Wireless device SSB beam selection

Abstract

A method performed by a wireless device for SSB beam selection for initial access in a telecommunication network The method includes determining (502) whether to perform a beam measurement on a subset of SSB beams from a plurality of SSB beams based on at least one of a reference signal measurement of a SSB beam, a battery level, the wireless device is in a power saving mode, a latency value of an active application of the wireless device, and a subscription of the wireless device. The method further includes performing (504) the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams to obtain a reference signal value of at least one SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams; and selecting (506) a SSB beam, from the subset of SSB beams, with the reference signal value that is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

Description

WIRELESS DEVICE SSB BEAM SELECTIONTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure is related to methods and apparatus for synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block (SSB) beam selection for initial access in a telecommunication network, and related methods and apparatus.BACKGROUND

[0002] Before a wireless device, such as a user equipment (UE), can properly communicate within a network, the wireless device carries out a cell search to find, synchronize, and identify a cell. Then, the wireless device can acquire basic system information and perform a random access procedure to establish a connection to the cell.

[0003] In new radio (NR), the combination of synchronization signals (SS) and physical broadcast channel (PBCH) is referred to as a SS / PBCH block (SSB). Similar to long term evolution (LTE), a pair of SSs, a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), is periodically transmitted on downlink from each cell to allow a UE to initially access the network. By detecting SSs, a UE can obtain the physical cell identity (PCI), achieve downlink synchronization in both time and frequency, and acquire the timing for PBCH. PBCH carries the master information block (MIB), which contains a minimum system information that a UE needs to acquire system information block 1 (SIB1). SIB1 carries the remaining minimum system information that is needed for a UE to be able to perform a subsequent random-access procedure. SIB1 is transmitted in the same way as normal scheduled downlink data transmissions in NR, with the SIB1 information itself transmitted on the PDSCH physical channel and scheduling information, needed by the UE to find and decode the PDSCH, transmitted on the PDCCH physical channel within a Control Resource Set (CORESET). Information needed by the UE to derive the CORESET in which to find a PDCCH carrying scheduling information related to SIB1 transmission is carried within the PBCH.

[0004] A UE can indicate an SSB during initial access to the network such that the network knows which SSB beam to use in subsequent communication with the UE. The network can indicate, in system information for example, an association to the UE between different physical random access channel (PRACH) preambles / PRACH occasions and SSB indexes. In a similar way, the network can indicate a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold which indicates a minimum RSRP from which the UE can select a preferred SSB. For example, the UE can select anySSB received with an RSRP above the configured threshold. See e.g., the parameter rsrp-ThresholdSSB as specified in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) TS 38.331 version 15.8.0.SUMMARY

[0005] In existing NR standardization, PRACH transmitted by a UE during initial access indicates an SSB and different PRACH is associated with different SSBs. To find a suitable SSB, if the UE is capable of beam sweeping during initial access, the UE may sweep on all, e.g., 64, SSB beams and find the best SSB beam. However, this can typically involve large latency and energy consumption at the UE, which can be especially problematic in cases with bursty communication where the UE gets connected for a short period, and / or the cases with a low UE battery level for example. Existing standardization does not mandate the UE to do beam sweeping on all SSBs during the initial access. Therefore, a method for selecting an appropriate SSB beam for PRACH transmission has been left for UE implementation. How the UE performs measurements and selects an appropriate SSB beam during initial access is an open challenge.

[0006] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. Some embodiments include wireless device (e.g., UE) implementation methods for SSB beam selection during initial access. Such a method can be included as part of a, e.g., frequency range 2 (FR2), beam management procedure. In some embodiments, when a UE is capable of beam sweeping during initial access, the UE decides by itself whether to perform the beam sweeping on all SSB beams or not before / during the initial access. In some embodiments, a UE decides whether the UE wants to wait until all SSB beams are measured and the best SSB beam is found, or the UE stops beam sweeping as soon as the UE finds a fairly good SSB beam (e.g., with a reference signal received power (RSRP) above a threshold). As discussed further herein, different parameters may affect the UE’s decision.

[0007] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. In some embodiments, a method is provided that is performed by a wireless device for SSB beam selection for initial access in a telecommunication network. The method includes determining whether to perform a beam measurement on a subset of SSB beams from a plurality of SSB beams based on at least one of a reference signal measurement of a SSB beam in the plurality of SSB beams, a battery level of the wireless device, the wireless device is in a power saving mode, a latency value of an active application of the wireless device, and a subscription of the wireless device. The method further includes, responsive to determining to perform the beammeasurement on the subset of SSBs, performing the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams to obtain a reference signal value of at least one SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams. The method further includes selecting a SSB beam, from the subset of SSB beams, with the reference signal value that is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

[0008] According to other embodiments, a wireless device is provided, the wireless device is configured to select a SSB beam for initial access in a telecommunication network. The wireless device includes processing circuitry, and memory coupled with the processing circuitry. The memory includes instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry causes the wireless device to perform operations. The operations include to determine whether to perform a beam measurement on a subset of SSB beams from a plurality of SSB beams based on at least one of a reference signal measurement of a SSB beam in the plurality of SSB beams, a battery level of the wireless device, the wireless device is in a power saving mode, a latency value of an active application of the wireless device, and a subscription of the wireless device. The operations further include to, responsive to determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSBs, perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams to obtain a reference signal value of at least one SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams. The operations further include to select a SSB beam, from the subset of SSB beams, with the reference signal value that is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

[0009] In other embodiments, non-transitory computer readable medium is provided. The non-transitory computer readable medium includes program code to be executed by processing circuitry of a wireless device configured to select a SSB beam for initial access in a telecommunication network. Execution of the program code causes the program code to perform operations. The operations include to determine whether to perform a beam measurement on a subset of SSB beams from a plurality of SSB beams based on at least one of a reference signal measurement of a SSB beam in the plurality of SSB beams, a battery level of the wireless device, the wireless device is in a power saving mode, a latency value of an active application of the wireless device, and a subscription of the wireless device. The operations further include to, responsive to determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSBs, perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams to obtain a reference signal value of at least one SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams. The operations further include to select a SSB beam, from the subset of SSB beams, with the reference signal value that is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

