other cell comprises information identifying the at least one other cell transmitting the at least one SI of the cell, and the at least one other cell is identified by at least one of a frequency or an identifier associated with the at least one other cell.

[0078] In some examples, the second information associated with the acquisition of the at least one SI of the cell comprises:

[0079] information that indicates whether scheduling information, or part of the scheduling information, associated with the at least one SI is to be received from the cell or the at least one other cell. And the method includes any of the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the cell.

[0080] In some examples, the method 700 further includes receiving, from the at least one other cell, any of the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the at least one other cell.

[0081] In some examples, the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI comprises a broadcasting status that indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast by the at least one other cell, or broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

[0082] In some examples, the scheduling information further comprises information that indicates a configuration of one or more resources. These may be resource(s) to be monitored by the UE for the at least one SI when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast. In another example, the resource(s) may be resource(s) to be used by the UE to transmit a request for the at least one SI from the at least one other cell when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

[0083] In some examples, acquiring the at least one SI at block 706 includes monitoring for the at least one SI when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to beperiodically broadcast. In some other examples, acquiring the at least one SI includes requesting the at least one SI from the at least one other cell when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

[0084] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating various steps in a method performed by a radio access network (RAN) node that provides a cell, according to various example implementations. The method includes determining that at least one system information (SI) of one or more SI of the cell is to be transmitted by at least one other cell, as shown at block 802. The method includes generating at block 804 configuration information associated with acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell, In some of these examples, the configuration information comprises at least one of: an indication indicating that the at least one SI is transmitted by the at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell. The method includes transmitting the configuration information toward at least one user equipment (UE) for the at least one UE to determine the at least one other cell and acquire the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell, as shown at block 806. And the method includes skipping transmission of the at least one SI of the cell that is transmitted by the at least one other cell, as shown at block 808.

[0085] In some examples, determining that the at least one SI is to be transmitted by the at least one other cell at block 802 includes determining that the at least one SI is to be transmitted by the at least one other cell for a period of time. In some of these examples, the transmission of the at least one SI of the cell is skipped at block 808 for the period of time.

[0086] In some examples, the method 800 further includes sending a message to the at least one other cell to trigger the at least one other cell to transmit the at least one SI of the cell.

[0087] In some examples, the at least one SI of the cell to be transmitted by the at least one other cell corresponds to one or more of at least one system information block (SIB) other than SIB type 1 (SIB1), or at least one positioning SIB (posSIB).

[0088] In some examples, the configuration information associated with the acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell comprises information that identifies the at least one SI of the cell transmitted by the at least one other cell.

[0089] In some examples, the first information associated with the at least one other cell comprises information identifying the at least one other cell transmitting the at least one SI of the cell, and the at least one other cell is identified by at least one of a frequency or an identifier associated with the at least one other cell.

[0090] In some examples, the second information associated with the acquisition of the at least one SI of the cell comprises information that indicates whether scheduling information, or part of the scheduling information, associated with the at least one SI is to be received from the cell or the at least one other cell. In some of these examples, the second information also includes any of the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the cell.

[0091] In some examples, the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI comprises a broadcasting status that indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast by the at least one other cell, or broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

[0092] In some examples, the scheduling information further comprises information that indicates a configuration of one or more resources. These may be resource(s) to be monitored by the UE for the at least one SI when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast. In another example, the resource(s) may be resource(s) to be used by the UE to transmit a request for the at least one SI from the at least one other cell when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

[0093] According to example implementations of the present disclosure, a telecommunications system 100 or PLMN 102, and its components such as a UE 110, CN 106, RAN 108 and / or RAN node 202, may be implemented by various means. Means for implementing the system and its components may include hardware, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. In some examples, one or more apparatuses may be configured to function as or otherwise implement the system and its components shown and described herein. In examples involving more than one apparatus, the respective apparatuses may be connected to or otherwise in communication with one another in a number of different manners, such as directly or indirectly via a wired or wireless network or the like.

