A first
user equipment (500) comprises a
radio frequency unit (505) and a processor (510). The processor (510) is configured to control the
radio frequency unit (505) to receive synchronization signals transmitted from different synchronization sources and prioritize the different synchronization sources based on categories of the different synchronization sources. The categories, according to a prioritized order, comprise a
base station, a
user equipment synchronized with, and located in a coverage of, a
base station, a
user equipment synchronized with, but located out of a coverage of, a
base station, and a user equipment having a synchronization timing reference independent from a base
station. The processor (510) is further configured to determine, based on the prioritization, a synchronization timing reference of a first synchronization source determined as a reference synchronization source for the first user equipment (500) among the different synchronization sources, wherein root indexes of the different synchronization sources do not correspond to 25, 29, or 34, wherein the first synchronization source is determined, as the reference synchronization source, based on whether the first synchronization source corresponds to a first value different from a second value of a second synchronization source of the different synchronization sources, synchronize with the reference synchronization source based on the synchronization timing reference, generate a
synchronization signal for device-to-device communication between the first user equipment (500) and a second user equipment (550), and control the
radio frequency unit (505) to transmit, based on the determined synchronization timing reference, the
synchronization signal for device-to-device communication.