[0010] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. By performing a beam measurement on a subset of SSB beams based on a battery level, beammeasurement(s), etc. of the wireless device, and selecting a SSB beam from the subset, the wireless device may skip part of, or stop, a beam management procedure and select a SSB beam. The selected SSB beam may be sub-optimal but a good enough SSB beam. Performing the method on a subset of SSB beams and selecting the SSB beam from the subset, can, in turn, save latency and improve the wireless device’s energy efficiency. This may be a particular technical advantage in cases where a wireless device has a low battery level, bursty data traffic, and / or for different UE subscriptions / latency requirements for example.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate certain nonlimiting embodiments of inventive concepts. In the drawings:

[0012] Figure 1 is a schematic drawing that illustrates an example of cell-defined and non-cell-defined SSBs that can be transmitted in NR;

[0013] Figure 2 is a sequence diagram for a four-step random access procedure for initial access;

[0014] Figure 3 is a sequence diagram for a two-step random access procedure for initial access;

[0015] Figure 4 is a schematic drawing of example beam management procedures;

[0016] Figure 5 is a flow chart of operations of a wireless device in accordance with some embodiments;

[0017] Figure 6 is an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments;

[0018] Figure 7 is another example of a communication system according to some embodiments;

[0019] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a wireless device according to some embodiments;

[0020] Figure 9 is a block diagram of a network node according to some embodiments; and

[0021] Figure 10 is a block diagram of a virtualization environment in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art, in which examples of embodiments of thepresent disclosure are shown. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. It should also be noted that these embodiments are not mutually exclusive. Components from one embodiment may be tacitly assumed to be present / used in another embodiment.

[0023] While embodiments discussed above are explained in the non-limiting context of a UE, the present disclosure is not so limited. Instead as discussed further herein, other wireless devices may be used, including without limitation, a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other wireless devices.

[0024] The term “SSB beam” is used herein in a non-limiting manner and may be interchangeable and replaced with the terms “SSB”, “beam”, and / or “downlink (DL)-reference signal” (“DL-RS”).

[0025] NR cell search and system information acquisition can include a SSB periodicity that can take different values (e.g., 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40ms, 80 ms, 160 ms). For initial access, a UE can assume a SSB periodicity of 20 ms. Within one SSB period, the SSBs can be transmitted in a burst confined in one half frame (e.g., 5 ms). The maximum number (referred to herein as L) of SSBs in one burst is determined by the sub-carrier spacing. For frequency range from 24.24GHz to 52.6GHz, L can be as large as 64.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic drawing that illustrates an example of cell-defined and non-cell-defined SSBs that can be transmitted in NR. As shown, a first type of SSB is a SSB that has an associated SIB1 being transmitted, and can be referred to as a cell-defining (CD) SSB. Also as shown, a second type of SSB is a SSB that does not have an associated SIB1 being transmitted, and can be referred to as non-cell-defining (non-CD) SSB.

[0027] SSBs, including a CD-SSB and / or a non-CD-SSB, can be transmitted on or outside of a synchronization raster. Transmitting a SSB on a synchronization raster means that the center frequency of the SSB is within a limited set of frequency-domain positions, which is defined in the 3GPP NR specifications as a “synchronization raster”. In the 3GPP NR specifications, only SSBs on the synchronization raster can be found by UEs prior to initial access. If the SSB also has an associated SIB1, a UE can perform initial access using this SSB.

[0028] 3GPP TS 38.331 specifies the content of a MIB, as shown in the following excerpt:- MIBThe MIB includes the system information transmitted on BCH.Signalling radio bearer: N / AREC-SAP: TMLogical channel: BCCHDirection: Network to UEMIB- ASN1 START- TAG-MIB-STARTMIB ::= SEQUENCE {systemFrameNumber BIT STRING (SIZE (6)), subCarrierSpacingCommon ENUMERATED {scs!5or60, scs30or!20{ ssb-SubcarrierOffset INTEGER (0 .15),dmrs-TypeA-Position ENUMERATED {pos2, pos3{, pdcch-ConfigSIB 1 PDCCH-ConfigSIBl,cellBarred ENUMERATED {barred, notBarred}, intraFreqReselection ENUMERATED {allowed, notAllowed}, spare BIT STRING (SIZE (1))}- TAG-MIB-STOP- ASN1STOP&

[0029] The parameters ssb-SubCarrierOffset and pdcch-ConfigSIBl in the MIB provide information that assist UEs to find the PDCCH associated with SIB1 transmissions. The ssb-SubCarrierOffset provides information about the frequency offset between the detected SSB (e.g., the SSB within which the MIB is transmitted) and a Common Resource Block (CRB) grid. The pdcch-ConfigSIBl provides further details of the PDCH transmission.

[0030] NR includes a 4-step random access procedure for initial access, also referred to as a Type-1 random access procedure in 3GPP TS 38.213, and is illustrated in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, in a first step, a UE initiates the random-access procedure by transmitting in uplink (UL) a random-access preamble (e.g., Msgl) on a PRACH. After detecting the Msgl, in a second step, a base station (e.g., a gNodeB (gNB)) responds by transmitting in downlink (DL) a random-access response (RAR) on a PDSCH (e.g., Msg2). In the third step, after successfully decoding Msg2, the UE continues the procedure by transmitting in UL a PUSCH (e.g., Msg3) for terminal identification and radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment request. In the last step of the procedure, the gNB transmits in DL a PDSCH (e.g., Msg4) for contention resolution.

[0031] There can be cases where multiple UEs select the same random-access preamble and transmit the preamble on the same PRACH time / frequency resource. This preamble collision can bereferred to as contention. A purpose of applying step 3 and step 4 in Figure 2 is to resolve such potential contention.

[0032] NR includes a 2-step random access procedure for initial access, also referred to as a Type-2 random access procedure in 3GPP TS 38.213, and is illustrated in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, in a first step, a UE sends a message A (MsgA) including a random access preamble together with higher layer data such as a RRC connection request. A small payload on PUSCH also can be included. After detecting the MsgA, the network sends a RAR (referred to as message B (MsgB)) including a UE identifier assignment, timing advance information, and a contention resolution message etc.

[0033] It is noted that, in 5GNR, discussions on random access and initial access procedures have been finalized in Releases 15 and 16, with some enhancements in Releases 17 and 18 for cases such as artificial intelligence (Al), extended reality (XR), non-terrestrial network (NTN). The specifications are included in 3GPP TS 38.331 and 3GPP TS 38.213.