[0094] According to some example implementations, at least some of the method 700 described with respect to FIG. 7 may be carried out by an apparatus comprising means forperforming functions corresponding steps of the method. Similarly, at least some of the method 800 described with respect to FIG. 8 may be carried out by an apparatus comprising means for performing functions corresponding steps of the method. Examples of a suitable apparatus may include a user equipment, user device, user terminal or the like. Other examples of a suitable apparatus may include a RAN node (e.g., ng-eNB, gNB, gNB-DU, gNB-CU) or any suitable apparatus, such as a server, host or node.

[0095] FIG. 9 illustrates an apparatus 900 in which means for performing various operations includes hardware, alone or under direction of one or more computer programs from a computer-readable storage medium or other memory, such as computer memory, according to some example implementations of the present disclosure. The apparatus may include one or more of each of a number of components such as, for example, processing circuitry 902 connected to computer-readable storage medium or other memory 904.

[0096] The processing circuitry 902 may be composed of one or more processors alone or in combination with one or more computer-readable storage media. The processing circuitry is generally any piece of computer hardware that is capable of processing information such as, for example, data, computer programs, computer code and / or other suitable electronic information. The processing circuitry is composed of a collection of electronic circuits some of which may be packaged as an integrated circuit or multiple interconnected integrated circuits (an integrated circuit at times more commonly referred to as a “chip”). The processing circuitry may be configured to execute computer programs, which may be stored onboard the processing circuitry or otherwise stored in the memory 904 (of the same or another apparatus).

[0097] The processing circuitry 902 may comprise a number of processors, a multi-core processor or some other type of processor, such as a central processing unit, a graphics processing unit, a tensor processing, unit, or an accelerator, depending on the particular implementation. Further, the processing circuitry may be implemented using a number of heterogeneous processor systems in which a main processor is present with one or more secondary processors on a single chip. As another illustrative example, the processing circuitry may be a symmetric multi-processor system containing multiple processors of the same type. In yet another example, the processing circuitry may be embodied as or otherwise include one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or the like. Thus, although the processing circuitry may be capable of executing acomputer program to perform one or more functions, the processing circuitry of various examples may be capable of performing one or more functions without the aid of a computer program. In either instance, the processing circuitry may be appropriately programmed to perform functions or operations according to example implementations of the present disclosure.

[0098] The memory 904 is generally any piece of computer hardware that is capable of storing information such as, for example, data, computer programs, instructions 906 (e.g., computer-readable program code) and / or other suitable information either on a temporary basis and / or a permanent basis. The memory may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory, and may be fixed or removable. Examples of suitable memory include recording media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard drive, a flash memory, a thumb drive, a removable computer diskette, an optical disk or some combination thereof.

[0099] The memory 904 is a non-transitory device capable of storing information. One example of a suitable memory is a computer-readable storage medium, which is distinguishable from a computer-readable transmission medium capable of carrying information from one location to another. Examples of suitable computer-readable transmission media comprise electronic carrier signals, telecommunications signals, or some combination thereof. As used herein, the term “non-transitory” is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM versus ROM). A computer-readable medium as described herein generally refers to a computer-readable storage medium or computer-readable transmission medium. A computer-readable medium is any entity or device capable in which information, such as one or more computer programs or portions thereof, may be stored and carried.

[0100] In addition to the memory 904 (e.g., computer-readable storage medium), the processing circuitry 902 may also be connected to one or more interfaces for displaying, transmitting and / or receiving information. The interfaces may include a communications interface 908 and / or one or more user interfaces. The communications interface may be configured to transmit and / or receive information, such as to and / or from other apparatus(es), network(s) or the like. The communications interface may be configured to transmit and / or receive information by physical (wired) and / or wireless communications links. Examples ofsuitable communication interfaces include a network interface controller (NIC), wireless NIC (WNIC) or the like.