[0034] In a high frequency range (e.g., FR2), multiple radio frequency (RF) beams may be used to transmit and receive signals at a base station (e.g., a gNB) and a UE. For each DL beam from a gNB, for example, there is typically an associated best UE receive (Rx) beam for receiving the signals sent from such gNB DL beam. The gNB DL beam and the associated UE Rx beam form a beam pair. Suitable beam pairs can be identified through a beam management procedure in NR.

[0035] A DL beam typically is identified by an associated DL reference signal (DL-RS) transmitted in the beam, either periodically, semi-persistently, or aperiodically. The DL-RS for this purpose can be a SSB or a Channel State Information RS (CSLRS). By measuring, e.g., all the DL CSLRSs, the UE can determine and report to the gNB the best DL beam to use for DL transmissions. The gNB can then transmit a burst of DL-RS in the reported best DL beam to let the UE evaluate candidate UE RX beams.

[0036] Although not explicitly stated in the 3GPP NR specification, beam management is divided into three procedures, which are schematically illustrated in Figure 4:P-1 : A purpose is to find a coarse direction for the UE using a wide gNB transmit (TX) beam covering a whole angular sector.P-2: A purpose is to refine the gNB TX beam by doing a new beam search around the coarse direction found in Pl .P-3 : P-3 can be used for a UE that has analog beamforming to let the UE find a suitable UE RX beam

[0037] P-1 is expected to utilize beams with rather large beamwidths and where the beam reference signals are transmitted periodically and are shared between all UEs of the cell. Typically reference signals to use for P-1 are periodic CSI-RSs or SSBs. The UE then reports the N best beams to the gNB and, e.g., their corresponding RSRP values.

[0038] P-2 is expected to use aperiodic CSI-RS transmitted in narrow beams around the coarse direction found in P-1.

[0039] P-3 is expected to use aperiodic CSI-RSs repeatedly transmitted in one narrow gNB beam.

[0040] As discussed, a UE can indicate an SSB during initial access to the network such that the network knows which SSB beam to use in subsequent communication with the UE. The network can indicate, in system information for example, an association to the UE between different PRACH preambles / PRACH occasions and SSB indexes. In a similar way, the network can indicate a RSRP threshold which indicates a minimum RSRP from which the UE can select a preferred SSB. For example, the UE can select any SSB received with an RSRP above the configured threshold. See e.g., the parameter rsrp-ThresholdSSB as specified in 3GPP TS 38.331 version 15.8.0.

[0041] A PRACH selection based on rsrp-ThresholdSSB is described in section “5.1 Random Access procedure” in 3GPP TS 38.321 (Version 18.2.0), where a UE is expected to measure on all SSBs in a candidateBeamRSList:“if at least one of the SSBs with SS-RSRP above rsrp-ThresholdSSB amongst the SSBs in candidateBeamRSList or the CSI-RSs with CSI-RSRP above rsrp-ThresholdCSI-RS amongst the CSI-RSs in candidateBeamRSList is available:2> select an SSB with SS-RSRP above rsrp-ThresholdSSB amongst the SSBs in candidateBeamRSList or a CSI-RS with CSI-RSRP above rsrp-ThresholdCSI-RS amongst the CSI-RSs in candidateBeamRSList; . . .”

[0042] As discussed, the PRACH transmitted by a UE during initial access indicates an SSB so that the network knows the appropriate beam for communication with the UE. The network may configure the UE such that the indicated beam has an RSRP above a threshold, for example.However, the UE is not mandated to report the best SSB beam (e.g., the SSB beam with the highest RSRP). That is, the SSB selection method during the initial access has been left for UE implementation. One option for the UE is to sweep on all SSB beams before / during initial access and select the best SSB beam. However, such an approach can be performed at the cost of energy consumption and latency, which can be problematic specially in cases with, e.g., low UE batterylevel, bursty communication and / or low latency requirements. Thus, it may be beneficial for the UE to apply a smart method for SSB beam selection before / during initial access.

[0043] Examples of the present disclosure include a method performed by a wireless device (e.g., a UE) for SSB beam selection before / during initial access. Depending on different parameters, such as a UE’s battery level, measured RSRP values, a UE’s subscription, etc., the UE decides whether the UE will sweep on all SSBs and find the best SSB beam, or skip part of the SSB beam measurement and select an appropriate, but not necessarily the best, SSB beam for PRACH transmission. In this way, the method of some embodiments may improve the UE’s energy efficiency and reduce the beam measurement latency. Such technical advantages may be particularly beneficial when there is bursty traffic that can be seen in commercial deployments where a UE typically needs to send / receive small packages rather frequently; which causes a need for frequent connection / disconnection to the network, and which in turn causes frequent initial access procedures.

[0044] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a wireless device according to some embodiments.

[0045] Referring to Figure 5, some embodiments are directed to a method performed by a wireless device for SSB beam selection for initial access in a telecommunication network. The method includes determining 502 whether to perform a beam measurement on a subset of SSB beams from a plurality of SSB beams based on at least one of a reference signal measurement of a SSB beam in the plurality of SSB beams, a battery level of the wireless device, the wireless device is in a power saving mode, a latency value of an active application of the wireless device, and a subscription of the wireless device. The method further includes, responsive to determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSBs, performing 504 the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams to obtain a reference signal value of at least one SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams. The method further includes selecting 506 a SSB beam, from the subset of SSB beams, with the reference signal value that is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

[0046] In one non-limiting example, the method is performed by a UE for SSB beam selection during initial access. The method includes the UE selecting the SSB beam based on performing a relaxed / partial beam measurement procedure before / during initial access, and where the UE determines to use the relaxed / partial beam measurement procedure based one or more of the battery level of the UE being below a certain threshold; the UE is set on power saving mode; the measured SSBs up to now (e.g., a RSRP, a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.); a latency requirement of the a current application of the UE; and a subscription of the UE.

[0047] In some embodiments, performing 504 the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams includes performing a reference signal measurement on at least one SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams.

[0048] For example, a relaxed beam measurement procedure in some examples means that the UE performs RSRP measurements on a subset of all SSB beams in an SSB burst.

[0049] In some examples, the SSB beam selection method before / during initial access may include a UE selecting the SSB beam based on performing a whole or a relaxed beam measurement procedure (e.g., a whole or relaxed Pl procedure). In an example of a relaxed Pl procedure, the UE only performs RSRP measurements on a subset of all SSBs in an SSB burst.