[0101] The user interfaces may include a display 910 and / or one or more user input interfaces 912. The display may be configured to present or otherwise display information to a user, suitable examples of which include a liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) display, organic LED (OLED) display, active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) or the like. The user input interfaces may be wired or wireless, and may be configured to receive information from a user into the apparatus, such as for processing, storage and / or display. Suitable examples of user input interfaces include a microphone, image or video capture device, keyboard or keypad, joystick, touch-sensitive surface (separate from or integrated into a touchscreen), biometric sensor or the like. The user interfaces may further include one or more interfaces for communicating with peripherals such as printers, scanners or the like.

[0102] Execution of the instructions 906 by the processing circuitry 902, or storage of the instructions in the memory 904, supports combinations of operations for implementing example implementations of the present disclosure. In this manner, an apparatus 900 may comprise at least one processing circuitry and at least one memory coupled to the at least one processing circuitry, where the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute instructions stored in the at least one memory. It will also be understood that one or more functions, and combinations of functions, may be implemented by special purpose hardwarebased computer systems and / or processing circuitry which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and program code instructions.

[0103] Some example implementations of the present disclosure may also be carried out in the form of a computer process defined by one or more computer programs or portions thereof. Example implementations of the present disclosure may be carried out by executing at least one portion of a computer program comprising instructions. The computer program may be in source code form, object code form, or in some intermediate form. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable medium that is readable by a computer, processing circuitry or other suitable apparatus. As indicated above, for example, the computer program may be stored in a memory, such as a computer-readable storage medium.Additionally or alternatively, for example, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable transmission medium. The coding of software for carrying out exampleimplementations of the present disclosure is well within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0104] As will be appreciated, any suitable instructions may be loaded onto a computer, a processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus from a memory or a computer-readable medium (e.g., computer-readable storage medium, computer-readable transmission medium) to produce a particular machine, such that the particular machine becomes a means for implementing the functions specified herein. The instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that can direct a computer, a processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner to thereby generate a particular machine or particular article of manufacture. In some examples, the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium may produce an article of manufacture, where the article of manufacture becomes a means for implementing functions described herein. The instructions may be retrieved from a computer-readable medium and loaded into a computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to configure the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to execute operations to be performed on or by the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus.

[0105] Retrieval, loading and execution of instructions comprising program code instructions may be performed sequentially such that one instruction is retrieved, loaded and executed at a time. In some example implementations, retrieval, loading and / or execution may be performed in parallel such that multiple instructions are retrieved, loaded, and / or executed together. Execution of the program code instructions may produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions executed by the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus provide operations for implementing functions described herein.

[0106] As explained above and reiterated below, the present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[0107] Clause 1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a cell, configuration information associated with acquisition of one or more system information (SI) of the cell, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of an indication indicating that at least one SI of the one or more SI of the cell is transmitted by at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by theat least one other cell; determining the at least one other cell based on the first information associated with the at least one other cell; and acquiring the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell based on the second information.

[0108] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the at least one SI of the cell transmitted by the at least one other cell corresponds to one or more of at least one system information block (SIB) other than SIB type 1 (SIB1), or at least one positioning SIB (posSIB).

[0109] Clause 3. The method of clause 1 or clause 2, wherein the configuration information associated with the acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell comprises information that identifies the at least one SI of the cell transmitted by the at least one other cell.

[0110] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the first information associated with the at least one other cell comprises information identifying the at least one other cell transmitting the at least one SI of the cell, and the at least one other cell is identified by at least one of a frequency or an identifier associated with the at least one other cell.

[0111] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the second information associated with the acquisition of the at least one SI of the cell comprises: information that indicates whether scheduling information, or part of the scheduling information, associated with the at least one SI is to be received from the cell or the at least one other cell; and any of the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the cell.

[0112] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein the method further comprises receiving, from the at least one other cell, any of the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the at least one other cell.