[0050] The UE, in some examples, decides whether to perform a whole SSB beam measurement procedure (e.g., a Pl procedure) or to skip part of the SSB beam measurements and selects a SSB beam with good quality, but not necessarily the SSB beam with the highest RSRP.

[0051] In some embodiments, the first threshold value is configured by the telecommunications network (e.g., by a network node); and the method further includes receiving 500 a parameter that indicates the first threshold value of the reference signal.

[0052] For example, as discussed herein, the network can indicate in system information an association to ae UE between different PRACH preambles / PRACH occasions and SSB indices. The network can use the parameter rsrp-ThresholdSSB, for example as specified in 3GPP TS 38.331 Version 15.8.0, to indicate the minimum RSRP threshold which the UE needs to consider for SSB selection. The UE can select any SSB received with an RSRP above the configured threshold.

[0053] In some examples, a UE may determine to use a relaxed SSB beam measurement procedure based one or more of a battery level of the UE being below a certain threshold; the UE is set on a power saving mode; the measured SSBs (e.g., RSRP, SINR, etc.) up to a point in time; a latency requirement or preference of a current application of the UE; a subscription of the UE, etc.

[0054] In one example, if a UE’s battery level is below a threshold X, e.g., X=10%, the UE performs measurements on a subset of SSBs. In another example, if the UE is in a power saving mode, the UE performs measurements on a subset of SSBs.

[0055] In other embodiments, determining 502 includes determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams, and to skip a beam measurement on the remainder of SSB beams in the plurality of SSB beams, when the wireless device is in a power saving mode. In an example, if a UE is in the power saving mode, the UE performs measurements on a subset of SSBs.

[0056] Determining 502, in some embodiments, includes determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams when a volume of data traffic of the wireless device is below a fourth threshold value. In an example, if a UE has low bursty data traffic to transfer or a data volume below a threshold, the UE performs measurements on a subset of all SSBs.

[0057] In some embodiments, performing 504 the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams includes the wireless device skips a beam measurement on a remainder of SSB beams from the plurality of SSB beams.

[0058] In other embodiments, determining 502 whether to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams includes determining to stop the beam measurement on a remainder of SSB beams in the plurality of SSB beams based on beam measurement values obtained for the subset of SSB beams.

[0059] In some embodiments, determining 502 to stop includes determining to stop the beam measurement on the remainder of SSBs in the plurality of SSB beams responsive to the wireless device obtaining a reference signal value of a SSB in the subset of SSB beams that is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, and the first threshold value includes at least one of a network configured minimum threshold value and an internal threshold value of the wireless device.

[0060] In an example, if a measured RSRP, SINR, etc. in SSB N is above a first threshold, the UE stops measurement on SSBs N+l, ... In other words, the UE stops measurement as soon as it finds an SSB beam with an RSRP, SINR, etc. above the first threshold.

[0061] In some embodiments, determining 502 to stop includes determining to stop the beam measurement on the remainder of SSBs in the plurality of SSB beams responsive to the wireless device obtaining a reference signal value of a SSB in the subset of SSB beams that is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, and the first threshold value includes at least one of a network configured minimum threshold value and an internal threshold value of the wireless device.

[0062] In an example, a UE’s decision whether to stop beam sweeping or not depends on the beam measurement values up to that time. For instance, if the measured RSRP, SINR, etc. in SSB N is above a threshold, the UE may stop measurement on SSBs N+l, ... That is, the UE may stop measurement as soon as it finds an SSB beam with RSRP, SINR, etc. above a threshold. It is noted that the threshold considered by the UE may be the same or higher than the minimum RSRP requirement configured by the network with parameter rsrp-ThresholdSSB.

[0063] In some embodiments, the first threshold value includes an internal threshold value of the wireless device, and the first threshold value is equal to or greater than a threshold value of the reference signal configured to the wireless device. For instance, the UE may stop measurements assoon as it finds a beam with RSRP > -10 dB, while rsrp-ThresholdSSB may indicate a minimum RSRP requirement of RSRP >-15 dB.

[0064] In some embodiments, selecting 506 the SSB beam includes selecting a first SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams that has the reference signal value that is equal to or greater than the first threshold value. In an example, a UE selects a beam with, e.g., a RSRP, a SINR, etc. above a threshold, but the selected beam is not necessarily the best beam.

[0065] Determining 502, in some embodiments, includes determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams, and to skip a beam measurement on the remainder of SSB beams in the plurality of SSB beams, when the battery level of the wireless device is below a second threshold value. For example, if a UE’s battery-level is below a second threshold value, the UE performs measurements on a subset of SSBs.

[0066] With a low performance / latency subscription, in some examples, a UE is fine as long as RSRP is above a threshold, while with a high subscription the UE may try for the best RSRP by performing measurement on all SSBs.

[0067] If a latency requirement is below a threshold, in some examples, a UE does not sweep on all SSB beams and selects an SSB beam with a RSRP, a SINR, etc. above a first threshold, but the selected SSB beam is not necessarily best SSB beam. On the other hand, with a relaxed latency requirement, the UE may check all SSBs.

[0068] In some embodiments, determining 502 includes determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams, and to skip a beam measurement on the remainder of SSB beams in the plurality of SSB beams, when a latency value is at or below a third threshold.

[0069] In other embodiments, a subscription of the wireless device includes a criteria of latency value below a third threshold, and determining 502 includes determining to perform the beam measurement on the plurality of SSB beams when the latency value is greater than a third threshold.

[0070] In still other embodiments, a subscription of the wireless device includes a criteria of latency value below a third threshold, and determining 502 includes determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams when the latency value is below the third threshold.

[0071] In yet other embodiments, a subscription of the wireless device includes a criteria of latency value below a third threshold, and determining 502 includes to perform the beam measurement on the plurality of SSB beams when the latency value is above the third threshold.

[0072] In an example, with a low performance / latency subscription, a UE is fine as long as RSRP is above a threshold; while with a high subscription, the UE may try for the best RSRP by performing measurement on all SSBs. For instance, if the latency requirement is below a threshold,e.g., T < t with T being the latency and t being the maximum possible latency, the UE does not sweep on all SSB beams and selects an SSB beam with RSRP, SINR, etc. above a threshold, but not necessarily the best SSB. On the other hand, with a relaxed latency requirement, e.g., a large value of t, the UE may check all SSBs. In another example method, if the UE has low bursty data traffic to transfer or a data volume below a threshold, the UE may skip part of SSB measurement and select a beam with fairly good RSRP / SINR.