[0113] Clause 7. The method of clause 5 or clause 6, wherein the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI comprises a broadcasting status that indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast by the at least one other cell, or broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

[0114] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, wherein the scheduling information further comprises information that indicates a configuration of: one or more resources to be monitored by the UE for the at least one SI when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is tobe periodically broadcast; or one or more resources to be used by the UE to transmit a request for the at least one SI from the at least one other cell when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

[0115] Clause 9. The method of clause 7 or clause 8, wherein acquiring the at least one SI comprises: monitoring for the at least one SI when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast; or requesting the at least one SI from the at least one other cell when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

[0116] Clause 10. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 9.

[0117] Clause 11. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 1 to 9.

[0118] Clause 12. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 9.

[0119] Clause 13. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 9.

[0120] Clause 14. A computer program comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 9.

[0121] Clause 15. A method performed by a radio access network (RAN) node that provides a cell, the method comprising: determining that at least one system information (SI) of one or more SI of the cell is to be transmitted by at least one other cell; generating configuration information associated with acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: an indication indicating that the at least one SI is transmitted by the at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell; transmitting the configuration informationtoward at least one user equipment (UE) for the at least one UE to determine the at least one other cell and acquire the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell; and skipping transmission of the at least one SI of the cell that is transmitted by the at least one other cell.

[0122] Clause 16. The method of clause 15, wherein determining that the at least one SI is to be transmitted by the at least one other cell comprise determining that the at least one SI is to be transmitted by the at least one other cell for a period of time, and wherein the transmission of the at least one SI of the cell is skipped for the period of time.

[0123] Clause 17. The method of clause 15 or clause 16, wherein the method further comprises sending a message to the at least one other cell to trigger the at least one other cell to transmit the at least one SI of the cell.

[0124] Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 15 to 17, wherein the at least one SI of the cell to be transmitted by the at least one other cell corresponds to one or more of at least one system information block (SIB) other than SIB type 1 (SIB1), or at least one positioning SIB (posSIB).

[0125] Clause 19. The method of any of clauses 15 to 18, wherein the configuration information associated with the acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell comprises information that identifies the at least one SI of the cell transmitted by the at least one other cell.

[0126] Clause 20. The method of any of clauses 15 to 19, wherein the first information associated with the at least one other cell comprises information identifying the at least one other cell transmitting the at least one SI of the cell, and the at least one other cell is identified by at least one of a frequency or an identifier associated with the at least one other cell.

[0127] Clause 21. The method of any of clauses 15 to 20, wherein the second information associated with the acquisition of the at least one SI of the cell comprises: information that indicates whether scheduling information, or part of the scheduling information, associated with the at least one SI is to be received from the cell or the at least one other cell; and any of the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the cell.

[0128] Clause 22. The method of clause 21, wherein the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI comprises a broadcasting status that indicates the at least one SI is tobe periodically broadcast by the at least one other cell, or broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

[0129] Clause 23. The method of clause 22, wherein the scheduling information further comprises information that indicates a configuration of: one or more resources to be monitored by the UE for the at least one SI when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast; or one or more resources to be used by the UE to transmit a request for the at least one SI from the at least one other cell when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

[0130] Clause 24. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 15 to 23.

[0131] Clause 25. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 15 to 23.

[0132] Clause 26. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 15 to 23.

[0133] Clause 27. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 15 to 23.

[0134] Clause 28. A computer program comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 15 to 23.