[0073] In some embodiments, the value of the first threshold includes an internal threshold value of the wireless device, and depends on at least one of the battery level of the wireless device, the latency value, the subscription, and a maximum number of SSB beams. It is noted that the values of the thresholds considered by the UE for different examples of the method discussed herein may depend on different parameters such as a battery level of a UE; a latency requirement; a subscription of the UE; a maximum number of SSB beams, etc. As discussed, for example, the values of the thresholds considered by a UE can depend on the UE’s battery level, a latency requirement, a UE’s subscription, etc.

[0074] In some examples, a UE may select an appropriate SSB beam during initial access by skipping part of a SSB beam measurement procedure, and performing the whole SSB measurement procedure only when required. By skipping part of a SSB measurement procedure, UE energy efficiency may be improved since redundant beam measurements are avoided. This may be a particular technical advantage in cases where a UE has a low battery level, bursty data traffic, and / or for different UE subscriptions / latency requirements.

[0075] In other embodiments, the plurality of SSB beams are from one cell in the telecommunications network. In still other embodiments, the plurality of SSB beans are from a plurality of cells in the telecommunications network, and determining 502 includes determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams per cell in the plurality of cells. In yet other embodiments, the plurality of SSB beans are from a plurality of cells in the telecommunications network, and determining 502 includes determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams for at least one of the plurality of cells and a subset of the plurality of cells.

[0076] In an example, if a UE can measure and detect SSBs from multiple different cells (which can happen, e.g.. if the UE is located on a cell edge between two cells, or if base stations are densely deployed), the UE can select to perform a relaxed SSB beam sweep procedures per cell. Insuch a case, the UE can either do the relaxed beam sweep procedure for all detected cells, or for only a subset of the selected cells.

[0077] The method of some embodiments is applied in at least one of a two-step random access procedure and a four-step random access procedure.

[0078] The reference can include at least one of a RSRP and a SINR.

[0079] In some embodiments, the method further includes indicating 508 the selected SSB beam towards a network node.

[0080] Operations 500 and 508 of Figure 5 may be optional with respect to some embodiments of wireless devices and related methods.

[0081] Operations discussed with reference to the flow chart of Figure 5 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed by a wireless device (implemented using the structure of Figure 8). For example, modules may be stored in memory 810, and these modules may provide instructions so that when the instructions of a module are executed by respective computing device processing circuitry 802, wireless device 800 performs respective operations of the flow chart.

[0082] In certain embodiments, a wireless device (612, 712, 800) includes processing circuitry 802; and at least one memory 810 connected to the processing circuitry and storing instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry causes the wireless device to perform operations. The operations include to perform some or all of the functionality described herein.

[0083] As discussed herein, certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. Depending on an energy level, beam measurements, etc. of a wireless device, the wireless device may skip part of a beam measurement procedure (e.g., a Pl beam management procedure), and select a sub-optimal but good enough SSB beam. This, in turn, can save latency and improve the wireless device’s energy efficiency. Such technical advantages may be particularly beneficial in cases with, e.g., low latency requirements, a low wireless device energy-level, and / or bursty communication.

[0084] Figure 6 shows an example of a communication system 600 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0085] In the example, the communication system 600 includes a telecommunications network 602 that includes an access network 604, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 606, which includes one or more core network nodes 608. The access network 604 includes one or more access network nodes or base stations of various types, access network nodes 610A and 610B are depicted (which may be collectively referred to as network nodes 610), or any other similar3GPP access nodes or non-3GPP access points (APs). Some embodiments of the access network 604 may include more than one access network technology. The network nodes 610 of access network 604 facilitate direct or indirect connection of wireless devices, also referred to as UEs, such as by connecting UEs 612A, 612B, 612C, and 612D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 612) to the core network 606 over one or more wireless connections.

[0086] Moreover, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunications network 602 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a network node in the telecommunications network 602 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other network nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any network node in the telecommunications network 602, including one or more access network nodes 610 and / or core network nodes 608.

[0087] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). An ORAN network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN network node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies.

[0088] The network nodes 610 facilitate direct or indirect connection of one or more UEs 612 to the core network 606 over one or more wireless connections. Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable forconveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 600 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 600 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0089] The UEs 612 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 610 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 608, 610 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly (e.g., via other devices of telecommunications network 602) with the UEs 612 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunications network 602 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunications network 602. More specifically, UEs 612 may send messages, data, and / or other signals to network nodes 608, 610 or other elements of the telecommunications network 602 by transmitting such signals to the relevant device directly without the signals passing through any intervening devices or by transmitting such signals to the relevant device indirectly through an intervening device (or multiple intervening devices) that then transmit the signal to the relevant device. Similarly, network nodes 608, 610 may send messages, data, and other signals to UEs 6122, other network nodes 608, 610, and other devices in telecommunications network 602 directly or indirectly. As one specific example, a core network node 108 may transmit a particular message to a UE 612 by transmitting the message to an access network node 610 that will then transmit the message to the intended UE 612. Similarly, a core network node 108 may receive a particular message from a UE 612 by receiving the message from an access network node 610 that itself received the message from the UE 612.

[0090] In the depicted example, the core network 606 connects elements of the access network 604 (e.g., one or more of the network nodes 610) to one or more host computing systems, such as host 616. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 606 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 608) of various types, one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 608. Network nodes 608 are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may besubstantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, access network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 608. Example core network nodes provide functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0091] The host 616 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 604 and / or the telecommunications network 602. The host 616 may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 616 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0092] As a whole, the communication system 600 of Figure 6 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 600 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); LTE, and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (Wi-Fi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wi-Max), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, Li-Fi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox. Moreover, the communication system 600 may be configured to support multiple different standards, protocols, or other rule sets, with individual components supporting all of the relevant rule sets or with different components or sub-systems within the communication system 600 supporting different standards, protocols, or rule sets.

[0093] As one example, in certain embodiments, access network 604 may contain some access network nodes 610 that support 3 GPP radio access technologies (RAT), such as LTE or NR, while other access network nodes 610 support (or the same access network nodes 610 additionallysupport) non-3GPP RATs, such as Wi-Fi or a proprietary RAT. As another example, telecommunications network 602 may support multiple generations of related communication standards (e.g., 4G and 5G 3GPP communication standards) and, as a result, may include an access network 104 and / or a core network 106 that supports multiple different standard generations or may include multiple access networks 104 and / or multiple core networks 106 with individual networks 104, 106 supporting different standard generations.

[0094] Telecommunications network 602 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunications network 602. For example, the telecommunications network 602 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0095] In some examples, one or more of the UEs 612 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 604 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 604. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi -standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR and LTE, i.e. being configured for multiradio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0096] In the example, the hub 614 communicates with the access network 604 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 612C and / or 612D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 610B). In some examples, the hub 614 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 614 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 606 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 614 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 610, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 614.

[0097] As another example, the hub 614 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, the hub 614 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 614 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 614then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 614 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0098] The hub 614 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 610B. The hub 614 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 614 and UEs (e.g., UE 612C and / or 612D), and between the hub 614 and the core network 606. In other examples, the hub 614 is connected to the core network 606 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 614 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 604 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 610 while still connected via the hub 614 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 614 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 610B. In other embodiments, the hub 614 may be a nondedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 610B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0099] Figure 7 is another example of a communication system 700 according to some embodiments. As used herein, the communication system 700 includes multiple access points (APs) 710 (with four exemplary APs 710A, 710B, 710C, and 710D being depicted) and multiple wireless devices, referred to in the context of communication system 700 as stations (STAs) 712 (referred to individually as STA 712A, STA 712B, STA 712C, STA 712D, and STA 712E). STA 712A is served by AP 710A in a first basic service set (BSS) 720A. STA 710B and STA 710C are served by AP 710B in a second BSS, BSS 720B. STA 712D is served by AP 710C in a third BSS, BSS 720C. STA 712E is served by AP 710D in a fourth BSS, BSS 720D. Stations 712 may be non-AP STAs and correspond to various kinds of wireless devices, for example, user terminals, such as mobile or stationary computing devices like smartphones, laptop computers, desktop computers, tablet computers, gaming devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs) for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), or the like. Further, stations 712 could, for example, correspond to other kinds of equipment like smart home devices, printers, multimedia devices, data storage devices, or the like.

[0100] Each of STAs 712 may connect through a radio link to one of APs 710. For example, depending on location or channel conditions experienced by a given STA 712, the STA may select an appropriate AP and BSS for establishing the radio link. The radio link may be based on one ormore orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) carriers from a frequency spectrum that is shared on the basis of a contention-based mechanism, e.g., an unlicensed or license exempt band like 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band, the 5 GHz band, the 6 GHz band, or the 60 GHz band.

[0101] Each AP 710 may provide data connectivity to STAs 712 connected to a particular AP 710. As illustrated, APs 710 may be connected to a data network 730. In this way, APs 710 may also provide data connectivity between STAs 712 and other entities, e.g., to one or more servers, service providers, data sources, data sinks, user terminals, or the like. Accordingly, the radio link established between a given STA 712 and its serving AP 710 may be used for providing various kinds of services to STA 712, e.g., a voice service, a multimedia service, or other data service. Such services may be based on applications that are executed on STA 712 and / or on a device linked to STA 712. By way of example, Figure 7 illustrates an application service platform 732 provided in data network 730. The application(s) executed on STA 712 and / or on one or more other devices linked to STA 712 may use the radio link for data communication with one or more other STA 712 and / or the application service platform 732, thereby enabling utilization of the corresponding service(s) at STA 712.

[0102] Figure 8 shows a wireless device 800, which may be configured to operate in communication system 600 of Figure 6 or in communication system 700 of Figure 7. The wireless device 800 may be alternatively referred to as a UE 800, like a UE 612 within the context of communication system 600, or as a station (STA) 800 or as a non-access-point station (non-AP STA) 800, like a STA 712 within the context of the communication system 700, in accordance with respective embodiments. As used herein, a wireless device refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, 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), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customerpremise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, and wireless terminal. Other examples include any type of UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0103] A wireless device 800 may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP 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, wireless device 800 may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, wireless device 800 may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, wireless device 800 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).

[0104] In particular embodiments, wireless device 800 includes processing circuitry 802 that is operatively coupled via a bus 804 to an input / output interface 806, a power source 808, a memory 810, a communication interface 812, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain embodiments of wireless device 800 may include all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 8. The level of integration between the components may vary from one embodiment of wireless device 800 to another. In general, in a particular embodiment of wireless device 800, processing circuitry 802, input / output interface 806, power source 808, memory 810, and communication interface 812 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of wireless device 800. Further, certain embodiments of wireless devices 800 may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0105] The 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 the memory 810. The 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, the processing circuitry 802 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0106] In the example, the 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.Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, aprinter, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into wireless device 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.

[0107] In some embodiments, the 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 to supply power to circuitry or to charge an associated battery. The power source 808 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 808 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of wireless device 800 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Power source 808 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to make accessible power suitable for the respective components of the wireless device 800 to which power is supplied.

[0108] The 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, the memory 810 includes one or more programs 814, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 816. The memory 810 may store, for use by wireless device 800, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0109] The 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 ormore subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 810 may allow wireless device 800 to access instructions, programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 810, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0110] The processing circuitry 802 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network via or using the communication interface 812. The communication interface 812 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 822. The 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 wireless device or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 818 and / or a receiver 820 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 818 and receiver 820 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 822) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0111] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 812 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, 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 according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, 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.

[0112] In particular embodiments, wireless device 800 may provide an output of data captured via a sensor, through its communication interface 812, via a wireless connection to a network node, and / or in any appropriate manner. Data captured by sensors of a wireless device 800 can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another wireless device 800. Inparticular embodiments, such output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 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., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0113] As another example, wireless device 800 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, wireless device 800 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.

[0114] Wireless device 800, 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, 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 smart watch, a fitness tracker, 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. In particular embodiments, wireless device 800 represents an loT device that comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the example embodiment of wireless device 800 shown in Figure 8.

[0115] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, wireless device 800 may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another wireless device and / or a network node.Wireless device 800 may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3 GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, wireless device 800 may implement the 3 GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, wireless device 800 may represent a vehicle, such as a car, abus, 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.