[0135] Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated figures. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific implementations disclosed and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing description and the associated figures describe example implementations in the context of certain example combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be appreciated that differentcombinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative implementations without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and / or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An apparatus comprising:at least one memory configured to store instructions; andat least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least:receive, from a cell, configuration information associated with acquisition of one or more system information (SI) of the cell, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: an indication indicating that at least one SI of the one or more SI of the cell is transmitted by at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell;determine the at least one other cell based on the first information associated with the at least one other cell; andacquire the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell based on the second information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one SI of the cell transmitted by the at least one other cell corresponds to one or more of at least one system information block (SIB) other than SIB type 1 (SIB1), or at least one positioning SIB (posSIB).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information associated with the acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell comprises information that identifies the at least one SI of the cell transmitted by the at least one other cell.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first information associated with the at least one other cell comprises information identifying the at least one other cell transmitting the at least one SI of the cell, and the at least one other cell is identified by at least one of a frequency or an identifier associated with the at least one other cell.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second information associated with the acquisition of the at least one SI of the cell comprises:32information that indicates whether scheduling information, or part of the scheduling information, associated with the at least one SI is to be received from the cell or the at least one other cell; andany of the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the cell.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to further receive, from the at least one other cell, any of the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the at least one other cell.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI comprises a broadcasting status that indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast by the at least one other cell, or broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the scheduling information further comprises information that indicates a configuration of:one or more resources to be monitored by the apparatus for the at least one SI when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast; orone or more resources to be used by the apparatus to transmit a request for the at least one SI from the at least one other cell when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus caused to acquire the at least one SI includes the apparatus caused to:monitor for the at least one SI when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast; orrequest the at least one SI from the at least one other cell when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

10. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a cell, configuration information associated with acquisition of one or more system information (SI) of the cell, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: an indication indicating that at least one SI of the one or more SI of the cell is transmitted by at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell;determining the at least one other cell based on the first information associated with the at least one other cell; andacquiring the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell based on the second information.

11. An apparatus comprising:at least one memory configured to store instructions; andat least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to at least:determine that at least one system information (SI) of one or more SI of the cell is to be transmitted by at least one other cell;generate configuration information associated with acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: an indication indicating that the at least one SI is transmitted by the at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell;transmit the configuration information toward at least one user equipment (UE) for the at least one UE to determine the at least one other cell and acquire the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell; andskip transmission of the at least one SI of the cell that is transmitted by the at least one other cell.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the apparatus caused to determine that the at least one SI is to be transmitted by the at least one other cell includes the apparatus causedto determine that the at least one SI is to be transmitted by the at least one other cell for a period of time, andwherein the transmission of the at least one SI of the cell is skipped for the period of time.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to further send a message to the at least one other cell to trigger the at least one other cell to transmit the at least one SI of the cell.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one SI of the cell to be transmitted by the at least one other cell corresponds to one or more of at least one system information block (SIB) other than SIB type 1 (SIB1), or at least one positioning SIB (posSIB).

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the configuration information associated with the acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell comprises information that identifies the at least one SI of the cell transmitted by the at least one other cell.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first information associated with the at least one other cell comprises information identifying the at least one other cell transmitting the at least one SI of the cell, and the at least one other cell is identified by at least one of a frequency or an identifier associated with the at least one other cell.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second information associated with the acquisition of the at least one SI of the cell comprises:information that indicates whether scheduling information, or part of the scheduling information, associated with the at least one SI is to be received from the cell or the at least one other cell; andany of the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI that is to be received from the cell.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the scheduling information associated with the at least one SI comprises a broadcasting status that indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast by the at least one other cell, or broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the scheduling information further comprises information that indicates a configuration of:one or more resources to be monitored by the UE for the at least one SI when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be periodically broadcast; orone or more resources to be used by the UE to transmit a request for the at least one SI from the at least one other cell when the broadcasting status indicates the at least one SI is to be broadcast on-demand by the at least one other cell.

20. A method performed by a radio access network (RAN) node that provides a cell, the method comprising:determining that at least one system information (SI) of one or more SI of the cell is to be transmitted by at least one other cell;generating configuration information associated with acquisition of the one or more SI of the cell, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of: an indication indicating that the at least one SI is transmitted by the at least one other cell, first information associated with the at least one other cell, or second information associated with transmission of the at least one SI of the cell by the at least one other cell;transmitting the configuration information toward at least one user equipment (UE) for the at least one UE to determine the at least one other cell and acquire the at least one SI of the cell from the at least one other cell; andskipping transmission of the at least one SI of the cell that is transmitted by the at least one other cell.36

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