[0116] In practice, any number of wireless devices 800 may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first wireless device 800 might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second wireless device 800 that is a remote controller operating the drone. When a user makes changes from the remote controller, the first wireless device 800 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 wireless device 800 can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, wireless device 800 might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0117] Figure 9 shows a network node 900 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunications network. In accordance with respective embodiments, network node 900 may be configured to operate in communication system 600 of Figure 6, like network nodes 608 or 610, or in communication system 700 of Figure 7, like an AP 710 or a station 712. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NRNodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., 0-RU, 0-DU, O-CU).

[0118] Network nodes 900 may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. Network node 900 may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. Network nodes 900 may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an 0-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0119] Other examples of network nodes 900 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 transceiverstations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, SelfOrganizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0120] In particular embodiments, network node 900 includes a processing circuitry 902, a memory 904, a communication interface 906, and a power source 908. In general, in a particular embodiment of network node 900, processing circuitry 902, memory 904, communication interface 906, and power source 908 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of network node 900.

[0121] The network node 900 may be composed of multiple distinct network entities (e.g., a NodeB entity and a RNC entity, or a BTS entity and a BSC entity, etc.), which may each have or utilize their own respective physical components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 900 comprises multiple such entities (e.g., BTS and BSC), one or more of the separate entities 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, the network node 900 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memories 904 or portions of memory 904 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 910 may be shared by different RATs). The 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, Wi-Fi (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 900.

[0122] The 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 components, such as the memory 904, to provide network node 900 functionality.

[0123] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF)transceiver circuitry 912 and baseband processing circuitry 914. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 912 and the 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.

[0124] The 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) or a 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 the processing circuitry 902. The memory 904 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 902 and utilized by the network node 900. The memory 904 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 902 and / or any data received via the communication interface 906. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 902 and memory 904 is integrated.

[0125] The communication interface 906 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data with UEs, other network nodes, and / or any other network equipment. In the illustrated embodiment, communication interface 906 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 916 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. In particular embodiments, network node 800 may be capable of wireless communication and communication interface 906 may also include radio front-end circuitry 918 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, an antenna 910. Particular embodiments of radio front-end circuitry 918 include filter(s) 920 and amplifier(s) 922. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may be connected to an antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 910 and processing circuitry 902. The radio frontend circuitry 918 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 918 may convert the digital data into a radio signal(s) having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 920 and / or amplifiers 922. The radio signal(s) may then be transmitted via the antenna 910.Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 910 may collect radio signals which are then convertedinto digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 918. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 902. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0126] In certain alternative embodiments, network node 900 may be capable of wireless communication but does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 918, instead, the processing circuitry 902 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 910. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 912 is part of the communication interface 906. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 906 includes one or more ports or terminals 916, the radio front-end circuitry 918, and the RF transceiver circuitry 912, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 906 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 914, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0127] The antenna 910 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 910 may be coupled to the 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, the antenna 910 is separate from the network node 900 and connectable to the network node 900 through one or more interfaces or ports.

[0128] The antenna 910, communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform some or all of the receiving operations and / or obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 900. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 910, the communication interface 906, and / or the processing circuitry 902 may be configured to perform some or all of the transmitting or sending operations described herein as being performed by the network node 900. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0129] The 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). The power source 908 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 900 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the 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 supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 908. As a further example, the power source 908 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, orintegrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0130] Embodiments of the network node 900 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 9 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 900 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 900 and to allow output of information from the network node 900. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 900.

[0131] 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 an access network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which a virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1000 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0132] Applications 1002 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 1000 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0133] Hardware 1004 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1006 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VM 1008 A and VM 1008B (which may be collectively 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 one or more of the VMs 1008.

[0134] The VMs 1008 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by 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 be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0135] In the context of NFV, each of the VMs 1008 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 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 for handling specific network functions that run in one or more of the VMs 1008 on top of the hardware 1004 and corresponds to an application 1002.

[0136] Hardware 1004 may be 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 a control system 1012 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0137] Although computing devices described herein may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions,and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.

[0138] Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0139] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0140] In the above-description of certain embodiments of the present disclosure, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. 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 concepts of the present disclosure belong. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of thisspecification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0141] When an element is referred to as being “connected”, “coupled”, “responsive”, or variants thereof to another element, it can be directly connected, coupled, or responsive to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected”, “directly coupled”, “directly responsive”, or variants thereof to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Furthermore, “coupled”, “connected”, “responsive”, or variants thereof as used herein may include wirelessly coupled, connected, or responsive. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and / or clarity. The term “and / or” (abbreviated “ / ”) includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0142] It will be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements / operations, these elements / operations should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element / operation from another element / operation. Thus a first element / operation in some embodiments could be termed a second element / operation in other embodiments without departing from the teachings of concepts of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals or the same reference designators denote the same or similar elements throughout the specification.

[0143] As used herein, the terms “comprise”, “comprising”, “comprises”, “include”, “including”, “includes”, “have”, “has”, “having”, or variants thereof are open-ended, and include one or more stated features, integers, elements, steps, components, or functions but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, elements, steps, components, functions, or groups thereof. Furthermore, as used herein, the common abbreviation “e.g ”, which derives from the Latin phrase “exempli gratia,” may be used to introduce or specify a general example or examples of a previously mentioned item, and is not intended to be limiting of such item. The common abbreviation “i.e ”, which derives from the Latin phrase “id est,” may be used to specify a particular item from a more general recitation.

[0144] Example embodiments are described herein with reference to block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations of computer-implemented methods, apparatus (systems and / or devices) and / or computer program products. It is understood that a block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchartillustrations, can be implemented by computer program instructions that are performed by one or more computer circuits. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor circuit of a general purpose computer circuit, special purpose computer circuit, and / or other programmable data processing circuit to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer and / or other programmable data processing apparatus, transform and control transistors, values stored in memory locations, and other hardware components within such circuitry to implement the functions / acts specified in the block diagrams and / or flowchart block or blocks, and thereby create means (functionality) and / or structure for implementing the functions / acts specified in the block diagrams and / or flowchart block(s).

[0145] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a tangible computer-readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the functions / acts specified in the block diagrams and / or flowchart block or blocks. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied in hardware and / or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) that runs on a processor such as a digital signal processor, which may collectively be referred to as “circuitry,” “a module” or variants thereof.

[0146] It should also be noted that in some alternate implementations, the functions / acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the flowcharts. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality / acts involved. Moreover, the functionality of a given block of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be separated into multiple blocks and / or the functionality of two or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams may be at least partially integrated. Finally, other blocks may be added / inserted between the blocks that are illustrated, and / or blocks / operations may be omitted without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, although some of the diagrams include arrows on communication paths to show a primary direction of communication, it is to be understood that communication may occur in the opposite direction to the depicted arrows.

[0147] Many variations and modifications can be made to the embodiments without substantially departing from the principles of the present disclosure. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of present disclosure.Accordingly, the above disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the examples of embodiments are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, andother embodiments, which fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the present disclosure is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the present disclosure including the examples of embodiments and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is Claimed is:

1. A method performed by a wireless device for synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block, SSB, beam selection, for initial access in a telecommunication network, the method comprising:determining (502) whether to perform a beam measurement on a subset of SSB beams from a plurality of SSB beams based on at least one of a reference signal measurement of a SSB beam in the plurality of SSB beams, a battery level of the wireless device, the wireless device is in a power saving mode, a latency value of an active application of the wireless device, and a subscription of the wireless device;responsive to determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSBs, performing (504) the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams to obtain a reference signal value of at least one SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams; andselecting (506) a SSB beam, from the subset of SSB beams, with the reference signal value that is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

2. The method of Claim 1, wherein performing (504) the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams comprises performing a reference signal measurement on at least one SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams.

3. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein performing (504) the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams comprises the wireless device skips a beam measurement on a remainder of SSB beams from the plurality of SSB beams.

4. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein determining (502) whether to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams comprises determining to stop the beam measurement on a remainder of SSB beams in the plurality of SSB beams based on beam measurement values obtained for the subset of SSB beams.

5. The method of Claim 4, wherein determining (502) to stop comprises determining to stop the beam measurement on the remainder of SSBs in the plurality of SSB beams responsive to the wireless device obtaining a reference signal value of a SSB in the subset of SSB beams that isequal to or greater than the first threshold value, and wherein the first threshold value comprises at least one of a network configured minimum threshold value and an internal threshold value of the wireless device.

6. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein selecting (506) the SSB beam comprises selecting a first SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams that has the reference signal value that is equal to or greater than the first threshold value.

7. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein determining (502) comprises determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams, and to skip a beam measurement on the remainder of SSB beams in the plurality of SSB beams, when the battery level of the wireless device is below a second threshold value.

8. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein determining (502) comprises determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams, and to skip a beam measurement on the remainder of SSB beams in the plurality of SSB beams, when the wireless device is in the power saving mode.

9. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein determining (502) comprises determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams, and to skip a beam measurement on the remainder of SSB beams in the plurality of SSB beams, when the latency value is at or below a third threshold.

10. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the subscription of the wireless device comprises a criteria of latency value below a third threshold, and determining (502) comprises determining to perform the beam measurement on the plurality of SSB beams when the latency value is greater than a third threshold.

11. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the subscription of the wireless device comprises a criteria of latency value below a third threshold, and determining (502) comprises determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams when the latency value is below the third threshold.

12. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the subscription of the wireless device comprises a criteria of latency value below a third threshold, and determining (502) comprises to perform the beam measurement on the plurality of SSB beams when the latency value is above the third threshold.

13. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 12, wherein determining (502) comprises determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams when a volume of data traffic of the wireless device is below a fourth threshold value.

14. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 13, wherein the value of the first threshold comprises an internal threshold value of the wireless device, and depends on at least one of the battery level of the wireless device, the latency value, the subscription, and a maximum number of SSB beams.

15. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 14, wherein the method is applied in at least one of a two-step random access procedure and a four-step random access procedure.

16. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 15, wherein the first threshold value is configured by the telecommunication network, the method further comprising:receiving (500) a parameter that indicates the first threshold value of the reference signal.

17. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 16, wherein the first threshold value comprises an internal threshold value of the wireless device, and the first threshold value is equal to or greater than a threshold value of the reference signal configured to the wireless device.

18. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 17, wherein the plurality of SSB beams are from one cell in the telecommunications network.

19. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 17, wherein the plurality of SSB beans are from a plurality of cells in the telecommunications network, and determining (502) comprises determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams per cell in the plurality of cells.

20. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 17, wherein the plurality of SSB beans are from aplurality of cells in the telecommunications network, and determining (502) comprises determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams for at least one of the plurality of cells and a subset of the plurality of cells.

21. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 20, wherein the reference signal comprises at least one of a reference signal received power, RSRP, and a signal to interference plus noise ratio, SINR.

22. The method of any one of Claims 1 to 21, further comprising:indicating (508) the selected SSB beam towards a network node.

23. A wireless device (612, 712, 800) configured to select a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block, SSB, beam for initial access in a telecommunication network, the wireless device comprising:processing circuitry (802);memory (810) coupled with the processing circuitry, wherein the memory includes instructions that when executed by the processing circuitry causes the wireless device to perform operations:determine whether to perform a beam measurement on a subset of SSB beams from a plurality of SSB beams based on at least one of a reference signal measurement of a SSB beam in the plurality of SSB beams, a battery level of the wireless device, the wireless device is in a power saving mode, a latency value of an active application of the wireless device, and a subscription of the wireless device;responsive to determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSBs, perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams to obtain a reference signal value of at least one SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams; andselect a SSB beam, from the subset of SSB beams, with the reference signal value that is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

24. The wireless device of Claim 23, wherein the operations further comprise any of the operations of Claims 2 to 22.

25. Anon-transitory computer readable medium (810) including program code (814) to beexecuted by processing circuitry (802) of a wireless device (612, 712, 800) configured to select a synchronization signal and physical broadcast channel block, SSB, beam for initial access in a telecommunication network, whereby execution of the program code causes the program code to perform operations comprising:determine whether to perform a beam measurement on a subset of SSB beams from a plurality of SSB beams based on at least one of a reference signal measurement of a SSB beam in the plurality of SSB beams, a battery level of the wireless device, the wireless device is in a power saving mode, a latency value of an active application of the wireless device, and a subscription of the wireless device;responsive to determining to perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSBs, perform the beam measurement on the subset of SSB beams to obtain a reference signal value of at least one SSB beam in the subset of SSB beams; andselect a SSB beam, from the subset of SSB beams, with the reference signal value that is equal to or greater than a first threshold value.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of Claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise any of the operations of Claims 2 to 22.

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